PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[mtjoya]

Mara-Re: Bath time, I know I am guilty too as only giving her a bath every 4 days or so. I feel so bad but I always need my mom''s help and DH''s help. I am scared to give her a bath by myself. I still wipe her down with a wet cloth. I hate when her hair gets greasy! I feel like a bad mommy! But I think that every 2 days is okay, right?

Thanks again ladies for all the comments. I love my little angel! She is a feisty little thang!

 

[mtjoya]

Question: After JUST giving birth, do you ladies get the, "When is the next one?" WTF? I get that ALL the time! Hello! I JUST had a baby! Just wanted to share!

 

[Pandora II]

Fiery - sorry that Sophia is sick, hope she gets better soon.

Amber - Yay for Piper doing okay in her own room. D used to talk to herself when she was about 3-4 months but hasn''t done it since. It''s cute when they do though.

Mara - 2-4 months is the peak time for SIDS, IIRC it''s to do with changes in their brains to do with respiration control.

 

[fieryred33143]

Thanks ladies for the well wishes. I''m leaving soon so that I can put her to bed early again.

MTJ-I get that too. I think it''s just that people don''t know what else to talk about lol.

Sophia doesn''t get a bath every night. She gets a bath every 2 days because MIL gives her one. So I guess at home it would be every 4. I don''t wash her hair until the weekend so MIL will wash her hair once during the week. I can only give her a bath at night and I hate washing her hair before bedtime especially since the AC is on all the time at home.

 

[Mara]

re: bath... yeah we do it at night too and i just put a little hat on J''s hair and it helps keep his head warm and it''s dry within 30 min since he doesn''t have THAT much yet hehe. i know when mom watches him during the summer he''ll prob get bathed DAILY since she is obsessed with us bathing him more. i can do it alone but i prefer it to be with both of us since it''s just easier and goes faster that way.

re: SIDS.. pandora do you know why it would peak at 2-4? i will try googling too. i guess they are more ''mobile'' then but maybe not quite knowledgeable enough on how to get themselves out of something?

fiery..it''s great you could wait to see what S did when she wedged herself on the bumper. J is starting to do crazy magic with his swaddle blankets and newfound strength and coordination, so i am getting a little paranoid. guess next time he tries to get himself in a pickle i should see what he does. it''s scary for sure.

amber..yay for moving P to her room, that is great! i don''t know why but i feel like J likes having his own space. now we need to move him from bassinet to crib totally.

mtj..umm YES!! it drives me crazy too. our in laws this wkd were betting me that we''d be pregnant again in the next 5 years. i was like uhhh. how about you appreciate your EXISTING grandchild! sheesh. everyone only had to wait like 8 years for him! it''s like when you get married they all ask when you will have kids at the reception.

 

[gingerB]

oh yeah. TOTAL FLUKE. in all fairness though, going to grandma''s totally messed up his nap schedule and then his reflux had been really bad these past two days (maybe due to mom eating chili, curry and crawfish?

*ducks head in shame*) -- my poor baby. well, we just keep trucking along with crossed fingers and hope for the best!

in bb news -- i just can''t seem to catch a break. it''s always been tender, but recently i was ignoring the pain so i could hold snuggle A and rock A properly, which really rubs up against the front. so then i had some crazy pain with pumping due to what felt like an abrasion on my skin. so then i had to slightly cut back on my pump time for 3-4 pumps due to pain and trying to give myself time to heal. so now i have aanother plugged duct

big fat BOO. and so i am having a hard tie holding A again due to the pain and pressure. big fat DOUBLE BOO.

viz - *fist bump* boo for the fluke but wheee for 2 hour stretches! baby steps right?

fiery - awww..poor sophia. hope she feels better with a quickness!

amber - yay for a smooth move tot he nursery!

mtj - love jacky''s shock of silky dark hair -- what a beauty!

steph - glad E seems to be getting better!

mara - glad to hear teh girls are back on the job

 

[drk]

Quickie photo of Kara being held by her almost 4 year old cousin. He loved her.

Still struggling with pumping and poor output, and frustrated that she only manages to get a bit under an oz out on her own, even though there''s still as much left in there. Not sure how to increase her milk transfer.

 

[drk]

Oops. forgot photo!

 

[fieryred33143]

Awe Dr.K Kara is beautiful

I slept in Sophia''s room again last night. No fever which is great but she''s so congested! Around 2am I could hear that she was breathing funny so I called the pedi''s office. The nurse heard her breathing and asked that we bring her in today. This morning she was a little better so I''m taking her in tomorrow since she already has an appt scheduled.

Anything we can do to relieve congestion? We are using saline drops and she has a humidifier. I''m going to try Pandora''s (I think) vicks on the feet trick.

In other news, MIL told me yesterday that she put a little bit of cereal in her bottle. For what, I have no idea. I asked her not to do it again because she doesn''t need it. I swear the woman has selective hearing. I told her weeks ago that in the morning she can either get fruit or she can mix in the fruit with her cereal. Well, she considers fruit a dessert and doesn''t like to give it to her alone and she keeps mentioning that Sophia doesn''t like her cereal. Of course she doesn''t like it alone. She likes it with fruit!

Oh and I forgot to mention that on Friday we went to cheesecake for dinner and they had given Sophia her own little plate with cut up bread and banana! Isn''t that cool?! I was a little too afraid of giving her the bread but we let her grab the banana alone and she did well with it. She coughed/gagged a little but she was fine.

 

[Puppmom]

DrK, what a beautiful photo! Kara is darling! I''m pretty confident that DH and I will have a gorgeous baby because Pricescopers make some cute kids!

 

[sugarpie honeybun]

Date: 4/13/2010 10:10:35 AM
Author: fiery

Anything we can do to relieve congestion? We are using saline drops and she has a humidifier. I''m going to try Pandora''s (I think) vicks on the feet trick.

Fiery - have you tried the Nosefrida nasal aspirator? It works wonders on DS when he''s congested. Usually when he''s stuffy, we use the Little Colds all natural chest rub (no chemicals, just natural oils incl. eucalyptus, lavender, etc.) and sit in the bathroom with the shower steaming. Afterwards, we use saline drops and then Nosefrida. Has worked well for us.

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 4/13/2010 11:04:40 AM
Author: sugarpie honeybun

Date: 4/13/2010 10:10:35 AM
Author: fiery

Anything we can do to relieve congestion? We are using saline drops and she has a humidifier. I''m going to try Pandora''s (I think) vicks on the feet trick.

Fiery - have you tried the Nosefrida nasal aspirator? It works wonders on DS when he''s congested. Usually when he''s stuffy, we use the Little Colds all natural chest rub (no chemicals, just natural oils incl. eucalyptus, lavender, etc.) and sit in the bathroom with the shower steaming. Afterwards, we use saline drops and then Nosefrida. Has worked well for us.

Thanks for the suggestion sugarpie! I''m going to try all of that today

. Where did you get the Little Colds chest rub?

 

[sugarpie honeybun]

Date: 4/13/2010 11:06:39 AM
Author: fiery

Date: 4/13/2010 11:04:40 AM
Author: sugarpie honeybun

Date: 4/13/2010 10:10:35 AM
Author: fiery

Anything we can do to relieve congestion? We are using saline drops and she has a humidifier. I''m going to try Pandora''s (I think) vicks on the feet trick.

Fiery - have you tried the Nosefrida nasal aspirator? It works wonders on DS when he''s congested. Usually when he''s stuffy, we use the Little Colds all natural chest rub (no chemicals, just natural oils incl. eucalyptus, lavender, etc.) and sit in the bathroom with the shower steaming. Afterwards, we use saline drops and then Nosefrida. Has worked well for us.

Thanks for the suggestion sugarpie! I''m going to try all of that today

. Where did you get the Little Colds chest rub?

They sell it at BRU and Target. Good luck. Hope your cutie pie feels better soon!

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 4/13/2010 11:08:33 AM
Author: sugarpie honeybun

Date: 4/13/2010 11:06:39 AM
Author: fiery

Date: 4/13/2010 11:04:40 AM
Author: sugarpie honeybun

Date: 4/13/2010 10:10:35 AM
Author: fiery

Anything we can do to relieve congestion? We are using saline drops and she has a humidifier. I''m going to try Pandora''s (I think) vicks on the feet trick.

Fiery - have you tried the Nosefrida nasal aspirator? It works wonders on DS when he''s congested. Usually when he''s stuffy, we use the Little Colds all natural chest rub (no chemicals, just natural oils incl. eucalyptus, lavender, etc.) and sit in the bathroom with the shower steaming. Afterwards, we use saline drops and then Nosefrida. Has worked well for us.

Thanks for the suggestion sugarpie! I''m going to try all of that today

. Where did you get the Little Colds chest rub?

They sell it at BRU and Target. Good luck. Hope your cutie pie feels better soon!

Awesome! Thanks so much

 

[steph72276]

I'm doing the happy dance....I have lost all 30 pregnancy pounds!!! Woohoo!! Too bad I still have about 25 more to lose from before the baby, but that was my first big goal! E slept for 10 hours last night, which is awesome...I keep waiting for him to stop sleeping through the night like it was a fluke, but I think I might have just gotten lucky with a really good sleeper. I've gotta run, getting things ready for register my first baby for Kindergarten tomorrow

. Where did the time go???

Sabine, yea for J crawling...that is awesome!

Fiery, hope S starts feeling better. Hopefully the chest rub will help.

Mt, I get "so are you going to try for the girl?" ALL THE TIME. I'm like, "no I'm perfectly happy and blessed to have my 2 boys, thanks!"

Mara, if I think about SIDS too much, it makes me panic and run into E's room to check on him...I will be happy when they are not at risk for it anymore.

Ginger, hope A starts sleeping for you soon.

Drk, what a sweet picture!

Hi, Pandora, Puppmom, Sugarpie, and Amber

 

[phoenixgirl]

Dr. K, she's a beauty! I wish I knew how to improve her intake; I hope you find a solution.


So today DH got called to pick Claire up from daycare for inconsolable crying and a spot that appeared on her head (but went away) while she was eating, but he was an hour away on his way to meetings for work. By the time we had communicated via email/blackberry, though, he was able to get to her as soon as I would have been able to (with having to find someone to cover my classes and piecemeal together some lesson plans). But the doctor thinks it was just teething or constipation. She's only 13 lb. 9 oz; we really thought she was 14.5 or 15 pounds by now. But she looks like a healthy size, so I'm not going to worry. She is still EBF, after all. I'm sure she'll gain more rapidly once we start solids.

I've been on Fenugreek and did a lot of pumping over the four day break when I had Claire home with me, and now my milk supply is definitely up. I had to bring bigger bottles for the pump today because yesterday I just stopped pumping when my 2.5 ouce bottles were full (but then I did switch the bottles half-way through; I think only my right "super boob" really needs the bigger bottle).

So yesterday I discovered that water from the icemaker in the basement fridge, where I keep the freezer stash, had dripped down onto my bottles, which I stupidly did not have in an outside bag, and three of the bags were frozen to the bottom of the freezer. Ugh. We wound up having to partially defrost the freezer, but I got them out, and only one of them had defrosted at all when I did it (but not that much). Now they're in ziploc freezer bags too. The funny thing is that later I got on PS, and DH said, "Oh, you're going on the diamond forum to talk about the freezer bags, right?" but I really wasn't; I was just checking to see if there had been any updates since nobody posted anything all Sunday.

 

[Sha]

Hey - Just a quick drive-by post from work. I'm going to come back later to catch up.

Dalila had a little accident on Sunday afternoon. DH was hoisting her carseat up in the air ( to move it) and didn't realize it was titled forward, and Dalila flipped out of it and fell on her face on the tile floor.

I was just turning around to tell him to make sure the handle was positioned correctly and then I saw her fall. It was awful - she cried and screamed and screamed, and within minutes her lips and face were swollen. Seemed like she fell mostly on her mouth.

It was awful hearing her cry...

felt like my heart was ripping out. We took her to the hospital right away and they said she seemed okay but kept her under observation for a few hours. She was better when we went home but still crying a lot, and couldn't breast or bottlefeed because of a cut on her lip. She took the bottle today but still isn't breastfeeding, and her face is still slightly swollen.

I feel so upset and guilty about this - about making her suffer like this because of our carelessness. I mean, this is the 3rd fall she's had on a tile floor and she's only 4 months! That's like a fall per month!!

This one was by far the worst though... I think she fell from at least 4 feet up in the air.

I feel bad that we're supposed to be protecting her and yet she's fallen so often...even though I know mistakes happen.

She's so sweet and innocent and I just feel sick thinking that we're causing her pain unnecessarily....

I don't even want to tell my mother about this. She was so upset after Dalila fell the last time.

Does anyone know if a falll like that - on her mouth/gums/lips - could damage her developing teeth? She's 4.5 months.

 

[Burk]

Mara~We don''t do baths as much as I''d like, either although now that he actually likes the baths I''ve been trying harder to give him one every other night like T-but that hasn''t really worked out as well as I''d like. Yay for your new stroller!

viz~Um no, you''re doing nothing wrong, I struggle to find time to shower some days too...and I''m just crazy!

Funny you mention the nipple cream b/c dr. prescribed some yesterday. Hopefully it helps because man is it painful to have the thrush and the cracks.

Fiery~Sorry poor S is sick. Yuck.

Amber~Thanks. It is a bit crazy at times, but we manage. yay for moving Piper to her room!

Steph~Yay for pre-preggo weight!! I''m not even close...makes me want to cry to even think about it but with my crazy life I''ve really had a hard time getting a good workout in so I really shouldn''t complain.

Sabine~Yay for crawling!!

ginger~Sorry for the clogs! You poor thing!! While clogs are the only thing I haven''t experienced in my hell called BFing, I can totally feel your pain!

drk~Adorable pic!!

re "When are you having the next one" I haven''t got that, but I get the opposite from my MIL who has decided for me that we are done because in her words "two is perfect." Um, when did it become her decision? DH thinks we should be done (he''s quite a bit older than me and thinks he''s too old

) but I''m in no position to be deciding on having another kid right now-K is only 8 weeks old for heaven''s sake.

As for us, K had his 2 month appt yesterday and shots. He''s a big boy: 12 lb 6 oz and 24.5 inches long. Shots were miserable...he was his happy self for a couple hours after but then REALLY fussy the rest of the day/night and didn''t sleep as well as usual at night. Boo. Seems to be doing a bit better today. Here''s his 2 month pic. The kid does not sit still. Ever. He tries to stand up, push up when on his tummy and is just overall crazy. So, pretty difficult to get a pic that isn''t blurry.

 

[Burk]

Oh Sha, we must have been posting at the same time. I''m so sorry!! Accidents happen. Try not to blame yourself. I know it''s so hard to see your little one hurt/sick but she will be fine and she won''t remember it!

Give her hugs and kisses from us!

 

[Mara]

sha ...so sorry to hear about D''s fall. was she strapped into the carseat? i wouldn''t worry about the falls she has had, accidents happen. but if you are really concerned for the future, make mental notes to double check for safety before walking away or picking up carseat etc. we strap J into the carseat in the house before trying to transport him to car.

speaking of carseat into car, does anyone else feel like having to put the carseat in the middle backseat of the car is such a PITA in terms of getting it in?? i feel like i am always doing weird contorted gymnastics trying to get it in the middle and then snapped in. my mom and i were laughing at how things have changed. used to be carseat in front is fine. then it moved to carseat in back. then rear facing (or maybe that was before). then carseat in back middle rear facing. what next. carseat in trunk?

J is always such a wiggle worm i feel weird even just leaving him for a minute anymore in any type of ''questionable'' situation, because he''s starting to get so much more fast and mobile about squirming. and he''s only 2.5 months. if you are holding him up to your shoulder you always have to support him with the back hand, you can''t just leave him on your shoulder and relax because he loves to do arching backflips to try to throw himself off. he''s just a crazy man.

ginger... sorry about the bb''s. i feel your pain because when i have the weird shooting pains about once a week and a half, it hurts to even hold J close and rock him at night. though i have been trying to do what dreamer suggested in some previous post which is rub the nips between my fingers when done pumping or feeding, it hurts for a few seconds but i think it helps bring the blood flow back and makes them feel better later.

and yes i am happy about the milk production regulating again...i was getting a little worried i''d have to get up and pump at night, but thankfully i think i am ok. knock on wood. right now i am pumping at about 8am, feeding him at about 12pm, feeding him (intermittently-depends on how bbs feel) at about 4pm...and then pumping at 9pm. he also gets another bottle in there somewhere. i would like to keep this schedule up as long as i am out and then hopefully when i go back to work be able to cut out the 4pm so i am only pumping one time around lunch at work.

drk...great pic!! sorry the bb''s are not up to snuff yet..keep at it, it can take a little while. do the nurses have any other suggestions on increasing her intake?

steph... YAY for pre-preggo. oh that reminds me i should get over to WWT and post hehee. i am STILL waiting for the 14 lbs to disappear but it''s so weird my body is changing and my hips ARE getting smaller. so where the heck is the weight hiding. damn scale. oh and i agree re SIDS. i try not to think about it too much or else it really can drive you crazy. esp since sometimes J likes to sleep with his hand (usually wrapped in swaddle if he is able to get one out) against his face and mouth and i am always creeping in there to make sure he at least has a nostril exposed to suck air in. hehe.

sabine... ooh crawling!! so cute. have fun with robbie and des...and post some pics!

fiery... hope S is improving today. poor thing. btw...the baby crack machine is working great for us. J likes the rain and the lullaby ones..and when used in conjunction with the sheep, the kid has no hope of holding out against sleep hehee.

burk... wow K is a big boy!! love the pic, super cute. and you are superwoman for packing, moving, and having a newborn!

btw when do they actually not become newborns anymore? after fourth tri??

oh and PSA...for those who have gymbucks, don''t forget to use them this week!! i think it ends next sunday?

 

[puffy]

sha i am so sorry about D''s fall, poor baby!! but accidents happen. give her extra kisses and cuddles

burk awwwww, K is so cute! hope the cream works for you!

steph YAY for pre-preggo weight.

fiery hope S is better soon

re, the next kid...is it weird that DH is the one who asks me that EVERY day??? he really wants another one but i am perfectly happy with my 2 boys, but that''s not to say maybe in a year or two. then he keeps reminding me how easy both pregnancies and deliveries were. so i tell him, yeah let''s not push my luck..haha.

it''s about 10am here and noah is still sleeping. he went to bed before 8 last night...weird!!

 

[gingerB]

re: bath - we try to do give him a bath every other night because he LOVES it soooo much and is super cute and excited when he''s in it. so the relaxing part is not so much but we''re hoping it helps "wear him out" before bed.

drk - soory for the poor intake, no advice hear. as for the pumping and supply, just keep working at it and it should increase. at the beginning i was literally using a syringe to suck up evry drop and splatter in the pump and bottle to try to give A the maybe 5 ccs i managed to eke out. i remember being soooo tired and thinking if only I could make enough milk so that I don''t have to be so OCD about every drop (which I imagined to be full of life saving antibodies

this was also during my immense guilt period for not being able to get the bfing thing right and using formula to supplement, not a good time). and i worried that my IBTs COULDN"t make enough. but eventually they did, and eventually yours will too! and ditto on whoever said asking an LC or experienced newborn nurse for advice on transfer.

fiery - i heard great things about the nosefrida also -- from my pedi and from a mom friend who used it and said it really was effective.

steph - wheeeee! for the pre-preggo weight and I am simply green over your good sleeper

and awww for kindergarten...they grow so fast!

mara - SIDS is cosntantly on my mind, can''t wait until he''s out of the danger zone! sounds like you have a nice milk routine going on. wish my girls had the space to hold milk for longer than 4 hours or so without losing out

pg - that''s awesome you need a bigger bottle!

. lol on the diamond forum to talk about freezer bags.

sha -

poor baby! glad she''s doing ok. i don''t know about the developing teeth thing. maybe give a pedi dentist a call?

burk - what a cutie!! A is never still either he is constantly in motion. that''s the only reason i think he isn''t soooo porked out as that kid EATS.

puffy - again greeeeeen over the good sleepers

==============================================

so A pretty much did the every hour thing again last night. we are EXHAUSTED. and this is even after we gave up trying to keep him in the crib and let him sleep on us in the reclinier hoping he''d get some good sleep in. after an hour or so of sleep he would seem to doulble over in pain and cry out. we had to keep him completely upright on our chest for him to even seem a little comfy enough to fall asleep. poor baby. i don''t know if it''s the reflux having a bad night or major gas because of what i had been eating in the past few days or what.

i worry that he''s not getting enough sleep for his neurologic development so we literally spend all day tring to get him to nap, usually unsuccesfully other thana few 15-20 minute catnaps. our lives are completely overtaken by his sleep or lack thereof.

nothing is getting done.

 

[Mara]

ginger what does your pedi say about what is going on with A? and lack of sleep affecting dev?

have you guys tried giving him tylenol to help him relax enough to sleep? if he is in pain it might help...but unfortunately you don't know enough to know WHY he's hurting right.

and you guys have tried gripe water and the mylecon etc right? what about using camomile tea for some formula to help the gas? we did this ... not sure if you are doing any formula but we did it at night even when i was EBF (well it's not EBF but it was like 99% BM and 1% formula hehe) and would use the camomile tea to mix the formula with per pedi advice. now J gets like 70% BM and 30% formula and we still do the camomile tea...it's just habit but i feel like it kind of helps.

do you guys give him belly massages? we started doing this when J seemed to be really gassy, it was maybe around 4-5 weeks and it lasted til about 8 weeks. greg would give him a warm belly massage a few times a day and it seemed to help soothe him. he also liked being on his tummy while getting it.

just tossing out ideas here, don't remember what you guys have tried vs not. oh and also we have this giraffe someone gave us where you can take the belly out and it's lavendar and other herbs. you microwave the belly pack and then put it back in the giraffe (stuffed animal) and you can lay the baby on it. it's warm so it helps soothe them and helps the gas supposedly.

the good thing is if it IS gas or reflux, they do out grow it eventually with the maturing systems, so i know it's hard when you are in the thick of it but it's a finite period of time. hang in there... i know it's hard when they are so chill and relaxed and then for whatever reason they just start screaming or crying like they are in pain and you don't know how to fix it.

oh and re: the bb's holding milk... well i had to go through like 1-2 weeks of engorgement when getting up at night because it took that long for my bb's to adjust. i had to get up before J was even up to pump to relieve the pressure. but finally they caught up and now they don't even feel 'full' or engorged at all when i get up after about 9-10 hours. i know they ARE full because if he cries they will leak but they don't FEEL full. so hopefully at some point you will get there too!! it feels so much better.

 

[fieryred33143]

Kade is so adorable! I cannot believe he's 2 months already!

Mara-I am thrilled that the BCM

is working well for you guys! Wait until he gets into the projector! Awesomeness.

Ginger-poor A

Ditto Mara's suggestion on the gripe water if you guys have not tried it yet.

Vizzzzz-I'm a dummy. People were responding to you and I'm thinking, I haven't seen Viz all day today and then I realized you had posted above me on the other page with an adorable picture of Charlie

. Dur!

Sha-Big hugs! These things happen unfortunately but D is ok and she will be ok!


I forgot to mention that Sophia is afraid of the vacuum. Is it mean that I find this hilarious? Maybe that should be my Friday confession

.

Also, I think the days of crawling may finally be upon us. She's getting up on all 4s and rocking now. She's also learned how to go from sitting to her belly without flopping on to the ground and crying

.

 

[sugarpie honeybun]

Date: 4/13/2010 1:58:18 PM
Author: gingerB

fiery - i heard great things about the nosefrida also -- from my pedi and from a mom friend who used it and said it really was effective.

The Nosefrida is AMAZING. Once you get past the grossness aspect of it (you actually suck the snot using the tube and your mouth -there's a filter so it never actually reaches your mouth), it gets rid of EVERYTHING. I gagged the first time I used it on DS, and now every time he's a little stuffy, I whip out the Nosefrida and it works like magic (and I no longer gag

)


Sha -So sorry to read about what happened to your LO. I've found that babies are a lot more resilient than we think. I know that doesn't make your pain/guilt go away. Maybe call a pedi dentist just for peace of mind.

 

[Mara]

ditto babies being resilient!

when my youngest sis was about 1.5 years old she was a little unsteady still on her feet and running around the backyard. bonked her head right into the concrete birthbath and fell down. we all held our breath and she stood up, looked a little dazed then giggled and kept running.

fast fwd 17 years and she''s smart as a whip and about to be an international exchange student in europe. hehe.

 

[vizsla]

quick fly by-

ginger - hang in there girl.. you guys are doing an AMAZING JOB! no one, except people who have gone thru the up every hour stage for multiple nights, weeks, months

in a row know exactly how draining and exhausting the process is. do not beat yourself up too much and try to breathe ... i know how be-YOND hard this time is.

if you guys need to take turn sleeping in the recliner with A then totally do it! maybe take 2 or 3 hour shifts??

i remember worrying excessively about how much sleep C was getting in those early months (funny to say, he''s only 5.5 months). it RULED our lives... getting him to sleep, keeping him asleep, not disturbing his sleep occupied my every waking moment - which was a LOT of the day - and i still worry about it to some extent - but, not as much as months 2 and 3). what helped me is that while i DO think it is our job to encourage our LOs to sleep, and we DO have to work really really hard to get them to sleep BUUUUTTTTTT i also take solace in the fact that all babies are on a sliding scale. there will always be babies who throw of the curve, and for every baby that sleeps 20 hours a day there is one who sleeps 5. it doesn''t help when you are in the darkest part of it, but just know that your baby is in some good company and he''s not the only one who doesn''t sleep very well. not every baby needs 16 hours of sleep a day - it''s all just a general guideline.

i know how hard this time is.. i just want to jump thru the screen and give you a big hug - heck.. i''d even take over for a night for you... i''m really good at it now

.

keep doing what you are doing and slowly things will improve. they might never be 10 hours in a row great (cough, steph, mara, cough

) but it will get marginally better...

and then he will start teething....

but lordy am i used to it now.

i''d like to suggest dr. sears again... it''s an awesome resource and helps explain a lot of what a ''fussy/high needs baby'' is going thru and why they are the way they are. #1 thing you should know is that it is NORMAL and A will be just as wonderful and healthy as a "regular" baby

hello everyone else...

fiery.. i just saw that poor sophia is sick.. boo

and you had to go to work? double boo

- is she feeling better today??

 

[sunkist]

Sha, Im so sorry!! I hope Dalila heels up quickly! Re her developing teeth, it could possibly bruise her baby teeth but I wouldnt worry about her permanent teeth since those arent developing yet. I''m just replying because when one of my permanent front teeth grew in when I was a kid it had a permanent yellow mark on it. My mom said I did fall on my mouth once when I had my baby teeth, and the dentist said that could have caused "bruising" on this permanent tooth. But since Dalila is only growing her baby teeth under there just now, I wouldnt worry about it.

 

[ChinaCat]

Hi mommas. Sorry to be so MIA but I''ve been overwhelmed by work and out of town guests and have had no time to respond. I have been skimming when I can, so have seen all of the cute pictures and stuff!

Need a place to talk some things out and maybe you guys can see something I can''t.

Basically, I am overwhelmed and miserable right now. The "work/life balance" thing is such B.S. And for me, it''s work/Oliver balance, there is no time for anything else. Essentially, work has all of a sudden kicked into high gear. I am so busy I feel like I''m drowning. I look at the clock and panic because there aren''t enough hours in the day to get things done. I''m rushed so I am scared I am missing things and making mistakes (NOT ok in my line of work). If it was just a bad week, I could hold on. But I think it''s just bad timing. I am at a point in my career where I am managing deals on my own with minimal supervision. Before O, this would be great- learning more, taking on more responsibility, etc. Now it''s a nightmare. I don''t have time or energy to do it well and I don''t have the luxury of my bosses supervising or helping me.

I had a talk with one of my bosses (also a friend). Intent was to 1) discuss ways to better organize and manage our team so that things would be easier to handle; and 2) let him know that I am overwhelmed and the way things are right now is not sustainable. We discussed 1. But it became clear in discussing the first point that what is expected/required of me is that I work MORE, get here earlier, work nights/weekends if need be. I did not bring up point 2 because I did not want to have it appear that I was whining or making excuses. He''s a friend, he knows that sometimes O is up all night, that I come in a bit later than normal because I wait for the nanny and want to see O, etc. As a friend, he sympathises. As a boss, he needs me to work more.

I like my job because I like who I work with and I make great money. But it is not a passion or something I see myself doing long-term. It is not more important to me than O. I never wanted to be a SAHM. But I do feel like I am missing O''s babyhood and even if being a SAHM is not necessarily what I am best suited for, it may be something I should consider. For O, for my sanity, etc.

I feel lost and very caught between worlds. The SAHM I know love staying home and are in Junior League and play tennis and wear pink. Btw, I say that in jest, they are great women who are patient and wonderful at raising their kids and I wish I knew how to play tennis. I say that simply to say that they are not like ME. I wish all I wanted was to stay home. I am so envious of how sure they are of their place in the world. But I am scared I will be bored out of my mind. I am scared to change the power balance between me and DH. I am not sure I want to seriously reduce our income.

Writing this out I feel like I am just whining. I know I am lucky to have this job, that DH has a great job. I tell myself every day that other women do this all the time and I just need to suck it up. I have tried to talk to a few about it but either their jobs are totally different than mine or they simply don''t seem to have the same problem I do. But there is a problem when I cry every morning and every night whenever the littlest thing might complicate or add to my stress levels. I am not fun to be around, I am sure DH is tired of me always being so tired and sad.

Example of Easter weekend. We "traded" off. I ran errands and did work Saturday morning while DH watched O. Then I took O so DH could go to work. Sunday same thing. I took O, DH worked. DH took O, I worked. Got home at 5 to cook Easter dinner (DH''s sister and BF came to town to visit). Didn''t finish till 7 pm at which point I had to get O to bed so I didn''t really eat Easter dinner.

Same thing this past weekend, we "traded" off. I am simply not willing to live a life where DH and I both work so much that we never spend time together. Last night I worked late, he relieved the nanny. When I got home, he went back to work and didn''t get home till after I went to bed.

Does that sound insane to anyone else? Or is this just what the life of a working mom looks like? My DH doesn''t seem to think that this is a problem. I should say he is very helpful and hands-on and perfectly willing to help out when I need to work or whatever. When he is home, he helps 50/50. EXCEPT getting up at night, which seems to be my department. Lord how he bitched the ONE time I made him do it.

But that''s another story.

Oh and I should say that working part-time or reduced hours elsewhere has occurred to me. I am checking into it, but have no idea if that''s even an option right now with the economy and what I do.

Thanks ladies, if you''ve gotten this far. If you can believe it, I actually edited this down a bit.

And yes, VIZ, I thought of you ALL THE TIME the past few weeks. Any words of wisdom?

 

[sunkist]

Date: 4/12/2010 5:19:30 PM
Author: mtjoya
Question: After JUST giving birth, do you ladies get the, ''When is the next one?'' WTF? I get that ALL the time! Hello! I JUST had a baby! Just wanted to share!

I was just thinking about how people ask this question and I think that instead of actually referring to the next child they are trying to ask how this one is going. Cause if this baby experience is horrible you might think that would dissuade them from having a second, an vice versa if its going well.