PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 6/5/2009 8:30:58 PM
Author: Courtneylub
Dreamer, BFing is going pretty smoothly now and I don''t plan to weene anytime soon, but we''ll see. After seeing Blen''s great schedule, I think I could do it when I return to work (in 7 weeks).

What do you do Courtney?

 

[neatfreak]

Just want to pop in really quick and say that DH got the job in the end!!!! Wahoo and thank goodness. Wasn't just a routine interview but they did give it to DH in the end. I am so thankful.


NYC Precious!!!!!! I am of course biased but I LOVE twin pics. How cute!


Blen I hear you on the small town thing but look at it this way that it could be a temp move and you could be a SAHM for George's first year of life and then maybe hit the workforce again and move once the economy improves right? I love that I can stay at home most of the time with the boys right now...but I also know I wouldn't want to do it forever. You've got to make whatever decision that works for your family.


MRS So sorry about your kitty! And you can totally still BF when you go back to work if you want, and if it works for your family. If not-don't feel guilty!

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 6/5/2009 8:59:58 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 6/5/2009 8:30:58 PM
Author: Courtneylub
Dreamer, BFing is going pretty smoothly now and I don''t plan to weene anytime soon, but we''ll see. After seeing Blen''s great schedule, I think I could do it when I return to work (in 7 weeks).

What do you do Courtney?

I''m a HR Generalist II for an Oil & Gas corp. I wish the U.S. was more like Canada and the UK when it comes to maternity leave.


Neat, I''m so glad your DH got the job! That was quite the scare!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Mrs, you are so sweet. I do not have the time or energy to keep up with both mommy threads but I try to pop in once in awhile. My heart really goes out to anyone with BFing woes b/c it never really got *easy* for me. It was difficult and in my situation I think most people would have quit. I guess being hard headed has some advantages. I really didn''t want to quit. I am proud that I made my goal which was 6 months BUT we did start supplementing at 4 months b/c she was VERY low in weight and her doctor was worried. I can''t remember but I think she dropped to the 5%. In one month of supplementing with high cal formula she was back up to 25%. Like I have said before you HAVE to do what is right for you and your child. Sorry to hear about your cat. BTW when I started sleep training her the naps came second. Finally she "got" it and started only napping in her crib. But it was a long road for us to get there.

DD, I am surprise you remember since you were newly preggo right? Hope I didn''t scare ya b/c obviously you are doing great. I would feed her formula in public when she was older b/c it was hard to nurse using the shield. Well not hard but difficult to stay covered. They make these little plastic containers with 3 dividers where you can pre-measure the formula. It is actually REALLY easy. That is awesome you get a year off! Enjoy it.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

NYC,

LOVE the pics!! Jon looks to be a bit bigger than Jackie. What are their weights right now? So adorable. I love their little outfits! The ball player and the strawberry girl. Too adorable!!

 

[curlygirl]

Wow, this thread is busy! I went away for a few days so I know I won't be able to really catch up. Just wanted to tell everyone the pictures are simply precious!! The PS babies are truly a special bunch.

Regarding formula feeding, I'm not ashamed to admit that I didn't breastfeed either one of my children. Didn't try, had no interest and have ZERO guilt about it. Yes, of course I've heard all the arguments ad nauseum and perhaps it's true that breast is best but making the choice to breastfeed is not for everyone. It's an incredibly huge commitment and not everybody is able or wants to adjust their lifestyle to maintain that commitment. Just from reading the posts here and talking to my own friends, the struggles that sometimes go along with it can be incredibly demoralizing for the mother. I certainly hope nobody here feels like a failure or a bad mother if they have to supplement with formula or go to strictly formula feeding. Formula is NOT the devil, it's not poison, it's not going to make your child stupid or sick. I have 2 brilliant, healthy formula fed children and guess what? They are the products of a brilliant, healthy formua fed mother!

This is not meant to spark any kind of debate about formula vs. breast. We all know the scoop, no need to rehash or get defensive. I just want to reassure anyone who may be beating themselves up over their problems with nursing. I have the utmost respect and am really in awe of all of you who have done it, especially those who have struggled and still continued in earnest to make it work. It's very hard when you are in the early post partum stages and your hormones are out of sync, you're sleep deprived and you're trying to do whatever you can to survive and feed your baby. I just hope nobody feels like a failure as a mother if it doesn't work for them. If you ask me, it shows that you are a great mother because you have figured out how to give your baby what he needs--it may not come directly from you, but it's going to nourish him and make him (and you) happy. Good luck to all of you!!

 

[nycbkgirl]

thanks Neat! im pretty twin biased myself

....congrats congrats to u and DH!!!

thanks Fisher!- jackie is 7.3 and jon 7.0 as of monday...but they switch off on who is more week by week

...glad u liked the outfits,...my bff hated the strawberry one LOL...but i love it bc she looks so good in bright colors...i practically bought all the newborn onesies they have at BRU! lol.

 

[mela lu]

Hiya gals! Well, all is well here. Romeo is feeding every 3 hrs like a CHAMP. He just needed a few days to wake up I guess.
Anyways, I''m feeling SO great and pumped from all the BF success.

Engorgement is gone and milk is flowing. A few more days and I may even feel human again! haha.

I''ll be back soon to catch up with ya''ll, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the support and advice when I needed it the other day. Having this place to turn to when you''re up shit''s creek is really a blessing. So, thanks

.

quick shout out to NYC for those adorable pics of J&J. love them! (and love that strawberry sleeper!) I couldn''t read through the thread, but know I''m thinking of you all.

Bye for now!

oh, and I had to share this pic. This is Romeo meeting his cousins. The family resemblance (to me anyways) is UNCANNY!!!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 6/5/2009 11:04:38 PM
Author: nycbkgirl
thanks Neat! im pretty twin biased myself

....congrats congrats to u and DH!!!

thanks Fisher!- jackie is 7.3 and jon 7.0 as of monday...but they switch off on who is more week by week

...glad u liked the outfits,...my bff hated the strawberry one LOL...but i love it bc she looks so good in bright colors...i practically bought all the newborn onesies they have at BRU! lol.

It reminds me of Strawberry Shortcake. I was nuts about that cartoon character as a child! It''s a cute outfit, indeed!!

 

[Courtneylub]

Look at Lil'' Romey! He is soo tiny and precious. Mela, I can''t even believe how fast Alila is growing. She''s out of her newborn sizes already. Soak up every second! I''m so glad your milk is flowing and he''s feeding well. It''s such a great feeling.

DH and I had out first date night and left Alila with her grandmother and her friend. We saw The Hangover which was hilarious. Too bad DH and I were having a little argument. Although good thing it was a movie and not dinner or something. Ha! I have a gf coming into town next week for 4 days. One of the nights, we''re having a girls night and going out dancing for a little bit. He seems to think that I should be "past that stage in life" now that we have a child. I''m sure there are different views on this, but come on! Even before I got pregnant, we weren''t huge partiers and I see nothing wrong with having one night out after 9 months of pregnancy and 6 weeks of baby! I already know I won''t stay out late or have more than a couple drinks and he should know that. I''m a new mom and BFing at that! It just bothers me so much how this bugs him. I feel like he should be encouraging me to go out and let loose a little bit. I deserve it! Am I right??

 

[Blenheim]

Mela - he is just so small and precious, and you look like you''re glowing! Motherhood suits you well. I love the nickname Romy, by the way. Thanks for taking the time to post your birth story. I know it wasn''t what you were planning, but all the heart rate decels sound scary and it''s good that he got here safely. And you''re a super woman for having a cesarean before the epi fully kicked in. Are you doing ok now?

Courtney - I am *that person* who took the baby to happy hour with me, so I don''t know if my opinion counts on that or not.

I see nothing wrong with leaving your baby with DH while you go out and have some fun. If you were planning on getting wasted or staying out all night or going out every night when she was in town, that would be a different matter.

 

[Mrs]

blen, thanks so much for letting me know what your schedule is for pumping when at work. That sounds doable... we''ll see! Thanks for your condolences as well.

DD, Thanks for suggesting I sound like a good patient mama! I''m trying my best! And thanks for your condolences too. I don''t know if the day care providers can feed on demand or on the EASY schedule but I don''t see why not. I''m gonna bring S in to the day care for a couple of hours each day next week to get used to the place with me there and will ask them then.

nyc, thanks - He was a really sweet cat...

Neat, I''m so glad your DH got the job! yay! Thanks for the vote of confidence re: BFing when I go back to work and for being sad for my kitty!

curly, great post re: BFing vs formula. I agree that NO ONE should feel guilty about however they decide (or find they''re able) to feed their kids. I was a formula baby and turned out just fine. My bro likes to blame all the things that go wrong in his life on the fact that he wasn''t BFed but he''s just being silly and likes to tease my mom. He turned out great and is certainly no worse off for being FF. Like you, I wish everyone the best of luck on whatever they decide to do in terms of feeling their LOs!

Mela, I''m so glad BFing is going well! Romeo looks great! And so much like his cousins!

Courtney, Amen! You DO deserve to get out and have some fun. Tell your DH to go get pregnant and withstand 9 months of pregnancy, L & D, and 6 weeks of BFing and maybe then he''ll be a little more understanding of why a night off is so needed!

All''s well here. S hasn''t been sleeping great so I''m exhausted but she''s just such a joy when she''s happy and smiling that I don''t mind.

Hoping you''re all well!!!

Mrs

 

[lili]

Ack...these threads are moving too fast....can''t keep up.

Mela
Love the pictures

The postpartum one is priceless -- romy is so teeny and precious in your arms and you looked great.
The family picture w/ his cousins is beautiful -- I do see the family resemblance. And once again, you looked awesome

A little late about relieving engorgement, I didn''t do anything...except hand express when it gets too uncomfortable.
I didn''t have an issue w/ my milk supply dipping or not being enough for J (even through those growth spurt period).
My supply did dip when I start getting my AF (which was 8 month PP).

NYC
Wow, your twinkies are getting so big.
And they look so much alike -- so cute.

Blenhein

for your DH getting the interview.
Hope everything goes well. Lots of dust to you and him.

Sorry if I missed everyone else....just can''t keep up w/ three fast moving threads.
It seems that you new mommies are in good company and are getting good advices from one another already

 

[mela lu]

A quick pop in since Sir-Sleeps-a-lot is still sleeping

.
Thanks for all your nice words!

Blen - fingers crossed for your DH and le job. Personally, I think being a SAHM for a year would be amazing. A once in a lifetime chance to spend with George. Jobs are just that, jobs. There will be plenty of time later for you to re-enter the workforce

Courtney - get.your.party.on.

Neat - CONGRATS ON DHs JOB

gak, gots to go. bye for now

 

[Blenheim]

NF- congrats on the job!! Great news!

Lili & Mela - thanks for the good wishes.

I''m just popping in to post some more pictures - George is 2 months old today, which means it was time to get Mr Bunny out again!

 

[Pandora II]

Mela, Romy is just so teeny tiny and gorgeous - he looks so like all of you as well!

I read your birth story over in the Preggo thread. OMG, you poor thing, I really feel for you. I'm in awe that you were prepared to have pitocin sans epidural, I was already doing badly before then - I can't imagine with that thrown in as well! And geez, isn't it totally demoralising when you think that you must be 10cm after all the hours of pretty bad contractions and then you find that you are nowhere near...

It's mad how many people are in an operating theatre - and how fast everything happens - but it's true that at the end of it all you still feel that it was completely worth it, and that whatever happened to you, you are only really relieved that the baby is fine.

Enjoy Romeo while he's so tiny - they grow so fast! I had to go out and buy Daisy newborn clothes as I'd only got 0-3 months thinking she'd be bigger than the teeny newborn stuff. Well, last week the feet on the sleepsuits were way too long, this week they're perfect and I reckon she'll have outgrown them by the end of next week

. Mind you, at the current rate of 'outfits per day' she's getting plenty of wear out of them!

Blen - Wow, I love the bunny photos, and George has a beautiful smile! Fingers crossed for your DH and the job. I would totally consider doing the SAHM for a year thing - thanks to our maternity system I get to do that, and I already know that I will be really sad to go back to work just when Daisy will be starting to be more of a small person than a baby. You'll never get the chance again, so if you can then take it!

Courtney - You seriously deserve some fun, and what's with the 'past that stage' thing? Tell him that he ought to be grateful that you are wanting to go out and enjoy yourself and not at home suffering with post-natal depression as then he'd really have something to worry about where you and the baby are concerned - my mental health team worry that I don't go out enough!

Oh, and DH says to tell him that wives and mothers need time and space out of the house to be themselves (and says I can repeat that back at him when he whinges about staying in to babysit whilst I go galavanting

). This may be influenced by my kicking him out to go to poker tonight!

 

[lili]

Great collage of George Blen
I love love the 2month one w/ his big smile.
And George look so much more mature than a 2 month if I have to say so.
He''s just a handsome little cutie

 

[mela lu]

Pandora - sounds like Daisy-loo is growing and thriving. Good for you Mum. That must feel good. The "outfit-per-day" thing you mentioned is so true. Romeo is a barfer, so we''re constantly changing him. It breaks my heart when I get him all gussied up and then PAAN, 10 minutes later its soiled. Oh well.

Blen - George is seriously to die for. That smile!!! Oh my. What a little charmer. He looks amazing - congrats to you too Momma. Can''t believe he''s already 8 weeks old.

...then again, I guess Romy is already one week old. That went fast!

 

[Burk]

NF~Congrats!!

NYC~Such cuties!

mela~What a sweet, sweet little man!

Blen~I hope your DH''s interview goes well. Can''t believe how big George is already. Love the big smiley pic!!

Courtney~I agree with you, mommies have to get out...if only for their sanity!! As a matter of fact I was out last night!

Go have fun. You deserve it!

Hello to everyone I missed!! I just posted this in the older mommy thread but I had to share here that T asks to see pics of babies when she sees my laptop so this morning she got to see all the recent pics of all your adorable babes and she kept saying "baby, cute" and then I''d say the baby''s name and she''s repeat it after me and either give the screen a kiss or pet it.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 6/7/2009 9:45:22 PM
Author: Burk

Hello to everyone I missed!! I just posted this in the older mommy thread but I had to share here that T asks to see pics of babies when she sees my laptop so this morning she got to see all the recent pics of all your adorable babes and she kept saying ''baby, cute'' and then I''d say the baby''s name and she''s repeat it after me and either give the screen a kiss or pet it.

That is SO adorable! Aren''t little kids so cute with babies? Love it!

 

[Burk]

Date: 6/7/2009 9:51:56 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 6/7/2009 9:45:22 PM

Author: Burk


Hello to everyone I missed!! I just posted this in the older mommy thread but I had to share here that T asks to see pics of babies when she sees my laptop so this morning she got to see all the recent pics of all your adorable babes and she kept saying ''baby, cute'' and then I''d say the baby''s name and she''s repeat it after me and either give the screen a kiss or pet it.

That is SO adorable! Aren''t little kids so cute with babies? Love it!

Yes!! It is amazing how drawn to babies kids are. She even helps burp the babies at her daycare. So funny.

 

[nycbkgirl]

Mela- i cant get over how much he looks like u ! what a stunna!

Blen- o forget it ...everytime i see ur pics im smiling ear to ear

Burk- that is really cute!! shes such a dolly!

lili- thanks! ya they are real chunkers already

pandora- more pics more pics!



we are enjoying the weather and taking looooong walks! i cant rave enough about the stroller...its sooo comfy and such a pleasure with it ...i feel like im driving a stretch limo with that steering wheel lol!
we have both jackie and jon tonite bc my sis is a little sick

....and dh has to get up at 7am for work...urgh,,,wish us luck!

 

[Mrs]

hi ladies!

blen, George is soooo cute! thanks for posting those pics! What a wonderful smile he has! S is still kinda stingy with her smiles and only gets into really smiling at certain times of day and I haven''t been able to catch it on camera yet.

Mela, what a birth story! Thanks for sharing! I''m glad you guys are doing well!

Burk, that''s so great that T likes babies so much. what a cutie!

nyc, I''m glad you''re enjoying your new stroller and the weather!

S has been doing great. She slept from 8:30 to 4:30AM last night! That''s the longest she''s ever gone. I know it was because I swaddled her after she fell asleep. I don''t want to do that every night because (1) it''s rather warm here and I think she may overheat which is a risk factor for SIDS and (2) I want her to learn to sleep that long on her own... I''m going to let her sleep unswaddled tonight and hope she does as well. fingers crossed! The frustrating thing is that I kept waking up last night every hour looking at the clock thinking, "she''s not up yet!"... So I didn''t really get to enjoy the lengthy sleep. oh well.

Hope you all are well!!

Mrs

 

[MustangGal]

I love the new pics of all the cuties!!!

I had the in-laws here for the weekend, so didn''t get to keep up. My sitter was in the hospital over the weekend, so luckily the in-laws aren''t leaving until today and are able to stay with Kyle until DH gets home. I guess I''ll have to look into finding alternative care, since the sitter is about 27 weeks preggo, and this is the 2nd time she''s been in the hospital. I''m just worried for her and her baby, and don''t want her to stress over my guy too.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Sheesh! We split the thread and I am already so far behind

. I can''t comment to everyone right now since I''m at work but I LOVE the pics of the babies. PS''ers have the cutest little bundles ever

Totally and completely makes me want to hold, kiss and smell them.

I hurt my left leg over Memorial Day weekend and it''s still pretty bad. I went to the doc on Wednesday last week and had it checked out. She gave me a shot and a prescription for a muscle relaxant. The meds are helping, but as soon as it wears off I can hardly move

I can wiggle my toes a bit but cannot flex my foot fully or point it at all. The calf just wants to cramp up which hurts so bad. I''ve had to enlist a friend of mine to help me with James in the a.m. since my MIL is out of town and I''m on my own.

On the topic of formula and breastfeeding - I formula-fed James and he is completely healthy and on target as far as milestones are concerned. I personally believe that the breast is the best, and I tried to bf, but I had no milk. I tried pumping and feeding feeding feeding and nothing. I managed to pump a measly 1.5 ozs. I don''t feel guilty about it because I wasn''t about to let my baby starve and I think that formula is a perfectly acceptable way to feed an infant - from the beginning if that is the mother''s choice. As a mom you will always have the defend the decisions you make for your children, which is unfortunate.

James is doing great - crawling everywhere and cruising along all of the furniture. He can *almost* stand on his own

It won''t be long before he''s walking.

 

[janinegirly]

hi all, I''m going to cut and paste portions of an update from another thread--sorry, hard keeping up with all the threads!

C is progressing on the crawl forward phase (did it one or 2 times). I think C is just cautious and a maybe a bit spoiled too..she loves being carried! hehe. I do try to prop her on her feet now and then, but she doesn''t stay long. Curious to hear what other 8 monthers are doing!
We took her to the park for her first swing ride, and she was so funny in the beginning! Like I said she''s a cautious one, and her legs were stiff as a board and she had one hand clinging to the chain while maintaining eye contact with DH back and forth. Finally she started to enjoy it and relax, and then it was all stare contests with other swinging babies, haha.
in other news, I think I''m going to be approved to work from home 1x a week. It sounds so piddly, but I have been in negotiations for it for FOUR months. IT''s been grueling and frustrating, but I work for a large firm and there was a lot of red tape, and alot of convenient passing of the buck. I had to push and push and push in not a great market, but that one day home means a lot. I hope to leave the door open for 2 days at home eventually, but for now, I''ll take it (it''s a trial period to start).

Now for some less ME-centric posts:

Diva: James sounds like he is doing great..I forget how old he is now? Hope he isn''t scaling anymore walls, hehe.

NF: those are some great photos...and you''ll treasure them forever! Congrats on DH''s job being finalized, exciting times!

Mela: welcome and you''ve got one handsome romeo on your hands. I never cease to be in awe of newborn shots..just such perfect little beings, and I always can''t believe they were in bellies just hours/days before! How''s the first few weeks been going?

 

[nycbkgirl]

Calling all formula feeders-

Im having real issues with jackie...she is throwing up her food!...we give her bottles of 4oz but she eats about 90cc on average....last nite she threw it all back up twice and once this morning...and then she won''t sleep..so I think she stil hungry but im scared to give her more....

I called doc and he said to skip a feeding and then on the next one mix half formula half boiled water...(so he finally agreed on the water thing I guess)...he said if it doesn''t help to come in.

The night was disaster! I got no sleep at alll...0. And I had to wake dh ...so he got 2 hrs here and there and he had to work...ugh devastated.

Will get to everyone later...

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[janinegirly]

nyc: you poor thing! I guess follow what your dr says (although I''d never heard that one!), but my amateur guess is maybe she has some food allergy/intolerance, so maybe ask your doctor about switching forumulas to one of those mixed soy..and if that doesn''t work, a hypoallergic one? others will know more about this than me, but it may be trial and error for a little while..

sleep when they sleep in the meantime!

 

[curlygirl]

nyc, it sounds like it could be reflux or an intolerance to the milk proteins (lactose?) in the formula. Is she crying when she spits up? Is she keeping anything down? Are you using slow flow nipples? Is she having enough wet and/or poopy diapers? I'm obviously not a doctor and don't have any experience with this but I think I would take her in just to be safe. If it's reflux, they may be able to prescribe something. If she's allergic to something in the formula, like janine said, they may tell you to switch to soy or one of the hypoallergenic formulas. I wouldn't wait too long on this because if there's a solution you need to start trying to find it. It will save you and your baby a lot of heartache and sleepless nights. Call your pedi and say you want to bring her in. Good luck and please keep us posted.

 

[nycbkgirl]

thanks janine and curly!
- is it possible to be allergic to the same formula shes been having all this time??...i duno how much she spits out but its a lot...i think most of what shes eating...reflux is what i thought as well....i will try what he says tonite and see how this nite goes and def take her in tomorrow

sleeping when they sleep is good..but they didnt sleep lol....with one baby its possible but when one finally goes down and the other is up and this continues ...no sleep! lol