June New Moms [Archive] - CookingLight.com Community

DanaSD

06-02-2006, 10:34 AM

Me: 35, DH 35
DC: Brendan, 5 months (12/29)

Accomplishments �
rolling over (back to front only)
DH and I went out on first date since DC (MIL watched him for a few hours).
eating rice cereal - just a few spoonfulls for now to get used to it

Challenges �
rolling over during sleep, transitioning away from breast feeding (no luck so far), grabbing hair and glasses, teething (no teeth yet, but will get fussy until I massage his gums or let him chomp on my finger).

I am soooo tired today. Ok, so I was working on breaking the nighttime feedings that had developed in the last month and this was working � then right when we had success, Brendan learned to roll over. When he wakes up during the night rolls over and then cries until I get him. He has also started rolling over right when I put him down and he�ll asleep but then cries later when he wakes up during the night. Sometimes if he wakes up on his tummy his crying is screaming and it hard to calm him down (for any other reason I can calm him down by holding him very quickly) � mostly this is when he wakes up in the morning or for naps. Last night during one of his wakings it took 4 tries to get him to fall asleep � each time I would put him down, he would sleep for a few minutes (long enough for me to get back into bed), then he would roll over and wake up crying. Finally I just stayed there trying to prevent him from rolling � this didn�t work but this time he actually fell asleep on his tummy. Then this morning he woke at 6 wide awake � usually he wakes around 730 and I really wanted more sleep. I don�t know what to do � because he�s screaming instead of crying, I don�t feel comfortable with CIO. He has no interest in learning to roll from tummy to back. The only good thing is that he�s learning to sleep on his tummy. Anyone go through this? How long until is passes???

No luck with weaning from breastfeeding. I think sippycup or a real cup will have potential. When ever we hold a glass while holding Brendan, he insists on holding the glass and putting his mouth on it � I can�t tell if its just because everything goes in the mouth or he wants to drink out of it. Yesterday I think he did drink some water from it � usually it just sits in his mouth and eventually drools out (same with sippy cup and bottle).

I�ve been back to work for over a month now and its going really well. Our nanny is working out well � its nice to have live-in help so there�s no dropping off, I can check on him anytime and helps out outside of working hours (she goes on my errands with me which is really helpful). Its still hard to have anyone watching your child especially when you hear them fuss. But I think I enjoy the time I spend with him even more since I�m not as worn out by spending the entire day with him.

Brendan has discovered his toes and loves to suck on them � I think its cute but I guess others would think its gross.

Sorry for the book

Lisa � that�s an adorable picture.
Here�s a picture of Brendan and his toes (and showing off his thighs)
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/danavbrown/DSC04918.jpg

mao

06-02-2006, 12:00 PM

Me: Maeve 37
DH: 35
DD: Ilona 7.5 months

Accomplishments: Much better sleeping pattern, rolling lots, "talking" lots and grabbing at absolutely everything.

Challenges: I'll probably jinx myself now, but none really at the moment :)

I'm back again. I hope nobody objects to my very sporadic posting, though I seem to have a bit more time these days so I may be able to contribute more.

When I last posted in January or February, Ilona's naps were a huge challenge, but I'm happy to say things settled down in the last two months or so and she now naps for 1-2 hours in the AM and about the same in the afternoon. I think sticking with the routine, even when she was only sleeping 30 minutes, paid off in the end.

Dana, I know exactly what you are going through with the rolling and waking. Ilona did this for a while it is drove DH and me crazy. We were up 5-6 times per night, sometimes for a few hours at a time. After a few weeks it gradually disappeared--having her sleep in a sleep sack and giving her a toy to hold while going to sleep seemed to help, or maybe she just got more comfortable with rolling around...While in the midst of this phase I usually tried to get to bed early, as Ilona usually started waking up about 2 a.m. If I went to bed at 9.30-10, at least I had a few hours before she started.

Does anyone have any suggestions for dealing with baby jet lag. We were in Ireland to visit my parents in April and Ilona never really adjusted. I'm going again in August and I'd really like to make the transition a bit easier on both of us.

Kathy F

06-02-2006, 01:40 PM

Lisa, have a happy birthday! Thanks for starting the thread.

Me: Kathy, 29
DH: Jesse, 29
DD: Joanna, 8 weeks tomorrow (Kathryn, our little ones are so close in age!)

Accomplishments: We have smiles! :) She's also making all kinds of cute noises and just seems to be much more alert and interested in the world around her. We've been having a blast just laying her on the floor and watching her kick her legs and wave her arms around -- so fun!

Challenges: We have thrush. :( Or at least I do, anyway. I'm getting kind of frustrated with the whole thing -- been having nipple pain for a couple weeks, sometimes when she latches on but mostly a burning feeling in between feedings. We've tried the Nystatin liquid, and then I've been using a Monistat cream, but no improvement, so now I have a prescription for Diflucan and we'll see if that helps. Joanna doesn't seem to be affected at all, she's never had any of the white gunk in her mouth, which is good -- I would feel even worse if I felt like she was hurting, too.

Other challenges: staying asleep!! As I type she is making noises like she's trying to wake up from her nap, when I know she is really tired. I think she gets overtired -- she'll start crying so we'll walk her or rock her, but a lot of times when we go to put her down she wakes up again. We swaddle her, so she shouldn't be startling herself awake, but then she is really good about breaking out of the swaddle, even out of the Swaddle Me blanket with the velcro and everything. I am trying to get better at realizing when she's getting tired so I can put her down before she gets all fussy, but she changes over from happy to super-cranky so fast. At least she does manage to sleep once we finally get her down for good -- she usually goes 5-6 or even 7 hours at night, which is SO GREAT!

Okay, now she's crying, gotta go. :(
Kathy

mst

06-02-2006, 02:29 PM

Me: 31
DH: 36
DD: Ilyssa, 6.5 months
BF/FF: BF with solids

Accomplishments: Solid foods.

Challenges: More for me than Ilyssa. I want to try to make some "mom" friends. Milk supply issues (as always!) And, getting her to be more independent. Having a SAHM and a dad who works from home means that she rarely amusing herself. While we love playing with her, we think it is important for her to learn to play without us.

Lisa and Dana- I love the pictures. Keep 'em coming!

Things here are good, but busy. I have started this note a hundred times, and keep stopping to get Ilyssa. I might have to run to get her again. Yeah- I need to run!

DanaSD

06-02-2006, 03:13 PM

mst - meeting more 'moms' is one of my goals/challenges, too. Especially because I'm new to this area I don't know anyone and our development is new that only 1/3 of our neighbors have moved in and there are 7 developments still to be built (we're the second). A lot of the playgroups that I've found are for SAHMs so I can't make the meetings.

Thought I'd share some of things that I'm trying to get involved with to meet more moms and get Brendan out of the house to see other kids:

baby storytime at the library - its free and they have an evening session. The daytime one has a lot more kids

gymboree and gymboree type classes - we have one here called Busy Boddies and when Brendan is 6 months I can go to gymobree here since they have weekend classes

baby swim classes - these start at 6 months so we start in July

meetup.com - I'm trying to start a group (my area of town for new and expecting moms) and so far 8 moms have signed up. I'm also joining another group that someone else started (for moms with kids of all ages, but moms with a similar interest).

my sorority alumnae chapter has a special interest group for new moms - not many participants yet but I'm going to get invovled to see if I can increase participation.

There's also MOPs (but has a religion basis so its not for me), MOMs club, moxie moms (there isn't a group in my area but they said I could start one and the leader gets a % of dues from members), stroller strides, mommy and me yoga at the Y or local rec centers, kindermusik, etc.

I also took a friend's advice and made mom business cards with my number and email address - I keep these with me so if I meet a mom somewhere it easy to give out my contact information.

KathrynY

06-02-2006, 07:23 PM

Kathy F, how fun that Joanna and Henry are so close in age! I'm sorry to hear about your thrush - that can't be easy. :( Hope it clears up soon. If you don't mind my asking, how much does Joanna weigh? I am wondering if longer sleeps are somehow correlated with weight? Trying not to obsess about it, but really wishing for some longer stretches.... :o Henry is still a little guy at 8 lbs 1/2 oz last Friday.

Dana, what an adorable photo of Brendan - love the toes! :D Thanks for the list of resources - I know one or two new moms in the area but would love to meet more while I'm home for the summer.

Kathy F

06-03-2006, 09:24 AM

Kathryn -- As of last Friday, Joanna weighed 8 lbs 6 oz, so she's pretty little, too. She's been kind of slow at gaining, so even though I love the big chunks of sleep, sometimes I worry that she's going too long without eating. I did ask the doctor if it was okay for her to sleep that long, and he said sure, but I will probably bring it up again at her 2 month appt on Thursday. I don't blame you for wanting more sleep -- I LOVE to sleep, and that has been one of the hardest things for me about becoming a mom! :o

Dana's list of places to meet other moms reminded me that a couple of movie theaters around here have movies for moms and babies one morning a week -- it's a new release, but they turn the sound down and don't put the lights all the way out, and they have changing tables and a stroller check. :D Has anybody ever gone to one of those? I'd love to check it out since I haven't seen the inside of a movie theater for, oh, about 8 weeks, but I think my husband would be really jealous, since he hasn't either! One of our goals for this summer is to go to a movie, just the two of us. We'll see!

We are off to Target today to buy a swing. :) Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Kathy

Andrea_2

06-03-2006, 09:57 AM

Me: 36
DH: 37
DS: (Brendan): 3
DD: (Emily): 12 weeks

I'm trying to learn how to post pictures. Lets see how this works.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid207/p538e3b29c22083b48baa7572031e8317/eeb20634.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid207/p608c3cf6949e7a01dfa1681bddf230e9/eeb20556.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid207/pc30bc51d2e1d33345f1167b2a45c42d7/eeb205dc.jpg

OMG... I finally figured out how to post pictures! :D

Accomplishments: I have finally gotten a couple smiles out of Emily! I have to be at just the right distance, and make just the right eye contact, but at least she is starting to smile now. I think she is almost 9 pounds now too, which just seems so big compared to what she was. She has still been puking like crazy, so I'm surprised she has still managed to keep gaining weight. Looks like she is probably going to have to be put on Zantac pretty soon if it doesn't clear up.

Challenges: Sleep! We just can't seem to get her sleeping longer stretches at night. When she was in the NICU, they fed her at 2:00 and 5:00 every night, and she still wakes up at those times almost every night. The good part is that she is at least going back to sleep faster, so I've been feeling more rested lately. It is a good thing too, because I went back to work on Thursday. I'm glad to be back to work in a way, because I was starting to go a bit crazy hanging around the house all the time. I did reduce my hours, so I think this will be the ideal balance for me.

I would like to get involved in some of the mom/baby activities too. Those are some good suggestions on things to do, and I'll have to look into some of those around here.

hrk

06-04-2006, 09:02 AM

Hi everyone.

Lisa- I remember the days I had to stop wearing necklaces and hoop earrings. Unfortunately Logan still managed to rip a stud out of my ear, it was terribly painful.

Stephanie- sorry to hear about the ear infection.

Dana- Brendan is adorable and congrats on the date. Sorry weaning isn't going very well. I have a few friends who went through them same thing. It isn't easy.

Kathy- A firend of mine just went through Thrush and her doctor told her nystatin doesn't work anymore because most of the yeast is resistant to it. She used Jenshin (sp?) violet and it worked really well. She said it was a mess and ruined two of her shirts but it cleared it up pretty quickly. Also check you pm, I sent you something about the movies.

Andrea- Cute pictures- we have the same swing and Ari loves it. I can realate to the night feedings and schedules, we used to have to wake Ari every night to feed him at 2 and it took him a while to give up that feeding, but it will come.

OK about us:
Me: 32
DH: 33
DS#1: Logan 3 years old
Ds#2: Ari, 12 weeks,exclusively BF with one bottle of pumped milk

Accomplishments: Big smiles, holding his head up on his tummy sleeping 8-10 hours straight at night (knock on wood)

Challenges- working on him rolling from front to back, we do lots of tummy time everyday and he is just content to lay there and hold his head up but not really move.

Well last week was a crazy week and things are finally getting back to normal for Ari and me. Up until last week DH would give Ari his last feed with a bottle of BM. Well he would scream, not take it and just finally exhaust himself. So last Monday night we decided to change his bottle to a morning bottle (we give him one bottle a day to keep him used to them for eventually going to daycare) that DH would give him before he goes to work. Well so of course Monday night after screaming his head off and only taking an ounce from the bottle he sleeps throughthe night for the first time. DH gives him his morning bottle and we go on. Tuesday night I BF him and he goes to sleep much easier, but he wakes up 3 times that night and wants to eat each time. ( I was exhausted and so was he) Wednesday night is the same, so now DH and I don't know what to do, but decide to stick it out. Thursday night he wakes two times and by last night we were finally back to normal with him sleeping 7:30-5 am which was just great. So hopefully this will stick now for a little while. We have his 3 month appointment a week from wednesday so I am anxious to see if he went through a growth spurt during these past few wacky days.

Other than that he is doing great and geting so interactive. He will vocalize to get your attention and he is grabbing more and more things. These are the funs days.
Heather

ggs830

06-04-2006, 06:21 PM

Happy June Everyone!

Me: Gouri, 30
DH: Steve, 30
DD: Shaelyn, 5 months (12/30/05)

Accomplishments: Rolling over (back to front only). She is also eating very well, and become extremely talkative-- she often sings herself to sleep (so cute!). She's also showing a really big interest in sitting up, and will pull herself to standing (for a brief moment) if we hold on to her hands.

Challenges: Sleeping is, for the most part, still okay. The only issue is that she is teething, and that seems to be interfering with her sleep. She still sleeps through the night with one wake-up to eat, but her sleep is very restless, and the last couple of nights, I had a hard time getting her to go back to sleep. She's also been waking up more than an hour earlier than she normally does, around 6 a.m. We've tried baby orajel, which she hates. I've given her tylenol a couple of times, and that really helps, but I am hesitant to give it to her on a regular basis. She doesn't seem to like teething rings. I felt her gums today, and it seems as though one tooth is coming up really soon, so hopefully this will pass.

So, my mom and I are going to Wisconsin in two weeks for my sister's shower. We are flying to chicago, and then driving two hours to Madison. I'm planning on taking Shaelyn with us. We are also then driving to Madison over the 4th of July weekend for the wedding, an 8 hour drive. Any suggestions for the trips? I'm a little nervous, we've never taken her on any long distance trips before.

All the babies look adorable! Andrea, since you figured out how to post a pic, maybe you could teach me?

DanaSD

06-05-2006, 09:43 AM

Dana's list of places to meet other moms reminded me that a couple of movie theaters around here have movies for moms and babies one morning a week -- it's a new release, but they turn the sound down and don't put the lights all the way out, and they have changing tables and a stroller check. :D Has anybody ever gone to one of those? I'd love to check it out since I haven't seen the inside of a movie theater for, oh, about 8 weeks, but I think my husband would be really jealous, since he hasn't either! One of our goals for this summer is to go to a movie, just the two of us. We'll see!

Kathy

These movie mornings were very popular in San Diego where we used to live. UltraStar theaters. I always planned to go but never made it - it was always during his nap time and I felt bad messing with his nap so that I could see a movie and I was trying to keep him on a schedule. Also, I was never sure how I felt about taking Brendan to see a movie - I wasn't going to let him watch much TV until he was older but then a movie every once in awhile isn't going to hurt. mostly I didn't go because of the timing.

DH and I got to see our first movie last weekend (Da Vinci Code) when my MIL babysat - it was great to get out but a little hard since it was the first time and I knew he would get be getting hungry as his nap time got closer (but of course he didn't take the bottle and just waited for me to get there).

JanetJ

06-05-2006, 09:49 AM

Good morning everyone!

me: 31
DH: 35 (36 on Father's Day!)
DD: 15 weeks 2/16

Accomplishments: grabbing toys, bringing things to her mouth, chewing on her hands and getting her thumb in there when she wants to, and transitioning into her crib.

Challenges: tummy time. Maya is nowhere near rolling over because she just hates being on her tummy. She will 99% of the time start crying (progressing to screeching) within 2 minutes of being on her tummy. She has excellent head control, but I worry about her not rolling over and supporting herself well on her arms. I've also noticed a flat spot on one side of her head - she prefers to turn her head to the right. I'm going to bring up both of these points with her ped next week, but the worrywart in me is coming out. And one minor complaint is that she is always pulling my hair. Ouch! I'm now wearing ponytails more often than I did as a kid!

The transition to her crib has gone so well. She did wake up more often the first two nights, but now seems to be sleeping very well (7-8 hours before waking). We had her sleep positioner in there with her at first, but she would move out of it somehow so we left it out last night and had no problems. It's been very nice to have our bedroom back and she just seems like such a big girl now sleeping in her own room!

We are getting her first professional pictures done on Wednesday, just in time for Father's Day. Hope that goes well.

Kathy, we had thrush early on and I totally understand what a frustration that it. The Nystatin cleared it up here, but it still wasn't a picnic. Hope you find a solution soon.

Here's my latest snapshot of Maya with her chipmunk cheeks. :)

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h257/janetjeann/100_1788.jpg

DanaSD

06-05-2006, 09:51 AM

ggs830

Brendan has also started waking up at 6 instead of 7 (though today it was 8) - he did this Sunday morning and since he had woken me a few times during the night, I woke up DH at 6 and handed him Brendan and went back to sleep. They went for a long walk since it was still cool out.

car rides - just plan to take it slow with lots of stops (it took us an extra 2 hours). Brendan doesn't like the car much so our trip from San Diego to Phoenix wasn't fun but we survived (he was 4 months). In his carrier carseat he used to get so hot and he didn't have much room. I just got a Britax in the denim cover and he seems much happier - I bought this cover specifically because the reviews said it doesn't get hot. I find that music turned up helps to calm him. Also, I brought extra outfits since he was getting so sweaty. Also, I think it would be better now because he like toys (just small toys to chew on keep him entertained). Take breaks to get out of the carseat for awhile, feed and change diapers.

DanaSD

06-05-2006, 09:56 AM

Challenges: tummy time. Maya is nowhere near rolling over because she just hates being on her tummy. She will 99% of the time start crying (progressing to screeching) within 2 minutes of being on her tummy. She has excellent head control, but I worry about her not rolling over and supporting herself well on her arms.

not like being on the tummy doesn't stop them from rolling over - Brendan doesn't like to be on his tummy for long and its been a big challenge since he learned about 2 weeks ago. As soon as we put him down he rolls over, he'll handle it a little longer now (maybe 10 minutes) and then cries. Same thing happens at night - he rolls on his tummy either while sleeping and when he wakes during the night - finally last night during one waking he put himself back to sleep. Now he usually sleeps on his side or tummy. Just yesterday he started to show interest in trying to roll tummy to back but he's no good at it.

Have you tried tummy time on the boppy - Brendan used to prefer this to the floor. Its at least good for head control practice and getting weight off the back of the head for awhile. Brendan used to have a side preference and the pediatrician said to put him in the crib in the oppsite direction and start showing him toys on the oppsite side.

greta

06-05-2006, 10:45 AM

me: 35
hub: 37
laith 2 years +
saif (sef) 7.5 mos

saif doesn't crawl in the conventional way of crawling...but he get's around like a madman! my mellow one has quite a mischevious side! watch out!

he loves little bites of bread and such. my mother is a bad bad influence, she has given him little sips of vanilla shake, and teeny bites of a cookie. :p thank god i'm a laid back mommy.

we've hit a bad sleeping patch the last 2 nights--i'm chalking it up to teething. other than that, he's been stellar on the sleeping front lately.

laith (i know, he's not new, but humor me) went in the pool yesterday and it was only 72 degrees!! and cool outside. he is quite the adventurous one! and of course, mommy ended up going in with him (in her pj bottoms). :D

kathryn, believe me, size isn't always a good indicator of sleep performance!! i know itty bitty ones who were sleeping thru pretty quickly, and big ones who took much longer. i'll have a chat with little henry if you'd like. ;)

dana, brendan has very similar thighs to my saif!!! love them!

andrea, i love the shot of brendan and emily in the seats!!! don't you love having 2?

hi everybody else!!

ggs, there are some previous threads on travelling with infants...you may want to do a quick search if you can. very helpful!

janet, OH MY CHEEKS!! how cute cute cute. give her kisses on each for me. oh, and laith used to hate tummy time--he rolls over fine now. :p

here's my latest (laith loves taking photos on nanny's loveseat!):
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid207/pee70544116e887c5fab41c0c28600ecc/eea84784.jpg

LaraW

06-05-2006, 01:19 PM

Gouri, you might look for Hylands Teething Tablets. You can get them at Walgreens. Our pediatrician recommended those for DD when she was teething, and they worked great. We often would give her 3 tablets (they dissolve in their mouth, so no worry about choking on them) and some tylenol. The teething tablets seemed to take the edge off until the tylenol kicked in. Just a thought. DD never liked the baby oragel either.

Greta, I love seeing pictures of your boys. They are so cute.

Janet, Maya is so adorable! My DD didn't like tummy time either, and she rolled back to tummy first. I think she was about 5 1/2 months old when she did it. She tolerated the boppy a lot better than just being on the floor. Glad the transition to the crib went well.

We're doing well here. Pretty uneventful for the most part, with the exception that Colin rolled from tummy to back on Saturday. He did it 3x in a row, and about 10 minutes later DH got home from doign some errands and he wouldn't do it for the rest of the day. DH did get to see him doing it yesterday, though.

It is so hot here. It has been over 90 degrees the last 3 days, and is forecast to be in the high 80's and 90's all week. Ugh.

magdon

06-05-2006, 10:47 PM

We had the movies here and they were great. I went several times with Declan. It works until they get really wiggly (like 7+ months). And most of the time he slept through it.

It's been awhile since I posted. I have

Declan 2.5 months
Dashiell 14 weeks

accomplishments: rolling tummy to back, sleeping well at night (which may change, see below)

challenges: naps, getting rid of the swaddle, trying to figure out how to have both boys in one room.

Nothing too horrible right? We've been trying to get him sleeping without the swaddle, in part because he just getting too big for it. He's a chunker this one (13.11 lbs at his 2 month appt and somewhere around 16 now). He's been sleeping great, generally 8:30 to 4 or later and then another couple hours after that. The trick is that Dec wakes up around 6:30 and I think sometimes that wakes him up. And naps, well, he doesn't like to lie down much. Which isn't horrible since we're usually out doing things in the morning anyway but gosh I wish he'd sleep in the afternoon (not that #1 is doing that much).

But mostly it's great to see them together. Your pics made me laugh Andrea-- Declan loves sitting in Dash's swings (at home and at my parents). His feet hit the ground so he can push himself. Its quite amusing.

And Greta-- congrats on getting them both to smile at the same time :)

greta

06-06-2006, 06:51 AM

magdon, yes, getting them to smile at the same time is an interesting task!

you are one brave soul, getting them to sleep in the same room. i still keep the boys completely separate--and it's not easy because we're limited on space right now. laith sleeps very well--12 hours. but, he is a light sleeper. the few times we've been in the same room on trips, it's been quite a disaster. if saif cries, he wakes laith. and we have two crying boys!

lara, you sound great!!! i'm glad things are going well. (photos please).

greta

DanaSD

06-06-2006, 11:47 AM

a couple of updates and a few questions:

We bought the Britax roundabout (I think thats the model, its the one that doesn't go as high in weight as the others) in the denim cover. I researched a lot of the reviews to find one with a cover that didn't get hot since we live in AZ and I think thats one of the reasons Brendan hated his carrier (he was always soaked when we took him out). He's much happier in this seat and carrides are much more pleasant.

Since we don't use the carrier anymore, this weekend we tried putting him in the shopping cart. I have the eddiebauer shopping cart cover from Target and it worked great. Even though he can't sit by himself he was fine and very happy - DH pushed the cart and once in awhile had to straighten him up but most of the time he just balanced against the back. It was a relief not to use the bjoern since he's getting sooo heavy.

We also tried the highchairs in restaurants and he was able to sit in these fine. He's growing up so fast!

So while Brendan isn't sitting up on his own or pulling himself up he can sit for a few minutes by himself so he's on his way there. Sometimes he wabbles forward and ends up on his belly, other times he kicks so he falls back. I let him practive by sitting between my legs so if he falls back, he falls on me. He still prefers to stand (we have to hold him).

Question - Since Brendan is doing well with the rice cereal how much should I be feeding him and how often? Before or after breastfeeding him? I've just been doing 1-2 T at dinner but he's ready for more.

Question - We've been giving him the sippy cup every day with formula. The last few times he has drank some but then 5-10 minutes later he spits it all out (almost projectile). Could it be that I need to try another brand or even another tpye?

Question - saftey gates. What do you do about saftey gates when you have pets? I have 2 cats and one will be able to jump over the gate fine, but I'm not sure about the other.

Have you read the pg thread lately - looks like we should have a lot of new moms joining us soon...

gertdog

06-06-2006, 02:26 PM

On the safety gates- we decided to get a pressure-mounted gate for downstairs to go in between the family room and the kitchen/dining room. That should effectively contain Ryan in the family room when he's playing in there, and we can easily remove the gate when he's not there or is in bed so that we (and the dog) can come and go easily. Ditto for the base of the stairs. Our dog will just have to deal with the gates when they're up; I know she won't be able to jump them, so she'll either have to wait for someone to let her through or choose which room she wants to be in.

Ryan seems to be feeling 100% again after a few days of crabbiness and catching up on sleep. We see the doctor tomorrow for a follow-up. He's scooting everywhere and commando crawling, but only backwards. He's also decided he wants to feed himself which makes for some messy moments in the highchair! I'm feeling very happy that the highchair tray can go right into the dishwasher.

DH is out of town this week so it's been just me and Ryan- DH usually does the weekday morning routine (bottle, getting dressed, breakfast) and Ryan was clearly upset this morning when I went in to get him and he saw I wasn't DH!

mst

06-06-2006, 03:33 PM

Dana- Thanks for your list of meeting mom ideas. I will definitely need to keep that bookmarked.

Andrea- How did Emily get so big already?

Janet- I love Maya's cheeks.

Greta- How perfect is that picture? I love the matching PJ's!

So, I am taking an itsy bitsy yoga class tomorrow. I hope it will be fun!

Curious to hear what others think...it seems like we should start another thread for babies. Many moms have said that they don't feel like new moms, but don't feel like they are wobblers yet either. I think especially with the June baby boom coming, I am going to feel like this thread is going to be more focused on newborn issues. Any thoughts?

TerriS

06-06-2006, 08:21 PM

Re movies - I went to Reel Moms in Tysons Corner once while on leave. It's a pretty good way to see a movie with a baby. I don't know that it would be a great place to meet other moms, since it's hard to chat with the movie on, but it's a nice way to spend some time.

I had the hardest time meeting other moms while I was on leave. Since going back to work I've discovered/met two moms who live in my 'hood who have babies near my girl's age and was like "where were you when I was on leave?" Geez.

I have heard of playgroups on sites like meetup.com too and maybe check yahoo groups? And always check out all your neighborhood parks.

LaraW

06-06-2006, 09:45 PM

OK - I'm jumping in posting some pictures also :D

Here is Colin. I think this was just taken over the weekend:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid207/pe1e41b037c0add07e9b89fd5e11ac256/eea16395.jpg

And, even though she's not a baby, here is DD. I liked this picture of her.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid207/p82d043708e33f16c3c6de614744a6df5/eea15bfd.jpg

ggs830

06-07-2006, 07:43 AM

Thanks for the tips on teething and travelling. The teething is still the same, but luckily, Shaelyn's sleeping has improved (knock on wood).

Janet: I'll chime in with everyone else about baby hating tummy time-- Shaelyn hated being on her tummy, and she rolled over just fine. Around 20 weeks, she started rolling up onto her side when she was going to sleep, and 2 weeks ago, she progressed to rolling over. She still doesn't like being on her tummy much, but she rolls over just fine. Also, Shaelyn had a terrible flat spot on the back of her head because we just couldn't get her on to her tummy. It used to bother me so much. However, the flat spot is slowly evening out. I think it's a combination of learning to sleep on her side, rolling over, and sitting up, assisted or propped, that has helped. So, don't worry (although I'm sure you will-- I know I did!!), I'm sure Maya will be just fine.

hrk

06-07-2006, 08:05 AM

Janet- The childbirth educator who runs my moms group often tells moms that tummy time should just be 10 minutes a day, but it doesn't have to be continuous, just do as long as they will tolerate at a time. Also it is OK for them to get a little bit frustrated and mad as it might actually help them. Just another thought. And as for favoring one side of the head, our doctor encouraged us to put Ari's toys, place him in a chair etc, where he had to turn his head to the other side, but not to worry to much about it.

Lara- Those pictures are great. Glad to hear Cloin is doing well and starting to roll.

To chime in on safety gates, we have wall mounted gates with latches and our dog just had to learn to deal with it. But we have had them up since Logan was 6 months ( so over 2.5 years) and our dog has never had a problem with it.

And as for Reel moms, the movies are a lot of fun, but as others have said not the best place to meet moms. I went with Logan when I was off with him and have been going with Ari, but I tend to go with someone else and notice most other moms do as well. BUt I have gone by myself a couple of times, if I really wanted to see the movie.

Well I think we need to finally break Ari of swaddling. After sleeping very well this weekend, we are back to waking up once a night and each time I go in there he is out of his swaddle. He is 3 months this Saturday and I think he is just starting to move to much.
But he is giving great big smiles and is doing well with tummy time and holding his head up. He is also quite the inch worm, I think he will be quite the mover.

Heather

hrk

06-07-2006, 09:06 AM

All this talk about Reel Moms, I thought I would post a fun photo- that is my first son Logan, when he was 8 weeks old, at the Inagural Reel Moms showing here in the DC area. We went and saw Pirates of the Caribbean, and my mom and I did not know that it was the first time they were doing the reel moms program in DC. There was press there and a photographer sat behind us and asked if she could photograph Logan. The next day, our local paper is delivered and there is my son on the front page. So Reel Moms will always hold a special place in my heart. :D
http://hkalish.photosite.com/~photos/tn/21_348.ts1149692257328.jpg

gertdog

06-07-2006, 09:07 AM

Lara, those are GREAT photos- great bright colors and you can really see the resemblance between Colin and Natalie. :)

Janet, Ryan spent almost zero time on his tummy yet learned to roll right on schedule- mostly because he wanted to escape being on his tummy! I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I haven't met a lot of other moms either- I did go to Stroller Strides for a few months but have gotten less enthusiastic about it. The people have been very nice but the leader is really disorganized and I hate getting 10 emails a day with updates, corrections, evites, etc. Plus the times aren't great- most of the classes are during Ryan's morning naptime.

We're starting a gymboree class next week and I'm hoping that will give me more opportunity to chat with other moms of similar-age babies.

DanaSD

06-07-2006, 09:53 AM

Gymboree is one of the best places to meet moms - everyone has a nametag on and you sit in a circle and start by introducing yourself and talking about the topic of the week. Then part way through the class there's playtime where you go out and explore the gym - this is also a time to talk to moms. After 6 months, they can participate in open gym time which is when moms have a lot of time to talk.

I went to a moms group meeting yesterday that I found out about at meetup.com - they were very cool and I think its going to be a good group (right now its small because its also based on other interests but hopefully we can get it to grow). I also got out of the house by myself - Brendan had eaten and since I have a nanny I went alone. Since the other moms have older kids they were also without kids so it was nice to just hang out with adults. 3rd time out of the house with DS!

Anyone have safety gates with cats? The challenge is their litter box is upstairs and I don't want them stuck downsstairs. I guess we could get a second box.

EmilyK

06-07-2006, 10:16 AM

Dana, we have safety gates and cats. You're lucky to have gotten away with only one box and multiple floors to your house, but I digress... the cats go under or over any gates that happen to be up. If they are too lazy to hop the gate, tough cookies. Of course, we also have a box on each floor, otherwise we have issues. I did hear of one lady who purposefully set up a baby gate that her cats had to hop every time they wanted to get to their food to help a fat cat lose weight. ;)

Luv to Cook

06-07-2006, 10:32 PM

Wow, this thread moves fast.

ME: Anita, 30
DH: 32
DD1: Asha, 3 tomorrow
DD2: Sahana, 6 1/2 months

Sigh, I am feeling a little nostalgic and sad tonite. Asha is turning 3 and I just cannot believe it. Weird because I did not feel like this when she turned 2, but I guess with Sahana growing so fast, it is hitting me. Anyhow, she is totally psyched for her birthday. We are having a Dora party on Saturday and it will be so fun. I made purple backpacks for all the kids and they are going to go on a hunt to find Asha's cake because Swiper stole it (that was the invite). I'm still working on the cake, but it will basically be 3 scenes from the show. Should be a good time.

Challenges: working on night weaning.

Accomplishments: crawling...she is all over the place. It is fun, but oh so stressful. I feel a little nervous since Asha has some small toys. I have cleaned up, but am a little paranoid about something that I may have missed. She is also starting to say "maa, maaa." Totally not to me, but still exciting.

Meredith, a new thread would be great...I can barely keep up with this one!

Heather, cool pic!

I love all the pics of the babies! Keep em coming! If I could ever figure it out, I would post a pic of my monsters.

Dana, I always nurse before solids. It just ensures that they get most of their calories from milk, instead of solids. I give DD about 2-3 TBS of oatmeal with about 2 oz of breastmilk. I give her enough to satisfy her (she loves solids), but not enough to lessen her nursings. I hope that makes sense.

Hi to everyone else...sorry for not writing more, but I am exhausted and need to hit the sack.

Anita

kelliek

06-08-2006, 06:50 AM

Ok, I'll finally chime in for this month.

Me & DH: 34
Charlie: 8 weeks today!

Accomplishments: achieving a good latch while breastfeeding (ok, so it took us 7 weeks to get it right, but now we have), sleeping in bigger chunks (usually one 5-7 hour chunk, followed shortly by a 1-3 hour chunk each night and morning), lots of smiles, maybe a giggle here and there.

Challenges: sleep at any other time of day. I've been tracking his sleep and he is only averaging about 13 hours which seems too little. He pretty much hates to nap after about noon and won't fall asleep for any significant time until midnight or later. Reflux: he is really screaming a lot with feedings at night, especially from a bottle. He has gained another 2-3 lbs since we last upped the zantac dosage, so I'm thinking it needs upping again. And finally where he sleeps: right now he will only sleep in his pak-n-play (which is downstairs) and not in the crib (upstairs). So, I've been sleeping on the couch downstairs. I think he would get more sleep if he was up in his room not in the middle of everything. I hope to get him into his crib in the next month. He started out sleeping there, so I'm not sure what happened!

I'll try to post a pic, too.

http://www.2it.com/pics/charlie-forweb1.jpg

hrk

06-08-2006, 07:41 AM

Kellie- Congrats on getting a great latch and you should really give yourself a pat on the back for working so hard at BFing your baby. What a wonderful thing you are doing for your baby. I haven't dealt with reflux myself but at my moms group, there are a few babies with it. A couple of the moms have mentioned that there is another medicine for reflux that doesn't constantly have to be adjusted like Zantac, but I can't think of the name right now.

Anita- Glad to hear that Sahana is doing well. Crawling already wow!!! And I can totally sympathize with you feeling sad about Asha turning 3, I went through the same thing with Logan last month. They grow up fast. That sounds like an amazingly clever party you planned.

Dana- Glad to hear the playgroup went well.

Well Ari totally took all of us by surprise last night and rolled from back to front. I was caught so offgaurd, that I figured I laid him down off to the side or something and of course he wouldn't do it again, but this morning, put him down on his tummy again and sure enough about a minuute later he was on his back with big smiles. So we are officially rolling.

Hope everyone else is doing well.
Heather

KathrynY

06-08-2006, 09:22 AM

Kellie, Charlie is adorable!

Lara, love the photos of your little ones - Natalie is so big now!

Heather, such a great photo of Logan with that newspaper article - what a special memory.

I am hoping someone can give me suggestions as to how to keep my little guy dry at night. He's been waking up damp around the waist at night feedings, and I am not sure what else to try. He weighed 8 lbs 1/2 oz 10 days ago, and is wearing size 1 diapers. I've tried both Pampers and Huggies with the same leaking. DH asked me if perhaps we aren't putting the diapers on correctly - am I missing something? The characters go in the front, tapes from back to front. :confused: Daytime doesn't seem to be a problem. Help! I am getting tired of having to change a onesie, sleeper and swaddling blanket every 3 hours at night. :(

LaraW

06-08-2006, 09:34 AM

Thanks for the compliments on the pictures, everyone. :)

Kathryn, the only thing I can think of is to make sure that Henry is "pointed down" at night to reduce leaks. We started using nighttime diapers with DD when she was a little over a year old, but that was b/c she was wetting through the diaper. Doesn't sound like that's the issue, though.

Other than that....duct tape? ;)

I feel like a new person today. Colin was up once last night, but it was at midnight. I got to sleep 12:30-6:00, which is the first time since he was born that I have been able to do that. Ahhh. Better enjoy it today, though because who knows if that will be the case again.

I have a question too. The last few nights, when Colin has woken up to eat in the night, he's not really fussing. Just talking and gurgling. He hasn't eaten "great" - he seems like "oh, there's feed here. I guess I'll eat" rather than being really hungry. Does this sound like he's just waking up out of habit more than out of hunger? I know we're approaching him not really needing the nighttime feedings anymore, but I'm not sure if I should just try to leave him alone and see if he goes back to sleep, or not.

DanaSD

06-08-2006, 09:39 AM

I have a question too. The last few nights, when Colin has woken up to eat in the night, he's not really fussing. Just talking and gurgling. He hasn't eaten "great" - he seems like "oh, there's feed here. I guess I'll eat" rather than being really hungry. Does this sound like he's just waking up out of habit more than out of hunger? I know we're approaching him not really needing the nighttime feedings anymore, but I'm not sure if I should just try to leave him alone and see if he goes back to sleep, or not.

If he's waking but not crying, let him be and see if he goes back to sleep. Brendan used to do that 1-2 times a night and would go back to sleep (unfortunately those days are gone and all of you with young babies are getting more sleep than I am, he was up every 2 hours last night because of rolling over and wanting to eat).

JanetJ

06-08-2006, 01:45 PM

Thanks to everyone for their encouragement and info about Maya's dislike of tummy time. It's funny that I mention it here and then today she surprises me by staying on her stomach for over 10 minutes and keeping her head and chest high for several minutes. I even though she might come close to rolling onto her back, but then she just decided to suck on her fingers. :) I'm definitely feeling better about this now.

I love all the pictures!

Molli526

06-08-2006, 01:48 PM

(((Kathryn))) Ugh. So sorry to hear about the leaking. I really hate having to change Henry in the middle of the night. I agree to make sure the p3nis is pointed down. Maybe try fastening the diaper a little lower on his belly at night too, so it is a super tight fit? It doesn't sound like he needs 2's yet.

Molli526

06-08-2006, 01:50 PM

I have a question too. The last few nights, when Colin has woken up to eat in the night, he's not really fussing. Just talking and gurgling. He hasn't eaten "great" - he seems like "oh, there's feed here. I guess I'll eat" rather than being really hungry. Does this sound like he's just waking up out of habit more than out of hunger? I know we're approaching him not really needing the nighttime feedings anymore, but I'm not sure if I should just try to leave him alone and see if he goes back to sleep, or not.

Lara, If it were me, I would try to leave Colin be and see if he goes back to sleep. It sounds like he is waking up out of habit to me.

lbd

06-08-2006, 05:09 PM

I am hoping someone can give me suggestions as to how to keep my little guy dry at night. He's been waking up damp around the waist at night feedings, and I am not sure what else to try. He weighed 8 lbs 1/2 oz 10 days ago, and is wearing size 1 diapers. I've tried both Pampers and Huggies with the same leaking. (

Delurking to ask whether the size 1s are perhaps too big? We're using Pampers Swaddlers in the newborn size - the package says up to 10 lbs. We tried Huggies but they leaked so switched to the PS and they've been good so far (in my whole 2 weeks of motherhood :) ).

KathrynY

06-09-2006, 09:29 AM

Thanks so much for all of the suggestions - we had a dry night last night! :) Not sure exactly what worked but I'm happy. Lara, LOL on the duct tape - sounds like something my DH would suggest! :p

Kathy F

06-09-2006, 09:51 AM

Hi all,

Such cute photos, everyone!

Well, Joanna had her 2 month checkup yesterday, and it looks like everything is coming along fine. She got four shots, which was very sad, she screamed after each one like, Why are you doing this to me? :( I don't think she was extra fussy afterwards, but I think they did make her extra sleepy. She slept more than usual in the afternoon/evening, and then she slept 8+ hours last night. We'll see how she is today, she's napping now and normally she would be waking up soon. Of course, now I'm worried that the shots have made her too sleepy, when all week I've been concerned that she's not napping enough. Seems like I can always find something to worry about! :rolleyes:

Thanks for all the sympathy on the thrush -- I have one more dose of Diflucan to take, and I can't figure out if it's helping or not. Every time I start to think I'm getting better, I'll start to hurt again. I have heard about gentian violet, the purple stuff, which I may try if I finish the medicine and haven't improved. But, I've had one LC and one doctor tell me that if the meds don't fix the problem, then it's probably not thrush. Which is kind of what I've been wondering all along. But at least there are LCs on the staff at the pediatrician's office, so I can always make an appt there and hopefully figure out what's going on. I just don't want to have to spend so much time thinking about this anymore!

Dana, about the gates -- my cousin has a cat and a toddler and she has put their gate just high enough for the cat to get under. Don't know if that's an option for you, but thought I'd throw it out there.

Kathryn, glad you had a dry night! I had to laugh about putting the diapers on wrong, b/c more than once I've tried to put one on backwards -- Hey, wait, where's Big Bird? :p

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Kathy

DanaSD

06-09-2006, 11:00 AM

Dana, about the gates -- my cousin has a cat and a toddler and she has put their gate just high enough for the cat to get under. Don't know if that's an option for you, but thought I'd throw it out there.

Kathy

I had thought about that but I'm not how much space I can leave without it being a danger to Brendan (get his head stuck or something). I guess I could use the distance that railings must be though I'm not sure if my one fat cat can squeeze under (the same one who I don't think could jump).

Sarah428

06-09-2006, 05:48 PM

Quick ? for those of you with boys

Owen is 4 days old and everytime we go to get him up his back is wet?!?!? At first we thought it was just sweat but sometimes its enough to go through his outfit, onsie underneath, blanket and then onto the sheet. How can it be urine?!? Don't only the front of the diapers get wet with boys?!? I'm so confused :confused: :o

mst

06-09-2006, 09:17 PM

Sarah- Great to see you here already! No advice on the wet back...sorry.

Ok, here's what I need advice on. I have a friend who does not discipline her child at all. At all. And, I am a very strong believer in not disciplining other people's children. Anyway, this child is a terror. After she leaves our house, DH and I usually have to clean up for an hour. She goes into all of our rooms, and tears them apart. (She is two.) And her mother barely does anything to stop her. I have tried to meet this friend at a park, or at her house. And, she always says, "oh- Hannah can't do a walk. She's too active. Hannah can't go to the mall. Too active. We're so sick of all of our toys- can we come to your house?" So, I have been avoiding this for a while. Anyway, my friend has a baby a little younger than Ilyssa. My friend told me that Hannah is into a hitting stage. But- her target is babies. She hits her sister and other babies in her play group. My friend said, "what can I do? It's a stage. It will pass. Let's make a playdate!" I am not so keen on this. I like my friend, but Ilyssa is too young to play with either of her girls. I am not super protective of Ilyssa, and think it is a little healthy to get roughed up from other kids, but I think I would be a bad mom to purposely put her into this situation. I am not sure how to handle this with my friend. Especially since I don't want to critisize (sp?) her parenting.

On that note, I went out with a friend today who has a baby who is almost a year. They were looking at each other, and Ilyssa reached up to touch the little boy. My friend grabbed Ilyssa's hand away and told her to be gentle. (Ilyssa had not even touched the boy.) I was annoyed, and even more committed to try to not discipline other people's children. She was not even touching him yet! And, she is gentle- she's still exploring her world. Grr. Vent over. I just don't appreciate other people trying to discipline my child.

Andrea_2

06-09-2006, 10:04 PM

Meredith - Unfortunately I don't have any great advice, but I do understand where you're coming from. We have friends who have not one, but THREE absolute monsters. They have never been disciplined for any kind of inappropriate behavior, and they are just completely out of control. It is really unfortunate because we used to be such good friends with this couple until they had kids. When my DS was 10 days old, they came to visit and one of their kids (they only had one at the time) threw a bottle as hard as he could at DS. It missed him by about an inch, but I was so upset about it, and even more so that our friends just laughed it off. About a year ago we went to visit them at their house, and DS went to try and play with that same kid, and the kid punched him right in the face. :( :mad: Once again, the parents just laughed about it. We haven't seen them since, because I just can't deal with it. I'm hoping that we'll regain our friendship with them once their kids get a little older, but for now the only answer is to just not see them for awhile. I wish they'd get a babysitter some time so we could just go out alone with them, but they just won't.

gertdog

06-10-2006, 08:28 AM

Ok, here's what I need advice on. I have a friend who does not discipline her child at all. At all. And, I am a very strong believer in not disciplining other people's children. Anyway, this child is a terror. After she leaves our house, DH and I usually have to clean up for an hour. She goes into all of our rooms, and tears them apart. (She is two.) And her mother barely does anything to stop her. I have tried to meet this friend at a park, or at her house. And, she always says, "oh- Hannah can't do a walk. She's too active. Hannah can't go to the mall. Too active. We're so sick of all of our toys- can we come to your house?"

Having had a friend like this even before I had a baby, here's what I did. I just closed all the doors to other rooms and nicely asked my friend if she would help contain her son to the family room, as my other rooms were not child-safe. Now that I have Ryan, I'd probably just put up the baby gate to keep the kids in one room.

I also wouldn't consider it disciplining someone else's child to simply say "I'm sorry, Hannah, that's not a room we can go into today" when you're talking about your own house.

As far as the hitting goes- if she's truly doing nothing about it when Hannah hits, I'd be saying "no thanks" to the playdates with her. Hitting is normal, and it usually is a stage, but it goes away because they learn that it isn't okay, and they learn other ways to express themselves. If her mom isn't helping her learn those things, and protecting other babies from being victims of her kid, it'll be a real problem, not a stage (JMO, of course)

Sarah, welcome (back) to the thread! We've only had a few leaky diaper incidents with Ryan, and the only one that resulted in a wet back was when MIL put on his diaper too loose- I'd guess that maybe his p*nis wasn't in contact with the front of the diaper when he peed, and so it ran down his sides and pooled under his back instead of being absorbed in front. Just a guess, though...

Molli526

06-10-2006, 12:07 PM

Meredith-

If your friend isn't saying anything to Hannah about the hitting, I wouldn't have the playdates with them either. If she were at least trying to control them, that is something different.

If she does stop the hitting, I would get out your baby gates as well as the things that go over the door knobs, so she can't go in certain rooms.

I wouldn't want Charles or Henry around a kid like that anyway - she would teach them bad things!

mst

06-11-2006, 09:52 PM

I have tried shutting doors and things in our house when Hannah comes over. My DH actually works from home, and one day he was in his office with the door closed. Hannah ran in there, and scared herself half to death when she saw DH. :D

Food question- I went to the grocery store today to look at what foods are sold in baby jars. I noticed a lot of berries. I thought that you shouldn't feed kids berries until 1 year?!?

valchemist

06-12-2006, 03:14 AM

I have fed kate berries (fresh or frozen) from 7 months on. I started by putting them in the mesh feeder bag. now of course we don't use that anymore. I just chop them in chunks. she has had strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. I haven't bought the jarred berries. well, once I bought the pear/raspberry combo I think, and she liked that.

I had never heard of not feeding them berries til they are 1.

jphilg

06-12-2006, 07:12 AM

mst, at some point, have a discussion about adding foods with your pediatrician. There is so much conflicting advice out there on what/when to feed your child...and a lot of it is very conservative. If you don't have allergies in your family, your pediatrician may tell you to add things one at a time, but not follow any particular "rules". Saskia is 11 months (a year next week!) and has been eating fish, berries, peanut butter, ground tree nuts, shellfish....pretty much anything non-honey containing....for months. On the advice of my pediatrician. Her (pediatrician's) big thing was choking hazards, so we cut things pretty small, and stay away from rounds. So talk to your doctor and try to ignore the internet chatter about which foods at which time. There is just so much bad advice (IMHO) about feeding your child out there.

On a related note, while I am spouting off, I also encourage you to read Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter. She encourages getting your child off of pureed foods early on, which has been great for us. Saskia's been eating with the family for months now, self feeding little chunks of our food, and it is great for her dexterity, and nice for us, too, since we don't have to spoon feed her. I can find something for her at any restaurant....so much easier than lugging arount jars or tupperware of "baby food" and then trying to keep her occupied while I eat my meal.

Nothing new in here.....just some thoughts worth what your paid for them. Take away message: talk to your doctor about feeding, because there are different "rules" for different groups of family history.

ggs830

06-12-2006, 07:52 AM

On a related note, another feeding question:

I've been making Shaelyn's veggies at home, steaming then blending with milk or water. I made carrots last week, and noticed the blender didn't get rid of all the chunks. So I strained it, and that seemed to take care of the problem. Last night, we gave her peas, and I noticed there were some chunks in there, not big chunks, but it wasn't the smooth, pudding like consistency of the carrots. My question is, should I be straining everything right now (she's 5 1/2 months and has been eating solids about a month). She seems okay, and we haven't really noticed any problems. But, after comparing the consistency of the carrots and the peas, I became concerned that maybe the peas and other non-strained veggies were too chunky.

I'm sure this is not a big deal. However, I always need something to worry about, so I guess this is it for today. :rolleyes:

mst

06-12-2006, 08:42 AM

Val- Thanks for the info on what you have done. Always helpful to know what others are doing. What did you think of the mesh bag?

Jen- Thanks for your help too. I ordered that book today. I like the idea of feeding table food to Ilyssa. I keep thinking of you feeding Saskia fish (I remember you mentioning that in an earlier post), and hope to do things like that with Ilyssa. I was amazed at the supermarket, how few choices of food there were in the jars. I really want Ilyssa to eat a wide range of foods.

Peaches did not go so well today. Ilyssa kept pushing my hand away! :p I will keep plugging away. I thought it was funny though.

Gouri- I use an immersion blender which worked better for me than a blender. I am not sure what to tell you. If I have small chunks, I am ok with that because I know Ilyssa can handle them. But, she is almost seven months. I guess I would judge whether you think she can handle them or not, and err on the side of caution for a few more weeks.

Molli526

06-12-2006, 09:09 AM

On a related note, while I am spouting off, I also encourage you to read Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter. She encourages getting your child off of pureed foods early on, which has been great for us. Saskia's been eating with the family for months now, self feeding little chunks of our food, and it is great for her dexterity, and nice for us, too, since we don't have to spoon feed her. I can find something for her at any restaurant....so much easier than lugging arount jars or tupperware of "baby food" and then trying to keep her occupied while I eat my meal.

I totally agree about this. We gave Charles some jarred food that we were given. Then when we tried to go to the chunks, he didn't like it. That was a problem. We just offered the chunks/ ground up small - not pureed and he took it. My friends little boy is 15 months and will only eat jars - so she lugs them everywhere.

SooCookie

06-12-2006, 09:17 AM

jphilg

06-12-2006, 09:44 AM

((((Michelle)))) Totally normal at 2 weeks! It can be really hard....unbelievably inexplicably unexpectedly hard....those first couple of weeks. I think there are some (a very few) mothers who "fall in love" the first time they lay eyes on their gooey squirmy meatloaves. But the vast, silent majority take a longer time to bond, and find those first weeks very depressing. I actually talk to my preggo friends about it all the time, because I felt like no one told me ahead of time how rough it would be, and then, when I was going through it, all of the moms of older babies would nod and say "that's how I felt, too!". But I would have liked to be prepared. Anyhow, you are normal and ok to be feeling all of these things now.

Many people more qualified than me can tell you when to start looking for PPD signs, but I really don't think that what you describe is anything to worry about yet, other than the fact that it feels so yucky. Confession: I told my husband around the 2 week point that I thought we had made a terrible mistake.

Good news: it gets better. In the next couple of weeks, you'll get a tiny tiny bit of routine going. You'll get a smile from that baby of yours. And one morning, you'll look down, bleary eyed, at the miraculous creature in your arms,and feel an enormous flush of love.

But keep talking to people about how you are feeling.

Edited to add:

A couple practical solutions-borrow or buy the Happiest Baby on the Block book or DVD. I know so many people (myself included) that swear by it for calming fussy babies in those first 3 months.

Also, about sleeping in bed with you...YOU CAN"T FORM BAD HABITS IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS. We weren't interested in co-sleeping for the long term, but I frequently brought the baby into our bed in the first month or two. Your husband is just going to have to deal. You need to get some sleep. My husband was really resistant to changing anything in his life to accomodate the baby (at first) and finally just needed a talking to, because I was falling apart.

THird, accept any and all offers of help. When people offer, just tell them what you need. I had neighbors do a quick grocery run, throw in a load of laundry, and wash dishes for me. Generally I am not very good at accepting help, but the first month of Babyland, all bets are off.

Hang in there. It gets better every single week.

Jen, who is actually sad about her meatloaf turning one next week. I never thought I'd feel whistful about infancy....but things change.

ggs830

06-12-2006, 09:44 AM

Is there room for a newbie?

Me: Michelle - 28
DD: Kayla - almost 2 weeks old - born 5/31

I just wanted to introduce myself real quick and ask a few questions. Kayla will sleep nowhere else but in my arms. So right now, I am sleeping with her in the rocking chair in her room. Of course, I can't sleep because I am afraid I will drop her. Did any of you have to deal with the same situation? How did you manage to get any sleep? DH does not want her sleeping in our bed, so I think a co-sleeper is out.
Also, how can one tell the difference between the "baby blues" and PPD? I have been very weepy, crying at everything, feel like a completely inadequate mom becasue I have a super fussy baby that I don't know how to calm, breastfeeding is wearing me down, and I don't feel like I have "bonded" with her. I look at her, and just don't see my daughter. These feelings can't be normal, right?

Welcome Michelle and Kayla!

(((((Michelle))))). I totally know how you feel right now! We went through sleeping problems, breastfeeding problems, and baby blues for me in the first month DD was home.

The sleeping issue you've described is very typical, I think, for newborns. We had sleep issues with DD from the beginning. Our issue was very similar to yours, DD would only sleep on me or DH or in our arms-- the minute we put her down in her crib or basinnette, she would wake up and fuss. I don't remember specifically what we did that solved the problem, except that we began to put her down when she was very sleepy, but still partially awake, to help her learn to sleep on her own. Having said that, however, I think we did not really start doing this until she was about a month old.

I also think some of the sleep problems will sort themselves out as your DD gets older. I know it sucks to hear that (it did for me, anyway, when I was in the worst of DD's sleep problems), but it really does get better as they start to develop and mature. All you can really do right now is sleep when she's sleeping, and take up any and all offers on help.

I also recommend Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weisbluth (sp?) or Happiest Child on the Block (I think that's the title-- can't remember the author). They offer some interesting discussions of sleep in babies, and have some helpful hints on getting your baby to sleep.

As for baby "blues" vs. PPD, I'm not sure how to differentiate between the two. I know in my experience, and after speaking with other new moms, it is pretty typical to be overly emotional after delivery. I too felt that I had no bond with DD, although I loved her, I didn't feel connected to her. I also cried very easily, and felt overwhelmed by the responsibility. I would suggest talking to someone, if you are really concerned. I had the blues for about 3-4 weeks before it completely went away.

Sorry for the book, but I just want you to know what you are experiencing is not unusual. It helps to talk to others, so please feel free to come and vent/commiserate with us here, when you have the time.

mst

06-12-2006, 12:42 PM

((Michelle)) I was so afraid that I would have post-partum issues. I was one of the lucky ones. I did not have issues. But, when someone comes onto this thread like you did, everyone comes out of the closet to let you know that you are not the only one!

Having a baby is a huge, huge life change. And, when they are infants, it is a lot of work, without much reward. That's why lots of people don't like infants. They prefer babies or toddlers that interact.

As for the sleeping, most parents will admit to letting their baby sleep on them. I did it, DH did it. Just keep plugging away, and remember that she is only 14 days old. Each day is a huge amount of time in her life, so keep trying to put her down. Letting your baby sleep with you now is not making the "co-sleeping choice." It is making a sleeping choice! :p One of the greatest things that my mom did for me was that she came over one morning after we had been up basically all night. She took Ilyssa, let Ilyssa sleep on her (which my mom loved!), and woke me for the next feeding. Two hours of sleep was just what I needed. Don't be afraid to ask for/accept help. Truly, my mom loved having Ilyssa sleep on her because she doesn't have a baby anymore, and believe it or not, these are the things that you will probably miss one day. (One day when you have forgotten how tired you are right now!)

As for bfding, I think most of the bfding women on this board will agree that it is really, really tough (but rewarding too!) I try to warn my friends IRL just how tough bfding is. Especially exclusively bfding. I remember getting so mad at my DH when he would ask if Ilyssa was hungry. The thought of putting her back on my sore nipples was definitely something I would cry over. I remember slamming the door once, and telling my husband to take care of it. Poor guy, he didn't know what to do. I am so protective of my frozen milk (still, at seven months!) and he was not sure whether or not he had permission to use it, but he knew that I was too frustrated to talk to. I happen to love newborns, but I can't even tell you how many occasions I have said to myself "just three more months" (or whatever the number was to reach my goal.) I had a goal of six months exclusive, and having a goal made things much easier for me. I both look forward to ending bfding, and dread it also. To end this on a positive note, Ilyssa is so big nowadays, and is too busy to just sit and snuggle with me. Bfding is when I get my snuggling in, and I just love it. I feed her in the bed in the mornings, and every morning, I want to bottle up the moment and keep it forever. We both lie there, and I just kiss her head, and stroke her hair. It is very special. Also- it gets much easier. No latch issues, no nipple issues. And, the leaking issue pretty much goes away, and so do the engorgement issues. Oh- and if you want us to tell you that formula feeding is a good choice, we would all be happy to support you on that one also.

I would suggest checking in with your doctor about what symptoms you are having, and whether it is the baby blues or PPD.

Take care of you, and keep checking in with us. We want to help you be healthy and happy.

LaraW

06-12-2006, 01:05 PM

...YOU CAN"T FORM BAD HABITS IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS.

Totally, totally, totally agree. Can't agree strongly enough. We slept for the first about 2 months with Colin in our bed most of the time. He seemed to want to be near us, and we'd just put him between us and everyone would get some sleep. He is now nearly 5 months old, and has been in his own bed full time, for nearly 3 months. I think they say that about the 3-month mark is when bad habits can start to take hold, but right now Kayla just needs to know that you are there for her and will take care of her when she needs you. You can't spoil a baby that young, so hold her, rock her, do whatever she needs and put her in bed with you if that is how everyone can get some sleep.

Some other ideas, if your DH won't budge about the bed...maybe sleep with her in a guestroom, if you have one. Or on the couch (or send DH to the couch!) Just some thoughts.

JMHO :) About PPD - at 2 weeks out, it may be a bit too early, since having a baby can seriously be a shock to your system in all ways. BUT, if it goes on for what seems like too long, or if it seems to you like you should be concerned, please please talk to your doctor. I didn't, with my first baby and it was months before I felt like I was back to myself. I didn't know what was wrong with me, and I did not tell anyone - not even my DH.

During my 2nd pregnancy, I started experiencing depression sometime during the 2nd trimester, and really did not enjoy my pregnancy at all. I began taking an antidepressant a few days after Colin was born and it has helped tremendously.

Anyhow, this is such a difficult time but it will pass. We all have been there.

(((Michelle)))

Andrea_2

06-12-2006, 04:37 PM

Michelle - I completely agree with Lara talking to your doctor about how you are feeling. Even if it is normal, there may be things they can do to help. And if it is PPD, then it will be helpful to start treatment for it as soon as possible. As for sleeping, we had trouble with both kids getting to sleep at night. My son didn't start sleeping in his crib until he was 6 months old, and Emily still isn't in a crib. Our pediatrician completely discouraged this, but the only thing that has worked for is having them sleep in their bouncy seats. We use the chair that vibrates, and it seems very soothing. Sometimes we also bounce the seat up and down until Emily falls asleep. Also, we bought one of those ocean wave noisemaker things, and that REALLY helps a lot! We have been clipping that onto the chair, and she has been sleeping better. Sometimes if she is exceptionally cranky we will put her in front of the dishwasher, because that always makes her go to sleep too. So, even though the pediatrician doesn't like it, it is what works for us for now. If it wasn't for this, she would be sleeping on one of us, and I definitely can't sleep like that!

valchemist

06-12-2006, 04:48 PM

Val- Thanks for the info on what you have done. Always helpful to know what others are doing. What did you think of the mesh bag?

I just used the mesh bag for months 7 and 8, really. just to get her the taste of a variety of foods that she couldn't have otherwise consumed so early. also, she LOVED the feel of it on her gums as she was undergoing some major teeething at the time.

we both loved the bag.

but then we moved on (as has been mentioned) to bite sized pieces and haven't looked back.

ggs830

06-13-2006, 07:35 AM

Another question Val--

How does the bag work? And where did you get yours?

Thanks!

valchemist

06-13-2006, 07:46 AM

you can read all about it here. I think this might be one of the only places (if not the only place) to get it.

http://www.onestepahead.com/product/85206/307755/117.html

they are a bit messy and sometimes a pain to clean, but worth it. and I just bought some extra bags so that if there was a particularly hard food to clean out, I would just toss the bag and get a new one out. no big deal... not too expensive esp since you are only using it for a few months. I only threw out a total of 4 or 5 bags I think.

valchemist

06-13-2006, 07:48 AM

I see it says it is for up to 2 years old... I wouldn't bother with it for older babies, toddlers. not worth the trouble.

also, I guess it might be found other places... this is just the only place I have seen it.

gertdog

06-13-2006, 08:20 AM

Val, what other foods (besides berries) did you find the bag worked well for? Do you put things in it whole, or in chunks?

Ha ha- little did you know that this week you'd be on the hotseat as the mesh bag expert...!

valchemist

06-13-2006, 09:07 AM

we put big chunks of stuff in... didn't chop it up small. just small enough to fit through the opening. cantaloupe/honeydew was a big one. and apple. you can put anything in there. veggies and even meats. we even put those teething zwieback toasts because I was worried about her getting too big a bite. also, they were less "sharp" that way.

DanaSD

06-13-2006, 09:32 AM

I've heard they sell the mesh feaders at Babies R Us but I ALWAYS forget to check when I'm there.

One Step Ahead sells a lot of great stuff (also don't forget to check for online discounts before ordering - there's usually soe deal out there).

Katie-Did

06-13-2006, 11:48 AM

Delurking about mesh bags:
We found the ones from Babies R Us to be MUCH easier to clean. It's all one piece that you can throw in the dishwasher. I think I've seen them at Target too.

TLee4

06-13-2006, 12:08 PM

A couple practical solutions-borrow or buy the Happiest Baby on the Block book or DVD. I know so many people (myself included) that swear by it for calming fussy babies in those first 3 months.

I haven't officially joined this thread but I wanted to jump in to 2nd this suggestion. Of all that I read while I was pregnant (and I read a LOT) this has so far (in my big 11 days of parenting!) been the most useful. I read the book but I think the video (or DVD) is even more helpful. I think it is about $40 but I got it from the library. I have found it so useful both in terms of calming techniques, but also in terms of how to "think" about these first few months. Even though I am physically tired, I am emotionally in a good place and I think this is part of the reason.

Also, it's been helpful for me to see all of your comments about baby not sleeping in his own bed. My Joey also is not so interested in that! I'll keep trying, but also not worry so much when he ends up sleeping in our bed (or on ME) for stretches...

Terri

KathrynY

06-13-2006, 12:18 PM

((((Michelle)))) Sending more hugs your way. I really thought that the 2-week mark was when I felt the absolute lowest. It was very, very tough.

Everyone else had such good thoughts and advice. I'll offer one thing that really helped me. Not sure how you feel about introducing a bottle (either expressed breastmilk or formula), but our pediatrician told us we could try between 2-3 weeks. That was HUGE for me mentally - I was able to look ahead to the weekend when we decided DH would start getting up for one of the early AM feedings and know I would get a break soon. And some days that extra little bit of sleep makes all the difference.

Please remember that you are not alone - come here any time you need hugs. I hope that things start to feel a little better each day for you.

RebeccaT

06-13-2006, 01:40 PM

Another hug for Michelle from a lurker. As everyone has said, it is not at all unusual to feel just like you feel. I mean, at the very least, you are SERIOUSLY sleep deprived and I don't know about you but everything pushes my buttons and makes me weepy when I am that tired! I will never forget a friend coming over to bring me dinner when Julia was 2 weeks old, and she just asked me "How are you doing?" and I broke down and started sobbing... my poor friend got more than she bargained for when she asked me that question! But she had been there, we have been there, so many women have been exactly where you are. Talk to your husband about what you need (and if you are too tired to really feel like you know what you need, then tell him that) and get as much help as you can for the next couple of weeks. You will make it through this first, rough time and soon you will be helping another mother on this thread not feel so alone!

(((Michelle)))

JanetJ

06-13-2006, 03:31 PM

((Michelle)) I was never officially diagnosed, but I firmly believe I suffered from PPD at least to some degree. My doctor offered me anti-depressants but I refused and sometimes wonder if those early weeks would have been a little easier if I hadn't. I never wanted to harm my baby or anything like that, but I was always down. Always. What you are experiencing is very normal, as everyone has said, but if it continues or gets worse please talk to someone. Feel free to PM anytime.

Speaking of depression...Remember a while back when I posted my sob story about my c-section recovery? Well, I have made ZERO progress since then. ZERO. Everyone is completely confused about why I'm not healing and no one has any answers. In the meantime, I'm only allowed to shower every 3rd day and feel absolutely disgusting. They were hoping I'd be healed by July and now I'm being told that they really have no idea on when this will be over. I am so down about all this and I feel like I have no one to talk to since everyone is tired of hearing me complain.

SooCookie

06-13-2006, 04:15 PM

Thank you everyone for your reassurance that this is normal to feel this way. I hope I can make it to the point when all of this is supposed to get better. I did read Happiest Baby on the Block and I must be doing something wrong, since his methods never seem to work for me. But it really is good to know that I have a place to come and vent. You guys don't even know me, yet I am sitting here in tears, crying over the kind words and reassurance all of you have given me.

(((Janet))) I remember your story about your difficult recovery and just wanted to let you know that, even though I am a newbie here and cannot speak for everyone else, feel free to vent away. Heck, I just did! I will be thinking of you and hope your recovery starts to improve.

I also wanted to add that I have seen those mesh feeders at Babies R Us.

Michelle

KathrynY

06-13-2006, 06:35 PM

(((((Janet))))) I was just thinking of you earlier today and planned to ask how you were doing. I am sooooo sorry to hear that things are not going well with your recovery. That must be worse than frustrating - I cannot imagine. :( Sending more big hugs your way, and hoping that things improve very soon.

Andrea_2

06-13-2006, 07:09 PM

Oh my gosh Janet! I am so sorry to hear that you are still struggling with that! Can they refer you to another doctor? Or have you seen a bunch of them already? I really hope they can figure something out for you soon, but meanwhile please don't hesitate to vent about it any time!

gertdog

06-13-2006, 07:54 PM

Oh, Janet, how horrible. You must be so incredibly frustrated. Venting might not make the physical healing happen, but if it helps with the emotional part, vent vent vent all you need. (((Janet)))

And ((((Michelle))))- just one more person wanting to offer hugs and support. I think technically they call it PPD if the "blues" don't go away by 6 weeks postpartum, but by all means mention it to your doctor now if you are concerned- that way they can help keep an eye on things, at the very least.

I remember the second day that DH went to work after DS was born. The first day was so long and hard and exhausting that I sat there with DS in my lap, tears pouring down my face as DH got ready to leave for the second day. I just did not think I was capable of taking care of my baby, and there were many other days/moments when I had that same thought, or thought that I didn't *want* to have to take care of my baby, which would then make me feel terribly guilty. When I finally noticed things were better, it was in retrospect, as in "hey, we've had a pretty good week." And then "hey, we've had a good month, and I even got some sleep."

Also to ditto the "you can't form bad habits..." comments- for DS's first few weeks, he slept on me or DH. One of us would stay downstairs with him while the other got in a few hours of uninterrupted sleep upstairs; then we'd switch in the middle of the night. Then we discovered that DS would sleep for long stretches in the papasan chair, so we had him sleep in that on the floor, next to one of us on the couch. Eventually, when he was waking only once in the night to eat, we moved him upstairs next to our bed so DH and I could both sleep there, and at around 3 months we moved him to his crib. It worked for us and didn't seem to have any lasting impact on his sleep habits.

Anyway- come back for support and to ask questions as often as you need to.

I got our mesh feeder (Sassy brand) at BRU, though I've yet to use it!

Luv to Cook

06-13-2006, 08:03 PM

Michelle, just wanted to let you know that I felt like that with both of my kids. I remember thinking there was no way I would go thru that again, since I knew what to expect. Boy, was I wrong. But everyone is right...it DOES get better. Just survive each day and when you have an AWFUL day, just remember, tomorrow is another one. Slowly, the good moments will start to outweigh the bad. I agree about talking to someone...I did both times and it helped so much.

Janet, wow, I cannot believe you are still going thru all that. I hope you get some answers. Vent away here.

Re: mesh feeders...Sahana loves it, but I find it such a pain to clean...any tips that I am missing?

All is well here. Asha turned 3 last week and we had a huge Dora bash this weekend. It was so great. We sent out invites that said that Swiper stole her cake and we needed her friends to find it. I made purple backpacks, complete with maps and other things for the adventure, for each of the kids and then we went on a hunt to find her cake. We went thru smiley face lane (smiley face pinwheels), then to rainbow tunnel (a bunch of play huts) and then moneky bounce (a bouncy house) and ended at the house where DH dressed as Swiper...we all yelled swiper, no swiping, and then found the cake. It was so fun, since she was so excited.

Here are some pics of the cake and decorations...
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbuWLhi5cNGob

lisas3575

06-13-2006, 09:53 PM

Anita, it thrills me to see you offering encouragement! :D I know how rough rough rough it was for you and I'm so glad you're through it. Yay, you. The party photos were so cute. Nice job on the backpacks, I am super impressed.

Michelle, sending you another ((((((hug)))))). I too really struggled right after DS was born, and I thought it was just the normal baby blues, and then just dealing with all of our nursing problems, and the lack of sleep. I thought it was all perfectly fine, fine, normal, and minimized and discounted how I felt. Well, I wasn't fine. About 6 weeks pp I dug out the checklist and realized I had every single symptom. :eek: My Dr. put me on Zoloft, and it took about a month to fully kick in but it's made a HUGE difference. Huge.

I had another reality check when KathrynY had Henry and has just blossomed into her mommyhood. :) It brought home again that the PPD was what made those first months nearly unbearable. Of course, the long, dark, cold winter days didn't help. I remember crying every day when the sun went down (at 4pm :rolleyes: ) because I knew that another hard, lonely night awaited me and Owen on the couch. Please let us know how you're doing!

Megan James

06-14-2006, 12:39 PM

Re: mesh feeders...Sahana loves it, but I find it such a pain to clean...any tips that I am missing?

I totally hear you on the mesh feeder. We were doing banana in it for a while and that was a disaster to clean. We did watermelon last night and at least that cleaned better but it was sure a sticky mess everywhere else.
Cleaning mashed in yucky banana is a pain in general does anyone have any tips?

valchemist

06-14-2006, 01:03 PM

we didn't put banana in since the baby can eat the banana easily w/o the mesh bag and I knew it would be a pain to clean.

the thing I liked about the version I linked to is that the bags are separate... so if you can't clean them, just toss them. I only had to do that a few times, but it was nice to have that option.

Bawstinn

06-14-2006, 04:03 PM

Delurking ....

Me: Maria - 36
DD: Madeleine Grace, born June 4

10 days into motherhood and I have to say it isn't going all that bad. We had some problems with feeding when she was first born. She had ingested a lot of *stuff* that did not get expressed out when she was in the birth canal because I had only pushed for 20 minutes. She was a very gassy little girl and the Dr said it would take a couple of days for her system to get cleared out. She wasn't all that interested in nursing (except to use me as a pacifier) because she was feeling full.

The nurses had me pumping in the hospital and now I am having a bit of a problem with having an abundant supply of milk - I am literally feeling like a cow and have to pump a few times a day in addition to feeding her - I don't know if this is making it worse or not. I attempted to talk to a lactation consultant from the hospital who was zero help.

Michelle - Madeleine also loves to sleep on both David and I. If she is sleepy enough when she goes to bed, I get get her to sleep in her own bed. It is iffy in the middle of the night as to whether or not I can get her back in her bed. David was very adamant about NOT having her in our bed (before she was born) but has now realized that if it gets her to sleep he is OK with it.

We did have our days and nights mixed up a bit - nothing like having a pair of eyes staring up at you at 2 AM when all you want to do is sleep. We are making progress with that though. Last night she went to sleep at 10, woke up at 1:30 then slept until 5 and woke again at 8:30. Much better than being up every hour and a half like she was doing. I also found that she really sleeps better at night when swaddled (doesn't seem to care during the day) so I am in love with the miracle blanket right now (David calls it a baby straight-jacket).

Both of our mothers are here (one from OR, one from PA) *helping* us this week. Sigh, they are driving me crazy .... first grandchild on each side. There isn't much helping going on and I feel like I have more to do as I have *guests* in the house.

gertdog

06-14-2006, 04:48 PM

Maria, welcome! Glad to see you here, and hear that it's going pretty well so far. I'm sure others will be able to chime in on the milk supply questions.

Oh, those eyes peering up at you in the middle of the night! I'd turn the lights down as low as they'd go and doze off on the sofa when Ryan was sleeping in the papasan chair. Then I'd wake up an hour or so later and look down- and see Ryan just sitting there watching me.

Hope things calm down a little more once your "helpers" are gone!

KathrynY

06-14-2006, 05:50 PM

Welcome, Maria! I am not sure how to address your supply question, but have you checked with your pediatrician's office to see if they can help? I was surprised to find that the nurses at our ped's office are very knowledgeable about breastfeeding, and they also have a lactation consultant around. Hopefully your ped's office can be of help with your questions.

We love our miracle blanket too! Makes swaddling a breeze. :) I hear ya on the visiting "helpers". My mother complimented me on the delicious meals I prepared while they were visiting - uh, hello? :rolleyes:

LaraW

06-14-2006, 07:22 PM

Maria- if you are draining your breast by pumping, in addition to feeding the baby, you're sending the message to your body that it needs to make more milk. This time is also a time when you will have a lot of production. I'd suggest instead of pumping, to just express manually to get some relief. You can do this in the shower, or you can use hot compresses and just do it into a towel or something. I remember making hot compresses out of damp washclothes and microwaving them for a few seconds.

You can also take Advil to help with the engorgement pain.

Hope that helps-

Welcome! I know that feeling of "helpers" who are not much help, and just wanting them to leave. My parents were here after Colin was born, and while I love them and was so grateful that they came out here to help, I was ready for them to go home.

mst

06-14-2006, 08:31 PM

Anita- Adorable pictures! You are so creative! I showed my DH. He was quite impressed. The cake was fabulous too. Did you use fondant?

Janet- Seriously, I can't even imagine what you are going through. I really can't. FYI, I don't think that any of us think that you are complaining. I think we all just feel terrible. Please, please come and tell us what is going on with you. It can't be good to keep it bottled up inside. I really feel for you. My c-section was normal, and I hurt for so long. I can't begin to imagine how horrible it must be to keep lingering on. Ugh.

Michelle- one of the things that I love so much about this board, is that I get back so much more than I give. I am always amazed that I found such an amazing group of people. I'm glad that this board (and this thread) has helped you out too.

Maria- Welcome. The *helpers* made me laugh. I agree that you should try to not drain your breasts if you can. That does signal that you need more milk. I would suggest freezing the milk though. It can stay for quite a while, and it really helps out when you want to take a feeding off, or when you are regulated enough to go out, and have someone else feed Madeleine.

ggs830

06-15-2006, 07:32 AM

(((((Janet))))) I never realized a c/s could turn into such an ordeal. I hope you find some answers, and figure out what the deal is. In the meantime, enjoy your babygirl and please vent away when you need to.

Maria: Welcome to you and Madeline! Aahh, the "helpers." Yeah, we had that problem, except in our case, both moms live in the area, which meant the first couple of weeks, we had several incidents of "oh, I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by to see how the baby is." Except, neither one lives anywhere near us. :rolleyes: Oh well, it eventually tapered off. As for your supply question, I agree with whoever said above that by pumping the excess, you are continuing to stimulate your body into producing more milk. At the same time, I don't know if this was a goal of yours or not, but you can always freeze the excess and build up a great supply of just-in-case milk. I did that during the first month with DD because, like you, I seemed to be producing an excess amount of milk. After a few weeks, and having built up a good store of frozen milk, I discontinued a couple of the extra pumps, and eventually, my supply began to equal DD's consumption.

Question: what's everyone doing for Father's Day? It's DH's first official (although I was pregnant at this time last year, but didn't do anything really special). Any ideas?

valchemist

06-15-2006, 08:27 AM

here is our father's day present for my husband. julia (age 4) wrote the letters KATE so that is why it is partly from her. also, she will make the card to go with it. the clay part looks nicer in person... you can read the KATE 11 months more clearly than you can in the picture.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid208/p83a6deb24154e6289227387a3a37976c/ee7ea8de.jpg

here is a link to the kit we used.
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/shop/keepsake.htm

gertdog

06-15-2006, 11:43 AM

I asked DH what he'd like to do for Father's Day and his response was "sleep." :rolleyes: It's been a trying two weeks. He was on a business trip for a week, and he came home to a rashy baby and a wife with a 104 degree fever, so he took care of both of us for a few days, then went back to work! So I guess I don't blame him for wanting some rest.

Anyway, he can't sleep ALL day, so we're just planning to grill, and I'm making his favorite pie for dessert. I got him a framed photo of me and Ryan, and Ryan got him a hummingbird feeder (in the mornings they sit in front of the window and Jason talks to him about the birds at the seed feeder, so I thought this might add to their fun).

We went to our first Gymboree class today and I thought it was pretty neat. The songs and rhymes are fine, but I liked the gross motor stuff and particularly the parachute play- things we can't do at home. Ryan LOVED the parachute, especially the part where the babies lie on their backs and the moms wave the parachute over them. He is a fairly reserved kid so far (really active but not too expressive) and the class got lots of big smiles out of him, so I'm looking forward to going back.

JanetJ

06-15-2006, 03:16 PM

Thanks to everyone for the kind words. It does help to let it all out here once in a while. DH and I had a big talk last night and he is doing his best to be sympathetic - not that he wasn't before, but this has just been going on for so long that it has become the new "normal" for me and I think he forgets how hard it is emotionally as well. We are trying a new type of dressing thing this week, but if it doesn't do anything positive I am going to ask for a referral somewhere else. I'm already seeing a specialist, but I think maybe a second opinion is in order at this point.

Father's Day is also DH's birthday so it's a double whammy. :) My mom is going to watch Maya and he and I are going to lunch at our favorite waterfront place and then later that night we are going to grill on his gift, a new barbecue. He doesn't know it yet, but I also got him a gift certificate to his favorite golf course.

Welcome, Maria!

Stephanie, I'm glad you liked Gymboree. I really wanted to do that, but I go back to work part-time in 3 weeks and the classes are on one of the days I work. :(

DanaSD

06-15-2006, 05:11 PM

Janet - I'm so sorry for all that you've gone through - can't belive its gone on for so long. Definately go for a second opinion soon.

Michelle, like others have said what you're experiencing is common and don't be afraid to talk about with your DH and your doctor. I had baby blues for the first few weeks where I was very weepy and then it got better. Then around 1 1/2 months I had mild PPD or maybe it was just depression - I had a lot of additional stresses like trying to sell our house, moving to a new state and deciding if I should go back to work or become a SAHM. When I was up with Brendan during the night I would be crying and I felt so guilty that he was watching me cry. DH would ask how I was doing and I would just break out in tears. I finally talked to DH about all the things going on in my head and I felt better. I also started getting out of the house every day and going for walks at the beach with Brendan - being near water has always gotten me out of slumps (there's something so calming and mood lifting about the ocean for me) and being the sun and getting some exercise all seemed to help. I also started going to Gymobree and it helped to teach me things to do with Brendan - before I felt like I didn't know what to do with him to entertain him. I started to feel more bonded and felt 'normal' again like a fog had lifted and that I could do this being a parent thing.

This week I've started to get weepy again - I think its sleep deprivation. I don't know how we went from sleeping 9-11 hours to up every few hours. Brendan is finally starting to learn to roll tummy to back just not the direction he needs to be able to flip over in his crib (he always rolls in the same direction so to have room to roll back he needs to roll back in the other direction) - oh, well its progress at least. I think teething is also contributing.

He's also mastered sitting up (can't pull himself up but can sit if we position him) - he's really good at it and can stay playing by himself much longer than laying on the floor.

I really want to start Gymboree again - they have Saturday classes for the 6-10 month class and I think he can join now that he's sitting up (he'll be 6 months in 2 weeks anyway). We also start swimming lessons in July - every day for 4 weeks in the evenings. Our pool will be finished tommorrow so I'm getting excited!!!

KathrynY

06-15-2006, 06:36 PM

Father's Day - DH is a big reader, and I framed two photos of him reading with Henry sleeping on his chest. One the day after Henry was born, and one a few weeks later. They are so special, and I hope that he enjoys looking at them every day. I am also giving him some cash in an envelope toward the purchase of a guitar amplifier that he thinks we can't afford because of all the new baby expenses. ;)

Janet, I hope your new dressing does the trick. And I am glad you are considering a second opinion - it certainly can't hurt, and maybe the new dr will be able to offer some additional wisdom.

lisas3575

06-15-2006, 07:12 PM

Janet, let us know how the new dressing works out. Wishing you the best! This must be SO hard. :(

For father's day I bought DH and Owen matching Colorado Avalanche jerseys. :D Owen's is a toddler size, but that's ok. That's when he'll enjoy watching hockey with his dad. Unfortunately, I think DH's is on back order so he'll only get Owen's on Sunday.

KathrynY

06-16-2006, 05:33 AM

Ok, so this is getting more fun. :) Here's Henry last night - DH is helping him sit up:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/redbird67/Family%20Photos/2b4582a8.jpg

Jessica

06-16-2006, 11:34 AM

Just wanted to drop in and make my first post here. Adam Brent was born June 7, 2006, at 7:19 p.m., one week early. He was 7 lb, 14 oz and 20.5 inches and had Apgars of 9 and 9, but a few hours after birth he had a low temp and low blood sugars and his little body could not keep the sugar levels stable, so he was admitted to the NICU. We spent several days there until I could nurse and his levels stabilized. The poor kid got an IV at 20 hours old! But now he is eating like a champ, we are home and we are just plain happy. He is not super-fussy unless he is hungry or wet, although last night we had some screaming around 3 am. All in all, DH and I consider ourselves darn lucky and we can't believe there ever was a time without little Adam.

Looking forward to getting to know your children and hearing advice.

:)

lisas3575

06-16-2006, 12:09 PM

Welcome, Jessica! :) Can't wait to see some photos.

Just wanted to post this homemade baby food website (I think it's been posted before)-- there is a *ton* of really good info there about the what, when and hows of doing your own baby food. :)
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solids.htm

gertdog

06-16-2006, 12:29 PM

Welcome, Jessica! So glad to see you here and hear that things are going pretty well at home. Seeing your tiny baby with an IV is scary and it's good to hear they got the blood sugar problem resolved pretty quickly.

Kathryn, Henry is so cute! Those big serene eyes... and those hands look so, so tiny in his dad's big hands!

All of these new arrivals are making me realize just how big Ryan is getting- yikes!

Luv to Cook

06-16-2006, 06:36 PM

Thanks, Lisa. Sometimes I cannot believe I made it thru to the other side. And to think, I may want a third! Also, thanks for that website...great recipes. I may try some stuff this weekend.

Megan, banana was tough for us to with the mesh cleaner. DD gags on everything so the mesh thing works well for us, but I have not been using it lately.

Welcome Maria and Jessica! Congratulations!

Meredith, I did use fondant...I made Marshmallow Fondant and was so easy to work with and it tasted so much better than store bought.

Gouri, I am fresh out of ideas for Father's day and this is only our fourth one. I want to do something with the kids handprints, but Sahana is still so little, I think it would just look like blobs.

Kathryn, what a cute pic...he is adorable!

OK, so give me some advice here. A friend of mine is having a party for her SIL who is turning 30. We are going to Hershey's chocolate spa for the night. Sahana is not used to a bottle. She had such bad colic in the beginning, that the idea of pumping or giving her a bottle was torture for me. She would scream so much and since she was screaming all the time, I never felt like making her scream more. Anyhow, I am going to start the sippy cup filled with breastmilk...I am a little nervous about leaving her (I never left Asha overnight until she was over one and completely weaned). Anyhow, I am a little nervous...would you go? I don't want her to miserable while I am gone, but at the same time it is less than 24 hours, and I am sure she would be fine. Any tips on making the experience enjoyable (or at least tolerable) for her? She will be about 9 months old when I go.

Thanks!
Anita

lisas3575

06-16-2006, 07:42 PM

Anita, no advice on leaving overnight, but I *need* to know about this chocolate spa!!! :D Can you post a link?

I am hugely impressed with your cake!! I assumed that it was bakery bought-- that you decorated it yourself is a huge WOW. You should make cakes for a living. <applause, applause>

Luv to Cook

06-16-2006, 08:08 PM

LOL, Lisa...it is a little far for you...but here is the link....

www.chocolatespa.com

I am psyched about it...chocolate scrub anyone??? I just hope I can relax enough to enjoy it.

Thanks for the kudos on the cake...you are very sweet.

Anita

gertdog

06-16-2006, 09:03 PM

I am hugely impressed with your cake!! I assumed that it was bakery bought-- that you decorated it yourself is a huge WOW. You should make cakes for a living. <applause, applause>

Ditto, ditto. I also assumed it was a bakery cake, then I was reading your response to Meredith about fondant going "Wait, what? She MADE that cake?" Lucky Asha! :)

If Sahana is willing to take milk from a sippy or bottle by the time of the spa trip, definitely go, relax, enjoy! I've been away from Ryan just 3x, and each time just overnight (for work). Even so, it *feels* like a big deal when I go! The main thing I've tried to do when I go is make sure DH knows about all the current quirks in Ryan's schedule and behavior. It helps things go smoothly for DH, and also helps Ryan have a nicer day (I hope) by avoiding potential meltdowns.

Now, as for advice on getting her to take a bottle or sippy- I only wish I could help!

DanaSD

06-16-2006, 10:50 PM

Anita,

I'm kind of in the same situation as you - I have a trip planned, though mine is for 3 days, and Brendan doesn't take a bottle. We've started the sippy cup but haven't had much luck so far - he can get the milk out, but has no interest in drinking it. The good news, is that I still have time since my trip isn't until September. I think you should go - I think its good for kids to get used to change in routine so they don't become too dependant and we need to remember to do things for ourselves.

And after seeing your great cake, I think you need to join me!!! I'm going to Cake Camp in Las Vegas (put on by the CA cake club) - I went two years ago when it was in Riverside, CA and it was awesome. My goal is to start a custom cake business in the next few years (I used to sell cakes when we lived in CA though it was just to friends and not a legal business). Though since Brendan was born, I've only made 1 cake and it was for DHs bday and it was pretty lame.

If he's not weened, I think I'm still going - just bringing him and my nanny.

Dana

Luv to Cook

06-17-2006, 05:45 AM

Stephanie, do you think its a huge deal if she doesn't drink much? Does Ryan eat when you are gone?

Wow, Dana...that sounds so awesome. I am so not there yet. I wish I was, but I am totally a beginner. I checked out the website and I am a little confused...is it just a bunch of classes? And what do you do with your masterpieces that you make? Surely it would be difficult to get them home?!?!?

I would love to see your cakes!

Anita

Andrea_2

06-17-2006, 06:23 AM

Dana - I was recently searching for cake ideas for my son's birthday party and came across some pictures of cakes you posted that you had made, and I must say they looked AMAZING! I thought for sure they were professional ones, and didn't at first realize that they were ones you had made yourself. I definitely think starting your own business is a great idea!

Anita - Your cake looks great too! Sounds like Asha's birthday party was lots of fun. Glad to hear that you are feeling better now! Are you getting back into cooking lately?

KathrynY

06-17-2006, 08:25 AM

I want to do something with the kids handprints, but Sahana is still so little, I think it would just look like blobs.

Anita, how about using footprints instead? Those are much easier to get - we could not figure out how to get Henry's hands unfolded long enough to do handprints. For Mother's Day DH bought a black washable ink pad at Michael's, then stamped Henry's footprints on creamy craft paper. I framed it in a black frame with mat like this one from Target:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000E66PN6.16._SCMZZZZZZZ_SS128_V55666052_.jpg

I forgot to say earlier that I loved your party photos - everything looked wonderful, and the cake was a work of art! I am so intimidated at the thought of throwing a kid's birthday party. Good thing I've got some time yet before I have to worry about it!

Mmmmm.... chocolate spa. :D

Thanks for the sweet comments about Henry - we think he's pretty cute. ;)

Molli526

06-17-2006, 09:16 AM

The boys and I got DH a table saw for Father's Day. We gave it to him early, so tomorrow will be a nice letter from me.

Anita, I think you should go too. I think Sahana will be able to drink milk from the sippy by 9 months. I had to leave Charles a couple times for work. He did fine - I was really focused on my pumping though and transporting my milk :eek: I ended up making my company overnight the milk with Dry Ice!

Congrats Jessica!! Congrats Maria!!

Hugs Janet and Michelle. Hope both of you are feeling better.

We are having Charlie's 2nd birthday party this afternoon. I made a tractor shaped cake. He is into anything trucks/tractors/construction stuff.

gertdog

06-17-2006, 09:48 AM

Stephanie, do you think its a huge deal if she doesn't drink much? Does Ryan eat when you are gone?

He does, but he's been bottlefed since he was born- he got breastmilk in the bottle for a while and then formula. So he doesn't really have to make any adjustments in that sense when I travel.

As far as learning to use a sippy goes- Ryan hasn't shown any interest either. He will drink water quite well from a plastic tumbler if I hold it, but he doesn't seem to have the patience for the sippy even though he knows how to use it. I need to try another kind- I loathe the Avent sippy cups I bought. Too many pieces to clean and I can never remember how to put it back together.

mst

06-17-2006, 12:36 PM

Anita- I went to that Spa while on vacation a few years ago. We did not have time to get treatments, but I did buy some stuff to take home. I have enjoyed it. Scrubbing my feet with chocolate always makes me smile! As for Sahana, I think you need to push the bottle or sippy cup. I know how tough it is, Ilyssa has given us a tough time with it also. If you pump and work on it, hopefully she will be proficient enough at it that you won't need to worry when you are away. I have been working on the sippy cup, but the bottle is more reliable.

Molli- How can Charlie be two already? Time really flies. I'd love to see pictures of your cake, and the party!

As for us, it has been a hard couple of days. I brought Ilyssa in for a weight check, and she lost almost half a pound this month. And, this was the month she started solids. So, we are officially in crisis mode about her weight. She is 12lbs,2 oz at 7 months. This week, they are having me pump and bottle feed her so that we can get an idea of how much she is getting. This has been really hard on me. I am assuming that the problem is my milk supply. So, I feel like my breastfeeding days are over. Much to my surprise, I have been crying a lot, and really missing it. I knew I would feel mixed feelings when breastfeeding ended, did not realize that I would be this upset. The worst has been the morning. My DH feeds her, and then brings her into bed to cuddle- since this was what I was most afraid of missing. The first day, she couldn't stop crying, and just bopping her head around with her mouth open looking for my breast. It was torture. My DH had to take her into the other room and calm her down. It went a little better today. I feel guilty- like I have been starving her. I hope it is just a breastmilk supply issue and that we can just switch to formula and she will be ok. But, I have such guilt if it is the breastmilk issue. I think maybe something happened with my breastmilk, and my supply dropped off even more than I thought. I am also scared because the doctor made a big deal of wanting to send me into a more specialized feeding team than who she usually uses. Apparently, you can't make an appointment with this team, only doctors can, and you need to fit certain criteria. I am glad we are on top of this, and that she seems to be developing appropriately. But, of course, my mind is running a mile a minute with all sorts of horrible things that it could be. Luckily, whenever I am getting too scared, Ilyssa gives me a great big laugh and giggle, and that makes everything seem less scary. I am really starting to loathe that pump though. I can't even believe that I am back to pumping every two hours again. Grr!

AmyY

06-17-2006, 06:14 PM

Doing my usual brief delurk a little belated on the mesh bag discussion...

One of my friends said that she put ice in it when her daughter was teething, and she loved it!

DS just cut his first tooth (it took 2 weeks--poor baby!). I'm going to try this for the next one.

I can only offer support on struggles with breast feeding. I had a terrible mastitis a few weeks ago (my third!--grr!) and my milk supply dropped dramatically. I, too, was in tears since I thought I would have to give up breastfeeding. But, I rented a hospital-grade pump (nearly threw my back out carrying it back and forth to work) and pumped every 2-3 hours and things are back to normal, thankfully. So, there is hope. Whatever happens, whether you breast feed or are unable, it's NOT your fault if you can't! The baby will thrive on your attention and love however you feed her.
Amy

lbd

06-18-2006, 06:18 AM

Officially delurking/joining in...

Me: Lorien, 32
DS: Benjamin James, born 5/24/06 (already 3 1/2 weeks old!)

So glad to finally be here, and with no serious problems to report. Labor and delivery were not fun but were pretty smooth compared to lots of people. I was induced shortly before EDD due to gestational diabetes but was luckily "favorable" and after 8 1/2 hours of labor, my little boy came out wailing. Was able to nurse pretty quickly and although he's kind of irregular in feeding (frequency, duration, etc) he is gaining weight so I've calmed down a little about whether he's getting enough (and DH nipped it in the bud when my immediate reaction to his weight gain was -- is he getting too much?).

Sleeping/crying/fussing are all challenges but we're muddling our way through. I think we're very lucky overall in that he's a pretty easygoing baby so far.

My main question right now is how do we get him to stop peeing during diaper changes? Sometimes when the new diaper's almost on, sometimes when he's wide open, but at LEAST once a day he lets loose while he's on the changing table and it's pure luck whether I'm able to contain the pee or it goes everywhere (I had no idea of the range a good pee arc could have!!!). I expected that there'd be some accidents but this is becoming a regular thing. Am I stimulating some secret pee reflex? What the heck am I doing wrong? I've been told to "just cover him right away" (esp. by my mother) as if that's an easy thing but even if he'd stay covered, how do I clean him off if he's covered up? Help!!

gertdog

06-18-2006, 09:09 AM

Am I stimulating some secret pee reflex? What the heck am I doing wrong? I've been told to "just cover him right away" (esp. by my mother) as if that's an easy thing but even if he'd stay covered, how do I clean him off if he's covered up? Help!!

Hi Lorien and congratulations on Benjamin's arrival!

Yep, there's a secret reflex, and it's triggered by fresh air. :) Seriously, it happened to us about every other diaper change for the first few weeks, but it gradually tapered off. Our strategy was just to do damage control. Instead of the thick pad on the changing table, we used a folded receiving blanket that could easily be replaced (we had so many!) and also used to aid in clean up if he peed. We'd lay him on the changing table, then make sure we had a new diaper unfolded and a wipe out and ready to go before unfastening the old diaper. We'd unfasten the old diaper but not remove it- just fold back and clean his front, put a washcloth over him, then lift him up and clean his bottom. While he was lifted we'd remove the old diaper and slip the new one under him, then remove the washcloth and fasten the new diaper in front. Not removing the old diaper right away meant we could quickly fold it back over him if a fountain occurred. Even once we got the hang of that little routine, we did have accidents, sometimes going through a few receiving blankets and washcloths each day!

LaraW

06-18-2006, 09:15 AM

Lorien, I asked the exact same question a few weeks after Colin was born. It is a lot better, but I do still get sprayed occasionally. There for a while, Colin was going through 3-4 outfits a DAY. And, its amazing the range those little babies have!

I just tried to work fast and cover him with a wipe or a washcloth to try and minimize the mess. And, for a while I completely undressed him too, to try and save his clothes.

Congratulations on Ben!

Welcome to all the other new mommies here. Congratulations to Jessica and DH on little Adam's arrival. I am so glad that everything has turned out to be OK.

We are doing well here. Just kind of rolling along. Colin started sleeping all the way through the night Wednesday night (sleeping from 6 or 7 pm until 5 or 6 am) so I am much more rested too. He is eating a lot at daycare these days - about twice what I am pumping during the day at work, so I'm trying to add some pumping sessions during the days I'm home to try and not have to deplete my freezer stash. I only have enough for about 2 weeks of daycare at our current rate.

I'm trying to decide if we're ready to get started on some rice cereal. I did my grocery shopping yesterday, and bought some cereal while I was there. We started Natalie on solids when she was 5 months old, but Colin just doesn't seem ready like she was. I was kind of thinking that some cereal might help fill him up at daycare a bit, but if he's not ready there's really no point in pushing it.

We are also looking at making a daycare switch. Not because of anything bad where we are, but DD is aging out of the program they are in (it is an infant/toddler center that goes to age 3). DH and I felt it would be more convenient to have them both in the same place. I'll be sad to leave our daycare - they have been so wonderful to work with, and I really love them.

Happy Father's Day to all the new daddies out there! :)

momqat

06-18-2006, 09:32 AM

Delurking to suggest the "Pee Pee Tee Pee (http://www.melange4women.com/peteforbabo.html) " for the boys.

And, it DOES get better, honestly! :)

Bawstinn

06-18-2006, 11:17 AM

One grandmother back home ... the other one leaves Tuesday. We almost have our house back to ourselves. :)

Hard to believe she is 2 weeks old today .... time is flying by already.

Father's Day: David wanted some kind of storage thingy for the garage, so that is what he is getting. Not much thought put into it this year, but it kind of snuck up on me.

Madeleine slept from midnight to 8 AM this morning. Freaked me out. I woke up at 5 out of a sound sleep and sat up straight in bed when I realized what time it was and that I hadn't been up at all. I checked on her and she was sleeping peacefully, debated if I should wake her but went back to bed. She got up in such a good mood, nursed like a champ was alert for a couple of hours and is now sleeping peacefully in her swing.

How does everyone post pictures?

Molli526

06-18-2006, 06:08 PM

Meredith - Have you gotten your period yet? The right before I got my first post-partum, my supply dropped.

I will post pictures tomorrow.

sugarbaby

06-18-2006, 07:03 PM

DH and I don't have kids yet, but I've been browsing this thread out of curiosity! However, TODAY we found out that I'm pregnant with our first baby! I'm five weeks along, and EDD is Feb. 20. So congratulations to all of you who have given birth this month, and I look forward to joining your ranks in February! :D

DanaSD

06-19-2006, 09:51 AM

hugs to mst. If you switch to formula its not the end of the world (you said to remind you of this advice that you gave) - your little one will get used to the bottle and then you will be able to go back to cuddling.

not to get too off topic but to answer luv to cook - When I went to cake camp 2 years ago I considered my self an advanced beginner - I really had never done fondant until camp. Its a bunch of classes by instructors from around the world and people of all levels attend the classes. You learn a ton because you are imersed in it for a few days. Most of your creations are on styrofoam dummies and you take home what you can depending on how you're traveling. I took a bunch of classes on minicakes and figure modeling so my projects where small and easy to get home (I still have them even after the move). Here's a link to my cakes: http://photos.yahoo.com/danavbrown

KathrynY

06-19-2006, 10:00 AM

((((mst)))) I am sure it must be so frightening to hear that you baby has lost weight. I'm glad that your doctor is on top of things sending you to a feeding specialist - they will do their best to make sure Ilyssa is just fine. I'm sorry that this is so hard for you, though. Sending hugs - let us know how you're doing.

mst

06-19-2006, 11:28 AM

Thanks everyone. And thanks Dana for telling me my own advice again. I knew I would need to hear it.

I am still so upset. We are going back to the doctor today. I just feel like a week on monitoring her is too long. Looking at the data, there is no question that she is not eating enough. And, even when we offer her more, she does not take it. I think it is kind of a chicken and egg scenario. Did I make less milk because she needed less? Or, because I made less, did she adjust?

Dana- That cake camp looks like a dream come true for me! I love cake decorating, but am not an artistic person. DH always thinks I should become a cake decorator. I only glanced at your pictures quickly, but your cakes are unbelievable! Wow!

Sugarbaby- Congrats!

BethH

06-19-2006, 12:02 PM

((mst)) Why completely wean? I would think the Docs would be OK with you continuing to nurse and then supplementing (apologies if you have already tried this and I missed it). It seems to me -- and I'm no Dr., just another mama who enjoys nursing -- that continuing to nurse and then supplementing would be the best of both worlds.

And you and Dana are right ... having to switch completely is not the end of the world. Look at all the good mama milk you've already provided!

MinEaston

06-19-2006, 12:09 PM

(((((mst)))))
I pm'ed you

I would concur w/Dana - you have done an awesome job feeding so far, and if you can continue in some amount, even if it's not all, that is great. If it changes, that's ok too. :)

Luv to Cook

06-19-2006, 12:43 PM

Meredith, wow, wow, wow...if I am correct you have nursed Ilyssa for 7 months! Quite an accomplishment. So before you beat yourself up too much, give yourself a huge pat on the back for making it this far. We are here if you need to vent though...it is an emotional thing and is so easy to blame yourself, but you KNOW you tried your 100% best.

Dana, unbelievable cakes! I see stuff like that and cannot ever imagine being that good. I would love to eventually do something with it, but right now it is a very expensive hobby and I just cannot practice enough without making us go into debt (DH is trying to get his business off the ground, so money is tight). I offer to do friends cakes, but some of my friends like to bake themselves or just like the $14.99 ones from Sam's Club :(. Thanks so much for sharing. Gives me inspiration!

Welcome Lorien and congrats sugarbaby.

Gotta run...Sahana is up from a nap!
Anita

mst

06-19-2006, 01:19 PM

Thanks everyone. I really needed all of your support.

Here's the scoop- I went in again today because I just needed to know what was going on with her weight. And, in four days, she gained 7 ounces. The good news is that she is going up, not down. So, even though she is only up one ounce from her four month appointment, she is no longer losing weight.

Here's the complete shock- they want me to continue breastfeeding! I have been making my peace with not breastfeeding, and truly realized that I just want to do what is best for Ilyssa. So much to my surprise, the boob is back! I have to offer her more milk/formula after each feeding. It's funny, at this point, she gets so pumped for the bottle, I wonder if she will even remember breastfeeding.

The doctor is making us an appointment with this highly specialized feeding team, and said she is really eager to hear the results. She said that her gut is that it is that Ilyssa is a shrimp, but she can not rule out things like digestive disorders. She can't understand why Ilyssa eats so much in solids, but so little in liquid.

Anyway, thanks for all of your support. I'll let you all know what is going on.

Anita- it has been seven months. I still can't believe I made it through the first two weeks! My goal all along was six months, so I am proud of what we accomplished so far.

melis_d

06-19-2006, 02:33 PM

Okay, I can't believe I have a child old enough for the toddler thread, but it's true. I'm posting here for some friends today and wasn't together enough to post on this thread when I had a younger baby.

Me: 33
DS: 15 months (Sam)

Two friends have started a free newsletter for new moms that I thought might be helpful to some of you here. This is the link:

http://www.mamalife.com/

Anyway, good luck to all of you and enjoy the first year!

Melissa

SooCookie

06-19-2006, 02:52 PM

((Meredith)) - I am glad you are able to continue breastfeeding! But like others have said, 7 months is a HUGE accomplishment. So even if you do have to stop, yay, you!

buffygirl

06-19-2006, 07:24 PM

I guess I've officially moved over to the wobbler thread. Rex is 10 1/2 months and crawling all over the place, not really wobbling quite yet, but moving around pretty well.

I just wanted to stop in and say hugs to Janet. I am so sorry you are still struggling with healing from the c-section. I'm sure one of your doctors has thought of this already, but are they sure you aren't allergic to the stiches (the internal ones)? I've heard that can wreak havok...

Also Dana, it definitely sounds like Brendan is teething and that is why he is waking up. Rex was a great sleeper 11-12 hours a night from 9 weeks til about 6 1/2 months. Then for nearly 2 months he was up several times a night. It was definitely teething pain. He did better if we pre-medicated with Tylenol (I felt guilty, but it seemed to stop the pain and waking). It will get better though. Hugs.

Kim

Megan James

06-19-2006, 08:18 PM

Oh Meredith, I know how you have struggled and you get so many hugs for Ilyssa even knowing what a boob looks like at this point! I can't beleive it's been 7 months for you and almost 8 for me.

Dana you inspire me! I've been working on my cake decorating and my goal is to just be able to ice a cake and have it look nice by Rebecca's 1st birthday, like no crumbs in the icing!

We are also going through another round of teething. I think her top ones are close to coming in. She's really been rubbing things against her gums lately and also have just bursts of crying and crankiness. I finally went out and got some infant Tylenol today and gave be a dropperful. It made bedtime much easier tonight and hopefully she'll sleep through the night.

We sort of slid backwards in the sleep department. Rebecca was sleeping from 8:30 ish to 5:30ish, then I'd feed her and put her back down for another hour or so while I got ready for work. That worked really well. Well last weekend we went to visit my parents and other family back east and her sleep got all off (she slept in a different place every night and we had a godawful early flight coming home). We haven't had a full night sleep yet, several nights we've had 30 minute plus "battles" where I won't pick her up and she keeps crying. Last night she was obviously hurting (I assume teeth) so I did nurse her back to sleep.

On a good note she is trying so hard to crawl and it is so cute. And she is starting to be ticklish which is so much fun. All in all it is just so great to have such a cute little girl around!

DanaSD

06-20-2006, 10:37 AM

Also Dana, it definitely sounds like Brendan is teething and that is why he is waking up. Rex was a great sleeper 11-12 hours a night from 9 weeks til about 6 1/2 months. Then for nearly 2 months he was up several times a night. It was definitely teething pain. He did better if we pre-medicated with Tylenol (I felt guilty, but it seemed to stop the pain and waking). It will get better though. Hugs.

Kim

thanks sooo much for saying that - you made me feel better. I've guessed it could be teething but since they're not actually breaking through the surface I have doubts. I've been feeling like I have totally failed at being a mother because his sleep habits have turned horrible (lack of sleep makes me more emotional). I've been debating if I should do CIO but I don't feel like I should since it might be because of teething and rolling over (he hasn't figured out how to roll back yet). The last 2 days have been bad - waking every 2 hours and much more upset at naptime and bedtime than normal. He's also chomping on everything all day (used to just be at night). Yesterday he was so upset at naptime and wouldn't sleep in his crib so I let him sleep on me for 2 1/2 hours (and I've only done this once after shots and once when he had a cold - this kid was in his crib at 2 weeks). I tried tylenol last night - he was less fussy/agitated during his wakings yet still woke often.

We've had a new development (not a good phase) - Brendan will cry when someone laughs loudly or when he's in a place with a lot of people giving him attention. We went to a baseball game with DHs work and then a cousins birthday party. Both times he was tired (game was during his bedtime and party was on a day he skipped his nap) so I think that had a lot to do with it.

it will get easier.....

LaraW

06-20-2006, 10:52 AM

Dana, you might look for Hylands teething tablets. I have found them at Walgreens in their baby aisle. I think they must numb their gums immediately. We'd give a couple of the tablets with a dose of tylenol and by the time the tablets wear off, the tylenol has kicked in. I think it takes a while for teeth to get through their gums.

You are a great mom. (((hugs))) to you.

And, I'll give you my $.02 on CIO. If Brendan is truely teething and is in pain, then by all means give him something to comfort him, but it isn't probably a bad thing to have him get used to sleeping on his stomach.

We've had that same thing with Colin crying, but he would just start to cry when someone (mostly me) sneezed. He hasn't done it in a while, but I had a cold a while ago and was sneezing a lot, so it made those feedings really hard (especially middle of the night ones, and he'd wake up DH too).

I know you've had a rough couple of weeks...try to get some rest. (((hugs)))

ggs830

06-20-2006, 01:15 PM

Dana, Shaelyn's going through something very similar to Brendan, although her sleeping has improved. It sounds like Brendan is teething, especially the chomping on everything-- Shaelyn has been doing this for the last month. I took her into the doctor because I thought she had an ear ache, and the doc confirmed she is teething, even though no teeth have broken through. I second the Hyland's tablets and Tylenol duo, it has really made a difference for us. We don't do it every night, only when she seems to be really bothered.

Hugs to you-- things will get better!

DanaSD

06-20-2006, 01:25 PM

thanks for your replies. We have been using the tablets for the last few weeks but only once or twice a day - maybe I'll up it to 4 times a day. At first I wasn't sure if they were doing anything but I'm starting to think they are helping.

ggs - How much tylenol do you give (since your little one is about the same age). Brendan is about 19-20 pounds and almost 6 months. At the 2 month checkup they said .8 ml but I haven't asked recently.

EmilyK

06-20-2006, 01:43 PM

Dana, Gavin is 15 months and weighs right around 20 pounds (if not a tad less) and he gets .8 + .4 (so a total of 1.2) of the concentrated tylenol drops. Here's a chart I found online Dosage Chart (http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T089101.asp#T089104). I believe you go by the weight of the child, not the age on the charts.

magdon

06-20-2006, 03:34 PM

A quick way to figure it if you don't have time to get to a chart (per my ped) is to divide their weight in half which gives you approximate kg and add a decimal place. so when Dash was 13.11 lbs he said to give him .6 concentrated.

We're doing fairly well here. Dash will be 4 months old next week. We've got him unswaddled now and his nighttime sleep is going ok, except that he seems to be waking a bit earlier each night. So it was 5:00 then 4:30, etc and last night it was 2:00 which was not fun. I think Dec did this too but I can't remember what we did about it. Naps are still all over the place but he's getting better about laying down for them. and the rolling and the laughing! Today he was doing tummy time when Dec got down there face to face. Dash lit up and started "talking" to him and Dec "talked" right back. It was the coolest thing.

Also next week we are heading back east for two weeks with DH's family. It will be lovely but I'm not looking forward to the travel & sleep issues. This will be our first trip with both boys-- wish us luck.

mst

06-20-2006, 03:47 PM

Thank you all so very much for all of your support. It was a rough weekend. I got to feed Ilyssa in bed again today, and just ate it all up. Now I feel like if I had to give it up, I will be sad, but ready. I think that was what threw me for such a loop. Cutting out breastfeeding cold turkey was too fast for me. Today, I have been breastfeeding her and offering her bottles. She is opening her mouth for the bottles, but not sucking. We have an appointment with a specialist on Friday, so I feel like whatever I do is ok because we will get a weightcheck and advice later this week.

Dana- You are an amazing mom! That's why you care so much. I also find that life in general is easier with a good night of sleep.

Magdon- good luck with the boys on the trip. Let us know how it goes.

ggs830

06-21-2006, 07:03 AM

Dana: We are giving Shaelyn .4, but she weighs about 14 1/2 pounds, so a little less than Brendan.

mst: I meant to say this in my last post, but I think it is AMAZING that you have been able to continue breast feeding as long as you have, especially given some of the problems you have related here. It is definitely going to be tough to stop (if you do), but you should be so comforted by the fact that you were able to provide for DD as long as you did.

gertdog

06-21-2006, 10:49 AM

We're doing some teething here too. I can see where the two bottom front teeth are going to pop through any day now! So far we haven't had night waking, but there's been lots of daytime fussing that his cold teether seems to soothe. We haven't needed the Tylenol yet but I have it at the ready! :)

I think I mentioned that DS had outgrown his SnugRide. So, we installed the new carseat (a Britax Roundabout, which I can recommend for ease of installation) and also found ourselves in the market for a new lightweight stroller since we'd been using the Snap-and-Go. We have a heavy all-terrain stroller for our sidewalk-free neighborhood and gravel walking trail, but I needed something portable for the car.

I ended up with the Zooper Waltz and I LOVE it. What an awesome stroller for the price ($159 on sale at tinyride.com with free shipping). It has an accessible basket, one-handed seat recline, a huge sun canopy, an extendable footrest, and maneuvers beautifully. Also included are a rain cover, mesh glare/insect cover and a matching cold-weather boot. The rain cover and mesh cover come in a zippered case that can snap onto the stroller handle. It feels sturdy but is easy for me to get in and out of the car, and DS appears to be really comfy in it. What it doesn't have- a parent tray/cupholder (it has a mesh bag to hold a water bottle, but it wouldn't hold a can of soda or a fountain drink), and a child snack tray (though it does have a bumper bar). It does have a mesh pocket on the back of the canopy that works well for keys and a cell phone.

Just wanted to put in a little review here since I know strollers are an ongoing topic of interest for new moms. :) Our other contender was the Inglesina Espresso ($134 on sale at tinyride.com), which sounded great but didn't include as many extras for the price. And at the time I ordered, they didn't have the color I would have chosen. I did look at the Peg Perego Pliko which seems like a really nice stroller but I couldn't justify the $300 price tag when the Zooper seemed to have the features I wanted for half the price.

JanetJ

06-22-2006, 10:30 AM

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I finally showed some progress at this week's appointment! Minimal progress, but at least it was in the right direction so I'm being optimistic that it will continue.

Dana: we are giving Maya 1.2 and she is almost 17.5 lbs. She had her 4 month appointment last week and that's what the ped recommended.

Can I vent on clothing sizes? "Technically" Maya is over the average weight range for 3-6 month clothes, but most are still fitting her fine (unless it has feet). But, some of her 6-9 month stuff also fits and some doesn't even come close. I get so frustrated trying to figure out what she can wear now so that she doesn't outgrow something without having worn it much (or at all). Why can't it be more uniform between manufacturers? I have some super-cute (and $$) shirts from Nordstrom's that say 12 months on them that fit now and a pair of 3 month pants that still swim on her.

Magdon: good luck on your trip!

Meredith: I also want to congratulate you on breastfeeding so long and through challenges. I really admire that!

EmilyK

06-22-2006, 10:40 AM

Janet, my 15-month old is still wearing some 3-6 month onesies. Granted, he's a little guy at 20 pounds, but still! He has worn those same onesies since he was a 2 weeks old! :D For the most part (the exception being those onesies), he's been wearing exactly the right size as he grows up... and he's in the 5th percentile in both h & w. :rolleyes: That doesn't make much sense to me. You can't really depend on sizes, kind of like in adult clothing, I think. There's just no industry standard. Glad to hear you're starting to do better... that's great news!!

DanaSD

06-22-2006, 10:46 AM

I hear ya on the clothes!

Brendan has a lot of clothes that he never wore because I waited to try them on until he was in that size range and they were too small (mostly t-shirts - can't get his arms in them). He's just started wearing 12 month size in Carters which to me seemed to run smaller than other brands. So I ordered some stuff from One Step Ahead in 12 month size and the shirts are a little tight after washing them. He used to swim in the 3-6 month gap clothes when he was wearing 6 month carters but now the 6-12 month gap stuff is too small. Its hard to figure out and its not like I'm going to have him try on the clothes at the store!

he still fits his 0-3 month onsies from Target - makes no sense.

I'm also bummed about a bunch of the fall clothes that we bought him before he was born. We bought 9 and 12 month sizes - he could wear them now but living in AZ its too hot for them. Some still have tags so I'm going to see if I can return them.

For now I'm sticking with Carters - the clothes are cheap (especially at Costco) and easy to put on. When he slows down going through sizes then I'll buy nicer stuff from Gymboree and places like that but I'm tired off spending $30-40 on an outfit that he only wear 2 times.

at least there's ebay to get some money back

ggs830

06-22-2006, 11:05 AM

Oh boy, could I vent about clothing sizes also.

Shaelyn is 5 1/2 months old, and is currently wearing 0-3, 3-6 and 6-9/12 months stuff. She was, up until about a month ago, even wearing carter's newborn onesies, the ones that are good for 5-7 lbs. When she was a newborn, we went out and bought a bunch of 3-6 month winter clothes from the Gap and Old Navy, thinking she'd need them around march/april (still cold here in MI). She's worn those clothes maybe 2 times, since she didn't fit into them until June! On the other hand, I bought her some 3-6 months shorts at Target-- I could barely get them around her waist!

I've found that Carters are probably the best in terms of age range/actual size, although, even within Carters, there are discrepancies (i.e. the newborn onesies I mentioned above).

BTW, Yay Janet! I'm so glad to hear of your progress!

mst

06-22-2006, 11:27 AM

Janet- Congrats on your progress. Finally.

It's funny, the more I think about breastfeeding, the more I think it is like keeping Kosher. All of the people I know who keep Kosher, always qualify how Kosher they are. Like, "oh, we are Kosher in the home, but not out" or "we use paper plates for non-kosher foods" or "we are ingredient Kosher, but don't always by food blessed by Rabbis." It always strikes me as sad that people always feel the need to excuse what Kosher they are NOT doing. (I am not Kosher at all, so I really respect people who do it. I was not raised Kosher, nor was my DH. Although I do have yearnings to be Kosher, I am not up for the amount of work it is.) I think breastfeeding is the same way. If you ask someone how long they breastfed for, everyone gives some sort of excuse "oh, it didn't work for us", or "I didn't have enough milk", "I was going back to work"- or whatever. I want to start a movement where we stand up and say, "Two weeks! Very proud of myself" or, "Nope- formula fed. Thanks for asking". I have been feeling so guilty and upset about possibly stopping at seven months, and have been pretty surprised about all of your feedback. I think I am so obsessed with my ideal (a friend who never fed her child formula at all- went from boob to cow's milk) that I forgot to be proud of what I/we have accomplished.

Kathy F

06-22-2006, 11:48 AM

There have been lots of new moms since the last time I posted! Welcome and congratulations! :)

Meredith -- I didn't have time to respond to your posts before, but I'm so sorry you've had such a stressful time. I hope you can keep nursing Ilyssa because it's obviously really important to you and something you love doing, but you're absolutely right, you've already done a great job. I hope you find out some good information at your appt tomorrow.

Janet, yay! Glad things are improving, at least a little!

I will agree with you all about clothes, the sizes don't make a lot of sense sometimes. My favorites are the Gerber onesies someone gave us that are size 3-9 months. Joanna fits into them now at 2 1/2 months, and she's not exactly tipping the scales! I can't imagine that she'll still be able to wear them 6 months from now, but who knows!

Okay, vent coming! :) We've been having a rough couple of weeks -- it just seemed like Joanna was getting more and more fussy, with crying spells in the afternoon and evening where she would just scream and nothing we did would calm her down. I finally took her in to see the dr and we've started her on Pepcid for acid reflux -- I do believe that that might be part of the problem, since she'll make these little urping noises and then make a face like she tastes something bad. But she's still crying a lot, and when I took her back for a followup this week they basically said, sounds like colic, it should be over by the time she's 4 months old.

It's just really, really hard for me to listen to her cry and not be able to do anything about it! :( She's already had one episode today, and it makes me feel incompetent, like I don't know how to help my own baby. I walk her, and rock her, and play the white noise CD we made, and put her in the swing, and take her out of the swing, and walk her... Right now I am wearing her in the sling and she is actually sleeping, which is great, but I can't wear the sling all day. My husband is a huge help when he's home, but he can't be home all the time. I feel like I shouldn't complain since she's still sleeping great at night, and when she's not crying she's such a cute baby, all smiley and "talking" to me and playing. And I know it won't last forever and she will get over it, but it's just really hard for now.

Okay, I do feel better. Thanks for reading/listening!

Kathy

DanaSD

06-22-2006, 12:45 PM

I'm going to make one more attempt at getting Brendan on a bottle. Since I've found with his cereal he likes it a LOT better heated, I'm going to try warming the bottles (I didn't want him to get used to this so we would have to deal with this when out but at this point I'll deal with that if we can get him on a bottle).

So how do you warm your bottles? I tried putting them in a bowl of hot water but this didn't seem to work very well. The directions always so don't microwave but I've heard people do this. I don't really want to buy a bottle warmer since I've already invested so much in bottles, pumps, etc that all has been a waste - I might try to borrow one from someone if that is the best solution.

JanetJ

06-22-2006, 01:02 PM

Dana, we do use a bottle warmer since I found it to be the easiest, and most reliable, way to get the bottle to the right temp. We're lucky in that Maya doesn't protest a non-warmed bottle when we are out now, though she did when she was younger.

Kathy, big hugs! It is so hard to hear that cry and not be able to fix it. I hope it gets better really soon!

Megan James

06-22-2006, 01:12 PM

Dana
For bottle warming we do the bowl of HOT (sometimes close to boiling water). Let it sit a minute or two them swish it around and let it sit a minute of two more. You're really only trying to get it to "mama temp". Maybe also try just warming like 2 oz. That way the heat will transfer faster to the milk.

Meredith I love your idea! "My name is Megan and on Saturday I will have breastfed for 8 months"

Funny on the clothing, I was just ranting to DH about women's sizes and how I range about 6 sizes in pants depending on cut and manufacturer. Rebecca is still wearing some 0-3 months onesies (the cute ones that I can still stuff her into) and up to 12 months on a few things. A friend of mine said when she had her 2nd child she laid all the clothes out on the floor and then put then sorted them by "size", not what the manufacturer said but just how big they were. I will definately do that with #2.

IndianChef

06-22-2006, 01:23 PM

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to introduce myself. I finally graduated from the Pregnancy thread in May. Our son Ronit was born on May 6. He is our first child and after all we've gone through, we are extremely lucky to have him :)

I see this thread is very active and I'm going to do my best to read through it as much as I can.

Bawstinn

06-22-2006, 01:47 PM

What a week ...

Yesterday we had to go back to the hospital because Madeleine failed the hearing test at birth in her right ear. We got the same results again; passed in the left ear, failed in the right. It wouldn't concern me too much if Dave's uncle didn't have Wartenburg's Syndrome; he was born deaf/mute, has two different colored eyes and was born with a cleft palate. Dave is considered a carrier because he has two different colored eyes, although his are green/brown while his uncle's are blue/brown. We knew at the ultrasound that she didn't have a cleft palate but knew there was still a chance that she could have some other characteristics of it. It is odd that she passed in one ear, so we are hoping that there just might still be some fluid in her ear canal. We have an appointment at the audiologist on Monday.

She also had her 2 week appointment today. When we left the hospital her weight had dropped to 7 pounds 14 ounces. Today she was 8 pounds 13 ounces and up to 21.5 inches. I had pumped and brought a 4 ounce bottle with us *just in case* and the Dr was surprised that she downed the bottle while we were in the examining room. I'm not surprised after seieng how much weight she gained. She is in the 86th percentille for height and 50th percentille for weight.

We have so many summer clothes that are 3 months - I am afraid that she won't be able to wear many of them. Most of the onsies swim on her, but she can wear them. The outfits are all too big and she looks like a little doll. She has a couple of newborn outfits that didn't fit her at all - although they were supposed to be for up to 8 pounds, she was a bit too long for them to fit properly.

We had another sleeping stretch of 6 hours last night. I'm not sure why she is sleeping so well, but I'm not complaining at this point.

Sounds like someone is waking from their nap ... right on schedule for another feeding.

Maria

ggs830

06-22-2006, 02:30 PM

Welcome Indian Chef and Ronit!

Dana: To warm bottles, I usually let the water get really hot (the water from our kitchen sink can be positively scalding), then stick the bottle in a glass, and let the water fill the glass for about 5 minutes. It's kind of a waste of water, but that way I don't have to sit there monitoring it.

(((Kathy))). I'm so sorry to hear about the colic diagnosis. DD didn't have colic, thank goodness, but she did have that typical evening fussiness that a lot of babies get. Hearing them cry like that, and being helpless to comfort them, is one of the hardest things to do. Just hang in there, and hopefully this will pass soon.

(((Maria))). Good luck with the audiologist...hopefully you'll get some answers.

We did well on our trip to Wisconsin for my sis's wedding shower last weekend. Shaelyn was such a trooper. Even though her sleeping/napping was all messed up, she barely fussed, and was a happy, smiley baby at the shower. We hardly heard a peep out of her on the plane, too. In fact, going and coming, we had other passengers comment on what a good baby she was. I was such a proud mama! :p Hopefully, she'll do just as good when make the 8 hour drive in two weeks for the wedding.

gertdog

06-22-2006, 03:01 PM

Re: clothing sizes- I agree! Very annoying. I have found the weight ranges to be much more helpful and accurate than the month ranges. Based on the weight ranges I've learned that I should buy a size larger at The Children's Place and Talbot's Kids than I do at Carter's, Baby Gap, Old Navy or Gymboree. At 22 pounds, Ryan is still wearing some 6-12 month sizes and lots of 12-18 month sizes, though these are a little big on him. I'm just hoping he stays in that size through the summer since I don't have any summer clothes for him in the next size up!!

Most places are really great about returns- even if the clothes are many months old, if they have tags you can at least get some store credit. I've purchased a lot of clothes on eBay but haven't tried selling anything yet. I've had particularly good luck with jeans and overalls- things that are pretty durable and don't show much wear. I can get pieces that look like new for a few dollars- it's fantastic! DH initially thought buying used clothes for Ryan was awful, but when he saw some of what I'd purchased and really couldn't tell the clothes weren't brand-new, he was won over.

gertdog

06-22-2006, 03:07 PM

Dana- for the first few months I heated DS's bottles in a measuring cup of hot water for about 5 minutes. Now I'm a bad mom and use the microwave. :o I pour the formula into a measuring cup or even a teacup, zap for 30 seconds (for formula that's been refrigerated, that seems to be the ideal time in our micro), then pour into the bottle. I put on the nipple and lid and tip the bottle back and forth a few times to make sure there aren't any hotspots.

Welcome Indian Chef and Ronit! Hugs to Kathy and Maria, and a big yay for Janet- progress is good!!

mst

06-22-2006, 06:45 PM

Welcome Indian Chief and Ronit.

Maria- I will keep my fingers crossed for you. Is there a high occurence of incorrect tests? Please let us know how the doctor goes.

Kathy- Ah, the crying spells. Not fun, not fun at all. The best advice I can give, is that if you are getting loopy from all the crying, put Johanna down, take a shower (or something else where you can't hear her), and go back to her. Nothing will happen to her while you are gone, but it will make a world of difference for you. Too many hours with a baby screaming in your ear will make anyone loopy.

greta

06-23-2006, 07:32 AM

stephanie, remember, i'm the baddest of bad moms so of course i use the microwave! ;)
although we don't have to heat the bottle much these days...

DanaSD

06-23-2006, 12:14 PM

thanks for the warming advice. I'll give it a try.

Any reccomendations for good pool toys/floats for a 6 month old? Our pool was finished last weekend and since its around 110 around here we plan on spending a lot of time in the pool. We bought a bunch of spf shirts and hats but I'd still like a floaty that has a sunshade over it.

greta

06-23-2006, 12:27 PM

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid208/pcd8faff47adb7fcc84646b115a07e52e/ee5f1054.jpg

dana, i know this doesn't have a sunshade, but saif LOVES it, and so did laith at that age...one step ahead has a bunch of stuff, you might want to look there (that's where i go the boat). onestepahead.com

greta

editing to add i just saw this on their website:

http://www.onestepahead.com/images/product/detail_views_jpgs/12418-dv-1.jpg

and this:

http://www.onestepahead.com/images/product/detail_views_jpgs/11331-dv-1.jpg

DanaSD

06-23-2006, 01:24 PM

thanks. I was thinking about order the first one from there site but was looking around a little for one with a sunshade. Glad to hear you like it. Target sold out of the ones that they had wiht sunshades and the one at the right start seemed to get bad reviews. The second one with the sunshade says 9 months and up - not sure why. If its based on weight and size, Brendan would be fine.

The dolphin is very cute.

DanaSD

06-23-2006, 04:31 PM

update of carriers from discussions a month or so ago. I bought an ellaroo hip carry and I really like it. Brendan is just getting too heavy for the bjoern and the bjoern is too hot right now (its been 110 here this week). Now that he can sit up this carrier works better - its better for short trips since he can't sleep but he likes being able to look around and using the carrier helps to distribute his weight better. Since he hit 18 pounds (now he's around 20 I think) he just feels so heavy when I carry him for awhile - this makes it feel more like when he was 12-15 range.

ellaroo (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000CLDF9U/sr=8-1/qid=1151102101/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-7558162-0434469?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance)

I'm still going to buy a babyhawk - I want something that will work as a backcarry. I'm hoping I can use it while in the kitchen and shopping - with front and hip carry his hands are reaching for everything (jars in the grocery store, papers in my hand,etc) and anything he gets goes right in his mouth.

mst - how do you like your kozy?

I mentioned that I make cakes a few posts ago - so today I made my first cake since Brendan was born (and I actually stopped about half way through my pregnancy) and it failed! I'm out of practice - the cake was raw in the middle so its in the trash and I need to start again. Also its taken a few tries at the decorations I'm making for the top. I feel like I'm starting from the beginning.

valchemist

06-23-2006, 04:39 PM

I considered both the dolphin and that round yellow/blue one. the dolphin was a bit pricey and the round one was backordered. so I went with this $50 one from toys r us. I love it and so does kate. I especially like that you don't have to blow it up or worry about it deflating or popping. and kate loved the little spinning balls and steering wheel. The brand is SwimWays.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid208/p0af8c998de16e8582dcbedc51193b4ca/ee5e6a24.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid208/p95d3d2c9af62fcc8f8e571ef2399b4b7/ee5e6a21.jpg

here is a link to one place you can get it online.

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/overtons/detail/pdetail2.cgi?r=detail_view&item_num=13543

Andrea_2

06-24-2006, 08:41 AM

Congratulations and welcome to all the new moms!

I've noticed the same thing as everyone about clothes sizes being so strange! It seems like those onesies fit forever, but the things with the feet get outgrown sooner. I remember trying a onesie on my son at 2 years old that he wore home from the hospital when he was six pounds and I could still get it to snap!

Janet - Glad to hear you are making some progress! That is great news!

Maria - Good luck with the audiologist on Monday. I hope they'll have some good information for you.

Dana - I use the microwave too for bottles. As long as I shake the bottle and test the temperature first I don't really see the problem with it. If you do end up buying a bottle warmer, I think you can use them for baby food too later. Might get more use out of it that way if you're concerned about it being wasted.

Kathy - Sorry to hear about the colic. My son used to have terrible crying and screaming episodes in the evenings when he was a baby and it was so frustrating to not know what to do! The good news is that it didn't last too long. I hope it won't last too long for you either.

Molli - Did you post pictures of the cake you made anywhere? I'm always looking for cute cake ideas. I ended up making a bus cake for my son's birthday, and it turned out quite well.

Michelle - How are you doing??

We seem to be making progress on sleep, and Emily has been pretty much sleeping through the night! Her reflux seems to be getting better too, so that is a relief. Our biggest challenge right now is having my MIL in the house for 2 weeks! She has been here for one day now, and I haven't had an overwhelming urge to kill her yet, so I guess that is progress! :p The most annoying thing so far has just been how much she freaks out every time Emily cries. Seems like she is on the verge of calling the paramedics all the time. Hopefully she'll settle down soon.

Have a good weekend everyone! :)

mst

06-26-2006, 08:24 AM

Maria- I am thinking of you and Madeleine today.

As for us. Wow. Well, after the ped appointment on Monday when they let us go back to breastfeeding with supplementing, we thought of cancelling our appointment with the feeding team. We were pretty lowkey about the appointment, and DH went away, and I went to the appointment with my mom.

Anyway, we should the doctor my charts of Ilyssa's eating, went through the checklist- no vomiting, no spit-ups, pleasant etc. We came up with a plan for fortifying my milk, and doing some formula. After we were all ready to go, as a last "just checking" kind of thing, the doctor tested a sample from Ilyssa's diaper. As soon as she tested the sample, without the doctor saying anything, I could tell that she was really surprised and the test was positive. Ilyssa had a "very positive" test for blood in her stool, which means she is allergic to milk (and we are not sure what else she is allergic to.) I was so shocked. I cried, my mom cried, and the doctor cried. I was/am so heartbroken that my exclusively breastfed baby was allergic to her only food for seven months. (She is not allergic to my milk, but the milk in my diet.) So, the actually think that I might not have a milk supply problem at all, but rather that Ilyssa was not stimulating my milk supply because she really did not want it because it hurt her. At that point we discussed me pumping and dumping for three days and going on a really, really strict diet (can't have anything even with butter.) I told the doctor that it was up to her. If it was still important for Ilyssa to get breastfed- especially now that she is a baby with significant allergies, I was willing to do it. If not, it seemed like it was time to give up breastfeeding. So, now I have a formula-fed baby. We have a prescription formula. I thought I would be crushed the first time Ilyssa drank formula, but I was glad to know that she was finally getting food that did not hurt her. Again, it was hard to have to stop cold-turkey with the breastfeeding. And, I am just heartbroken watching her suck down bottles, knowing that she DOES have an appetite, she just didn't have one for my milk. I went away this weekend with my best friend and her family. Her dad has just been through two rounds of cancer, so I tried to keep my sorrow about breastfeeding to a minimum. But, a few times, I did cry while watching her eat. I know that I couldn't have known, and I really don't think the doctors could have known. But, I still have guilt. My totally pleasant baby has gotten even more pleasant. It is a joke how sweet and happy she was all weekend. I am going to have a terrible teenager on my hands! The good news is that most babies outgrow milk allergies. They think she will have it longer because it was discovered later. The thing that is scary is that she now can be allergic to pretty much everything. But, in the scheme of things, if I keep her eating easily digestable/non-allergenic (for the most part) foods, we think she should be ok. If anyone knows anything about milk allergies, or stories of someone who did, I would love to hear it. I was a little frustrated as the doctor did not have information on it, nor could she recommend books. My DH and I need info- that's how we deal with things. Oh, and it was so hard going through this without him. When I found out, he was on a plane for six hours. So, I really mourned and cried and went through all of that without him. The one thing I am really, really mad about, is that he told his sister about the allergy- her baby also has many very significant allergies. So his sister was like, "see? There is no reason to breastfeed." I HATE that in her mind, I am going to become the example of why not to breastfeed. After all I went through, and how strongly I believe in it (if it is the right choice for the mom and baby), I can't believe that people are going to use me as a reason to not breastfeed. (Just to stress this- I don't think breastfeeding is the right choice for all moms and babies, and totally support anyone who does formula. You need to know what works best for each individual mom and each individual baby.) I will still breastfeed future children, but I will have this test done very early to them.

ggs830

06-26-2006, 08:54 AM

((((Meredith))))

Wow, no advice on milk allergies, but I just wanted to send hugs your way for having to deal with this, especially without your DH around. The good news is that you, DH and Ilyssa finally have the right answer, and a workable solution. It's a comfort, although I'm sure not much of one, that there was no way to know Ilyssa was allergic. The key is that you know now, and have that peace of mind.

As for your SIL, it always amazes me when people have a negative outlook on BF. As you said, it's definitely not for everyone, and, especially in this day and age, there are so many good alternatives, that BF doesn't have to be your only choice. Still, I don't understand completely disregarding BF as a good choice-- it's worked for thousands of years, right?? ;)

DanaSD

06-26-2006, 10:34 AM

I'm no expert on the milk allergy topic but have seen a lot of discussion on babycenter boards because there are a lot of babies that have been diagnosed (both moms who breastfeed and babies on regular formula). I think milk allergies in infants are relatively common - thats why the soy formula is so available. Some babies who are allergic to milk are also allergic to soy and must use a perscription formual.

My husband was allergic to cows milk as a baby but outgrew it pretty quickly - by 1 or 2 years. There are some people who remain allergic to cows milk their entire lives but I think this is rare (they have more of reaction than the fussiness/relux symptoms, blood in stool).

Try going to the babycenter birthboards - I follow Dec 2005 and Jan 2006 and I know there were babies with the same diagnosis on those boards and I'm sure there are some for your birthboard.

MinEaston

06-26-2006, 12:01 PM

(((Meredith)))

I had posted a reply on your other thread but it went into cyberspace :mad:

EmilyK's DS had an issue with milk too - you might post over on the Wobblers thread but she also lurks here. My DD had a sensitivity to milk in my diet early on, too. It's fairly common.

Just my two cents - If I were in your position, I would follow-up on this recent diagnosis with a request for a full allergy work-up. Blood in the stool can also happen with a sensitivity (my niece and nephew both had this happen), and may not be a full-blown allergy.

You've done a great job for Ilyssa already, and you've indicated that other than being little she's a happy, contented baby! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. :p

RebeccaT

06-26-2006, 12:19 PM

(((Meredith)))

I have nothing to add on milk allergies, but I just wanted you to know that I am thinking about you and I am so sorry that you are going through all of this. I know you and DH are so glad to have some answers, finally, for your sweet girl!

Bawstinn

06-26-2006, 12:20 PM

(((Meredith)))

We has some good news at the audiologists - Madeleine passed 4 out of the 5 frequencies they test, and she only has to pass 4 for them to consider her having passed the test. The audiologist thought that the size of the ear buds they use may have been the reason for the failure as it doesn't look like she has anything in her ear. Since Dave is a carrier for Waartenburg's, the audiologist suggested she be retested on 6 months to verify that all is OK ... to make sure that there isn't some loss of hearing in her right ear, but it does look like all is OK. Whew.

On a whim, we also went to a Mommy and Me class after the test. It was good - she was very good and extremely interested in one of the toys there, in fact all she did was stare at it the whole time. She is also up to 9 pounds 5 ounces. No wonder we have been having some leakage problems with the newborn diapers - they are good up to 10 pounds. I think I need to purchase some in the next size up.

Hope everyone else is doing well. Time for a nap for both of us. We have been up pretty much since 3 AM. She did sleep from 9 - 3, but had no interest in going back to sleep after eating. Yawn.

Maria

EmilyK

06-26-2006, 01:02 PM

Meredith, Gavin couldn't handle it if I consumed ANY kind of milk product until he was somewhere around 5 months old. He would spit up A LOT and would be way fussier than he normally was, so I tried cutting all dairy and he was much better. When he weaned himself at a little over 11 months, we decided to try whole cow's milk on him - no go. He vomitted for a few days as a result. He does just fine with cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, and butter but not milk. (we never tried ice cream, just assumed it wouldn't go well without cultures) Just this last weekend we graduated to whole cow's milk and he's doing excellent!! :D He'll be 16 months on 7/9...

I will point out that we never had him tested for any allergies, since cutting it out of my diet worked. Also, our doctor approved him going straight to soy milk instead of formula because he was so close to 1 year old. I agree that you should probably get a full allergy workup on her to make sure nothing else is lurking.

(((()))) Please don't second guess yourself on what you could have or should have done earlier!! You're doing a fabulous job, which is evident by how happy she is! You might also just have a little baby... I know I've mentioned before how little my own DS is. He's perfectly healthy, just in a smaller package than the other kiddos! :p

gertdog

06-26-2006, 01:46 PM

((((Meredith)))) No experience with milk allergy- just sympathy for all you've been going through.

Maria- so glad to hear that the audiology tests went well!!

We had a fun weekend here- Ryan's first tooth broke through! We also added a lunch meal of solids and phased out one bottle. He doesn't seem to have noticed, which is nice!

Here's Ryan learning to pull up on the ottoman this weekend (with Daddy spotting him):

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid208/pe2d4e8ace96d622f03a569b85aee109f/ee50d135.jpg

mst

06-26-2006, 02:30 PM

Maria- Phew! I am so thrilled that it went well.

Hi everyone- thanks for all of the support. Emily- thanks for the info about Gavin. It sounds like he might have been allergic to milk also, since they often suggest doing what you did- removing it from your diet, and then introducing it later. Poor guy though- no ice cream? :p My DH was saying that I am lucky that I did not have to cut dairy out of my diet. No ice cream in the summer would have made for a cranky Meredith! Dana- thanks for the suggestion of babycenter. I will go lurk over there. I just feel crazy that I can't read and learn more. Thanks everyone for the full allergy work-up suggestion. I still feel so shocked from the diagnosis, that I am still not quite thinking of questions to ask and things like that. When I spoke to DH, he was asking me all sorts of questions that I never thought to ask. If you guys think of any others, please let me know. I just feel like I am still getting my mind wrapped around this. I went to the pharmacy today to get the prescription. It takes about a week for it to come in. But, they had a few cans that I could buy over the counter for....$25 for a two day supply! :eek: So, I am pretty grateful for insurance paying. (Well, hopefully paying. We are still waiting for the approval.)

I am pretty sad about losing my boobs. I wanted to go out in a low cut shirt and shake those barely B's everywhere. Pretty soon I will be back to barely A. So sad.

Stephanie- Ryan is such a cutie (as is your DH!) :)

mst

06-26-2006, 03:17 PM

Dana- The kozy. Hmm. I love the print, and I like it, but I wish I had gotten a BabyHawk. I think the Kozy's body is too long for us. We are both pretty little! My best friend wore Ilyssa in the Kozy twice this weekend while we went for walks and hikes, and it was great. It makes her easy to carry, but I think Ilyssa likes to look around more than she can in the Kozy (and I roll it twice before putting it on.) But, on the flip side, Ilyssa slept both times in it, and having the headrest does help support her. So, if I knew then what I know now, I would get a BabyHawk for us. But, I would not hesitate to recommend Kozy to someone else.

DanaSD

06-26-2006, 05:34 PM

I ordered a babyhawk today - I've had the hardest time deciding on a fabric so I finally just picked 2. I was bored today and since I work from home and I was bored I started shopping online...its bad.

I'll give it a try - if it doesn't work, it looks like its pretty easy to resell baby carriers either at babywearer or yahoogroups. I think I'm going to try to sell my mayawrap since I've never gotten the hang of it. Also my bjoern 'cause Brendan is just too heavy.

ggs830

06-27-2006, 07:08 AM

So, I have a question about feeding...

We've been doing solids with Shaelyn for about 5 weeks now, and she is doing quite well. She's enjoying "grown up" food, and, in the last week, it seems as though she is looking for more at the end of the meal. We give her solids twice a day, once in the morning (usually oatmeal and/or fruit) and once in the evening (a veg. and rice cereal, or sweet potatos).

On the flip side, her bottle feeding has become more of a challenge. In the last week, she has consistently refused to drink a full bottle, usually stopping with about an ounce left. The last two night feedings, she's only drank about 1/2 the bottle.

So, DH and I are thinking of adding a 3rd solid feeding, and cutting back on the amount of milk she's getting. I'm worried about her getting enough to eat, however.

Does anyone have any advice to offer? Shaelyn will be 6 months on Friday, FYI.

KathrynY

06-27-2006, 07:35 AM

Stephanie, that is the cutest picture of Ryan with his Daddy! :) Thanks for the stroller research info. you posted earlier - that will be most useful for us in a few months.

Maria, so glad to hear that the hearing tests went well! We moved Henry up to the size 1 diapers when he had lots of leakage - I think he just got too long for them, even though he was still only around 8 lbs or so.

Dana, please let us know how you like your Babyhawk. I currently have a Hotsling that Henry and I both love, but I don't have full use of both arms wearing it. I also just got a Kozy that I haven't used much yet - like your Bjorn it's a little too hot here now to wear him in a front carry, so I'm trying to work up the courage to try the newborn high back carry. Good to know that these things can be resold fairly easily - I have a feeling we're going to amass quite a collection! :o

Molli, I am loving my Glamourmom tanks - thanks for the recommendation!

Janet, so glad to hear that your healing is progressing! Hope things continue to get better each day.

Kathy F, I am sorry about Joanna's colic - that sounds rough. How are you doing these days?

Michelle, thinking about you - how's it going?

Henry was 11 weeks yesterday. Still not getting long stretches of sleep at night consistently. *Yawn* But for the most part we're getting decent daytime naps so that helps. DH has been doing some travelling for work, so I've been a single mom a bit lately - hard work!

We lost our sweet kitty Samantha to cancer last week, so we're pretty sad - she was with us for 16 years and it's awfully quiet in the house without her. :( Here's a picture of Sam and Henry together - the last one we took of her:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/redbird67/Family%20Photos/862d24ef.jpg

gertdog

06-27-2006, 08:30 AM

Gouri, Ryan is a bit older than Shaelyn (8.5) months but we just added a lunch meal of solids (he's been getting breakfast and dinner since 6 months) and he started leaving some formula in his bottles (unheard of for my baby!). We have cut out one bottle a day with no complaints from Ryan, and now he's back to finishing the remaining bottles. So maybe Shaelyn's tummy really is full. How much does she take in terms of solids? Ryan gets about 2 T. of prepared cereal and 1-2 T. of fruit or veg. plus some cheerios at each meal.

According to my formula canister, 5 oz. prepared formula = 100 calories, so he's getting about 650 calories a day from formula. 2 T. of cereal prepared with formula is about 50 calories, so I figure with fruit and cheerios he's probably getting 75-100 calories per meal of solids. With three meals a day, if he still drank all his formula, that means he'd be taking in nearly 50% more calories a day, so I can see why he was refusing some of the formula! I do think I'd check with your doctor before decreasing the formula significantly, though, just to make sure there's no concern about getting enough of the iron or other nutrients in the formula.

Kathryn, I'm so sorry to hear about Sam. :( That's a sweet photo of her watching over Henry.

ggs830

06-27-2006, 09:42 AM

Stephanie: Shaelyn is getting about 1 1/2 T of cereal in the morning, and then 3 T in the evening (1 1/2 T cereal, 1 1/2 T fruit or veg). She was also taking about 7 1/2 oz. of formula 4 xs a day. Now, I'd say it's closer to 6 oz 4xs a day. I talked to her doc just a bit ago about reducing her formula intake, and she said that was fine, as long as she was getting about 24 oz.s a day.

I guess once we really got into the solids, we forget to compensate by reducing the formula a bit. I noticed in the last month, Shaelyn had really chubbed up-- a little belly and chubby cheeks. She was at the ped. about 3 weeks ago, and was still in the 50th percentile for weight, so I wasn't too concerned. Now I think I was over-feeding her. Good thing she let me know!

Kathryn-- Hugs to you about your kitty. :(

NewMrsG

06-27-2006, 10:06 AM

I'm here! I'm here!

Macy Abigail was born on Father's Day, June 18th. She's now 9 days old. :)

We did well in the hospital and then had a rough first night home - she absolutely refused to sleep and stop crying. I'm sure she was sending her parents' anxiety at being home alone with her (those hospital nurses just refused to come with us!) Then the next day we couldn't wake her up for anything - which prompted my first frantic page to the pediatrician on call. Since then we've settled in - she's actually a very easy baby I think - sleeps usually 3-5 hours at a stretch, is alert and happy when she's awake and very easily soothed during the few times she's agitated. We had our first ped visit last Friday and we just love him - he was very patient with my 3 million questions.

We are really struggling with nursing. I take a medication that my pediatrician and neurologist were concerned about so we've compromised and I am supplementing with formula - my plan was to nurse during times that my med levels are lower and then to formula feed when they're higher. We've been unable to nurse at all since my milk came in and so I'm just pumping and giving her that. We have a lactation consultant coming this afternoon and I hope we'll get on the right track today. It's really amazing how emotionally laden breastfeeding is - particularly when you're hormonal.

My mom is here for a week - DH went back to work yesterday. I'm a little nervous about her leaving and being alone with Macy but am hoping to have a little more confidence by then.

Very glad to be here!

Jori

LaraW

06-27-2006, 12:00 PM

Welcome Jori, and welcome to little Macy! I love the name! :)

I have been away for several days. We had Colin's baptism this weekend, and had my sister, parents and IL's at my house for 3 days. Everyone has gone home now - I am glad. It was nice to see everyone, but it was just too much.

I do have a question about spitting up - like how much is normal. Colin began sleeping through the night, not quite 2 weeks ago. He will wake up around 5:00 am and is just ravenously hungry, and so I think he is swallowing a lot of air while he's nursing. When I burp him, he will have this giant burp (like you can't believe that this little baby is making such a loud noise) and will vomit up what seems like most of the feeding. I am not sure what to do about it, or if I should even be concerned. He seems to be growing fine, and is not spitting up too much at other times during the day.

I will come back and read the rest of the thread when I have a chance.

Happy Tuesday, everyone. :)

EmilyK

06-27-2006, 12:32 PM

Lara, I worried a lot about the quantity of spit-up DS had when he was little, but he was also putting weight on fine. I think it just SEEMS like way more than it actually is... at least that's what the ped. told me. :rolleyes: Go ahead and ask about it next time you're in there, it helps to hear their input.

ETA: our ped. suggested to keep him upright for 20-30 minutes after a meal before putting him down as well. For MANY months, he slept on a cloth diaper/burp rag, because he'd end up in a puddle of spit-up in bed. Man... funny how you forget those days! :p

BethH

06-27-2006, 12:45 PM

Lara --

My little guy does that too (he's 10 mos. and sleeps all night now -- from about 6 p.m. - 5:30 a.m. and then back down for another 1-2 hours). I find that if I wait a few minutes before burping him -- I just let him lay next to me in a milk-induced drowse -- then he's better able to keep it down. When I pick him right up and burp him, its just like what you describe -- this really loud urp and then lots of milk down my back. :o

HTH!

((mst))

Back to lurking ...

kelliek

06-27-2006, 04:45 PM

Kathryn,

We lost our dog to heart failure in Feb. this year. He had been our only baby for all our 10 years of marriage and it was really awful. Not to mention all the visions I had in my head about how he would watch over Charlie. I don't have anything to say to make it better. Just wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss.

Jori,

Good luck with the breastfeeding. We have also supplemented Charlie all along. People will tell you that if you supplement that it will only get to be more and more formula and less breastmilk and that your supply will suffer. I'm here to tell you that at 11 weeks, Charlie doesn't get anymore formula than he did at week 1. I call all the things people tell you the "slippery slope to hell." There are lots of things that are taken as gospel for breastfeeding, but I'm finding none of them to be true for me and Charlie. One other thing I wish someone had told me earlier: it may take you many weeks to get this down and while you are trying, it may hurt a lot and you may feel really bad, but try not to let yourself. It took us 7 weeks to get a good latch, but once we both knew what it felt like, we've never looked back. A girlfriend then confessed that she didn't stop having pain until 6 weeks with both of her kids. It would have been nice to know that while I was suffering through my first 7 weeks!

Kathy,

Sorry Joanna is still fussy! Charlie has had some really bad days lately too. Feel free to bring her on over and we'll let them scream at each other. :p Seriously, he is now on both prevacid and zantac to help with reflux. The reflux seems to really be depriving Charlie of sleep. But, my DH has gotten him to sleep for a few hours in his crib this week, so that is a big accomplishment! :D

DanaSD

06-27-2006, 04:58 PM

Jori,

Good luck with the breastfeeding. We have also supplemented Charlie all along. People will tell you that if you supplement that it will only get to be more and more formula and less breastmilk and that your supply will suffer. I'm here to tell you that at 11 weeks, Charlie doesn't get anymore formula than he did at week 1. I call all the things people tell you the "slippery slope to hell." There are lots of things that are taken as gospel for breastfeeding, but I'm finding none of them to be true for me and Charlie.

agree - I've heard the same from many people after I had my baby who is EBF and won't take a bottle. The whole nipple confusion and formula/supply warnings don't seem to hold up for many people. I wish I had done both since at this point we're having no luck transitioning my son and I really need to get him on a bottle (we waited too long to introduce a bottle and formula).

Andrea_2

06-28-2006, 06:54 AM

All the baby pictures are so cute!

Maria - That is great news from the audiologist. Glad to hear that she seems fine.

Jori - Congratulations and welcome Macy! Is breastfeeding getting any easier?

Meredith - Sorry to hear about the milk allergy. What type of formula did you have to order for her? Was is Neocate?

Lara - We have had ongoing vomiting issues with Emily. It started when she was about 2 weeks old, and definitely seemed worse when she was most hungry. We found that stopping her and burping her more frequently helped, but didn't completely eliminate the problem. The doctor was on the verge of putting her on Zantac, but then she has been doing a little better lately, so we're trying to avoid that.

Has anyone tried one of those baby boppy pillows for tummy time? I bought Emily one the other day, and she seems to like it so far, at least better than being flat on the floor. She still gets good practice at lifting her head etc., so I think she is still getting the full benefit of tummy time without getting so cranky. It has toys attached to it too that she has been starting to play with a little. Here is what it looks like if anyone else is interested...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid208/p5d44a56116d292fd30043f83b0ec83d3/ee49bec8.jpg

SooCookie

06-28-2006, 10:09 AM

(((Meredith))) - I am sorry to hear about the milk allergy. Hugs to you and hope you are doing ok.

Jori - Hope breastfeeding is getting somewhat easier for you. We are still struggling here at 4 weeks.

I am loving all of the baby pictures too! I would post one of my little peanut if I knew how! :confused:

Thanks Kathryn and Andrea for asking about me. I am still crying everyday, and know that I am not back to feeling like me. I am still resisting taking the Zoloft due to breastfeeding. It might sound silly, but if I have to give up breastfeeding, that will be just be one more thing I have failed at. I failed to bring her into this world the way she was meant to and now I am failing to feed her the way she was meant to. Breastfeeding really means alot to me, and I just am not ready to give that up yet.

Lisa - you mentioned that you took Zoloft. Were you still able to breastfeed?

One other question for you guys... So, pre-baby, I was used to making somewhat fancy, time consuming dinners for DH and I. Now that obviously is not an option. What do you guys prepare that involves little to no prep work that is fast? Quick dinners are not my specialty, so I am at a loss here and feel like I need to learn how to cook all over again. I am sure this has been discussed before, so if someone could point me in the direction to a post or something, I would appreciate it.

NewMrsG

06-28-2006, 10:17 AM

lbd

06-28-2006, 10:38 AM

Wow, you miss a lot on this thread when you skip some days. Love all the pictures that have been posted!

Andrea - how did you attach toys to your boppy?

I'm happy to report that we have had pee-free diaper changes for a solid week now. Yay!! I think posting my questions about it had the mysterious yet magical effect of getting him to stop. And this morning we had our first pee-free bath! Things are looking up.

We are doing pretty well. Finally watched the Happiest Baby video this weekend and have had a couple of longer stretches of sleep the last few nights (little over 4 hours then shorter stretches in the early morning). Some of the techniques don't seem to have any effect on him whatsoever (stomach/side lying makes him scream louder) but we are swaddling more effectively now. Before he was getting his arms out super quickly but the different technique is much better for arm control. I'm also slowly making my way through Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and read part of Touchpoints. Am basically taking bits and pieces that make sense to us from the different approaches/theories.

Have started pumping so that DH can give Ben a bottle each night. He slurped it down the first night but has fussed a bit and not taken much since - only took an ounce last night even though he'd been acting very hungry. I'm trying to not worry and just trust that he knows how much he needs but it's hard when his entire nutrition is dependant on me. Two questions -- we got the Medela Pump in Style and I can hear a sucking sound coming from the pump itself, almost sounds like a leak. Is that normal? Also, do any bottles fit it besides Medela ones? I'm not sure I want to be freezing milk in the Medela bottles (space considerations in the freezer plus I'm fast running out of the ones I have and they seem more expensive than other brands). Are bags better?

Lorien

lbd

06-28-2006, 10:44 AM

One other question for you guys... So, pre-baby, I was used to making somewhat fancy, time consuming dinners for DH and I. Now that obviously is not an option. What do you guys prepare that involves little to no prep work that is fast? Quick dinners are not my specialty, so I am at a loss here and feel like I need to learn how to cook all over again. I am sure this has been discussed before, so if someone could point me in the direction to a post or something, I would appreciate it.

I've been wondering about this as well. Not just dinners but lunches. Pre-baby, I would cook dinners with planned leftovers to take for lunches at work. Was thinking I could cut back since we only needed lunches for DH now -- instead I'm finding myself wolfing downing whatever I can find in the frig during my quick "down" times. Some days it seems like I don't even have time to make a sandwich.

One way I've been dealing with dinners is handing over the baby for some quality "Daddy time" as soon as DH gets home so I can put something together. But that means eating very late sometimes and won't work at all once we start scheduling regular bedtimes.

ggs830

06-28-2006, 11:00 AM

One other question for you guys... So, pre-baby, I was used to making somewhat fancy, time consuming dinners for DH and I. Now that obviously is not an option. What do you guys prepare that involves little to no prep work that is fast? Quick dinners are not my specialty, so I am at a loss here and feel like I need to learn how to cook all over again. I am sure this has been discussed before, so if someone could point me in the direction to a post or something, I would appreciate it.

What I do (although not always, depends on my schedule) is get prep work done and out of the way over the weekend when DH is home. This means menu planning, shopping, washing/chopping vegs., and doing whatever cooking I can to make things easier during the week. I also don't make as much as I used to. For example, I rarely make a vegetable side dish from scratch, usually just a bagged salad with a quick home made dressing. Or I make meals that have a little bit of everything-- stirfrys, soups, casseroles.

Hope that helps!

And welcome to all the new moms and babies. Wow, there sure are a lot more of us now!

gertdog

06-28-2006, 11:13 AM

I'm happy to report that we have had pee-free diaper changes for a solid week now. Yay!! I think posting my questions about it had the mysterious yet magical effect of getting him to stop. And this morning we had our first pee-free bath! Things are looking up.

Woooo! That's a great milestone! :p

Michelle and Lorien, maybe you'll find some ideas on Mariposa's thread on the Great Food board (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=91737) about cooking/meal planning while pregnant- she asked for quick and easy ideas. It does take a while to get the hang of getting a meal on the table with a new baby in the house! One thing that worked well for us was "cook once, eat twice"- I'd make pasta or an enchilada casserole or whatever and double the portions, putting half in the freezer for later and eating half that evening. Yes, there was more repetition in our meals for a few months, but it was soooo nice on days when I was at the end of my rope to be able to just turn the oven on and throw something in. Soups, tortilla casseroles, and pasta dishes worked particularly well. You can also put some in single-serve containers and freeze for lunches. My favorite lunches early on were frozen burritos (that I made myself and froze) and pita bread stuffed with hummus, baby spinach, and cherry tomatoes (easy things to have on hand).

(((Michelle)))- I'm so sorry you're struggling. Have you asked your doctor about Zoloft and breastfeeding?

kelliek

06-28-2006, 11:40 AM

Thanks everyone for the welcome and the support around breastfeeding. I met with a lactation consultant yesterday. She did help me get Macy to latch onto one side (which we've nicknamed superbooby) but not on the other (the bum boob - get very little out of it). She really pushed me to let Macy try until she got it and I've never heard her cry like she was crying yesterday. I had tears in my eyes as well and just cannot let it go that far. The lactation consultant was nice, but said a few things that really bothered me, like maybe I'd reconsider nursing full-time, even though I made it clear that wasn't an option for me given my med issues. We'll see how nursing goes today.

Jori,

We had the exact same type of experience at the beginning. There was one boob Charlie didn't like and by day 2 at home he would scream and cry if I tried to get him on either one. We did a nipple shield primed with a little breast milk in it (I can explain more if you want) for a couple of weeks. The breast milk in the shield made it so that Charlie didn't have to wait for the milk to come to him. Also, we stayed on the shield basically through 5 weeks, then started trying to get off of it. The first couple of weeks, I would do a day trying to go without the shield, but then I would hurt so bad, that I'd have to go back on it for a while. Like I said, once we found the latch, we were golden though. One thing that helped me figure out the latch was to go online and look for pictures of the appropriate latch. Somehow, that just made me try some different positions.

In my case, I think the lower producing boob (which is now a super booby) was more because I hadn't figured out how to hold him right on that side yet.

But, for both you and Soocookie, you are NOT failng your babies!! You love them so much you are working so hard to do everything you can for them.

Hope it is going well for both of you today.

DanaSD

06-28-2006, 12:01 PM

So I'mtrying to pump to get a milk supply to use for one last attempt to get Brendan on a bottle. And I'm getting hardly any milk! today it was less than an ounce total and Brendan had only eaten on once side half an hour before. I know my milk supply at this point has adjusted to what he needs but I've been wondering if it dropped lately. Brendan is eating way more often than normal (including during the night, :( ) and I used to have to wear a bra at night or I had leakage but that hasn't been an issue in the last few weeks. I know if could also be my first AF - no sign yet but my face is totally breaking out. Could also be dehydration since this is AZ and its over 110.

I'm going to keep pumping to try to get more so I can stockpile a little.

I use the Mendula Pump in Style - no leaking sound just the annoying pump sound. I use the bottles and pour into a bag for storage. I used to attach the bags directly but I thought that was a pain and a waste of an extra bag - now I pour both bottles into a single bag for storage.

For dinners, we switched to a lot of Trader Joes food - semi prepared stuff like potstsickers, simmer sauces, stuffed salmon. Also before I delivered I went to Dream Dinners and did a 12 meal prep which was actually 24 meals since each meal serves 6 so we split to serve 3. That really helped in the first 2 months. Food was ok - not my cooking but better than eating fast food all the time. Now since I have a nanny I try to do food prep during the day (I work from home so I work it into my breaks) and I'm going to start doing more crockpot cooking.

KathrynY

06-28-2006, 12:03 PM

Thanks ladies, for your kind words about our kitty. We miss her a lot - it's going to take a while to adjust to life without her.

Kellie, I am so sorry that you lost your dog before he and Charlie could meet. :( That's one thing I am very grateful for - that Sam and Henry were able to have a little time together. Are you thinking about getting another pet? While there's no replacing Sam, we have a lot of love to give and the house seems very empty without a cat around. My MIL said that our next cat will be Henry's kitty, which is kind of a sweet thought.

Michelle, if you haven't already, please talk to your doctor about how you are feeling - there may be medications you can take while breastfeeding. Please take care of yourself - sending more hugs.

Regarding dinners - simplify, simplify, simplify. I usually spend what little time I have on the main dish, so sides tend to be microwave or reheated things. For now you are just interested in filling and healthy, not impressive. Here are some of the things we are eating a lot lately (my DH does not eat meat so that's why there aren't any meat dishes here):

Prepare ahead - things that aren't very time consuming:
Big batches of brown rice and white rice - freeze leftovers in two-serving containers
Big batch of roasted veggies - keep in fridge several days

Sides:
Salad - baby spinach, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, bottled dressing
Salad - baby spinach, chopped fresh fruit or dried fruit, crumbled gorgonzola, chopped nuts
Frozen veggies, reheated and tossed with a little butter, lemon juice and herbs - green beans, broccoli, carrots, veggie medleys, corn
Baked sweet potatoes (microwave)
Near east box rice/grain mixes
Applesauce
Rosemary potatoes (http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=665187)
Fresh fruit - grapes, bananas, apple slices, fresh berries, chopped melon or pineapple chunks
Sliced fresh tomatoes and cucumbers

Menus:
Pizza - prepared crust (boboli or frozen dough), top with:
Roasted veggies, shredded cheeses of choice
Pesto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, broccoli
Any number of other combinations
Serve with bag salad of choice, or skip it all together if the pizza has lots of veggies on it ;)

Shrimp Cilantro Fried Rice (http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1173761)
Serve with steamed green veggie of choice

Breakfast for dinner:
Pancakes, fruit, bacon/sausage
Omelettes - use roasted veggies, side of Rosemary potatoes, fresh fruit

Bean recipes (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?p=743729&highlight=home+beans#post743729):
Home alone beans (these are a staple at our house!), over rice
Zippy black bean burritos

Roasted veggies over prepared sliced polenta, topped with shredded cheese of choice (one dish meal!).

Whole wheat spaghetti with bottled sauce, add prepared frozen meatballs of choice. Serve with bag salad.

Mustard-Maple Salmon (http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=223181), serve with prepared rice/grain dish or potatoes, and steamed green veggie.

Baked potato or sweet potato (prepared in microwave) stuffed with your choice of veggies, cheeses, meats, etc. Serve with bag salad.

Polenta with Roasted Red Peppers and Fontina Cheese (http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=223384), steamed green veggie.

There are also some very good quality frozen entrees available at your supermarket. Nothing wrong with heating up some Annie's mac & cheese and serving with sliced fresh tomatoes and steamed broccoli for dinner! Or send your DH out to get a rotisserie chicken, and serve it with some of those roasted veggies. If you have a Trader Joe's nearby they have LOTS of good stuff in their frozen section.

Hope some of these suggestions are helpful! :)

lbd - for lunches I've been either reheating dinner leftovers, or just going really simple. I generally have one or two of these together: Peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread, yogurt, baby carrots/grape tomatoes/other chopped veggies with light ranch dip, fresh fruit, cubes of cheese and wheat crackers, pita bread with hummus, fruit and yogurt smoothie.

Bawstinn

06-28-2006, 12:04 PM

Lorien - I bought the Gerber freezer bags and they seem to be working well. Trying to have a small stockpile in the freezer for when daycare begins.

We just had a major meltdown in the bank - my baby still has bad gas. :( She was crying and crying and crying, then you heard a loud noise and everyone in line turned and looked at us. :o Hard to believe it came from her. We've tried some drops that came in a first aid kit we got as a shower gift, but they don't appear to be working.

SooCookie - I can't get pictures to post right for me. If I try to put them on as an attachment, they get all warped and small. I'm not sure how to embedd them ... I know you need to use the 'insert image' icon, but haven't gotten it to work right.

lisas3575

06-28-2006, 12:31 PM

Lisa - you mentioned that you took Zoloft. Were you still able to breastfeed?

Michelle, sorry to not reply sooner-- this thread moves so quickly and I haven't been keeping up. I did take Zoloft, in fact I'm still taking it. :eek: I tried weaning off about a month ago and was right back to square one so I'm not ready yet. Drat. I really don't want to be taking it but it's helping. :-\ 10 months in, 10 months out I guess.

Anyway, to answer your question, I started taking it at the same time I had to quit BFing, so it wasn't an issue for me. I did remember looking on the zoloft website about it and seem to recall that it's FDA approved for use while nursing. Even if it's not, I do know there are other things on the market that are approved for nursing moms, so please do discuss your options with your Dr. FYI, the Zoloft was "supposed" to start working in a week but it took about three weeks for me.

Totally my opinion, so take it with a large grain of salt-- BFing is a wonderful, major thing to do for your baby, but so is being a happy, well-adjusted mommy. I hope you consider some kind of compromise/solution so that you will look back at these early days with fond memories. I don't have very fond memories of my first 6 weeks, unfortunatley, and I truly wish I had realized I was dealing with PPD much, much sooner. ((((((((Michelle)))))))))

Another reason I haven't been super active this month is all the talk about BFing etc. is still a really sensitive subject for me. I'm *still* upset that I had to give it up, and I have no idea why I can't seem to get over it. It's been over 5 months ago, for goodness sakes. :rolleyes: Owen is happy, healthy, and growing, and I'm able to have a much more flexible life with formula. Now that we're on solid foods, it's even less of an "issue" but for some stupid reason I'm still grieving about that "failure" even though my brain realizes that a) it wasn't a failure at all, and as MST put it I'm proud/glad we got 6 weeks in and b) formula is a perfectly nutritious food. Ugh. Anyway, just had to get that out there, there's no one else I can really say that to without sounding like a nut case.

gertdog

06-28-2006, 01:02 PM

Totally my opinion, so take it with a large grain of salt-- BFing is a wonderful, major thing to do for your baby, but so is being a happy, well-adjusted mommy. I hope you consider some kind of compromise/solution so that you will look back at these early days with fond memories.

I was trying to find a way to say this when I posted but couldn't come up with the words- thanks Lisa for saying it so well. I also didn't feel "qualified" to say it since I actually wasn't upset for very long about giving up breastfeeding- I didn't want to sound like an anti-bf'er. But my decision to stop pumping (DS couldn't ever latch on- oral motor issues) and switch to formula was based on my realization that it was best for me- and for DS. I wanted to be able to spend that time with him, not attached to a pump. I know that's not quite the same situation, though. (((Michelle))) I do hope you find a solution that you feel good about.

LaraW

06-28-2006, 01:04 PM

I am still resisting taking the Zoloft due to breastfeeding. It might sound silly, but if I have to give up breastfeeding, that will be just be one more thing I have failed at.

Michelle, I have been taking Zoloft since Colin was 3 or 4 days old. He is exclusively breastfed, and is now 5 1/2 months old. Please feel free to PM me if you want. My experience has been that the Zoloft has not affected breastfeeding at all. In fact, it has been a good experience for us because I am more level-headed and therefore am more relaxed about life in general, not just BF.

Please feel free to PM me if you want to talk about it off-line.

Please, please don't beat yourself up over having a c-section. You didn't fail as a mother. If you decide to give up breastfeeding, you will not have failed as a mother. You love your baby and in the end, that is what is important. She will still grow up into a healthy, happy well-adjusted little girl and eventually a happy, healthy well-adjusted adult. And she will love you because you are her mom and loved her through this hard time, not just because of how she was born or how she was fed.

(((hugs)))

LaraW

06-28-2006, 01:25 PM

Lorien, I don't have the Pump in Style, but I do have the Medela Mini-Electric (I only pump 2 feedings a week, so it doesn't make sense for me to have the big pump).

I use standard Gerber bottles that fit onto my pump. Its nice because they are 9 oz bottles, and I'm usually filling one full and starting onto a 2nd one.

I also use the bags for freezing milk. First Years makes bags as does Medela and Gerber. I think you just find one you like. I like First Years b/c they stand up by themselves, which makes putting the milk in them a bit easier.

Kathy F

06-28-2006, 04:11 PM

Hello, all! Thanks for the hugs about Joanna's crankiness -- we've been having some good days and some bad days, but I'm hanging in there. I've been reading up on colic, and if that is what she has she's definitely better off than some kids. We don't have the hours and hours of screaming, just super-cranky spells at different times of the day. Right now I'm trying to work on her naps, because I think she may be getting way overtired and that might be adding to the problem. We discovered that the sound of the kitchen faucet will always calm her down, so my husband made a recording of that so we can avoid a $300 water bill! :D Trying to use that to help with the naps, we'll see how it goes.

Meredith, oh my goodness, what a surprise about Ilyssa's milk allergy! I know it must be hard, but at least now you know what's going on. ((()))

Kathryn Y, so sorry to hear about your kittycat. That is a great picture with her and Henry.

Kellie, woo-hoo! Go Charlie, sleeping in the crib! Hope that's still going well.

Maria, welcome! I'm glad things went well at the audiologist appt.

And Jori, welcome! You had me cracking up about Superbooby and the bum boob -- I think I posted before that I am the same way. My right side WAAAY outperforms the left! Hope today was a good bfing day. Sorry you didn't click with the LC you saw -- are there others you could work with? I saw a different one every day when I was in the hospital and some were definitely better than others.

(((Michelle))) I agree with what LaraW said, please don't beat yourself up about having a c-section or about nursing! You obviously love your daughter and care about her so much, and that's what counts. I hope you get a chance to talk to your doctor and figure out something that will work for you.

Thank you to everyone for posting the suggestions about meals! We have started to cook more, but I feel like we're having the same stuff all the time. But, for those of you who haven't been eating at my house, you might consider:

Mexican Black Bean and Spinach Pizza (http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=671026)
Artichoke-and-Red Pepper Pizza (http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=521532)
Gnocchi with Broccoli Fontina Sauce (http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=686164)
Black Bean and Fresh Cheese Enchildas with Warm Tomatillo Salsa -- recipe on this thread (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=51788&highlight=enchiladas)
Also just things like chicken tacos, pasta w/ marinara sauce, Annie Chun noodle boxes with baked tofu and veggies. HTH!

Kathy

Andrea_2

06-28-2006, 05:24 PM

Totally my opinion, so take it with a large grain of salt-- BFing is a wonderful, major thing to do for your baby, but so is being a happy, well-adjusted mommy.

Sooooo true! I was so hard on myself while having trouble breastfeeding, and drove myself crazy in process. There were so many occasions I just wanted to just switch to formula, but in my hormonal state kept thinking it was the end of the world and that I would be a big failure if I did so. When I finally did switch to formula, I literally became a new woman overnight. For me it completely saved my sanity and both of my kids have absolutely thrived on formula. Of course I am in no way suggesting that anyone quit breastfeeding, but since there are always stories of how good breastfeeding is, I think it is only fair to also say that if it doesn't work out for whatever reason that the world won't end if the baby has to have formula.

lbd - Those toys came with the boppy pillow. They can come off though when it needs to be washed.

KathrynY

06-28-2006, 06:26 PM

Gnocchi with Broccoli Fontina Sauce

Kathy, thanks for posting this recipe - I have leftover Fontina in my fridge that is begging to be used up. Yay for new quick dinners!

So - a question for moms with babies around 11 weeks or so.... How are your babies sleeping and napping? And are you getting out during the day?

Henry had two 7-hour stretches last week, and a few 5-hour stretches here and there, but mostly is still up every 2-4 hours at night. At this point I am assuming he's hungry when he wakes - he latches on eagerly and eats for 30-45 minutes. We are getting at least one good morning and one good afternoon nap regularly now - 2-3.5 hours in length. I am just waiting for this magical long night sleep to hit us one day - I guess he'll get there when he's ready!

I am finding it a real challenge to leave the house now - trying to follow HSHHC and make sure he gets his good quality naps in. Since he really needs to sleep again within 2 hours of waking, that limits us to maybe 30 minutes of outing time between feedings and naps - about enough time to get in the car and hit the ATM. :rolleyes:

mst

06-28-2006, 07:35 PM

Kathryn- sorry to hear about your kitty. And, as for the sleep thing- I wish there was a magic pill. It is rough to get through those first few months, and it stinks to feel tied to the house. I hear you!

Lisa, Michelle and anyone else- Sorry to have so much breastfeeding talk. The more people I talk to, the more I realize it is a hard issue for many people. The most important thing is to have a happy and healthy mom and child. And, I truly believe that often formula is needed to achieve that.

Andrea- how did Emily get SO big?

Andrea_2

06-28-2006, 08:25 PM

Andrea- how did Emily get SO big?

Meredith - I think it must just be the pictures, because everyone that sees her comments on how tiny she is! :) Just tonight I was at the grocery store and a woman came up to me and said "let me guess.. your baby is no more than 3 weeks old!" She was shocked to hear that she is almost 4 months old. Another woman at the park the other day told me that her 3 week old granddaughter was WAY bigger than Emily. I was telling DH last night that think I'm going to just start telling strangers that she is one month old since I'm getting sick of always explaining her story all the time! :D

Megan James

06-29-2006, 05:03 AM

Lorien I have the Medela PIS and the Gerber bottles as well as the freebie Similac bottles I got in my �gift diaper bag� fit just fine on the cones. All the lids fit a bit differently so be careful when mix & matching lids and bottles. I highly recommend the Safety 1st freezer bags as Lara mentioned the fact that you can freeze them flat is a huge help in saving space in your freezer. The Medela bags are horrid in that regard, infact the only nice thing with the Medela ones is that they fit onto the pump so I carry a couple back up bags in my pump in case I pump more than my bottles. If you want some Medela bags PM me. I bought 50 and then decided I hated them for storage.

Dana If I remember correctly Brendan is around 6 months. My supply �regulated� around that time, and I was pumping way less but it was still enough. You�ll probably have to add an pumping session in addition to all your regular BF to get more milk.

Jori I also had one �bum boob� Rebecca wouldn�t latch onto it at all for the first week plus. We struggled on that side for many months, and even now at 8 months she sometimes really seem to prefer the �good boob�. My advice is don�t sweat it. Try to offer both (sometime the good one first sometime the good one second) and if she only takes from the one side that�s OK. Many women have nursed for long periods of time on one side only, the only negative is you�ll be lopsided!

Andrea 2 We used Zantac for Rebecca�s reflux for the first 2-3 months and it was a lifesaver! It didn�t stop the reflux but it makes it not hurt her when it comes up so she was a much happier baby. Before we started on it we would have several hour crying sessions every evening. I a pretty anti-med mom but I would recommed this in a heartbeat.

Andrea_2

06-29-2006, 06:37 AM

Megan - Was Rebecca having issues with vomiting? Or more the crying spells/pain? I'm thinking maybe reflux isn't the right word for what Emily has. She actually doesn't cry with feedings, and doesn't seem to be in pain, but rather just vomits very large volumes out of nowhere. She'll take a bottle seemingly very happily, but then a few minutes later...out it comes. Thankfully, the frequency of this is definitely decreasing. When I said that "we" are trying to avoid the Zantac, I probably should've said the doctor was the one trying to avoid it. When I brought her in recently about this issue, I was actually hoping the doctor would prescribe it for her, but he wanted to try changing her formula instead which turned into an even bigger problem. He put her on Enfamil AR (the formula thickened with rice cereal). It worked REALLY well, and she didn't vomit at all, but then 2 days later she became severely constipated. That stuff is really really thick, and it was like feeding her a bottle of pudding! She was in very severe discomfort from that, to the point that we had to take her to the doctor for him to um.. dislodge the materials. He still wanted to leave her on the formula, but give her Karo syrup for the constipation. DH and I disagreed and put her back on Carnation Good Start, and thankfully she just hasn't been vomiting as much.

We need to find a new pediatrician. This one we went to is just until we find a new one. We had a doctor that we absolutely loved and trusted, but then received a phone call recently that he had resigned. I asked where he went, but they said they couldn't release any additional information and then immediately changed the subject. :confused: That has been kind of giving me the creeps, and I really hope he didn't do anything wrong. I had really hoped he'd be there for a long time. I hate trying to find a new doctor!

SooCookie

06-29-2006, 08:00 AM

Thanks for all of the suggestions about dinners! Any ideas/recipes are a big help.

I also apologize for all of the breastfeeding talk, and if I came across as implying that breastfeeding is the only way to go. I feel horrible, and certainly did not intend to make anyone else feel guilty. Breastfeeding is just something I want to be able to do, and have no bad feelings towards anyone else who chooses to use formula. Again, I am very sorry. :(

Kathy - I am right there with you on the fussy baby issues. Kayla is very fussy and I think alot of it is because she fights sleep so badly! Hugs to you - I know what you are going through.

Molli526

06-29-2006, 08:44 AM

(((Michelle))) Please don't feel like a failure b/c you had a c/s. It was what was best for Kayla. I felt bad about it after Charles for a little bit, then realized, if it wasn't an option, he may not have made it out alive. I read an article about DHA helping with PPD (it also has benefits of brain development in infants) so I have been taking that. 400mg is the magic number. You can get straight DHA suplements, or it is in Omega-3s.

Kathryn - Try going up a size in diapers at night only. We have Henry in 2s at night, and that helps stretch the sleep. We also turned off the monitor and keep our door and his door open. That way we only hear when he is truly hungry. Once we did this, we started getting the good stretches, 5-7hrs. Before, my mommy radar was getting up ~ 2-4 hours.

I like the Gerber bags for storing my milk, I guess b/c that is what I have always used.

Dana, like someone else said, you will probably have to add in another pumping session to extra milk. It will come. Mother's Milk Tea as well as Fenugreek will help with production. My milk did take a dive when I got my first AF, then bounced back right after.

Andrea_2

06-29-2006, 08:51 AM

Michelle - I hope you didn't feel that I was upset about people talking about breastfeeding. I think this is a great place to come for advice and to work through problems, and I have no problems whatsoever with posts about breastfeeding. I only posted what I did just to let people know that if it doesn't work out for whatever reason, that everything will still be ok. I hate to think of anyone going through the terrible guilt and feeling like a failure that I went through, and just wanted to provide some reassurance to anyone finding themselves in a similar situation. :) I hope things get better for you soon, and please continue posting anything you have questions about, ok?

DanaSD

06-29-2006, 09:23 AM

Brendan is 6 months today - wow, what a 6 months its been. The challenges, the joy, the amazement at how much he's changed.

So last night Brendan drank 4 ounces of formual from a bottle!!!!!! Like Lisa said, its better to have a happy and healthy mom for the baby and for me I decided about 2 months ago, that it was time to stop breastfeeding - however, Brendan wouldn't go along with the plan and wouldn't take a bottle. I was getting ready for one last try planning to start with pumped milk and then the bottle when I just tried formula last night. My supply seemed to be going down in the last few weeks (or regulating) and the last 2 days has dropped way down. Brendan was finally doing better with sleeping and rolling over/teething and was waking every 1-2 hours to eat. I used to be able to sooth him and not feed him during a night waking but it wasn't working at all. Then last night he was getting mad while feeding and I think htere just wasn't any milk left so I tried the bottle and he drank it. In the past its always turned into a screaming session. In the middle of the night I tried again and he refused the bottle but we'll try again.

For those who had their supply due to AF was it before it showed up and how long did it take for your supply to return? No AF yet, and supply is still down. I'm not sure if I should pump to try to increase it or use this as a way to get Brendan weaned.

I feel guilty talking about wanting to switch to formula so badly when others are trying to breastfeed but I have breastfed my baby for 6 months and its time to move on.

I used the microwave to warm the bottle (bad mom here)

Jessica

06-30-2006, 07:51 AM

New mom checking in with a question. Adam is three weeks old and he had been bfing really well, but now he has several feedings a day where he will latch on, eat for a bit and then yank off (ouch) and scream. After a while, he won't latch on and then cries and cries and it takes quite a while to comfort him. Is this pretty normal? We've been using the tips from The Happiest Baby on the Block to calm him and often they work, but it takes a long time and I hate that he gets so upset while eating, which should be calming for him.

JenZen

06-30-2006, 07:56 AM

delurking ...

Jessica, maybe youre letdown isn't fast enough for him. You could try pumping a little before he starts eating so he gets the faster flow.

lisas3575

06-30-2006, 09:17 AM

Hi Jessica!

Ditto about the letdown. It could be too fast, too, but I think you'd recognize that. Owen would cough and splutter and milk would shoot everywhere. :o

Owen would cry and cry when he was eating for the first 8 weeks or so. It is *so* stressful. Please take this with an open mind, it's just our crazy experience, not neccesarily what's happening with you and Adam, but we found out that my supply had gone down (long story involving shields and nipple trauma) and Owen wasn't getting enough to eat. Once we started supplementing with formula, he was much happier. It also took us weeks :o to figure out that we were trying to feed him when he was overtired. He was crying because he was exhausted and hungry (remember that HALT acronym? :p ) and POed. We had to work out an earlier feeding routine and putting him to bed really early.

It all does come together pretty soon, I promise! Hang in there...

mst

06-30-2006, 09:31 AM

Beth and Dana- I tried the back carry with my Kozy! Go me! I loved carrying Ilyssa on my back, and she giggled the whole time. But, boy am I in pain today! I don't know if I tied her on wrong, or if I am just that weak! :p I mean, this is a 12 pound child, she really should not be heavy for me. Any thoughts?

Jessica- no new thoughts for you. Just keep doing what you are doing. Sometimes Ilyssa would just cry, and need to calm down before getting back to eating.

Kathy F

06-30-2006, 10:37 AM

Kathryn -- I am so jealous of Henry's long naps! Sounds like he and Joanna are still opposites in the sleep department. She is getting the long stretches at night but still only lasting 30-45 minutes on most naps. If it makes you feel any better, all of the doctors at our ped. office have been suprised/impressed that she's sleeping so long at night, they keep telling me how unusual that is for a breastfed baby. I will be hoping for more 7-hr stretches for you guys! (And hope you enjoyed the gnocchi recipe! :) )

Michelle -- How's everything going? Hope Kayla has been getting some good sleep!

Dana -- yay for Brendan taking the bottle! I know you all have been struggling with that. How's he been doing since then?

Andrea -- thanks for posting that picture of Emily and her Boppy -- I tried that with Joanna and our (full-size) Boppy for tummy time yesterday and she was MUCH happier than usual, looking around and holding her head way up. Usually she starts fussing right away, so it was a big improvement!

Jessica -- Joanna does that too, the pulling off and yelling. Usually it's only about once a day, so I can imagine how frustrating it must be for you! I did ask the doctor about it once and she said that when a baby starts eating, its digestive system starts up, too, and that they sometimes interpret that as pain. But I agree with what others have said about letdown, because it seems to happen more for us on the left side, which is the low/slow side.

Hello to everyone else! Happy Friday!

Kathy

KathrynY

06-30-2006, 12:03 PM

Kathy, the only way I can get Henry to take a good nap is to swaddle him. Otherwise he wakes right back up and flails around making himself upset. Since we also swaddle him at night I was worried he might be spending too much time all wrapped up, but his pediatrician said that was fine - as long as he gets his sleep. And I guess he wouldn't really nap for 2-3 hours if he wasn't tired. Hey - if we swap babies for a few days, I could sleep at night and you could get some things done around the house during the day! :D

Dana, yay for Brendan taking the bottle - that must have felt great! Hope you have continued success.

Hi Jessica - I don't have any advice on the feeding but hope that you guys are doing well!

Molli, thanks for the suggestions on getting more night sleep - will give those a try.

Andrea, how's your pediatrician search going?

lbd

06-30-2006, 01:11 PM

Thanks all for the feedback on bottles and storage bags. I'll have to trek back to the BRU this weekend and check out some bags, should have just got them originally but am hesitant about wasting the money on things that won't work. Love that I can get the wisdom of more experienced moms here first!

So I have learned (for now) my lesson about bragging -- mere hours after posting about my pee-free diaper changes, I got hit again. And this morning Ben managed to get us twice -- me first, then DH again when he took over so I could clean myself up. Ah well. I guess I should just be happy that it's less often than in the beginning (as was said would probably happen).

Jessica - I am having a very similar experience during some feedings. He'll be sucking away then suddenly pull off and start crying/screaming. Sometimes he'll burp but not always, sometimes he'll latch back on after being consoled for a while but not always, I don't think it's always on the same side as some have suggested but will keep that in mind to watch for. It is extremely upsetting because I also think feeding should be a happy, comforting time for him and feel like I'm letting him down. Even more upsetting because I have no idea what it is that's upsetting him.

I've wondered whether it's something in my diet for certain feedings but he's not excessively gassy and the upset usually goes away with soothing. No sputtering or anything that would suggest hyper-letdown. DH has suggested that he may get upset when the boob goes dry but sometimes it's only after a few minutes and sometimes after a while. I don't think it's a supply problem since it's so inconsistent and he still seems to be gaining weight, but could just be in denial.

Kathryn - how old was your baby when the leakage problems started? How do you know when to move up a size in diapers? We're using newborns still at 5 1/2 weeks and about 9 pounds. I bought a package of 1s which are labeled for 8-14 lbs (NBs say up to 10) but they look HUGE in comparison. The NBs seem to be getting a little too snug to me but DH disagrees. Do we wait until the NBs start to leak or what?

Andrea - any luck on the new ped search? I was so glad that we got multiple recommendations for the same practice and have like all the docs there so far - finding new doctors is definitely not fun. Good luck and I hope you find someone soon. (You aren't in the DC area are you?)

lisas3575

06-30-2006, 03:43 PM

"Awwwwwwwwwwwww!" :D

http://focuspocusportraits.mycapture.com/PHOTOS/FOPO/144877/12425764E.jpg

Bawstinn

06-30-2006, 04:03 PM

Kathryn - how old was your baby when the leakage problems started? How do you know when to move up a size in diapers? We're using newborns still at 5 1/2 weeks and about 9 pounds. I bought a package of 1s which are labeled for 8-14 lbs (NBs say up to 10) but they look HUGE in comparison. The NBs seem to be getting a little too snug to me but DH disagrees. Do we wait until the NBs start to leak or what?

I'm not Kathryn, but we just moved up to the 8-14 lbs diapers this week. Madeleine will be a month old on the 4th and as of Monday she was 9 lbs 5 oz. The 'up to 10 lbs' diapers were leaking up her back and they were looking pretty tight on her. The bigger size is working out so much better for us and it seems that she is a happier camper (less screaming when a change is needed).

NewMrsG

06-30-2006, 04:54 PM

I intended to comment on specific things from you all when I hit reply all, but then felt overwhelmed by it all! I'll catch up with you all soon, I hope.

An update: the day after the lactation consultant came I tried again - feeling very nervous about it - and she latched right on after just a few minutes of complaining and struggling - I was so proud of us! She actually latched on to both sides as well, so I was feeling really good about that. I got her on for 2 (3? - the days are such a blur now) and she's been doing great. I think I realized two things - first, she may not latch on exactly right at first, but if I give her a few seconds, she corrects herself. And second, it's a good idea to pay attention to everything the "experts" tell us, and then to just trust myself and my instincts. I didn't do things exactly as the LC said (and a lot of the stuff she wanted me to do was just unnecessary in our situation), and it's worked for us.

One thing I am noticing though is that the bottles we're using (the Avents) have nipples that let a lot out at once and I think she gets overwhelmed by that after nursing.

We're otherwise doing really well - my mom came into town for a week after my DH went back to work, so I haven't been alone with Macy yet. My mom leaves Monday morning and I'm already nervous about it - but I'm deliberately not letting anyone come over on Monday to get over that first day alone. Wish us luck! :D