PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Haven]

I caught a real smile on camera!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Ah Haven, love the little smirk. Isn't it the best feeling in the world to have your baby smile at you. B has such a mature, all-knowing smile. So sweet.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Speaking of smiles, Ev is such a little goofball. Yesterday when I got home from work, DH had just gotten home with Ev, and he was still in the carseat. I went up to him and he had tears in his eyes because he had been crying, and when he saw me he stuck out his pouty lip like he was going to start crying again. So I started teasing him and trying to talk him out of crying, so he started smiling and giggling. But the second I diverted my attention from him, the lip went out again and started trembling, so I talked to him again, and he started to laugh. This went on for like 3 minutes. Pretty sure he has learned to lay the emotions on thick already. Oh boy!

 

[amc80]

B had his surgery today. Everything went really well and he was quite the trooper. What a relief! Oh, and he's 22lbs, ha.

Question for all of you who have had AF come back. I stopped BFing in early December and AF came on Christmas. My cycle was pretty normal, maybe a tad on the light side. My cycles were fairly regular before getting pregnant, they averaged 29 days or so. I'm now on CD31. Was your first full cycle normal in terms of length? Or does it take a while to get back to normal?

 

[lulu66]

haven love that photo! we've just entered the smiling & "talking" stage & are loving it!

nel I think I've said this before but Katie is just a doll baby!! sooo beautiful!

amc so glad the surgery went well!

 

[monarch64]

Fly-by post...AMC, glad B's surgery is over and went well. I had two regular length cycles and then one really long (for me) cycle which made me think I was 11 days late and ended up with me buying two preg tests, taking them, getting two negatives, and getting my period the next day. We had been sticking with condom use as a preventative but i was still freaked out. I admit to being disappointed over the negatives, though. Because I'm INSANE. My most recent cycle was back to normal. I think the stress of the holidays/retail/horrible store owner giving me hell affected me physically.

I can't wait to get home. Here are a couple pics my husband sent to me taken this morning. A can't walk yet but can pull herself up to a stand and almost stand without using an anchor now, so apparently she ended up on the stairs today. Whoa.

 

[lulu66]

monnie how cute! love that second pic

AFU, we have a roller! Ellie rolled from tummy to back 3 times during tummy time this morning this week has just been crazy, she's started smiling and cooing and now rolling! what happened to my little newborn?! but we're loving it!! here she is giving us a grin.

 

[monarch64]

Lulu, she's so sweet and looks so happy. Pretty baby!

 

[monarch64]

A finally cut a tooth!!! I got home last night very, very late but caught the earliest morning feed and while I was wiping her gums after I felt a little sharp edge on her bottom gum! I asked my husband if she had shown any signs of teething while I was away and he said nothing more than a little extra "rowdiness" the past 48 hours. Here I have been dreading the teething process and she pops a tooth without even telling us. I'm so relieved, I just hope the rest of them come in as drama-free as the first!

 

[amc80]

A finally cut a tooth!!! I got home last night very, very late but caught the earliest morning feed and while I was wiping her gums after I felt a little sharp edge on her bottom gum! I asked my husband if she had shown any signs of teething while I was away and he said nothing more than a little extra "rowdiness" the past 48 hours. Here I have been dreading the teething process and she pops a tooth without even telling us. I'm so relieved, I just hope the rest of them come in as drama-free as the first!

Nice! B has been teething forever and we are still waiting for it to pop through.

 

[moxie.moo]

I am so jealous of your sleeping babies... I so wish I knew what we were doing wrong, or that I knew what Eloise needed to sleep more/longer/better. I'm so at the end of my rope. She spent all of last night in her crib, unswaddled (miracle!) but went down at 7, was up at 7:40, 9:30, 10:00, 11, 2, 5, and 7:30. And that felt like a GOOD night because we had a 2 hour and a 3 hour stretch. We've read Ferber, Baby Whisperer, No Cry Sleep Solution, and others... and my mind is going to explode with all the contradictory information.

We live in an advanced, developed society... so why the HECK can't we come to a consensus about whether CIO (or gradual extinction) causes lasting damage? Or whether pick up/put down causes unnecessary stress? Or whether co-sleeping causes dependency and overall worse sleep? For heaven's sake!

PPM, I don't have a link but there was a study done showing that gradual extinction didn't have any lasting effects. Just wanted to throw that out The prevailing theory on multiple night wakings, like you're dealing with, is that the baby is overtired. How does she nap during the day? Since she's getting nowhere near enough night sleep at this point (should be 11-12 hours to be well rested) it will just be a process for you to get her rested enough TO sleep. All of that said, I understand sleep theory very well. In practice? Well you can't make your baby do everything you need them to. For instance, E's problem used to be short naps leading to being overtired leading to multiple night wakings. But solving short naps is no easy feat when you can dedicate all of your time to it, let alone with a very loud toddler and second clingy baby

PPM, I don't post often, but I do have a link! http://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/Infant-Sleep-Training-is-Effective-and-Safe-Study-Finds.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token
The original study was in Pediatrics and was carried out over five years in Australia. I am actually writing my dissertation on the impact of infant sleep on maternal mental and physical health. Most studies suggest that "controlled comforting," "progressive waiting," and "camping out" are all safe ways to extinguish middle-of-the-night waking and encourage self-soothing, but the key to each is to just be consistent with the methods. Your sleep is very important too, so don't be afraid to prioritize it. That said, there's no magic bullet. Progressive waiting has worked for us for 18 months, but it doesn't work for everyone (aka my sister's 19-month old!) GOOD LUCK and hang in there.

 

[mlk]

Hi Ladies, I think I am finally ready to join your wonderful thread now that my little man is finally home and I feel like a real mummy!

For those who don't know me, Lucas was born at 30w6d by emergency c/s due to my pre-eclampsia becoming severe literally overnight. He was very small but had no real issues and was in hospital for 6 and a half weeks mainly to have some breathing support/monitoring, grow and learn how to feed. It was a rollercoaster journey and hopefully I can put the trauma of his birth and hospital stay behind me in good time.

Lucas is 8 weeks old tomorrow and has been home just over a week. He is doing really well now apart from having quite bad reflux and just needs to pork up a bit (he is still only 2.2 kg - 4 pound 13 ounces). He is just delightful and seems to much more advanced and strong than his current almost 39 week title.

I look forward to getting to know you all and your little ones better. I have been reading along and ogling at your beautiful pictures since before I was pregnant! Here are some pics of my own...

 

[JGator]

MP, yes, my husband is Indian. Thanks for the compliments. We think she's a cutie. My mom has survived her first week watching the baby, and both seem to be happy! When did Ev start giggling?

Nel, K is adorable - love the picture of her in the basket of toys! Precious.

Haven, hooray for real smiles! Brienz is such a happy baby. Such a great reward for your tough pregnancy!

AMC, glad to hear B's surgery was a success.

Monnie, wow her first tooth and no teething! K started teething at 10 weeks according to her doctor -we took her in suspecting an ear infection. We were trying everything to help the teething yesterday including frozen wash cloths.

Lulu, Ellie is precious! Rolling over already. She's advanced for her age!

MLk, welcome! So happy to see Lucas. He is soo tiny! I'm sure he'll put on the weight before you know it!

PPM, hope sleep is getting better for you and your little girl.

AFU, K is 13 weeks old today. Week 1 at work last week wasn't too bad. Our new nanny will be starting a week from Thursday. K seems to be using her hands a lot more lately - getting more control. No turning over and no recent movement in her pack n play. We have been taking one arm out before swaddling and that seems to be working well. She has been waking up earlier though to my dismay! Still getting a 7 hour stretch in first though so I know I cannot complain!

 

[amc80]

MLK, welcome!


Well, AF still hasn't shown up. Every time I start to freak out I remind myself that my hormones are probably still a bit wonky. But I am wondering how long I should go before taking a test. I figure testing is the #1 way to make AF show up. I'm going to Target at lunch, maybe I'll buy a pack. Geez, could you imagine?

 

[dani13]

AMC, its def normal for your cycles to be wonky postpartum for quite awhile, especially if you are/were breastfeeding. If you're concerned about pregnancy, I would take a test. If it negative, just understand that you need to give your body some time to start cycling normally again. GL!

 

[monkeyprincess]

MP, yes, my husband is Indian. Thanks for the compliments. We think she's a cutie. My mom has survived her first week watching the baby, and both seem to be happy! When did Ev start giggling?

JGator, K definitely is a beauty. Glad things are going well so far and that you found a new nanny. Let's see, Ev started giggling probably a month ago, but only once in awhile. Now, he just thinks everything is so funny. DH thinks I'm a nut because Ev and I can laugh back and forth for 5 minutes sometimes. His giggle makes me laugh, so I start laughing, and then he starts giggling because I'm laughing, and it goes on and on. It's the sweetest thing. I think I've mentioned before that Ev is usually either crabby or in a super happy mood. There's very little in between

Welcome MLK, so glad your little man is home. And what a darling little guy! Reflux is the worst, and I've heard it is worse in preemies. Looking forward to hearing more from you!

amc, what a relief that B's surgery went well. How did he handle the anesthesia? We are dragging our feet a bit on Ev's surgery, but we will probably schedule it once he turns 6 months. I'm sure your cycle is just a bit unpredictable unless you were up to no good at the wrong (or right) time of the month My cycle returned about 6 weeks postpartum, and the then didn't get another one for 6 or 7 weeks, and everything has been a bit wonky since then. I think it is pretty normal.

Monarch, that's great A teethed secretly! I so hope Ev isn't a nightmare teether, but given his history I am not holding my breath. Just love A's pictures. She is growing up!

Lulu, E is so cute! And rolling already? Yikes. I'm hoping Ev holds off as long as possible, but he is getting really close. I think his disdain for tummy time has slowed him down a bit.

NEL, so fun to see the updated pictures of K. Beautiful as always!

AFU, we had a really good weekend with Ev. He is definitely making strides and was much more enjoyable to be around this weekend. When he is not hungry or overtired, he is the happiest kid in the world. I finally believe everyone who kept telling me it would get better! He also did really well with tummy time a couple times this weekend. I think he is willing to work a little harder at it now that he realizes the world is much more interesting when he holds his head up. I am so relieved, as I was starting to worry he was lagging behind a bit with head control. Have a great week everyone!

 

[amc80]

amc, what a relief that B's surgery went well. How did he handle the anesthesia? We are dragging our feet a bit on Ev's surgery, but we will probably schedule it once he turns 6 months. I'm sure your cycle is just a bit unpredictable unless you were up to no good at the wrong (or right) time of the month My cycle returned about 6 weeks postpartum, and the then didn't get another one for 6 or 7 weeks, and everything has been a bit wonky since then. I think it is pretty normal.

Ugh, that makes me feel so much better. We use the "reliable" pull-out method. It's always worked perfectly for us, but you never know. I did have EWCM around the time I should have O'd, but I know that doesn't mean anything. I think I'll start temping next cycle so I don't have to worry.

The anesthesia was fine. The anesthesiologist said most babies freak out once the mask goes on, but B was totally fine. I think if he didn't weigh as much (22 freaking pounds) we would have waited a bit, but I figure it's basically like he's 10m, so we felt better about it. He didn't have any pain meds other than Tylenol and seemed fine.

AMC, its def normal for your cycles to be wonky postpartum for quite awhile, especially if you are/were breastfeeding. If you're concerned about pregnancy, I would take a test. If it negative, just understand that you need to give your body some time to start cycling normally again. GL!

Thanks, this helps

 

[Skippy123]

MLK, aww, congrats, my boys were preemies too, almost the 10 weeks early too. Aw, he is beautiful!



Just a heads up PSA; I don't read this thread, so I don't know if this has already been posted?? The Fisher Price Rock N Play has been recalled due to mold. We never got mold, but I think it was because I washed the covers often. http://news.consumerreports.org/safety/2013/01/fisher-price-recalls-rock-n-play-infant-sleepers-due-to-mold-risk.html

I love seeing the pictures of all these beautiful babies

 

[monarch64]

MLK, welcome!


Well, AF still hasn't shown up. Every time I start to freak out I remind myself that my hormones are probably still a bit wonky. But I am wondering how long I should go before taking a test. I figure testing is the #1 way to make AF show up. I'm going to Target at lunch, maybe I'll buy a pack. Geez, could you imagine?

How late are you? I didn't worry about being late or off cycle until I was 10 days late once, and I mentioned above that I took two tests that night and got my period the next day. Have you ever used tests from the Dollar Tree/Dollar Store? They are just as reliable and obviously cheap enough that you can buy a ton of them just to have on hand. They're cheap because the packaging is totally generic and the tests themselves are about as basic as you can get--a piece of paper encased in plastic with a teeny dropper. They do the trick, though and once you have one child who cares about the tests with all the bells and whistles that cost an arm and a leg?!

MLK, welcome! Your L is sooooo tiny and beautiful! And you look amazing! Just love the mommy and baby pic, so sweet.

A still seems to be doing ok with teething, she slept pretty well last night but skipped her morning nap. That meant she fell asleep at noon today and woke up once really cranky but went back to sleep after 15 minutes and is still out 1.5 hours later. Idk what tonight will be like but am armed with cold teething rings, frozen washcloths, etc.

JGator--woot for 7 hour stretches at 13 weeks!

MP--glad to hear E is gaining more head control and that tummy time has been a success. I felt like a torturer having A on her tummy as much as possible but it really paid off. Luckily she was an easygoing baby and didn't fight it too much. I have PS mommies to thank for staying on top of that, if I hadn't read so much here I wouldn't have understood the importance of it at all.

Sorry if I missed anyone! Skippy, thanks for the recall info. We don't have the rock n play but still good to know as I have other friends who do. When they ship that stuff over from China there is always the possibility that moisture enters the product so I'm not surprised. Sucks that it's such a concern.

 

[Haven]

Monnie--Awww, I hope A's teething goes well. How awesome that she popped her first tooth without too much drama! MORE PICTURES, please!!!!

Skippy--Thanks for the info. I'd heard about the recall elsewhere, but DH and I bought a Rock and Play Snugamonkey a couple weeks ago anyway and plan to be sure to keep it very clean. B has been sleeping in it every night for a couple weeks, he hates his bassinet.

AMC--I'm so happy to hear the surgery went well for your BIG boy!

MP--Yay for Ev having a better weekend and holding that head up! I love the little game he played with you with that trembling lip of his, little stinker!

JGator--I'm glad to hear your first week back at work was okay. I'm so jealous about your 7 hour stretch of sleep!

MLK--Yay for your boy being home!!!! What a little doll he is, just precious. His little feet in that last picture slay me--I want to munch on them!

moxie.moo--Thank you for the link!

Lulu--Oh, Ellie is just precious. Sounds like she's doing awesome with all that rolling around, too. What a sweetheart.

AFU, things are just chugging along. B slept for 6 hrs 45 minutes two nights ago, so of course I woke up after five hours terrified that something was wrong with him, so I just stayed up and watched him for nearly two hours. He has baby acne pretty bad now, poor thing. I don't think it bothers him, really, but it looks like it would.

I pumped for the first time today, I think we're going to try giving him pumped milk for his dream feed. I only pumped for ten minutes and got 2 oz, which I think is decent. I think I'm going to pump once a day for now and just enough for one feeding, I'll start building up stores when I get closer to going back to work.

I have what is going to be a stupid question--but I signed up for a new moms group--we bring our babies to the meetings, right? It seems obvious, but I just want to double-check.

 

[Rosebloom]

Haven, yep, you bring the babies. The new mom group I was in with my first is still my best group of mom friends. It's so wonderful having that support system.

I have a ten month old but never post here. I probably should! I could certainly stand to learn from the collective wisdom! I just adore this age. My little one is the smudgiest sweetest cuddliest little thing. Love him! He's another premie that's now so perfectly chubby your never know.

 

[mayerling]

Hi everyone, sorry I've not been posting much lately. I read every day but it's not easy finding time to post.

AMC, I'm glad the surgery went well. As for pregnancy scares, I have one pretty much every week even though I'm on the pill. It's just that having another baby is the LAST thing I want right now.

Monnie, yay for teeth without teething!

MP, I'm glad to hear that E is happier these days.

PPM, I hear you. I've read so much on sleep and it's always downright bugged me that there's no consensus on what's harmful and what isn't.

Hi to everyone else!

AFU, we've been back in the UK for about 10 days now and the first 4 were really difficult as N would wake up like 20 times during the night for a paci. We didn't do anything drastic because we figured that it was due to the change of environment and it seems we were right because he's back to doing between 7 and 9 hours for the first stretch. I think we can officially say that he's STTN even though his first stretch ends at an inconvenient time for us (around 4am). After that, things get difficult. He'll usually take a paci and be out within seconds for 1+ hour which usually gets him to 5-6am. From 6am I have to rock/hold him until wake up. I don't allow him to wake up for the day before 7am (it's still pitch black at 7am over here). I wish we knew how to get him to stay down until morning.
In other news, he's sitting up on his own these days and hardly ever tips. I think he's enjoying how much more he can do if he's not lying on his back/tummy. He still has not rolled back to tummy and doesn't show any signs of doing it any time soon. He's doing consonants more often these days but they're still random so no proper babbling. He's also on 2 meals of solids per day and only 750ml of formula. Oh, and he's also doing 3 naps again. It seems that the 2-nap phase was short-lived.

 

[amc80]

Took a test...negative. Whew. Still no sign of AF but I guess my cycles will just be whacky for a bit.

 

[monkeyprincess]

amc, glad you got the result you were hoping for on the test. I really do think it is pretty normal for your cycle to take awhile to regulate after baby/breastfeeding, so you will probably just need to be extra careful for awhile until things are back on track. About a month ago, I got back on the pill because DH really wanted me to, but I quit taking it after two weeks (with DH's blessing of course) because I couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't the right thing for me given my past fertility challenges. We have only DTD once since the baby was born, and that was last weekend, so I feel pretty confident, we aren't goign to have an oopsie anytime soon, although I kind of secretly wouldn't be too upset if we had one I realize that makes me crazy.

Mayerling, glad you checked in and that things seem to be going well. Ah, 7 hours of sleep sounds marvelous to me, but that's only because the longest stretch we've ever had is 5 hours, and that has only be a few times. Three hour stretches are the norm for Ev.

Monarch, hope the teething keeps going well. It really does make you feel like a horrible person when you have to make your baby do tummy time against his or her will. I've read of the importance of tummy time, and I tried to make Ev do it from very early on, but I swear this kid is stubborn. If someone else said their baby didn't like tummy time before having Ev, I would've thought they were just being too soft, but now I know there really are some babies who will not do tummy time. I'm so relieved that he is a little more open to it now. I hope it keeps getting easier as he gets stronger.

Haven, ha ha, I worry about those things too, but I'm pretty sure babies are supposed to come with you So glad that things are going well for you with breastfeeding and everything else. I really wish breastfeeding and pumping had worked out for us, but I can always hope for a better outcome next time.

 

[lliang_chi]

Hey mamas,

AMC, hooary for the negative (in this case). I haven't gotten AF yet, because I have Mirena for birth control. I'm glad B's surgery went. It definitely sounds like B having some extra weight (I guess size in general) helped ease your mind a bit. I hope there's not much you need to worry re: his recovery.

Mayer, glad N is back into a more manageable spot after the time change. It took Ethan 3 days to adjust to CET when we went on vacation in October. And I hear you about how painful the adjustment period was. J was actually kind of a brat about it, but we got through it. I hope N continues on the great sleeps. If he's going 7-9 hrs, I hope it'll be soon enough when he pushes pas the 4AM. Great for sitting up, and how does he like having more solids? What have you been feeding him? Any proteins yet?

ROsebloom, glad your DS is doing so well and healthy! Hooray for superstars You must post a picture of your little chubster.

Haven, HOLY COW! 6:45, your Br is a SUPER STAR! Try pumping in the early morning if you want to up your supply. That hormone peaks in the early morning hrs, so it's supposed to help trigger your body to make more. I'm sure some of hte other mamas might be able to give you more detail. Have a good time at your mom's group. I actually didn't have any local mom's group which would have probably been really useful. I relied on PS and some moms on FB. And what a handsome smiley guy you have there.

MP, I'm so glad Ev has been happier and enjoyng tummy time a little more. I definitely feel that each stage gets better and better. Not to say I'm not wistful of the tiny baby times, but I'm having more and more fun as Ethan gets older. I think that stays the case until we hit teenager years, LOL. So funny that Ev is laying it on thick to keep Mommy's attention. Ethan kinda does that when he wants more fruit dessert.

JGator, I'm glad K is still doing the 7 hr stretch. THat's awesome. I hope you can keep with the swaddle, Ethan LOVED it. How's the nanny stuff going? Is your mom still watching her? Glad the returnt to work has been going well. It takes a while to get into a groove, so go easy on yourself.

MLK, WELCOME! Can I just say your Lucas is adorable! I'm so glad he's home and healthy and doing well. What a little prince! Hope he'll pack on the pounds so you can get a little bit of break. He's probably eating every 2 hrs? And I'm going to echo what everyone else said: What a beautiful picture of the two of you!

Monnie, hooray for A's first tooth. Lucky you that she's been so easy going as it was coming in. I hope it stays that way.

Lulu, beautiful picture of E. A roller! Sounds like she's got a mind of her own!

NEL, so great to see beautiful K. I can't believe we have almost 1 yr olds now! Blows my mind! What are you guys doing for K's big day? We put Ethan in all sorts of different boxes/receptacles too (laundry baskets, toy bins, etc).

PPM, I was with you with the sleep too. And it won't do any good unless both parents are on the same page on what to do. DH and I would come up with a Sleep Plan. Starting with "What are our calming strategies and how do you rank them as minimal effort/intervention to max effort/intervention." Then how/when we escalate. Example, low intervention is patting his back, max intervention is giving him a bottle. THen execute the discussed plan for 2 wks, then revisit by teaking timing/methods etc. We finally did some sleep training (gradual extinction) this past weekend, more on that below.

AFU:
Developments in the LC household...
1) Ethan took TWO STEPS on Sunday. He's been so close to walking (he's been standing for longer and using his walker toy all the time), and finally on Sunday he decided to take two shuffling steps. Of course I missed it because I was walking the dog. Wah, wah, wah...
2) Sleep training! So as I was telling PPM, we initally made a sleep plan for Ethan. Namely 11PM Dream feed, then a intervention strategy escalating from pats to held rocking, to milk to holding and letting him sleep on us. So this weekend we decided we'll start gradual extinction, with short verbal only reassurance that we're there. The first night it took him 48 mins (intervals of 3, 5, 10, 15 and 15 mins). Next night took him 25 mins (3, 5, 10+). Third night 18 mins (3, 5, <10) during the dream feed, then slept through the night!!! Last night he slept through the night!!! So we'll see if this a new trend. Fingers crossed it sticks.


~LC

 

[JGator]

AMC, glad you got a BFN! That is so strange to say after my time on TTC!

LC, hooray for STTN and 2 steps! Amazing progress. We are still swaddling with one arm out. My mom is here for another week or so until the nanny starts. She thinks I should not swaddle because she worries it's too tight, and we're going to break her bones/stifle her. I asked her if she was willing to sleep in the room with her without a swaddle and get up at 3am? She didn't accept that challenge!

K is 3 months old today!

Quick question, do your babies continue to cry after you pick them up in the AM? K cries until she gets her bottle. I feel like she should stop as soon as she's picked up, but maybe I am asking for too much.

 

[dani13]

Haven, I was wondering, why are you considering giving B pumped milk for his dream feed vs just bf'ing him? Not criticizing, just wondering!!!
ps- what is a dream feed, anyway??

 

[monkeyprincess]

Quick question, do your babies continue to cry after you pick them up in the AM? K cries until she gets her bottle. I feel like she should stop as soon as she's picked up, but maybe I am asking for too much.

Yes! When Ev decides he's hungry, nothing will console him except his bottle. I try holding him and giving him his pacifier, but only the bottle will do. I guess given his tempermental ways, he is not the best judge of what is "normal" though Love your little K. She's SO cute!

 

[Haven]

Haven, I was wondering, why are you considering giving B pumped milk for his dream feed vs just bf'ing him? Not criticizing, just wondering!!!
ps- what is a dream feed, anyway??

From what I understand (which isn't much!) the dream feed is a feeding you do before you (Mom) go to bed and while LO is still sleeping. B goes to sleep around 9 every night, but I'm not ready to sleep until 11ish, so the dream feed would be a nursing session for B at 11ish without waking him. The dream feed is supposed to help LO sleep a bit longer in the night, which would be amazing. Moms, please correct any of this info if I'm wrong.

I'm going to try the pumped milk for the dream feed because I am incapable of picking him up to nurse him from the boob without waking him. I'm not smooth enough! I also want to make sure he's going to take a bottle because he'll have to feed from pumped milk when I go back to teaching in August. The What to Expect book says this is a good time to introduce a bottle because he's already BFing well, and apparently if we wait too long he may refuse the bottle.

 

[dani13]

Haven, I was wondering, why are you considering giving B pumped milk for his dream feed vs just bf'ing him? Not criticizing, just wondering!!!
ps- what is a dream feed, anyway??

From what I understand (which isn't much!) the dream feed is a feeding you do before you (Mom) go to bed and while LO is still sleeping. B goes to sleep around 9 every night, but I'm not ready to sleep until 11ish, so the dream feed would be a nursing session for B at 11ish without waking him. The dream feed is supposed to help LO sleep a bit longer in the night, which would be amazing. Moms, please correct any of this info if I'm wrong.

I'm going to try the pumped milk for the dream feed because I am incapable of picking him up to nurse him from the boob without waking him. I'm not smooth enough! I also want to make sure he's going to take a bottle because he'll have to feed from pumped milk when I go back to teaching in August. The What to Expect book says this is a good time to introduce a bottle because he's already BFing well, and apparently if we wait too long he may refuse the bottle.

Hmmmm....So, you get him to eat even though he's sleeping?? That seems impossible with our kid, I dont know. But then again, he is 4 months, and he JUST started doing longer 4-5 hr stretches, after waking q 3 hours all night long since he's been about 6 wks. Before 6 wks, he was every 1-2 hours. Im EXHAUSTED!!!!