PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Dreamer_D]

PG I went off the pill and hopefully will never go on it again. I feel *so* much better off the pill it isn''t even funny. We use condoms now and I actually really prefer them for various reasons. One being that I don''t need to use bc every day (the pill) when sex once a week is a lot!

Post baby its hard to work it in. But I am also accepting the possibility of getting pg earlier than planned, which I am ok with. My friends went on the mini-pill which is progesterone only and it did not affect their milk supply, but they did not start it until probably 3-4 months pp. If I were you, I would wait until at least 12 weeks pp to go on it to make sure everything is well established. But that''s just me

To be honest, I don''t know if you have tried intercourse yet (I don''t think it is recommended until 6 weeks), but many women don''t really want to for the first few months so you don''t need to worry much about bc, LOL.

 

[Dreamer_D]

5500 posts! SPAM!

 

[neatfreak]

Phoenix I got a Mirena IUD. LOVE IT. Soooo easy and it''s there when you need it.

 

[taovandel]

Question: Evan hates his bassinet. He either will fall asleep and stay asleep if we are holding him or if we put him to sleep in his carseat. I''ve read mixed information on doing this....some places say no--others say that it is fine. What are your opinions on it?

 

[NovemberBride]

Hi mommies,

I guess it''s time I jump over to this thread since Olivia is one week old today. I have been reading through this thread from the beginning and there is so much helpful advice. I am completely and totally in love with my little girl and want to make sure I start off on the right foot with feeding, sleeping,etc. As a first time mommy, I have so many questions. I like to read and do a ton of research, but it''s so hard because so many of the popular books seem to contradict each other. It''s great to read everyone''s experiences with the different approaches.

What does everyone put their little ones in to sleep? We keep our house at about 70-72 degrees. I''ve been putting her in a long-sleeve footie and some times swaddling her and sometimes not. I am worried about making her too hot by putting a swaddle over the long-sleeve footie. Should I just put her in a onesie and swaddle, skip the swaddle and just put her to sleep in the footie, or continue to swaddle over the footie?

 

[Blenheim]

November - welcome! I think the rule of thumb for the little babies in not-warm weather is to dress them in what you''re wearing, plus one layer. I''d consider the swaddle to be a layer. You can also feel her skin to figure out if she feels too hot or too cold, and adjust accordingly.

MG - going back to school should be exciting! It sounds like you should be able to kind of play it by ear as to if it''s too much right now as you''re only doing one at a time, which is great.

Mela- Yay about your BFF! I believe that Beyond Jennifer and Jason recommends that siblings have similarly gendered names. Meaning, since Taylor is unisex (but used more often on girls), they''d recommend another unisex name for another daughter rather than an ultra-girly name. I''d say maybe something like Avery, Laine, or Morgan but I''m not sure if they really fits their classic but not-too-common requirements. Hmmm. I''ll think about it. Has she tried playing around with nymber.com?

PG - we''re using barrier methods, but I''m absolutely miserable on hormonal bc (including Mirena) and have vowed never again.

Tao - how old is Evan again? When G was really young it was like survival mode... we just did what worked and figured that we''d work at establishing better habits later.

 

[fieryred33143]

Tao- I''m not a fan of prolonged sleeping in a car seat unless absolutely necessary like on a road trip. If he is sleeping in his seat, make sure its inclined enough so that his head isn''t causing chest compressions and therefore potentially blocking air passages. Would he sleep in a swing? Our swing had an option to incline far back enough to where Sophia''s head wasn''t down on her chest and for about three weeks that''s the only place where we would get more than 2 hours out of her. Anyway, as long as his head isn''t pressed against his chest in the car seat it should be fine.

November- We had Sophia in long sleeve pjs and the summer swaddleme when she was swaddled. I ditto blen in just testing it out. We keep our home at 73 and she sleeps with just a long sleeve pj and some booties MIL gave us. It keeps her feet nice and toasty.

 

[Pandora II]

Tao, have you tried sticking a rolled up towel or something under one end of the mattress in the bassinett? Daisy wouldn''t sleep in anything horizontal and so refused to sleep in her co-sleeper until I inclined one end - after that there was no problem at all.

November - Welcome to the thread, I just put Daisy in a footed sleep-suit in either 100% cotton or bamboo. I then put a bamboo blanket over her as far up as under her arms (tucked in at the bottom so she can''t slide down or pull it up) - I think in the US they advise against blankets, whereas here it''s what we all use.

Swaddling is great if your baby takes to it - D HATED being swaddled and fought her way out in seconds, the midwives thought I was just doing it wrong but it took two of them to get her swaddled and she screamed her head off and got straight out again. She''s never woken herself up with her arms flailing or anything, but that might have been because she''s always been a side-sleeper rather than a back-sleeper.

On the books thing, honestly it''s best to just play things by ear. So many of us started out thinking we''d do things one way and have changed due to what suits us and each baby. Dreamer thought she''d have Hunter in their room for 6 months and ended up moving him much earlier; I never thought I''d choose to have Daisy sleep in our bed with us, but it has been a great success and I wish I''d started doing it from the beginning and been less sleep-deprived!

I think the main thing to remember is that EBF babies will not go without food for more than 4 hours for a LONG time (Daisy still feeds about every 3 hours at 6 months) and STTN is 6 hours straight, not 12!

Ebree - Gorgeous photo, Henry is adorable!

 

[mela lu]

Blen - thanks for the naming advice. We tried Nymbler, but she didnt love anything. She''s reaaaaalllly picky! lol

Robbie - I"m a total jerk (not store) for not answering your Q earlier, re: pumping while on my girls trip. It was EASY! I pumped the same amount of times I feed Romeo (4) and I tried to pump around the same time of day as I feed, so that my body stayed in rhythm. It was no problem. Once I had to bring my pump out with me and pump in a restaurant washroom (ewww) while everyone ate lunch, but it was a small sacrifice I didnt mind making. I say - GO FOR IT! Girls trips are so special. Your supply will survive and Des will too

Nov - Our rule of thumb (already mentioned) is to dress him in what we''re wearing + one layer. At night, we swaddled (counts as a layer) because he slept so much better and longer in his swaddle. I think the key is consistency. If you''re going to swaddle, do it every night

That will become a sleep "cue" in which Olivia will learn to associate with "night" and it will help her organize her awake/sleep times. Good luck! Also, re: books. I agree every book has conflicting advice, but I say take the parts from each book that make sense to you and that you can maintain long-term and then BE CONSISTENT. It is the key. Not "what you do" but "how you do it" is important.

Tao - I wouldnt let Evan sleep in his Carseat. Apparently, you''re not supposed to let them stay in there longer than 2 hrs. If I were you, I''d start "pick-up-put-down" (when you have the energy) which is to help him get used to his bassinet. LEt him fall asleep in your arms, then put him down in his bassinet. When he cries, do it all over again. Eventually, he''ll realize that this is his only option and he''ll relent (from pure fatigue) Remember, you want to foster habits that you can maintain long-term

If you dont mind him sleeping in items "not-bassinet", then go with whatever works. If it''s important to you that he sleeps independantly in his bassinet, then persist. Hope that makes sense.

 

[mela lu]

Date: 11/19/2009 5:41:18 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
5500 posts! SPAM!

NOICE!

 

[mela lu]

HEY! Tomorrow is my 3 yr PS anniversary

 

[MustangGal]

Tao - I let Kyle nap in the carseat but only if he fell asleep while we were walking/driving. Maybe he doesn''t like the bassinet mattress? Or also try elevating it a bit like Pandora suggested. I noticed at the hospital I delivered at they elevated one end of the tubs the babies were in also.

November - I did a onesie and a fleece swaddle for sleeping last February, when temps were about the same. I just felt him in the morning when I pulled him out to see if he was too hot or cold. At her age she may sleep better in a swaddle anyway.

Mela - Woohoo for 3 years!

***

So are any of you driving somewhere for Thanksgiving? We''re going all over SoCal, and by Sunday we''ll be almost 8 hours away from home. My original plan was to wake up and drive the 3.5 hours back to DH''s parent''s house, spend a few hours with them and have lunch, then do the 4 hour drive to home in the afternoon. Am I completely insane for wanting to attempt this with a 9 month old? We''ll stop in the middle of both drives to eat/streatch our legs, but it''ll still be almost 8 hours in the car in one day

.

 

[taovandel]

thanks for the advice on the car seat! Evan will be 3 weeks tomorrow.

I didn''t even think of elevating one end of the bassinet mattress. I will definitely be doing this.

We started the bad habit because one night he just wouldn''t fall asleep for longer than 20 minutes at a time. So we put him in the car seat and he was down for about 2 hours. I know we can''t continue to do this...thanks again for the advice.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 11/20/2009 11:49:35 AM
Author: MustangGal
Tao - I let Kyle nap in the carseat but only if he fell asleep while we were walking/driving. Maybe he doesn''t like the bassinet mattress? Or also try elevating it a bit like Pandora suggested. I noticed at the hospital I delivered at they elevated one end of the tubs the babies were in also.

November - I did a onesie and a fleece swaddle for sleeping last February, when temps were about the same. I just felt him in the morning when I pulled him out to see if he was too hot or cold. At her age she may sleep better in a swaddle anyway.

Mela - Woohoo for 3 years!

***

So are any of you driving somewhere for Thanksgiving? We''re going all over SoCal, and by Sunday we''ll be almost 8 hours away from home. My original plan was to wake up and drive the 3.5 hours back to DH''s parent''s house, spend a few hours with them and have lunch, then do the 4 hour drive to home in the afternoon. Am I completely insane for wanting to attempt this with a 9 month old? We''ll stop in the middle of both drives to eat/streatch our legs, but it''ll still be almost 8 hours in the car in one day

.

Yes, I think you''re nuts.

SoCal traffic on Thanksgiving can be hit or miss. Depending on the time of day, you could be sitting in the most horrid traffic EVER.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 11/20/2009 1:17:59 PM
Author: taovandel
thanks for the advice on the car seat! Evan will be 3 weeks tomorrow.

I didn''t even think of elevating one end of the bassinet mattress. I will definitely be doing this.

We started the bad habit because one night he just wouldn''t fall asleep for longer than 20 minutes at a time. So we put him in the car seat and he was down for about 2 hours. I know we can''t continue to do this...thanks again for the advice.

If you want your kid to have a giant flat head, keep letting him sleep in that seat. It''s hard and is one of the biggest causes of flat head. Most people who do this aren''t even aware that their kid''s head is a flat as a pancake (I personally know if three mothers who have done this to their kid without realizing they are deforming their kids'' heads.)

 

[MustangGal]

We''ll be in Ventura Sunday morning, last year we left at like 7am, and made it to Palm Springs in 3.5 hours, no traffic in sight. Then we would plan to leave Palm Springs at 2-3pm and drive to Phoenix. I think most of the traffice on that section would be going the other way, leaving Glamis and going back in to LA area... We''ve made the trip before, so traffic isn''t really the concern, it''s whether or not 2 adults, a 9 month old and an 80 pound dog can survive 8 hours in the car without someone going crazy

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 11/20/2009 1:23:35 PM
Author: MustangGal
We''ll be in Ventura Sunday morning, last year we left at like 7am, and made it to Palm Springs in 3.5 hours, no traffic in sight. Then we would plan to leave Palm Springs at 2-3pm and drive to Phoenix. I think most of the traffice on that section would be going the other way, leaving Glamis and going back in to LA area... We''ve made the trip before, so traffic isn''t really the concern, it''s whether or not 2 adults, a 9 month old and an 80 pound dog can survive 8 hours in the car without someone going crazy

That route should be fine...especially if you leave at 7...no one is out and about at that time. By the time you get out to Palm Springs, you''re in the boons, so probably no worries about traffic there.

I still think it''s pushing it for the reasons you just mentioned.

 

[neatfreak]

Mustang We recently drove from SF to SD with the babies. One way we left at 7pm and drove while they slept. It was PERFECTION. They didn't wake up once, no diapers, no bottles, etc. On the way back we did it during the day and it was a BAD idea. They were not happy and screamed quite a bit of the way.

Any chance you could do the drives during his naps/at night?

 

[MustangGal]

NF - the first half probably won''t be during nap time, but the second half will. He usually takes a 1.5 hours nap around 2pm. My parents used to drive us to grandma''s (Palm Springs to Ventura) at night also. 4 kids in the car was MUCH easier when we were all sleeping!

I''ve thought about leaving later, but DH has to work Monday morning, which means leaving the house at 5am for him

. We''ll also loose an hour crossing the border, so it''ll really be a 5 hour drive with the time change. I might just suck it up, leave at 6 or 7pm, and have DH drive the first 2 hours, then I''ll drive the second 2 while he sleeps.

 

[fieryred33143]

MG-I think it''ll be ok but then again I don''t have a 9 month old

. We only drove about half the time (4 hours) and Sophia slept for the entire ride.

CIO-I''m so happy it''s working for everyone that is trying it

. We made the decision (or I guess really I did lol) that we will do CIO sooner than expected. My traveling schedule is pretty heavy and I just can''t have her waking up 3-4 times a night when she''s being watched by other people. I do it because I''m mom

but I don''t want to ask anyone else too. I''m not sure she''s emotionally ready just yet so I may wait another week or two but it''s going to happen dun dun dunnnnnn

TTC-Um...no

Birth Control (for PG): We use condoms. They have always worked effectively for us...as long as we don''t allow Long Island Iced Teas to control our decision making process

Nothing new over here. Sophia found her feet and they are delicious

. She has lost interest in every toy except for her feet and she goes face foward to put them in her mouth.

Here are some recent pics:

 

[fieryred33143]

.

 

[fieryred33143]

And just cause I think this photo is hilarious! Roooaarrrr

 

[hisdiamondgirl]

I just lurk on this board...not pregnant...don''t have a baby!
But, I just had to say OMG fiery! Sophia is so freakin precious! Wow! What a beaut!!!

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 11/20/2009 4:07:26 PM
Author: hisdiamondgirl
I just lurk on this board...not pregnant...don''t have a baby!
But, I just had to say OMG fiery! Sophia is so freakin precious! Wow! What a beaut!!!

Thank you!

I''m a HUGE fan of Sophia except for the hours between 2:30 and 4:30am. Then, not so much lol

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Aw, Fiery, Sophia is adorable!! I love her hair! My kids always have really thin, fine hair until they''re much older so I love seeing babies that have loads of it. She looks so happy, too.

 

[Pandora II]

Aw she is such a cutie Fiery!

Well, if it wasn''t DH''s birthday tomorrow he would be in the dog house big time... I''d gone out shopping with Daisy to escape the builders and he rang to say he''d finished work and would come and join us at the store. I told him I was on the 4th floor - babies/habedashery and he said he''d be about 15 minutes or so.

Ten minutes later I was looking at some ribbons to put on his birthday parcels and had bent down next to the pram (with Daisy in it) to look at a couple on the bottom shelf. When I stood up 20 seconds later the pram had gone.

He''d turned up early and thought it would be amusing to go and hide round the corner with the pram to scare me. Well, it worked, I nearly had a heart attack. I have honestly never felt panic like that in my life. Even though I saw them 5 seconds later, those 5 seconds were endless. I actually burst into tears, so I think he felt pretty bad.

I''m now going to buy some kind of cord to attach my wrist to the pram - I was RIGHT next to it, could have touched it without stretching out my arm at all and yet he wheeled it away without my noticing. Euuughhhh...

On the good side we showed Daisy what I want to get her for xmas very briefly and she went nuts over it. She very rarely likes toys - maybe 1 in 5 that you show her - so I''m thrilled that this will definitely be a hit! It''s the VTech First Steps Baby Walker.

 

[MustangGal]

Fiery - Sophia is beautiful! And for a few months, feet are a food group

. I can't inagine being that flexible!

Pandora - I would have punched him

. And Kyle plays with that same toy at daycare and loves it.

Forgot about the BC question... I got the Mirena at 10 weeks PP. I had given up on BFing by then, but it's not supposed to have any effect on supply. We used condoms from 6 weeks PP until a month after the Mirena had been in (I wasn't taking any chances!).


I just turned in the request to enroll in the MBA program, and my supervisor's boss (who has to sign off on it) says graduate classes aren't covered

. So, no MBA for me now then.

 

[Sabine]

Mgal, sorry about the MBA program not being covered. And, you may be crazy to do the trip, but sometimes you gotta do crazy things!

Pandora, oh my goodness, I would have killed him!

fiery, I agree, Sophia is one of the cutest babies! Keep us updated on how cio goes. Dh and I plan to start on the first day after Sunday (his bday) that Jacks has good naps during the day.

tao, I feel like I am the spokesperson on how doing something when you''re about to loose it can turn into the worst, unbreakable habit! I started co-sleeping with Jacks in order to get some sleep, and now he won''t sleep at ALL unless he is being held. It''s been rough and it''s probably going to be a rough few days trying to break him of this.

November, I think you''ll figure out soon whether O is warm or cold at times. Jacks gets overheated really easily, so even when it''s chilly out, he sleeps in a long sleeved onsie and a light swaddle (the Aden and Anais blankets). That being said, if O doesn''t NEED to be swaddled, I wouldn''t start the habit if I were you. There are TONS of people who post on the bump about how difficult the process of de-swaddling is when they are older if they got used to sleeping that way. It''s a great tool if you have a fussy baby or a baby who needs it, but I wouldn''t start the habit if you don''t need to.

Congrats to Dreamer and Mela for their ps milestones!

Thanks for the recs on the activity tables!
I''m frustrated here. For the past 3 days, during the afternoon, Jacks has had a mild fever of about 100.5 (taken rectally). It goes down at night (without tylenol) and isn''t as high in the morning, but then it goes up in the afternoon again. He doesn''t really seem particularly fussy, and also doesn''t seem to have any symptoms of a cold (he usually sneezes a few times throughout the day, but that''s normal for him). I''ve called the pedi. and they don''t want to see him unless it goes up. I''m guessing it could either be a slight cold or from teething (he really seems to be teething lately), but I wish I could tell which, because if it is a cold, I don''t want to take him out anywhere, but if it''s just teething, I don''t want to miss out on the few activities I had planned on going to.

 

[neatfreak]

Sabine I am not an expert and take this with a grain of salt but it does sound like teething to me. If it doesn''t go up and he doesn''t have other symptoms see if it abates with some tylenol or motrin. I bet it goes away in a few days and he''ll have a new tooth.

 

[Mara]

OMG Pandora, you poor thing. I told Greg what your DH did and he was

. I was like ''don''t ever do that to me!!!''..! The cord is a good idea in general I think.

Fiery...Sophia is a doll!