Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[TravelingGal]

Date: 3/4/2008 2:18:33 PM
Author: LitigatorChick
Okay, I am going to rant. Please do not be offended!

I hate the media, books, other mom (none on PS, of course), that make us feel like we are doing something wrong! Dear Tacori, you are not doing anything wrong by letting Tessa sleep in a car seat, or in your bed, or in a swing. Do what works. If you are happy and your dear giggling little girl is happy, it is working. Don''t make this silly Dr. Weisbluth make you feel like you are doing anything wrong. You are the only ''expert'' when it comes to Tessa. Listen to what is right for you.

Okay, I''m done.

I actually have to agree with this. With the exception of wanting to wake your kid up to give him chocolate chip cookies

, I think parenting is a preference. Some people have the patience to deal with babies waking through the night for many many months and their methods WORK for them. There is no right and wrong way as far as I am concerned. Weissbluth is only ONE person''s opinion. Yes, some of his theories make sense to me, but seriously....is every baby the same? No. I think it''s great to read books for "ideas"....and then trying a few things until something feels right to you.

I would say to the newly preggos though, it IS good to read books (research the books before buying them). I was told by a recent new mom that while pregnancy books are interesting, your body does take care of itself. But parenting for the first time leaves a lot of us a bit clueless, and if anything, reading some books before you are sleep deprived may help. If anything, it will leave you feeling a bit more confident before you realize you really don''t know anything.

 

[lili]

Congrats and welcome to all the "freshman" preggos.
I love that I can relive those 1st and 2nd trimester excitements through you guys.
Enjoy the moments while they last because the time will just zoom by so fast.
And remember to take those belly pictures.
It is just fun seeing the transformations your body go through.

MrsS
That''s great you had a good time at the shower.
Jake is a very lucky boy-- already hooked up with so many gifts before he even make his entrance.

So are your girls counting the days when they get to finally meet their little brother?

Jas12
Woohoo...final month for you and TGal.
I guess we should put MrsS in there too since she''s very likely go this month.
Double woohoo for the last week of work!
I''m sure you''ll find plenty of things to do when you are at home.
Perhaps have hubby set up your computer so that you have easier access to the PS? heheh

Tacori
Aweee...Tacori is growing so fast.
Can''t believe she is 4-months old and sleeping in her own room now.
Yay for the first real giggle. I''m sure it just melts your heart and make you teary eyed.
And yay for the weight loss. I can''t believe you dropped that much in such a short time and w/o exercise too!
You''ll be back to your pre-preggo or wedding weight in no time then.
Once Tessa is mobile, those last few pounds will probably melt off before you can catch Tessa.

TGal
Hehe, I have to chuckle with your "TMI" story.
Very funny. If he was so careful then, he must have mentally set up a protective barrier around you now.
Just curious, did he have a heart attack when he found out your friend''s kid just your belly as a punching bag?
Anyway, still waiting for your preggo picture.
Because you made us waited this long, I think a bare belly pix is called for

jas
Glad you are back to your old self.
Sorry to hear about your nasal encounters though.
Hopefully, your heightened sense of smell will go away with the trimester woes.

Qtiekiki
Wow, can''t believe you are almost half way there.
Have fun at the u/s. Remember to post them for us when you get them.

snlee
Ha, I remember those days when I was so anxious for the baby bump to show.
Now, it''s like "whoa....slow down there baby!"
Yup, once you pooch, it just keep growing and growing.
And when you think you are ballooned up, somehow it manages to stretch some more

Ella
Glad to hear that your hard work is paying off.
Of course no one is happier than BigB and MsK about that

We need updates of the twinsy.

 

[curlygirl]

Tacori, those baby giggles are the best!!! Lily laughs a lot now and gets the hiccups every time--so cute!! OK, regarding the sleep stuff, I agree with LitChick and TGal. Don't let it get you down and don't let these books make you feel like a failure. Like TGal said, not all babies are the same and neither are all parents. What works for some doesn't work for others. You have to do whatever works for you and your baby regardless of what other people say or do. I second what Litchick says about letting her sleep wherever she sleeps--carseat, stroller, swing, crib, your bed, whatever.

I'll tell you that I really don't do anything special with Lily. Our only real routine is at nighttime since I'm not into lots of scheduling throughout the day, especially because she's in daycare. But here's what I do: she eats some solids (dinner) at around 6:30-7:00pm, then she hangs out and plays with us till about 7:45, then she gets in the bath which she loves but I try to keep it strictly business so she doesn't get too worked up, she gets diapered, massaged with lotion, put into pjs and then she has a huge 8 oz bottle. She passes out by the time she's about 95% done but finishes the rest in her sleep, then I put her in the crib. The end. No tricks, no special treatment. The "problem" with this method (according to books and "expert" mothers

) is that she doesn't really know how to fall asleep on her own without having a big bottle first. You know what? I DON'T CARE!!!!!!!! She's always going to eat before bed so what's the big deal?! I just don't buy into all the crap about screwing up your children for life if they don't fall asleep on their own in their cribs. And you know what else? I'm a huge fan of co-sleeping! When she is having a bad night (teething, developmental stuff, general fussiness), we bring her into our bed and she sleeps "like a baby" and so do DH and I! My parents told me that they would often bring me and/or my older sister into their bed when we were babies and it never had any long term damaging effects on our future sleeping patterns or locations. We both slept in big girl beds when we were supposed to and we turned out fine! Here's another doozy for you--some nights when the whole routine doesn't work and Lily's awake after her bottle, I just lay her on top of me on the couch till she falls asleep and then I put her in her crib. Again, a no-no if you ask the pros but it works for us. My child is sleeping 9-10 hours/night so the geniuses who write these books might want to take a tip from me!

So, I think you should just try to get Tessa into some kind of nighttime routine, with a bath, book, whatever. Keep it dark and fairly quiet and just get her to relax with you. Let her know that night and day are completely different and see if it works. My friend has a daughter just a couple weeks older than Tessa and she puts her in the swing till she falls asleep and then moves her to the crib. It's ok. Do whatever works for you because you need to also think about your own health and sanity. I'm telling you, so much goes on behind closed doors. So many mothers want you to believe that they do everything by the book and follow all the rules but you don't really know what's going on in their homes! Once again, it's my whole problem with the judgmental mothers. Can't we all just support each other like everyone does on this board?!

Naps are more of a mystery to me than the night sleeping. On the weekends, I keep her on a pretty short leash--as soon as she starts to fuss and rub her eyes, I know she's tired so I'll force her to nap because she never wants to. I know I do this totally wrong too but I walk around with her and talk to her and sing her a corny song that I made up for her and she passes out. Then I put her in the crib. If she's really fighting it, I'll put her in the stroller and go for a walk. Works every time. At daycare, she's so stimulated that it's hard for her to nap. I told them it's ok to let her cry it out there if they can handle it so they just started doing it with her and apparently she falls asleep after about 15-20 minutes of spazzing out in the crib. I wish I wasn't such a wimp but I can't handle that at home. If I put her in her crib while she's awake, she just hangs out and plays. I never understood Weissbluth's advice to put them down when they're tired but awake. It may work for others but not my kid! She doesn't want to miss out on anything!!

Oh, and about the rice cereal, I don't really believe that it helps them sleep better. Your mileage may vary but I didn't notice any difference once she started solids.

Hang in there, sister. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. If not, there would be a lot of only children in the world!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

LC, thanks. I appreciate that! It is so easy to make me feel like I am doing something wrong. But you are right, she is a happy girl (when she is not frustrated b/c she is overtired or hungry). What is a grobag? Is it the same as a sleep sack? Because she *was* wearing one.

I went and bought one of the padded, mesh bumpers. Hopefully that will protect my little wiggle worm b/c boy can she wiggle.

Lili, the only exercise I do is walk Tessa around our neighborhood every other day (depending on weather). I will have to do some serious toning. DH is joining the YMCA as we speak. I figure free childcare might just motivate me to work out.

Curly, thanks for breaking it down for me. You are right that I need to start some sort of routine instead of just waiting for her to pass out. I think it will be easier now that she is in her own room too (quieter, more controlled, all her stuff is there...) When did Lily start on the rice cereal?

 

[divergrrl]

Tacori: From a mom who''s kids sleep well, I have to admit, its 95% luck, so cut yourself some slack. The only things I''ve ever done is have a "loose" bedtime routine (we don''t bathe every night..) Brush teeth, wash hands/face, jammies, stories, & Jake gets "his" lullabye (you are my sunshine--I need to pick one that fits Delaney) and then I put him down awake. Most nights (as always) I hear him playing quietly in his bed for anywhere from 30 mins to 2 hours! LOL. But he stays put, so I don''t care.

Now, Delaney, I try to put her down awake, but (and it was the same with Jake) but sometimes she konks out on that last bottle. Oh well. So I just put her to bed. Sometimes when she goes down awake she screams bloody murder, and I try to soothe her with tummy & forehead rubs, and if she doesn''t calm down in a minute or two, I pick her up till she falls asleep. I figure....we are WORKING TOWARDS going down awake, but some nights she just needs me. And its ok. She''s only 5 months, so she''s still a wee bebe. She''ll get it one of these days.

I remember, I didn''t make Jake CIO until he was 9 months old, so D has some leeway yet. And Jake used to get his little limbs stuck in the crib slats too! I hated it! One of my friends in CA is sending me 2 mesh crib bumpers for Delaney (she had twins...she said, I can have one to use & another for when its in the wash...lol) so as soon as I get them, I''m going to try Delaney in her room. She''s still in her bassinet in my room.

AND...naps? Ugh, she''s not a fan of being away from me during the day. Soooo....you wanna know where she is right now? Curled up in my side. We are laying in my bed...I''ve got Rachel Ray on...Jake is up in his room napping. I don''t care. I get to snuggle my baby.

Do what you think is right. I don''t mind sleeping with my kids if they don''t kick. Jake flops like a flipper fish on crack, so he''s HORRIBLE to share a bed with. Somehow I get kicked in the head all night long & I have a king size bed, so he has to sleep in his own room. Of course if he''s not feeling well, I sleep with him and sick kids tend not to flip about. Man...he''s a kickboxer that one.

Rings: MrsS and Tacori...where is the linky to them?

Janine: congrats! seeing your name cracks me up...my name is jeannine .... lol...

Curly: ahhh ...city babies. I wish my dh hadn''t moved me to the burbs when i read your post. I miss my city so much. Of course, in my neck of the woods, you don''t have to go far to get to a burb. I''m 10 miles and 20 minutes of a short, pretty drive to the city center..so not a big deallio. And I live in an old-fashioned neighborhood, (old homes, lots of businesses,) and can walk to everything (starbucks, library, dr. office, restaurants, kids stores, clothing boutiques, parks, etc) so its not TOO bad. I''m just reading "Goodbye Jimmy Choo" right now & feel like the former city girl stuck in a burb full of Stepfords and sometimes it bugs me. I''m so excited you are preggy again. When do you find out the gender? You are going to love 2. Its so fun.

Ok...I''m going to watch what Rachel is cooking and nuzzle my baby here...

Diver

 

[jas]

Tgal made a great suggestion about reading parenting books...

I would LOVE to hear people''s recommendations. (I already have the classic Dr. Spock, Alan Greene''s From First Kicks to First Steps and Your Baby''s First Year).

Ella -- if you have specific twin reading, I''d also love that.

Oh, and Diver -- "flops like a flipper fish on crack" is classic.

Thanks in advance...I really am loathe to plow through 8000 pages of Amazon search results.

 

[divergrrl]

Jas: From my personal library...my MUST HAVES and I give them as shower gifts...

DVD: Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. (omg...lifesaver!)

What to expect the first year
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer

What to expect toddler years
Love & Logic, Magic of the Early Years (parenting for ages 1 to 6)

I have Dr. Karps Happiest Toddler on the Block and it was of no use to me. Odd Book.

 

[Burk]

Jas~ I picked my sub for my maternity leave.... I let it stress me out...I over-anylized it...I was a wreck over it. That was stupid. Enjoy the process and the fact that you''re going to be home with your baby while your sub is there!!

Tacori~I think Tessa is a peanut and Tayva is a little piglet. She''s 7 weeks and 12 lbs. She is super long (24 1/2" at her 1 month appt), though, so she doesn''t look pudgy at all. We figured we''d have a big baby-I''m 5''10" and DH is 6''2" As for the sleeping thing- don''t feel like you''re doing anything wrong...everyone has to do what works for them. Tessa WILL sleep through the night. I do think there is something to be said for routines-we put a dimmer on the light in Tayva''s room and when she gets up at night I don''t talk to her, don''t turn the tv on, lights are low ect. During the day, I make sure it''s light and don''t worry about noise. She seems to understand the difference between day and night. She only wakes at night to eat and then back to sleep she goes....at her age, it''s hard to tell if that''s because I did the routine thing, or if we''re just lucky?????

 

[jas]

Date: 3/4/2008 7:29:35 PM
Author: divergrrl
Jas: From my personal library...my MUST HAVES and I give them as shower gifts...

DVD: Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. (omg...lifesaver!)

What to expect the first year
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer

What to expect toddler years
Love & Logic, Magic of the Early Years (parenting for ages 1 to 6)

I have Dr. Karps Happiest Toddler on the Block and it was of no use to me. Odd Book.

Awesome! Thanks Diver!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Diver & Burk, you probably are right that a lot of it has to do with luck. HOPEFULLY we will be luckier with our next child. Otherwise....I don''t know....it will be tough with a toddler Tessa running around.

Diver, I''ll let you know how I like the mesh bumper. It is in the dryer as we speak. I like that it doesn''t have ties (for safety) and it is cushier than I thought it would be.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I second "Happiest Baby on the Block" though I read the book. His soothing techniques REALLY do work. Trust me, I have a sensitive child with a strong personality

swaddle, swing, white noise, paci...we are golden!

 

[jas]

Date: 3/4/2008 7:56:40 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
I second ''Happiest Baby on the Block'' though I read the book. His soothing techniques REALLY do work. Trust me, I have a sensitive child with a strong personality

swaddle, swing, white noise, paci...we are golden!

Sounds like we have two votes for HBonB (I''m having a New Kids flashback). I''ll put it in my lil'' ol Shopping Cart!

Thank you!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Haha! I saw them in concert. It is a really fast, easy read too. I also consult my "What to expect the first year" ALLLLLLLL the time!

 

[divergrrl]

jas, get the HBOTB dvd instead of the book. Reason? Its short, sweet, takes a half hour to watch the techniques demonstrated and is GREAT for the DH''s. Mine watched it 5 times when Jake was born & was the KingSwaddler. Dads are good at the swaddling/motions cuz they are "rougher" than we are. My DH won''t read a baby book to save his life, but the DVD he was all over.

I just got one in the mail today (I loaned out my other copy & never got it back) to give to a friend who is pg....(in a basket with OOODLES of other goodies too!)

 

[divergrrl]

quick request-

best website for elegant baby shower invites? Gracias!! btw...its a boy! (my friend)

 

[curlygirl]

Date: 3/4/2008 8:20:21 PM
Author: divergrrl
jas, get the HBOTB dvd instead of the book. Reason? Its short, sweet, takes a half hour to watch the techniques demonstrated and is GREAT for the DH's. Mine watched it 5 times when Jake was born & was the KingSwaddler. Dads are good at the swaddling/motions cuz they are 'rougher' than we are. My DH won't read a baby book to save his life, but the DVD he was all over.

I just got one in the mail today (I loaned out my other copy & never got it back) to give to a friend who is pg....(in a basket with OOODLES of other goodies too!)

I agree! Get the dvd!!! And I also agree with What to Expect the First Year. I also love Dr. Spock (the original version was my parents' bible when my sister and I were babies! And I have the American Academy of Pediatrics book that covers birth to 5 years. I really don't have any other reference books but these are very helpful.

Tacori, one more thing I thought of that we use--WHITE NOISE! We got a little machine from Bed, Bath and Beyond that has all kinds of different sounds--rainforest, ocean, babbling brook, etc. We use that every night. We call it the LSM (Lily Sound Machine) and I think it's really helpful. When she was a baby, we had one of those bears that has the womb sounds. We didn't actually use the bear but took the little noise machine and put it in the bassinet with her. Can't hurt to try!

On the rice cereal, they gave us the go ahead at 4 months but I don't think we really started it until 5 months because I was in no rush for her to grow up!!

We tried it once at 4 months and she loved it but when we tried again, she wasn't interested. So we waited a while until we thought she was ready and at 5 months she started having it every day. Then we slowly introduced all the other pureed stuff. Now she's eating table foods!!! The time FLIES by!

Diver, I love tinyprints.com or finestationery.com for pretty invitations, announcements, etc.

 

[mrssalvo]

the only parenting book i read and loved was "what to expect the first year." i followed it like the bible with my first. of course by the time my second came along many of the rules went out the window but I really did find it very comforting as a new mommy.

diver- i''m throwing my sister a shower in april and actually found really cute invites at hallmark.

 

[ellaila]

Hee, Diver and Tacori, we're soul sisters b/c I just got mesh bumpers today too! (Well, actually my mom got them for me since I can never find them, so they're in the mail to me today.) Guess we're all on the same wavelength!

Jackie, as for books/videos, I also rec Happiest Baby on the Block video -- super-easy and fast to watch, plus it's good watching him DUDU (you'll understand soon enough ...). Though I gotta admit I couldn't DUDU to save my life. (Ha ha, I'm LOL at how silly that sounds!) Also rec What to Expect the First Year, but do NOT rec What to Expect When You're Expecting! Eeeek. I also have a great book called I'm Pregnant -- it's a weekly guide with really amazing photos in it. As for twins books, When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads by Barbara Luke is sort of the bible for multiple pregnancies and is pretty fascinating. My cousin who's got 11-year-old twins gave me a few of her older books as well, and I found Mothering Twins to be really cool: it's I think five different couples' stories on pregnancies, births, and raising their twins. Also if you're planning on BFing, Mothering Multiples is a must-have! And though I haven't read it yet, I've heard good things about Ready or Not, Here We Come!

Ok, that should keep you busy for the next nine months

If there's one thing I recommend doing (and I've said this before here), it's getting prenatal massages early on. Esp. with multiple pregnancies, you can really get horrible pelvic pain from the pubic bone separating and from what I understand, once that happens, you're done for -- no relief until you have the babies. I'm not sure if you can totally prevent it with massage/exercise, but my masseuse led me to believe there are exercises you can do that can help minimize it at least in the early stages ... Some good info here. It truly was the worst part of being pregnant for me, and I know a lot of other ladies here are having the pain too. It can get downright brutal, so if you can try to prevent it from happening, DO IT.

Tacori, I haven't read 12 Hours Sleep in 12 Weeks yet -- waiting for it from the library. I just know that it was strongly recommended to me by someone who used it with her twins, and she said she knows a lot of other people that used it too. As for nighttime routines, we give them baths every other night with the Johnsons lavender nighttime stuff, and it's swaddling (which I want to stop doing soon, but it really does soothe them still. But I hate reswaddling during those 3 am diaper changes!), bottle, and then bed in a dark room with white noise. They don't fuss at all!! We do their bottles in the living room in a darkened room and totally quiet, so between that and their tummies getting full from the bottle, I think they're just nice and ready for bed! But as Diver says, it's just a lot of luck too. I don't expect that we'll be getting 9 hours consistently from Katelyn just yet, though Gabe is def. working up to that, with a minimum of 6-7 hours for him now being the norm. I know that a lot of people swear by the dream feed, though it didn't work when we tried it a few weeks ago. But I think they were probably too young at the time too. Anyway, YAY for Tessa's laughing!!

I can't wait to get belly laughs out of G and K!!

MrsS, congrats on a good shower! Any photos of you and your sister to share?

Hope everyone else is feeling fab! And I needs me some belly shots, ladies!! Oh, Jess, that reminds me -- you're adorable! Love the li'l (and yes, it's still little!) belly!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Curly, oh we have been using white noise since day 1. We did the same thing (take the little thing out of the bear but it wasn''t loud enough for our little monster). We graduated quickly to our dyson. After falling asleep one too many times with it on (talk about an expensive noise maker!) We downloaded the vacuum "sound" online. We play it ever night and used to turn it on when she fussed and I knew she wasn''t hungry at night (CD boom box with remote-very key!)

Ella, the bumper was kind of a pain to get on. Not going to lie but her crib is kind of sleigh like- not typical shape but I got it on!

So even though naps did not go well today I just put her to bed (!) Nursed her, changed her diaper, read a book with only the lamp on, and put her in her crib. She hasn''t made a peep yet....kind of makes me nervous. Maybe I should check on her.

***When do you lower the crib? It seems REALLY high right now.

 

[ephemery1]

Oh my, I get so overwhelmed trying to keep up with this thread!! I have to say, I do read and appreciate every single post... but it's hard to respond before 3-4 pages have passed! I feel like such a slacker.

But thank you to everyone for all your thoughtful posts... I really feel lucky to have this thread as both an outlet and a resource.

TG -- Great advice about reading parenting books while pregnant. My mom keeps asking me if I want her to order me anything on Amazon... at some point I'll have to give her a list. Right now I'm reading up on birth stuff... I'll be really interested to hear whether you end up going drug-free or not. I'm kind of in a similar mindset to you, I think... the idea intrigues me, and I'd like to see how my body handles it, but I don't consider it essential to having a fulfilling birth. I have a book on hypnobirthing coming, which I think will be useful even if I end up using the techniques for other purposes than labor and delivery.

Curly -- Love hearing about being a city mommy, especially in a 1 bedroom apartment! We have about 950sf, so relatively spacious as center city apartments go... but it would be nice if that space was divided into 2 bedrooms.

Both DH and I feel comfortable with having a baby here though, at least for the first year or so... and plan on playing it by ear after that. I think we will set up the baby's "nook" where our dining area currently is, rather than in our bedroom.

I babysit for a little girl in the building next door, and her life is just so full and rich and stimulating being a city kid. Just today we walked out her front door to the park to color with sidewalk chalk and blow bubbles with lots of other toddlers, then Elmo happened by (random!) so that was a fun morning event, then we continued on to the bookstore to read stories for a bit and have lunch in the cafe. I'm so glad that we'll be able to give our future child at least a couple years of the city life DH and I love so much. Oh, and I came across a website called Metropolitan Moms which seemed interesting... based in both NYC and Philly... anyone know of it?

Snlee -- I hear you on the bloat! I am 9 weeks tomorrow so I know it's way too early for a real bump, but my belly at night is unreal! Even when other parts of me have been curvier, my tummy was always flat, so this is really bizarre... DH just laughs.

We went out the other night for DH's bday and I tried to wear a shirt that hid the bloat, but as soon as I mentioned it to my best friend, she said, "Oh yeah, I know. I noticed immediately." Haha... at least she's honest!

I am 5'5 but have a long torso, so unfortunately I think it will be a while before I really start showing.

No other significant updates from me, other than some mild brown spotting over the weekend that terrified me. It seems to have stopped now, and I know the odds are on my side after seeing the heartbeat at the ultrasound, but it was still really scary. I was out late (3am!) the night before for DH's bday party, and probably dehydrated, so I felt horribly guilty that I overdid it. Other than that, the all-day queasiness continues... I've been craving fruit like crazy, so my mom sent me an Edible Bouquet today!! It was the best Tuesday surprise ever. It even included chocolate covered strawberries and bananas.... mmmmmm.

She also found me a bunch of maternity clothes (Juicy and Ann Taylor) at one of my favorite discount clothing stores back home, so she is definitely looking out for me these days! Even if it is a BIT early on the clothes...

Congrats to Janinegirly on joining the group... we definitely seem to be in the midst of a PS baby boom!!

 

[mrssalvo]

ella, i think i''ve got a couple of pics i can share. i''ll try to post them tomorrow. my sister is still tiny with only a 13 lb weight gain, but she''s moving quickly with 1-1.5 lb gains the past two weeks so she''ll probably go on her belly growth spurt. but i look HUGE next to her.

tacori, i didn''t lower the crib until my girls started pulling themselves up. i can''t remember how old they were. if your worried, go ahead and lower it. you won''t sleep just thinking about it and you don''t need any more reasons to keep you from getting sleep when you can

 

[LitigatorChick]

Tacori, a grobag is a sleep sack. It solved Miller''s problems, and he loves his. Hmm, Tessa is a little squirmer!!!

DH is home after 2 weeks! Yahhhh! So how did Miller welcome him home this evening? By vomitting all over mommy, of course. It was so nice to have DH to say, "darling, please wipe the baby yak from my hair?" I don''t know what was the problem - must have had an upset stomach, and he was feeling fine after. Hope tonight goes well!!!

I have no suggestions in the sleep department. We tried white noise, rocking, everything. Miller was a high need baby for many months. By about 1 year, I would put him in his bed awake, and he would not cry immediately (as he would previously). For the first 3 months this meant he would play for 20 minutes, then start to cry, and at that point, I would snuggle with him for about 10 minutes, and he would fall asleep in my arms. Then, one day, he started to fall asleep on his own after about 20 to 40 minutes. We did absolutely nothing special. Nothing. He was ready. And Tessa will be ready too.

Diver - you crack me up girl - flopping like a fish on crack!!! That describes Miller exactly!!! When we sleep together, he is all over the place, but usually stuck to me! Even if there is a huge bed, I end up huddled in a corner with Miller snuggled in close.

 

[LitigatorChick]

Good morning, ladies. Well my little guy vomitted again at 1:30. He seems perfectly fine after we clean him up, and so he snuggled into bed with me and fell asleep. Poor little guy. Any tips, mommies, for dealing with what appears to be a mild case of stomach flu in a 21 month old (he has no fever, mood is excellent, just the odd bit of vomitting and diarrhea)?

 

[Jas12]

Ella--your post about pelvic pain was at the right time--reminds me i am not the only one who had it bad

. I was in terrible pain last night. I didn''t do anything out of the ordinary yesterday--but by about 6pm i was in rough shape--could barely walk, couldn''t lift either leg very high (forget taking off my own socks!), moving while laying down was painful and sitting in any position was bad as well. So strange b/c some days i don''t feel it at all. Did you experience that? My Chiro/physio said some women get it very severely and it is often worse when there is a natual misalignment of the pelvis or a past injury (my case). I can deal with pain, but i worry about bad/damaging pain. I don''t know how to tell what is normal and what is cause for concern--i worry too much. I have an OB appointment tomorrow so i''ll ask him.

Diver/Tacori/MrsS. Thanks for the parenting books advice. I just bought one from the baby whisper collection. I''ll get HBOTB as well (or the DVD). For some reason i am not really into the reading them (and i am a big reader) but maybe that will change as soon as ''abstract baby'' becomes ''wailing, spitting, not sleeping baby'' !!

Curly: I ordered my tinyprints announcements last week--the envelopes should be here soon!

Eph: Glad to hear you are doing well--i remember craving lots of fruit in the first few weeks as well--it''s a good craving to have!
Enjoy your little tummy, i am sure it will take you a while to show (i have a short torso and it still took a while) but you will have a beautiful bump when it does appear!

LitChick--poor Miller, hope he feels better! Is he eating something different--allergy? Maybe a vitamin (i vomited a couple of times after taking a new vitamin, but then felt fine after)--could just be a bug like you mentioned and he''s fighting it off well.

 

[LitigatorChick]

Jas12 - I have read baby whisperer, and IMO, she falls on the extreme side of CIO. Too much fear mongering about babies falling asleep in car seats and with the breast. But it might work for you. I just found it too far from Dr. Sears for me!!

On books, I find Dr. Sears, beyond the attachment stuff, to be a great reference guide for "what to expect" at each developmental stage for the first 2 years, and then great for sick babies (I was in it last night!). Clear, easy to read, practical, not scary. My most referenced, by far.

 

[curlygirl]

Tacori, I just thought of one other thing that probably is no help to you now but it will be soon. Lily sleeps on her stomach. As soon as she learned to roll over both ways, she always ended up on her belly while she was sleeping and I honestly think she sleeps so much better that way than on her back. I hope Tessa starts rolling soon!

ephemery, glad you're doing ok. I'm with you on the all day nausea and fruit cravings! I ate fruit all through my last pregnancy too which is a good thing but I was really hoping to crave something more naughty and bizarre!!! Regarding city life, I'm glad you feel the same way especially because you are seeing how great it actually is for a little one. They are exposed to so much great stuff at a young age. I would really LOVE to stay here forever but I just don't know how we'll do it economically. I do play the lottery all the time so ya never know!!!

Our one bedroom is 910 square feet, so like yours, it's definitely on the bigger side. We have a washer/dryer in the apartment which is so key with a baby! We also are using our dining area as Lily's headquarters. Her crib and changing table fit nicely and we have some other little goodies smooshed in there too! We were going to put up a wall but now with #2 coming, we're not really sure what we'll do! I guess we'll keep the baby in our room as long as we possibly can and then figure out the next move. We've been trying to squeeze our next door neighbor out of her place so we can buy it and have one huge apartment but it's tough to do with these people that have lived in a rent stabilized apartment FOREVER! Our condo conversion had a non-eviction clause so most of the older people who have lived there for years and years are still there and renting for dirt cheap. But we have some issues with our neighbor and have already gone to court once because of it so hopefully we can one day get her out of there. (long story short: she keeps about 10 cats in a 700 sq. ft. apartment and the smells that come into our place and the common hallway are REPULSIVE. It's been an ongoing problem with this tenant and she's already gone to court twice before we moved in because of this issue. So we're definitely working on it!! Plus she's mean and tried to blame the smell on LILY'S DIAPERS!

)

Regarding books, another one that I really liked while I was pregnant is Your Pregnancy Week by Week. It helps you follow what's going on with your body, it's not scary and it has cool photos!

Jas12, I'm glad you ordered your announcements!! Check that off your list. You'll have to let us know which ones they are so we can take a peek!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

This thread moves so fast!

Curly - we are not finding out the sex of the baby. I''m curious too but really want the surprise.

As far as books go for the newly preggos (CONGRATS!) I have What to Expect.... and I like it but there are some scary parts that I mostly just skim or skip completely. I also have Your Pregnancy Week by Week which is great. I read The Girlfriend''s Guide to Pregnancy and also Belly Laughs and both are great for the moments when you feel so alone in m/s and other pregnancy woes.

 

[Demelza]

I had to chime in on the sleep discussion as it's a BIG topic at our house these days. My daughter is 16 months old and still waking up a ton at night. It's brutal and we're really at a loss. We've tried everything (short of cry it out) with no significant improvement. We've tried full time co-sleeping, part time co-sleeping, baby in her crib in her room alone, baby in her crib with one of us on a mattress on the floor; we have a very consistent bedtime and nap routine; we put her down without the breast, drowsy but awake; we recently nightweaned her and STILL she wakes up mulitple times a night!!! We've been told many times that Ferberizing her, or even more extreme, using the Extinction method would eventually work wonders, but my husband and I are very concerned about the psychological ramifications of leaving our baby to cry unattended for long stretches of time. It might work, but at what cost? I'm starting to come to the conclusion that there isn't really much parents can do to effect change (again, unless you're willing to do CIO...although, given my daughter's temperament, I'm not even convinced THAT would work). It seems like the the bottom line is that some babies are naturally better sleepers than others. They will all sleep through the night eventually (I hope!), but, like other developmental milestones, some seem to reach it earlier than others. It seems to be a matter of both temperament and development. Am I missing something? Is there any hope that I'll eventually have a good sleeper? I'm SOOOO tired of this!!

As for books, I agree with LC that the Dr Sears Baby Book is quite good. I also liked Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution from a philosophical perspective, but didn't find it at all helpful from a practical standpoint. I do think it might have worked better on a child with a less intense temperament.

The other thing I wanted to say is that I would be very cautious about using any sleep training method on a baby younger than 6 months. I don't know whether Weissbluth advocates using his methods on very young babies, but I believe that for babies this young, there really isn't a difference between their needs and wants.

 

[janinegirly]

Thanks everyone for the congrats!

I love this thread already, even if it is a busy one that's hard to keep up with! I'm taking notes on everything!

Curly: I read your post on city life with a baby a few times, and it does have me thinking twice. I'm mostly nervous b/c I've literally never lived in a suburb so it's a big shift. However, our current place (a studio we own) is too small, and the idea of renting feels so temporary. Prices of 1br/2br in Manhattan have not come down, so that seems like a lot of $$ for little space. We have so much stuff (wedding gifts, china) at my parent's as it is, so we're just itching for room. But, I like the idea of stepping outside with the stroller and wandering to the park and Starbucks during materinity leave, sigh. I think we'll keep all options open for now, look at the 'burbs, and also bigger rentals here in the City. The commute's also something I am not looking forward to..I would be a working mom too, and it's alot to juggle. You are SO lucky to have a daycare on the groundfloor of your work buidling! Anyway, thanks for all the tips and keep 'em coming!

Dixie: Thank you! And it's been a long time since I've seen you around here--you should start your own thread and let us know what's new with you!

And now for some general questions (small stuff). Are all nail products ok? How about sunscreens and moisturizers (ones without any gylco or alpha acids)? I'm just wondering b/c there've been a few times where I've continued using my usual products, and then I find out they are no no's and now I just question everything!

Hope everyone's having a great week so far!

 

[divergrrl]

Janinegirly: When I was pg I subscribed to Babycenter.com. I did the paid subscription and there is a whole "Is it safe" section.

Depending on personal views, you will get a lot of different answers regarding what is safe and what isn''t. As always, your OB/midwife is who you should run stuff past.

That said...with both of my kids pregnanciesI:

Colored my hair (even in my 1st trimester)
Drank Coffee
Painted my nails
Used facial products with AHA''s, gycolic acids, salicylic acid etc. (my OB ok''d them) The only thing I avoided was retinols.
Wore sunscreen (omg..this is so important...you can get ugly melasma --brown spots---if you don''t. I did and its horrible)
Took Zantac (2nd & 3rd Trimesters for wicked heartburn)
Took Prilosec (3rd trimester--per my OB...saved me)
Took an anxiety pill (after bad amnio experience...again, prescribed by my OB)
Drank a glass of wine a week after 20 weeks (again ok with my ob)
Drank diet pop
Ate chocolate
Took Tylenol
Took Sudafed

Only things I avoided were soft unpasteurized cheeses, luncheon meat that wasn''t heated hot, Ibuprofen, green tea, and a few other things.

I always cleared all my "habits" with my OB first though. If he gave me the green light, then I was fine with it. Everything on the above list was fine by him and both of my children are pefect.

HTH...

but again, you''ll get a lot of variety in answers. I have friends that don''t color hair, eat processed food, etc...its very personal. Looking back, I guess I was a lot more relaxed than a lot of folks, which is wild for me...I always feel like the rigid one. LOL.