PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[dani13]

Hi guys, just checking in. We are having a rough couple of days. Actually, this has been going on for a few wks now. I just dont think L is eating as much as he had been, and its worrying me. Literally, 7 or 8 mins on one breast and he's done. He's also been refusing my left breast quite often....He always preferred my right, even since he was a newborn, probably b/c the let down is slower and supply is less on the left. But it still produces decently.... I guess he's just developed a preference? He will take it in the middle of the night when he is sleepy and doesnt know any better, other times its a no-go, he just screams and cries until I get out of his face. Its somewhat annoying to have to pump after a feeing b/c he wont take it

He's also been crankier than usual, and his sleep just sucks. It seems he is reverting back to the newborn stage, waking up every 2-3 hrs for a feed at night. He's having enough wet and poopy diapers, and seems satisfied after a feeding. Sometimes he is even falling asleep before he's done, maybe that's the problem? I dont know. His weight is also fine. Another possibility though is maybe he is starting teething? Is it possible at 14 wks? He has lots of clear saliva, and always a hand in his mouth. Im so so tired and so upset over the nursing issues. I know in the grand scheme of things its not a big deal, but I really wanted to bf for a while longer....ugh. I just hope Im not starving or dehydrating my kid!!! Here's hoping this week is better.....If anyone has any advice I would really appreciate it!!

Hope youre all doing well. I love seeing everyone's pics!!!

 

[lliang_chi]

Dani, L is likely just getting to be a much better nurser. Believe me, I wasn't sure if Ethan was getting enough with just 7-8 mins on one side, but yup, he was. You'll be surprised at how much they can suck out. As far as the preference goes, yes, babies definitely develop a preference on which side. I would start him on the right, for a few mins. Then switch him to the left. He's likely HUNGRY (boys seem to be "I'm HUNGRY, I'm a BOY, and you're feeding me NOW"), so starting him on the "good" side to take the edge off. Then swapping to the left might make him more open to taking both sides. I'd try to get him to nurse on both sides, otherwise you'll supply will just be super on one side and diminish on the other. Nothing bad, L will get all the milk he needs but one of your breasts might be larger than the other.

Bobbin, Hooray for C's first steps! What a savvy little girl you have there! How was the first day back? Hope you get a chance to leave early.

BB, flying with small babies is not bad at all. More heartburn for the parents than anyone else. Chase will just sleep most of the flight. Agree with Freke, make sure you have a bottle (or nurse if you're comfortable with that) for take off and landings. If Ch won't take the bottle/breast, then a paci, if he uses paci's. The sucking will help with the ear pressure. Other than that, just let him snooze in your arms. Change him before you board, and get to the airport with plenty of time. Believe me, when you travel with a baby, you have SO MUCH CRAP. I shared my packing list on this thread a few months back. If you want me to post it again, let me know. It's probably overkill, but I'd rather have everything I need than be without.

AFU: Ethan started standing for a few seconds. He only does it once and a while, but is doing it much more frequent now. He still LOVES climbing on things. I installed cabinet locks this weekend (the magnetic kind). He's also started to develop an attitude where he'll fake fuss when you take away something he was playing with or take him away while he's doing something he enjoys. What a drama "queen" Oh yeah, we got a top tooth! It finally cut through this weekend.

 

[Puppmom]

You guys have the cutest babies! ...and it's making me excited for the arrival of my own. I need this baby *fix* to get me excited because, otherwise I'm just plain scared to have another baby!

Dani, sorry your little man has been crabby. DS hit a crabby phase around then and I remember it vividly because I had just gone back to work and I would come home every day to a crying baby. He would pretty much cry on and off from 4:30 until I put him to bed for the night. It lasted a few weeks and I don't think I ever knew what caused it. Even after that, early evening wasn't his best time. Actually, he still gets testy at dinner time and he's 2.5 years old! As for the nursing, I think that he's just getting more efficient. DS went from about an hour to feed down to 10 minutes in those first few months. The MOTN sessions were sometimes longer because he was sleepy.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I'm terrible about posting these days. I check the thread daily because I want to know how everybody is doing (and see the pics) but I never seem to have time to post!

MP and BB, I can't believe both of your boys need the same procedure--so coincidental. Hugs to both of you! The thought of putting your baby under has to be overwhelming, but it sounds like the procedure is super quick and very routine, so I have no doubt it will go smoothly and be a distant memory soon.

Oh and BB, a few hours on a plane is not bad at all. And at 2 months, it will be fine. I totally understand feeling like you have a million things to bring, but I promise that you'll bring more than you need. Every mom does. You'll probably just need milk, a paci and some diapers. There used to be an exclusive pumping thread and travelling as an EPer was a discussed topic. With a relatively short flight, you won't need to pump en-route and keeping the milk cold shouldn't be an issue. In fact, taking the pump is probably the bigger pain.

Sounds like several of our babes are taking first steps/close to walking. I still can't believe it.

I looooove seeing pics of all the newborns. Haven, I can't believe you're a mom now! Actually, I can totally believe it because you seem super maternal, I just can't believe B is already here. I think in another thread you mentioned that now that B is here, you wonder why you waited so long. I think that was my first thought. I spent SO LONG trying to decide the best time to TTC. I had so many goals for myself first. And then when I got pregnant, I completely freaked out for 24 straight hours (even though we were trying, which sounds silly). But once we had K, it was game over. I couldn't believe I'd lived for so long without her in my life. And now I'm so excited to do things with her. Anyway, I'm babbling, just excited that you're here!

AFU, K has pretty bad eczema on her face. The doc suggested getting rid of the paci (trapped moisture underneath the paci is making it worse). So we had to quit the paci cold turkey this weekend. Oy.

Is any other baby in a throwing phase? K is obsessed with taking things out of containers. If I put anything near her that contains items (this includes the diaper bag, my purse, etc.), she gets obsessed with removing the items. She even tries to throw everything out of her pack and play. If I put food in front of her on her highchair, she tosses it right off. This morning she was spitting out her bananas so that she could toss them off her high chair. Apprently this is so much fun and worthy of lots of giggling.

I'm ordering invitations for K's first birthday today. Holy moly.

 

[Puppmom]

Dani, he's one cute beast!

NEL, N's eczema was exaggerated by a recent really runny nose and aquaphor worked really well. We would just swipe some on his cheeks and under his nose before bed and it would be pretty much clear in the morning.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Thanks, Pupp. We go through Aquaphor like water at our house. We've even tried Lotrimin in case the yeast in saliva was making it worse (nothing like putting jock itch cream on your infant daughter's face). Lately we've tried hydrocortisone cream. With a layer of aquaphor on top, of course. K's still getting over her Christmas cold, so the runny nose doesn't help. Neither does having her hands in her mouth constantly. Poor kid just has really sensitive skin.

 

[lliang_chi]

Dani, at 3 months, Ethan definitely had "3 month fussiness." I guess he's more aware of things around him. If he's having trouble sleeping keep the room dark and distractions at a minimum. Keep a white noise machine if you have one. Otherwise, it's likely he's going through a growth spurt if he's demanding lots and lots of milk. It'll pass. Just hang on.

NEL, YES! Ethan's definitely throwing now. It doesn't help that two of his favorite toys have balls. And as far as the food goes, throws it down to Quizas. He'll either look for her over the edge hold his hand out and drop it down, OR he'll do wild SWEEPING motions to "clear" his tray. Ack! Our babies are turning 1!!! Ethan has eczema on his cheeks, we use aquaphor/petroleum jelly and/or some all natural stuff that my sister got for us. It works.

Another side note, we're in warp speed mode to move J's parents up to Chicago. MIL needs some heart surgery, and with all the complications/other stuff in her case, there's no doctors in their area of FL that could handle it. So we're in the process of moving them up to Chicago. Like by Feb. For surgery ASAP. So that's the first major project we have going on in LC's house. But the silver lining to all this craziness, is that it's VERY LIKELY that J's parents will be in Chicago for Ethan's birthday! Before I wasn't sure if I wanted to make a big deal of it (likely remain a small party, but y'know go all out with decorations etc). But with his folks being here maybe we'll go all out and have it a family celebration. We'll see.

 

[Kunzite]

Dani, what a cutie

Pupp, so excited for you!! You're so close


Solids were interesting! M did not like the oatmeal at all, but could figure out how to swallow (very reluctantly!). E couldn't quite figure out what he was supposed to do, we would give him the same bite like 7 times before he swallowed it all, but he LOVED it! He ate all of his and M's! And of course O wanted to do all of the feeding! He does the same thing with bottles, he always wants to feed one of them

 

[Puppmom]

Kunzite, great pics! I'm in awe of the clean shirts. N still has to be practically naked when he eats or it gets everywhere.

 

[dani13]

LC, that's the thing, I feel like he's hardly eating and today he's still refusing lefty

Kunzite, your boys are precious!!!!

 

[Buttons]

I'll post more tomorrow - have my public health nurse appointment so will know T's weight gain etc - but wanted to shout out to Dani that we have a very similar situation going on over here... Drooling. Only eating for 8-10 minutes and then popping off (literally - it's like those old Rice Crispie ads in the 80s and it HURTS!). Everything going in the mouth. Spitting up more. Fussy. T is 13 weeks. I am putting it down to the 3 month growth spurt my LC warned me about. I have no actual advice, just wanted to shout out. Hang in there Mama!

 

[JGator]

Kunzite, M and E are absolutely adorable (so is O!). I took your advice when you posted about Hyland's teething tablets, and I went ahead and ordered them. My daughter is 10 weeks old so I figured I would order them early and have them ready in the house - and guess what? We found out that she is teething from the doctor today - her upper and lower front gums are swollen............so tomorrow I will be trying them out when they arrive from diapers.com.

Dani and Buttons, our babies sound similar. My daughter has been acting strange lately...wants to be held all the time and cries loudly at random times. She has been trying to stuff 1 or 2 fists at a time in her mouth and drooling. Also, she is stopping feeding from the bottle and breast and either sleeping, crying, or putting her hands in her mouth.......today we took her to the doctor and she said K has started teething and also may have reflux. So, I hope you two are not in the same boat, but it sounds like you might be. Check their gums for swelling.

Dani, love your 3-month photo.

Buttons, hope your public health nurse appointment went well.

LC, good luck with your in-laws move. My family is also in FL. And, I cannot believe E is almost 1!

NEL, I can't believe K is almost 1. I remember you from the TTC board! Time sure does fly. Congratulations and I hope the eczema clears up soon.

Bobbin, congrats on C's first steps!

BB, sorry to hear about your son's surgery. Good luck with the flight. I would suggest for flying to give Chase a bottle on take off and landing so that his ears are opening to alleviate the pressure. I have had ear pain on flights my whole life, and I know this is something similar to chewing gum for babies. Also, very sorry to hear about the surgery. I'm sure it will go well, but I can completely understand your anxiety.

AMC, sorry to hear about B's surgery also. I hope it goes well and he doesn't feel any pain.

MP, how was your first day at work? And, no, I cannot believe we are both moms now after our days in the TTC thread. I really hope that the other wonderful ladies including Bright will be able to join us soon.

Lulu, I think I deal with the guests better than my DH. We don' t have any family near where we live either. I think my mom annoys my DH more than his parents annoy me. But, I guess any parents who aren't your own and have strong opinions can get on your nerves! My MIL wants to re-design my kitchen to accommodate a short person (I am not short and have no issues with the kitchen as is). She pretty much re-organized everything while she was here, and we didn't get to half of the projects she has in mind. And, don't get me started on the baby advice and opinions. My mom is guilty of that too, though.

AFM, we have locked in a nanny. She's from Bolivia. Her English is not great ( so I worry about that as K gets older), but she is very loving and has excellent references from 2 families. We are doing a thorough background check this week and hope to have her start a couple days before I go back to work. We did a trial run last week that went well as K was happy as a clam in her arms. We had K's 2 month check up last week also. She was 11 lbs and 2 oz and 22 3/4 inches. So, she's in the 50th percentile for weight and 60th for height and only in the 20s for head circumference. My in laws left on Sunday and my husband is travelling this week for work - wish me luck alone with the baby for 4 days! My favorite show, Downton Abbey, is back on. It took me 4 hours to watch the 2 hour season premiere because I am a mom now! What a reality check! I guess I should be happy I was able to watch it at all.

 

[amc80]

B is sick again. He sounded horrible last night, so we took him to the doc today. Last night was rough. He was screaming for about 2 hours and i couldn't get him to sleep. He finally crashed around Midnight. The good news is the congestion is just in his head and not in his lungs. So just a cold that sounds much worse than it is. I also think teething is involved. Fun stuff!! No.

He turns 5m tomorrow...and weighed in at 19lbs 8oz. OMG. I told the doc that B has eaten 50+ oz on more than one occasion. He told us to skip the rice/oat cereal and go directly to fruit, hoping B will like those better and get him eating solids sooner. I tried some apple/banana (yeah, I know I'm only supposed to do single foods) and he didn't hate it, but doesn't really swallow. Tried again a few hours later and it clicked...he ate half a jar! We will try a new food in a few days.

I asked the doc about B's weight. He said that at his last appt (4m checkup) he was in the 25th percentile for his height/weight ratio, which means he's technically skinny. Funny to think my almost 20lb not quite 5m old is skinny!

 

[Buttons]

Amc I hope B is better soon! What a roller coaster you've been on lately... Thinking of you and BB, I can't imagine how scary it must be thinking of your baby needing surgery. I had minor surgery as a baby and it was all fine but I am sure my parents were worried sick.

===

AFU well I reckon our public health nurse is a basket case. I left there feeling judged and talked down to. She was a very odd individual!

Among the things she said today were:

1. I dress T 'wrong'. This was because I had his vest on normally - she thinks it should be inside out and back to front, to prevent his underarms and under his chin becoming 'excoriated' (not just red, mind - EXCORIATED!). I also have to make sure he is barefoot when I am feeding him. This is because he is a boy (more on that below!).

2. I talk to him wrong. This was because she heard me say 'handies' and 'sockies'. Apparently he will have language problems as a result.

3. He will fall off the changing table and get hurt because I looked away while I picked up a clean nappy. At this point I was getting annoyed and I replied that this was why I don't use a changing table at home and I change him on the floor for safety (I've nothing against changing tables, I was just getting riled at this point!). She replied the changing table was free from some company or other - whatever that had to do with the price of spuds I have no idea.

4. She implied twice that I am lacking in common sense and need to 'use my head'. The first time was when she told me baby boys don't suck sufficiently to get any hind milk and I said I guess we'll see when we weigh him, and that the hospital told me to try and keep him feeding for 20 minutes to make sure he gets the high fat milk. Her reply was 'for heaven's sake would you use your head'. Huh?!? The second time was when she said the sugar free drinks marketed to babies were in violation of WHO health guidelines and I said I had heard of a midwife locally who refused an award as it was sponsored by a formula company who routinely violate the WHO code on formula marketing - why I need to use my head in relation to some other woman's decisions I have no clue. Again I thought, 'huh'?!?

5. She hinted that she thought I had hidden a family history of hip problems from the paed in the hospital to avoid T having an x-ray. She said if I really had told them then he would have been x-rayed. She ordered me to tell the GP at his four month appointment to order an ultrasound. This despite her finding his hips are perfect.

6. She said he can't do baby swimming classes and no babies should be brought swimming under a year old as they haven't had their MMR yet. My old GP and the PHN in my home town were A-OK with baby swimming as they said the diseases protected against by the vaccines are airborne and he could get them at a Mum & Baby coffee morning as quick as at a swimming class. Basically they saw no additional risks with a well run swimming class (which seems to be in line with the NHS guidelines on it - http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1035.aspx?CategoryID=62&SubCategoryID=63 ). The swimming class I am considering is in a specially heated hydrotherapy pool and the teacher is specially trained and says she takes babies from 12 weeks on. Has anyone here heard anything about baby swimming good or bad?

7. She passed a comment on his boy parts. I asked if what she mentioned was a concern and she said no. Then she repeated it and told me I ought to be aware of it. I asked did it require particular care and she said no. So I have no idea what that was all about.

8. She said no solids before 6 months. Then she said to give him a sliced pear in a baby net at 5 months. Then she repeated no weaning before 6 months.

9. And finally - she ordered me to buy wooden blocks now as he'll play with them when he's 12 months old. She actually reminded me of this three times - and when I was going out the door.

She was a right weapon!

Anyway the important thing is that T is doing great and is thriving. For all her waffle she couldn't actually find any problems with the wee man. He is just over the 50th percentile for everything. 14lbs 8oz weight. I am going to be taking certain portions of her 'advice' with a healthy pinch of salt...

 

[stephbolt]

Buttons, that nurse sounds a little cuckoo! Glad you are able to laugh off most of her "advice."

AMC, wow, you've got a big boy there! You must have some impressive arm muscles!

JGator, glad you've got the nanny sorted out. Sorry K is being a bit fussy now, hope it passes quickly!

Kuzite, your guys are too cute!

Dani, sorry you are dealing with the fussiness too. Hope it is a quick phase! L is such a handsome little fellow!

LC, hope the move goes smoothly. Yay for standing!

NEL, love hearing about this throwing phase, though I'm sure I won't find it as cute when it's happening at our house!

bobbin, hooray for walking! Glad you got to see it! Hope work is going well.

bb, sorry about the surgery, but LOs are so resiliant I'm sure it will be much harder for you than him! Good luck with your travels!

mp, hope work is going ok. Sorry to hear about Ev's surgery but I'm sure it will go smoothly.

AFU, The solids thing has become an issue with daycare, ugh. When we went back last week after break we mentioned we had started offering solids, and once she was showing more interest we would start sending some in. The teacher called me to get more details and kind of push me to send in some solids right away, her reasoning is that N seems restless during the day. (She pushed this once before at 4.5 months and I flat out said we were waiting until 6 months, but would send more milk). I said we'd talk about it and had to buy supplies anyway to leave there (spoon, bowl, bib) so it would be a few days at least. I also mentioned we were doing BLW which she had never heard of, but I agreed that I would be happy to send purees in to school. After DH and I talked about it we decided that there's no reason to be pushing her to eat more solids that she wants at this age (not even 6.5 months). We are more comfortable with us being the ones who offer her food for now. We wrote this all in her daycare book yesterday and her teacher called me again to discuss and again I felt like she's pushing me into bringing solids NOW. She was talking about how it's unusual that N is still taking a bottle every 2 hours and again brought up that she seems so restless. I countered that the amount of solids she is likely to eat at this age aren't going to provide much nutrition and if she's truly hungry, it would be better to just send more milk, and reiterated that she just isn't that interested yet so we don't see a reason to rush. She asked me where I was getting my info which really rubbed me the wrong way and I had a terrible day all day yesterday of second guessing myself. I ended up calling her back and suggesting we sit and chat in person about all this because it's really causing me a lot of stress. We are doing that on Thursday so hopefully it can get us on the same page and reestablish some of the trust.

Anyway, looking for some feedback from those of you who have already introduced solids - how long did it take your LO to show some interest? We have offered both chunks of food per BLW and spoon fed purees and she makes faces/pushes anything that gets in her mouth out/turns her head away from the spoon. My instict says, ok, whatever, she's not ready, no big deal yet, but all the pushback/questioning I am getting from daycare is making me freak out that we are doing something wrong or something is wrong with N.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Steph, I'm so sorry your daycare is pushing you and making you feel guilty (as if any mom needs help in that department) over the solids. Not to sound cliche, but every baby is different. K took to purees immediately, but one of the babies in my mom group REFUSED any cereal or purees until she was over 6 months. And even when she started tolerating them, she'd take 2 tablespoons max. She was drinking 40+ oz. of formula per day, but that's what she preferred. They started introducing table foods to her around 8 months and she loved them. She just never loved purees and barely ate any from 5 months - 8 months. N will take cereals/purees when she's ready and until then if she needs a bottle every couple of hours, so what. I would also stick with continuing to try them at home until she's eating them, then you can bring them to daycare.

When she mentions that N is restless, does that mean she's fussy? Or not napping? K is a terrible napper at daycare, but great at home. The issue is that she loves playing with the other kids, so I think it's harder for her to stop playing and settle herself for a nap at daycare. Maybe N's restlessness is due to the the increased activity of being at daycare.

Again, sorry that you're under so much stress. Being a new mom is so tough--our babysitter always jokes that giving "advice" to a parent is just asking for trouble. She gently suggested we give K more textured foods a month or two ago (she's not loving table foods) and I felt myself immediately getting defensive because we're already trying and it's not like I'm going to force feed her. I'm just saying I understand and hopefully talking about it face-to-face will help.

Buttons, oh my lord that nurse sounds soooo awful! Condescening, judgemental and downright crazy!! I just wanted to make one comment about the baby swimming class because we talked with our pediatrician about it. K was signed up for a water babies class at 6 months, but we were hoping to introduce her to the pool before then. We ended up getting her in the pool at 4 months with our pediatrician's consent. We go to a heated indoor pool once a week and K loves it. My husband and I talked about the vaccination issue at length and even my hypochondriacal husband agreed that you can't keep them locked a room for year. I honestly feel like K's swimming lessons/comfort in the water will benefit her in the coming years.

amc, you poor thing--B is teething and sick at the same time? It's really the worst, isn't it? The constant waking at night is sooo draining. Was it any better last night?

And B is so big! I often wonder how the averages are calculated--I think I always assumed it was a national average, but who knows, maybe it's regional. My friend's 5 month old was around 17 lbs. and he was above average for his age. How long is B, maybe his length is bringing down the height/weight average. K was just weighed last week and is still just over 20 lbs. (at 10.5 months). Apparently her weight is pretty average, but her length is off the charts. I always have her in skinny jeans because everything else looks so big on her skinny legs.

Glad he's loving the apple/banana! I would often introduce two fruits at once, too. I know you're not technically supposed to, but it just seemed so unlikely that she's have a reaction that I took the risk.

JGator, I'm a big Downton Abbey fan, too, and was excited about the season premiere. And, like you, it took a few hours to get through it, haha. I ended up having to finish it on Monday night because I had to go to bed at midnight on Sunday. Congrats on finding a nanny, that's fantastic! I know that has to feel like a big weight lifted from your shoulders. Good luck with the teething!

Kunzite, the boys are soooo cute! And I had the exact same reaction as Pupp: the clean shirts and no bib is incredible. I go through bibs like crazy and even then K's clothes are rarely clean. O feeding them is adorable and how funny that M ate all of E's food!

LC, I'm so sorry to hear about your MIL's health. Poor thing, she's been through so much in the past couple of years. And you and J have been so helpful to her. I hope that you can have a little family get-together for E's 1st b-day. We're doing something similar. And is E obsessed with Quizas? When K is crawling around I usually gate Byron and Bo in the mudroom so Bo won't accidentally step on her (he's so sweet, but so dopey). If I accidentally leave that gate open, she bolts for it so she can go pet the dogs. I do let her pet them before we leave in the mornings and she's suprisingly gentle. She just pats them and doesn't pull their fur.

AFU,

Remember how I said we quite the pacifier cold turkey? Scratch that. First, keeping the paci out of her mouth didn't help the eczema heal at all and second, it was severely disrupting her sleep. She was trying to use her hands to soothe, but now they're scratched up from her teeth. So now I'm only giving her the paci in the crib. It seems to be working well because it's the only time she really wants it--she slept SO MUCH better last night and I'm happy anytime she's getting enough sleep.

Oh, and 40% of K's diet is paper these days. Toilet paper, kleenex, lists, receipts, any paper product she can get her hands on. I have no idea why she's obsessed with paper, but I have to leave all bathroom doors shut otherwise she makes a dash for the toilet paper dispenser. Gross.

 

[monarch64]

Buttons, omg what a crazy person! Amazing your child has survived this long.

Stephbolt: I'm so sorry the teacher is pressuring you so much to do more solids. Our A is 7 + months now, and is happily eating solids but still takes a bottle about every 3 hours during the day! When I first started her on solids, no way was she getting enough to cut down bottles very much. It took her at least a month to really get going on the solids. It was like a switch turned on one day, suddenly she was very excited whereas she had been sort of confused when we started. I think the teacher needs to relax and listen to you instead of it being the other way around. I hope your meeting goes well.

 

[amc80]

amc, you poor thing--B is teething and sick at the same time? It's really the worst, isn't it? The constant waking at night is sooo draining. Was it any better last night?

And B is so big! I often wonder how the averages are calculated--I think I always assumed it was a national average, but who knows, maybe it's regional. My friend's 5 month old was around 17 lbs. and he was above average for his age. How long is B, maybe his length is bringing down the height/weight average. K was just weighed last week and is still just over 20 lbs. (at 10.5 months). Apparently her weight is pretty average, but her length is off the charts. I always have her in skinny jeans because everything else looks so big on her skinny legs.

Last night was better! It took a lot of work to get him to sleep and he did fall asleep for good until around 10:30. He woke up at 1:30 and then slept through until 7. I think teething is worse than a cold, because it doesn't freakin' go away! The tooth that felt like it was poking through a few days ago is gone. I wish the darn things would just pop through already!

It is national. The reason he's "skinny" is because he's about 28". We just had to box up all of his 6m pants and buy 9m pants...and they fit just right. I can't imagine how much this kid is going to eat as a teenager. From what I can tell, he's the size of an average 9m old. And he's 5m today!

Anyway, looking for some feedback from those of you who have already introduced solids - how long did it take your LO to show some interest?

We tried rice cereal at 4m and the spoon made him gag. We waited a couple of weeks and tried again. No gagging, but no swallowing. The ped wanted us to try something else (something that tasted good). The first time we tried (yesterday afternoon) he would keep it in his mouth but not swallow. I tried again last night and he figured it out, and ate 1/2 a jar. It was hilarious, I would be reloading the spoon and I'd look at B and he would be sitting there with his mouth wide open. Guess he liked it!

Amc I hope B is better soon! What a roller coaster you've been on lately... Thinking of you and BB, I can't imagine how scary it must be thinking of your baby needing surgery. I had minor surgery as a baby and it was all fine but I am sure my parents were worried sick.

Thank you. We were able to talk to his ped a bit more about it yesterday. Apparently, a hycrodele generally stays big all the time. If the fluid comes and goes, it's a sign that there is a hernia, which is how B is. Apparently the surgery is very minor and outpatient, but he still has to be put under. That's the part the worries me the most. I guess it's a good thing that B is has big as he is, hopefully he can handle the anesthesia well.

 

[monkeyprincess]

amc, so sorry to hear that B will also need surgery. I hear you on worrying about being put under. That is the only thing that is making DH and I hesitate to schedule the procedure to remove the cyst on E's head. I don't want it to grow and become noticeable or cause him to have a dent in his forehead when he is older, but the idea of putting him under when he is not facing a serious medical issue doesn't sit right with me. We are leaning toward waiting until he is at least 6 months to do it.

NEL, too funny about the paper. I can't wait until E is up and walking around, but at the same time, I don't want it to happen because we have some major babyproofing to do! Hope you are doing well. I just saw your name pop up in the TTC thread, so I had to check to see if you were trying again. Soon, maybe? We are trying to decide when we should try for a second, possibly when E is 9 months or so, only because there is a strong possibility we will need medical intervention again to conceive, and we don't want to wait too long.

Steph, I'd be irritated too. I've learned there is nothing more annoying than unsolicitated parenting advice, or worse, criticism. It is your decision, and you know what is best for her. Hope you are able to have a good talk.

Buttons, um, wow. Not even sure what to say about all of that, but what a weirdo. I especially can't believe she would criticize you for the way you talk to him. Nobody would speak properly if a little baby talk was really that harmful! Keep doing what you're doing!

JGator, congrats on finding a nanny. Hope it's a good fit! Too funny about Downton Abbey; I had the exact same experience. It took me about 5 hours over the course of two nights to finally see the whole thing. Sorry, K has had a rough go lately. I'm wondering if E is in the beginning stages of teething too because he is drooling like crazy and is always nibbling on his fist and fingers.

Kunzite, as always, your boys are so cute! How sweet that their big brother helped with the feeding.

Dani, hope things are going better. He sure is a cutie!

LC, yeah for standing! And finally getting a tooth! As far as the fake fussing, I swear my E is already doing that. Sometimes, he be whining, and then I'll smile at him and he can't help but smile back and even giggle, but then when he realizes what he did, he goes back to whining. Oh boy, I think I'm going to have my hands full with this little guy!

Bobbin, hope going back to work went okay for you! So sweet she walked for you so you didn't miss it!

AFM, I'm officially a working mom. I cried a lot this weekend, so when yesterday came, I was almost relieved just to get the first day over with. It was a long day, and I didn't get home until almost seven, and I had to do more work when I got home. It was definitely a shock to the system after spending 12 weeks at home with E. I was annoyed that I was expected to work on an urgent project my first day back, but I should've known it would be like that. I'm really going to make an effort to get home earlier from now on and not worry about what people think. It's just not worth it to me, and I refuse to miss out on spending as much time with my baby as possible. Today has been a bit easier. The webcam at the daycare is a blessing and a curse, because I love being able to see him, but it makes me miss him so much, and it is quite distracting. I'm sure I'll stop spying so much once I get a little more comfortable with the situation.

ETA - I forgot to mention I found out yesterday that the associate in the office next to mine is 15 weeks pregnant with TRIPLETS! Can you imagine? Apparently, they think that two are identical and one is fraternal. What are the chances? After seeing how much work one baby is, the thought of being outnumbered from the get-go terrifies me. She is a total workaholic, so I'm curious to see what she is going to decide to do after they are born.

 

[amc80]

amc, so sorry to hear that B will also need surgery. I hear you on worrying about being put under. That is the only thing that is making DH and I hesitate to schedule the procedure to remove the cyst on E's head. I don't want it to grow and become noticeable or cause him to have a dent in his forehead when he is older, but the idea of putting him under when he is not facing a serious medical issue doesn't sit right with me. We are leaning toward waiting until he is at least 6 months to do it.

I'll be interested to see what the surgeon says. I'd ideally like to wait until he's over a year, but I don't know 1) how urgent the procedure is, or 2) what the decrease in risk would be.

 

[JGator]

AMC, wow B really is a big boy - the size of a 9 month old. I'm sure he'll be great at sports! I was thinking today that 11lbs is getting heavy to go up/down stairs with K! I just tried some 3-6 month clothes today since the one piece sleepers are getting too short in length in the 3 month and 0-3 month sizes. I think it's good that you ask the surgeon for the pros and cons of doing the surgery older vs. younger.

MP, sorry work has not let you ease back into things. I changed careers within my company 2 years ago, and my life is a lot less stressful now. My DH still has the same stressful job that I used to have so I really appreciate my new career now as I see what he goes through every day. I hope you can find a balance. I think I could not watch K all day and not work because I need something else to do. When I'm all by myself with her for 24 hour stretches (since my DH travels for work), it gets overwhelming...so I'm kind of looking forward to the nanny and a 9 hour break. I may change my mind when I'm back to work in a couple weeks though!

NEL, too funny about K's paper diet. The things I have to look forward to! And, I'm glad she is happier now that she has her pacifier back. My K also uses a pacifier - I say use anything within reason that keeps her happy.

Steph, I hope day care becomes more reasonable after you meet with them. That stress is just not something you should have to deal with!

Buttons, that nurse is a piece of work. You really should report her. I'm sure she has upset lots of other moms. She is in the wrong profession.

Kunzite, we received the teething tablets today. I gave her 1 at a time dissolved in a small amount of water about 2 hours apart. I don't think they helped, but maybe I need to giver her more since the dosage was 2-3 tablets at a time (I tried less since she is only 10 weeks old). How many do you give your boys at a time?

AFM, my first day alone with K in a long time as my husband left for his business trip last night and my inlaws have been gone for 2 days. I'm exhausted! She only took 1 nap today in her bouncy chair for 2 hours in the afternoon and insisted on being held the rest of the day. I hope tomorrow is better. How many naps should a 10-week old have per day? My doctor said we don't need a sleep routine yet, but I am just wondering what the other babies in her age group on PS are doing for sleep during the day?

 

[megumic]

Co,ing out of lurkdom...

Hi ladies! Sorry I've been MIA on this thread...I've been reading but not posting. Holidays, C was in the hospital with a MRSA infection and then we were away.

Anyway, wanted to ask, anyone here get preg while using condoms? I'm kinda not into going back on BC, but note that condoms have an 85ish % success rate at preventing pregnancy. Thats not great in my opinion. Just wanted to take an informal poll to see what y'all think...condoms safe enough???

 

[amc80]

Co,ing out of lurkdom...

Hi ladies! Sorry I've been MIA on this thread...I've been reading but not posting. Holidays, C was in the hospital with a MRSA infection and then we were away.

Anyway, wanted to ask, anyone here get preg while using condoms? I'm kinda not into going back on BC, but note that condoms have an 85ish % success rate at preventing pregnancy. Thats not great in my opinion. Just wanted to take an informal poll to see what y'all think...condoms safe enough???

I'd say safe enough! Remember that 85% is with typical use, not perfect use. And all it means is that 15% of couple using them will get pregnant within a year (well, something like that). So don't be in the 15%

Seriously, though, we use the good ol' pull out method, so you are way ahead of us!

Sorry about the MRSA but glad to here everything is ok now.

 

[PetitiePoire]

Dani- L is 6m now and is exclusively BF, plus a few bites of purees each day. She started very early on only nursing for a few minutes. She used to have a preference for side, so I always started her out there and then switched. Sometimes we switch multiple times per feeding just so I can feel like she's getting more. She is in the 97th/99th percentile in weight/height, so depsite her short nursings she has always stayed in that percentile. I still worry, because you never know with BF-ing, but the charts aren't lying, so I just have to trust she is getting all she needs.


BB- Today is probably the day you're flying, so it won't be much help, but we flew transatlantic at 1m and she was great (16 hr trip) and have taken multiple 16h car rides between 4-6 months, so I have high hopes your trip will go smoothly. Good luck!


Everyone else- I haven't been keeping up with this thread, but I love peaking in and seeing all of your babies! I can't believe how fast they are growing! L is already 6 months and time is just flying by.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Meg, I also never went back on BC and we're using condoms. We also used condoms for the first several years of our relationship. We only had one "scare" when the condom broke--other than that there have been no mishaps. Let's say we DTD on average 3x per week. Over the course of 4 years, that's about 624 condoms we've gone through. We've had one broken condom, so the failure rate has been .16%. For us, using condoms makes the most sense while we figure out the timing of our next.

By the way, I'm so sorry C was hospitalized--poor thing! I hope the whole family is doing better now!

JGator, I feel the same way when D is travelling and I'm on mom duty alone. There have only been one or two times that D is travelling for days in a row and I'm on my own (with no daycare). By the end of the day, I'll feel like I just want to get K settled in bed and take a mental break. Then as soon as I tuck her in, I feel guilty for being overwhelmed and miss her.

We didn't have any sleep routine at 10 weeks outside of an eat, play, sleep cycle that went on throughout the day. K was only awake for 1.5 - 2 hours at a time (including nursing/eating time) before she'd need another nap. She would definitely go through phases of fighting sleep. There were a few days where she just wouldn't go down and I would get so frazzled.

MP, we still haven't completely babyproofed. I sort of just do it as she explores more. I have some things on hand (like cabinet locks), but so far we haven't needed them. I think taking a phased/as-needed babyproofing approach keeps you more sane. Timing for the next is always up in the air. Right now I'm faced with the following issues: a.) I already feel exhausted all the time b.) We need to finish some home renovations before we start. And this could take MONTHS and c.) The home renovations are sucking the life out of our savings account and I'm really anxious about it, so I'd like some time to build it back up. The plan was "anytime in 2013" with the focus more toward spring, but right now I'm just thinking about how to wrap up these projects before TTC. Sorry for the long explanation, it's on my mind all the time when really I should relax and enjoy my one-on-one time with K.

amc, I agree about teething being worse than a cold. It's constant and I don't know about B, but K's teeth take FOREVER to come in. From the time I notice the swelling/blisters to the time they actually break through the gums is around a month. I don't know if that's abnormal, but I'll say "this tooth is going to come through any minute" for weeks. And I haven't found a teething tool that K likes--she just chews on anything and everything all the time.

 

[Missy0483]

It's taken me a month to get on here and feel "comfortable" with posting this. I'll leave out some of the details. We lost Blake on December 6, 2012 on his 6 month birthday . He was napping at the sitters, she had put him down on his back. She went to check on him later because he had been sleeping longer than usual. She found him completely rolled over and on his belly face down in the pack n play and not breathing. Blake had never rolled from back to belly awake yet, but somehow figured it out that afternoon while trying to nap. She did CPR until EMS arrived. Long story short- her, the EMS crew, or emergency room staff never got him breathing again. DH arrived at the hospital before I did because he was home and I was working so he was closer. So he basically had to tell them to stop since nothing was working. We are still waiting for the full results on what may have caused this, they said about 8 - 10 weeks. The initial report only showed that he had an ear infection that we didn't know about (you all know how fussy he was from me telling you here, but the night before all of this he was actually more calm and content than he's ever been before so we didn't realize he had an ear infection) and that there was no trauma found. As far as we know he was perfectly healthy. His last checkup was back in October at 4 months.

We got through 2 holidays so far without him. I started work again this week. We have a whole new "normal" and routine to get used to, not that we will ever be okay with it but we are getting through it somehow. This Saturday we are going to a wing night benefit that was set up for Blake by one of our friends. As of Monday, 450 tickets have been sold. We have had SO SO much support from our friends, family, and community. Another friend set up a memorial fund for Blake at one of the banks near us. I have no idea how much was donated there yet. It's not the money that I'm worried about at all, I'm just amazed at how many people care.

Anyway, I hate that I had to type this, but I wanted to let you all know where I've been. I'm attaching a picture. This was from December 5th, the night before. Something in me told me to take his 6 month pictures a day early, he was being a good boy. I decided to put him in his santa outfit. That night I ordered Christmas cards with this picture on them to mail out. I picked them up from the store on my lunch break on December 6th, just about 2 hours before we got the bad news. So rather then mailing them, I gave them out at his viewing. It's just all so ironic.

 

[lulu66]

omg, missy, my deepest sympathy & condolences. I have no other words but just wanted to let you know how sorry I am to hear that Blake's time on earth was so short with you but how blessed you are to be his mom. sending thoughts & prayers your way.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Oh Missy, I thought of you recently, and I am just heartsick reading of the tragic loss of your precious Blake. Words cannot even express how sorry I am. I wish I could think of something helpful or appropriate to say, but the only thing I can say is that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. That sweet picture of him breaks my heart, but at the same time, I hope it will someday give you comfort and remind you of happier times. You can see in his face just how much he loved you. I'm sure it is hard for you to read this thread, but please feel free to check in to let us know how you are doing or to talk about Blake if you ever feel like it. Again, I am just so very sorry and crying just thinking about your loss. My prayers are with you.

 

[Buttons]

Oh my God missy I am so so sorry. I am in tears too reading about your loss. There are just no words for this :'( What an awful awful tragedy. You are all three in my prayers. I can't even begin to fathom your pain. Sending my deepest sympathy across the water to you and your DH.

 

[S&I]

Missy, I am so so sorry to hear of Blake's tragic passing! No parent should ever have to go through what you and your DH went through. My heart is breaking for your family, and am glad that you've gotten so much support from your friends and family. I hope you can take comfort in knowing that you were the best parents to little Blake while he was with you, and that he knows just how much you both love him. Hugs mama!