PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Mrs]

Thanks for understanding, nyc, diva, and blen... I''m sure DH will start doing more. I just need to get better about asking for his help and not expecting him to know what to do without my guidance.

Diva, yay for your ering being done today!! I''m with you on being glad this thread is more manageable now! Thanks for letting me know about how James takes the vitamins... I hope Sage does okay with them!

Blen, when you had mastitis, what did it feel like? I''m concerned that I might have it but I''m not sure and would hate to go on antibiotics for nothing. My right breast is very tender on one side - like it''s bruised or something.

 

[MustangGal]

Mrs
The shots were no fun for Kyle either. He got 2 in one theigh and 1 in the other. He only cried a minute, then slept for 2-3 hours. But when he woke up ge cried for 45 minutes until I realized that his theighs were sore and I kept touching them

I put him in the baby bjorn and he was better after that. Kyle was also really wierd on her percentiles at 2 months. 65th in weight, but 25th in head and length. I measured him myself at 3 months and he''s 50th in everything now, so they do grow! Too abd about your Dh not helping. Maybe just ask him when you want that extra hand? He may not realize all the work you''re doing wihtout him. I have to ask mine once in a while, he tends to zone out on baseball and doesn''t know whats going on around him.

Q
I think the shots had Kyle in more pain that getting snipped. I didn''t really have an opinion either way on it, but DH wanted to have it done.

Blen
Good luck going back to work, the first week or two are the worst, but you get into a routine after that. Working 2 days and then having the 3 day weekend should be a nice way to ease into it.

 

[Blenheim]

Date: 5/19/2009 11:05:41 AM
Author: Mrs
Thanks for understanding, nyc, diva, and blen... I''m sure DH will start doing more. I just need to get better about asking for his help and not expecting him to know what to do without my guidance.

Diva, yay for your ering being done today!! I''m with you on being glad this thread is more manageable now! Thanks for letting me know about how James takes the vitamins... I hope Sage does okay with them!

Blen, when you had mastitis, what did it feel like? I''m concerned that I might have it but I''m not sure and would hate to go on antibiotics for nothing. My right breast is very tender on one side - like it''s bruised or something.

Tender, bruised feeling breast with a hard lump, fever, overall achyness (probably related to fever). Kellymom has some info on plugged ducts/mastitis that might help.

Re: husbands, it''s frustrating because it''s not like I know what I''m doing either! Even if participation in baby stuff or housework is 50/50, I feel like I''m always the one in charge of determining what needs to be done. He''s fine doing almost all of the cooking (our deal is that he feeds the adults and I feed the baby

), but always wants me to be the one to plan what he cooks and then doesn''t like half of my suggestions.

Same thing with house work, and home repairs, etc. I really wish that it didn''t fall on me to be in charge. But my dad never changed a single diaper or got in the middle of the night to try to help with a screaming baby, so I guess I can''t complain but so much.

I also feel that this thread is so much more manageable! I was getting overwhelmed before.

 

[pavelover]

mrs I just went through something similar a couple of weeks ago. My right breast felt like someone kicked me all along the right side, but I couldn''t really find a lump or tender spot. I tried to treat it like a plugged duct and nursed aton over night. when i went to mommy''s group, one of the laleche leaders happened to be there. she told me sometimes when you go along time with pumping/feeding, your breast can feel sore for a couple of days afterward. T had gone 7 hours the night before(sleeping) so I was super full/engorged. It went away on it''s own in a couple of days.
Just thought I would share my exp but for sure if you have any ? check with your dr. hope you feel better soon.

blen would you mind giving me the linky again for the diaper trial? I tried searching for it last night but got confused about which thread it was in, etc. thanks in advance.

 

[Blenheim]

Date: 5/19/2009 11:43:45 AM
Author: pavelover

blen would you mind giving me the linky again for the diaper trial? I tried searching for it last night but got confused about which thread it was in, etc. thanks in advance.

here you go!
http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/products/clothdiapers/tryclothfor10/tryclothfor10

 

[snlee]

Date: 5/19/2009 11:21:25 AM
Author: Blenheim

Date: 5/19/2009 11:05:41 AM
Author: Mrs

Thanks for understanding, nyc, diva, and blen... I''m sure DH will start doing more. I just need to get better about asking for his help and not expecting him to know what to do without my guidance.

Diva, yay for your ering being done today!! I''m with you on being glad this thread is more manageable now! Thanks for letting me know about how James takes the vitamins... I hope Sage does okay with them!

Blen, when you had mastitis, what did it feel like? I''m concerned that I might have it but I''m not sure and would hate to go on antibiotics for nothing. My right breast is very tender on one side - like it''s bruised or something.

Tender, bruised feeling breast with a hard lump, fever, overall achyness (probably related to fever). Kellymom has some info on plugged ducts/mastitis that might help.

Re: husbands, it''s frustrating because it''s not like I know what I''m doing either! Even if participation in baby stuff or housework is 50/50, I feel like I''m always the one in charge of determining what needs to be done. He''s fine doing almost all of the cooking (our deal is that he feeds the adults and I feed the baby

), but always wants me to be the one to plan what he cooks and then doesn''t like half of my suggestions.

Same thing with house work, and home repairs, etc. I really wish that it didn''t fall on me to be in charge. But my dad never changed a single diaper or got in the middle of the night to try to help with a screaming baby, so I guess I can''t complain but so much.

I also feel that this thread is so much more manageable! I was getting overwhelmed before.

Mrs, also wanted to add that there will be red spots on your breast if it''s mastitis. So if there are no red spots and you don''t feel like absolute crap, it''s probably a bad clog. Have you tried heat, ice, and massaging while nursing? Hope you feel better soon!

 

[nycbkgirl]

Diva- congrats on new ering! I can''t wait to see it

Blen- oyyy poor G with the diaper rash

...what cream do u use? My friend swears by a prescription cream...called..silvadine (duno if I spelled it right but that''s what it sounds like)

AFM- im soooo upset right now I can hardly even type w.o. Tearing....my niece (who is a 2nd daughter to me) is having surgery tom. I was supposed to come along (its a 5 hr drive away) to be a support since im one of her fave ppl...she is 4 and now understands things and my sis doesn''t wanna be alone there...so I would be there to help talk to her and explain things before and afterwards...the plan was my mom would spend the night tues to wed then wed to thurs (when we would be back)...and his mom as always come in the a.m. and my mom go and sleep...so my mom is now scared to be alone with the 2 babies at night by herself and now I can''t go! Im just soooo upset I can''t even stand it. We explained to her that she can have someone else stay with her to at least hold 1 baby if they both act up (I.e. Aunt or granny) and dh comes home at 230a.m...she agreed at first but now again is starting..I got so mad i said I won''t go and don''t even want her to stay...my babies I will deal with the both of them.

Sorry vent over

 

[Blenheim]

NYC - I'm sorry to hear that you have to cancel your trip.

I've been trying a couple of things - Desitin didn't really seem to be helping, and now I'm going to have to strip the diapers we were using with the Desitin since it's not the most cloth diaper friendly option. We smeared a bit of olive oil on his bum and are now leaving him naked (well, he has a t shirt on). That's done wonders in the three hours that he's been sitting around naked. My mw asked if we were doing elimination communication when she was here and saw him laying around nakkie - definitely not up for that! She said that the diaper rash might be yeast based, which is another thing that I was wondering about when I was looking online earlier today. G has a ped appointment this week and if it's still there at that point, we'll have them look at it and see if they want to prescribe us some cream.

So, my middie confirmed my suspicions that G might have a food sensitivity and wants me to cut out dairy and eggs for a couple of weeks to see if that helps. Of course I'll do it, but -

. That's a lot of our diet. I had a panic "how am I going to find anything to eat?" moment but if vegans can get a good variety of food and eat a healthy diet, there's no reason that I won't be able to. And I have meat to work with, even. Has anyone cut dairy and eggs from their diet? Any good recipe suggestions, or breakfast suggestions especially?

 

[MustangGal]

NYC, I''m sorry to hear about not making it to the surgery, I can''t believe your mom chickened out of watching her grandbabies! Maybe you can have them call and be on the phone with her before and after the surgery? I know it won''t be the same, but it might help.

Blen, Kyle has a lactose sensitivity, but he''s on formula so that doesn''t help you much! He was really fussy and gassy until we switched to the lactose free formula, and he''s soo much happier now. Could you do waffles/pancakes or muffins for breakfast? I don''t know if the boxed mixes have a milk product in them. Maybe go to a health food type store that would cater to vegans and see what they have? Good luck!

 

[neatfreak]

Blen Really the best thing to really fix diaper rash fast is naked time! That is the best way IMO-Max had it baaad for a few weeks about the same age as George. It''ll most likely go away once they stop peeing/pooing so often.

 

[mrssalvo]

blen...jake had a diaper rash that would not go away despite all other methods. I remembered my daughter having a stubborn one that was yeast based and you can buy the store brand version of anti-fungal cream, like lotrimin, and it will clear it right up. I tried it on Jake and it worked wonders. you are supposed to keep using it for a few days even once the rash is gone to make sure it doesn''t flair up again. If you have a dr. appt you can wait and ask them but you probably won''t have to buy a prescription cream.

 

[Burk]

Blen~I had to cut out foods due to T''s food intollerances when I was BFing. I started with dairy and when that didn''t help did soy, and finally did the total elimination diet (only foods I could eat were pears, turkey, and lettuce basically). If you do a google search there are actually a lot of resources. Even many restaurants will gladly tell you ingredients to their dishes so you know if you can eat it. I''m not going to lie and say it''s easy...but it does get better! Good luck!

 

[pavelover]

Blen thanks so much for the linky! I ordered the trial! Who ever imagined I would be so excited about cloth diapering,lol. Are you back home now? How is George?
I just reread posts! Best of luck with the transition back to work. Hugs. I''m sure it will be hard but George will do great. I''m glad you get to ease into it a little bit.

mustang whew! i didn,t mean to come off preachy and hope i didn''t. Yeah condoms are a pain but so necessary for me right now! sorry to hear about kyles owies with the shots.

Mrs I guess you were the one actually saying your baby was having a hard time with the shots! OUch. Did you try tylenol? I always use it(well the two times he has gotten them so far) and it really heps. Also sorry to hear about your dh not picking up any slack- that is really tough. I agree with Diva in general men don''t really get how hard it is. I am lucky that my dh really does a ton but I think he still thinks I should be doing more and acts like it''s not that hard. He always says for example- oh the crying doesn''t get to me...but then he calls me when I am out- do you hear him???? (cause he is screaming his head off) If it doesn''t get to him, why does he feel the need to call me??????? Men.


Neat it''s so good to "see" you. HOw is the house hunting going? still looking in the east bay? south bay is just lovely haha. I think the eastbay used to bemore affordable but I am not sure that is the case anymore(well before the downturn I mean).
well tyler is awake after a 40 minute nap....that is kind of how the day has been going. oh well. se you guys later!!!!

 

[qtiekiki]

Janine
Thanks for sympathy. Last night was good. I actually put her down awake, and she was able to fall asleep w/o fussing or pulling herself up. Let’s hope tonight is the same.
You know, I am just lucky with BFing. IMO, compared to you, Tacori and other mommies who struggled and still BF for as long as you could, I am not impressive at all.
NF
Sound like a busy week for you. Have a good week and Memorial Day weekend.
When do you have to move to the Bay Area? How’s house hunting so far?
MustangGal
That’s great that Kyle is sleeping from 9pm – 6am.
Date nights are always good. Glad you have a good time.
I’ve been trying to help M learn how to sit down. She would sit down if we are holding her arms, but won’t do it from holding onto objects.
Did you get a chance to check out TJ Maxx or Burlington yet? Our TJ Maxx doesn’t get any of the MacClaren. We don’t have an umbrella stroller; I am not sure if we are getting one.
Mrs
Thanks for the compliments. I am slimmer than pre-pregnancy, but am also more flabby (just hidden under clothes) KWIM.
Our pedi never mentioned anything about giving multi-vitamins. I was going to ask our pedi after reading that some of the other mommies were suggested by their pedi to give multi-vitamins, but I forgot to ask last appt.
Poor Sage. The crying after the shots are the worse.
Sorry your DH is not helpful. DH was that way. I didn’t say much about it when I was on leave. I complained after I went back to work, and he is much better. Maybe he just doesn’t realize the amount of work you are doing (men can be clueless). Maybe a small talk would help.
nyc
We are using the Vicks Cool Mist Humidifier. I didn’t research humidifier at all. We are using that one b/c that’s the one DH got for me when I got sick during pregnancy. Hopefully others will chime in.
Sorry Jon was being fussy last night.
Diva
Yeah M is pulling up on things, but mostly in her crib or on us if we are close by. We just lowered the crib to the lowest level, thinking that she might not be able to reach to pull herself up. But she is still tall enough to reach up.
Blen
Good luck with going back to work. I wasn’t ready when my leave was over, but it gets easier, even though I still think about M constantly at work. I just look forward to going home every night.

 

[nycbkgirl]

Qt- do u like the vicks one?

 

[pavelover]

blen burk has been my touchstone bc t has reflux like heer daughter. i gave up dairy, then soy. never eggs. my friend suggesdted it but i hads already been eating them`all along and had seen improvement in giving up dairy. my friend quoted me something like 30-40% of ppl allergic to dairy are also allergic to soy. i think its true for my bby.

i eat a ton of meat now and alot of carbs. my dh is in the habit of eating reg meals for brkfasdt and so I adopted that habit. It works. I just eat leftovers. I miss dairy alot. And of course I do eat eggs sometimes.
I started this so long ago(much earlier today). Now I am fried and cant'' remember what else I wanted to say? I will try again tomorrow. haha.

 

[Mrs]

MGal, I''m glad to know Kyle''s stats were kinda funny at two months but he caught up. I think Sage will catch up in height but we''ll see. I know you''re right about DH helping more if I just ask. I need to get better about that.

blen, thanks for guiding me to kellymom - I had already read that his morning and I believe I''ve determined that it wasn''t mastitis since it seems to feel a little better now.

re: husbands - I totally agree - it''s hard to be the one responsible for making all the decisions about how things should be done when I''ve no idea how to do most of it either... I guess we''ll figure it out and will drag our DHs along with us.

re: diaper rash, S had it really bad early on and again a week ago and Desitin helped a LOT but it took a few days to clear up and I had to be careful to make sure her skin was really dry when I applied it which wasn''t easy since her rash was a little weepy. I hope G feels better soon!

I''m so sorry you''re having to change your diet! I hope that goes well and you figure out what the problem food is easily!

pave, I think I must be experiencing something similar to what you had a few weeks ago with respect to my breast pain. no fun!

snlee, thanks for chiming in re: mastitis. I don''t have any redness really so I think you''re right that''s it''s probably just a clogged duct - though I don''t feel a hard lump or anything. I had a hot shower today and massaged it a bit so hopefully it''ll be better soon.

nyc, I''m sorry your mom''s not letting you go be with your niece! that stinks!

neat, I did indeed give her tylenol right before the shots and again 4 hours later and I do think it helped a bit but she was still upset... I guess it''s kind of inevitable.

too funny about your DH calling you like that to hear the screaming!

q, I''m glad your DH got better about helping after you talked to him! I hope mine will get better too...

Today I finally started to do more research on childcare since I can''t keep pretending that I''m not going back to work and it REALLY stressed me out. I just HATE every option. I don''t really want to stay home, even though we could probably make it work - though it would mean not buying a house any time soon. I don''t want her in day care since that would expose her to all sorts of germs and would make life rather difficult since both DH and I work really early in the AM. And the cost of having someone come watch her in our home is probably prohibitive. It''s just so hard to figure out. I know we''ll find a solution that works fine but it''s very stressful, especially since DH and I aren''t really on the same page about this stuff... I need to keep reminding myself that we''re very fortunate to be able to have options, even if I don''t like any of them. And I would much rather have these problems than not have my sweet baby girl!

As for DH, he was more helpful tonight and really did try to make me feel better about the childcare stuff even though he ended up just making me more upset. At least he''s trying!

Nothing new to report regarding Sage - she seems to be over yesterdays shots which is good. And she took the vitamins just fine today. She''s smiling a little more now which is really nice and she''s very vocal. Coos and babbles a bunch and she sounds like such a girly girl. Even her crying is supper girly. too funny. She has also mastered the pouty face. She sticks her lower lip out as far as it will go and it''s adorable even though I know it will soon be followed by tears.

ANyway, I hope you''re all having an okay night.

Mrs

 

[mela lu]

I''m just popping in to offer my support to Blen - having to go back to work PLUS all these dietary/diaper issues cannot be easy. I''m just so irked by the US mat leave standards.
Is the standard 6 weeks? That just seems criminal to me (being Canadian) having a whole year off. My heart breaks for you. I know you "have" to do it...but it just doesn''t seem right or fair to me. I''m so sorry. Hang in there.

Hi Moms

I''m just towing the line...this Friday is my official Due Date, and needless to say, I''m feeling discouraged and anxious to have my baby. Just lurking around for now...

 

[Blenheim]

Thanks everyone for the diaper rash and eating advice!!

Pave - I think that most people who end up cloth diapering get way more into it than they were expecting. Have fun!
Eating regular meals at breakfast makes total sense - not sure why I didn''t think of that! Thanks! And I didn''t realize that about the soy. That''s very annoying. I got a vegan cookbook from the library yesterday figuring that it might have things like muffin and waffle recipes that I could eat, but everything has soy in it. I don''t really eat soy much, so if he''s sensitive to both soy and dairy, adding soy while eliminating dairy could be counterproductive and mask the problem. I might just play it really safe for 2-3 weeks and see what happens.

Mela - Thanks for the support. In the US, public agencies, schools, and companies with more than 50 employees must allow full time employees who have been working with them for at least 12 months to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave in any given 12 month span for birth, adoption, caring for a sick family member, or illness. Note that there are a lot of gaps in who it covers (small companies, part time employees, newer employees), and that it doesn''t specify anything about pay. A lot of companies (mine included) will pay you short term disability pay for 6 weeks for a vaginal birth, 8 weeks for a cesarean. So I''ve had the last 6 weeks paid and could stay home unpaid for another 6 weeks, but we''d have to dip into savings which is scary with hubs being unemployed. If he had a job, I''d definitely be at home for another 6 weeks. At least George will have one parent at home with him.

I''m sure little Romeo will be here before you know it. I have my fingers crossed that it''s sooner rather than later.

 

[mela lu]

blen - thank goodness your DH can stay home with little George. Phew! This will show him how hard it is to be the primary care giver

and mee tinks he will be in awe of you and very appreciative of all the things you do.

Is your DH looking forward to it?

Blen - I do a 12 day cleanse every year that eliminates:
-dairy
-soy/fermented foods
-sugar
-refined flour

This particular one is called "The Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox" by Terry Willard

This is a link to the "cookbook" that comes with the kit http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0027VBYMS/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1242829490&sr=1-1&condition=used

But I''m sure you can find similar ''cookbooks'' for these types of food elimination strategies. I feel like this could give you some good ideas for meals. The nice thing too about eating whole foods (like grains) is that you can make batches of things and keep them in the fridge for a few days (like a Quinoa salad, or a pasta salad made with whole grain noodles).

The hippie in me loves this stuff. I''m going to go put make-up on now to counter balance my inner granola.

 

[sbde]

hi mommies!

so glad that the thread has split up to a more managable size, although i hope moms of older kids continue to drop in to give us their words of wisdom.

i'm already behind on the thread, yikes!

mela - hang in there girl you're in the home stretch. i still think you're having romeo because my lentil craving was rivaled only by yours

blen - sorry to hear abt diaper rash woes. i think i mentioned this in the old thread but regularly washing baby's booty has worked for us. he's never had a diaper rash and i think it's because i wash him with warm water and dove sensitive skin bar soap each time he poops. us mat leave SUCKS, sorry you have to go back to work soon.

nyc - soooo sorry you have to cancel your trip!

mustang - shots are the WORST. jelly has his 4 mth appt tomorrow and i'm already feeling sorry for him. when he had his 2 mth shots he was feverish and upset for the next 2 days.

mrs - i LOVE baby pouty faces haha

they are so cute. i start distracting baby with a song or something when he pouts and that ends up making him smile instead of continuing down the path to crying.

 

[MustangGal]

Pave
No, you weren''t preachy! I think a lot of women are under the misconception that breastfeeding=birth control!

Qtiekiki
I haven''t made it shopping yet, I think we''ll go saturday and see what I can find. If I don''t get one it''s not a big deal, they just look so much easier than lugging the monster stroller around.

Mrs
For daycare, I found the most options in my area through care.com. I chose a lady that takes a few children in her home. She''s down to just my baby and 1 other child at the moment, so he gets a lot of attention. Her 2 year old likes to help, and seems to be pretty attached to Kyle. It''s also less expensive than the big daycare centers. He''s been going for 6 weeks now, and hasn''t gotten sick or had any problems yet. My mom did in-home care after she had my youngest brother, so I know what it''s like from the caregivers perspecrtive, and wasn''t too worried as long as I found someone I could trust. I tell myself that it''ll be good for him, he''ll have friends to play with and learn to share/play nice, etc.

Blen
That''s great that the baby will get to stay home with daddy! We almost did that arrangement as well. DH was laid off when I was 7 months preggo, and we decided if he didn''t find a job by the time the baby came then he would stay home and maybe get a PT job to fill in the gaps. He was able to get a job after 5 weeks off, so it didn''t happen, but I almost wish he had been able to stay with the baby.

 

[sbde]

LIA i believe you had wanted info on my derm appt. it went welll and he confirmed that the skin issues i''m having are all hormonal related to the pregnancy (isn''t it insane how the post partum hormones effect everyone in such different ways!?) and has prescribed a mild steroid cream for the dryness/rash and a AHA gel for my arms/torso. hopefully it''ll help normalize my skin!

did anyone have their eyebrows thin when they had their post partum hairloss? my eyebrows are definitely MUCH sparser than before and the derm said it was connected to the hairloss on my head but just wanted to know if anyone else experienced this.

 

[MustangGal]

sbde- I have noticed my left eyebrow looking a little thinner, I didn''t connect it to the hair loss until you asked though, that''s probably what''s going on. The hair loss is driving me nuts! I have VERY thick curly hair, and it''s coming out in handfuls! DH has had to clear the drain in the shower and the sink once already. And somehow even with all the hair falling out, it''s still way too thick! Oh well.

 

[fieryred33143]

Good morning moms!

Are any of you ladies pumping? I will be pumping once I get back to work. I''m trying to decide whether to purchase the medela pump now or just wait until later. We received a gift card to BRU and I also have a bunch of coupons to use. There is a medela coupon for 15% off that I can use my gift card towards but not sure if its wiser to use the GC towards some of the other things I need (like my car seat).

TIA

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/21/2009 9:40:30 AM
Author: fieryred33143
Good morning moms!


Are any of you ladies pumping? I will be pumping once I get back to work. I''m trying to decide whether to purchase the medela pump now or just wait until later. We received a gift card to BRU and I also have a bunch of coupons to use. There is a medela coupon for 15% off that I can use my gift card towards but not sure if its wiser to use the GC towards some of the other things I need (like my car seat).


TIA

I would wait juuuuust to make sure you *can* BF. Some people can''t-or realize it won''t work for them-and then have it wasted a lot of money on a pump.

I would buy it a few weeks before you go back to work and get pumping then.

I have the pump in style and it''s great. I pump if I am at work during the day and I also pump at 10pm before I go to sleep since the boys generally sleep 7pm-7am or so and I can''t go that long without BFing or pumping.

 

[fieryred33143]

Thanks NF. That''s what I figured...I just really love coupons

 

[MustangGal]

I bought a small pump before the baby came, but ended up renting the one from the hospital for a month. You might want to do that and make sure you can BF (it only lasted 5 weeks for me

), and that you can pump also. Some people don''t have much luck with pumping. The one I rented was a Medela Symphony, it worked great.

 

[pavelover]

Hi Fiery- I agree with the other posters but I Love coupons too. Can you check the return policy? I''m thinking if the box is sealed it is returnable(it comes with abig seal on it) and really there is no need to open it until you need it. that way you can get the sale and still return it? I hope it works out. I bought the freestyle I think? it can be cordless so you can walk around the house and it has a belt and clip, which I dont love but I put it in my bathrobe. it''s pretty nice. good luck!

 

[MustangGal]

I was able to return the small one I bought, I made sure I didn''t open it just incase. It was from Walmart though, so maybe check the BRU policy, it might be worth a look.