PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[mela lu]

Blen - is it wrong that I get a sick pleasure in your intense ''work around the house''. Like, the time you pruned your backyard trees, pregnant. Wow. YOU GO GIRL!

DD - welcome to the poor house! haha. HALF A MIL! YEE HAW! Good for you. That doesn''t *seem* bad considering the location...this is so exciting!!!!

NYC - Lets see these cribs

. I use a mattress pad under the fitted sheet, which is machine washable just in case

Tgal - In the daytime, I have been wrapping him in a blanket for naptime, which ''starts'' as a swaddle, but he wriggles his arms out and I''m guessing that is what wakes him up (the jerking). At night I use one of those "miracle swaddle" mummy suits. So, do you think I should try the mummy suit in the day? My only concern is that he needs to learn the art of napping because when we''re out and a bout, I''m not going to be able to mummify him, KWIM? Especially in the car seat (which he takes soooooo long to fall asleep in) and the stroller (since he''s buckled in).

*Romeo 9 wks*

 

[mela lu]

oh, and on a whim yesterday - I got bangs. lol.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Mela Nope, not bad, it is below the median value of homes in the area if you can believe it. Spend a penny less and you literally get a crap box. BTW I recommend keeping Romy up longer between naps so he is more tired. We went through the same annoying phase with Hunter around that age.

 

[Sabine]

Hello!
I think I have time to write out a post to officially join you girls with all your adorable lo''s now!

I posted my birth story in the pregnant thread, but I had Jackson last Friday via scheduled c-section due to his large size and my issues with GD. He was 8 lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long at birth!

We''ve been home since Monday and still in that "just trying to figure things out/survival mode," but I think we''re doing pretty well.

Our biggest issue has been feeding. Both dh and I had our hearts set on breastfeeding, but as I posted in a thread below, he wasn''t able to successfully bf at the hospital even with the help of all the nurses and 2 different lactation consultants. When we got home, my milk was coming in and I suffered from SEVERE engorgement (pain was so bad from that that I''m just now realizing it totally masked ANY pain from my incision. Now that the swelling and pain has gone down, I realized that I''m a bit sore there, but it''s still manageable.

Our deal right now is that I pump when I''m able to (so far it''s been about 4 times a day) and we give him a combination of the breastmilk and formula. It''s definitely not what I expected, but it''s what works for us, and it makes me happy that he''s at least getting a lot of the nutrients from my bm for now. We''ll see how long I can keep the pumping up once dh goes back to work tomorrow and then my mom leaves next week. If anyone has any suggestions for making the pump hands-free, I''d love to hear them! (I''m renting and using the hospital grade one).

Last night was rough because he was pretty gassy, and he was crying because of that, but then he also seemed way more hungry than normal and wanting to eat every 2 hours instead of every 3-4 like he had been. And I''ve been taking the early shift up with him, then dh takes over around 4 so I can get some sleep (we''ve been trying to not have my mom take him at night because we want to figure out how to do it ourselves). Well, during my early shift, he only slept a total of 1 hour, cried for about 2 hours straight, and then I knocked over a huge cup of water onto the floor, and then, when I finally got him to sleep and tried to lay down myself, our power went out! (We had some crazy storms here last night). Poor dh had to feed him and change him to the light of his cell phone last night.

I haven''t had a chance to read through the last pages of this thread yet, but I will soon I''m sure. But have to say to Mela- totally love the bangs!

 

[Sabine]

And this sight just warmed my heart yesterday when I came in after pumping...I''m so sad dh has to go back to work tomorrow!

 

[Pandora II]

Sabine, hang in there on the breast-feeding. It is really rough at first. No matter how many books you read or classes you take, the real thing is never how you think it will be from what I can see.

Daisy ended up almost entirely on formula at one stage and is now 100% breast-fed. Even so, I never get the engorged feeling and still worry if I have enough milk for her at times. After the third week it really does get easier I promise.

I wish it wasn''t presented as this totally natural thing that everyone can just do straight off. Maybe they are too scared to tell the real story in case they put people off from trying, or maybe all the PS mommies are unusually blighted??? Personally I was more put off by feeling a complete failure - it was such a relief to hear that almost everyone struggles!

I found D was a lot more gassy on the formula - now she''s exclusively breastfed I rarely have to even wind her after feeds.

On the shifting from 3-4 hours to 2 hours, you''ll probably find Jackson is going through a growth spurt - he''ll do this every now and then and will seem to just eat non-stop. It''s knackering, but it only lasts a day or so and then back to normal.

The photos are so cute and he is so adorable. Enjoy the tiny stage as they GROW like weeds!

 

[MustangGal]

Congrats on the house DD!!!

nyc - I wanna see these cribs

. We use a waterproof mattress pad and then the sheets over that.

Sabine - I had the same issues with BFing. I never got him to latch correctly, and did the pump and feed plus formula for 5 weeks, then gave up. I wish I''d stuck it out a little longer, but pumping and bottle feeding is very exausting. You might just have to time your pumping to when he''s naping for now, and maybe get a LC back in to help soon. I also rented the double pump from the hospital, and I had a couple sport style nursing bras that were able to keep it on without hands.

Mela - You''re so cute! I like the bangs. We didn''t swaddle during the day either, only at night, but it might be worth trying once and see what happens. Maybe after a few times taking longer naps in the swaddle you can try without it and see if he''s learned to sleep longer.

 

[Mrs]

hi ladies,

Courtney, I''m so sorry to hear you''ve gotten your period already - that stinks. Is this your last week of work? How''s pumping going?

Mgal, Kyle is such a cutie! I love that you are trying to introduce music. Sage and I are going to a weekly music class now. She really seemed to enjoy it at first but she was a nightmare this week since she hadn''t napped well. At least her crying was in tune while we were there though! I''m excited for you to get a night away for your anniversary! Our two year anniversary is later this month and I''m hoping we can get away for dinner just us. We''ll see since we''ve never left Sage with anyone but family and I''m not sure how DH will feel about getting a sitter.

Mela, I''m sorry napping is a problem for Romy! Sage did not sleep well anywhere but in her stroller for a while also and I ended up walking A LOT! I think that''s how I lost most of the baby weight. I never really found a solution though she is taking more naps in her crib now. Does Romy need to be walking or just moving? If he is in his stroller and you push the stroller back and forth, does that work? I find that Sage will sometimes fall asleep in her stroller at which point I promptly get back home and leave her in the stroller stationary. If she starts to wake up, I push it back and forth a bunch until she''s asleep again. I know you said he wakes up when you stop moving him but perhaps if you keep trying, he''ll start to learn to keep sleeping once stationary. He''s adorable and you''re looking great too!

Pandora, Daisy is so cute! Great pics! I''m excited to hear how BLW goes for you! please keep us informed! DId we miss your birthday? Happy Birthday if we did!

Blen, It sounds like you''re making good progress on the house! I know it must be stressful to deal with work, a new baby, AND fixing the house to move but you''re doing great!

TDM, I''m glad you''re doing well even though napping is still a challenge! And I''m glad DH has been helping a bit more. I had a frank conversation with DH about all of the things I''m having to manage without him which was good. I think he understands a bit more. I''ve also been taking more time for myself after she''s asleep. I know what you mean about how fast time is passing by! I can''t believe Sage will be 5 months old soon.... they change so fast it''s crazy! Part of me wants her development to slow down but I''m also excited to experience everything as she continues to grow.

sbde, how are you? that''s great that AF hasn''t returned for you yet. I''m hoping mine stays away for a while too though I think we''ll want to get pregnant before Sage turns 1 so hopefully AF shows up again in a few months for me...

DD, welcome back! We''ve missed you! And congrats on the house! How exciting - we want to hear all about it! How did Hunter do with the trip?

nycb, are you happy with the cribs? We use a washable mattress pad under the sheet.

Sanine, so glad to hear from you here! Jackson is soooo cute! I''m sorry about the difficulty you''re having with BFing! I hope it gets better soon!

hi everyone else!

All''s well here. My mom was going to visit for a couple of weeks later this month but cancelled her trip since she needs to be in NY for my future sister in law''s shower and I''m bummed since I was looking forward to seeing her and having some time for myself away from Sage. I love being with her every day but I do miss having some me time... I had also set a self imposed deadline for figuring out my work stuff of her visit since I figured I could get away to meet with some potential employers then. I need to stop dragging my feet on updating my resume. I''m pretty certain I want to stay home with Sage for a while but i still want to get everything updated while my mind is still somewhat sharp and I figure I should at least meet with those people who have expressed an interest in potentially hiring me to learn about the opportunity.

Sage has been a spit up queen lately and it''s so gross! I''m having her nap in her crib once or twice a day now and that''s going relatively well though she usually wakes after an hour and it''s hard to get her to sleep more even if I know she''s still tired and will be cranky if I get her up... Yesterday we went to BRU and I put her in some of the bouncers and exersaucers to try them out. I think we may just get one off of craigs list. Any of you have one? Also, if any of you need sleep sacks / wearable blankets, they''re getting rid of the gerber ones they have at BRU so they are on sale for $6.30. They only have one size (0-6mos) but I like them a little better than the halo ones since they''re a fraction of the price and they''re 100% cotton terry which I think breathes better.

This weekend I may let Sage COI when/if she wakes up a lot at night. She''s still up a fair amount at night and I do think she needs to eat once but sometimes she''s up 4 times and I KNOW she needn''t eat that much. So I''m going to let her cry for 10 min and go to her then if she''s still crying... we''ll see how it goes.

ANyway, I hope you''re all well!
Mrs

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 8/6/2009 8:37:26 AM
Author: mela lu
Blen - is it wrong that I get a sick pleasure in your intense 'work around the house'. Like, the time you pruned your backyard trees, pregnant. Wow. YOU GO GIRL!

DD - welcome to the poor house! haha. HALF A MIL! YEE HAW! Good for you. That doesn't *seem* bad considering the location...this is so exciting!!!!

NYC - Lets see these cribs

. I use a mattress pad under the fitted sheet, which is machine washable just in case

Tgal - In the daytime, I have been wrapping him in a blanket for naptime, which 'starts' as a swaddle, but he wriggles his arms out and I'm guessing that is what wakes him up (the jerking). At night I use one of those 'miracle swaddle' mummy suits. So, do you think I should try the mummy suit in the day? My only concern is that he needs to learn the art of napping because when we're out and a bout, I'm not going to be able to mummify him, KWIM? Especially in the car seat (which he takes soooooo long to fall asleep in) and the stroller (since he's buckled in).

*Romeo 9 wks*

Ok, again you are talking to the sleep nazi here, but this is my opinion.

First of all, just try the miracle mummy thing (which is what I used with Amelia, worked well) for naptime. Just try it once, maybe twice if you're feeling bold. If he sleeps longer, you have a possible solution. If he doesn't, you can rule that one out.

I was very adamant in the early weeks about protecting naps and sleep. That meant NOT going out when it was naptime. Yes, I know this is tough with a little one when so much time is spent on napping. And if she fell asleep when I was out (when it was not her naptime), I didn't wake her (this was very early on...birth-6 weeks, latest). But to give her the best shot at being a good napper, I gave her the best environment to take naps. Carseats and strollers probably do not give them the real restful naps that babies need.

I totally agree, he needs to learn the art of napping, but IMHO, the art of napping means napping at home. Once Amelia's naps scheduled were established, she never fell asleep in the carseat or stroller - because she didn't need to. All her naps were at home. Considering until she was 9 months old, she had THREE naps in a 12 hour period, I will be the first to say it totally sucks as far as your own life goes. Any and all errands were done in the sort 3 hour period (it was 2 hours when she was really little) between her last nap and bedtime.

If you want to train him to nap, that means consistency, and that means the same place to nap, every day. Amelia is 16 months old and I have never once gone out during her naptime and taken her with me. My life revolves her sleep schedule still. Thank god she is only on ONE nap!

ETA, love the bangs!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 8/6/2009 9:12:04 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Mela Nope, not bad, it is below the median value of homes in the area if you can believe it. Spend a penny less and you literally get a crap box. BTW I recommend keeping Romy up longer between naps so he is more tired. We went through the same annoying phase with Hunter around that age.

Mela, as DD said (and as I mentioned previously), this could be the culprit too. At 9 weeks old, it could be you are putting him down too soon, although then it would seem to me he would not conk out as fast. It''s another thing to try during the process of elimination.

 

[Courtneylub]

Mela, you are not alone with the napping! Alila is so fussy and I know it''s because she''s tired!! When I start staying home next Wednesday, that is my number #1 goal!

 

[Courtneylub]

I think PS has the most beautiful babies!! I''m not just saying that! Pandora, Fiery, Mela, Sabine...WOW. All gorgeous!!

 

[nycbkgirl]

lets see if this works....

 

[nycbkgirl]

woooot did it alll by myself

 

[nycbkgirl]

another view

 

[nycbkgirl]

loving alll the babies....soooo freakn cute...mela ..love bangs!!!



jon was alllll over the cribs and was bumping into the walls so we put a nice bumper on today...i mean he was inside out, side to side, front to back, sideways lol..o man!

postin pics is fun...lemme try some more lol

 

[nycbkgirl]

jackie goin to great granmas house

 

[nycbkgirl]

jus the 2 of us

 

[gailrmv]

So I got a little behind and am skimming... hope I didn't miss anything too big!
Mela LOVE your bangs!!!
Pandora Such cute pics of Daisy! I hope all the legal stuff is resolved very soon.
Mrs Im sorry your mom won;t be visiting after all. I hope you are able to get those meetings and get some clarity with regards to work. It's such a hard, personal decision!
DDWelcome back!! Congrats on your house!
Blen I hope your house fixing/selling goes really well! I am so glad you all have figured out your plan for moving - sounds exciting!
NYC What cute cribs! That's great that Jon is rolling already!
TGal and other sleep gurus I prefer the term sleep guru to sleep nazi but I know what you are getting at. What do you all think - I've tried just about everything, and my boy sleeps pretty well in his crib at night. During the day, though, he'll either have a BRIEF crib nap or a long nap in my arms. So what's better? No good nap, or good nap in my arms? I go back and forth. I'm completely committed to scheduling my life around his naps, but that would imply that he would actually nap! I've learned that he needs a mid-morning snooze (10 ish after a 7 am wakeup) but he simply will not sleep more than 40 min in his crib. Often much less. Ugh, so frustrating! He's 4 months + a couple weeks now. It's not just me - he won't nap well for DH, MIL, or our babysitter either, so I don't think it's something in particular I'm doing wrong.

 

[nycbkgirl]

ok last one promise...jon visiting jackie in her bassinett

 

[gailrmv]

Oh my goodness more cute baby pics! NYC the twins are adorable!
Courtney great pic of Alila!

Sabine Jackson is so cute! I'm sorry to hear things are still rough with the BF'ing. I don't mean to gloss over the difficulty of the first few weeks because it was SO HARD for me too. He was eating almost around the clock - just didnt seem to ever finish! so I was up all the time. I am not exaggerating. He ate for about an hour at a time, with only a half hour or so in between feedings. He was so fussy, and just never seemed satisfied even though I had plenty of milk (or so they said). I had a C-section also and was worried about dozing off with him in my arms due to the meds, so I feel like I was up all the time. DH didn;t have much time off either and my parents didn't stay long, so those first weeks were so lonely and exhausting. I am glad I was able to keep on with BFing because now it is so much easier than dealing with bottles. I hope it becomes easier for you as well. I had to seek out several LC's before I found one who could help me. If you really want to continue with BFing please keep seeking out help and stick with it a bit longer - I do hope it will become easier for you too! I found Jack Newman's book very helpful.

 

[nycbkgirl]

Date: 8/6/2009 10:05:39 PM
Author: TanDogMom
So I got a little behind and am skimming... hope I didn''t miss anything too big!
Mela LOVE your bangs!!!
Pandora Such cute pics of Daisy! I hope all the legal stuff is resolved very soon.
Mrs Im sorry your mom won;t be visiting after all. I hope you are able to get those meetings and get some clarity with regards to work. It''s such a hard, personal decision!
DDWelcome back!! Congrats on your house!
Blen I hope your house fixing/selling goes really well! I am so glad you all have figured out your plan for moving - sounds exciting!
NYC What cute cribs! That''s great that Jon is rolling already!
TGal and other sleep gurus I prefer the term sleep guru to sleep nazi but I know what you are getting at. What do you all think - I''ve tried just about everything, and my boy sleeps pretty well in his crib at night. During the day, though, he''ll either have a BRIEF crib nap or a long nap in my arms. So what''s better? No good nap, or good nap in my arms? I go back and forth. I''m completely committed to scheduling my life around his naps, but that would imply that he would actually nap! I''ve learned that he needs a mid-morning snooze (10 ish after a 7 am wakeup) but he simply will not sleep more than 40 min in his crib. Ugh, so frustrating! He''s 4 months + a couple weeks now. It''s not just me - he won''t nap well for DH, MIL, or our babysitter either, so I don''t think it''s something in particular I''m doing wrong.

TDM- i am having the same issues and they are almost 4 mos too! they used to have great naps and now all of a sudden...Zip!...it is frustrating and we are also trying everything we can

 

[cdt1101]

OMG ladies...the new pics are so freakin cute!!!

NYC - the pic of the twins in the bassinet together is just so adorable!!! i can't take it....I love that Jon is 'spooning' Jackie!! And I love the cribs!

Mela- LOVE the bangs...wish i could have bangs, but my hair is curly and bangs just do not work! Sorry to hear about the issues w/ naps...I took TGal's advice a few weeks ago and pretty much didn't left the house for a good 1 1/2 weeks just so I could establish a nap routine w/ Lex. It worked great!! He's a really good napper now and he only wakes once during the night! Although he does get up at 5:00 am..blah!

Pandora - Daisy is gorgeous! Love her little outfit!

Courtney - Alila is so cute! Congrats on making the decision to stay home! I sooooooo wish I could, but realistically I don't think my DH and I could swing it long term. But I'm home until the end of November so I'm cherishing the time I have now.

The weekend at the beach was mostly a success. Lex refused to nap though. He wanted to hang out w/ all of his family...hehhee..but he did his normal routine at night, so I can't complain!

We had our 2 month appt..Lex is 12 lbs and 23.5 inches!! Big boy I have!

Wanted to post this pic...I bought him some shades for the beach...i took this pic before we left. Too funny!




Lex - 9 weeks

 

[mela lu]

Holy MAN these pics are toooo freeeeeking cute!
NYC - Glad you learned how to upload pics! The twinks are so cute - now we can have MORE of them!

Crazy cool cribs! I've never seen anything like 'em!

EVERYONE's KIDS ARE SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tgal and Sleep guru's. I am going to be your Jedi, and you my Yoda. (did I really just say that? ewww.) I'm going to focus on getting a nap routine. After that is established, I'll work on getting him to eating every 4 hrs.

I kept him up for 2 hrs this morning before putting him down. I mummified him in his swaddle, and *knock on wood* he's been sleeping for 1/2 an hour now. FINGERS CROSSED. Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm going to dedicate myself too. It's a new "project"!

ETA: OMG he's awake. SH!@. No sooner did I type the words. URGH. Should I let him cry? @#$T^^%$#^&Y^$%#@$@#

Here's my two cuties! Both about 12 lbs now!

 

[cdt1101]

Mela - love the pic! Do you use a pacifier at all w/ Romy??? Lex sometimes fusses/cries during naps, but I just go in and pop the paci in his mouth and he always falls back asleep...just an idea

 

[mela lu]

yah I''ve tried that....

hes wide awake now. urgh.

 

[nycbkgirl]

CDT- omg I was peein with those sunglasses!.....so freakn funny...I have one of those with jackie.

Mela- did pick him up and try to rock him back?...when he''s up do u do lots of activities...like excercises and games?...with jon if u tire him out he will be very sleepy but jackie is a disasta lol...so unfortunatley, I think some kiddos jus aren''t great sleepers (sighhhhhh).....love mela n romy..omgggg my fave!

 

[sbde]

aaahh cuteness overload! SUCH GORGEOUS BABIES!!!

thanks for posting pics guys.

nyc - the twins are just too cute, i love the snuggling pic of the 2 of them
cdt - adorable! love the sunglasses. you DO have a big boy, J was around the same size at 2 months so i totally know what you mean.
mela - huggles for romy, so cute! yay for bangs

we''re all doing well. TGIF eh, even though i''m on mat leave i still like having a break on weekends since J is pretty much with DH all weekend with the exception of feedings. hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

 

[Courtneylub]

Mela, Romy is just too darn cute for me!!

CDT, love the shades...and his smirk goes well with them. LOL Alila was 11 lbs 12 oz at her 2 month appointment and I bet she''s like 14 lbs now! She''s growing like a weed!

 

[cdt1101]

Mela - When I first started the nap thing, Lex WOULD NOT have it...so I decided that unless he was really crying, I wouldn''t pick him up. Sometimes it would take 45 minutes for him to fall asleep. If he got fussy, I would go in and pat his butt and put the paci back in his mouth. Sometimes even just rub his head and tell him it was naptime...hehehe....There are still days I have to do this, but he will fall asleep eventually. I did not do CIO, but he usually never really cried, just got fussy and I would sooth him as much as possible without actually taking him out of the crib. I wanted him to realize (hopefully) that I meant business and it was naptime. It seemed to work, but it took a couple of days for the time to shorten. Now he''s usually asleep within 15 minutes.