PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Mrs]

Date: 5/28/2009 10:28:27 PM
Author: Burk

Blen and Mrs~T was not an easy baby so I can totally relate! T had colic and it was because of her food intollerance and her reflux but it took us a LONG time to get it figured out and get her feeling better. She cried a lot and didn''t like to be put down. I was the only one that could calm her down so I rarely left the house. It was hard. By 5 months she was much better and by 7 months she was an ''easy baby''

All this to say it gets better!

Thanks Burk! It''s good to know things get better. Sometimes I wonder if S is perhaps not as difficult as I think she is - maybe I''m just not used to being a mom yet and she''s just being a normal baby... who knows. In any case, I''m glad to know it gets easier!

DD, I''m sorry to hear about Hunter! I hope he gets better soon. You''re so lucky that he is still in good humor despite the cold!

Sage slept well last night! She went down at about 8 and feel asleep about 30 minutes later so I swaddled her at 9 and she slept til 2;45 - YAY! She was up again at 5:30 when I fed her again and took her to bed with me where she slept for another couple of hours. So even though she didn''t really wake up fewer times than she did the previous nights, that one solid chunk of sleep she got in the beginning of the night makes all the difference to me. When she sleeps that long it requires me to be up a little longer in total for the night since I had to pump at 3AM to ease the engorgement, I still feel so much better with the consolidated sleep! I hope she can do it again tonight without the swaddle. We''ll see.

Hope you''re all well!
Mrs

 

[jas]

Good day, fellow warriors!

Snlee -- it''s nice to be back, thanks! How are you?
Mustang -- yeah he did it. It was weird. My life was definitely less dramatic when there was distance between me and my family. There must be some sort of inverse relationship.
Pandora! Congratulations. What a beauty you have there! I hope you are recovering from the excitedment of your l&d. She is a beautiful little one!
Blen -- thanks! I love your avatar. I love the name George. I wish I had advice, but it sounds like you are doing all the right things. It''s just hard to keep doing the right thing and thinking the right thing when you''re frickin exhausted. So you have my support!
Mrs -- I just think my inlaws and my family are providing me with waaaay too much material for improv/future novel/future screenplay. If I look at it that way it keeps me from grinding my teeth. YEA for good night''s sleep last night!
nyc - I believe we twin mommies DESERVE and EARN our mommy meltdowns. Make ''em good ones, too. Just give yourself a stop point (I allow myself 2 minutes of being completely devastated/crying/pissy) It''s hard. IT''S HARD. You are not incapable. You are human, and it sounds like you are a great mommy...if only because one of your LOs is named Jackie.

Dreamer -- oh no about the cold. Are you doing that nasal bulb sucky thing? That''s hard.
Peony -- thanks. And congrats. And yes, I think our pregnancies (and mothering) experiences are different. Not better, worse, harder, easier, just different. Fortunately I had a few preggos and mommies here to help me along. Please know I will offer any assistance I can. No question to small or silly. I can tell you that you''ll need some virtual shoulders when you are 6 months along and strangers tell you that you look like you''re gonna pop and you have to explain that you still have 3 months to go. Been there. Done that. Wrote the Clif''s notes.

J. was up again a few times last night. I am SO grounding him when he''s old enough to understand logic.

I look old today. I feel old today. I made apple crisp today. Somehow those are all related.

 

[lili]

Awweee, Daisy is so cuddly and sweet in her boom chair.
She does look like she''s sitting in one of those fancy egg-shaped chair

 

[lili]

Mrs
Thanks

When can we see updated pictures of Sage?
As I recall, I think we only saw her when she was a few days old.
That''s great that you found a daycare you feel comfortable w/.
Like others have said, it is hard at the beginning, but it will get easier.
Then eventually, you''ll find that Sage will actually prefer being at daycare where she can roam and explore freely

 

[Dreamer_D]

Mrs Good news about the long sleep stretch! How old is S now? One little note about pumping to ease engorgement that my midwives told me about -- you want to be careful because it can actually make your engorgement worse because your body will work to supply the demand. Full breasts that are not emptied for a while actually send a message to slow down milk production. So if you have issues with oversupply or engorgement, you only want to express enough to ease the pain but not enough to make your body think you are feeding a baby! My midwives suggested just manually expressing a little with my hands into the shower or sink, LOL! You maybe already know this, but thought I''d mention it anyways!

 

[qtiekiki]

Argh following the two mommies thread is so tough. Everything move so fast.

Pandora
So jealous of your Bloom. Daisy looks so comfy in it. She is so precious.
It should be a little easier now that your milk comes in. Hopefully Daisy will learn to latch in a couple more weeks, then you’ll be good. I know it’s hard not to worry if she is getting enough on the breasts, but wet and poopy diapers are the best gauge.
Mrs
The appointment went well yesterday. We were able to see the sac. I go back in 3 weeks, so hopefully we’ll see the heartbeats by then. Thanks for asking.
Yay for S sleeping longer stretch. Have a good time with your bro this weekend.
Janine
Thanks.
So is C doing with “crawling forward”? M got so frustrated when she was at that stage. Now she is crawling everywhere.
Hi to everyone else. Have a wonderful weekend.

 

[Blenheim]

DD- poor little Hunter. I hope that he starts to feel better soon.

NYC - you are not incapable of raising your kids! There are times when it feels completely overwhelming with one - I cannot imagine how you twin mommas do it! If you manage to get through the day with your sanity and with both kids alive, I think that you can say that you succeeded.

Jas - Aw, thanks! I still can''t believe that he told you that. If you ever wrote a future novel, I''d totally buy it.

Q - congrats on a sac!

George and I just had some fun with his activity mat thing, but then he decided that being on the floor''s not as cool as laying on my chest and so that is where he is now. He''s starting to bat at things though - it''s fun to watch.

 

[Blenheim]

And a little bit o'' tummy time.

 

[Blenheim]

"Hullo, George."
"Hullo, Dylan."

 

[lili]

Aweee....Blen, what a little cutie George is

Looks like he''s got pretty good head control.
And I love his outfit btw -- so cute

 

[nycbkgirl]

Omgggg blen! I was smiling from ear to ear with those pics...he is just the cutest! And him with dylan..well...just priceless!

 

[mela lu]

Here I am, about to open my mouth with ZERO experience (and NO baby)

but I just wanted to pipe in and tell BLEN and MRS that my BFF had a baby that sounds a lot like George and Sage. She was spirirted, to say the least, and did not like to be put down etc etc etc. Anyhoo. She is now almost 6 months old now and MUCH more adjusted. It was really hard on my BFF, but slowly, it got better.

I have no idea if this interests either of you (so ignore if necessary) but at about 4 months old, she finally decided to start her DD on this plan "The baby sleep solution" by Suzy Giordano. It wasn't so much that her baby needed sleep training (it was a great perk) but she found that her baby responded REALLY well to a set schedule in general. Ob, every baby is different, but I just wanted to relay her experience.

So, now back to lurking as a full-wombed, impatient, hormonal savage.

ETA: LOVE those pics of George. He is gorgeous! Ps. I have that play mat too! can't wait to use it haha.

 

[Courtneylub]

Pandora, Daisy is so lovely!

Dreamer, I hope Hunter feels better soon! Poor baby boy.

Blen, how old is George now? I think I remember you being 3 weeks ahead of me. I still have pregnancy brain which I hear never fades. Let’s be positive and just say he’s going through a stage. He’ll be a super easy toddler. Oh and the pictures are adorable!

Mrs. that is great about Sage! Alila actually slept 6.5 hours last night and I woke so engorged! I was actually worried that she slept that much. I’m going to set my alarm 4.5 hours so that she gets on a more normal schedule. She’s been feeding like every hour this afternoon and I can’t handle that!

I can’t believe Alila is a month old already!

 

[Mrs]

jas, I''m glad the in-laws will provide good material for future comedy! Apple crisp sounds delish! I feel old too - I put on some eye make up today (read: a 2 second swipe of liner - no shadow or mascara) and it was the first time in weeks. When I looked in the mirror later I realized that under-eye concealer might be a wiser way to spend those two seconds in the future...

lili, I''ll post another pic when I can! promise!

DD, Thanks for the info about engorgement - I know you''re right and I have plenty frozen but I keep thinking I might need more so I just go ahead and freeze it when I find myself engorged which isn''t that often these days but it''s silly, I know. And I do worry about her getting too much foremilk so I should stop doing it... Thanks for the reminder.

Q, I''m glad your appointment went well! I hope the nausea goes away!

Blen, G looks great!!! WHat a cutie!

mela, thanks for chiming in! I''ll check out that book. I''m sending you good L&D vibrations!!

Courtney, yay for A being a month old!! just be glad that she slept that long! S did it a few times when she was her age too and it was great!

Sage was pretty good today and my brother was such a charmer with her. It was really wonderful to see how comfortable he is with her since I''ve never seem him with a baby before. She''s asleep now and went down without a struggle so I hope she has a good night again tonight - we''ll see!

hope you''re all well! Have a great weekend!

Mrs

 

[nycbkgirl]

Thanks jas and blen!

Jas- u are too funny ....but yes being a twin mommy does entitle us to a lot more meltdowns...my mom spends the night usually on saturdays but she''s here tonite and how about both babies were hysterical from 9-12!...(jon still is)...I am devastated bc I duno what to do...I gave them gripe water, biorn drops, water, formula, held them, swaddled etc...nothing...they are calm when u hlod them for a little while then terror! I know I shouldn''t think im incapable but what can u call it?...I literally can''t handle my 2 babies at once!..I always need someone else there and that makes me very sad.
....i also feel very old!.....I have soooo many grays! ..and im only 27!..urrrgh...goin to color it on sunday..and we are going to a party sunday nite!...wooooot! We get to go and have some fun!

Mrs- I also put makeup on today! ...I miss doing that everyday!...can''t wait to see more pics!

Court- I can''t believe A slept that long!...my lo''s were and still are on a 3 hr schedule ..from day 1...can''t wait til I get a 6 hr stretch!
(But the doc did say I had to feed every 3 hr no matter what bc they were preemies)


?....when did everyone start giving their babies water???....doc says not yet but everyone I know says they gave it right away....I gave them a little today.

 

[qtiekiki]

Blen
Awww George is so cute. He has really good head control.

Courtney
Alila is one month already. Seems like yesterday when I read your birth story. Any new pics?

Mrs
Your bro sounds so sweet with Sage.
Hope she has a good night.

nyc
I think our pedi ok''ed giving M water when she was 4 months old. I didn''t really give her water until 6 months when she started solids. The baby doesn''t really need water before that. Maybe your pedi is worried that they might get filled up with water and not drink enough milk.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/30/2009 12:22:48 AM
Author: nycbkgirl
?....when did everyone start giving their babies water???....doc says not yet but everyone I know says they gave it right away....I gave them a little today.

Listen to your doctor. It can be dangerous to give babies water before 6 mos and they don''t need it for anything right now-they get all the water they need from BM/formula.

 

[janinegirly]

Qtiekiki: how are you feeling? Glad you''re still here on this thread--I miss the BTDT mom''s advice! C still hasn''t figured out crawling forward..she tries to bounce her way! She is doing an army crawl backwards...I suppose that''s the best way to describe it. I''m sure before I know it she''ll be crawling all over. How''s M doing?

Blen: cute pics--looks like he''s a pro at tummy time already!

NYC: why would you give your LO water? Like NF said, they get enough water from BM or formula and the water will fill them with empty calories. I only just started giving C a few drops of water (at 7 months), mostly so she can get used to sippy cups, plus summer is here and with solids, she must be thirsty. You have time, so I''d wait, but that''s just me. I think if your doc says not to, I''d certainly follow his advice.

 

[snlee]

Date: 5/30/2009 8:33:08 AM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 5/30/2009 12:22:48 AM
Author: nycbkgirl

?....when did everyone start giving their babies water???....doc says not yet but everyone I know says they gave it right away....I gave them a little today.

Listen to your doctor. It can be dangerous to give babies water before 6 mos and they don''t need it for anything right now-they get all the water they need from BM/formula.

Ditto. I didn''t try giving D water till after 6 months. I only offered it to him in a sippy on a hot day and he didn''t drink much. At 8 months, he has hardly drunk any water and doesn''t get it regularly.

 

[nycbkgirl]

well i thought the reason for water was bc the formula is sweet etc and like everyone they get thirsty..not to give a lot but like a dropper. everyone that raised everyone i know (meaning back in the days) always gave water...thats why i was torn...we all came out just fine

i printed out a formula feeding chart and it seems that im underfeeding them and maybe thats why i have the problems...it says i should be giving about 3 to 4 oz of formula per feeding but here im giving up to 3. will try it today....they were both fussing from 9pm til 3am!! my mom had a rough nite!

 

[Pandora II]

You shouldn''t really give young babies water at all.

I gave Daisy some in hospital because I knew she was getting so dehydrated and I wanted to make sure that her kidneys didn''t get damaged - but that was after calling my father for his advice, and him okaying it in the circumstances. Poor thing drank a whole cup full she was so thirsty.

Reminds me, the consultant neonatologist from the hospital rang me yesterday to see how things were - and to apologise for what had happened. She said that they were going to hold a departmental meeting to review their protocols on feeding as it was unacceptable that a baby under their care should lose so much weight and be so dehydrated.

They also acknowledged that in cases like mine where I was taking opiates, was severely anaemic and had had a traumatic birth with huge blood loss - all of which can majorly delay your milk production - more care should be taken over establishing feeding and a more sympathetic attitude taken.

I was really impressed by the call and the apology, and I''m so glad that they are going to change things.

 

[Blenheim]

Thanks, Lili, NYC, Mela, Court, Mrs, Q and Janine! He''s getting so strong.

Courtney - George is 7.5 weeks. There was one night when he slept for a particularly long stretch and DH said that it must feel great, but I felt so engorged I couldn''t really enjoy it. So I feel your pain.
I was just like George when I was a baby, and I was a pretty hellish toddler from my mom''s stories, but got a lot easier when I got a little bit older. So hopefully George will be the same way. Maybe minus the hellishness.

Pandora - I''m glad to hear that they''re taking it seriously and trying to prevent that from happening to other babies.

Mrs - that''s great to hear that your visit with your brother went well. I''d never seen mine around a baby, either, but he definitely wasn''t a natural - he didn''t even want to hold George when I asked. Oh well.

NYC - We came out fine despite our parents doing stuff that''s really not recommended now (I distinctly remember once riding in the trunk of a car for a few miles as a child because there was no room inside), but at the same time not everyone did come out fine and so it''s really better for our kids to follow the new guidelines. Hopefully upping their formula intake will help out. Are they gaining weight appropriately, producing enough wet/poopy diapers, and not acting hungry after or between feedings? Hopefully tonight goes better. That just sounds rough.

I''ve spent the last week or two trying to get a photo of George smiling, and it''s amazingly difficult. He also tries to launch his upper body around when he''s happy, which makes it even harder because if I manage to snap a picture it''s usually incredibly blurry. But - look at this! Success!

 

[snlee]

Blen, what a cutie! Love your new avi!

 

[nycbkgirl]

Oh blen...love ur pics! Plz keep postin them ....he is such a funny character!

I''ve been convinced on the water front...won''t give it anymore!....it says from 4 months on so that''s what ill do....gave them 3ozs today and they went to sleep good so we will test the night today and see how it goes...what a learning process!

 

[curlygirl]

janine, Lucy did the backwards thing for a while and then one day, she just figured out how to go forward! I''m not sure how it happened, we certainly didn''t do anything to encourage her because I was in no rush for her to be mobile! But now she''s just unstoppable with the crawling and pulling up on everything. Plus she''s waving, clapping and constantly babbling so I feel like she''s finally becoming a "person" but it''s happening waaaaaaaaaaay too fast for my liking!! Since I know she''s my last baby, I''d like for her to stay a baby forever but I guess with an older sibling around, everything is happening on a faster timeline. She''s working the sippy cup really well, I may even start putting the formula in it. For pretzels, we just give her these thick pretzel stick thingies--they are actually honey wheat flavored and she totally digs them! She''s crazy about Cheerios and puffs and I''ve even given her a few teeny pieces of cheese. I''m slightly nervous about the food because she doesn''t have teeth but from what I understand, doesn''t really matter because they don''t use the front teeth for chewing anyway, just for biting. Molars don''t come in till much later so it''s safe to give them anything they can mash with their gums. Btw, you need to come and find us in that other place. Check the older kids thread if you don''t know what I mean.

qtiekiki, how''s it going? How are you doing???

Blen, adorable photos!

nyc, I know you''ve already heard from everyone else but it''s true that nowadays, they say that you''re not supposed to give water to babies under 6 months old. Not to scare you but they can get "drunk" off of too much water at a young age so they now encourage you to wait. I hope the increase of formula will be sucessful. I found that I always made a bottle that was bigger than I thought my child should be taking but I kinda left it up to them to drink as much as they wanted and it usually ended up being more than I had anticpated. It''s better to waste a little formula if they don''t drink it than to suffer because they are "hungry". Good luck and please keep us posted!

Hi snlee!

Sorry I''m not addressing everyone, just doing a quick driveby. Hope to be back on Monday to check up on everyone. Have a great weekend!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 5/30/2009 7:03:19 PM
Author: curlygirl
janine, Lucy did the backwards thing for a while and then one day, she just figured out how to go forward! I''m not sure how it happened, we certainly didn''t do anything to encourage her because I was in no rush for her to be mobile! But now she''s just unstoppable with the crawling and pulling up on everything. Plus she''s waving, clapping and constantly babbling so I feel like she''s finally becoming a ''person'' but it''s happening waaaaaaaaaaay too fast for my liking!! Since I know she''s my last baby, I''d like for her to stay a baby forever but I guess with an older sibling around, everything is happening on a faster timeline. She''s working the sippy cup really well, I may even start putting the formula in it. For pretzels, we just give her these thick pretzel stick thingies--they are actually honey wheat flavored and she totally digs them! She''s crazy about Cheerios and puffs and I''ve even given her a few teeny pieces of cheese. I''m slightly nervous about the food because she doesn''t have teeth but from what I understand, doesn''t really matter because they don''t use the front teeth for chewing anyway, just for biting. Molars don''t come in till much later so it''s safe to give them anything they can mash with their gums. Btw, you need to come and find us in that other place. Check the older kids thread if you don''t know what I mean.

Curly, isn''t it a major no-no to give honey to kids under a year (botulism)? Or is that just pure honey and honey IN stuff is ok?

 

[peonygirl]

Jas, thanks SO much! It will be funny when people start doing that!

 

[curlygirl]

NF, from what I understand, it''s just straight honey that you''re not supposed to give. I think if it''s cooked in, it''s not an issue but I could be wrong. As a 2nd time mother, I''m way more laid back so maybe you guys shouldn''t listen to me too much but I''m pretty sure it''s ok!!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Blen Love the pics! It is so hard to get smiling ones, I only got one at 7 weeks and it was an accident. You know, it seems that all babies develop so differently... Hunter is a real "leg man" so to speak, in that he is very veyr interested in kicking and using his lower body and arching his back, but he is only just now starting to use his arms more. I think it is because we swaddled him and only started unswaddling him about 3 weeks ago. Its cute to see him starting to reach for things. Usually he ends up grabbing on hand in his other hand and then reaching both hand--clenched together mind you!--out to the object! Too funny!

NYC Babies are on a liquid diet so they really don''t need any more fluids! I hope increasing the formula helps.
***

Hunter is feeling better tonight but what a night!

He started getting a little feverish at 7pm and then was up crying and fussing until 1am without sleeping at all. Luckily here in Ontario we have a public health line staffed by nurses that you can call to get medical advice. So I was able to call and find out what temperatures were considered fever and what to do, and they also run through a bunch of screening questions to help rule out serious illness and decide if you need to go to ta doctor etc. Such a wonderful service! They keep a record on your child and if you call again they have all the information. Love that socialized medical care!

He finally fell asleep at 1am and slept 3 hours fed then 4 hours. So not too bad but I feel like cra pwarmed over today. I''m glad it was a weekend and DH was able to help withour worrying about working the next day! Today he is much better and only a little sneezy and congested but doing better.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I''m not going to catch up with everyone - so just a quick drive by.

I

the new pics that have been posted! Our littlest ones are growing so fast.

James is t-r-o-u-b-l-e these days. He''s into everything! He can now pull himself up with just about anything - he even tried to scale the wall

He''s going to be walking before we know it. He''ll be 11 months on Tuesday (my b-day). He also got his first top tooth in - that makes three total. The other top one is is just starting to poke through and boy has he been a crab because of it.

I have a few busy days ahead of me - shopping in the a.m. with my mom for my b-day, family function in the afternoon/p.m., Monday I''m shopping and eating out with a friend, and Tuesday is my b-day (27) so DH is taking me out. Phew! I''m also totally gimpy because I pulled my left calf muscle really bad and it HURTS! I can walk but not normally yet.

I will catch up soon ladies! I think about you and your little ones every day!

Sorry for the totally selfish post.