PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 2/4/2010 1:13:01 PM
Author: fiery
Just got back from Sophia''s appointment.

She has Level III kidney reflux and they also found fluid in her left kidney. I have to wait for the pedi to get the results to figure out what all of that means to Sophia.

She did really well during the testing though. She was really still while they did the ultrasound, complained when they put in the cath but went back to playing. The only time she cried was when they were trying to force her to pee with putting pressure on her bladder and pouring cold water on her. But she got over it.

I am so sorry! What does this mean... is it like an acute illness or a longer term thing? Is that what you are waiting to find out?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 2/4/2010 1:15:02 PM
Author: vizsla
dreamer - all of your points are so valid and help me come back to center. i've asked DH to stay home with c, but right now he is working on getting his business up and running. with the hope that (fingers crossed) come baby 2 we are at a place where i *could* stay home for the first 6+ months. plus he said 'no' - didn't have any interest in being a SAHD

i've also considered hiring a nanny to help make the transition easier. however, i realize it's not that i'm unhappy that he's in daycare - i trust and feel extremely comfortable sending him there everyday, it's that *i* am not there with him during the day. logically i know that i will feel differently in 2 months, 3 months etc. and that this opportunity is a great one for our family (and me). the roadblock i encounter is that *right at this very moment* every ounce of me is saying 'you need to be with charlie *now*. now is when he needs me'. it's been very hard not having that interaction with him during the day - and, to a degree, i feel like he doesn't know who i am when i come home. i tell myself that's crazy talk when i think it, but my mind goes there. it's also hard not to get resentful of DH who has fantastic flexible hours, and my in-laws who also get an entire day with charlie. the green-eyed monster is rearing it's ugly head.
these feelings are also helping me evaluate everything in my life, the things that are truly important, and the things that are fluff. it sucks, but it's a good thing - i don't want to get complacent at my current situation just because it's easier than making waves and changing everything up.
i certainty don't want to come across as whiny or 'whoa is me' - i know i'm incredibly lucky to have a job that pays very well, a beautiful house, a wonderful husband, an adorable little man - i just wish i could put my career on hold for another 3 or 4 months and come back when charlie was a smidge older. i know the grass is not always greener, however it looks that way to me now.

Yes, it is a terrible tragedy that maternity leave is not longer in the US

Three months is really too soon for most women to even contemplate being away from their child. It sounds like Charlie is a really lucky baby and has a large circle of caregivers, a village if you will. And that is ultimately best for him! And you know what... he probably doesn't really know who you are

He is still in the houseplant phase, maybe slowly entering the dogs phase, as I call it, when he might begin to be as smart as your pup is, when he might actually show his love for you more. Hunter sometimes seems to still not know who I am and I spent a year at home with him

Is it possible for you to take an hour in the middle of the day and go spent time with him, perhaps working an hour later in the evening? I do that and I love it. Really helps me get through the day not seeing him.

Are you feeling any guilt for not being with him all day? I think guilt is a great contributer to the anxiety some women feel when away from their babies. I know from developmental psychology that as long as baby is with people who care for him, love his maybe, and are responsive to his needs, then he is getting what he really needs. And if he gets 100% of your attentions and responsivness when you are with him, then he will thrive. The notion that mom is the only one capable of caring for her baby is actually a modern invention. Historically, grandmothers, or creches, or older siblings would have been far more likely to care for babies because mom would have been *working*, in the factpory, in the fields, in the barn, in the kitchen. Working mothers are not actually a new invention, despite what some politcal forces would like us to believe

ETA Viz, I know it is annoying when people say such things, but do you think PPD is affecting you?

 

[vizsla]

dreamer - thank you. i have always appreciated your very level-headedness when it comes to most 'problems' on PS. i thank you for taking the time to respond to me - much much appreciated.

you ask if i feel guilty.. and the answer is a resounding whole-heartily YES!!!!! which causes a lot of anxiety. the kind of anxiety that makes you freeze in the middle of the living room, unable to tell your husband if, indeed, you want chicken for dinner tonight or not. it's interesting, even to me, that i feel this way about being a SAHM right *now*. especially, because when i was at home with charlie everyday i would feel like i was in 'groundhog day'. the only thing different each day would be my underwear (if i was lucky i think a lot of what i am feeling is #1) i don't *love* my job, it is a necessity for our family's survival, but not something that is worth sacrificing these early months away from charlie for. (however, this *new* opportunity is something that would get me out of bed in the morning with maybe just a sniffle, and not a full out sob). #2) i am completely jealous that DH and his family get more at home time with charlie than i do. #3) i am not so modern that i like the fact that i am responsible for 'bringing home the bacon'. not that it should be DH sole responsibility - buuuuuuttttttt if he did carry insurance i *could* find something part-time that would provide a better balance of work and life for me.

i am going to try and work out taking an extra long lunch to see him during the day, or make it a point for DH to bring him out for a lunch date with me on fridays.

eta: re: PPD, it's very possible. i talk to my midwife a few times a week and tell her when i'm feeling really blue/anxious. we are both keeping an eye on it. i don't think it requires anything other than talking and reassurance that this situation is only temporary, but who knows...

 

[fieryred33143]

Thanks ladies.

Date: 2/4/2010 2:09:34 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

I am so sorry! What does this mean... is it like an acute illness or a longer term thing? Is that what you are waiting to find out?

I''m waiting to find out. She will need to be on antibiotics for her reflux but whether this is a permanent thing or not, I don''t know. As for the fluid, they said it was normal given that she has reflux but they couldn''t give me any more details. They have to wait for it to be evaluated by the pedi. She called me (the pedi is great) because she knew it was today and asked for her account # so that she can expidite the results so I''m hoping I''ll hear something from them soon.

 

[vizsla]

fiery - what is kidney reflux and what are/were her symptoms?

 

[ChinaCat]

Fiery- Ugh. So glad you like your pedi and she is pro-active. Give Sophia a big kiss from her PS aunties!

Viz- I will most definitely keep you posted on CIO, either here or on there. FWIW, my BFF had a baby that sounded a lot like your Charlie and she ended up doing CIO at 6 months (she was very opposed before) and it worked beautifully. Also, have you thought about going to talk to someone? I know when I went back to work I was worried I was depressed and I went and talked to a therapist and it really really helped me get some perspective and realize that what I was feeling was normal. After two sessions we agreed together that I wasn''t depressed, it was just situational. Totally understand if you don''t want to do that, but it might help with the anxiety thing.

 

[sbde]

fiery: so sorry to hear about sophia''s illness. i hope you''re able to get answers from the docs soon about what all this means for her.

vizsla: i''ve been reading your home/work issue closely and am sorry that you''re having such a hard time with going back to work. it''s so normal to feel torn about leaving our kids home. i do think you should try out the new job and see how you like it - i''m fortunate to have perhaps the best situation right now in that i had a year off and now am back to working from home. i''m actually working 1 day a week less than i was before and even though i can play with J, feed him, put him down for naps at any point during the day i STILL feel like i''m missing out when he''s with his nanny. i think the guilt never really goes away. in fact, i''m the type of person who sits with my baby even when i''m done work and the nanny is still here (and i''m paying her to be here!)

i do think evaluating what you really WANT in life is a great first step, but i do also think that down the road you may regret not having given the new position a try. who knows, in a few months you may realize that your heart just isn''t in the job anymore, but having given it a try will make the decision easier. i''m definitely feeling that way now that i''ve gone back - work is just not remotely as important as it used to be - i was the person who would work late, put in extra time and go above and beyond what was required of me, and now i shut down my computer at 5:00 and don''t even THINK about it until 9:00 am the next day. good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 2/4/2010 2:41:13 PM
Author: vizsla
fiery - what is kidney reflux and what are/were her symptoms?

Well, the "let''s not freak out the mommy" explanation they gave me (lol) was that when everything is functioning properly urine travels from the kidneys, through the ureters, and into the bladder. With reflux, the urine goes into the bladder but then backs up causing infections.

Sophia''s first symptom was a really strong urine odor. I had noticed it and mentioned it to the pedi during her 6 month check up. They told me it was fine but three days later she got a high fever (not too high though, around 102) and we took her in. I asked that they look into the urine because the odor was still very strong (and very yellow at this point) and it turned out she had a UTI.

The pedi wanted to check for reflux because of her age. It''s "normal" to get UTIs in girls because they have poop explosions and sometimes you can''t get to it fast enough before a little slips in but she wanted to be able to rule out reflux.

 

[NovemberBride]

Fiery, I am so sorry to hear about Sophia, but it sounds like you are in capable hands. I also wanted to let you know that I actually had kidney reflux when I was younger. I was pretty young so I don''t remember too much about it, but it basically meant that I took medicine daily and went to Children''s Hopsital for some testing every so often. I grew out of it by the time I was 7 or 8 and it hasn''t been an issue since and it definitely didn''t affect my life at all - I hope that gives you some comfort.

DD, China and others, I wanted to thank you for your great advice on being a working mom. I know the advice was directed at Viz, but I found it very helpful as well, prticularly the part about getting creative and not having to choose one over the other. I think I am similiar to you DD in that I love my baby very much, but I also love my career. I would have loved to stay home longer, but in the US and in my particular career that is not possible.

I am so glad there is only 1.5 hours left in my work day. Since i am trying to look at the positives - pumping has gone really well today! I was very nervous I wouldn''t be able to pump enough and it is really important to me to EBF for a little longer. Also, my very dear friend sent me flowers at work with a note that said "welcome to the world of working moms". She is such a sweetheart.

PG - how''d the first day go?

 

[vizsla]

ah-ha fiery. thank you for explaining. will be sending you and sophia good juju. again, i never understood, or could empathize entirely with people who had sick children until (dum dum dum) .... well, you know when

. seeing our babies sick or hurt is so much harder on us huh? extra hugs to you and your little babe ((hug)).

november - i''m glad today went so well for you! you seem to have such a great attitude, can you send some my way?

i was really hesitant about posting all of my ''dirty going back to work laundry'', but i know how much comfort it gave me to read (lurk) other people''s stories throughout the years on PS (whether it be talking about getting married, having children, being pregnant etc). so i really do thank all of you for your help and insight. like i said, it''s hard to see the forest thru the trees right now. it helps to have a ''been there done that'' perspective.

 

[ChinaCat]

November- Glad to hear it''s going well!!! FWIW, pumping at work has been really easy for me. It was a PITA at first to figure it out, but now it''s a no-brainer. I have managed to EBF for almost 6 months now, which was my goal. I went back to work at 3 months and REALLY wanted to give up at 4 months, but I''m glad I hung in there. I get plenty of milk when I pump at work. You can do it! (If you WANT to).

 

[AmberWaves]

Aww, poor Sophia! I hope you get some good news soon, Fiery.

Hello to the working mamas, I hope your first days (for those of you) went well, and the others are doing well, too.

Viz: I like China''s idea of asking them for a little more time off first if you''ll take the other job. I wish my husband could stay at home, he''d love it. Instead we BOTH need to work, which sucks.

So I created a Facebook page for Piper. Someone hit me.

 

[Pandora II]

Viz - just a thought, but could you use a daycare near to your job and then see Charlie at lunch-time and commute home with him (I don't know if you are a car or public transport commuter - public transport would make more sense for interaction).

'When' I go back to working I plan to put Daisy into daycare where I work rather than where we live for that reason.

Fiery - so sorry to hear about Sophia, I hope she gets better soon! Hugs to you both.


Me post... DH has officially signed with the new company and given his notice. The present company have been great and have even said that they'll have him straight back if the new job doesn't work out! I really thrilled for DH and hopefully things will all go to plan. He's likely to be working long hours which is going to put more pressure on me in the sense of never getting a break from DD but she is getting easier as she gets older.

I'm having a bit of a grrrr in that he is buying a motor-bike for the commute. It makes sense as it will be 20 minutes by bike and over an hour with bus/tube but I am very anti due to the safety risks.

Daisy's BCG site is going horrible finally... it's been like a bruise for a couple of months and now it's a hot red lump like a small abcess. Apparently it takes 6 weeks or so to heal and then should be a tiny scar in 6 months or so. She doesn't seem bothered luckily as messing with it makes the scar worse, but it looks terrible. Supposedly the reaction is due to her body making antibodies so it's a good sign that she will be protected and won't need another go.

I've had a start date for the 'Nutters and Baby Group' as a space has finally come up - 15th February. I'm actually really looking forward to it. We get to spend a lot of time with the developmental psychologist which will be interesting and I hope stimulating for Daisy - they have lots of great toys apparently.

Here's my early contribution to BPF that DH took on his mobile phone - will try and do the montage of parents/baby this week. We went out for sushi tonight and D had lots of fun with chopsticks (as well as eating a lot of pickled ginger

)

 

[phoenixgirl]

Well, today went well. I''m tired, and my AP kids looked a little sorry to see me back (because Mrs. PG = WORK!), but overall it was a good day. I pumped 9 ounces, which unfortunately is short of my goal of 12, but as I suspected would sometimes happen, Claire only had 2 of the 3 bottles, so we wound up with a surplus going into tomorrow. I confess I was really excited when I saw I''d be taking a bottle home!

 

[fieryred33143]

LOVE that pic of Daisy

Date: 2/4/2010 6:30:12 PM
Author: phoenixgirl
Well, today went well. I''m tired, and my AP kids looked a little sorry to see me back (because Mrs. PG = WORK!), but overall it was a good day. I pumped 9 ounces, which unfortunately is short of my goal of 12, but as I suspected would sometimes happen, Claire only had 2 of the 3 bottles, so we wound up with a surplus going into tomorrow. I confess I was really excited when I saw I''d be taking a bottle home!

LOL! I used to feel the same exact way! Every time I had a bottle left over: SCORE!

Another long night at the office. I anticipate I''ll be leaving here at 11

I said good night to Sophia over the phone and her response was "dadadadadadadadada aaaaaaaaaaa pppptttt"

I like to believe that means "daddy is crazy but it''s ok mom, I love you, good night, see you in the morning"

lol!

 

[Mandarine]

Fiery I am so sorry to read about Sophia!! I hope they can keep it under control...((hugs))

Viz Oh...I feel for you, I really do. I don''t know what to tell you because I think I would feel just like you do if I had to leave them. I am ready to start working (in theory, but won''t start for another mom) but that''s because I know I''ll be home...so it''s completely different.

Pandora Daisy is a doll

**


Sorry to everyone else...I promise I did read all of it, but I just don''t have too much time to post!

I wanted to thank you all for chimming in regarding reflux. I started the Enfamil AR before I read your comments and so far it'' going really well. It''s only been 1.5 days...but Alex is almost not spitting up at all. Lucas is spitting up a lot...but I think it''s because he eats too much!!!!. I have no idea why but today he was eating like a little piglet! Could that formula make them hungrier???

They started on Zantac tonight too. Alex hated the flavor and spit out a bit of it. I thought about maybe putting it in the bottle...but they don''t always finish their bottles, what do you guys do???

So I''m going to give this new thing a few days and then take it from there. The nipples we are using seem to work fine with this formula...not too fast not too slow...

I''m so tired...waking up every two hours at this point is just not fun!!!.....I swear I haven''t slept well since I was like 5 months pregnant...that''s a LONG time!!!!!! Part of me wants to go back to waking the sleeping baby when the first one (Alex) wakes up...but I think that''s going to disrupt the ultimate goal....

 

[Blenheim]

Fiery - I''m so sorry about poor little Sophia. Sending more dust over there.

Viz - I didn''t see that post of yours right before I posted. I went through a stage shortly after I went to work where I was just so mad about the maternity leave policies in this country. They are abysmal. We are wired so that every ounce of us wants to be there with a three month old baby. If you''re thinking that you would just want to put your career on hold for 3-4 months and then go back, I''d think it would be in your best interest long term to just stick with it for a while longer and see how you feel in 6 months or so. But I know that others would probably say that you never get this time when they''re this young back.

I know that I was not at work anywhere near as long as you are each day, but DH did often bring G by for lunch and it helped a lot to see him then. If you could work something like that, or use a nanny who could bring him by, that may be able to help quite a bit.



We have had a similar evening so far tonight as far as sleep goes. No problems getting him down for the first time (8 pm), then he woke up about an hour later and cried for a few minutes and then was back out. He just woke up again (10 pm) and the crying seemed to escalate, and so DH went in the room to find him crawling around in his crib. He placed him back on his back and left, and then he was back to sleep in minutes. I was honestly expecting much worse - he refused to go down for a morning nap until 11:30 or so, and then we unexpectedly had to be out of the house all afternoon (long story) and he never took his afternoon nap. I threw him in the mei tai for a while while we were out which often works to get him to go to sleep, but no such luck. And since the sleep was so screwed up today, I did not have high hopes for tonight.

G now has an appt tomorrow with a pediatric opthomologist (there was a last minute cancel) to check out the possible strabismus and then we were in for a lot of snow.

 

[mela lu]

Oh Man, FIERY - I''m so sorry to hear about Sophstar''s kidney reflux. BLERGH. That sucks...but it sounds like they have her on a good course of tx. That, coupled with your amazing Mommy-skillz, I feel like this will be a happy ending. Not like the happy endings in a "shiatsu" parlor.

different. xox to you both.

Pan - Great pic!!! Congrats on your DH''s jab! Be careful on that bike Mr. I almost lost my leg (and life) in a moped accident in Portugal.

Viz - thinking of you. These are tough times and tough decisions. Glad you can come here and beat the sh!t out of the subject though. That''s what makes PS so great

Looking forward to BPF "parent and kid" edition.

off to bed now,

 

[Blenheim]

Pst - Mela - did you decide to test?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Blen I think that you are having good success! The goal is for George to be able to find a way to puthimself backto sleep when he wakes -- which is all the time in the night, really -- and it sounds like he did it a couple of times! Yay!

Viz Aw, you are welcome. One thing I am very passionate about is women''s rights, and I really see the things we are writing about here as part of it. Not the "right" to work or any of that type of thing, but rather the notion that women need to be perfect moms, that if we work we are bad people... all those shoulds that undermine women''s willingness to be creative and aspire to great things. And our own guilt lets men off the hook as parents

. Like you, I am more the breadwinner than my DH. I make about 50% more than he does. And I am ok with that in part because he contributes so much to parenting our son. I encourage it and let him. DH gets up with Hunter in the morning, and he feeds him brekkie while I sleep in a little

Bedtime routine is daddy too. And I visit Huner at lunch which takes me an hour, roughly, including dirving etc. We both feel it is fair. Anyways, I think if you have to be the breadwinner then he has to do things to make it easier for you too. Like bring your son to you every day at lunch! Why not?? If he can do it, why can''t he make that work?? Or his parents. You are inconveniencing yourself for the betterment of the family. They can inconvenience themselves a little bit too, because helping you be happy is for the betterment of the family. Anyways, demand more, that is my advice to women

I think a great solution longer term is daycare as close to your work as possible. Is that possible?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Blen What is a srtabiwhatsis?

Fiery Well I hope yo uhave answers soon! Is Sophia feeling better with medication?

Nove,ber Bride and PG -- Congrats on your first days!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Mandarine Sleep. I hear you. I slept poorly the last two months of my preganancy and then Hunter woke 2-4 times a night until he was 9 months -- so almost a year of no sleep! It has been a little over 2 months of regular sleep and I am *just* starting to feel like I caught up!

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Hi everyone --

Since last Saturday, I actually belong over here since I now have a newborn. Ben was born at home while we were having a rather bad snow storm. He''s now 5 days old and doing great.

I hate to start out here with a vent, but I really, really need to get this out. OMG, I was soooo angry this afternoon. SO''s younger sister insisted on coming over to see Ben. She showed up 90 minutes after she said she would be here and she was DRENCHED in Opium, which makes me sick. She held Ben the entire time she was here, so after she left, I had to give him as much of a bath as possible to get the smell off him. Plus, we needed her to leave at 4:30 so we could take my younger daughter to gymnastics (and feed Ben before hand), and even though SO told her that she needed to go so we could get ready, she didn''t actually leave until 4:50. Our evening schedule was totally screwed up because of her.

Ugh.

On the bright side, I ordered the announcements that I realized we need to send out to SO''s extended family. I''ve attached the pic that I used -- it''s nothing fancy, but I was happy with it.

 

[Blenheim]

Strabismus=lazy eye. His right eye sometimes drifts outwards. It's not terribly bad, but since it's one of those things that's easily correctable if you catch it when they're young, we want to get it checked out.

I'm trying to attach a photo but getting the error that the top of the page is talking about - maybe later.

ETA - OMG cuteness.

Welcome to this side of things (again!), RPS. And I would be furious as well.

 

[Mara]

hi mommies!! i'm joining in now that we had our little boy, Julian Dean, in the wee hours of Monday morning and have settled in at home (mostly). so happy to be here!

i posted my birth story in the preggo thread and we came home on tuesday afternoon. we are settling in nicely for the most part thankfully...trying to get the hang of the feeding thing, waiting for my milk to come in. julian sleeps a lot which i suppose is normal for a newborn, thankfully it means we can get a fair amt of rest too. i know it will change but we'll take whatever we can when we can! greg is such a huge help to me, we are dividing the labor in ways that it makes it so much easier on both of us. i actually realized today that the 3 weeks that greg is taking off will fly by so fast, yikes. but i refuse to think about that now haha.

healing is going pretty well, i had only a minor tear after pushing for 2 hours. funny because i felt like 2 hours was not very long for pushing (well it felt like forever but i just thought it was because i was tired haha) but when i tell people it was 2 hours their reactions are really shocked. is that typically very long? the hospital told me it was average! now if only my 5 month looking belly will just disappear it would be great haha. i only lost ~10 lbs in the hospital, but i am still pretty swollen from all the drugs, i am hoping it will all flush out soon.

today we had a good day of firsts. first bath, first pee on Mom during diaper change, and first actual breast milk pumped. yay!

also, how did you new moms respond to people who come to see the baby and ask you things like 'why is he crying?'... surprisingly i have had a few people ask me that and i am like are you serious? he's a newborn! he sleeps, eats, pees, poops, cries, and rinses and repeats. haha. am i off kilter here??

RPS yay good to see you. i love the pic of Ben. we have to do announcements too..i have found some cute ones on Etsy i bookmarked so i guess i should do that over the next week or two. we might have some prof photos taken of the little boy, or even better possibly my girlfriend who does photos on the side.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/4/2010 11:00:48 PM
Author: Mara
hi mommies!! i''m joining in now that we had our little boy, Julian Dean, in the wee hours of Monday morning and have settled in at home (mostly). so happy to be here!

i posted my birth story in the preggo thread and we came home on tuesday afternoon. we are settling in nicely for the most part thankfully...trying to get the hang of the feeding thing, waiting for my milk to come in. julian sleeps a lot which i suppose is normal for a newborn, thankfully it means we can get a fair amt of rest too. i know it will change but we''ll take whatever we can when we can! greg is such a huge help to me, we are dividing the labor in ways that it makes it so much easier on both of us. i actually realized today that the 3 weeks that greg is taking off will fly by so fast, yikes. but i refuse to think about that now haha.

healing is going pretty well, i had only a minor tear after pushing for 2 hours. funny because i felt like 2 hours was not very long for pushing (well it felt like forever but i just thought it was because i was tired haha) but when i tell people it was 2 hours their reactions are really shocked. is that typically very long? the hospital told me it was average! now if only my 5 month looking belly will just disappear it would be great haha. i only lost ~10 lbs in the hospital, but i am still pretty swollen from all the drugs, i am hoping it will all flush out soon.

today we had a good day of firsts. first bath, first pee on Mom during diaper change, and first actual breast milk pumped. yay!

also, how did you new moms respond to people who come to see the baby and ask you things like ''why is he crying?''... surprisingly i have had a few people ask me that and i am like are you serious? he''s a newborn! he sleeps, eats, pees, poops, cries, and rinses and repeats. haha. am i off kilter here??

RPS yay good to see you. i love the pic of Ben. we have to do announcements too..i have found some cute ones on Etsy i bookmarked so i guess i should do that over the next week or two. we might have some prof photos taken of the little boy, or even better possibly my girlfriend who does photos on the side.

It''s filler conversation.

That, and the fact that you are his mother and aren''t you suppose to know EXACTLY why he''s crying by now?

 

[Blenheim]

Mara, welcome over here as well! That''s great that you''re finding a good division of labor. I''m sure you know this, but around two weeks, babies start waking up a bit more and being more demanding. It can be a bit of a shock at first. As far as pushing goes, I pushed for 2.5 hours. I feel like the people I know are pretty divided between pushing a couple of times (jealous!) and pushing for 2-3 hours, so 2 hours seems pretty normal to me. I didn''t have people asking me why he was crying - don''t they know that babies just sometimes cry? You could just respond, "He''s a baby. They do that."

 

[Mara]

oh here is a pic from today... deceptively angelic looking sleeping creature!

ETA...blen i DO say that but they act so surprised and shocked that he is crying. really?!!
TG...it IS day 4, shouldn't i be an expert by now??

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/4/2010 11:08:38 PM
Author: Blenheim
Mara, welcome over here as well! That''s great that you''re finding a good division of labor. I''m sure you know this, but around two weeks, babies start waking up a bit more and being more demanding. It can be a bit of a shock at first. As far as pushing goes, I pushed for 2.5 hours. I feel like the people I know are pretty divided between pushing a couple of times (jealous!) and pushing for 2-3 hours, so 2 hours seems pretty normal to me. I didn''t have people asking me why he was crying - don''t they know that babies just sometimes cry? You could just respond, ''He''s a baby. They do that.''

Hehehe, she knows, even before I mentioned it.

And to be optimistic, babies don''t always go from sweet to crazy at the 2 week mark. Sometimes I think it''s because moms are just more tired at that point and we start to lose it.

 

[Blenheim]

Just saw what TGal posted - duh! Also expect "So how''s he sleeping?" People love to ask how they''re sleeping.

Ok, got a picture of George''s eye thing attached. Don''t judge.

It''s the best one I could find. It''s hard to get a good picture of it, as it''s less obvious in photographs what they''re focusing on and hence what direction their eyes should be pointing. But he''s looking at DH, who is standing fairly close to him with the camera. His right eye should be pointed more inwards.