PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[cara]

Hi ladies, so S went for his 2 month well-check and got several shots, then spiked a fever and began crying inconsolably for a few hours. (The ped. did warn me that 30% of babies get "fussy" after the shots. I am all for vaccinations, but this is a tad bit more of a reaction than "fussy"!) I gave S tylenol and now he's sleeping thankfully, but just wondered if anyone else had some advice/recommendations? I have checked with the nurse at the ped's office on the fever and all so I think he'll survive but wow, he was really unhappy there for awhile.

Inconveniently, I have an interview tomorrow I should be preparing for... Instead I'm sad for my sick baby!

 

[Mara]

cara, J has not had any really extreme reactions (yet) to vacc's but I think some of the Moms here did have babies who had similar reactions as S. J would def get fussy after shots but nothing too crazy. Hope he feels better soon.

MP...i'm also wondering if maybe the fact that M is in the room with you guys contributes to his waking? do either you or DH snore? i know that sometimes it seems like J goes through lighter sleeping phases where he can hear us walking outside his door and will wake and fuss. That is when the BCM comes in SOOO handy..!!

and I guess how do you really do CIO in the same room when the baby can see you? I don't know how well that would really work at this point with the kids so alert and cognizant of 'hello Mom you are right there!!'.

 

[MonkeyPie]

He never seemed to mind our snoring in the past - he snores, too, lol. Lightly, but he does! We also run the humidifier (used to be a fan in the summer) for white noise. He can hear the tv going, me typing, whatever, and doesn't wake. I don't think that's it.

If we do CIO, we will stay in the living room all night with our headphones on and just let him go at it. I am dreading it.

Last night he did TONS better. I put him down at 6:30, he woke at 9 to eat, then again at 3. He stirred at 5:30 so DH pulled him into bed with him and now they are both passed out. I love it. This kind of waking I don't mind - basically only one of those wakes was during my own sleeping hours. But the room was actually cooler last night, DH ran the fan for some crazy reason even though it's cold as heck. So maybe Micah prefers a cooler room? I felt terrible though, his little hands were like ice when he woke up at 3. So I don't know.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Hi ladies, so S went for his 2 month well-check and got several shots, then spiked a fever and began crying inconsolably for a few hours. (The ped. did warn me that 30% of babies get "fussy" after the shots. I am all for vaccinations, but this is a tad bit more of a reaction than "fussy"!) I gave S tylenol and now he's sleeping thankfully, but just wondered if anyone else had some advice/recommendations? I have checked with the nurse at the ped's office on the fever and all so I think he'll survive but wow, he was really unhappy there for awhile.

Inconveniently, I have an interview tomorrow I should be preparing for... Instead I'm sad for my sick baby!

I think it's normal. Micah did great with his two month shots, then at his 4 month he would sleep, wake and scream like he was in pain, sleep, repeat. This last set of shots he ran a fever but was otherwise fine. If he continues to act like this today, though, I would call the pedi and demand some assistance, because that isn't normal.

 

[turtledazzle]

Cara -- Sorry S didn't react well to his shots. I agree with MP, however, that I do think that it is normal in some infants ... unless he's still being inconsolable and overly fussy. We were warned that it was a possibility. For T's 2-mo he wailed when he first got them, and then just napped a lot that day. He was a little more fussy the next day, but nothing too extreme. Hope S is back to his happy self today! Good luck with the interview!


Questions for lulu, Charger and any other BFing moms who have to take their LOs to daycare: In what order do you do things in the morning and how long does it take you? I'm type A, and I used to get ready and out the door within 30 minutes of waking up pre-baby. I obviously realize that's never going to happen again, but I'm trying to figure out how to do things once I go back to work. Makeup, hair, breakfast, nurse, pump, change diaper and get baby dressed, get myself dressed ... arrrgh. My LO takes 25-30 minutes to nurse, so I'm kind of stressing b/c I feel like I'll have to get up hours early to get everything done. Of course, I've been suffering from insomnia so I'm really stressed about anything to do with sleep lately.

For the first feeding, he drinks from one bb only. I have heard of people who can feed their baby from one bb and pump the other bb simultaneously. Anyone here do that? If so, how the heck do you coordinate everything? That would definitely be a time-saver, though.

****
T spent his first 2 hours at daycare yesterday. He did well ... only napped for 30 minutes, but he sometimes does that for me too (and the usual is only 45). He initially refused the bottle, but about 15 minutes later downed it so that's good. Otherwise he was a super happy baby while there, taking in his surroundings and checking out all of the other kids (he's the youngest by two months and most are a year-old now and will be leaving the infant room soon so he'll have a new crop of friends).
Afterwards I took him by work to visit my co-workers and he was an angel. Everyone commented on how big he is and what a happy boy he is. My sweet baby ...

 

[Sha]

Cara -- Sorry S didn't react well to his shots. I agree with MP, however, that I do think that it is normal in some infants ... unless he's still being inconsolable and overly fussy. We were warned that it was a possibility. For T's 2-mo he wailed when he first got them, and then just napped a lot that day. He was a little more fussy the next day, but nothing too extreme. Hope S is back to his happy self today! Good luck with the interview!


Questions for lulu, Charger and any other BFing moms who have to take their LOs to daycare: In what order do you do things in the morning and how long does it take you? I'm type A, and I used to get ready and out the door within 30 minutes of waking up pre-baby. I obviously realize that's never going to happen again, but I'm trying to figure out how to do things once I go back to work. Makeup, hair, breakfast, nurse, pump, change diaper and get baby dressed, get myself dressed ... arrrgh. My LO takes 25-30 minutes to nurse, so I'm kind of stressing b/c I feel like I'll have to get up hours early to get everything done. Of course, I've been suffering from insomnia so I'm really stressed about anything to do with sleep lately.

For the first feeding, he drinks from one bb only. I have heard of people who can feed their baby from one bb and pump the other bb simultaneously. Anyone here do that? If so, how the heck do you coordinate everything? That would definitely be a time-saver, though.

****
T spent his first 2 hours at daycare yesterday. He did well ... only napped for 30 minutes, but he sometimes does that for me too (and the usual is only 45). He initially refused the bottle, but about 15 minutes later downed it so that's good. Otherwise he was a super happy baby while there, taking in his surroundings and checking out all of the other kids (he's the youngest by two months and most are a year-old now and will be leaving the infant room soon so he'll have a new crop of friends).
Afterwards I took him by work to visit my co-workers and he was an angel. Everyone commented on how big he is and what a happy boy he is. My sweet baby ...

Yeah, coordinating everything in the mornings is hard! I'm still struggling with a routine myself. Pre-baby I used to sleep in until the latest possible time I could (usually 8 am), get ready quickly and be out of the door in 30 minutes. But Now, I have to get up by 6:00 am in order to get everything done. (talk about a shock to the system! I am soo not a morning person).

My routine is:
6-6:30 nurse
6:30-7 - get bottles/food ready for daycare (D gets formula at daycare - bf at home)
7-7:30 - eat breakfast and feed D her cereal at the same time
7:30-8 - get myself ready - D in her playpen
8-8:30 - change and dress D
8:40 - off to daycare and work ( I go into work for 9)

I'm still working on refining it. I used to change D right after feeding her but that didn't make sense since she would always have a bowel motion about 20 minutes after eating, and I would have to change her again. I also realized that it would be a lot less hectic for me in the mornings if I do some stuff at night - like getting her bottles/food ready for the next day. Is there anything you can do the night before?

Also, is there anything your DH can help with in the mornings?

My general suggestion would be to write down all the things you need to get done, and then try to draft a schedule for the mornings, with expected time frames etc, so that you can see 'technically' how things would flow. Of course, once you actually start doing the routine you may realize that you have to tweak certain things - but that's ok.

Pumping does take up a bit of time. I've pumped and breastfed before, with a manual pump. What I did was prop Dalila up with a pillow on one breast, so that I could be hands-free to pump the other breast. It usually worked ok. It's all about creative positioning!

 

[HOUMedGal]

Alright mamas, I have a question for you!

I have been thinking we would set up our pack'n'play in our bedroom so we can use it as a bassinet from the beginning, and keep Ellie in our bedroom for awhile to make nighttime feeding easier for me. However, I was talking to an experienced momma (4 boys) who mentioned that all their babies were in their nurseries at night from day 1, and she thought it was better because they never had to make that transition later on. AND she thought that doing that contributed to the fact that all her boys were good self-soothers and STTN pretty early on. Which got me to thinking....should we do it that way instead? We live in a 2 BR apt, and the 2nd BR is DH's office/Ellie's nursery right now. It's not far at all from our room, so not like I would have to go up/down stairs or anything.

Any thoughts/suggestions?? TIA!

OH, and I'm loving the latest BPF pics - sweeeeet babies!!! I love them!

 

[Puppmom]

Cara, sorry S struggled with his shots. N did too. He didn’t get the fever but he cried inconsolably and refused to nurse. The Tylenol helped a ton and we plan to pre-medicate next time. Some doctors suggest that you don’t but I’m not sure of the reason. We’re also considering spreading his shots out a bit for these time periods when he’s due for 4 at once.

Turtle, I don’t take N to daycare but I still have trouble getting out the door! N also only nurses on one side in the am so I have to pump the other. Today is the FIRST time that I’ve gotten out the door on time and I’ve been back to work for two weeks. The am pumping takes a while – about 25 minutes. I bought one of those bustiers that holds on the pump. At first, I was using that while I blow dry and the baby would be in the bouncy but blow drying only took 10-15 minutes and I was still standing around doing nothing for a while. It was just too hard to juggle the pump and the baby. Yesterday and today, I pumped and nursed at the same time and it worked! I get myself all situated with the bustier and the pump and get the baby. Once I get the baby situated on the other boob, I hook up the tubing and turn on the pump. I found that it takes about 5 minutes longer to pump than it does to nurse so I still end up sitting around for a few minutes but I just sit N up on my lap and talk to him. Maybe soon, I’ll be coordinated enough to change his diaper during that last few minutes of pumping! I also notice that pumping takes less time if I do it while I nurse – maybe N nursing on the other boob equals faster let down? Last, I can’t use the Boppy to nurse when I’m pumping and nursing at the same time because it interferes with how the bottle sits. Now that N is bigger, I find that I don’t need the Boppy though. With practice, I definitely think this is going to be my best option. I hope my long winded response isn’t annoying!

….so I wasn’t able to get N to smile last night. I hope I can squeeze one out of him soon!

 

[Sha]

pupp - yayy for laughing! I'm sure he'll laugh again for you soon enough. Baby giggles are the best.

Hou - Hmmm...I don't know. The first few weeks are such a toss-up with sleep. it's all about surviving the best way you know how.... (not to scare you or anything) I know lots of moms have their babies in the room with them at first. We tried that at the first, but D was up so often at nights (every 1-2 hours) that I just ended up co-sleeping on the couch in order to get some rest, and avoid waking up DH. Co-sleeping was great because I hardly needed to bat an eye while she ate - she just latched on to the boob while I dozed.

After that she was in our room for a while, but that didn't work because DH's snoring kept waking her up. I found that I was too 'aware' of her, and didn't sleep as soundly either. The other thing was that when we were doing anything in our room after she was asleep we would have to be really quiet to avoid waking her up - which was a bit inconvenient. We decided to move her to her own room at 7 weeks, with a baby monitor. The first night was really nerve wracking...but after that, every body slept much better! She didn't have to be disturbed by our noises, and I wasn't kept awake by hers. The baby monitor was really sensitive too, so I wasn't worried after a while about hearing her when she cried. Moving her to the her room was really the best decision all around.

I don't know if I would suggest doing it RIGHT away though... I don't know if it helped D self-soothe any (she only started STTN at 6 months). Maybe have her in your room for the first week (or two) and see how that goes? If it doesn't work well - moving her to own room might be a good option.

 

[jcrow]

turtle, when heading out of the house, when em was little the last thing i did before leaving was feed her so that it gave her more time before getting hungry. so it was get myself ready, get her ready, feed her and then pop her in the car seat and go.

 

[Mara]

HMG... I think you'll have to figure out that one on your own. I know a lot of Moms who wanted kids in their rooms from day 1 and didn't go that route--me included. We kept J in our room for 3 weeks and then moved him. And I was ADAMANT about him being in his own room originally. But you just have to see your comfort level. Now I am so happy we did it at 3 weeks because he always has pretty much been in his own room as far as he can remember-- but having him with us for at least a few weeks made it easier for us all to get used to each other and recognizing his sounds/noises etc--just a higher comfort level for us too as new parents. I would say don't have any set way of doing it in your mind, see how you feel when you come home. I remember thinking J seemed so tiny that putting him in the giant crib was just overkill. He stayed in his bassinet (albeit in his own room) til almost 2mo.

Turtle... I think you'll figure out your own routine over time. You probably will have to get up earlier, how much earlier will depend. We are still working out our routine as well because J's sleeping kind of changed over time. And I do some early morning calls at 7:30am with our Europe partners so I am at home usually til like 9am most days. Maybe about 2 weeks before you go back to work you can experiment with some routines in the mornings to see how long it will take to get everything done? I also do some stuff before I go to bed each night. I only take J out of the house 2 days a week but the night before those days I put my workout shoes/clothes in the car; get his little 'going out' bag ready (clothes, diapers, foods etc for next day); and whatever else I can do ahead of time. I end up needing about 30 min for myself--and about 15-20 min for J to get ready. But he wakes up earlier than that to feed/change diaper...and then I put him back down usually for 30-45min while I get ready, eat etc. Sometimes he sleeps, sometimes he just plays in his crib.

ETA... more of a schedule:

7am : Wake, feed J bottle, change diaper, put back down
7:15am-8am : Make coffee, eat breakfast, feed dog, check work email, have a work call, etc.
8am-8:30am : Get myself ready
8:30-8:45am : Get J ready (just get him up, change his diaper, gather his stuff)
8:50ish: In car

For BF'ing maybe add an extra 15-20min? J drinks his bottle pretty quickly now. And he eats his solid at 10am so I don't need to feed him before we leave the house.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Hello Mamas! I’ve been reading everyday, just not able to post until now.
So, it’s week 2 of back at work (and week 3 of N in daycare), and things have gotten better. It’s still VERY hard, but I’m taking it one day at a time.

I miss him terribly during the day! Can’t stop thinking about what he’s doing, what he’s thinking, etc… I also have this enormous sense of guilt when I drop him off. It’s like I’m “leaving him there” . To make matters worse, he’s usually the 1st or 2nd baby to arrive, which just breaks my heart. But it makes me feel better to get him all settled into his crib after I sign him in and see that he has his “happy morning time” where he kicks up a storm/reaches up at the toy bar they installed.

He’s handling the transition MUCH better than I am. He’s all smiles when I go pick him up and everyone can’t stop commenting that he’s an “absolute angel” and such a “happy baby”. And he’ll enjoy it more once he’s crawling around and can interact with the other tots- he’s the youngest of the 8 there.

I really do enjoy my job, which makes the day go by (kinda quick). I’d hate to think what I’d do if I didn’t like it! But there wasn’t a day last week where I didn’t think about quitting. I even went so far as to craft an email to a recruiter and inquire about PT opportunities. It would be sooo ideal if I could work PT, but it’s a long shot in this economy.

Being able to phase-back into my job responsibilities has kept me sane- I’m trying not to think about how things will be once I’m in the office FT (week after Thanksgiving). But I resolve to be out the door at 5p!

I don’t have any quirky pumping stories to share. But do have this fear that someone is going to come busting into my office while I’m pumping- even though I lock my door and have a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the handle!

As far as my dad, he’s hanging in there. He no longer needs the breathing tube which is huge, AND he was transferred from the ICU to a “regular” room.

That’s the news for now. I’ll be back to comment some more- need to run to a meeting.

 

[Mara]

CG glad your Dad is doing better. Hang in there.

re: what you said about your week last week... I was definitely there too. I even talked to my boss about part time and a flex schedule and this and that and wished fervently I'd get laid off (we were in a reorg). I was so bummed when I wasn't laid off. But then I worked out a bit of a flex schedule with my boss and just the longer I was there the more things got better for me.

Now I can honestly say I know I don't want to be a SAHM because I find being home with J quite taxing now that he is SOO mobile, and I am not as happy or as tolerant of a Mom when I am with him all day vs when I know I just have a few hours to see him. It's weird but true. I am happy that 2x a week I get an extra 2-3 hours with him--I wouldn't want that to change and if it did I would definitely push more for PT or leave and contract somewhere to have that flex schedule. I wouldn't want just an hour before bed 5 days a week. But I also know I don't want to be home all the time. And I really like the money that working affords us as we don't struggle at all with 2 salaries.

So give yourself some time. And try not to feel guilty. But I think your feelings are totally normal. It was important to me to feel like I did have options (PT or the convo with the recruiter etc) because I think knowing that makes you feel better...knowing that if at any time anything got to be too much I could just say 'I'm out' or try to find an alternative situation. AND know that the kids aren't really that affected at that age. I think it was definitely harder on me than J when I went back to work. All he knew is that he still got crazy love from someone, even if it wasn't Mom.

 

[meresal]

Hey ladies! I have been super MIA. Fall's are extremely hectic for us, but it is almost over. After this weekend trip, we are not going out of town anymore, except home for Thanksgiving and then Family ski trip for Thanksgiving. (Doesn't really sound like it's almost over, does it...)

Sorry, I can't really give any input on the *schedule* thing. I let C wake up when he wants to wake up, and goes down for the night between 8-10.
The rest of the day he pretty much eats every 3 hours and naps every 2. However the rest of the day falls, it falls. If he naps in the car, he naps in the car. IMO, no point in your child becoming too used to a certain schedule, or else any change to it could lead to craziness later. (I have seen this first hand with my niece. She couldn't nap anywhere other than her bed... and she was a terror by 4pm if she didn't get an afternoon nap in.)
Just my opinion. I know it isn't for everyone.

C is teething. Nights have been a bit rough, but we are getting thru.

I have a question in regards to it being tough to get C to take his 3 naps a day. Sometimes in the afternoon or late evening, he will go 4 or 5 hours without laying down. However, he is still giving me the eyerub signals like he wants to take a nap, starting at hour 2 or 3.
When did your LO's go from 3 naps a day, to 2 naps a day? He will be 7 months old in a week. Is it about that time? or is this something else?

 

[MonkeyPie]

CG, I'm glad your dad is doing better!

Mere, I can't remember the last time Micah took three naps...maybe when he was a week old? Seriously, he has never done that. He takes two, and we are lucky if they are an hour apiece.

 

[turtledazzle]

Turtle, I don’t take N to daycare but I still have trouble getting out the door! N also only nurses on one side in the am so I have to pump the other. Today is the FIRST time that I’ve gotten out the door on time and I’ve been back to work for two weeks. The am pumping takes a while – about 25 minutes. I bought one of those bustiers that holds on the pump. At first, I was using that while I blow dry and the baby would be in the bouncy but blow drying only took 10-15 minutes and I was still standing around doing nothing for a while. It was just too hard to juggle the pump and the baby. Yesterday and today, I pumped and nursed at the same time and it worked! I get myself all situated with the bustier and the pump and get the baby. Once I get the baby situated on the other boob, I hook up the tubing and turn on the pump. I found that it takes about 5 minutes longer to pump than it does to nurse so I still end up sitting around for a few minutes but I just sit N up on my lap and talk to him. Maybe soon, I’ll be coordinated enough to change his diaper during that last few minutes of pumping! I also notice that pumping takes less time if I do it while I nurse – maybe N nursing on the other boob equals faster let down? Last, I can’t use the Boppy to nurse when I’m pumping and nursing at the same time because it interferes with how the bottle sits. Now that N is bigger, I find that I don’t need the Boppy though. With practice, I definitely think this is going to be my best option. I hope my long winded response isn’t annoying!

….so I wasn’t able to get N to smile last night. I hope I can squeeze one out of him soon!

Not annoying at all. Very helpful ... I'm just trying to picture how you nurse with the bustier on. I have one as well -- this one: http://www.target.com/Simple-Wishes-Hands-Breast-Bustier/dp/B003M6EZPU,, and I don't think I could nurse him with it on ... not enough access. Do you have a different bustier? What pump do you use? I have a PIS, so I need to be plugged in if I'm not running on batteries.

Since my LO has reflux we're supposed to keep him upright for 20-30 minutes after a feeding ... otherwise part of the feeding is guaranteed to come back up. This is frustrating as it keeps me from being able to dress him/change him/put him back in the crib after he's eaten. He really doesn't like his bouncy. He does like the swing, and that is where I usually put him now so I can pump ... though the motion (even on low setting) can still trigger a spit-up.

Thanks to all for the advice. I'm not going back to work for another month, so I do have some time to practice. But these are the things I think about when I lie awake at night unable to sleep. Anyone else have insomnia post-partum? Anything you did that helped?

 

[Puppmom]

Turtle, I have the same bustier. I leave one boob completely uncovered so the bustier is on kind of lopsided. Definitely practice before you go back. I was lazy and slept in when N let me and never really got the morning routine now. Almost three weeks later and I can't get to work on time!

 

[jcrow]

meresal - ditto to monkey - em doesn't take 3 naps. we're lucky if two, happy with one. she does, however, go from about 8 pm - 8 am at night.

 

[meresal]

C isn't sleeping thru the night yet, but before this whole teething thing, he was down to only one wake a night at about 4 in the AM.

I guess he will just wean himself off of that 3rd nap, but to be honest, it's not like I am putting him down because I think he needs it, he is making the eyerubs and the yawning, so it is like he is still tired, but he just won't fall asleep sometimes. I will lay him in the crib and he will just relax a bit, roll around, and talk to himself for sometimes up to 30 minutes, and then get bored and become fussy so I go in and get him, and it is like he had a nap. All smiles and no more sleepy. So strange.

Re: Teething:
(Do/Have/Will) any of you ladies use the Baby Orajel swabs? I'm trying to figure out how to make these night wakes a bit less "wakeful". If I use this right when I go in to sooth him, I wonder if it would get him to calm down quicker. I can handle soothing in the middle of the night, but for 45 minutes EACH! The bags under my eyes WERE getting better.
Also, which part of the tooth coming in is the most painful? His has just broken the skin... how much further does it have to come out, for the pain to subside?

 

[cara]

Well it was short lived, whatever it was. By 8 pm Silas was happy and cooing even though he still had a fever and today he was fine. Tylenol really helped. Puppmom (was it you that asked?) you are not supposed to predose them with Tylenol because it reduces the effectiveness of the shots. Once they have a reaction the Tylenol is fine. Anyway, we survived! Glad I bought Tylenol on the way home from the doctors.

Hou I agree it's a personal decision each parent set has to make for themselves, and you may have a slightly different opinion once your LO arrives. I couldn't imagine not having the baby next to me when he's brand new- we went and bought an arms reach mini cosleeper on craigslist the day we got out of the hospital and he is still sleeping it at 8 weeks. Now conceivably I would feel okay putting him in a different room and using a monitor, but it would still be more hassle for me in the middle of the night to do the feedings and diaper changes in a different room, ands he's still not sleeping longer than 3-4 hrs at a stretch. Maybe he'd be sleeping longer in his own room or we would be ignoring his wakeups more, and now when we get exhausted ad lazy we pull him into bed with us to get some more sleep since Silas strongly prefers sleeping on or near people, which we didn't really
plan on doing a lot of and we'd prefer it not become the place he sleeps. Maybe if he were in his own room we'd do less of that. Anyway things to thing about.

 

[Sha]

naps - D dropped her 3rd nap around 9 months, I think.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Re: Teething:
(Do/Have/Will) any of you ladies use the Baby Orajel swabs? I'm trying to figure out how to make these night wakes a bit less "wakeful". If I use this right when I go in to sooth him, I wonder if it would get him to calm down quicker. I can handle soothing in the middle of the night, but for 45 minutes EACH! The bags under my eyes WERE getting better.
Also, which part of the tooth coming in is the most painful? His has just broken the skin... how much further does it have to come out, for the pain to subside?

I don't use the swabs, but I do use Orajel and I think it helps to be proactive about it and do it right away. It seems to help. And if he is still bothered and the tooth is actually out of the skin already, then maybe he has another one coming!

 

[Puppmom]

Thanks for the info re: tylenol and shots, Cara. I'll definitely address with our pedi. I don't want my poor little guy to suffer. It really was a scene last time. We were both crying!

 

[meresal]

Hey Pupp. Have you tried having a bottle ready once your daughter gets her shots. That is our first go-to as soon as C gets his shots. It really calms him down and completely changes his thought process.

As for the Acetopemphen, we use it after we get home, if/when he starts to get warm or run a fever. I usually give him a dose before he goes to sleep that night just in case he starts to get warm in the middle of the night.

Also, my doctor gives me a sheet with C's updated info on it, and it lets me know how much Acetomenphen I can give C based on his new weight. They should be able to answer any questions you have!

Thanks for the reply Sha! Do you remember anything about her dropping the nap? How did she go about doing it? Does she now just go longer between naps? Sorry for the extra questions, I'm just kind of lost.

 

[Puppmom]

Ladies, I need a little help. DS is eating on a pretty regular schedule now. Typically, he eats at 6:30 am, between 9:30 and 10:30 am, between 1:30 and 2:30 pm and again when I get home from work around 5-5:30 pm (and a dreamfeed around 9pm). Here’s the issue, MIL is having to hold him off every day for about a half an hour. She understands the importance of nursing so, if he wants to eat and it’s not too long till I’ll be home, she tries to hold him off. The problem is, this is happening every day. At around 4:30, he becomes really fussy and remains so until I get home and nurse him. I literally come in the door, drop my bags and throw him on the boob. Since N only eats 5 times a day at most, I would really like to nurse him at that feeding. Otherwise, the pump/nurse balance will shift to pumping more than I’m nursing.

Any ideas? Will he eventually get used to it? Should MIL try to feed him an ounce or two more at the 2pm feeding? Should she give him an ounce or two right before his usual fussy time? Any other suggestions? It really stinks to come home to a teary eyed, tired, hungry baby.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Oh my goodness! So many of my TTC friends have become mommies. Congratulations, girls!! I sifted through and saw the most adorable babies. Ahh. The Halloween pics melted my heart. I hope all of you are loving motherhood, chaos, tantrums, and missed sleep and all. Enjoy every bit of it!! (And post more pictures!!)

 

[Sha]

mere - When she was younger she took 3 naps - one around 9ish, one around 12ish and the other around 5 ish. Somewhere around 9 months (it may have been earlier or later, I can't remember exactly) - she just stopped her early morning nap. I just noticed that she wouldn't get sleepy at 9 anymore - she would stay up and be alert and active until 12ish or so. Now she takes a nap at 12ish (sometimes forced - she would stay up and play until 2pm until getting sleepy, really), and then another much later in the day - like around 6 pm). Seems like she's transitioning to one nap a day right now.

 

[Sha]

Hi fisher! I left a 'hello' for you over in the 'home canning' thread. So great to 'see' you !

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Hey, Sha! Your baby's reach out to you in all the pics is so, so, so adorable!! What name did you choose? (Or do you not post that here? I know some don't, so if you haven't shared, just ignore this question.)

What's been your favorite part of motherhood? What's been the worst? (I always imagine having a sick baby or a baby after shots would be the worst, but my best friend, who's a brand new mom, says the worst so far has been having a tired baby who just refuses to sleep, even when it's exactly what she needs. And as I imagined, she says the best is looking at this little person and knowing you love her more than you could have dreamed.)

 

[Mara]

J only ever napped 1-2x a day so not sure how to drop the 3rd nap except maybe keep him up a little bit longer each time before napping. J kind of dropped the 2nd on his own early on.

re: shots and soothing after. A bottle or a paci works wonders for us as does bouncing on my knee and smoothing his hair. He only cries for about 15 seconds.

We used regular Orajel a few times... I don't love it as I don't like my own mouth being numb but I imagine it works. We also got these homeopathic things that Lindsey recommended and we have only used them a few times, not sure how well they work as it's just herbs. Tylenol for us seems to be the best option right now.