PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[phoenixgirl]

EBree, your TTC time frame sounds reasonable to me. We haven''t thought about that yet, but I imagine we''ll start trying so that the earliest we could have #2 would be when Claire is at least two.

Fiery, I know, I really am having so much fun finding all of you!

Claire just had a bad bout of gas about an hour ago, so I tried all the gas-relieving positions I know and she finally went back to sleep. DH has gas too; I wonder what is causing it? We ate sushi last night which is the only "unusual" thing we can think of. Now it looks like I''ll have to wake her up after 3.5 hours for the third time today. I''m a little worried. What''s up with you, baby? I''m going to google sleeping and growth spurt now . . .

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Date: 12/5/2009 12:32:25 PM
Author: phoenixgirl
Would I need to save the milk pumped in France or could I just pump and dump?

Like the others said, if you don''t need it, pump and dump! I''m the type that will save any and all milk until after the baby is 1, but it''s not for everyone.

After Will was a year old and I was no longer pumping during the day, but he was still nursing at night, I would pump and dump when I traveled. I only pumped in the mornings and at night and when I got home, he went right back to nursing at night like usual.

I''m sorry I can''t help you with the sleep stuff -- I really suck at that. I have NEVER been able to figure out a rhyme or reason to my kids'' sleep schedules as babies. I just kind of play it by ear and expect there to be some sleepless nights.

 

[Sabine]

Any tips for SEVERE diaper rash out there beyond changing often and using diaper cream and giving as much diaper free time as possible?

Yesterday Jacks woke up for the day at 5. This is too early so I tried to let him cry himself back to sleep, but the longest he has taken is 30 minutes, and at 40 minutes he was still crying and showing no signs of stopping, so I went in to check on him. As soon as I went in, I realized the problem was that he had pooped and had been sitting in it the whole time. I immediately changed him, but with his super sensitive skin, he has some ragin'' rash. Poor guy cries every time I change him and during his bath (which he normally LOVES) because it hurts.

I''m annoyed too because it looks like this is going to be a habit. Today he was up at 5 again, but he sounded like he was putting himself back to sleep. But as soon as he started crying for real, I went in and changed him (he had only pooped a bit, but his poor poor tushy was so sore when I had to clean it. I fed him in the dark in the nursery and then put him back in the crib and left. It was really weird because I watched the monitor, and for almost 20 minutes he was moving around awake, but he wasn''t crying AT ALL, which was wonderful. He did eventually fall back to sleep, which I''m happy about since yesterday he was up for the day at 5 after the poop disaster.

 

[MustangGal]

I sent FB requests to the people Phoenixgrl was adding, so I''m hoping that''s you ladies! My pic is Kyle and I at a baseball game.

Sabine - sorry for poor Jacks''s rash! I don''t have much experience with diaper rash, but other moms have said Butt Paste works really well. I hope his little tush gets better!

***

Rough night last night

. It was my company Holiday party, so we took Kyle to his normal day care lady. Dropped him off at 6pm, had a lovely dinner with a live band (even though I couldn''t breath well in my dress from pre-pregnancy, guess my rib cage IS a bit bigger than it used to be), and picked him up at 9:30pm. He was asleep when we got there, like normal, but woke up crying. He fell back asleep in the car, and then would NOT go back to sleep when we got home. After 45 minutes I finally got him back down. Then DH was getting ready for work at 5am, and was taking the dog with him today. The dog got so excited he proceeded to bang his tail against every piece of furniture in the house, and woke Kyle up. We''re still up

.

 

[lovelylulu]

I truly must be facebook dense. I can''t find anyone. I set up a new account (seperate from my real life account for PS folks) CDT - my avitar is the same as here and lovely is the first name. lulu is the second. funny that there are so many others.

 

[phoenixgirl]

I think you''ll be easy to find now. I just found you!

Sabine, sorry about Jacks'' tush.

MG, yeah, all the new people I just became friends with are PSers.

 

[Pandora II]

Sabine - Daisy has had one bout of diaper rash, not severe enough to bother her, but enough that I googled it if that makes sense.

Things I tried - and the rash disappeared which may or may not be related:

- More frequent diaper changes
- As much time as possible nekkked!
- Using Burt''s Bees Baby Bee Wash in the bath, then patting dry and putting on their Apricot Baby Oil before the Diaper Cream
- I''ve been using the Sudocrem Diaper Cream when it''s really bad and the Burt''s Bees one the rest of the time.
- Waiting for the teeth to come through - Daisy got her bout a week for her bottom tooth came through.

If it gets worse, take Jacks to the pedi to check it''s not infected or caused by candida or something which requires specific treatment.

 

[Blenheim]

Sabine - poor little guy.

I also googled, and found one thing that Pandora didn''t mention: disposable wipes can be irritating with diaper rash. Something I read advises wiping with warm water for each diaper change, and using a little bit of soap for poopy ones. I use cloth wipes anyway, and what I do for poopy diapers is I have a spray bottle with a little bit (maybe 1tsp) of Burts Bees Baby Wash in it, and filled the rest up with water and shake. I spray it on a wash cloth or cloth wipe when I clean up from poopy diapers.

Speaking of which - I also have a super pooper on my hands. TMI alert - George woke up with poop seeping onto his jammies, which is the first time I''ve ever had containment issues with prefolds, and then when I took the diaper off the entire thing was filled with poo - front, back, sides, everything. No wonder it couldn''t stay in! And then, before I got a chance to really wipe him off, he kept grabbing his boy bits and then rubbing his face. OMG GROSS.

 

[cdt1101]

Sabine - sorry to hear about Jacks. My friends swear by Butt Paste. I haven''t used it yet, so I can''t attest it working or not, but BRU sells it.

Blen - oh man that is gross....Hopefully it''s a one time deal for your sake

 

[Dreamer_D]

Sabine Welcome to my world! Since starting to sleep through the whole night, Hunter wakes regularly at 5:45 to poop. Some days I get him back to sleep until 7am by nursing him, but other days he is up for the day. I will admit that on those days where he seems able to go back to sleep I do not change him (bad mommy) because then he would be *awake* awake, but he has never had an issue with diaper rash so no ill effects here.

 

[neatfreak]

Sabine I second Blen''s recommendation of washing with warm soapy water instead of wipes. Wipes are irritating.

Wash his butt in warm soapy water, make sure it''s totally dry, and let him air out sans diaper for a little while. It''s like magic for bad diaper rash.

 

[Sabine]

Thanks ladies. I''ve been using the wash cloths and that does seem to help a bit. I also bought Desitin Max. Strength and I can already see an improvement in that. Of course, my previous one a day pooper with the occasional 2 or 3 decided TODAY was the day to poop 4 times! He literally SCREAMED after he went each time today. He pooped after his last big bottle tonight (he got another 1.5 oz. right before bed though) so *hopefully* his stomach is empty enough that he won''t poop first thing tomorrow and going all night without pooping will help him heal!

 

[nycbkgirl]

Sabine- i second washing with warm water whenever possible instead of wipes (i usually do it only after poop) but they love it and its better...i use desitin creamy (i think its the best cream out there) and i love pampers sensitive wipes (they are very moist unlike huggies) and i wipe with a recieving blanket or burp cloth after wipe and a bit heavier on the cream inside butt...hope it gets better!

 

[AmberWaves]

Hi Moms!

I''ve yet to really step into this thread, but now that Piper is almost 2 weeks old (on Tuesday), I had a question: She refuses to sleep in her bassinet, in her crib or anywhere other than our arms. She MAY fall asleep in her swing if we put her in when she''s drowsy. At night I have been holding her on my chest and dozing a bit, not ever really falling asleep. Tomorrow Paul goes back to work, so my daytime naps are going to be over with, and I really want to be able to sleep those few hours she''s sleeping.

Any tips to getting her to sleep in her bassinet? We have a sleep wedge, she hates swaddling and always wakes up when you put her down. It''s driving me crazy.

 

[fieryred33143]

Amber- Hi!! So nice to see you here!

Have you tried swaddling again? That may help. This is also going to sound really weird but we would actually put the shirt I wore during the day in her bassinet and it seemed to help. I would also try maybe putting her down drowsy instead of asleep and see if that works.

By sleep wedge, do you mean positioner or a wedge under the mattress? If its not a positioner I definitely suggest getting one. Sophia used one from about 2 weeks until 3 months.

Also, if the swing works, use it!! Especially if you find that you are just way too tired. She must be getting up still at night so its not like she''ll be in there for a long period of time and if it''ll help you sleep, then use it. The swing was our life saver those first few weeks.

I''m sure the other moms will chime in with some other tips. Hang in there momma!

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Date: 12/5/2009 11:10:28 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
EBree I have seen that face for sure

I got my period at 6 months pp, and we plan to TTC number 2 in August 2010. Maybe

Eeek! August''s not far away, lady! Maybe I''ll be on the same thread as you one of these days! :0)

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 12/6/2009 11:16:55 PM
Author: fisherofmengirly

Date: 12/5/2009 11:10:28 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
EBree I have seen that face for sure

I got my period at 6 months pp, and we plan to TTC number 2 in August 2010. Maybe

Eeek! August''s not far away, lady! Maybe I''ll be on the same thread as you one of these days! :0)

Well that would be great! But you will be on THIS thread way before me I know it!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 12/6/2009 9:57:45 PM
Author: AmberWaves
Hi Moms!

I''ve yet to really step into this thread, but now that Piper is almost 2 weeks old (on Tuesday), I had a question: She refuses to sleep in her bassinet, in her crib or anywhere other than our arms. She MAY fall asleep in her swing if we put her in when she''s drowsy. At night I have been holding her on my chest and dozing a bit, not ever really falling asleep. Tomorrow Paul goes back to work, so my daytime naps are going to be over with, and I really want to be able to sleep those few hours she''s sleeping.

Any tips to getting her to sleep in her bassinet? We have a sleep wedge, she hates swaddling and always wakes up when you put her down. It''s driving me crazy.

Hunter wouldn''t sleep anywhere but in our arms for the first 2 weeks either. I second swaddling really tight, and then just try putting her down at all different times in the day. It will work eventually!

 

[Pandora II]

Amber I had the same problem. Have you tried putting a rolled up towel under the mattress at one end to incline it a bit - it helped with D for a while.

 

[Sha]

Hi mommies!
Just wanted to step into this thread....DH and I had our baby girl, Dalila, last week Monday. It's been tiring but rewarding so far. I'm looking forward to learning more from the moms here.

Amber -just wanted to say that we had that problem as well last week in the hospital. Dalila would cry whenever we put her in her bassinet, and would only be comforted when I picked her up and held her. I didn't get much sleep last week because of that. The first few days we were home she also didn't want to sleep alone in her crib. What worked for us was giving her a warm bath just before bedtime (before I used to bathe her in the mornings)- she hates the bath right now and screams loudly during bathing/changing. Uusally by the end of bathtime, though, when she's freshly changed and in a comfy sleeper, she's either too tired or warm or comfortable to protest where she sleeps - and usually falls asleep quickly when we put her in the crib. It's worked well so far for the last few nights, and I was finally able to get a few hours sleep. I think establishing a similar 'bedtime' routine with Piper might be helpful.

 

[taovandel]

Sleep Issues: We seemed to have gotten Evan on his usual sleep pattern at night by doing the following

Using Pandora''s idea about the rolled up towel at one end of the bassinet.

We used a sleep positioner for a few weeks---and he loved it at first but quickly got tired of it and would scoot completely out of it or would scream. So we finally figured out that he hated it and removed it and he''s been a much happier baby ever since.

Following the 3 hour feeding cycle and not allowing him to sleep longer than 2 hours during the day if possible (Formula fed).

Also, after 7:00 we start turning off the lights in the apartment to get him used to the idea that nighttime = bedtime.

He hates being swaddled or having blankets.

We also thought that he might have hated the mattress in the bassinet (It wasn''t covered with anything--so we were thinking when he put him on the pad it was probably cold on his skin) we put a cover on it and he seems to like the bassinet more.


He''s normally down for the count by about 10:00-10:30 p.m. and he slept yesterday until 2:30 a.m. (Fed for 30 minutes), Woke again at 5:00 a.m. and again at around 7:00 a.m.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Amber, you''ve gotten some great suggestions. I hope Piper will transition to sleeping in the crib or bassinet very soon! Now that Paul is going back to work and you can''t physically hold her every second, you may find that she''ll fall asleep on her own when you weren''t expecting it. I don''t think Claire every really cried until DH and my mom left because before that there was someone to make her feel better every second, but sometimes I have to go to the bathroom or answer the door, etc. (Not that I want my baby to cry, but it helped me learn the difference between real distress and tired crying that might precede her falling asleep shortly.)

Sha, welcome! I''m glad Dalila has been doing so well!

 

[taovandel]

Forgot to add: Evan hated his bassinet also....so I would put him in it for naps---when he woke up every 5 minutes crying I would comfort him and then put him back in the bassinet. I would repeat this (I wound up having to do it for one of his entire nap sessions). For his second nap of the day--I had no problems putting him in the bassinet. It just got easier from there. Be consistent with the bassinet/crib. I''ve had to yell at my husband because when we were trying to get him used to the bassinet he would still want to use the car seat.....

 

[E B]

So many new Facebook friends!

cdt- Two teeth but no fussiness? Lucky little guy! I wouldn''t wish teething pain on any baby. I''m sorry about the bad photos. They should have offered you a free session.

fiery- Those new Christmas pics of Sophia are too cute for words.

Sabine- How''s Jacks feeling today? Is the rash better?

Amber- Henry would only sleep on me for naps, but would sleep in the bassinet at night once he was really tired. I think establishing a sleep routine (using her cues as an outline) will help eventually. And if she just won''t sleep but on you and you need to get things done around the house, a baby carrier (sling, wrap, Beco, etc.) might work.

Biting update: Not a single bite since the last update!

When I offer my fingers, though, he takes advantage...so I offer him his Sophie or another teething toy most of the time. The fussiness seems to have lessened a bit since they broke through.

 

[Blenheim]

Welcome, new mommies!

Amber, you''ve already gotten some great advice. A baby carrier can be a lifesaver. They also make baby hammocks, which may mimic being carried by you better than a swing would, if you get desparate.

Fiery - love the new avi!

 

[MustangGal]

Welcome new mommies!

Time goes by way too fast, I hear the new baby issues posted on hear, and realized that was 10 months ago, and I don''t remember half of it already

We did some x-mas shots last night for a photo card, so here''s what my family will be receiving this year...

 

[ChinaCat]

Wow, it''s a FB explosion on PS- or maybe it''s a PS explosion on FB! How fun. But isn''t it weird to see real names???? For example, Pandora is Pandora to me, and it''s so bizarre that it isn''t her real name!

Fiery-

your new avi!

Sorry no advice on diaper rash or sleeping in bassinets, but wishing you both good luck in getting it sorted out.

Had a hard weekend over here. Returning to work plus no sleep plus absent DH (he''s in trial and working 24/7 and this is the 7th week of it) equaled a very neurotic and emotional momma. Sunday I finally just decided to give up and let O do his thing, he wasn''t eating right, napping right, sleeping right and I was killing myself trying to control it. Wouldn''t you know it, once I did that, he was perfect???? Typical kids, huh?

So I''m just realizing there is this HUGE change b/w 3 and 4 months? I''ve been trying to keep him on his schedule but I think he''s just all of a sudden not an infant any more and it took me a bit to realize it. I think it''s me and the schedule that needs to change!

Any one have PP depression this late in- say 3 or 4 months? Or I guess maybe it has taken me this long to notice something''s wrong? I don''t feel depressed- I''ve been depressed before and that was an all-encompassing cloud of grief, couldn''t get out of bed exhaustion, etc., and I don''t feel anywhere near that. But I am not really enjoying anything and all of a sudden I cry at EVERYTHING. And not just normal things like cute commercials, but everything. DH told me he is worried and my mom said she thinks something''s up too. I was surprised they both think that, cause I thought I was doing ok. But looking at it, I think maybe my hormones are totally out of whack. I do enjoy O and love him intensely, don''t resent him or feel like hurting him or anything like that. But every other thing is just blah, and things that normally I enjoy/look forward to just don''t hold much enjoyment for me. I thought that was normal since I am so dang tired, but perhaps it isn''t. And like right now at work, I am fine, but once I get back into our house, I just feel down. Thoughts on how to tell if this is just normal exhaustion/back to work issues, or if I need to do something about it?

And I have called my doctor and left her a message, but of course she''s out on maternity leave! With her FOURTH baby, if you can believe it. I need her to tell me how she does it!


In happy news- O is laughing all the time now, screeching and yelping and chattering, and has learned how to pull my hair with a devilish grin on his face. He has started rolling over too and is quite pleased with himself. He''s so freaking cute. And he slept from 9 pm or so until 7 am when I had to wake him up.

I went to bed at 9 pm and DH had the shift to get him to bed and then sneak a dream feed in him around 11- and then he didn''t wake up all night, so I finally got a good night''s sleep. Yay for O!

 

[Pandora II]

China, you can have PPD right up till the end of the first year. I think the time around 4 months is quite grim - you''re very sleep-deprived, the hormones that kept you going the early weeks are wearing off and people often expect you to now be superwoman.

I had some of my worst days around the 4-5 month mark and still feel down more often than I''d like. As you know I have a mega-team of perinatal mental health specialists on hand and the main advice I am given is to be easy on myself, to realise that taking care of a young ''person'' is a very important job and is more exhausting than you realise but that time spent now is precious and to stop caring about the dishes being done or the house looking great. Above all, that our DHs need to step up and take the pressure off both by lowering their expectations of what can be achieved and by ensuring that we have time to connect with ourselves and aren''t always on call.

LOL on the name thing, I know what you mean though! Pandora has become so much a part of me over the years (I''m Pandora elsewhere as well) that I even gave it to Daisy! All of you have such long names - I swapped my long one for DH''s short one! Just out of interest, are you all known by your long names or just the last bit? Blen - how do you ever fill in forms!

 

[fieryred33143]

Thanks ladies! The pics that were sent to us we absolutely love (there are some nekked pics that I''m not comfy sharing online but that I will frame for the house!). We''re waiting for the CD of the rest of the images.

MG-Love the pic!!! He''s so cute!

China-PPD can come at any point but I think in your case it sounds like frustration and sleep deprivation. Kellymom and Thebump talk about the 4 month wakeful all the time. It''s a period where the babies become more aware of their surroundings and don''t eat as effectively as they should so they make up for it at night. That and the reverse cycling that they sometimes go through when moms go to work makes for a very tired mommy. Sophia went through the same thing and honestly her entire 3rd month was pretty rough sleep wise but then things went back to normal.

And LOL on the names. Mela is still Mela to me and sometimes when I use her real name I feel like saying Hi "Real Name" LOL

 

[phoenixgirl]

China, I''m sorry you''ve been feeling off. I hope someone else at the practice can talk to you about your options. I''m personally wary of medication because my previously not-suicidal dad took his own life immediately after having his prescription for antidepressants doubled, but I would call my therapist if I thought I were possibly depressed. (I''m not mentioning this to judge anyone who is on them or to say that you shouldn''t consider it, just to say that while I definitely had a bout of the baby blues for the first four weeks or so, I figured it was situational depression and therefore something that would eventually resolve itself, and in my mind that''s different from clinical depression. It''s kind of a chicken and an egg thing with my dad and the medication, too, as obviously he had his prescription doubled at that time for a reason.) The important thing, I think, is to be willing to talk to the doctor about it to get an outside opinion and then take it from there.

Pandora, I go by my first name and married name. I just list my maiden name (which I turned into my middle name -- I dropped my given middle name) on FB because that''s how old friends from high school, etc., find me. Basically everyone I know has done that; it''s not that we''re two last name women, we just list our maiden name so people can find us. The acquaintances from high school who don''t list their maiden name confuse the heck out of me.