PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[fieryred33143]

Ditto MP, oobie. Some babies are like a log in bed and don''t move at all. Other newborns move a lot. I would either get a PNP w/ the bassinet attachment or find a very fitted sheet.

*** Nothing over here. Just hanging out with my crazy child. I put her in the pnp to prepare her lunch with a toy and her stuffed sheep. She grabbed the sheep, squeezed it, fell over squealing, then stood up, threw the sheep out of the pnp and mumbled something towards it. She''s a hoot.

Also it seems like the transition to whole milk may go really smooth. Yesterday I gave her a small taste and she loved it. She''s definitely my girl because I love milk also! (She gets the crazy from FI though)

 

[KimberlyH]

pnp sheet: we didn''t use it because of mobility, it''s to make the pnp more bed/crib-like so transition will be easier. it also is more comfortable than the vinyl pad that fits the bassinet.

mara, i wouldn''t put a blanket in with jane. you obviously need to do what you''re comfortable with but i wouldn''t want anything near my kiddos face until she had a lot more control over her body.
go j rolling over! it doesn''t make for a fun night though.

**

we''re skipping the beach today. j had a rough night and it''s cold and cloudy.

 

[Mara]

gee i guess we were lucky that J was immobile for the time he was -- now he''s CRAY CRAY. it was like 0 to 60.

my confession should be that i don''t even put a sheet on his crib half the time--it''s got an organic mattress cover that is really soft so i just toss a sheet saver on it, tie it to the crib slats and switch them out every few days. the sheet is a PITA to get around the crib, have to pull it away from the wall etc. i also gouged out the wall once trying to push it back and shoving too hard.

fiery...yay for milk liking!!

 

[sunkist]

Date: 6/12/2010 1:37:08 PM
Author: Mara


anyway i was ecstatic i got to see him roll over!!! but at the same time going CRAP now we''ll be stuck turning him back over until he gets used to it and/or can roll himself over.


For Moms whose LO''s went through this--how long did it take where they were wakeful at night with this new trick? I am hoping maybe a week max? Seriously while this is all exciting and great, now that I am working, I need sleep!!

.

Mara - if you''re meaning that he''s getting on his tummy at night or during naps and getting upset, Wes did that for a week and then the next week he learned how to sleep on his tummy, thank goodness!

 

[drk]

Mere - I''m struggling with this too. Still haven''t given any formula, but feel like it''s right there on the horizon. I pump after every feed for 10min, take a 10min break, and pump for another 10min. It''s a good thing there are only about 7 feeds a day now. I start back to work on Monday though, and am having a hard time imagining how my supply will keep up, especially since K''s going through a growth spurt right now and is much more frustrated at the breast and less willing to keep on sucking there. I''m already on the max dose of the meds that will help to increase/maintain my supply, so I''m out of luck there. Right now I''m just feeling like a failure that this is so hard. My body failed me getting pregnant, staying pregnant, and now with the breastfeeding. Darn it.

 

[Mara]

drk sorry you are having a rough time of it with bf'ing as well. it really isn't fair that something so natural should be so hard!! i feel like the milk should just flow out when you need it hehe. you are def not a failure.

kim ya jury is out on the blanket. i know he loves it and he sleeps better with it, but i don't love it. i might have my mom knit me something really thin and light with lots of holes in it, just a soft material and something he can snuggle but with air flow. or find a lovey like that maybe or have her make a mini blankie or something like that which he can just hold. after he relaxes he tends to loosen his hands so it falls out anyway.

i was telling G that i should make a blanket that is like a mesh breathable bumper. it won't be pretty but the kid could snuggle with it and breathe. i have lots of ideas like this hehee--just need someone to finance me!

sunkist thanks for the info re: wes. yeah that is what J is doing now, rolling onto tummy at night then being upset because he doesn't put 2 and 2 together yet to think 'i can roll back'. it will be pretty funny when he can figure it out and then starts rolling around! i am REALLY glad we deswaddled now. if he was swaddled i would feel so uncomfortable with this new skill.

we just took a 2.5m walk with dog and baby... it's beautiful out, very warm but with a breeze. off for a pedi soon, yay!

eta...forgot to write that we tried solid oatmeal cereal with J today. he really seemed to like it and he was loving gumming on the spoon. at first he didnt realize what to do but by the end he was pretty good at swallowing. he ate a fair amt of what i made, so it went better than we expected. we'll do it again tomorrow. yay!

 

[taovandel]

I feel like I haven''t been on in forever!

I probably won''t even attemp to keep up..sorry!

Pictures are adorable as always!

Evan is still rolling and army crawling to get where he needs to go. He also has started pulling up a bit with minor assistance from us. He was holding onto the coffee table today and i pulled my hands away a few inches to see what would happen and he stood there trying to reach for a magazine on the table!

And my new favorite thing that he does is giving kisses. If you pucker up and make smoochy noises at the same time he opens his mouth and kisses you...his big sloppy kisses are the best!

 

[Sha]

Just popping in to say I looooovved all the baby pics yesterday!!!

 

[Burk]

meresal~The others already gave a bunch of great info but I just wanted to give you hugs. BFing is not easy and I think we all stress over some aspect of it at some point. If you don''t think you''re making enough I wouldn''t just ditch it all together but maybe just do mixed feedings?

mara~Sorry for the rough night. When T did that it only took her a few nights and then she became a tummy sleeper. Hopefully I''m cutting out that phase by just putting K on his tummy now...

drk~Big hugs. So sorry things aren''t going great with BFing. I will never ever understand why something that''s supposed to be "natural" is so hard.

fiery~Yay for Sophia loving milk!!

K''s fever finally broke...3 days later. Rough few days and he''s still not 100% himself but at least I saw a glimpse of my baby today! I didn''t get a pic posted yesterday so here''s my late contribution. K at the pool (he fell asleep drinking a bottle).

 

[turtledazzle]

Date: 6/12/2010 12:51:38 PM
Author: oobiecoo
I have a quick question for all the mommies! We are going to be using a pack n play by our bed as a bassinett for the first few weeks. Do I need sheets for it? I got one but it doesn''t fit well so I''m worried it is more of a hazard. Also, I''m guessing I should get some waterproof pads for it... are the flat ones ok (as opposed to fitted)? Or would those move around too much and also be a hazard? I haven''t been able to find anything fitted that actually *fits*. Thanks!

Hi oobie,

My LO is due near the end of August, and I just happened to be doing Pack n Play research today so your post caught my eye. I read in the Baby Bargains book that many complain about the ill-fitting PNP sheets. They recommend Mr. Bobbles Blankets (http://MrBobblesBlankets.com) for their no-slip play yard sheets (they give it them an A rating). I don''t have any personal experience with them, but thought I would share the Baby Bargains rec.

 

[taovandel]

Evan: "Just peeking to see if PS 2.0 is up yet....nope....."

 

[drk]

BF/pumping advice needed!

Seems my baby has had a growth spurt this last week or so, which might explain how much extra EBM she''s been eating with each feed. She used to be pretty satisfied after about 30cc, now it''s more like 45-50cc. And one night she sucked back almost 90cc. I hope the spurt ends soon - right now I''m thinking I ought to try to keep her amount of supplement fairly steady at 35-40cc, and let her come to the breast and make me pump more frequently if she''s working to get more in in a day. We''ll see how that goes, but it makes sense to me, since a regularly breastfeeding baby would simply feed more frequently during a growth spurt in order to boost the supply. Any thoughts?

 

[Mara]

drk how many oz is 45-50cc?

why don''t you just have her BF until the breast feels/is empty and then supplement with whatever she acts like she needs to be full? since it''s so hard to know what your bb''s are producing? wouldn''t that increase your supply if she is feeding more frequently?

would you pump instead of bf''ing? i don''t know your current plan so sorry if i am missing something.

so last nite J went down at 7pm since he only had one short nap all day (wakeful indeed, he laid in his crib flailing around for 45 min then took a 30 min nap!)... woke up at 1am, rolled over, screamed. we repositioned. woke up at 3am, rolled over, screamed. we repositioned. woke up at 5:15am, rolled over, screamed. we repositioned. woke at 6am. fed 8oz. slept til 9am.

i''m just thankful it''s the wkd so i can sleep in til 9am too!

AFM... i think my supply is decreasing again. i am not sure if i am staying hydrated enough since it''s so hot and i am also working out like walking, but it went from about 13-14oz to about 10oz in the last few days. i have been trying to pull out every last drop but it also seems like the pump is less effective. not sure if this is normal or what. my bb''s are also smaller (THANK GOD) as i wore a tank yesterday i hadn''t worn since before preggo. anyway now i am hoping to get to 5 months (2 more weeks) but am considering dropping the afternoon pump and seeing how much i can make with just morning and night. i typically only make 2oz during the afternoon one anyway now plus pumping at work is a PITA.

tao super cute pic! love E''s long hair. J is losing his but more is coming in so he has a funny look to him right now.

hope everyone is enjoying their wkd!! we are bbq''ing with some friends this afternoon.

 

[KimberlyH]

drk, why are you supplementing with pumped milk? is it because you are still struggling with supply?

we went to the zoo this morning for a bit then walked around balboa park. it''s a beautiful day here.

 

[gingerB]

A had his 4 month appt yesterday -- he behaved so well! i thought it was going to be a disaster as his nap timed perfectly to when we were at teh doc''s office so he should have been really sleepy. and on top of that the doc was over an hour late. but A just played happily on my lap and when the doc walked in gave him a a big ole'' grin. he giggled when he was being examined....sooooo cute! 15 lbs 5 oz and 25.5 inches! 50th percentile all around.

He cried a bit with the shots, but calmed quickly as soon as i picked him up. fell asleep in the car on the way home and that was it! thankfully no fever this time. what a little champ!

the pedi said we could start feeding him solids when he can sit up well and makes us feel guilty when we eat

. ummm... he''s being doing that for a while now. my little piggy

i''m not in a huge hurry for solids (um no thanks to solid poop diapers) AND i am in no hurry to fight a new g''ma fight of what they can feed their precious grandson. right now it''s easy as he''s strictly breastmilk...but EVeRY TIME they see him that ask if he can eat solids yet. i asked DH waht the chances of the g''mas complying with the milk and water only, no juice rule when the time comes. he said -- zero to none

A is now mobile

and

. he can''t roll yet, but if we put him on his tummy on our bed, he face plants, gathers his legs under him and pushes off, moves his arms forward -- rinse and repeat. he looks like a littel inchworm it''s so frickin'' adorable!

mer/drk - big hugs.. bf''ing is so stressful when it doesn''t go the way you thought. you got some great advice. do what you can and don''t feel bad if you need formula. babies need to eat and ya''ll are providing nutrition, wheter it''s breast milk or not. the things that helped me increase my supply were 1) pumping around the clock (esp those crazy 1am-5 am essential pumps -- i tried to NEVER mis that one) 2) drank a bunch of water 3) ate oatmeal 4) learned how to do breast compressions -- really helped empty the girls 5)pumped for 5 minutes after the last drop came out, even if it meant staying on for 40 minutes --- i was a pumping maniac, though. i felt like i had to prove something to my family and it spurred me on. but it was pretty rough for a while with this insane schedule.

love love love the pics! here''s one from A a week or so after he turned 3 months..it''s my current fave

 

[drk]

Mara - 30cc = 1oz. I have her BF till she''s not really swalowing any more, then I give her what was previously pumped after her last feed. I was thinking that if I give her 1-1.5oz of pumped milk, if she''s still a little hungry at the end, she''ll feed more often, so I''ll BF and pump more frequently and my supply might increase. Right now I''m Bfing and pumping at every feed.
Sorry to hear J had a crummy night!

Kim - yep, still struggling with supply and flow and weight gain here. I haven''t had to give any formula yet because we''ve worked so hard at it, but it''s been close a couple times.

Ginger - glad A''s doing so well! Hope many times a day did you pump? When did you start the crazy pumping and how long did it take you to see results? Are/were you exclusively pumping, or did you had to BF A at the same time? I find that makes it harder for me to aggressively pump, since I worry about pumping too close in time to the next time K wants to be fed.

 

[KimberlyH]

drk, i wish i had some ideas/solutions for you, but it sounds like you''ve worked hard with you doctor and lc. you''re in a tough spot, and i understand wanting to give her formula but feeling torn. i would only give her thhe normal amouunt of pumped milk and see if she can help you produce more at the breast firstand then movr on to formula supplementing if you find it necessary. as hard as that may be for you, it does not mean you''ve failed kara in any way. you''re feeding her, that is what is most important.

**

jane has her 4 mnth appt tomorrow, a few weeks early as her ped is going on vacation. i hate watching her get vaccines!

 

[steph72276]

Hey, girls! Sorry I have been MIA...we went on a 10 day trip up to GA to see our families/go on a little mountain getaway. It was so nice to get away for a little while and have some good quality family time. E did great during the 9 hour trip. We left between 2 and 3 both ways and he slept until we stopped halfway and we changed him/fed him, then he went back to sleep for the rest of the trip. I was anxious about driving that far, but leaving in the middle of the night helped so much! He did great last night back in his own crib, and slept for 12 hours. I need to go back and catch up on the last week, but I hope everyone is doing well!

 

[Mara]

sleep update...day 3 (or is it 4?) of the 4mo wakeful. i was silly to think we could escape with a few night wakeups.

last nite he was up from 1am to 4am. the crazy thing is that is longer than he stays up during the DAY but he just will not let himself stay asleep from this weird 1-3am time period. i even fed him at 2am..he took EIGHT OZ. that is a crazy lot for him. and then he was still awake for another 30 min after. so his big chunks of sleep were 7pm to 1am and 4am to 8am. and both of those were deep sleeps.

i might have to start going to bed at 8pm until he grows out of this just so that *I* can get enough sleep for work. the prob with just letting him hang out in his crib (half the time he isn''t crying, just fussing, babbling, playing with body/legs/feet) is that he''s so close to our room i can hear every little thing and can''t let myself relax. so i just lay there listening. it really affects my sleep, but G sleeps just fine, so unfair.

the frustrating thing for me is that i know i can''t DO anything to help him really. soothing only works for 15-30 min before he ''wakes'' up again and starts moving around. feeding worked only because he ate a ton. but i don''t want to get into that ''habit''..on the other side i don''t want him hungry. i wish i could hold him more but again don''t want to create that habit. right now he is totally fine to be put into his crib and left so i just am trying to stay consistent so that he knows what to expect.

we had a solid poop today, a little too solid, so he may have been thirsty last nite too...and unable to communicate obviously. since it''s been hot he has been sweating so we''ll give him a little water after his bottles today. the funny thing is him pushing out that solid poop-the look on his face...concentration. and a huge smile after haha.

oh and he tried avocado yesterday, mashed with BM and a bit of oatmeal cereal. he seemed to like it but his expressions were funny...like ''what is this...hmmm''. i ate the rest of the avocado and had a weird allergic reaction. but he seems to be fine.

and my milk is continuing to stay low. i am barely getting 10oz now. i am kind of preparing myself for the end of breast milk. it''s strangely sad for me.

hey steph!! give E a big smooch from me. little angel sleeper! hehe.

viz... i totally have even more respect for you than before--even getting up a few times with J really is driving me nuts, you guys had it so much worse. mega props. and hope C is doing well.

drk... you did not fail your babe...you are doing the best you can. sometimes things don''t work out the way we want, the important thing is that she''s getting food, however it comes. and i agree with kim''s idea re: putting her on the boob more rather than pumping more. the kids are the most effective way to increase your supply, IMO way better than a pump. if she will suck for a few more minutes each time why bother with the pump.

ginger... great to hear from you and that you guys are doing ok!!! A''s stats are great!! little cutie chunker.

 

[phoenixgirl]

I''m so glad this is my last week of work, especially since nights have not been going too well. Last night Claire woke up at 4 and wouldn''t go back to sleep after I fed her (crying unless held upright). At 5 I gave up and DH took her downstairs to watch tv (apparently the tv distracts her from her troubles). At 7:15 I found them asleep on the couch, Claire in the crook of DH''s arm pit. Normally he is very fastidious about showering, but he had just not gotten around to it all weekend and Claire''s head smelled so yuck! I could describe it more specifically, but you don''t want to know. I shudder to remember it.

I''m deconstructing my classroom this week. It''s not such an arduous task because last year they said we had to pack up everything in our rooms so they could paint, which I did, but then my friend next door didn''t and they still painted her room anyway.

But at least that means I did a whole big purge and organize last year.

DRK, I wish I had advice for you. BFing is, IMO, the hardest thing about being a parent, or at least, the hardest thing that you''re not really expecting. I guess my only advice is that if she''s on the boob as much as she wants, perhaps the extra guzzling when she''s feeding from a bottle is because it''s so easy and convenient? My sister always says that babies rarely turn down milk in a bottle. Does she cry or seem frustrated on the boob? If not, then maybe she''s just snacking extra because she can and because she hasn''t gotten the "stomach full" signal yet, in other words, not because she''s actually needing more than you make. I like your idea of letting her BF more. Good luck!

 

[qtiekiki]

Drk
I would just let her nurse more often and for as long as she wants, even if she is not swallowing. I agree with PG that she may not need the supplement EBM.

Mara
It''s something about being a mom. I used to sleep through everything, but now I wake up with every little sounds the kids make. DH can sleep through all the kids'' noises, even cries.
Hope J grows out of the wakeful thing.

Tao
Awww that''s such a cute pic of E.

 

[drk]

Phoenix - she has the odd quiet comfortable feed, but often is flailing around because she''s not satisfied with the flow. I also know that without pumping and giving her what the pump gets out, she doesn''t gain weight appropriately.

I''ve survived my first half day at work, and have only phoned home to see how it''s going twice so far. DH seems to be having a good time I think. Last time I called he said she was laughing and talking during playtime. I''ve had the darn pump attached to my chest for most of the morning. It''s easier to look like I''ve got a gigantic deformed chest under my scrubs and OR gown than it is to detach and reattach it. I''m trying to do a little power pumping while I''m at work too to increase my supply. Only got 2/3 of an oz on the way in to work, but so far have collected enough for her first feed of the day tomorrow (3oz). I think she''ll be ok with 2 3oz feeds while I''m at work if I feed her just before leaving and just after getting home. It''s a good thing I have a little frozen milk as backup for now. I hope the power pumping at work will help my supply increase some more. If I can hold out 2.5 more weeks, I can start introducing some solids and not worry as much about my supply, while still continuing to BF.

 

[vizsla]

oh, i'm so sorry for anyone else going thru sleep "issues". all other issues seems so compounded when the sleep thing isn't working.

mara - obvs, i don't have any "good" advice for you ... only my deepest empathy for what you are going thru. working and having an 'alert' baby do NOT go together. i've resorted to full zombie mode most days - strangely enough - my body is adjusting to our new sleep pattern (hooray!

). sounds like you are doing the right things tho ... c has a tenancy to wake up around 3 and rarely goes right back to sleep. it's a fight to get him to fall asleep before i have to get up for the day. it's one of the reasons we feed him at night. feeding him usually cuts our 'awake' time in 1/2. plus, if he's eating a large amount i assume he *needs* it. i wonder if j is going thru a growth spurt? now that c is trying to crawl i definitely see that it's harder for him to settle before bed.. he flops and flips around for 30mins+ trying out his new moves. i bet j is enjoying the new sensation of being 'free' and taking advantage of it. we also have to watch out for the slippery sleep slope. when c doesn't sleep well at night i force him to sleep during the day to make up for it -if not, it snowballs and then he's a PILL day AND night. ((hugs))

for the BF ladies. i echo PG - it's the HARDEST thing you weren't expecting. i cried more over BF than delivery, seeing c for the first time and recovery COMBINED. i was very attached to the idea of EBF - so much so that i even surprised myself how motivated and committed i was to it. my best piece of advice is hang in there, it WILL get easier. and when in doubt - sick them on the boob.. oh how i miss that pacifier

hey sunkist and steph! miss you!

sabine (and burk) - i'm super leery to try wheat with c. i stay away from oatmeal too as people are on the fence about if there is a significant amount of gluten in oatmeal to be troublesome. c has MSPI too, and i agree.. the formula is wicked expensive. our pedi recommended staying away from ALL dairy until he was at least 1 - then starting off slow with just a bit of yogurt etc - for some reason some kids with MSPI can tolerate yogurt, but not any other type of dairy. can you eliminate all dairy with jacks for a couple of weeks to see how he reacts? especially b/c his reactions can be so unpredictable? dairy and soy are in so many things.. i wonder if that is why it is hard to tell exactly what items are causing the trouble? with MSPI it's the casein they can't tolerate so i wonder if - say - yellow cheese has more casein than white cheese (thinking out loud here). anyhoo ((hugs))

hello everyone!

AS for ME this weekend was ok. DH and i took C to a wine bar/restaurant on saturday

we went soooooo early to avoid the regular saturday night diners - and they weren't even OPEN when we showed up... sooo embarrassing - talk about the early bird special.
c was awesome (he saves his fuss bucket 'tude for home) but he has total sticky fingers. anything within a 3 foot radius was fair game. i really want him to be able to behave himself in public, so DH and i decided we would start him off early. plus, it was just so great to get out and have a glass of wine at my favorite restaurant.
sat night, on the other hand, was challenging. he just wouldn't sleep.. ugh! when this happens (particularly after a few nights of okay sleep) DH and i end up yelling at one another. he always makes it seem like there is something horribly wrong with C, and i'm like 'just give him some flipping tylenol and hold him'. DH's "it's so dire" attitude has got on my last nerve. i can't be on edge each and every day. plus, it makes me feel like i'm not a good mom b/c i don't know/care when he's sick. the truth is he's teething, gooing at the ear (which means another infection - but at least this time the tubes are allowing the infection to drain) - and simply this is just the way he IS when he's sick. fussy - won't sleep - won't eat etc. DH just isn't as 'chill' as i need him to be, KWIM?
when he said for the 5th time "what's wrong, viz there is something wrong, what do we do" - i ended up yelling to him "call the (bad word) pedi then - i don't know what you want me to do". DH and i love each other sooooo much right now

anyhoo, i did set up an apt with the pedi next wednesday to go over some 'sleep training'

options. i want her to give C a clean bill of health before we do any sort of crying - no matter what we decide when push comes to shove. the issue i'm having is that i actually love him in our bed with us - when he sleeps. he's so snuggly and he LOVES to spoon with me... but when he's not sleeping and he's up, rolling around, talking, wimpering and fussy etc. it is just too hard for DH and i to get a break. and we need a break... badly.

this weekend i'm going home for my cousin's wedding. it will be the first time DH and i have 'gone out' together without C since he was born. i have mixed feelings as my mom has never babysat for C before...

oh, the bottle thing... so i spoke with daycare today... to clarify... our pedi didn't say that c needed to eat 3 meals a day by 8 months.. just that he should either be offered solids and getting used to eating more than he currently is. we've been slightly more successful in getting him to eat/try foods. this morning he had a bottle - left about 1.5oz - so i offered some apples and bananas and he ate 1/2 the jar. i told daycare always to start with his regular bottles and then about 1/2 hour later they can offer him food.... we'll see how this goes... real people food = real people poos...

 

[phoenixgirl]

Viz, sorry about the DH freak-outs. It sounds to me kind of like he''s deferring to you as The One Who Can Read Babies and feels panicky that he doesn''t know what to do or what is wrong. Funny thing is, I feel like that''s me in the relationship even though I''m the mom. I was just thinking today about how when Claire is out of daycare, I''ll be the one who has to "know" when she should go to the doctor. I know I''ll be calling up DH at work saying, "So, she threw up, should I take her to the doctor?"

Which, by the way, she did today, so DH did take her in. Now she is a fuss-bucket. I''m missing graduation tomorrow to be with her, and when I told my coworkers, they were all, oh, how sad that you have to miss the two hour ceremony we all have to sit through in ridiculous robes every year . . . but I really am sad because it''s my last one and I taught seniors this year and kids kept saying, "See you at graduation!" instead of good-bye. Not that they would really see or notice me there because we all proceed out immediately afterwards and get on busses, but still. I''ll be glad when I''m staying home that there won''t be this "Who is going to stay home?" question when Claire is sick.

Oh, and Viz, when you say offer C food, do you mean like hunks o'' meat and stuff on your plate, or do you mean pureed stuff a la the jar? Cause we''ve been doing "baby" food, and surprisingly, I prefer her poos on the baby food to the EBF poos, but maybe that''s just because she''s my super pooper and had so many blow-outs.

 

[Mara]

viz...thanks for the empathy...yay for the wine bar. i can''t believe that C has another ear infection. do you guys know what tends to cause them so frequently? oh and J could be in a spurt. i know there is a 4 month one and he def is eating more on and off and i swear tonite when i was holding him with one arm he seemed WAY heavier. seriously the growth rate on this kid is crazy. good luck with sleep training and i hope C is better soon.

drk...this may be a weird question but how are you walking around with the pump on under your scrubs all day? with a hands free bra or ? and where''s your pump''s motor? hahaa. it just sounds so funny!! i hope that your supply stays up.

pg...sorry claire is sick. how did you know it was throw up vs just regular spitup? i still don''t quite get that one yet.

so today was the first day my mom had J. it seemed to go pretty well though he only had one nap and she didn''t feed him all of his 2nd bottle. when he got home he was hungry so i fed him which he guzzled, and then we went for a family walk which he fell asleep on. i fed him again when we got home, changed him and put him down. he did his crazy crib routine and then passed out. we shall see how tonite goes.

early confession... i have totally considered giving J some non aspirin when he is all awake at night or a teething tablet haha. since i know both of them help the kid relax and fall asleep. or whiskey...

i have also started putting feelers out for a job switch--thinking i''d like to go part time. i like working, like having me time and some professional time...but i also really miss J and hate that i only have 2 hours a night with him before bed and i have his morning feeding (but sometimes if he sleeps late i miss it). maybe its just me but i feel like when i come home it takes him a good 30 min to ''warm'' to me again. we''ll see--there is a fair amt of PT stuff in my industry out there and i think it''s because no one has budget for a full headcount which suits me just fine! we''ll just have to see because i would need to bring in enough to make sure i could pay child care for the days i did work (unless it was from home) and also pay what i pay today for the household, its really the only way i''d do it. but if i could just have 1-2 more days with J then i''d be ok with being gone 3 days out of 7.

on project ''early bedtime''.. it''s 8:45, i am almost done pumping and will be in bed in 15 min. yay.

 

[KimberlyH]

drk, you are doing an amazing job.

vis, hope c''s infection clears quickly and that you find a solution regarding sleep with your ped that is acceptable to you. and when jane is crying and my husband asks why i always replied snidely that he should ask her himself. he got the point pretty quickly.

**

j had her 4 mnth appt today, a bit early. she''s following her growth curve and doing well. she''s a bit behind on a few milestones, ahead on others and her ped said it''s to be expected given her early arrival and size, our little pipsqueak.

no reaction to vaccines, didn''t even sleep more than usual. just her happy self.

i''ve set it up with a neighborhood girl to come once a week during her summer break and watch jane so i have some time to get things done around the house. i may even get a jog in at some point! i''m so appreciative that my husband pushed me to set this up with her.

 

[drk]

Mara - I have the Medela Freestyle, so it''s hooked to my bra and the pump hangs from the waistband of my pants.

My baby wasn''t as smiley as usual for me last night. I know there''s no way it''s true at this age, but it was like she was angry I left her! I''ve not been sleeping so great the last couple nights. Feed her at 11pm, 3am and around 6:40am. Somehow I''ve been having trouble getting back to sleep after the 3am feed, and she seems more wakeful then too. I hope this passes soon, or my poor patients will not be getting the same level of care they should have been!

Darn, just called home cause I got a voicemail on my mobile that I can''t access, and worried it might be DH. And of course I woke the baby who''d finally fallen asleep. Clever me. Told DH he needs to switch the mobile to vibration ring to avoid that in the future. At least I''ve pumped about 3.5oz so far, which for me isn''t bad. Only have another 4 hours left to get the rest out though! At least I remembered to take my meds today (forgot them all day at work yesterday).

Viz - sorry your little one is still suffering from the ear stuff. Glad the tubes are working to relieve the pressure and drain the infections though. My DH had a miracle turn-around yesterday on the "what''s wrong with her" front when he took over full time care. I came home from work and wondered what I should do next when she got all grumpy on me.

Mara - I won''t be too surprised if I end up saying I''d like to work part time. Not sure if the group can handle it right now, but I''ll give it a month before deciding. Don''t want to make hasty decisions based on my feeding difficulties, since I really do like what I do and enjoy the break and outside interactions.

Kim - what milestones are they asking you about at 4 months? I always wonder what it is K should be doing by now. Glad all''s well!

 

[KimberlyH]

drk, they asked about holding head and chest up while on stomach, social smiles, rolling over and one more i''ve forgotten. i asked about holding objects and laughing.

 

[Mara]

re: baby dev... i think that every babe is diff and that it''s normal for them to be ahead on some things but behind on others. J is WAY ahead on some stuff but on others he took longer (aka social smiling regularly took way longer than the weekly updates said; but he was babbling and talking way earlier than they said too)...and for laughing it was like all of a sudden he was a crazy laugher. also he is more cuddly now and he wasn''t before... he lets me hold him more. he took forever to roll over consistently from front to back but semes kind of early compared to other babies on back to front.

its hard not to worry as a parent but i figure that it all balances out as long as they are continuously doing ''new'' things and growing.

drk... i totally hear you re: them being mad you are gone-- now i feel more like it takes J a bit to warm up to me again after a day away but it def could just be mommy guilt and hormones.

but even though i know that a lot of that prob is just in my head, it also makes me feel more like i want to do PT if i can. esp since we only plan to have one... i don''t want to miss things i don''t HAVE to. so we''ll see. the other thing about PT is that i kind of want to get it figured out while mom is still watching J so i don''t have to hire a nanny on the thought of ''full time'' then tell her ''oh psych it''s 2 days a week'' and potentially have her quit yanno. time crunch.

kim...a few days ago you mentioned something about your J being early and hitting milestones. i read i think it was in one of my baby books about how if your baby is early or late that basically the milestones have to do with the EDD. so i guess that would mean that developmentally J is only 3 months? i am not sure really--but i thought i read that and remembered thinking that was interesting. one of my friends had her baby 2 weeks late but supposedly the development is still based on EDD not when they ''come out''.

sleep update... last nite J slept from 7:45pm to 1:30am (that dratted 1am!!) and then woke up. i went in right away to soothe him, paci, etc...he fell back asleep in a few minutes and miraculously stayed down til about 3am (i didn''t look at clock)..this time G went in...soothed, paci etc...a few minutes again and he slept til 7am! then i fed him and put him back down.

much better than the night before but i don''t know if it was because he was so tired or what from the night before. anyway there has also been no rolling the last 2 nights but it could be because one of us just goes into him immediately as opposed to trying to let him work it out and fall back asleep which is when he gets all crazy acrobat man.

i went to bed at 9:15pm and only got up at the 1:30am and slept til 7am so i feel much better today. thankfully!

oh one more J dev update...there is this elephant toy that is on a string that you can hang on the carseat or playmat or whatever. my mom told me that she showed him how to pull down on the string so the elephant jitters and makes noise and that a few min later he was doing it himself. i was amazed! and of course bummed i missed it. anyhoo.

hope everyone is well--seems like everyone still is not posting, maybe due to 2.0 or just busy...!! more baby updates pleeeezzzeee.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Hi everyone. I didn't think it would take me so long to jump into this thread, but having Miles six weeks early, then dealing with him in the hospital and going back and forth six times a day, breastfeeding problems, and moving into a new house was just such a big adjustment that for the first 8 weeks I was too overwhelmed and tired and busy to even think about it. Then I thought that I would wait to post until PS 2.0, but well, that seems to be taking a while.

So here I am.

Miles is 10 weeks now and things are going well. I am still EBF and it seems to be working - he was only 4 lbs, 15 oz when he was born and at his slightly late 2 month appointment he was 10 pounds, 8 oz. So he is growing like a champ!

He is delayed in a lot of ways and doesn't act like a "typical" 10 week old, but he started smiling recently and it just melts my heart

He is definitely very strong though, but he's been that way since we brought him home. So I think he might even be ahead in that area. Either way, he will get to everything eventually and I'm not too worried about it.

ETA: Mara, you were posting about baby development while I was typing this - yes, you are supposed to use the babies EDD when looking at milestones. That is why a lot of parents of preemies (especially when they are super early) talk about their gestational age, and then their adjusted age. But as you said, even babies due around their due date have a wide range for when they accomplish things, so really as long as the baby doesn't seem to be falling way behind, it doesn't matter much.

One thing we noticed is that he does have a very slight flat head on one side. Apparently this is more common in preemies? Anyway, I have been making sure he looks the other way now when he is lying down, giving him lots of tummy time and using my carrier every day (where he is now actually). Has anyone else dealt with this? I'm hoping it will correct itself as it's so mild, but of course I am feeling anxious about it being a problem.

Here is a pic of my little man: