PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Hudson_Hawk]

Lanie, we love it. It's seriously one of the best purchases we've made post baby. We've had a few false alarms because the board we have it on under the mattress isn't quite big enough and there's a "dead zone" at the end of the crib. When A is mobile at night he ends up down there and the alarm goes off. It's happened maybe half a dozen times and is always for that reason. Now that we've elevated his mattress he's not moving around as much and so we don't have the issue. It can be used with an elevated mattress, which is great. My one complaint about it is that there's no sound only option (or if there is I don't know how to turn it on!). Sometimes A will fall asleep for naps in his bouncy seat and I'd love to just leave him there with the monitor on but the AC only works if the baby is in the crib, vs acting as a monitor for the entire room. We had purchased an audio monitor before we knew we wanted the ACM so we turn that on in those instances, but it's a pain to have two separate monitors. All in all though, I highly recommend it. It's expensive but worth it.

 

[noelwr]

Skye: 34 days old

Skye slept through the night: 6 hours! I don't know if it's likely to happen again any time soon, but let's keep fingers crossed. at least we know it's possible.

meresal - haha, I didn't know "nappies" is not used in the States. it's another word for diapers.

Lanie - glad you were able to get out for the wedding reception! sorry regarding situation with your DH but I think it will change as A grows up and becomes more interactive. I think it has a lot to do with you spending your whole day with A. could you tell DH that if he were to spend more time changing "nappies" and cuddling that they will bond quicker? and then when he does spend time with A, give him words of encouragement (like the ones you want to hear) and maybe that will lead to reciprocation. moms are more patient than dads and I think babies can feel if someone is frustrated and that doesn't help to calm them down. DH gets frustrated with our LO, too, and when he starts saying things like "I am getting really irritated with you", I quickly take over as we know that isn't going to go anywhere. what really melts our heart is when S falls asleep on our chests (on her tummy). we do this in front of the tv, so it is something you might want to try with A and DH. who knew that having a baby meant you also have to learn how to manage your husband!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

YAY Noel that's awesome!!! How old is she now?

Aidan, for the first time since probably week 11, slept NINE AND A HALF HOURS!!!!!!!!! He did 7:00-4:30 with just a momentary wake-up around 7:30-7:45 when he fussed but fell back asleep on his own. Of course when 4:30 rolled around he was ready for the day and thus ready for a nap by 6:30 when we were trying to get ready and out the door for work/day care. So he turned into a bit of senor pissy pants. But, I don't remember the last time I got a solid 7 hours of sleep...

 

[Puppmom]

HH and Noel, yay to many consecutive hours of sleep! I bet you guys feel like a million bucks!

Lanie, I think what your DH is going through is normal. I have friends who have had similar experiences with their husbands early on and now they're awesome, really engaged dads! I think often dads don't know what to do with little babies and feel like it's a very one sided relationship for them. I've even heard two male friends say they think their babies HATE them! My DH is enamored with N BUT because I nurse, he often gets the crap work. He fetches the baby for me so he’s usually crying and ready to eat, then he changes his diaper and burps between boobs – again N is not always a happy camper during this time. He’s also responsible for watching N while I make dinner – you guessed it, N is not always in the best mood during this time, although as he gets older that is getting better. So DH often feels like I have the boob and he can’t compete with that, KWIM? What worked for us is that DH found something that N loves (happens to be the guitar) and that’s his ace in the hole. It makes him feel good about himself that he can keep N happy. Since A is only 3 weeks old, it’ll probably be a few more weeks until he engages with DH in a way that lets him know he’s happy/content. I think you’ll see a change when that happens. But encourage DH to stick with it so A is just as comfortable with him as he is with you. That may mean powering through some tough stuff.

edited for spelling errors

 

[drk]

HH - read the user guide. We have the angelcare, but have only ever used it as a sound-only. Maybe I've got a different model? It's easy to switch from sensor + sound to sound.

 

[meresal]

Lanie- What you are going thru with DH is completely normal. When I saw some weird things in my DH, I immeditaely talked to him about it. I told him that when he got home from work, that I needed him to spend time with C, and to this day, he literally takes the baby from me when he walks into the house.
There are VERY few men that give off the "nurture" vibe, especially to the baby. We went thru a phase where C would scream anytime that DH held him; it was very frustrating for both of us, probably all 3 of us. The minute I took him back, he would stop. I was very thankful that DH didn't resent me for that, or pull away from wanting to spend time with the baby. The comments that your DH is taking about the baby "loving" you more than him are what worry me. If he really feels that way, then instead of lessening his time with the baby, he should increase his time with the baby, and all the duties that help with the bonding.

I know you want to soak up as much of your LO as possible, but maybe try and let DH play with him when he is awake and at his happiest. It will help him feel like he is doing something right.

Does your LO like baths? C began lovin gthe water about this time, so DH used to do baths bc it gave him some "fun" time.

Also, gald to hear that you were able to get out to the wedding!

HH- Congrats on 9.5 hours!!!
Noel- I remember when I was excited about 6 hours!! It gets even better!!

ETA: Ditto Noel, about letting the baby fall asleep on your chest. I know some moms won't agree, but the first month, C would fall asleep on DH's chest while we watched tv, it made for great bonding between them.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

What about you and LO and your bonding? Do you ever have moments where you question the level of your bond with LO? I don't know if it's because DH spent most of my maternity leave home with Aidan and I and so A hasn't been around just mommy, but sometimes I really feel like Aidan is totally ambivalent towards me. Of course this I then struggle with thinking it's because I didn't BF for a long time or some other thing I've done wrong This is something I've struggled with since day one and my PPD meds haven't done a thing for it.

 

[noelwr]

Skye smiled at me... once today. don't think she knows why. maybe remembering her nice long sleep. by the way *I* didn't get 6 hrs. I was up at 4:30 checking if she's ok.

HH - Skye is 5 weeks tomorrow. I always put her age in the subject line. can't relate about the bonding, yet, as I think she's too young and would probably bond with anyone who is warm and will feed her. I don't bf, but so far don't think it has made a difference other than a positive one that I can leave her with someone else while I get a break. maybe you can speak to a professional?

 

[Puppmom]

HH, I can totally sympathize with you. I have the boob but sometimes I felt like that was ALL I had to offer.

and ditto skin to skin with Daddy! N loved it but it won't last long so get it in while you can!

 

[blushingbride]

Hi Mamas!

Just checking in now that I've officially ended my maternity leave after four quick months (can't believe how fast the time goes). Luckily, my MIL will be watching the twins Mon-Wed and then I have off Thurs. and Fri so, I'm thinking a three day week ain't bad!

Right now the babies are sleeping 9-10 hours a night which is awesome for us (knocking on wood that it continues) and we are putting them down around 9/10pm. Is that too late for them to be going to bed? Now that I'm working, I can't imagine coming home and then immediately putting them to bed with barely any interaction from us. HH - you mentioned you are putting Aidan down around 7:30pm - do you feel like if you pushed back that time that he'll wake up later in the mornings instead of 4:30? That's also how I've been looking at it, but just wondering what the rest of you have been doing. My pedi said to go by their schedule because even though they are almost 4 months, they are still only 3 months gestation.

Another question - both babies sleep unswaddled through the night. I wasn't sure if it was too early for them to be doing this, but Laila had to wear a brace for the first few months after birth because she had a slight case of hip dysplasia and couldn't be swaddled. Alen busted out of all his swaddles (miracle blanket and sleep sac swaddle). So, we just let them sleep unswaddled and they've been doing fine with it. They move around a lot in their sleep so, I wasn't sure if swaddling would help with that too. Because of the moving, we've noticed Alen's arms have have gone through the slats while he's sleeping so, we are also putting up the breathable bumpers tonight.

Looking forward to catching up more with all of you as I slowly ease back into work!

 

[Puppmom]

BB, N's wake up time seems to have little to do with when we put him to bed. Left to his own devices, he almost always wakes up at 7:00 or 7:30 (although we usually wake him at 6:30 to nurse during the week if he slept through the night). His bedtime has been as early as 6 and as late as 9:00. Now we most often put him down between 7 and 8 but even before a consistent bedtime, his wake up time was pretty much the same.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

BB, I've thought about pushing his bed time back to 8:00 or so with the hopes of him sleeping later but honestly he can barely keep his eyes open most nights long enough to take a bath

 

[Puppmom]

BB, I don't think it's ever too early to unswaddle babies. We have the breathable bumper and N wears sleap sacks. Depending on the temp of your nursery, the kiddos might be okay in just their jammies. Once of the best things we bought for the nursery is a thermometer/clock. We originally bought it so we could tell what the temp was in there but the clock has really come in handy because the nursery is a time warp!

BTW, DD had hip dysplasia too. She had to wear that stinking harness until she was 4 months old!

 

[Kunzite]

I need help!! LO has been nothing but fussy lately when he's eating. We can tell he's hungry but he just cries and cries while he has his bottle. We burp him before feeding if he's been crying to get the air out so I don't *think* it's gassy tummy. He does fine eating for me during the day so I don't *think* the nipples are too slow. I can't figure it out. It's certainly making feedings something of a disaster and he doesn't eat enough to begin with as it is. Sigh.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

How old is he? Maybe reflux? Have you tried a faster nipple just to see if he does better with it?

 

[noelwr]

Skye: 5 weeks old

Skye didn't sleep through the night. DH offered to take my night shift as I was tired and he got a good rest the night before, but then he ended up being called by the office and had to work all night, so I had to get up at 3:30 for changing/feeding.

 

[meresal]

Noel- Sorry to hear about the sleeping... lack there of.

Just so you dont think you are the only one, with C, there were a couple times where he would STTN (10-12 hours) a few days in a row, only to go right back to waking up once or twice a night again. It ususally lasted one or two nights, and then would be a few weeks or a month before the STTN happened again. I know that mine is an extreme case, but C didn't start STTN every single night, until 7 months.


AFM:
C is starting to cruise. I worry that he is hitting his head to much. Did any other mom's think that their baby was just falling more than should be necessary? What did you do? I am debating going to buy a new carpet for underneath the coffee table, one that is thicker... but then I worry he will trip on it when he starts to walk.

 

[Puppmom]

Mere, my nephew just turned one and basically always has a knot or bump on his head! He either pulls things down on himself or falls. I think it's just a normal part of the process. It definitely can't hurt to have nice cushy carpet under him though!

Noel, we're all in it with you! N slept through the night for two months straight only to start getting up again recently. Even if it's only every now and then, a full night's sleep feels fantastic! You should probably expect this back and forth to go on for a bit. I'm glad your DH is helpful in taking some of the night shifts!

Kunzite, when this happens with N, we just take it slow. I know that seems counterintuitive because they seem so hungry but he tends to get gas if he's fussy while eating so if he gets fussy, we take the bottle and sit him up or put him over our shoulder for a minute then try again. This sometimes makes feeds on the long side but seems to work - or at least settle him a bit.

 

[KimberlyH]

STTN: Jane has done so once at 10.5 months old. Sleep is not linear, expecting things to change helps me handle night wakings. And knowing that they are growing, developing, learning and it interrupts sleep for most babies.

Head bumps: We find ourselves saying "Wood always wins!" to Jane a lot. We got rid of our coffee table to give her more room, but she still wacks her head on chair legs and the side table among other things at least once daily. I hate it, but we can't remove everything from every room so we do our best to block the things that can hurt her.

 

[KimberlyH]

STTN: Jane has done so once at 10.5 months old. Sleep is not linear, expecting things to change helps me handle night wakings. And knowing that they are growing, developing, learning and it interrupts sleep for most babies.

Head bumps: We find ourselves saying "Wood always wins!" to Jane a lot. We got rid of our coffee table to give her more room, but she still wacks her head on chair legs and the side table among other things at least once daily. I hate it, but we can't remove everything from every room so we do our best to block the things that can hurt her.

 

[somethingshiny]

STTN: Lily had trouble at first but eventually fell into the rhythm of sttn on her own. JT was so easy I was surprised when I had trouble with Lily. I thought they just WANTED to sttn. But, no. Lily has been pretty consistent from about 4 months, but sometimes she still doesn't go to sleep until midnight or one. She'll sleep 8-9 hrs though, so still sttn technically.

Head bumps: JT had his first black eye at 10 months. It happens and unless you're going to cover everything with bubble wrap, you can't avoid it. Just remember, weight and height have a lot to do with how much it really hurts. They aren't falling 5 feet and landing 150 lbs on the wood. Often if a toddler cries after a fall it's because they're scared not hurt. Not that you want your child to be scared, but at least you know they're not going to have a concussion. I left JT barefoot more often than not because he seemed to have better traction that way, my SIL always puts those white walking shoes on her kids to give them traction.

 

[Puppmom]

Cradle cap update: It's bad! I made an appt with the pedi because it seems to be bothering N, no traditional *remedies* have worked and it seems to be oozing in spots. I have a feeling this is a little more than the cosmetic cradle cap. I'll let you guys know what the doc says tomorrow. I actually think he has a combo of eczema and cradle cap. The eczema needs moisture and the cradle cap needs to be dried out. So, each time I treat one issue, it worsens the other. I've actually heard sometimes docs recommend a mixture of hydrocortisone and aquaphor.

 

[AllieLuv83]

Hello mamas sorry I have been MIA. Yesterday was Charlie's 5th day at daycare, so far things are going OK a few minor gripes but nothing major. He had a bad cold so DH stayed home with him on Friday, so last week he only went to DC 3 days. I have been back to work since the 3rd and I miss him so much during the days, the mornings are not so rough because DH drops him off so I can get to work a little early. I rush home to be with him and then we do it all over again the next day. On Monday I had an issue with his classroom. I brought in 4 4oz bottles of milk he is away from me for 8 hours but we are apart 10 hours between feedings. So I get to his daycare at 4:15 and look at his log. He was fed at 9am - 4oz, 11am - 4oz, 12:20 - 1oz and then a time for 2:45 was recorded but no mention of how much he ate or who fed him. I look in the fridge all 4 bottles are empty. No one knows who fed him at 2:45 or how much he ate. I try not to over react and decide to come in the following morning to speak to his teacher. She insinuated that I should bring in MORE milk like I am starving him or something (there is 30oz of frozen milk at daycare if he needs it). I explained to her that I made him 5 3oz bottles for that day and if he needs to eat every 2 hours then please go right ahead and if he is hungry defrost some milk. I told her that I needed to know how much he eats and when he eats last since at 4:15 I would have no clue if he is due for a feeding or if I should pump. She ALSO had no clue who fed my son...but said "I am sure someone fed him", I didn't even bring up where the 7oz of milk went. I lost it! I mean totally peeved. I am paying money but no one knows who fed my 3 month old child. I pump on my planning period, and lunch and at night just to provide him the milk. I almost started to cry. I spoke with the director. Her little boy is in the classroom with C and she is pumping as well. She was VERY sympathetic and apologetic. Luckily everything has been resolved. I am pumping enough for him to have milk at daycare and to be able to freeze some as well but I still have to pump 3-4 times a day to get enough milk, or defrost from my stash. I would rather pump more to give him fresh if I can. If I really need to I can add a MOTN pumping session as well since C sleeps from 8pm to about 3am nightly. I pump at 10pm and can pump again at 1am if need be.

Today was a SNOW day...sometimes I love being a teacher so we spent the day together and it was lovely! OH and today my little monkey turns the big 0-3 three months flew by like crazy. I can't wait till the summer so we can spend 10 weeks together.

I took some pictures for his thank you cards for Christmas. Here is a late BPF or an early one...however you want to look at it.

I promise that my next post won't be so MEcentric just as soon as I can catch up on all the posts

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Charlie is so gorgeous Allie, I've got such a mommy crush on him!

 

[meresal]

Allie, he is so precious!!

 

[blushingbride]

Allie - LOVE the baby pics!!! He's adoarable!!!

Puppmom - ugh that stink'n brace!! She had a very mild case of it and we were told she'd only need it few weeks...well, that was almost 4 months ago. Thank god it's finally off (it just came off permenately last Thurs). I know it didn't bother her, but diaper changes and finding clothes that fit her were such a pain!

HH - totally get it. I didn't know he was barely able to keep his eyes open - that makes perfect sense to put him down earlier.

 

[AllieLuv83]

HH...and I totally get your 7:30 bedtime. Right now Charlie is sleeping on Paul and we haven't even bathed him yet. He took a ton of naps today but he's just tired. We have an 8:30 bedtime!

 

[Dreamer_D]

So, I'm ready to talk about something. I recently had a miscarriage. Some of you may have seen my thread. I had a positive test but very faint. Panicked because I did not want to be preggo. Took another test that was negative. Then the embryo/fetus came out. I went to the dr and was told that my body is fine and everything came out, etc. He thinks I actually got pregnant in Sept when I first started the pill, miscarried when I was getting lots of migraines, and then took a few weeks for it to come out. I have only told my mom and sister (besides DH) because I'm afraid of hearing things like "it's for the best." I did not want to get pregnant but that doesn't mean finding out you lost a baby feels good, ya know? If I had carried, I know I would have been absolutely panicking about all the migraine meds I was taking, etc. I would have been scared to death that the baby would have had major problems. I'm also astonished that I got pregnant while on the pill considering I spent YEARS trying to get preggo and carry. I'm pretty sure we're done having children so we've been thinking a lot about DH getting the V. I want your opinions if you think we're jumping into that permanent decision. I'm afraid that I'm thinking only with my emotions. I cannot have another miscarriage, I'd rather never have more children than to have to lose another baby. I'm so confused and frustrated about the whole thing. Thoughts?

I'm so sorry for your loss hon. I think that my only suggestion is to wait on the big V until you feel more centered, more calm, and more able to make such a huge decision without and regret or "what ifs". What about something like the Mirena IUS in the mean time?

 

[Loves Vintage]

Tip-toeing in a bit early to ask Allie a question!

Allie, First of all, Charlie is gorgeous!! Second, please tell us about your camera! What are you doing to take pictures like that????????

Be back within a week!!

 

[AllieLuv83]

Thank you! I do a little bit of a rough edit in lightroom or photoshop, which ever is more convenient. I do a little contrast boost and sharpening that is about it. I use a Canon 5D and those pictures were shot with the 100mm 2.8 macro lens. I was actually trying to get a picture of his new HAIR for his grammy to see since he has been bald for quite some time now.