PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Sha]

"I see youuuuu....!!""

 

[mtjoya]

ss-your post made me tear up! I am so sorry you are going thru a bad time. I hated that PPD. I really did hate it so much! Didn't feel like my usual smiley silly self. My DH and I are going thru a very rough patch right now & having major martial problems. I pray everyday that it gets better and try my best to think positive. We need to resolve these issues. But, seriously I hope that the meds will help you! Thinking of you!

Mara-GOsh,J is soo cute! I love that lil face he is making in his chicken costume! Yeah, J has the cat moon one! hehe!

Sha-What a beauty! She is sooo cute!

Drk-what a cutie bunny! So adorable!

Sorry, if I missed anyone just quickly passing by! Love all the kiddy pics!

 

[Sha]

ss-your post made me tear up! I am so sorry you are going thru a bad time. I hated that PPD. I really did hate it so much! Didn't feel like my usual smiley silly self. My DH and I are going thru a very rough patch right now & having major martial problems. I pray everyday that it gets better and try my best to think positive. We need to resolve these issues. But, seriously I hope that the meds will help you! Thinking of you!

Mara-GOsh,J is soo cute! I love that lil face he is making in his chicken costume! Yeah, J has the cat moon one! hehe!

Sha-What a beauty! She is sooo cute!

Drk-what a cutie bunny! So adorable!

Sorry, if I missed anyone just quickly passing by! Love all the kiddy pics!

Thanks mtjoya. I'm so sorry to hear about the marital issues...! I hope that you guys are in a better place soon.

By the way, I said it before and I'll say it again - you are such a hottie! :that pic you posted of you and J the other day is so cute. You have such beautiful shiny, black hair!

 

[Puppmom]

Turtle, definitely share the BF pointers you get in class. I would love to hear!

Jcrow, good luck in your daycare search. Some of my coworkers pay what seems like a second mortgage for childcare. It’s scary!

MP, OH EM G! M looks so stinking cute in that costume! Sorry DH didn’t bring M by. I would have been bummed too.

Mara, J looks like a meltdown followed that chicken pic! Yay for toofers! DD didn’t get ANY until she was almost a year old. She’s 15 and still hasn’t lost all of her baby teeth.

SS, I really hope things are looking up over there. You seem like such a positive person so it’s extra sucky to hear that you’re struggling with PPD.

Lovelylulu, I hope your first day back at work goes well. It’s going to be SO nice to come home to that cute little face!

Allie, Charlie is such a doll. How’s BF going?

Cara, poor Silas. We had similar issues with N. His *costume* (which was just a pair of PJs) was so tight, I thought we would have to cut it off! He cried and cried as we tried to shove him in!

HH, def sounds like A is snacking. I think your suggestion of trying to hold him off if probably best. Maybe try to get him to 3 hours?

MtJoya, J looks so cute! Sorry you and DH hit a rough patch. I’ve definitely been there. DH and I have been together for 10 years and we’ve have a couple of patches where we just aren’t on the same page. I know how frustrating that can be especially with a baby in the mix.

DRK, how cute! …and K is getting so big!

Sha, that stinks that you can’t hang out with D mid-day. I know the feeling. Leaving at 7:15 and not seeing N again until after 5 sucks! BTW, I love the peek-a-boo!

AFM, we’re having so much fun with N! He’s more and more engaged every day and we’re loving every moment. He’s been so pleasant lately and STTN which is such a blessing! I know I’ll kick myself for saying this in two years but thumb sucking is the best! Ever since N discovered his thumb, he can self soothe and we can put him down sleepy and he’s sleeping for 10-12 hours overnight without waking to feed. …Never mind the fact that it’s so stinking cute!

Oh, and random note- I was showing my mom how to feed N this weekend. I pulled the jug of BM out of the fridge and she said “Oh, that’s disgusting!”. Uh, thanks….

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Thanks pupp. I took a look at our bottles/nipples and discovered that DH had snuck the level 2s back into rotation because he felt Aidan was drinking too fast from the level 3s. But he needs the level 3s because of the cereal we're adding, so he was really working hard with the 2s. Hence the snacking. So we switched for real and we've been much more successful in getting more into him and he goes longer as well which is nice.

So I learned a big lesson yesterday/this morning. Do NOT stimulate your nipples when trying to wean! I took a shower yesterday and noticed some white stuff on my right nipple. I think it was just a collection of dried milk from being bound in my sports bra (my nips aren't irritated at all), so I cleaned them in the shower. Then Aidan slept on my chest for part of the night as well. So this morning I woke up and my right boob was completely engorged! OMG it kills right now. So when you're weaning and you're told NOT to stimulate your nipples in any way, take the advice and don't touch them!

 

[turtledazzle]

LuLu -- I hope your first day back at work goes smoothly!

HH -- Glad you sleuthed out the nipple size issue. Hope that helps get A's feedings on a better schedule. Ouch re: engorgement!

Pupp -- Headed to the class this afternoon so will definitely share any helpful info. That's great that he's found his thumb and can self-soothe. How old was he when he discovered the actual thumb? T has been sucking on his whole fist or a few fingers lately, and I'm just waiting for him to be able to figure out how to get the thumb in his mouth. That also wonderful that he can now put him down awake and he puts himself to sleep. Does this mean you've deswaddled? We tried for one nap over the weekend again, but it was a no-go. His Moro reflex is still pretty strong. He's 11 weeks today ... I wonder what the average age is for the disappearance of the Moro reflex?
However, we were able to put him down for his naps awake and he put himself to sleep by listening to his heart beat machine, looking at his mobile and sucking on the pacifier (when he's deswaddled I would love to get rid of the pacifier once he finds his thumb). Well, I say we ... DH put him down for these naps since it was the weekend. He naps better for daddy ... mommy is apparently too much fun and smells like food all the time But, I'm trying it his way right now. So far he's just cooing and grunting to himself, but I'm hearing a few yawns as well. I think it will be time to plug with the pacifier soon.

Everyone's LO's are so cute ... love the Halloween pics. Here are a couple of our little pumpkin. Apparently our kid's arms are short since we had to roll up the cuffs, but the outfit fit him lengthwise. This was a 6-9 month costume that Grandma sent him and he's only 11 weeks. He's definitely not going to be wearing the right size at the right age.

All the families on our street with kids got together and decorated a trailer for a large group ToTing outing last night. We didn't go out (we just went to visit while they were decorating the trailer), but T will enjoy the festivities next year. In order to live in this area we had to buy a home in need of renovations (which will have to wait a bit while we save money), but things like last night make me really happy we live in such a family friendly area so near our jobs.

 

[Puppmom]

Turtle, N first started sucking his fist around 9 weeks and it gradually turned into thumb sucking. He really started sucking his thumb consistently a little over a week ago (12 weeks or so). Starting around the same time as the fist sucking, he would break his hands out of the swaddle overnight. We didn't actually deswaddle until a couple of days ago when he rolled over twice in the crib while asleep (he's yet to roll over on purpose). We were really worried he wouldn't sleep well but he's actually happy to have his hands out! He stopped startling when we put him down only very recently...now his arms SLOWLY fall to the mattress when we put him down.

The thumb sucking is seriously so cute. As soon as he's done on the breast, he shoves the thumb in. When we're changing him and take one thumb out the put his arm in the sleeve, he just shoves the other one in! He doesn't fist the rest of his hand when he sucks either - he fans out the other fingers across his face.

 

[turtledazzle]

OMG, it worked! I got him to go to sleep on his own, albeit with the paci! I didn't have to rock him or anything! Sweet! Now if I could just figure out how to get him to sleep longer than 45 minutes at once ...

Question: When your LO's were around 3 months old, what was bedtime? Ours is currently around 7:30-8pm (bedtime routine begins with a bath around 7p) which seemed appropriate to me given the numerous books I have read, but last night at the neighborhood gathering people kept saying that it must be near his bedtime ... and it was only 5:45p. Just curious if we're missing something.
Once he goes to bed, he is usually down until 7-8am with one wakeup to feed somewhere in the 3-6am time frame.

 

[jcrow]

turtle - that's about the time em went down/goes down.

 

[MonkeyPie]

turtle, Micah used to stay up SUPER late when he was younger - he went down at anywhere between 9-10:30! Omg I was horrified, because I am one of those people that is asleep at 9pm on the dot or I am sleepy the next day. By the time I went back to work when he was almost 3 months old, he was going between 8-9, and now he goes down at 7. His bedtime got earlier the better his routine was established, and I REALLY like those couple of hours to myself before I go to bed too.

HH - ack re: engorgement. I had no idea it was that easy to trigger. And shame on DH for being all sneaky about the nipples, haha. DH keeps threatening to put a "tiny baby" nipple on the bottle during the night so Micah has to work harder and hopefully give up night feedings, but that just seems mean.

pupp, how cute about the thumb sucking! Micah doesn't seem at all interested in hand sucking, though he chews rather ferociously on the first two fingers of his right hand if his teeth are bothering him. Looooves the paci though. So do I lol.

All the baby pictures are SO sweet! What cuties! I love Halloween, I'm sad it's over.

So last night Micah woke up three times. Once I was able to get him back down with the paci and some tummy patting, but DH got up with him the other times so I could sleep. At the last wake up at 3:30am he was blowing snot bubbles! He's SO congested and he has had a runny nose off and on for three days. I have tried every trick available to clear him up so he can sleep again, but it just isn't happening. Poor little guy. He doesn't get upset, he just can't sleep because he gets totally clogged.

And now I have his congestion or cold or whatever it is. Greeeeat.

 

[Mara]

re: nipple stim..yep don't touch those puppies at all!! i had dried white on mine too for a while, i was never quite sure what it was but it took like a few months to go away. and i was like jeez i shower daily so it can't be just milk hehe.

sha... D is soo cute!! Do you guys celebrate Halloween there??

mtj..sorry to hear you and DH are having a tough time. i always hear the first year is the hardest...hang in there.

lol re the smaller nipples being snuck back into rotation. we actually just cut a tiny slit into one of our nipples for the rice cereal and only used that nipple for rice cereal. because even with a #2 or #3 nipple, the rice cereal still does not easily come through and would clog.

they also make slitted nipples just for that purpose. i think avent's is a criss cross. but when we tried an X it was too large. so we just did a small slit--over time it opens wider.

so J is doing this super cute little pointing finger thing now. instead of reaching for something with his whole hand he uses his pointer fingers now. i love watching him because to me it signals he realizes he can just use one or two fingers rather than his whole hand. and it's obviously deliberate. even in a relaxed state he'll be pointing his finger! it's so cute. and he will let me guide it to a textured or fuzzy area on a book and rub his finger against it then a few seconds later he'll do it himself.

not too much else to report. he has his 9mo appt tomorrow. can't wait to see his stats. we saw some of his buddies this wkd and one of them has a giant head, 80% percentile. well i was like wow his head IS big. but then he came out of the stroller and umm a few people said J's head was the same size. so i will laugh if our kid also has a giant head. HA!

MP..sorry to hear M and you are sick. boo. i really hate when the kids get sick, poor things.

 

[Sha]

Mara - lol about the giant head... J looks perfectly proportionate to me!

No, Halloween isn't officially celebrated here, although there are expatriate groups on island who do.

turtle - cute pics! At 3 months D's bedtime was 8 pm. I think that was when we just instituted bedtime for her. Bath at 7:30 pm. 5:45 pm seems tres early to me!

MP - sorry about Micah's cold. D has a cold as well. They suck.

 

[mtjoya]

Sha-Thank you so much you uplifted my spirits! Hehe on the hottie part! Thanks!

puppmom-I know it's very frustrating and thanks for your insight. I feel that there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Here is J in one of her 3 costumes! hehe! That spoiled brat!

 

[mtjoya]

Mara-Thanks! SOrry i missed ur post. Yeah, its pretty hard. We are going to seek professeional help. My mom tells me the first 10 years are hard! WTF? Seriously! lol..i say...

 

[Mara]

Mara-Thanks! SOrry i missed ur post. Yeah, its pretty hard. We are going to seek professeional help. My mom tells me the first 10 years are hard! WTF? Seriously! lol..i say...

Seriously WHAT??? 10 years? Umm that's a little TOO long!!!

Third party help is a great idea...I think a lot of times it helps to have an impartial 3rd party who can listen.

 

[mtjoya]

Mara-LOL can you believe that? I think she was trying to cheer me up! She has that kinda sense of humor. Yeah, we actually wanted to check one out before we got married. I think it's cuz I work nights and he works days and we have trouble communicating. Hmmm. Did J score alot of candy? We didn't take J out cuz she too small and was in sleepy mode.

 

[Puppmom]

Mtjoya, therapy is definitely worth a try. DH and I went for some guidance regarding our 15 year old DD and it was seriously the best thing we ever did!

 

[turtledazzle]

BF question for you guys…so I’m back to work and pumping during the day. I pump twice then call MIL at the end of the day to see what time DS last ate to decide whether I should pump a third time or wait to nurse when I get home. DS eats either 2 or 3 times while with MIL for a total of 8-15 ounces. My pumping schedule is:

6:30am 7-9 ounces (after I nurse)
9:40am 7-9 ounces
1:00pm 6-8 ounces
4:00pm 6-8 ounces (only pump if it looks like DS won’t make it until I get home to nurse)

As you can see, I’m pumping way more than the 8-15 ounces per day that DS needs while with MIL. I’ve been freezing the excess but honestly don’t know what I’ll do with it since I always have enough *fresh* milk. I’m afraid to pump for less time because I would think it would impact the fore/hind milk ratio and I’m afraid to pump less often because I nurse full time on the weekends and I don’t want my body to get off schedule.

What do I do?

- pump less often
- pump for shorter periods – will this impact balance of fore/hind milk?
- Just stick with the current schedule since oversupply isn’t really a “problem”.

PS – I feel VERY fortunate to be asking about my abundance of milk and not an undersupply.

Pupp -- I am back from my class. The LC said if you are able to get the amount of milk you need in two (or even one) pumping session while at work, then that is fine and consider yourself lucky that you don't have to pump every 2-3 hours. I asked if there would be a problem with that if you're only pumping twice during a time period, but on the weekends you'd be nursing maybe 3 or even 4 times during the same time period, and she said it would be fine and not to worry about that.

She did say, however, that supply may go down after one returns to work ... so I'd probably keep all of your pumping sessions the same for just a little longer just in case you start noticing diminishing supply. But, based on her info I think you'd be fine pumping less often. I told her that I usually get 7-10 ounces from each pumping session (so similar to you) and she said she wouldn't worry about me losing too much supply.

She also said that pumping to the point of draining is important ... so I wouldn't chose the 'pump for shorter periods' route.

Hmmm, I left my notes in the car but I'll post again if I remember any other important tidbits.

 

[turtledazzle]

T just rolled over for the first time!

It was during tummy time. so belly to back. I'm sure it was just a fluke and it will take him a while to do it again. It surprised both of us! They just learn so much so quickly. A week ago he still hated all tummy time, and only a couple of days ago started doing the push ups ... before then it was pretty much supermans for the most part.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

YAY for rolling over! A greeted me this morning with a HUGE smile! It totally made my day.

Mara-I don't know what the white stuff is! It's so gross. I was a little concerned that maybe I picked up a case of thrush because of leaking and being so constricted/hot in the sports bra. I don't have any of the other symptoms though. I was shocked at how quickly the girls reacted to it though. It must be a Murphy's Law situation though, you could play with them all day and get no results when you want to produce but a single brush of the hand will bring on engorgement when you don't want results. They'll dry up eventually, I'm just doing what I can to ignore them.

 

[somethingshiny]

Lily started giggling 2 days ago and rolled over today! i wasn't sure if this chunky monkey was going to figure out how to roll but she gave it hell til she did! (JT was also super chunky and didn't roll until he was 7 mo!!) btw- I got a tummy time mat that has a very small boppy-like thing to prop on. This is what Lily would finally stay on her belly on. I think the regular boppy and towels were just too high but this mini boppy works great. I started taking out the boppy and showing her how to roll and she finally got it.

mtjoya~ I hope you and your DH are able to work through this patch. Those first few months with baby are hard. As for the 10 yrs remark, nah. I'd say 7, although we were together for nearly 3 years before we married, so maybe 10. Well, anyway, yeah, it's hard, but it's worth it.

Sorry I can't write to everyone individually. Thanks for all the support you've show me! I'll try to add Lily's Halloween pic soon to join all the other cuties!

btw-Feeling MUCH better. Except for this stupid cold/sinus deal. bleh.

 

[MonkeyPie]

I know we have discussed this before, but what humidifier do you ladies use? Micah is so super congested, and now DH and I are, too. So we need something going here. The heater runs a lot so the air is super dry and just making us feel worse.

I found a couple:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Dragon-Humidifier/10750077 (All of the Crane ones look cute, decent reviews, but leaking?)

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4279441 (I love the added light feature!)

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Crane-8-Hour-Warm-Mist-Humidifier-Black/14906814

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Vicks-Filter-Free-Humidifier/9875653

 

[Mara]

MP this is the one we have:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Vicks-Warm-Mist-Humidifier/10261752

mtj...no we only took him to 4 houses haha. He was heavy and getting sleepy. But funny, at the last place he actually put his hand in the candy bowl and tried to grab some!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

oh wow, i'm so behind. gonna give this a shot...

I love all the Halloween pics- they're too cute! Pumpkins, bunnies, ladybugs and chicks, oh my!

MP- how timely that you're asking about humidifiers. We just got one a couple of days ago as Nico's nose seemed to be stuffy- also from running the heat at nite. We went with the Crane "teardrop"- it's on the page of the black crane one you posted. I didn't do too much research, but what did stand out was the cool mist option, and the Crane brand.

MTJ- I'm sorry to hear that you and your hubby are going through a rough patch. HUGS to you!

Pupp- I hope your second week at work is going well so far.

Lulu- how was your 1st day back? I was thinking of you...

Yahoo for all the rolling babies! They'll be on the move before you know it!

re: daycare- yes, it's a tough decision to make, but just do your homework so that you're 100% sure that the place you go with is the best one around. this is N's second week, and he's doing great. granted, he's only there about 5 hours/daily (for now), but he's adapted pretty well. He's actually NAPPING DURING THE DAY!!! Anywhere from 2-3 hours. yeah, it's mostly in the swing but at least he's getting the rest he needs. The "ladies" also put him down in his crib, but that's where he tends to take catnaps. he started on the same day as a 7-month old and she's having a tough time of it- I guess they're more "adaptable" the younger they are?? Anyway, I've gotten to spend a good amount of time there when I pick him up (sometimes he's napping, so I wait), and it's cool to observe everything in action. At 4.5 months, N is the youngest one, so he doesn't interact much with the others (the 7 other babies range from 6-11 months). But he's totally checking them out.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

AFM...
When it rains, it pours. I've been an emotional wreck the last couple of days (kinda unlike me). Today was my first day back at work, so I had that on my mind most of last week. But then late Saturday eve, my dad was admitted to the hospital. He was super-weak and fell in the nursing home he's in. Turns out he had internal bleeding- from an aneurysm. We had to make an on-the-spot decision whether to have them operate and "fix it" or just let it run it's course. Recovery from the operation was going to be rough, especially at his age (94). Knowing my dad's history (he's a tough cookie), the doc said he had a good chance, so we went with the operation. He's now in recovery, but his kidneys have shut down. We're giving it another day or two and then we'll decide if dialysis is in order. He's also on a respirator. that's not such a big deal now, as it's standard from the recovery. But he has a DNR (do not resuscitate) order on his chart, so we'll eventually make the decision on that.

we hosted a couple of mommies/daddies/babies late yesterday morning for an Halloween gathering, and I thought about canceling that, but in the end thought it best that I stayed busy and was around people. Plus, there wasn't much I could do at the hospital, and he's only allowed 2 visitors at a time anyway. so I ended up spending most of yesterday afternoon there. He was mostly unconscious, but did know we were there, which was HUGE.

So yes, then comes today. I won't lie, it was a rough day. I had thoughts of both Nico and my dad in the back of my mind. My saving grace is that my company offers a phase-back benefit- to ease the transition. I "should" be working part-time, but my boss is being a bit difficult about it. I was able to leave at 1p today, but I have a feeling she's going to push-back on my phase-back proposal. I have offered to "stay accessible" when I'm out of the office (via my blackberry). I'm pretty much bending over backwards here! I'll be meeting with her over the next day or so, I just hope she's cool about everything. UGH

Sorry for the pity-party post. I just had to get it all out...

 

[ChargerGrrl]

one of the mommies just sent me a slew of pics, and I had to share! this put a smile on my face.

We have a tiger, charlie brown, lobster, and Nico in his HALLOWEEN onesie (he was a froggy, but only lasted like 30mins in his costume!)

 

[Mara]

omg CG that is the cutest pic!! love it!

so sorry to hear about your dad and heading back to work. ugh when it rains it pours. hang in there girl. and push back on your boss--esp if your company has a POLICY about phasing back in. AND with your dad in the hospital hello. does this person have a heart??? hugs.

 

[cara]

Oh charger, what a load of stuff to deal with. I hope your father recovers well and your boss is reasonable and kind. but on a happier note, that is the cutest picture ever of little lobsters and tigers and nico!

Yeah the day care stuff is hard. And balancing all the factors to define "the best" is not always straightforward. I'm sure I'm making the smaller place sound better b/c its what I want to be able to choose, and I certainly prefer that environment for baby care, but I need to find a good job soon and having the flexibility of a later pickup will help with that. At my current income, we cant afford either center without drastic (unrealistic) lifestyle changes and stopping all retirement savings, so finding a new job is also important for babyraising. My husband wants the bigger center and is trying to get me to be realistic - the care at the big place does look competent and me making 5:30 pickup everyday at the smaller place would be pretty inconvenient. I'd love to put our kid in the smaller place and see if we can make it work, but for some bureaucratic reasons, this is our one chance to get into the bigger center. Sigh... so hard.

Yay for rolling over! And boo for overfull boobs. And its probably bedtime for bonzo now...

 

[mtjoya]

Thank you so much ladies. I am tearing up over here! I am so happy that I have a healthy daughter and feel so blessed. That's what makes me try my best in every way to think positive regardless of the circumstances. Thank you so much ladies for your support. I feel so loved! Thanks!

I can't sleep right now and am watching 16 & pregnant. Brooke's story. The father has a baby face and I am like gosh, you guys are so young. I am 27 and feel so freakin' young! lol!

I love ALL the pics. Please keep them coming! hehe!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Charger, I am so sorry to hear about your dad. I will be thinking about you and hoping he bounces right back.

And what a cute picture of all the babies! How sweet of the ladies to send you that. I love when my mom is at home watching Micah, she emails me all day long.

So Micah was up every three hours again. He is SO congested, despite the humidifier we got last night. I feel great though lol. Sigh. I don't know what to do for him. He's killing us.