PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Blenheim]

EB -

. Good luck today, and I have to admit I LOLed about you posting in SMTR.

 

[steph72276]

Good morning! I had a pretty good night with E last night. He went 4 hour stretches last night, which is good (at least better than every single hour!). He was up at 11, 3, and 7. I'm hoping that trend (or longer) will last! He is so sweet though...he will just smile and smile at me when I have him on the changing table. We have been putting him on his tummy for a few minutes at a time several times a day and he seems to like it for a while. He is making "swimming" motions with his hands and pushing his legs out, so I think he will be an early mover just like his brother was...Andrew was crawling at 6 months and walking at 10. Not that I really want him to get going early, then the real work begins! Anyway, hope you guys have a great day!

Sunkist, that's so weird, but I was having the same thing with my tummy. I was like hmmm, feels like another baby in there!

Ginger, yea for pre preg jeans!!

CC, I don't remember A doing the leg thumping thing, but that is interesting they do that to practice rolling over.

EB and Natalina, boo for AF...not looking forward to her return.

Mara, what is the sleep sheep and where can I find one?

Pandora, I read some of that blog...too sad to get through it all though, I feel for the family

PG, sorry about the ear infection

Hi, Snlee, QT, Fiery, Sugarpie, Blen, HH and anyone else I missed!

 

[Sha]

Steph - wow! That''s great Evan is sleeping so well at such a young age. 4 hour stretches are pretty good. Much better than my 3 month old - who''s back to waking every 2 hours per night. Waaahhh!!!!

Postpartum AF: I think I read that whenever you drop a feed or too, esp, when baby has started solids, then AF is likely to follow in the near future. I haven''t seen mine as yet, but am looking forward to getting it so that I can start charting again.

Pandora - so right about being appreciative. I know two mothers who lost their 4 month babies to SIDS recently. So sad..... I can''t even imagine. It really helps you appreciate having your LO, no matter how tiring motherhood is sometimes.

 

[ChinaCat]

EB- Thinking of you today. Hope it goes better than expected. I''m sure the girls in SMTR were like WHAT?

Sugarpie- Oh I think that all the time. It''s like seriously???? Like I haven''t suffered ENOUGH indignities already? The first few weeks PP I wanted to write a letter to somebody everytime something "new" came up.

Natalina- I''ve dropped most of O''s nursing feedings except 2 and I haven''t seen AF yet. I don''t think it has anything to do with EBF or not, seems like the return is as random as it is ruthless.

Sha- TWO babies lost to SIDS?

I can''t fathom. I STILL don''t understand what SIDS is. Seems like whenever a baby also suffocates in some way they call that SIDS too.

Pandora- Layla Grace is all over the news here and I cry everytime they mention her. Not ready for the blog yet.

 

[Mandarine]

Hi guys...sorry I''m behind...actually WAY behind.

I decided I was spending WAY too much time on the computer (time that I really don''t have!)...so I''m trying to cut back!. I moved my Mac upstairs so that it''s not as accessible, which means I''ll probably have a hard time following this fast moving thread! so I''m apologizing in advance

The boys are doing better, thank you all for commenting! Looks like some of their old appetite is back...but still not what it was pre-shots. Still having a hard time getting them to nap, but the screaming levels have gone WAY down!

Mara, I think it was you that asked if my boys were always screamers. Well, they''ve never been the mellow kind...and for some reason they don''t "cry"...they scream when something bothers them!. They also don''t like the pacis...which provides SUCH relief to moms (I know because of my mommy group!). My boys are always the loudest...either because they are happy and talking and laughing up a storm..or because they are cranky and screaming! hehe. Yesterday at the mall, Alex kept screaming and didn''t let the other babies in the group nap...hehe, lovely!

Ohhh I think Lucas just finally went down for his nap (in the swing) I''m going to lay down for 5 minutes before he wakes up again!!!!!

 

[Mara]

just a quick post before i rouse J to put him in the car for his appt. weight gain here we come!! i know his head is bigger for sure.

mandarine...gotcha re the boys. kind of like J is not really a talker he''s a yeller haha. thankfully he rarely *screams* but he''s not quiet when he wants to communicate that''s for sure. kinda like mom i guess.

btw its amazing you are so good natured given all the screaming in the house...you surely are a saint lady. glad the boys are settling down a bit.

steph... go on amazon and search for sleep sheep. you can get it anywhere, but we got the ''to go'' one because it''s smaller (the regular one is quite large) and you can velcro it to a stroller or a bassinet or whatever, it''s just more portable. it doesn''t have mom''s heartbeat but J loves the ''rain'' one the best. it plays for 28 or 45 minutes, i have prime on amazon so i paid the $3.99 to get it next day and we love it. but i think i need a ''rain'' white noise to be able to put on loop for when J is fighting the nap and i need him to go longer than 45 min... at night he doesnt need the sheep at all but for naps during the day for whatever reason it''s magic. and YAY for longer sleep cycles!!

cc...i often wonder about SIDS...i think it''s kind of a catch-all, but it does strike fear into the heart of moms for sure. partially i think because of the unknowns.

thanks for the comments on AF...hopefully mine will stay gone for a while, i dont miss it!!!

 

[anchor31]

Re: AF - I''m sorry to hear it''s returned for some of you. I had 4 days of spotting 6 or 7 weeks PP, and now I''ve been spotting non-stop since I had my IUD put in 3 weeks ago so it equally sucks.

I have a question... For those whose baby is sleeping longer stretches at night (6+ hours), do you get up at night to pump? Last night I fed Jacob at 10PM and put him to bed, and he didn''t wake at 4AM like he''d been doing for a while... I woke up at DH''s alarm clock at 5AM, and my boobs were so engorged it was painful so I actually woke Jacob up to feed him. I don''t like waking him when he''s sleeping so well, so maybe I should get up earlier and pump? It sucks to not get much sleep myself, but the discomfort is pretty bad and I wouldn''t want my supply to suffer either.

 

[NovemberBride]

Anchor,

If Jacob is sleeping through the night, you don''t want to pump so that your body will regulate itself so that you no longer have much milk overnight. If you get up and pump your body will think it needs to make more milk. It may be uncomfortable for a few days, but worth it in the end. Olivia sleeps from 10-7 without feeding and I never wake up engorged anymore and rarely even leak. But I still make plenty of milk during the day (I know this because I pump at work and regularly pump 4-5 oz. at a time.) It''s amazing how our bodies can adapt to the little ones changing habits. Of course, if you are trying to build a freezer supply that would be the perfect time to pump.

 

[qtiekiki]

We had a rough day yesterday. J was really colicky and gassy. DH went and got gripe water, and J seems better today. Nights are slightly better; he sleeps longer stretch at night in the PnP. He wakes up right away or after a very short time when I put him down during the day. I feel like a first time mom since he is so different from M. M was a very mellow baby who STTN at 3 weeks. But at least J went from 11pm - 4:45am last night, much better than waking every 2 hours couple days before. I also pumped for the first time last night, so we can introduce the bottle, and got 7oz total. I pumped when J was sleeping that long stretch when he would've nursed.

re: AF
I don't miss it either. I've been AF free for 25 months out of the past 28 months, so AF feels like ages ago.

Ginger
Yay for fitting in your pre-pg jeans. I was able put a pair on last Sat, but they were super tight and can't be buttoned. I am still 13lbs up from pre-pg weight, so sad.

Mara
So the Sleep Sheep working well for you? We tried a few white noise apps on our iPhone, but it doesn't seem to calm J down. I wonder if the Sleep Sheep would work better.
Good luck at the appointment. At last Friday appointment, J gained 3lbs since birth, but he is just 9lbs 13oz total.

Steph
Wow Andrew was a early crawler/walker. Awwww "swimming" motions are cute. J is not liking tummy time.

Natalina
Yeah I don't think EBF has anything to do with AF returning. I was still BFing when it returns last time.

ETA: Anchor - I agree with what November said. I didn't pump when M STTN, so my body can adjust. If you keep pumping, your body will keep making the milk.

 

[sugarpie honeybun]

Sleep sheep/white noise: we purchased this machine LINK and have been using it with DS since he was about 4 weeks old. It works wonders.

We also used the sleep sheep, but found that it worked better early on. It wasn''t as effective when he got to the +2 month mark.

 

[Sha]

Date: 3/11/2010 1:46:47 PM
Author: ChinaCat
EB- Thinking of you today. Hope it goes better than expected. I''m sure the girls in SMTR were like WHAT?

Sugarpie- Oh I think that all the time. It''s like seriously???? Like I haven''t suffered ENOUGH indignities already? The first few weeks PP I wanted to write a letter to somebody everytime something ''new'' came up.

Natalina- I''ve dropped most of O''s nursing feedings except 2 and I haven''t seen AF yet. I don''t think it has anything to do with EBF or not, seems like the return is as random as it is ruthless.

Sha- TWO babies lost to SIDS?

I can''t fathom. I STILL don''t understand what SIDS is. Seems like whenever a baby also suffocates in some way they call that SIDS too.

Pandora- Layla Grace is all over the news here and I cry everytime they mention her. Not ready for the blog yet.

Yeah..

One couple lost a 4 month old boy, and the other couple lost a boy who I thnk was about 3 months or so. Unbelievably sad. I have no idea what happened exactly.

I feel so terrible for them, though.

********

Question about bottle feeding: If you''re feeding from a 4 oz bottle, and your baby only drinks 2 oz and then takes a break- would it be okay to give the other 2 oz once it''s within the hour? Seems like such a waste to throw it away.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 3/11/2010 3:48:34 PM
Author: Sha

Date: 3/11/2010 1:46:47 PM
Author: ChinaCat
EB- Thinking of you today. Hope it goes better than expected. I''m sure the girls in SMTR were like WHAT?

Sugarpie- Oh I think that all the time. It''s like seriously???? Like I haven''t suffered ENOUGH indignities already? The first few weeks PP I wanted to write a letter to somebody everytime something ''new'' came up.

Natalina- I''ve dropped most of O''s nursing feedings except 2 and I haven''t seen AF yet. I don''t think it has anything to do with EBF or not, seems like the return is as random as it is ruthless.

Sha- TWO babies lost to SIDS?

I can''t fathom. I STILL don''t understand what SIDS is. Seems like whenever a baby also suffocates in some way they call that SIDS too.

Pandora- Layla Grace is all over the news here and I cry everytime they mention her. Not ready for the blog yet.

Yeah..

One couple lost a 4 month old boy, and the other couple lost a boy who I thnk was about 3 months or so. Unbelievably sad. I have no idea what happened exactly.

I feel so terrible for them, though.

********

Question about bottle feeding: If you''re feeding from a 4 oz bottle, and your baby only drinks 2 oz and then takes a break- would it be okay to give the other 2 oz once it''s within the hour? Seems like such a waste to throw it away.

I would - heck some babies take that long to do a feed anyway!

I bought some of those cute hats that Layla has - the woman who makes them was donating the profits towards her medical bills. I hope that with 40k+ followers on Twitter including people like Paris Hilton etc that they raise enough to cover the $100k. I can''t imagine how awful to have your child die, to have lost your job in the middle of it all and then face bills like that. Makes me grateful for the free care we get here.

Mara - At 10 months PP, still no sign of AF, but even though Daisy is on solids she still feeds around every 3 hours day and night. I have a feeling that dropping night feeds tends to be one of the big ones.

 

[ChinaCat]

Sha- We had a big discussion on that awhile back. Seeing as how somehow I totally didn''t get that memo, I was reusing BM all the time.

Consensus was (and I believe this is what it says on most cans of formula as well) is that you can reuse if it''s within the hour.

So you''re good!!! Much better than me. Bad mama. We didn''t have confessions then, so I didn''t have to confess!

 

[vizsla]

today has been ruthless... bleh.

re: bottles.. we almost ALWAYS have to wait the entire hour for c to finish his bottle, so YES. we don''t refrigerate it either... we try feeding him the remainder in a 1/2 an hour, and then right before the hour mark.

re: AF - i stopped pumping 3 weeks ago (i think) and haven''t seen AF yet.. (4.5 months PP) - but i am getting all of my tell tale signs she''s around the corner... oh how i missed the night sweats and acne.

china - feeling better??

birthday was meh.. although i did get a flip video!!! but DH didn''t really have to think of that on his own and carryout from my favorite mediterranean restaurant. aaaaaaaaaaand fell asleep when i put c down to sleep at 9... i''m a party animal. my whole fam damily is coming into town this weekend... my mom hasn''t seen c in about 8 weeks, so she is dying for some cuddles. and i LOVE seeing my sister - so i''m way excited!

hello to everyone!!! chat at cha more tomorrow.... and can''t wait for those pics!

 

[taovandel]

Just a quick stop by

I''m in a grumpy mood!

Evan slept until 5:30 this morning and my husband woke up with him...so I got to sleep in until almost 7:30! So no clue why I''m sooooo grumpy!

Oh, and not sure if anyone remembers the whole office situation.....It''s almost done!! The desk the other manager picked out are waaaay too big for the space...but thankfully my desk faces away from them so I don''t have to worry about looking at everyone cramped into a little room.....I get the window that looks into the kitchen (I work in the Food and Beverage Department in an upscale exclusive retirement community) so I can watch my husband working (He''s the sous chef).

 

[Mara]

WEIGHT REPORT! I am so happy to say that J is just one oz shy of 10lbs!! so he gained 1lb 5oz in 2 weeks. YAY.

re: sleep sheep...yes i have heard most moms say that it is only good for 4th trimester really but that''s ok for us right now. i am hoping to find some iTunes rain download that we can try for ''repeat'' and if not maybe a CD. our house is SOO creaky that i feel like every time we are walking anywhere it makes huge noises. he sleeps ok through noises but sometimes when he''s been a pill to get down the last thing i want is the wood floor waking him up!!

re: feeding within the hour... if its formula i read ''warm'' within the hour. but if you fridge it, you can keep it up to 24 (according to the can). for BM i have read anytime you ''warm'' it from cold state then fridge it again you can increase bacteria levels. J usually downs his bottle within 20-30 min so we don''t have an issue with it thankfully. but making the formula bottle at night we normally try to do it not before too long so he DOES consume it within 30.

reflux... the pedi wants us to try giving J rice cereal to help with the reflux rather start medicine, to see if it helps. she said they don''t typically recommend cereal til 3-4 months but with a reflux baby she said she''d prefer to do that vs medicine IF it works. also right now he is only getting like 2 bottles a day so not sure how much it will help at night when he doesnt seem to have the same level of reflux he has during the day. THOUGH last nite greg said he was spitting up a lot at the 3am feeding SOOO who knows. so we''ll see how it goes with what we are doing already then see what we think. she said all the other stuff we are doing is a''ok and to continue. in a week we can assess and she said she will go with what WE prefer... if we feel like he''s really in pain because of it she''ll give us medicine.

he has been a lot more good natured the last few days, i don''t know if its a combo of all the things we are doing (inclined sleeping, sitting, eating, keeping him upright after feedings longer, more burps in between eating, not too much handling or playing right after eating, gripe water, etc) or just a natural progression, but i''ll take it, whatever it is. of course he still is crazy fighting the naps during the day but i think that''s just his age.

QT...love the new pic and love seeing you here!!

 

[Mandarine]

Re-using formula, the "hour" rule applies once the baby has "touched" the bottle. You can pre-mix and save it for 24 hours as long as the baby hasn''t been drinking from it. Once they touch it, they say to drink within the hour or discard because bacteria grows quickly.

I know that''s the rule of thumb for formula, not sure about BM.

Mara, re:rice cerealRegarding rice cereal, I have been giving my boys the Enfamil AR for about a month now (added rice starch...which I guess it''s not the same as rice cereal, but the Dr said we could try that because it''s the same concept for preventing spit ups). I bought the medicine (Zantac) but never gave it to them!...I figured I would try the formula first. It has worked!!!. I wanted to do the Enfamil AR rather than adding the cereal just to cut down on the amount of things I have to mix! (I have enough to do as it is...hehe). It actually worked better on Alex than on Lucas (Lucas still spits up a LOT!)...but I don''t want to have them on different things, so I''m waiting and seeing if he sort of outgrows it. Doesn''t seem to bother him and it''s not everyday...so we''ll see.

Awesome on the weight loss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Viz Sorry you had a just ok birthday!. If it makes you feel better I spent our anniversary a couple of weekends ago throwing up with food posioning! hehe...and yes, I was in bed by like 9pm!. We just know how to rock don''t we?

 

[phoenixgirl]

Steph, yay on the 4 hour stretches!!!

Mandy, good luck on cutting down on computer time. PS is so addictive!

Anchor, the discomfort will pass quickly. I''d only pump if the timing works out, say, if Jacob goes down at 8 and you can pump at 10 or 11 without losing sleep yourself (then you can add to the freezer stash for Mom''s night out!).

Qtie, sorry to hear about the rough night. I hope tonight goes better. But awesome that you got 7 ounces!!!

Viz, happy belated birthday! Hope you have fun with your family!

 

[steph72276]

Good morning! Yay, the baby went his 4 hour stretches again last night. I feel so much better with a little more sleep! I think I''m going to have to bring up reflux to the doc though...he has just started doing the whole projectile spit up after every feeding now, poor thing. Yuck! Had to change clothes 2 times during the night even though I had a spit up cloth on my shoulder when I was burping him. He hasn''t been fussy or anything though. It is raining here today, so I''m going to try to get some things done around the house while the baby is napping. Happy Friday!

Sha, sorry she is waking up during the night again...no sleep is not fun at all! I agree it''s fine to use the bottle if it''s within the hour.

CC, yeah I couldn''t get through the blog either...too sad.

Mandi, I know what you mean about the computer...I''m limiting my use too.

Mara, you will have to let me know how the rice cereal goes...I''m going to ask E''s doc next time we go, but it''s another 2 weeks. Yea on J''s weight gain! Oh and thanks for the info on the sleep sheep.

Anchor, I agree with others to just try to drop the night feedings unless you want some for storage.

Hi, Nov!

QT, sorry for the rough day...love the new pic, so cute!

Sugarpie, thanks for the link

Pandora, that is sweet that you bought some hats...I really hope they raise enough money, I just can''t imagine having to worry about that after you just lost your little one.

Viz, sorry about the bad day yesterday. Yea for the flip video!

Tao, sorry for the grumpy mood, but yea for E sleeping and the office situation getting handled!

Hi PG!

Hello to all the other mommies! Can''t wait to see pics. I haven''t taken one yet, but will try to get one later!

 

[fieryred33143]

I am soooooooooo tired! And Sophia had nothing to do with it because she woke up at 7:30! I wish I would have stayed home today lol!

I have no good pictures to contribute. She won''t stay still anymore

. This was this morning. You can kind of see her teeth

 

[Sha]

Thanks for the comments on feeding from the same bottle. I'm glad I have at least an hour leeway before I have to dump the milk. I'm trying to get Dalila adjusted to on a bit of formula as I'll have to combination feed when I go back to work. She's taking it very reluctantly - drinking a bit then turning away and squawking in protest.

She's probably wondering "what the heck is this new thing?"

fiery - what are you talking about - that's a cuuute picture! Sophia is such a sweety. I love her dark eyes. Seems like she's such a smiley, easy-going baby.

Confession of the week: So everyone but me knows you're not supposed to but metal in the microwave, right? I'm such an idiot!! A few days ago I noticed my breast pump had a burnt hole in the handle and that it wouldn't suction properly. I couldn't figure out why...I was like, "Stupid thing cost so much money and it stopped working already!!!

" Grrr..... I figured I really needed one, so in a very difficult month with tons of expenses, I scrounged together the equvalent of $35 USD to buy a new one. Coming home with it - I got ready to pump some milk to leave with DH when I went to choir practice. Then I thought, oh..."I should probably sterilize this first", then popped it into the microwave in my sterilizer. Loo-loo-loo-looooo, la-la, la-laaaaa....... Seven minutes later, I go and take it out, and there's another hole seared in the handle!!! WTH??????

""I just bought this!!!" I try to save it by taping it up with some duct tape and various other implements, but it still didn't work...I had to throw it out. ANOTHER pump destroyed, and I didn't even get to use it!!!!

$35 USD!!!!

All because I forgot I shouldn't put metal parts in the microwave!!! I'm SUCH a DOLT!!!

Anyhoo...

This photo of Dalila is kind of grainy, but I think it's cute:

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Sorry I''ve been MIA -- it''s been one of those weeks when it feels like everything is going wrong!

For BPF, I put a pic of Ben next to a pic of Will at about the same age. We are amazed at how much Ben looks like Will! It''s almost as if there was some cloning going on. It''s not as easy to see in these pics as it is looking at Ben IRL compared to Will''s old pics.

Medications and Mother''s Milk -- Just wanted to let you other BF mamas know that I got the 2008 copy of this book, so if you need me to look up a medication, I can. If you don''t know what this book is, it''s published by Dr. Thomas Hale, and he reviews most medications to tell if they''re safe to take while breastfeeding. You may find that every medication you want to take has "Do not take while breastfeeding" printed on it, but this is a CYA move by lawyers. Many medications are quite safe to take while nursing, but doctors don''t always know this and go by what''s printed on the medication insert. I''ve used this book in the past to show my doctors exactly why taking a medication is safe, so it''s really a god-send IMHO. I don''t mind typing up the entry and explaining why something is safe.

Mara, that''s so awesome that J smiled at you! Didn''t it make everything better? I''m sure your poor pup will adjust and probably be J''s best friend when he''s a little older! And

on the weight gain! Sounds like J is doing wonderfully!

I think some babies are less inclined to want closeness. It''s not that they don''t want ANY -- they just aren''t as snuggly as other babies. Sometimes they grow out of it, sometimes they don''t. I know SO''s oldest son was like that and I think he''s still pretty much a hands off kid.

It''s hard to say what''s going on with the sore boob, but from your description, I''d be inclined to think it was a plugged duct that came unplugged without your needing to work on it. You might try getting J to nurse in different positions so that he can empty that side in a different way, if he will be agreeable to that.

Natalina, I finally got to talk to the director of day care last night and told her that I''d simply appreciate a note on the dirty clothing if they weren''t rinsed. She was quite horrified that the woman didn''t rinse them or let me know that they were so nasty. I may ask how soon Will is going to move to the next class up because I''m not 100% confident that his teacher can handle the class she has. Last night when I put him in the bath, I found another bruise on his back -- it seems like he''s *constantly* getting hurt and his teacher is unaware of it. I know little kids get hurt (and he has the bruises up and down his legs to prove that he''s rambunctious), but a bruise on his back is odd.

About pumping: I would not stress about not having a big output when you pumped. Ellie is old enough that your supply has just adjusted to match what she needs precisely. Of course, it''s good to have a little stash to allow you to get out a bit and you could mix milk with her cereal, so what you might do is start pumping just once a day (in the morning would be best). In a couple of days, your supply should be up a bit to meet the needs of that pumping and your body will remember how to respond to the pump. I wouldn''t expect to get huge quantities, but after a few days, you should have enough to be able to freeze a 3 oz. bottle, which should buy you about 3 hours of child free time.

About AF/supply: I wrote below (and came back up here!) that with Will, I found my supply would dip quite a bit during AF. When it first happened, I started taking fenugreek and then later on moved to domperidone because at 6 months, it got pretty ugly. This time around, I''m being somewhat proactive because I think my supply is less this time so I''ve already been taking both More Milk Special Blend and domperidone. I feel better doing this, but I don''t think it''s necessary -- see if you have a dip and if you do, throw in some fenugreek. I added below, but I''ll put it here, too -- kellymom says that a calcium/magnesium supplement can help with the AF dip and it can''t hurt to take one.

Tao, I don''t watch American Idol, so I have no idea who Ellen and Kara are, but I love that E was grinning at them! So cute, but it sounds like you''re got a little ladies man there!

Blen, I hope G is feeling better! FWIW, I think even in glasses, he looks like a George. I never really considered that name too much in the past because I didn''t know any Georges, but now I really like it. Your boy wears it very well.

Sunkist, I''m glad there were no really bad results from the dog eating the pacifier! It was nice of Wes to want to share with Pepper, lol.

PG, I''m so glad that Claire does not have RSV or RPS!

Fiery, I feel for you with the medication fight. Will got really bad about taking medicine when he was late in his first year and has not improved. When we''re desperate, we''ll mix tylenol or ibuprofen with juice, but I think he might have caught on to that trick, too. It stinks because when he has a fever, we pretty much have to wait for it to come down by itself. When he had to have a couple of fillings done, we couldn''t even drug him up because he refused the dentist''s special juice (and ended up getting the fillings done only under gas!). It''s frustrating, so I hope Sophia keeps getting better.

I love that she tried to roll under the couch. She''s sounds like she''s so much fun to have around!

Viz, that''s awesome that Charlie slept so well for your birthday!

Amber, I don''t remember when my kids started real giggles, but each of them have started with these weird laughs where they actually suck in air. I wish we could add media files here, ''cause I''d do one so you could hear how it sounds. It''s sort of bizarre.

I''m so easily amused that I think it''s hilarious when babies fart really loud. It''s the only time in your life that you can be so carefree!

Steph, awww, so cute that Evan is smiling at Andrew! How is Andrew''s behaviour lately? We''ve had some issues with Will so I''m going to try this 1-2-3 Magic; I got the book and read about 1/2 of it last night. I hope it works to calm Will down a bit because lately, it seems like he''s so much more emotional than he used to be (as well as energetic, and not always in a good way).

I wouldn''t feel bad at all about DTD. You know your body better than your doc!

EB, I wish I could tell you something better about post-partum AFs, but mine went from being just annoying pre-kids to being a freaking flood the first 2 days every single month after I had my first child. It hasn''t improved over time. =( I also totally get screwed on the no AF while bfing thing. I don''t remember when it came back with the older kids, but with Will, it was back at 4 months. OMG, I was mad -- especially because he was nursing around the clock with no supplements or anything. I''m wondering if AF will wait a bit this time since I''m taking domperidone and that can affect AF.

Supply dip during AF -- Just in case anyone has to deal with this! It''s really common and I went through it every month with Will from 4 months to a year. I recently read on kellymom that taking a calcium/magnesium supplement will help. It can''t hurt, so I''m probably going to add this in by the time Ben is 3 months because I doubt I''ll get lucky and get a long break from AF.

Ginger,

for being able to start freezing bm! It sounds like pumping is going great! And

for being in pre-preggo jeans! I am extremely jealous, too!

Anchor, Ben is sleeping about 5 hours at night and I just nurse him in bed without waking completely up most nights. I don''t get up and pump, although I think I should. And then I think how much I really appreciate my sleep, so I don''t. What NB says is spot on!

China, I just read some stuff about reusing/reheating bm in a bottle. Here''s a link at kellymom. I wouldn''t have a problem putting a partially finished bottle back in the fridge for another feed a little bit later, provided this was refridgerated and not frozen milk since the frozen milk would be missing the antibodies that would stave off the nasties. I get really upset when I have to dump any milk.


===========

Yeah, so it''s been one of those weeks. Ben has woken up much much more so now he spends a lot of time awake during the day, which is awesome because I love when they start interacting. He''s been smiling up a storm, which I also love. However, I had a project come up that I had to get done RIGHT NOW and juggling him with writing was next to impossible.

SO got served the other day. His crazy ex wants to take him back to court over the kids'' insurance. SO had insurance on them through COBRA from his old job, but it ran out at the end of January. Part of me is ticked at him because he KNOWS she will use any excuse to go back to court so he should have been on top of it, and part of me is ticked at her because she has so little to do that she can sit around and find reasons to mess with him. It would have cost $1500 for a new retainer for the lawyer in order to go back to court, but luckily, if he gets insurance asap, Crazy is willing to drop the court date. Thank heavens he can do that because if he had to spend any more money on legal issues with this whack job, I would lose my mind.

But this brought up another issue. He was looking for insurance for himself and the kids. He knows darn well that if we got married, he could be added to my insurance for only $100 more a month. Now, I''m not one to suggest that we should get married only for the insurance benefits, but this whole marriage deal has become a big issue between us. He is the one that proposed 4 1/2 years ago, I accepted and then stood by him through all of the crap with his ex, so my feelings were hurt that he wouldn''t see this clear solution to the insurance issue. Last year, we planned March 20 of this year as our wedding date, but then that got scrapped because of some other issues and because I got pregnant, but I am having trouble with what seems to be his lack of follow through.

I think hormones have a lot to do with this because I''m not normally this insane about getting married.

I now have 30 oz. of milk in the freezer, but am in a bit of a panic because I need 120 in order to be able to travel. So now I''m pumping several times a day when Ben nurses and trying to get 4.5 oz. in the fridge per day so I can freeze 3 oz. and give him 1.5 oz. in the evenings if he needs it. I hate feeling like I''m behind the 8 ball.

I don''t know what I''m going to do if a customer decides that I need to come for training any time in the next 30 days. Luckily, nothing is on the horizon and this is our slow time for training, but come summer, I know I have to be ready since we''ll have the new version out.

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Sha, what kind of pump were the ones you killed? I have a Medela Harmony that I''m not using so you''d be welcome to that. I think all of the parts to it can be sterilized in boiling water.

 

[Mara]

happy friday all!!

re: formula...that stuff smells so gross when you clean the bottle!! it''s crazy that the baby takes it so easily. greg is disturbed by that actually--he''s like kid don''t you have any standards???

mandy... lol it was weight GAIN for J not loss for me, but i wish i did lose 10lbs!!

so last nite our crazy baby shocked us by sleeping 8.5 hours for the first stretch. i kept waking up after 3:30 (the time he typically gets up if i put him down at 9:30 or 10pm) and going why isn''t he moving around and waking up?? but we decided to let it play out and see and wow...shocking!! finally after i got up at 5:30 and HAD to pump and we were making noise did he surface. after his bottle he went back down and is going on 3.5 hours after that one. i figure it''s the growth spurt or something!

a few times he stirred and squeaked but he went back to sleep. also the pedi was saying we can start trying to lengthen the night sleep by seeing if he is really hungry or will just be pacified and go back to sleep...so greg did that this morning, when he was showing signs of surfacing around 9am, he went in and put the sheep on and shhhh''d him and he dropped back off.

oh and does anyone else have a baby houdini? no matter how crazily tight we swaddle this kid he usually manages to get an arm out and then flops it around crazily...thankfully that''s not usually til morning.

steph... sorry to hear about the reflux...we have been doing the incline sleeping, eating, awake time and it really does seem to help, and the more frequent burping. also i have been doing shoulder burping instead of the bend over burping because i read it puts less pressure on their tummies. i am hoping we don''t have to move to the cereal yet but we''ll see.

mand...thanks for the chime in on the cereal. i''ll check out that enfamil. right now we are giving him similac sensitive which he seems to like. funny i remember rice cereal from when my 19 year old sis was just a baby, we used to give it to her when she was a few months old.

fiery that pic is CUTE girl...your sophia is such a little doll. she does always look so happy!

sha...love the pic of D cuddling the stuffed animal.

viz...sorry bday was just ok, hopefully you have a fab wkd!!

re: the blog...i can''t even go there. esp after the SIDS babies mention. it''s so scary.

i have my 6w pp appt today, i am freaked about her doing a pelvic but we''ll see. also i am going to have her check my boobs, the left one is not hurting anymore but it''s still so weird it''s fluctuating so crazily, but maybe she will tell me that''s normal.

here''s my friday pic...i got this yesterday when i put him in this onesie for grandma''s visit. he made the funniest expression, he looks like a total little man!!! i look at this and think oh my gosh where is my little BABY going???

 

[steph72276]

Here''s my pic for the week. Sitting in the boppy enjoying being entertained by his brother!

 

[AmberWaves]

love the pics mommies!

I have a confession:

I squeeze Piper's butt right before I put a new diaper on her every time. Every. Time. It's too cute, how can I not?

Letdown feeling is back, btw. Interesting.

Re: AF/BFing. I EBF, 24/7, no bottles, got my period back at 6 weeks pp!!

Attached is a pic of Piper at dinner. My big girl.

 

[AmberWaves]

Another from dinner (her future god mother took it). Gotta feed her!

 

[sunkist]

Fiery, S is getting sooo big!

Sha - D looks like a little baby doll, so perfect

RPS, Steph, Mara - such good looking boys you have!

Mara, isn't it nuts how they change from looking like a newborn to a baby at 6 weeks!!?! Love his grandma tee.

Amber, you and Miss Piper are looking beautiful! I love all your pics with her. I need more pics of me and Wes.

Tao hope you're feeling better today

Here is Wes's Friday pic. He's 4months old tomorrow and he rolled over twice yesterday morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He hasn't done it again since though.

It was funny, I put him down on his play mat and DH and I both blinked and looked back at him and he had flipped onto his back!! I was like, wait I set him down on his tummy! So I put him back on his tummy and he flipped again, like a pancake

So we got out the camera and of course he wouldn't do it again... So he's normal right?? haha

 

[TravelingGal]

Love all the new pix...man, your babies are growing up so fast. Time is flying........

 

[steph72276]

Fiery, S is so sweet!

Sha, bummer about the pump

. D is soo cute and looks comfy in that pic!

RPS, they do look like clones! I need to do that with Evan and Andrew b/c they are twins too.

Mara, cute pic! Yea for 8.5 hours...umm, could you make a trip to FL and teach Evan how to do that?!?

Amber, Piper is too cute!

Sunkist, yea for W rolling over and that pic is super cute!

Tgal, hi and thanks!