PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[sugarpie honeybun]

Date: 5/13/2010 11:20:22 AM
Author: AmberWaves
Quick post from me

Piper had been rolling onto her tummy in her bassinet, and has now forgotten how to roll back onto her back. So she now wakes up at least twice every night pissed off because she''s on her belly! On Tuesday I decided to just put her in her crib where she can roll around all night, and well... She''s still waking up twice a night pissed because she can''t roll back! Of course, she also has feet hitting the mush bumper, and all. This coupled with her extreme lack of naps is really exhausting me. At the 3am wake I just feed her and put her back down, and since I know it''s not hunger, I let her kind of grump herself to sleep- on her tummy. Sigh. I can''t take weeks of this!

Amber- you''re not alone!

This has me wondering -

At what age is it considered too old to use sleep positioners? DS still uses one at 7 months to prevent him from rolling all over the place and waking himself up. He sometimes ends up kicking/moving the positioner out from underneath him.

 

[Mandarine]

Amber, I could have written that post
Hehe, check pages 244-246 in here...Lucas was going through the same thing! I hope the positioner works for Piper!!!

ETA: Initially I thought I would leave the positioner for a couple of weeks and the try again. But if he's happy in it, sleeps all night then I'm happy!. I don't have to sleep wondering if he's sleeping in a pool of drool, or whatever...and I went back to getting my beauty rest, so everyone wins!.

SPHB I think as long as they stay in the positioner then it's safe to use them. Mine is "breathable...so the few times he has managed to get out of it, I'm not worried because it's made out of mesh material...

 

[AmberWaves]

Mandy, sorry my friend was such a PITA! I want to say, "Well, because, unlike YOU, I have to work in the morning! WITH my baby, so I''d like us all to be rested."

 

[Mandarine]

haha no worries....
I want to say "I''m in the school of thought of MAMA needs to sleep".....if that means tying up the kiddo to the crib I would do it!

(ok, no I wouldn''t tie them up, but ya know...gotta do what you gotta do to get those babes to sleep!).

 

[AmberWaves]

Sugarpie, Mandy and I just got a verbal admonishment from one of my friends on FB about using positioners at all. A). My baby has extreme congestion a LOT of the time and b.) She''s driving me crazy! She''s been rolling over for weeks now, but just started doing it in her sleep. I am thiiis close to getting a stronger positoner (Piper rolled over hers), I''ll wait it out until the next Friday, when we have a pedi appointment. I can do the constant waking to put her back to sleep just fine on the weekends, but I have to work, man! I can''t be up all night! Which brings me to Viz: HOW DO YOU DO IT?? You need more than a coffee named after you, honey.

 

[fieryred33143]

Aw sorry about the sleep troubles ladies. When Sophia rolled from her back to her belly, she realized the beauty of tummy sleeping and has been sleeping like that ever since

. Now we just need for her to figure out how to get herself back to sleep when she crawls and stands. For the most part, she crawls over to the top of the crib, feels the bumper, scoots down, and falls asleep. But if she feels the crib slats she grabs on to them and pulls herself up and then freaks out because she''s standing.

 

[so cal girl]

Okay, I am WAY behind. I have been lurking and trying to keep up, but it''s just not happening.

So I know I am super late to the game, but I wanted to give a quick shout out to Fiery. Woman, you are awesome. You are so helpful and supportive to everyone, and you need to give yourself as much attention. I''m so glad you got to see the pyschiatrist, and that they have you on the track to getting better. But, like others said, I still think you could use a little time off. The sooner, the better. If you wait for the perfect time to take a vacation, it will never come.

That is my attempt at posting for the day

Oh, I almost forgot. E has a tooth! It made its way through yesterday. He is almost 7.5 months. Man, that seemed to take forever!

 

[vizsla]

amber - it''s quite simple, you see... i''m actually not a person at all. i''m a mamma robot designed to run on caffeine and sugar. all i need to get thru the week are some sweetarts, laffy taffy, via starbucks, wine and maybe a cliff bar or two. if you keep those pumping in my system i am programed to stay awake for extended periods of time during the day and wake up in 45min increments at night. and i have regularly scheduled mandatory shutdown every sunday from 7-9:30a.

and FWIW C totally forgot how to roll from belly to back once he rolled from back to belly - weird kids! i would totally use a sleep positioner. i actually put C to sleep on his belly these days b/c when he''s on his back he wiggles around for, like, an hour before falling asleep. bleh! but the tummy is like 10-15 mins.

hi firey! reading your posts you sound to be in a good place about everything. did you ever figure out how to take some time off?? hoping you can still take some time for yourself sooner rather than later! the crawling story had me in stitches... i love when babies are suddenly ''aware'' of what they are capable of. i get real nervous for myself for when c is mobile and/or can stand on his own.. he''s such a mover and shaker, i feel like i''m going to have to buy 60 gates just to keep the booger nose contained! it probably is a little scary for S once she realizes she''s standing and not laying down.. like "whoa! how did i get up here?" -- silly babies, tricks are for kids

AFM - (i''m sorry, when anyone else sees AFM to they automatically think of what the *other* AF stood for on the TTC thread? no? just me

)

anyhoo AFm the dude needs tubes

ENT was very concerned about the length of time he has been on antibiotics and the ramifications this has on the lining of his stomach and digestive track - answer to why he has been eating all night/day - helps to settle his tummy. AND, i guess, his anatomy is just super prone to infections - he actually STILL HAS an infection in the same ear (going on 2 weeks now!) - answer 2 as to why his sleep has been extra extra bad even after having been on antibiotics for 2 weeks

my poor baby!! we are trying to schedule the procedure ASAP! there are a few things that make me a little nervous and most have to do with him actually going under anesthesia - even for the short short amount of time the procedure will take. i know they do things like this all of the time but it still makes me nervous, nervous, nervous! the OTHER issue is that they schedule babies first thing in the morning - GREAT - but they can''t eat for 8 hours before the procedure

says the girl who''s kid still eats 3 times a night. i can''t even imagine how we are going to get thru that one!

 

[Mara]

still reading but...

sleep positioners... J turns his face INTO his (hello removed the bumpers so you wouldn't do this hehe) but since it's mesh and he always flips his face around after a little while i don't worry too much. he is only almost 4 months but he moves out of his and leaves it all mangled looking, kinda funny when you look in the monitor sometimes just to see the left behind empty positioner. well it wasnt funny the first few times though!! i plan to leave it in there probably until he is unswaddled since i think it helps keep him placed for his 'deep' hours of sleep, its when he moves into more active sleep that he starts thrashing around and leaves it behind.

re: letting newborns sleep... our baby slept 3-4 hours right from day one. he quickly moved to 5 hours within about 3 weeks. and was going sporadic 8 hours by week 4-5 i think. we let him tell us when he wanted to eat, honestly waking to feed seemed so alien to me BUT in the first 2 weeks he woke every 3-4 hours anyway so we never really had to wake him. we did a combo of bf'ing and formula feeding with a few weeks of EBF but he's almost always had formula at night. our pedi said it was fine to let him sleep as long as he wanted at 3 weeks of age so we did, and i personally think it contributed to him easily falling into a long sleeping pattern that he felt comfortable with.

i have heard of some newborns sleeping 8 hours here and there but it may not even be a pattern. if you feel like you HAVE to say something, i'd definitely be sensitive to hormones and her feelings and maybe feel her out like 'wow i had no idea that newborns could sleep that long!' and see how she responds. if she is defensive or says she thinks it's ok, then i'd def back off and be like 'that is great' but if she is more like 'i don't know, should i ask someone' then you can recommend the pedi or something. but i'd let her lead you.

viz yay for a great necklace and fingers crossed for C's appt today. and don't feel bad at all for complaining about his sleep, hello. it is GREAT he is such a happy boy during the day but really he should be sleeping too, hehee. it's not like you ONLY get to have one or the other, or it shouldn't be anyway. i hope he gets there soon.

steph, lol re :the growth spurt, yep J did that too and i had to take aback a bunch of carters 3 month stuff to get 6 months which is just a little big on him but he will def be filling them soon. and i love carters! actually the shop near us had a bunch of $5 stuff the other day so i bought J a few more things.

oh and gymboree is having a 30% sale and you get gymbucks too.

fiery, so glad you are seeing someone and they have some advice. sophia is such a little mover and shaker!! thanks for the info on the wakeful. i also found an article that said they have a huge growth spurt around that time too so that you should feed them if they wake up but try to keep the routine as solid as possible so that the kid will hopefully not be too affected by the changes in his little brain. keeping fingers crossed.

J has started to wake up from time to time or not really 'wake up'...just start kind of moaning and squeaking in his sleep which most times leads to a more full wake up. i will either go in and put the paci in and see if he sleeps or this morning i knew it was too early for him, so i let him squeak for about 5 min then he fell asleep for 2 more hours. i figure we'll try doing this for a while and feed him when he def won't go back without eating.

does anyone have the crib net thing where it prevents them from climbing out? we had some friend over last nite who has a 3 year old and he recommended we get it ASAP because supposedly by the time the kid can sit and stand you want them to think that the net has ALWAYS been there so they will never question it or start tearing at it etc. any recommends or dissuades for it?

it's beautiful here and i am all emotional thinking these are my last days with J so we'll go for a long walk today.

ETA viz boo on the tubes but yay on they may really help him! and on the 8 hours with no food...hahaa well just think of it as... how well will he sleep when he comes back home?!?! hehe. i kid. just try to tank him up at 8.5 hours to procedure!

ETA #2... ummm people shouldn't ADMONISH anyway when it comes to your kid. people are edumacated and make their own decisions about their kids!

 

[Mandarine]

Oh Viz

Poor sweet C...

Have you asked about probiotics? That may help with the damage the antibiotics have caused. The oatmeal I use (Happy bellies) has probiotics in it...but I think they pedi should be able to give you something more concentrated. Antibiotics really mess with your system because they kill the bad...but also the good bacteria.

Or maybe they give you the ok to start with yogurt?. I know he''s allergic to some things...but maybe there is a type of yogurt he can eat?.

belly sleeping/back sleeping/rolling over When Lucas started his weird phase, I thought maybe he just wanted to sleep in his tummy...but turns out that for him it wasn''t the case. I know many babies start sleeping MUCH better once they figure out they can sleep on their tummies and I was hoping that was what was going on with him...but nope, he would just get mad he was on his belly and didn''t remember how to roll back. Mind you he had been rolling from belly to back since like 6 weeks (to avoid tummy time).

Yeah, babies are just WERIRD!.

Amber...I wish I didn''t give one of my positioners away! (I had 2!)....I would have sent it to you to see if that worked!. Oh well...

**

So I''ve been going solo (sans babysitter) for the past two days. Her family is going through a really hard time...her brother got killed in Guatemala

....so, so, so sad. Anyway, it''s been really hard to juggle working from home and taking care of these two!!!. I am so ready for the weekend!.

 

[so cal girl]

Just a quick post as I''m on my way to go pump...

Viz, I know getting C through the procedure will be hard, but I think the tubes will really help. Not sure how you are supposed to not feed him for 8 hours. I''d definitely bring that up with the doctor when you schedule the procedure. But I''m guessing once he gets through it, his sleep will start to improve. And in the end, it will make him a happier baby when he doesn''t have to deal with all the infections. I think this is a step in the right direction. Liek I said, I had tubes as baby, and haven''t really had any problems with my ears since then. Good luck!

 

[qtiekiki]

Burk
LOL on T thinking K need his paci too. I think it''s the cutest thing.
Sounds like going back work wasn''t so bad this time around.

Steph
Thanks. Yeah J is holding his head up pretty well, considering that I haven''t been making him do tummy time regularly. He is still a little floppy sitting in the bumbo though.
Wow E is a big boy. Already growing out of 3-6 months. Love Target baby/toddler clothes; they are good for the price.

CC
I am always amazed when I hear that kids can walk with the sleep sacks because M can''t do it. Maybe I have a clumsy kid.

Kimberly
Awww thanks. That''s the first time anyone says that J is gorgeous. It''s so sweet of you.
Sounds like Jane is doing great holding up her head and pushing up with her arms, so I really wouldn''t worry about tummy time.
Re: Boppy - I don''t like it for BFing at all. I really regretted getting it, even though I got it as a gift of my registry. I''ve used it only a handful of times for tummy time or lounging for M and now J. Was not worth it for me.
Hope the meltdown was just a fluke.
We took M from LA to SF (around 370 miles, approx. 5.5 hrs drive) when she was almost 4 months old. The first couple hours was fine, she just slept. Then we stopped for nursing, food and restroom. When we started for the road again, she cried for a bit before falling asleep again. Then she woke up, cried and we stopped to comfort her. So for a 160 miles drive, Jane might just be asleep the whole time. I think your plan of stopping midway if she is awake is perfect.

Mara
J just cries when he is tired or upset. It''s kind of scary that Julian can hold his breath.
Good luck with going back to work next week. Interested in what you end up deciding to do. In the perfect world, I would love to be a SAHM until the kids are school age. I told DH that he better makes a million from stock, so I can retire. Haha.
Re: Crib net - I briefly looked into it after M climbed out of her crib, and I have to agree with your friend if you do want to use it. All the reviews say the toddlers hate it or can take it off, so they don''t work well if you start them at that age.

Viz
Your DH did well with your MD gift.
Sorry about the stall on the new job.
Get that "party" girl out this week. Have fun.
Sorry about C having to get tubes.

Fiery
Sophia is so pretty. Can''t believe she will be 1 in July. Well I can''t believe I have a 2 yrs old in July. Time flies.
Hehe. Yeah a lot of the toddler girls had that onesie back when they were around 3-6 months. There was a collage of them wearing the onesies in the original mommies thread. It''s funny how after almost two years, they still use the same fabric/pattern.
Crawling and standing in the crib at night, M went through that phase. They like to practice what they learned in their sleep. Initially I went in and put her back down, but then minutes later she would be up and standing again. I tried CIO one night, but she just stood there crying. The girls advises me to help her learn to get down from standing by holding her hands and lowering her. It took about 1 week for her to learn to lower herself, but she still wouldn''t do it to go back to sleep. I still had to go in to lay her down. It was another 1.5 week before she stopped practicing standing in her sleep, and can put herself to sleep again. Good luck.

jcrow
Can''t wait to see pic of Emily.

Amber
Yay for rolling. Sorry for the wake-ups, but they do like practicing in their sleep. Hope the phase gets over soon.

Mandarine
Super Mama. Working and taking care of twins.

 

[fieryred33143]

SoCalGirl-thanks for your kind words.

Really thanks to everyone. I would read over the words, even if just hugs, throughout the day and it was really helpful.

Viz-Poor C

. I really hope once he gets the tubes he''ll go back to feeling better. Lots of babies have gone through the same thing but it''s always harder when it''s your baby. Speedy recovery. Keep us posted.

Date: 5/13/2010 2:07:47 PM
Author: qtiekiki
Fiery
Sophia is so pretty. Can''t believe she will be 1 in July. Well I can''t believe I have a 2 yrs old in July. Time flies.
Hehe. Yeah a lot of the toddler girls had that onesie back when they were around 3-6 months. There was a collage of them wearing the onesies in the original mommies thread. It''s funny how after almost two years, they still use the same fabric/pattern.
Crawling and standing in the crib at night, M went through that phase. They like to practice what they learned in their sleep. Initially I went in and put her back down, but then minutes later she would be up and standing again. I tried CIO one night, but she just stood there crying. The girls advises me to help her learn to get down from standing by holding her hands and lowering her. It took about 1 week for her to learn to lower herself, but she still wouldn''t do it to go back to sleep. I still had to go in to lay her down. It was another 1.5 week before she stopped practicing standing in her sleep, and can put herself to sleep again. Good luck.

Thank you QT so much for the tip! I''m going to try that tonight. I usually just grab her and put her back down. It didn''t occur to me to teach her how to get down herself. Duh! Thanks again!

 

[vizsla]

thanks ladies - i'm actually excited to get this done and over with.. i'm just ready to move on from the sickness (colds notwithstanding) and get GOING on life, yanno? i feel like DH and i are in a holding pattern until we get this sleep thing figured out. we go to bed at like 9:00 every night, don't make time for ourselves, or our house, or our poor dog, or anything really b/c we are always playing catch up with sleep.
it's a reason i'm searching high and low for my rally pants.... after 10:00 i'm, like, dead to the world! and poor DH has to deal with c all by his lonesome....

mandy - we are a total probiotic family DH has some digestive 'issues' so we've been on the probiotic trend for a long time... that said.. i didn't know they made oatmeal with probiotics!!! i was just going to get some powder and sprinkle on his food.. GOOD TO KNOW!! thanks!

thanks so cal! how is E's sleep going??? is he still waking up once a night??

ETA: mandy - i just looked up that co. funny! i have their frozen food!! wonder if it has probiotics... need to check on the cereal.. did you find it at whole foods?

 

[Burk]

Will be back to catch up in a bit but just had to post about my ridiculous luck the past two days.

Yesterday-while walking to my car I felt something wet on the back of my pant leg. Since it had been raining I figured I was just splashing water as I walked. It was as I got in my car and realized there was also "rain" on my purse and my a** that I looked at my pump bag and realized one of my bottles of BM was leaking...to the likes of 2oz on my pants and purse!! Whatever, at least I was on my way home and could change. Then today happens.

I''m pumping away (in my classroom in a corner while shopping on the internet on my laptop). I just do a 10-15 minute pump while at work so I only bring my 5 oz bottles. Well, apparently my left (superproducer) bb had more than 5oz. I felt something wet in my lap and sure enough my left side was overflowing!!! So I stop my pump and as I''m trying to unattach the bottle from the pump I spill more BM on my lap. I seriously look ridiculous. Worst part is I now have to teach two classes of 6th graders. Can''t so much tell them that it''s BM...so when they all just asked I told them I was clumsy with my diet mountain dew!

I have officially wasted at least 3 oz of BM the past two days. On. My. Pants. And that, my friends, is my luck!

 

[Burk]

Oh, and real quick... Viz~ So sorry poor C has to get tubes but I think it'll be great for him in the end. We also do probiotics for K. They make baby ones and I give it to him in a bottle.

 

[vizsla]

oh burk - of all age groups 6th graders.. yeeeaaaahhhhhhhh not the most ummm supportive group eh?

what baby probiotic do you use??

 

[Burk]

Viz~I can just imagine the responses I''d get from the 6th graders if I told them what it *really* is!

I can''t remember the brand, but I''ll look when I get home and post it. We get it at the clinic where I see the Doctor that specializes in breastfeeding and food intolerances. She recommends trying it for little ones with sensitive bellies and I think it has really helped with K.

 

[ChinaCat]

Burk- Oh no! I totally did that at work once, except I forgot to even attach a bottle to the pump, so I just pumped directly into my lap. Sad part is it took me awhile to notice!

Amber & Mandy- I am always surprised when people post judging comments on FB about parent choices. Not the place!

O never seemed to have a problem figuring out how to get back down once he started standing up in his crib. Then again, he''s a total daredevil and dives headfirst off of things so he probably just threw himself back down. He''s going to give me a heart attack. He literally tries to jump off things.

Viz- I HATE that C (and you) have to go through a surgery, BUT I am also HAPPY that there might be a solution!!!!! Did it bring you some relief when the dr said that this is not normal and that there was a cause of his unhappiness/not sleeping/waking at night to eat???? At least you know WHY now. C will be fine! When will you do the procedure? And yes, I totally think AF when I write "AFM".

Speaking of, how long after quitting BF did AF return for most? I guess I''m looking for the longest amount of time. Kinda weird that I haven''t seen her yet, no? Or can it take awhile?

Waking babies up to sleep: I personally think newborns should be woken up to eat for the first few weeks. After that, let em go. Eight hours is a lot for a week old baby. I know that''s great for mom, but seems a bit dicey to me for the kiddo. Just my opinon though. And if I have number 2, I totally reserve the right to change my mind!

But I probably wouldn''t say anything to the new mom.

AFM-

O has two (crooked) bottom teeth and the top 2 are coming in as well. He can climb down off the couch all by himself, which he is very proud of. Stairs are fun for him, as long as he can go down headfirst (we don''t let him, he doesn''t like that). He has started cracking himself up, which is hysterical. He "runs" away from us (crawling) either on the floor or couch and then laughs hysterically like he thinks he''s outwitting us. He also has very intense conversations with himself, though not using real words. He has stood up and balanced by himself a few times- but only when he doesn''t realize he''s doing it. He loves his sippy cup, though I''m not sure that he gets enough out of it to transition from a bottle yet.

Oh and Lysser- He is obsessed with avocados!!!!! I know we talked about it since we both craved and ate so much of it while preggo, but I kept forgetting to give to O. He LOVES them.

 

[Mara]

lol burk sorry about the waste but your story made me giggle. yeah don't let onto the 6th graders hehee.

re: avocados ... just curious do you guys mash them up with some bm ? or do the full puree with any liquids? i am not planning to start J on solids for a while anyway as his tonge thrust is still kinda crazy but curious.

also another random Q but those who are feeding their bebe's solids now, when you started how long of 'time' did you have to budget in for feeding? like an extra 30 min? an extra hour? i'll be back at work when J starts solids so wondering how this might affect a future schedule and/or what to tell mom if SHE is the one who starts him. TIA.

viz... re AFM ... it took me a few days to realize what that meant, serious. mommy brain. and AF yes makes me think of..well AF!!

did anyone else think today was friday? me me me.

oh yeah and i just ordered a bunch of replacement pump supplies and paid $30 in overnight shipping since i feel like lately the pump is not doing the job of emptying the boobs so am going to replace everything on it. love pumping. NOT.

oh and one vent. so i have an employee at work and she told me today that my 'acting' replacement is making all these decisions for an event we go to in september. he committed her and i to work an expo table at the show and we NEVER do that, typically our acct team sets up all these meetings for us so we meet with people face to face. i don't go to the event to work a table--we have an acct team for that. anyway i am PO'd that this guy is committing ME to work a table and i am coming back in less than a week, and he won't just say 'why don't you ask mara when she returns' since the event is in SEPT? and my employee is asking me, uhh why is he doing this? so i emailed him saying btw i hear this subject is coming up, pls don't make decisions thanks. WTF. seriously.

 

[sugarpie honeybun]

Thanks for the feedback on sleep positioners.

Amber- sorry your opinionated FB friend felt the need to insert, well, her opinion…

Re: AF – mine returned (with a vengeance) around 6 weeks after I completely stopped pumping.

 

[Burk]

China~That makes me feel better that I'm not the only one with pumping "mishaps"

When I quit BFing Tayva I think AF returned within a month or so. Consider yourself lucky!

Mara~I had to laugh about it or I probably would have cried!

I hate pumping so I get mad when I waste my hard earned BM! Hope your new pump parts help. I have never actually emptied a bb when pumping...I make a ton of milk (typically pump anywhere from 10-14 oz) and refuse to pump much more than 15-20 minutes. Sorry about your replacement at work being a PITA. Hopefully your email will set him straight!

Steph~Thanks! I am counting down the days until summer vacation although I do enjoy what I do, I like me some summer break too!

 

[ChinaCat]

Mara- I just mash up the avocado with a fork and let him pick it up and make a mess. I''m not sure what the mommas did that did it as a first food. Lysser, Mandarine??? As for time- well at first, I just did it for "fun". So in the afternoon or morning, I would just do it 1x a day. Took about 10-15 mins maybe? Plus another 15 mins for clean-up if you let him make a mess!!!! I was very laid-back about it at first and just implemented it slowly. When it becomes more regular, I still don''t think it takes more than 15-20 mins or so (to make it, feed him, clean up). But O is a good eater and I don''t force food on him. If he isn''t interested within 5 minutes, we stop. Now he eats about 3x a day, just at normal mealtimes. If we are eating, I feed him at the same time. Sorry about your "replacement". People are annoying.

Viz- I meant to say that I had to host a bachelorette weekend (out of town) the first time I got mastitis. NOT fun, especially b/c I couldn''t pump/nurse as much as I needed to. I got through it, but yeah, so not the same party girl here as before.

AFM and AF

. Hmmm. Well I stopped exclusively BF at 6 months but still pumped/nursed. I stopped pumping at 7 months, but still nursed 1x a day. I guess I finally gave that up right before he turned 8 months, so it''s really only been a month. Ok, that makes me feel better. Just felt like it had been longer. Not at all eager for her return, BUT I want to go back on the regular pill and my OB recommended I ovulate once first. No big deal but I so do NOT trust the mini-pill.

 

[qtiekiki]

CC
Consider yourself lucky. I got AF back while BFing/pumping at around 6 or 7 months after we started soilds.

 

[vizsla]

for a ''first food'' i mash up the avocado on the cutting board and then mix it up with some (gasp) water. bananas and avocados can have a ''binding'' effect so i like to mix with those with water - and c seems to like the texture. i''ve actually been mixing avocado with most things; sweet potatoes, pears, banana - all are surprisingly good combos.

mara - unless you are going to be on a strict''erish (ha! yes, totally a word) feeding schedule i don''t think you will have to worry about scheduling a true ''feeding'' for awhile. even now - at 6.5 months - i only feed him once a day, at night. b/c that is when it is convenient for me. maybe once we go thru some more of the first foods i will have daycare feed him another time during the day, but i''m trying not to stress too much about solids - instead i''m thinking of everything more as a bonus and practice for c.

cc - yeah, i have to also remember that i can''t drink as much as i once could AND get up with baby .... something about having a baby and a hangover just don''t compute. FWIW i weaned for, like, the longest time ever... think i was down to 1 pumping a day for 2 weeks or something like that.. anyhoo i saw AF approx 6 weeks after i stopped completely.. first one wasn''t so bad.. the second time around, yeah... not even gonna talk about it.....

 

[Pandora II]

Viz - I give Daisy the Actimel probiotic yoghurt drinks, she loves them and it seems to have really helped with the tummy aches she was getting at night. I hope the op helps, but poor you with the 8 hours before with no food - I can just imagine trying to deal with that

, I would tank him up like mad just before the 8 hours.

Birthday Parties... I forget who mentioned them...

We''re doing a trip to London Zoo on Sunday (please, please let there be nice weather) with my BIL & SIL and three couples with babies around D''s age. As madam is obsessed with ducks, I''ve gone with that as a theme. I found duck shaped plates and duck napkins and cups on eBay and added yellow and blue cutlery etc. The kids all get a rubber bath duck to take home.

You can take your own picnic so at the moment the plan is for roast beef and salad rolls (I have a joint of beef to roast at home rather than bought stuff); roast chicken pieces; mozzarella and tomato salad with basil; tuna, vegetable and pasta salad and then a birthday cake. I decided to nix the cupcakes as being too much work and not really necessary.

 

[MonkeyPie]

fiery, I really hope things look up for you asap on the meds - maybe you will be one of those lucky people that reacts to the drugs quickly and feels so much better. I''ll keep my fingers crossed tomorrow night for you.

I managed to not be lazy today, and went to meet a girlfriend for breakfast/lunch. And I even took the baby with me, and he was a total angel despite not sleeping hardly at all yesterday. He was super fussy and wide awake all day, with only a few little catnaps. The friend I met thought maybe he was hungry, so I gave him an extra ounce in his last bottle and guess what? He passed the heck out, and is still asleep as I type. YAY! Now I feel bad for basically starving my baby. Poor thing.

She also told me one of her NICU babies, that weighed about 7 pounds eats EIGHT OUNCES every meal! Good lord, that seems excessive. I was all alarmed and asked if that was normal, and apparently they feed on demand in the NICU - if baby wants more, baby gets more. So this little piggy gets 8 ounces a meal. Wow.

I desperately need some new clothes. My pre-pg clothes all fit, and some are even looser than before (score!), but my jeans? Falling apart. The pair I have on now have shredded hemlines and are thinning on the inner thigh. Lovely.

 

[Mara]

re: avocado/first foods, thanks for the info. also i like the idea of just doing it as we want to for 'fun', that way i don't have to worry about scheduling or anything, esp since he will still be drinking all his regular milk/formula. one of my friends who did avocado as a first food said her daughter loved it, i just never asked her how she did it.

plus i love avocado so i figure when we try foods i'll def want to start with that one and banana.

MP wow a newborn eating 8oz? where does it GO?? J had 1oz after like 3-4 days of birth and that was all he could seem to fit! and Old Navy and AE have some great cheapie summer clothes...i have been shopping there mostly and also Forever 21 LOL! even though iam not 21. hehe. also once i started going out with J now i love having lunch with friends. he really enjoys the outings too and 'new' people fawning over him hah.

and yes...i realize this now re: fussy babies...when in doubt, FEED THEM. one of my friends told me that at like week 2-3 and i really didn't HEAR it but eventually i was like DUH. the days when we could no longer feed J til he was comatose were sad ones. hehee. now that he realizes he can 'refuse' the bottle or boob (aka turn from side to side or actually use his hand to push away or push it off) , he's a whole new man.

viz... i am sooo not a party animal anymore. a friend came by last nite to visit and i was passing out at like 10:30..and thinking 'i need to pump'. oh what a live wire.

burk ...i am sooo jeallie of your 10-14oz of milk! please send some my way hehe. my friend who pumps 40oz a day told me she is planning to donate some of hers to a milk bank because she has WAY too much to ever go through and she doesnt plan to travel.

cc... i still haven't had AF but my lady parts don't seem normal at all still. i have what seems like a lot of CM somtimes (TMI) that is tinged pink. i don't know if it's from my 'flower' or what. but blah. so even though AF has not returned, i don't feel like i am 'enjoying' anything hehee.

AFM (hah!) ... i really love watching my boy develop. just yesterday he was grasping a hanging toy with both hands and pulling it towards him. he wasn't all that coordinated yet with it but it is the first time i had seen him do that with BOTH hands. and then right now he is hanging out in his crib after we went for a 1.5 hour walk and he has the paci and he's awake and kind of drifting and reaching for his sleep sheep since i moved it a little closer to him. i just love seeing him reach for things now and realizing he can touch things. it's so cute.

 

[Sabine]

I''m way behind, but quickly...

Fiery, good luck with starting the meds, and glad you sound like you are doing a bit better with everything! Mucho hugs!

And Viz...I tried some infant probiotics for Jacks when he was having his tummy issues when we had to keep switching formulas. He had some constipation issues, etc., but when I gave him even half a dose of the probiotics in one bottle, he just kept going and going and going. His bowels have now settled down and I still have the big bottle that I only used maybe 3 times, so I''d be happy to send it to you if you want to try it before buying something. It''s a powder you just add to the bottle (I tried to find live cultures at the pharmacy but none here had them). It''s called Udo''s Choice Infant Probiotics.

We had another allergic reaction yesterday, although it wasn''t nearly as bad as the first one. We were at a playdate at my friend''s house, and I fed him some colby-jack cheese and he was playing on the floor where there was a lot of dog hair. He started coughing before we left and he cried in the car on the way home and his nose was a faucet. I thought it was just from the crying, but after he napped, he woke up still dripping and he had either hives or eczema all over his legs and a little bit on his arms, belly, and neck. It was pretty much gone by today without any treatment other than his normal stuff. I thought it was the cheese since we have a dog (he''s had cheese and yogurt, but that kind of cheese was new), but I gave him some more for dinner tonight, and even though he didn''t eat as much, he didn''t have any reaction whatsoever. So who knows?

 

[KimberlyH]

Pictures of Jane: I would love to share, but am not comfortable doing so on such a public forum. One day I''ll get it together and start a FB account so I can.

Qtie, don''t thank me, I had nothing to do with your boy''s good looks!

Vis, I''ll bet it is scary that C is going to have surgery (and not able to eat for 8 hours! Jane would flip her lid) but hopefully it will all the other crap he''s got going on, poor kiddo!

MP, you''re not lazy, you have an infant, that means things are really different.

Car Ride: thanks for all the tips. We''ve made the drive before, but my husband was with me. Going solo is what makes me nervous (hell, anything out of our norm makes me nervous with her). I have a mirror, two actually, neither one works really well, but the second is much better than the first. She looks so small in it though, it''s hard to see what she''s doing.

J''s freak out: I''ve figured out they are sleep related, not food. She doesn''t get enough sleep, I know that and am trying to figure out how to work it out so that she gets more/longer naps during the day. Today was better than yesterday nap-wise, she''s asleep now actually, but it''s still not enough sleep.

She smiled at her first stranger yesterday. A really nice woman was on a walk when J and I were yesterday and we ended up chatting and then she started chatting up J and she broke out into the shyest of smiles, so sweet.

I contacted my boss this morning to set up a meeting with him to get me back in the swing of things.