PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[nycbkgirl]

Court- im so sorry and i hope u make the right decision about bf''ing..ff isnt that bad either way

Mela- u procrastinator u! yay for cribs!! i didnt get them yet...they are stillll coming from france

...but should be here sooon..i really hope they take to them and wont have to start the sleeping process all over again!

Mgal- glad to here Kyle is better...guess what..jackie caught a cold too

..but she was bad for like 3 days and shes much better now! hoping jon didnt catch it.

Janine- i rock my babies to sleep if they arent very sleepy ...but when they wanna sleep so bad i just hold them and put them down...some butt patting is required but i do what works too and i hope im not forming bad habits

i think eventually i will do the CIO method once they are a little bigger....i let them cio now for a few minute to release that energy and they are more tired and more sleepy so its easier then but i cannot go more than a few mins bc they just are red in the face and just unbearable. my kiddos love belly sleep since 2mos and jackie like to sleep on her side on the boppy too.

so, we were fighting the cold..jackie got sick and she was all congested and couldnt sleep! it was a nightmare went to pedi and he said just simple minor cold to give saline drops and if fever then tylenol. i also asked him about heating formula...he said no heating just take it out of fridge for like 5 10 mins and thats it ...he said AC is fine (my granny thinks they get sick from ac

)

...i started putting their tubs in our bathtub and doing a dual bath/shower thingamajig...i have a waterfall type of showerhead and they love watching it come down and its nice and steamy in there and i start excercising their hands and feet doing the swimming motions and i use the handheld shower ..oh forget it ..when i take them out its like the worst upset youd ever believe...they love it...always say...just gotta find what works..they seem to be on a schedule now....ater 6 or 7 depending on when they wake from evening nap, they cannot go back to sleep til at least 9 ..we eat, play, bathe, eat then sleep. jon is sleeping about 8 hrs thru and jackie still has 1 feed at 3am but she is smaller so thats ok , we will work that out.

 

[MustangGal]

nyc - good to hear that their doing better!

Kyle seems to have given DH and I his cold

, we both have sore throats, but no congestion yet. He seems to be pretty much over it, so I''m hoping we don''t get it too bad! And Kyle learned peak-a-boo this weekend! He caught on really quick, and now whenever he has a burb rag/toy/blanket near him he hides his face, then pulls it away quick and smiles. A good friend of mine that''s prego just found out their having a boy, they have an 18 month of girl, so they''re really excited. I''ve been putting away clothes for her just incase, so it''s nice to know they''ll be able to use them!

 

[nycbkgirl]

Date: 7/28/2009 2:23:12 PM
Author: MustangGal
nyc - good to hear that their doing better!

Kyle seems to have given DH and I his cold

, we both have sore throats, but no congestion yet. He seems to be pretty much over it, so I''m hoping we don''t get it too bad! And Kyle learned peak-a-boo this weekend! He caught on really quick, and now whenever he has a burb rag/toy/blanket near him he hides his face, then pulls it away quick and smiles. A good friend of mine that''s prego just found out their having a boy, they have an 18 month of girl, so they''re really excited. I''ve been putting away clothes for her just incase, so it''s nice to know they''ll be able to use them!

that is tooo cute...i cant wait for those games and to hear them laugh!

i also started putting away all the small clothes in hopes someone will want to take them so they wont spend money ...like i did

...my cousin is having a boy ..i already offered them our carseat bc by that time we will get the bigger ones, hopefully they will want the clothes too bc i keep everything nice and clean. are u storing the old clothes in a bag or bucket? i duno where to store everything..organization is not my friend

 

[Blenheim]

Courtney, I''m so sorry both about work and your milk supply. Since there''s a really good chance that you won''t be working too much longer, I''d personally keep BFing as much as you''re still able to. Relactation is possible if you want to go that route, but if you want to go to full time formula you can rest assured that you were able to BF her through the most critical part of her infancy.

MGal and NYC - sorry about the sick babes. I''m really not looking forward to dealing with that. We have one of those huge tupperware tubs for clothing/diapers we have that are still too big and another for things he''s outgrown. We''re donating some of his clothing (particularly the kind of things he only ended up wearing once because we didn''t like it enough to put it on him a second time!) but are keeping our favorites for future babies.

TGal - thanks for chiming in. Even if your friends'' experiences weren''t as bad as I remember, hearing about them did prompt DH and me to discuss exactly what our longer-term expectations were regarding sleeping arrangements, so I think it did us some good.

 

[MustangGal]

Nyc - I''ve been giving away things as he grows, so pretty much just using grocery bags. Since I don''t want any more kids, I''ve only kept a few special outfits for remembrence. I have all the too big clothes bagged up in his closet by size, and I periodically go through his drawers, pull out the things that are too small, and put new things in. He''s up to about 6 month size now, so I haven''t gone through too many things.

Kyle slept soo well last night! Went down at 7:45pm, and not one peep until 6am when he was quetly talking in his crib. I was able to feed the dog, make a bottle, and turn on the news berfore I went in to get him, and got a huge smile when he saw me

 

[cdt1101]

hey ladies!

Sorry to hear about the sick little ones!!

Things are going pretty well here. Lex only woke for 1 feeding last night

So other than 1am, he slept from 7pm to 6:30 this morning! I soooooooooo hope it wasn't a one time deal! I've found the key really is NAPS. I've spent the last week pretty much only at home really working on a schedule w/ him and it seems to be working! He's still a grump though

When he's awake he just looks so mean...hehehe....I call him a crotchety old man in the making

We are heading to my family's beach house this weekend, I'm so nervous it's going to mess things up on the sleep front, but it's only 1 night stay.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! It's super slow around here so it seems like it

 

[nycbkgirl]

woooot for sleepin babies! i thought i was right on target with his schedule and ystdy he threw it off

...went to sleep at 930 and then 1230 he was screamin so we had to feed by 1 sleep by 145 and up at 7...dont like this and i hope it was a 1 time deal! we seem to be having gas issues again and mylicon is a savior! i put him down for naps and in 30mins he is screamin...urgh rough day! jackie''s sleeping schedule is still under construction

 

[Courtneylub]

Thanks, Blen. I''m definitely going to keep up the pumping at work. I only have to do it for 2 weeks because I gave my notice today!! Hopefully I can increase my supply once I''m home with her again. I think I need to go back to feeding her every 3 hours. She just can''t last 4 hours, especially on my supply right now. We end up giving her 2 ounce "snacks" in between. I would say I''m producing about 20 ounces a day and correct me if I''m wrong but I think she should be getting about 30. We''ve been supplementing 1 or 2 formula feedings a day. I got the 30 lz from multiplying her weight in pounds times 2.5. Is this right??

Mela, are you up to the every 4 hours part of the Baby Sleep Solution? I suppose I made a mistake by nursing her every 4 hours and not pumping in between to keep my supply up. I later learned that it states that in the book for nursing mothers.

 

[MustangGal]

courtney - 4 hours can be a bit long to go for them, especially on breastmilk which is easier to digest. My guy goes 3-4 hours between formula feedings. For amounts, I think the chart I had said 2-2.5 ounces per pound. Kyle was always about in the middle of that range.

 

[Mrs]

Date: 7/29/2009 4:57:18 PM
Author: Courtneylub
Thanks, Blen. I''m definitely going to keep up the pumping at work. I only have to do it for 2 weeks because I gave my notice today!! Hopefully I can increase my supply once I''m home with her again. I think I need to go back to feeding her every 3 hours. She just can''t last 4 hours, especially on my supply right now. We end up giving her 2 ounce ''snacks'' in between. I would say I''m producing about 20 ounces a day and correct me if I''m wrong but I think she should be getting about 30. We''ve been supplementing 1 or 2 formula feedings a day. I got the 30 lz from multiplying her weight in pounds times 2.5. Is this right??


Mela, are you up to the every 4 hours part of the Baby Sleep Solution? I suppose I made a mistake by nursing her every 4 hours and not pumping in between to keep my supply up. I later learned that it states that in the book for nursing mothers.

Courtney, I understand from kellymom.com that exclusively BFed babies between 1 and 6 mos need bout 25 oz per day. I''m still feeding Sage about every 3 hours during the day. Sometimes she can go 3.5 or 4 hours though. Hope this helps.

Congrats again!

 

[fieryred33143]

CDT-I''m glad Lex slept so well! Hopefully its his new routine!

Mustang-Hope you guys feel better soon!

Court-Congratulations! So exciting (and I''m soooo jealous!)

As for us, for the past 5 days Sophia has been sleeping at 9 until about 12:30, we feed, change, burp until about 1:30 and then she wakes up between 2:25 and 3AM and wouldn''t go back to sleep until 10:30AM!!! She''d stay up staring into darkness because I wouldn''t turn on the lights. I tried just putting her in her bassinet and letting her hang out alone but she''d scream. Yesterday I had to put her in her car seat and move around the house a little before she fell asleep. Luckily last night she woke up at 12:30, 3:30, and 6AM but wouldn''t go back to sleep until around 10:30.

I soo cannot wait until we get longer stretches at night.

 

[Blenheim]

Quick drop in - Courtney, yay for 2 weeks notice!!! I forgot about the 4 hour schedule. In that case, what I''d probably do is spend a lot of time skin to skin over the weekend and feed on demand for a while, so that she''s sucking enough that it signals to your breasts that you need to produce more. Or you may be ablet o pump in between feedings; I just prefer putting baby to the breast more often when I have dips in supply. Also, are you working out a ton (I know that we''re both holding onto more weight than we''d like) or on hormonal bc? Both of those could cause a dip in supply.
Fussy baby, back later.

 

[mela lu]

Lots to catch up on, but I see Courtney has made a decision!

good for you!!!! Sometimes the hardest part is making the decision. The next two weeks should be a lot easier on you knowing that your goal is so near. I don''t know about supply, but I''d say make sure your drinking tons of water and eating a high calorie diet with lots of protein and natural fats (avocado etc). That should help your milk too. YEY! Good luck!

Um, I''m sacked, so I''m going to bed. Romeo is fab, no news here. I have to laugh at the every 4 hour feedings though. He''s SO a 3 hour man.

. I don''t "get" why the book says they have to eat every 4 hours in order to successfully sleep through the night. I don''t believe it. I feel like, as long as they''re getting their 24 oz in the daytime, they *should* be able to go all night!

Anyways. I''m not going all crazy on this since we''re going on vacation for 3 weeks (with a huge time change) so I''m just looking at it as a "Dreamer Project".

Eh DD!?

K, going to bed. The thank you cards are another joke. HA. Especially because we have out of town guests this week visiting.

 

[gailrmv]

another quick post from me....


fiery hang in there! those first weeks are just so hard. Seriously. but you WILL get to sleep again.


nyc it is sad putting away those tiny little clothes, isn't it? They just grow up so fast. i've been storing them in large plastic bins (the underbed storage type). I hope one of my friends will have a boy soon so I can loan them out and let someone else enjoy them. some were hardly worn if at all!


mela I hope you have a great trip and that the sleeping goes ok!


courtney congrats on making a decision!! I hope the pumping gets easier. At least its only 2 more weeks.

MRS things getting any better on the homefront? You know what gets me - DH and I discussed this yesterday. He needed to run some errands so he just said, "I'm going to Lowes, back in an hour." He ASSUMES I will take care of A. When I need to run any errands or do chores or whatever, I just assume I am taking A with me unless I specifically arrange for DH to watch him. That strikes me as somewhat annoying and unfair. Not that I mind taking care of A, but just the assumption that I am always on duty. It's not a huge problem, but definitely something we've discussed more than once.

I'm surprised that so many babies are doing the 4 hour schedule! My little guy is 4 months old and eats at least every 3, if not more often. I am fine with that because he is sleeping pretty well - up only once or twice in a 10 hour night. No complaints here. I'd rather him eat during the day. If he is up once at night, I actually feel pretty rested. Twice is harder but still do-able.

When do you all plan to start rice cereal? I was planning to wait til 6 months, but at our well child check the dr said to start anytime now (he's 4 months). I do want to wait til 6 months for other solids but I'm thinking of starting the rice cereal sooner. Maybe it will help him sleep longer at night, although I really don't see how - I'm imagining it to be something like rice krispies which are just not very filling IMO. It should be fun to feed him, anyway!

 

[Courtneylub]

Amen, Mela!! I totally think that 3 hours will work. Let''s hope Alila still sleeps through the night with the 3 hour feedings.

 

[gailrmv]

Forgot to say - for Courtney and anyone else with low milk supply - the supplement More Milk Plus really helped me. The lactation consultant at our peds office recommended it. I bought it at Whole Foods. It''s also available online. Drinking lots of water also helped.

 

[Mrs]

hi moms. hope you''re all well today!

nycb, I hope today is a better day re: sleep for you and the twins!

Mgal, how''s your cold> better I hope! Did Kyle sleep well for you again last night?

cdt, yay for Lex only waking once at night! I hope it continues! And I hope you have a great time at the beach this weekend.

fiery, I''m so sorry your LO hasn''t been sleeping at night! ug - that''s painful! I hope last night was better!

Mela, glad to hear all''s well with you and Romy. Don''t worry about the thank you cards - they will get done eventually.

Pandora, did your settlement come through? I hope you and Daisy are well!

TDM, thanks for askin about me. we''re okay. It sounds like my DH is a little better than yours about asking if he can go do something while I watch the baby but he does do it ALL the time. And I very rarely ask him to watch the baby while I go out. It''s something I need to get better about since he wont get more confidant about his ability to be alone with her if I don''t give him the opportunity. Last weekend I went to get a pedicure (something I hadn''t done since before she was born) and left her with him. She ate right before I left and he took her on a walk to the shopping area near our apt. After my pedicure, which only took 30 min, I called to ask him if he needed me or if I could to grocery shopping and he said he would call if he needed me. So I did our shopping and an hour later he left me a frantic voicemail saying he needed to be rescued. So I called him and he said "she must be hungry" which is what he always assumes if she''s crying and I let him know that she was not likely hungry but tired but I said I would meet them where they were anyway. When I got there she was crying and she had a nuk paci in her mouth (she doesn''t like those pacis so much but I keep an emergency one in the diaper bag) so clearly DH had left the house with her without her soothie paci which is just silly since he KNOWS not to leave the house without it. Anyway, we traded - he got in the car and took the groceries home to put away and I walked the baby home. Sure enough she passed out in the stroller.... I should have left her with him so that he could have seen that she was tired and just needed to sleep. oh well. Sometimes when she''s worked up she needs just the right combination of soothing - you have to hold the paci in while you walk with her which is tricky... I guess he hasn''t mastered that yet.

Anyway, TDM, perhaps we both need to get better about having our DHs watch the baby more. As long as you and I keep assuming that we''re always "on duty," our husbands will do the same....

As for me, I''ve been catching up on some things that I put off when I was working: getting life insurance, washing the cars, organizing junk drawers, uploading photos, etc. I''ve also been getting together with friends who have kids and finding other rewarding ways to get out of the house. On Tuesday we went to a "music together" class which was fun. There were several other moms with infants and we sang songs and danced. It was kind of silly but I like the idea of introducing music early. Yesterday we went to the assisted living home near the hospital to volunteer. We''ll be there every monday as long as I''m home for their "ice-cream social" to visit with the residents. I figured since we can''t visit with my grandma, we would go visit with some other seniors. They were so excited to see Sage and it felt really good to give them the chance to spend time with a baby. I also joined a "meetup" moms group near me. I hope to join them for a trip to the library today for story time. If any of you are looking for moms groups near you, check out meetup.com.

Sage has been doing relatively well - naps have been good since I stopped trying to get her to sleep in her crib during the day. She''s still getting up once or twice at night but it''s not terrible. She was waking up at 7AM which was great but got up at 6AM this morning since I put her to bed late last night. We do date night on wednesdays and I''ve decided not to worry about getting her to bed on time on those nights even if it means she''s up earlier the next day. I found that I wasn''t enjoying date night as much when I was constantly looking at my watch and worrying about getting her home to bed. As much as I care about her sleep, I''ve been reading a lot about how important it is for the kids for their parents to stay connected and I think our date nights help us do that.

Anyway, sorry for the novel!

hugs, Mrs

 

[MustangGal]

TanDogMom - we had also planned to wait until 5-6 months to start feeding solids, but ended up doing it about a week after the 4 month appointment. I started out the first 2 weeks feeding about 1tbsp cereal mixed with formula in the evening about an hour before his last bottle of the day. He took to it really well, so I had the sitter start feeding him a second feeding in the morning. I was going to keep doing that until about 5 or 6 months, and then add veggies, but that plan didn''t work either. About 3 weeks into cereal, we started doing 1tbsp cereal and a 1/2 pack of veggies at night, and the sitter now does 2tbsp cereal in the morning. We''ve made it through all the veggies now, and I''m doing a second round of veggies before I start fruit. I don''t know if it really helps with sleeping, since my guy''s been a good sleeper all along. He''s 5.5 months now.

 

[gailrmv]

Date: 7/30/2009 11:38:54 AM
Author: MustangGal
TanDogMom - we had also planned to wait until 5-6 months to start feeding solids, but ended up doing it about a week after the 4 month appointment. I started out the first 2 weeks feeding about 1tbsp cereal mixed with formula in the evening about an hour before his last bottle of the day. He took to it really well, so I had the sitter start feeding him a second feeding in the morning. I was going to keep doing that until about 5 or 6 months, and then add veggies, but that plan didn''t work either. About 3 weeks into cereal, we started doing 1tbsp cereal and a 1/2 pack of veggies at night, and the sitter now does 2tbsp cereal in the morning. We''ve made it through all the veggies now, and I''m doing a second round of veggies before I start fruit. I don''t know if it really helps with sleeping, since my guy''s been a good sleeper all along. He''s 5.5 months now.

thanks, mustanggal!! i am jealous that kyle is a good sleeper!! i think we may start the rice cereal this week.

 

[sbde]

tandogmom, we started J on rice cereal at about 4.5 mos too and it went v well. make it super watery the first few times (i pump breast milk as the base for his cereal). we started out giving it in the evenings before bedtime like MustangGal and slowly increased the amount over time.

one thing i do know however is that rice cereal is pretty binding so J''s bowel movements decreased dramatically. basically rice cereal doesn''t have fiber in it so a few wks after starting the rice cereal we move on to oatmeal cereal instead and it has been much better for J.

i agree with MG, rice cereal didn''t do much in terms of helping with sleep for us either. good luck with solids! it''s honestly so much fun to feed and see their reactions to the different tastes

 

[sbde]

btw. i have a question re: birthmarks.

J has a small cafe au lait spot on his cheek which he wasn''t born with per se, it kind of showed up when he was about a month old. it just looks like a fingerprint. does anyone know how these things change over time? will it totally stretch out over his face as his cheeks grow or will it remain the same size? i''m a little sad about it, because it''s right on his face but i still think he''s the most handsome little boy. i''m just a bit concerned that it will become very large and prominent over time. anyone with a similar experience?

 

[MustangGal]

sbde - I also switched to oatmeal after the first week or two. For us, the rice cereal was really sticky, and harder to clean up after, and it didn''t mix as well. Kyle already only poops once a day, so adding that to the mix wasn''t helping! I just bought a new box of mixed rice/oatmeal/barley we''re going to try next.

Veggies were interesting, make sure you have the camera ready for those! Kyle didn''t really react to the cereal, but his first taste of peas was soo funny! He did much better with all the other veggies, and I went back to peas last Monday and expected the same reaction, but he didn''t seem to mind them this time. The prunes I tried Tuesday were pretty funny though!

 

[mela lu]

Date: 7/30/2009 1:02:29 PM
Author: sbde
btw. i have a question re: birthmarks.
J has a small cafe au lait spot on his cheek which he wasn''t born with per se, it kind of showed up when he was about a month old. it just looks like a fingerprint. does anyone know how these things change over time? will it totally stretch out over his face as his cheeks grow or will it remain the same size? i''m a little sad about it, because it''s right on his face but i still think he''s the most handsome little boy. i''m just a bit concerned that it will become very large and prominent over time. anyone with a similar experience?

I was born with a "large" cafe au lait birthmark on my face!!!!!!!! As a child of the late 70''s and 80''s with no sunscreen, it got QUITE dark in the summertime. It was always the first to tan, and the last to fade. I got teased, because mine was over my mouth - so it looked like a moustache. People always told me I had dirt on my face.

Anyways, once we clued into SUNSCREEN, it has not been an issue at all. In fact, it fades each year and is barely noticable now (I''m in my early 30''s). I really wouldn''t worry about it, just put sunblock on his face. It will grow with him, but like in my case, it could "grow out" as well. Hope that helps!

Pic of the day. Romy with Foot Rattles on! Sorry it''s so big

 

[MustangGal]

Date: 7/30/2009 1:02:29 PM
Author: sbde
btw. i have a question re: birthmarks.

J has a small cafe au lait spot on his cheek which he wasn''t born with per se, it kind of showed up when he was about a month old. it just looks like a fingerprint. does anyone know how these things change over time? will it totally stretch out over his face as his cheeks grow or will it remain the same size? i''m a little sad about it, because it''s right on his face but i still think he''s the most handsome little boy. i''m just a bit concerned that it will become very large and prominent over time. anyone with a similar experience?

I''ve been meaning to ask this question also! Kyle developed one on his leg when he was about a month old too. At first I thought it was poop, and kept trying to scrup it off

. It hasn''t gotten any bigger, but I was wondering if it''ll stay or not. I''m sorry J has one on his face!

Mela, Romy''s soo cute! Does he like the foot rattles?

 

[ChinaCat]

Ah, Mela, my twin again! CUTE pic of Romy!

I have 2 birthmarks, a tiny oval-shaped one above my lip on the left side. I barely notice it ever, and have to look for it. Like Mela, it used to get darker and more noticeable in the summer b/c I tan very easily, but since I keep my face out of the sun now, I don''t notice it.

Now the other one is on the top of my leg where it meets my butt cheek. It''s pretty large, and I guess some people could be embarrassed by it, but I personally like it. It''s unique, it''s part of me.

I think birthmarks are neat, like I said it is what makes you unusual. Just my two cents!

 

[lili]

Mela--
Awwww...how cute.
Romy''s gotten so big!
And what a happy happy baby.

 

[puffy]

mela he is just too cute for words, seriously. what a happy little guy!

 

[sbde]

thanks so much for your responses guys!

mela - adorable pic of romy! the foot rattles are too cute haha we have similar wrist rattles for J that i got to help make him realize he has hands!!...thanks for sharing your experience re: the cafe au lait on your face. so basically sunscreen on the entire face helped or just sunscreen on the birthmark? i totally can''t notice yours in any of the pics you''ve posted so i hope it fades away for J as well over time.

chinacat - thanks for your response and sharing your positive outlook. i''m like you, i think birthmarks are kinda cool but i just wish it wasn''t right on his cheek. like i said, it looks fine, people just think he has a dimple but i know children can be cruel and i just worry that when he is in school kids will say mean things like Mela''s experience.

mustang - kinda funky what turns up on their little bodies eh?

 

[mela lu]

Date: 7/30/2009 8:10:22 PM
Author: sbde
mela - re: the cafe au lait on your face. so basically sunscreen on the entire face helped or just sunscreen on the birthmark?.

i just worry that when he is in school kids will say mean things like Mela''s experience.

SBDE - In general, we just put sunscreen all over my face, but I do remember in the 80''s putting flourescent zinc on the birthmark (partly because it was "cool" and partly because it really worked). Later on, they made clear zinc that I would put on just my birthmark but the problem with that was if I got any zinc outside the birthmark, it would cause a white ''ring'' around the dark birthmark and only accentuate it!

I think I just gave up after that, and once I didn''t care anymore...it started to fade.

I was teased "chocolate milk" and "dirty face". But somehow, it didn''t harm my (possibly bloated) self esteem. HAHA.

 

[Blenheim]

Mela, he''s just adorable!! Love the foot rattles! We were given some booties with foot rattles in them but George had already grown out of them and we couldn''t get his feet in them. Booooo.

TDM - we''re planning on starting solids at 6 months.

Mrs - I''m really glad to hear that you''re getting out and getting stuff done.

JOB NEWS - DH got a call from HR at his old job this afternoon saying that they want him to come back for training. They just left a message, so we don''t know any details such as when they''d want him to actually start working. We were not very happy - he was unhappy with the job for multiple reasons, plus the training''s supposed to start Sunday and go from 4 pm to midnight all week which leaves practically no time to find childcare - but after some thinking about it we may be in a better position than we thought. My MIL works from home and we may be able to get her to come and provide childcare in the afternoon just for that week while we line something else up. Enough people at his workplace have moved out of state and aren''t returning that he may be able to bargain for a better position and more pay as there are now extra openings, but we don''t know. And if he''s able to get enough extra pay, then I may be able to SAH here. And maybe the job that we really want will get him an answer sooner if he''d in demand. This was just very unexpected and took us both by shock. I''m hoping that we have more answers soon.