PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[AmberWaves]

Not even going into the recent drama, as it''s been discussed beyond belief, but CHINA: regarding your question about how working "with" Piper is going... well... It''s going! It''s amazing because time really flies, you know? I''ve been working with her since January 3rd or so and it''s still hard- probably because of the lack of naps. While it''s incredibly lucky for me to see her all day long, but I''m also with her ALL.DAY.LONG. I love my girl to pieces and it''s just fantastic to see her hit those milestones (I watched when she rolled over for the first time- priceless), but it''s INCREDIBLY hard to work with her there. I am trapped between wanting to absolutely put her first, but I''m at work, and I actually have to WORK. I get unsolicited advice from my childless, single, male boss which makes it sound like I''m neglecting her, but it can''t be both ways- you can''t claim she spends "too much time" on her back (btw, I hold her every time the bosses are gone- which is literally 80% of the work day) then hand me a sheaf of papers that needs to be done ASAP. That, coupled with her new stranger danger fears and I''m overwhelmed. Then, I come home and do the same things I do at work, only "work" is now take care of the husband. Since she has been born- five months on Saturday- I have never, ever been away from her. That''s a lot of not-me time.

I don''t resent her, the second I feel that coming I''ll either find a way to not work (which isn''t feasible right now) or have someone watch her.

 

[Mara]

we picked up hyland''s teething tablets today at target. did anyone else notice that one of the ingredients is belladonna? it is a perennial poisonous plant. this from wikipedia: The foliage and berries are toxic, containing tropane alkaloids.[1] These toxins include scopolamine, hyoscyamine, and atropine which, while having legitimate medical uses at low doses, induce delirium and hallucinations when ingested in sufficient amounts.[2]Atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine are derived from the plant for use as pharmaceutical anticholinergics.

i know that a lot of moms used it with no side effects but just figured i''d put that out there. the dosage is extremely low, but i''m a little paranoid. i''ll ping J''s pediatrician to see what she says.

i also got him some teething rings with texture and poor thing doesn''t know what to do with them when i hold them to his mouth. he prefers to bite his hand so far.

welcome layney, love the pic!!
amber...j''s hand is all red when he takes it out of his mouth. it can''t be comfortable!

i was thinking today why aren''t there paci''s that are textured so that the kid can suck and bite at the same time. and at least they''d know what to do. though maybe if you are BF''ing you don''t want them learning to bite on the paci AKA nipple....haha!

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 4/22/2010 1:52:05 AM
Author: Mara
we picked up hyland''s teething tablets today at target. did anyone else notice that one of the ingredients is belladonna? it is a perennial poisonous plant. this from wikipedia: The foliage and berries are toxic, containing tropane alkaloids.[1] These toxins include scopolamine, hyoscyamine, and atropine which, while having legitimate medical uses at low doses, induce delirium and hallucinations when ingested in sufficient amounts.[2]Atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine are derived from the plant for use as pharmaceutical anticholinergics.

i know that a lot of moms used it with no side effects but just figured i''d put that out there. the dosage is extremely low, but i''m a little paranoid. i''ll ping J''s pediatrician to see what she says.

i also got him some teething rings with texture and poor thing doesn''t know what to do with them when i hold them to his mouth. he prefers to bite his hand so far.

welcome layney, love the pic!!
amber...j''s hand is all red when he takes it out of his mouth. it can''t be comfortable!

i was thinking today why aren''t there paci''s that are textured so that the kid can suck and bite at the same time. and at least they''d know what to do. though maybe if you are BF''ing you don''t want them learning to bite on the paci AKA nipple....haha!

Mara had no clue about the teething tablets, you are wise to ask the Pediatrician about the ingredients..

The best thing I had for teething was wetting a soft wash cloth and then putting it into the freezer and letting them go at it...
I know some people let their kids have a frozen waffle, or bagle, but it''s up to your comfort factor and what J is used to...
I can''t believe he is teething already?? Where has the time gone???

 

[gingerB]

mara - i read somewhere or was told that this early drooling is part of the baby's defense response as they are beginning to puy things in their mouths. there fore the body makes drool as a "protein barrier" to protect them/wash away bacteria on the things they're shoving in there. A is starting to be a drool machine and is constantly shoving his hands in his mouth. but i haven't noticed major biting or red hands yet -- is that what makes you suspect teething?

layney - welcome!

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

so i got my u/s. one lump was just dense breast tissue. the other one they couldn't tell if it was old milk or tumor. so they reommended a biopsy. immediately. like today. i sort of freaked out and couldn't decide what to do. which is ironic as this is what I do (hematology/oncology fellow). but i clearly was NOT thinking clearly. and i knew that so i called my calmest and most rational friend who is luckily also in heme/onc and she calmed me down and made me realize that if anyone else was in my position and asked me what to do hands down i would have told them to get the freaking biopsy and just find out as i have way to much on my plate right now to worry about something else and the alternative to everything being ok it's just old milk is really REALLY bad (cancer). so i rearranged the rest of the day and got the biopsy. results will be back by next week. and additional bad news, they told me after the biopsy i can't lift anything heavier than 5 lbs. my LO is 12lbs. so i haven't held him since i got home and it making me

. this with A's sleep and work looming and DH's work issues and ongoing family "stuff" i feel like i'm getting kicked from every direction.

eta: oh and the biopsy site is right where my pump pushes on my boob. um ow. and on top of all this, as expected everytime i stress, i feel the begginnings of another plugged duct.

ok. done with this poor me post. sorry guys.

 

[steph72276]

I just have a quick second before I drop A off for school, but wanted to say I''m thinking about you, Ginger...what a scary experience. I''m sure it''s nothing and they just wanted to be extra vigilant. Hugs.

 

[fieryred33143]

Big hugs Ginger

. Crossing my fingers that you get good news.

Mara-I did read about that in other posts. The pedi didn''t mention anything. I think it doesn''t have enough to cause an effect but it definitely could happen!

*********

Last night was way better with putting Sophia to sleep. I definitely think it''s separation anxiety. I put her in the crib and just stood next to her, when I got out of sight she started crying. So I put one hand next to her face and the other on her back. She squeezed my fingers and it took maybe a minute for her to fall asleep. Way better than yesterday.

I''m trying to decide if I want to do photo invitations or just regular invitations for her b-day. I''m thinking regular is going to be a lot easier...there are some really cute options on Etsy though.

I like =tags&includes[1]=title:2o8h065d]this one, =tags&includes[1]=title:2o8h065d]this one, and =tags&includes[1]=title:2o8h065d]this one in the pink and green.

But then they have =tags&includes[1]=title:2o8h065d]this one and =tags&includes[1]=title:2o8h065d]this one that do not include a photo. It''s a lot though for the amount of cards you get. If I go this route, I probably won''t do Etsy.

If we do take a picture, I was thinking about having her wear =tags&includes[1]=title:2o8h065d]something like this out in the park. I may even stick her in a tutu

 

[sugarpie honeybun]

Date: 4/22/2010 5:17:04 AM
Author: gingerB
mara - i read somewhere or was told that this early drooling is part of the baby''s defense response as they are beginning to puy things in their mouths. there fore the body makes drool as a ''protein barrier'' to protect them/wash away bacteria on the things they''re shoving in there. A is starting to be a drool machine and is constantly shoving his hands in his mouth. but i haven''t noticed major biting or red hands yet -- is that what makes you suspect teething?

Ginger- so sorry to hear about your situation. It''s very scary, indeed. My mom and I both have dense breast tissue and have had suspicious lumps removed in the past. Fortunately, they turned out benign, but every time I feel/felt a lump, my heart sinks. Sending you healthy dust and vibes!

Quick question - you mentioned ''red hands'' in your post above. Is this usually an indication of teething?

DS is 6.5 months and has been drooling excessively since 3 months. Other than the drooling and putting everything in his mouth (including hands), he does not have any teeth showing through the gums. He does, however, have this strange red rash on his hands. I''ve attributed it to constantly putting his hands in his mouth. Are you saying the red hands indicate actual teething?

 

[vizsla]

- micah is beautiful! congratulations! welcome to the other side!

ginger - ((hugs)) girl.. i had something very similar happen to me - did your doctors mention cystic fibroadenoma? it's very common and the fibroadenomas grow due to the increased levels of hormones in your body. i had a biopsy as well and it was the worst week of my life! hang in there! i'm sure it has something to do with hormones or your milk production. also sympathies on not being able to hold A - when i had my bb surgery i had a drain for a week and couldn't hold C - this also stunk! i ALSO want to send out hugs for having to go back to work. hopefully you have an understanding boss. i would highly recommend not going back a full week at the beginning - ease your way into it. come here often - i think i sat at my computer and typed and cried for most of the first 2 weeks back to work. ((hugs))

fiery - so sorry about the separation anxiety. does FI drop sophia off in the morning? does she do the same thing with him? sometimes i wonder when i have trouble putting c down in the morning (he's up at 5, wants to go back to sleep at 7) is it because i'm there when he goes to sleep, but gone when he wakes up? wonder if he knows that yet? i still have to click on the links for your invitations - i LUV the ladybug theme! are you going to get sophia a matching dress??

ETA: amber - i'm going to go over to the other thread to talk about work stuff but ((hugs))

thanks ladies

holy poo storm batman!
i honestly don't know how to respond to the last page ..... and i kinda don't want to to because i'd rather just move on.

HOWEVER, my post was actually a post of understanding for HH. i can't put it any better than what fiery, aj and mara have already said - that isn't how i roll

the fact that you were so offended by my post is exactly what i meant. if we had a "relationship" and time to learn about one another - i don't think you (or freke) would have been so thrown off. lurker, newbie or regular poster - come on in! like any group, we DO get to know each other's style and nuances over time. however, unlike face to face interactions, i can't put any intonation or inflection in a blind post, so please don't read one into them.

 

[lovelylulu]

popping in to say that I''m thinking of you ginger and hope that you hear some good news fast!!!

 

[Mandarine]

holy poo storm batman! is right Viz! hehehe.

I will just say that Viz definitely doens't roll that way!. In fact, I'm surprised how she rolls at all with the kind of sleep she gets! lol

You know it's really funny that you guys bring up the defensive mommy mechanism.

OMG. It's just SO TRUE!.

Before babies I would always try to help my sister when she came to me about "problems" with her babies. I would offer my advice, she would get all defensive and I would be left wondering why she asked me in the first place!.

No that I'm a mom I get it. We're just so hard on ourselves when we become moms. We truly question everything we do....so we get defensive of our choices, because we are all trying to do what we think is best for our kids!...and we hope we're making the right choices!

So anyway...for the lurkers and the new commers...you are all WELCOME here!...and we're not mean girls, I promise

***

So my little guys are not into carrots!!!. I was going to try again today. Do any of your LOs not like carrots?. If so, did they like the other orange stuff?.

ETA: Ginger

thinking of you too!!!! ((hugs))

 

[steph72276]

Ok, I have a confession. You know how I joked that I was pregnant again...well, the past few mornings I have felt completely nauseous when I got out of bed. The feeling comes and goes all day. This morning, my back was hurting. I don''t *think* I am...I''m on the mini pill because I was nursing. I think I might have just let myself get dehydrated because I''ve been working out a lot and not drinking enough water. So I went to the grocery store to buy a few things and picked up a test, but the self checkout lane was closed, so I put it back b/c I was too embarrassed to pay for it with my 11 week old baby in the cart

. If it continues tomorrow, I will force myself to go get one. I''m not even sure if 3 babies were in the plans at all and especially not having them 1 year apart, but if it''s meant to be then it will be okay. If not, I''m getting on a stronger pill asap

.

 

[Jas12]

Just lurking
but wanted to chime in on your recent "sexy time" discussion
It may hurt for a looong time. i was not expecting this. It was totally painful for many months and i was freaking thinking i''d done some permanment internal damage or something. I had a moderate tear so nothing abnormal and i thought after the 6 weeks i''d be good to go. I think it was 7 mos before things felt alright and eventually went back to 100% normal (phew) but i like to share that with friends b/c i didn''t expect it. BFing may mess things up too. Hormones are wacky and I also noticed that when i fully weaned at 16 mos i was like "oh ya, my body is just mine and my husbands now after over 2 years of pregnancy and nursing" Psychologically it was nice to not have to share my belly/boobs b/w 2 guys anymore

 

[E B]

Sort of a quick one from me today. My normally happy-go-lucky kid has turned into a demon child in the past 16 hours. I think he's getting a new tooth.

Ginger- Thinking good thoughts for you! I hope you get great news ASAP.

Mara- I also worried about the Belladonna, but I think the amount is *so* small, it shouldn't be an issue. Have you read this?

fiery- It could be separation anxiety. H seems to experience it in waves. Sometimes he's more clingy than others. Cute invitations! I like =tags&includes[1]=title:2o8h065d]this one the most, but of the ones with photos, =tags&includes[1]=title:2o8h065d]this one's (the second option, with the green floral) my fave. FWIW.

sugarpie- The teething process, for us at least, started months before any teeth popped up. We didn't experience the red hands, but it sounds like the rash could be from all the saliva.

viz- SO not the way you roll. Hugs to you, lady!

Mandarine- H LOVES carrots. He seems to dig the orange foods. His favorites: Sweet Potato, Squash (both Winter and Butternut), and Carrots. We don't give him sweet potato much any more because it causes really soft poo. Blegh.

FL Steph- Oh man! Well, I hope the test result is whatever you'd prefer it be.

I think, at just over 10 months, Henry is DONE with purees. Both last night and this morning, he's refused to let me feed him. I was able to get most of his dinner in him last night, but don't have the energy this morning, so he's happily dining on a breakfast of puffs. We'll go to the store for finger foods later.

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 4/22/2010 10:55:56 AM
Author: E B

I think, at just over 10 months, Henry is DONE with purees. Both last night and this morning, he''s refused to let me feed him. I was able to get most of his dinner in him last night, but don''t have the energy this morning, so he''s happily dining on a breakfast of puffs. We''ll go to the store for finger foods later.

Quick from me too but EB, since you and I are currently the President and Co-President of the ''mamas too scared to feed finger food'' club, you absolutely HAVE to tell me what you get for Henry and how it goes!

 

[E B]

Date: 4/22/2010 10:57:59 AM
Author: fiery

Date: 4/22/2010 10:55:56 AM

Author: E B

I think, at just over 10 months, Henry is DONE with purees. Both last night and this morning, he's refused to let me feed him. I was able to get most of his dinner in him last night, but don't have the energy this morning, so he's happily dining on a breakfast of puffs. We'll go to the store for finger foods later.

Quick from me too but EB, since you and I are currently the President and Co-President of the 'mamas too scared to feed finger food' club, you absolutely HAVE to tell me what you get for Henry and how it goes!

Of course! Anything I get for him will be steamed to mush, poor kid. He won't even be able to pick it up.

One of these days, I'll work up the nerve.

 

[anchor31]

First, I think I owe an apology to everyone, because when I confessed I wanted to wean Jacob I said I was going to get lynched... Well of course I wasn''t. You have all been so supportive from the minute I started posting here just like for everyone else (freke I''m not sure where the ''not including MP'' thing comes from? If she wants to join us and post she is more than welcome too). I was projecting my own feelings and fears and I''m sorry. Thank you for all the support you''ve shown me through my decision-making process and once my decision was made. I do feel a lot better now!

Speaking of weaning, mara, I believe you are the only one here doing mixed feeding (if someone else is doing it, or has any advice in regards to mixed feeding and weaning, please speak up!)? Would you mind sharing about your feeding schedules and such and how it''s working for you? I''m thinking about weaning him slowly since only evenings are problematic so far. Right now he only gets one bottle a day, 8oz of EBM before bedtime. I pump once he''s done, then 2X between daytime feedings. I''m not able to pump enough to build a stash however, so if I want to be able to go out sans baby one day, I will have to wean him, at least partly. I''m thinking about switching the nightime bottle to formula next week and switch out the second next feeding to EBM, then switch that feeding to formula a couple of days later, etc. Thoughts?

I need to go shower before Jacob wakes up from his nap, so I''ll be back later!

 

[Mara]

re: red hands, the only reason i think he might be 'early teething' (aka long before a tooth actually breaks through) is because he is biting down on what you put in his mouth, esp his hands and it's hard. and the hands stuffing into the mouth and biting is a new thing, he has been sucking on them for a while now. my mom said that is what we did (biting) so who knows. it could be increased saliva, and maybe the development of learning to put things in mouth as well, not sure.

EB i'll read that link today, thanks.

so J went 11.5 hours last nite, crazy kid...! i woke up at 3:30 to peer at the monitor. it's funny how after 3 nights of him getting up early my body just reprograms to wake up at that time to look. and again at 6 when G got up for work and figured he'd get up with the noise G makes but nope! he had worked himself down to the bottom of the crib though so we just left him there since i could see his face in the monitor ok. and at 8am he was still there. of course the minute i sit down to pump and get the bb's going he starts squirming and now he is starting to cry. WAH! this is when i hate being by myself, when i am stuck doing something and can't go get him, and morning pump is my largest so i don't want to break it up since i might not get it all out later. sorry kid!! mom is doing this for you...lol.

AND he only took like 20oz again yesterday. Ginger, lol re: A taking 24oz. we are lucky if J takes more than 20 most days..! but he is def still growing so i figure it's ok. i am freezing more milk now just because i don't know how long i can pump when i go back or how supply will be affected so if it's not necessary for him now he can get SOME benefit from it later. does anyone know when the benefits of it are totally gone, like is it right when you freeze it or after it's been in there for some time? (RPS COME BACK!!)

speaking of growing, i marked him out on his changing table yesterday and then measured his length like they do at the dr's office and it says he is 25.5 inches!! that means he grew 2.5 inches in 3.5 weeks!! which is crazy, he was 55% percentile when we went last time and now if he is really 25.5 he is 90% percentile for length. we knew he grew because we could visually SEE his ribcage and torso being longer but wow. poor kid, no wonder he was fussy last week!

ginger... ugh on the biopsy and hope everything comes back a'ok for you. so sorry about all the stresses, you are doing wonderful, just hang in there.

and i just had to chime and ditto mandarine on how viz rolls on such little sleep, seriously, viz you are amazing!!

kaleigh great idea on the washcloth actually and it's soft and FREE. i will try that today and see if J likes it.

steph holy crap..!! keep us posted and lol re not wanting to put the test in the cart with the baby in there HAHA.

jas ugh 7 months?!?! well thanks for the heads up hehee.

back later...bb's are done!

ETA...i'll respond when i get back anchor!

 

[vizsla]

fiery - i ditto EB on the invite - SOO cute! i''m a sucker for clean fonts too - LOVE that one!

steph - whoa lady my sister told me she was embarrassed about buying a test when her first one was 2.

i''d go straight to the dollar store! and report back ASAP!

anchor - when i did mixed feedings w/C it was because i wasn''t pumping enough - so whatever the difference was, i made up with formula. that gave me a little mental break when i wasn''t making enough. you could always split whatever you pump throughout the day too. even if he''s getting 1/3 BM at each bottle??

china - forgot to send my hugs for being finished BF. how are you doing? relief? sadness?

hooray mara!!! i''m so green with envy - in a good way of course

c has gone back to eating at 11p, 2a, 5a which is a marked improvement - now if he would just STAY ASLEEP in between feedings! his first ''stretch'' is getting longer

- but since it''s 7:30-11:30

- it''s like i need to go to bed at 7:30 in order to reap the rewards of a 4 hr stretch.

speaking of - c has been doing this new thing at night. since he is in our bed - after i feed him and hold him for a bit, i lay him down -of course he wakes right up- and then chats and rolls around for 15 mins - pulls his paci out of his mouth - waves it around anyhoo, when he finally gets to the part of the evening where he actually falls asleep, he buries his head in a pillow!

it was totally terrifying the first time, and each time i moved the pillow away he would roll to it again until his face was touching it. he sleeps this way next to me at night too - with his face in my armpit

. it must be a sensory thing right?? i can''t be the mom who puts a pillow in their child''s crib can i? the crib police will get me.
has anyone else experienced this??

 

[TravelingGal]

As a non regular poster (but very frequent lurker), I''ll admit I raised an eyebrow at Viz''s comment. And then I didn''t bother to comment, because I think if I had commented, it would have served to be exhibit A to her point.

Viz has a good point, period. This thread is going to foster a closeness that is very tight. After 2 years, I feel very very close to the women I shared the experience with and know "how they roll." That''s normal and to be expected. It also can seem intimidating to someone outside looking in. That''s why about once a year, we have discussions about how we want to "divide" the threads and people graduate from one thread and don''t really want to go on to to the next one because all their buddles they''ve bonded with are still technically in the other thread. Perfectly understandable, IMHO.

The only way to get close and involved with these women is to JUMP IN. I''ve really never known anyone on this thread to shun someone away, and at the very heart of this thread is that we mothers DO want to help another mother out. Yes, there are debates (which I think are not a bad thing.) Sure, some people are going to be more interested in others stories because they are in the same place in their life, but in case people haven''t noticed, there is a massive baby boom on PS and you can simply forge strong friendships with the people you are interested in.

I admit, I still mainly come to this thread for a few women who were posting early in my LIW days and it''s fun to see them with kids. Big deal...who cares what I''m interested in, right? Everyone takes and gives what they can and want from these threads. If you feel excluded, I do believe it''s more in your head than the head of others.

And finally, it''s been fun for me to see how the women DO bond on this thread. So many moms now and so many parenting styles, and yet people convene on this thread to chat, vent, and take a mental break from the kid. This thread is what you make of it, and so much good comes out of it when you choose to partake. If you don''t, you don''t. Life moves on.

 

[TravelingGal]

Oh, and the thing regarding this thread being cliquish...

It IS. Just the nature of the beast. Especially since there has been one big factor vs the early days of the mommy threads...a huge group of PS mothers chat "behind the scenes" on FB (that includes me by the way with a few of the moms from my day). I think it's great that it happens, but it can easily feel cliquish here and the toddler thread when someone says "for those of you who have seen my update on FB" and not everyone has seen it, but others comment. IMHO, no two ways about it, friendships are formed even stronger if you are talking offline, and that will impact these threads.

And it is what it is, nothing wrong with it, but people should be aware that it can serve to create that sort of atmosphere. I think it exists on the toddler thread at least, but it doesn't mean women aren't (at least in intention) welcoming of others.

 

[anchor31]

HH - I''m really glad my post and sensory defensiveness helped you! It was really a "Aha!" moment in my life when I discovered that existed. Before that I just seemed to have so many things bothering me, you know, a bit of SAD, a touch of agoraphobia, hypersensitivity to certain sounds, textures, ect. It''s great to be able to put a name on it, learn coping skills and have resources available.

MP - Looks like I hadn''t gotten around to saying welcome, so congrats and welcome! I hope you and Micah are recuperating well from the birth and feeding and sleeping and going well.

fiery - Was getting Sophia to sleep any easier last night? Trying to get your baby to sleep and they''re just screaming and screaming and finally fall alseep from exhaustion is so heartbreaking.

ginger - I''m so sorry you''re going through this, first A''s fever and now this... I''m thinking of you! I''m really hoping it''s benign. And ouch with the biopsy spot being when your pump hits.

layney - Welcome! I''m sure I''ve seen this avatar before. Your son is precious! BFing is so hard, so I feel for you. Some of us have been taking Mother''s Love More Milk herbal products to help with supply, I don''t know if that would help you (or if you''re already taking them). It has helped me stay (mostly) afloat so far, but now even with that I''ve had to switch to bottle at bedtime.

steph... Are you going to POAS?

jas - Thanks for your input. My doc said that for some women discomfort can last even a year! And sharing my body between two guys... yeah, it doesn''t seem like that''s something I can handle.

 

[Layney]

Ginger I''m so sorry you''re going through this - sending positive thoughts your way.

Anchor I''m also doing mixed feeding, though not by choice. Despite pumping and nursing round the clock and taking Domperidone and herbal supplements, I max out at about 250mL per day. Oliver gets another 500 mL of formula per day to make up the difference. I started supplementing him at 1.5 weeks old and he didn''t really notice a difference. Your plan to gradually wean Jacob by replacing one bottle at a time sounds like a good idea - it should be comfortable and relatively easy on both of you. Alternately, you could do mixed feedings instead i.e. 2 half & half bottles instead of one of each and gradually reduce the amount of BM in the bottles as you replace more feedings. Just a suggestion - don''t really know if this works or not. Good luck!

So Oliver has his two month appointment this afternoon - any suggestions for how to prepare for vaccinations? I''ve heard mixed reviews on giving babies Tylenol before the appointment. On the plus side it helps keep fevers down, but I''ve heard it may decrease the efficacy of the shots. Any suggestions on dealing with fussy baby after?

 

[Allison D.]

Just delurking for a bit to send a shout out to Ginger - hoping all goes well in your testing. You''re in my prayers.

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 4/22/2010 12:38:53 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Oh, and the thing regarding this thread being cliquish...

It IS. Just the nature of the beast. Especially since there has been one big factor vs the early days of the mommy threads...a huge group of PS mothers chat 'behind the scenes' on FB (that includes me by the way with a few of the moms from my day). I think it's great that it happens, but it can easily feel cliquish here and the toddler thread when someone says 'for those of you who have seen my update on FB' and not everyone has seen it, but others comment. IMHO, no two ways about it, friendships are formed even stronger if you are talking offline, and that will impact these threads.

And it is what it is, nothing wrong with it, but people should be aware that it can serve to create that sort of atmosphere. I think it exists on the toddler thread at least, but it doesn't mean women aren't (at least in intention) welcoming of others.

Yes, ditto all of this (although I wouldn't use the word clique...trying to search for a word to better describe it).

We are all friends on here and the majority of us are friends on FB as well. I would say that there are probably only 3-4 of the ladies on here that are not on my FB friends list (because they either haven't found me or are paranoid ::coughMaracough

.

But as you said, we are not unwelcoming. I've been on this thread for over 9 months now and I haven't seen an instance where someone was treated in a way that would make them feel like they didn't belong here. We can't be that way. Babies grow too quickly and before you know it you go from newbie, to regular, to a newbie again when your baby is over a year old.

And I can see how this place can sometimes feel intimidating if you are newer. I can only speak for myself but I'm sure the other moms will agree that it's a lot of fun when a new baby arrives on the thread. I love to give my unsolicited advice

, put in a couple of plugs for the baby crack machine

, and remember from afar how much fun having a newborn is but SO glad we are way passed that stage

.

Lastly, I really hope no one feels this is a freshman/seniors type of thing. Even the moms with younger babies have been a huge help to me when I ask questions about Sophia

 

[Mara]

re: formula and bm feeding, what we do is a 'cocktail' of breast milk and formula for each feeding except when i feed him directly which is of course all breast milk. typically we feed him 5x a day because his stretch of sleep is so long. i do a heavier mix of formula than BM for the before bed feeding and we put rice cereal in it too as recommended by pedi for his reflux. i don't know that he needs the rice cereal anymore but it's kind of a habit and i figure it'll keep his system used to it for when we DO start him on foods in a few months.

so his day looks kind of like this depending on his sleep length the night before:
7/8am bottle: 5-6oz, 2oz formula, 3-4oz bm
11/12 bottle: 4.5oz, 1.5oz formula, 3oz bm
3pm breast feed (~assume he gets about 4-5oz depending on how aggressive/lazy he is)
6/6:30pm bottle: 4oz, 2oz formula, 2oz bm
8pm bottle: 5-6oz, 2oz formula, 3oz bm, 1oz rice cereal (usually mixed with BM)

when we wean him entirely, i will prob start removing BM from some of the bottles to make sure that he is ok with eating a bottle solo of formula. he hasn't had solo formula bottles since week 2. i am sure he will be fine though because sometimes when my supply is not as high i will give him a bottle with like 2/3 formula and only 1/3bm if i am worried about rationing it out and he takes it just fine.

one note is that their poo does change when you start adding more formula in... whenever i have done that it seems like it takes a few days and sometimes J will not have as regular of a poo schedule when that happens and then when he does poo it's more olive greeny color.

i guess it would be easier to just give some formula bottles and some BM bottles but this is the way we have done it and it takes a minute to mix the bottle so i don't mind it and that way he gets BM every time aka if he is fighting a cold or something and needs antibodies or whatever.

viz... C will get better and better as he gets older i'm sure! i think that J is a weird sleeping baby anomaly. well him and puffy's baby too hehee.

TG.. re jumping in, yep that's exactly it. in the first month it was a little intimidating trying to post and have something worthwhile to say to moms who have babies that are 10 or 11 months since i had NO experience. and i am so far behind those moms that really i don't have a lot to add to help them in baby ways, but i can say things like 'great job' or whatever and at least give support.

i don't hang on any mom forums so this is my sole 'kid' related thing... the answers from the moms here who have BTDT are invaluable!

eta: fiery, re your callout (lol) i finally created a new profile so hopefully i will see you there.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/22/2010 12:55:31 PM
Author: Allison D.
Just delurking for a bit to send a shout out to Ginger - hoping all goes well in your testing. You''re in my prayers.

Ditto Ginger...I hope everything is well.

 

[luvinlife]

MP

Micah is such a cutie

. You''ve done good, Mom!

 

[Mandarine]

Date: 4/22/2010 1:19:48 PM
Author: Mara
r
one note is that their poo does change when you start adding more formula in... whenever i have done that it seems like it takes a few days and sometimes J will not have as regular of a poo schedule when that happens and then when he does poo it''s more olive greeny color.

Just wait until you start adding real food

Speaking of solids...

Carrots still get thumbs down over here...

Avocados: thumbs up!!!

 

[vizsla]

oh great. now i''m the ''raise the eyebrow girl''

i''m SO NOT a raise the eyebrow girl... i''m totally a go with the flow girl.

the reason i even said anything at all was because after the first quick comment by HH.
(and it was just a one liner, not a "hey how ya all doing, by the way i was just wondering if it was legal to tie you kids hands behind their back")

i *thought* she was being sarcastic. i laughed. turns out she wasn''t and it, sparked a little discussion - no biggie. we are all grown ups.

so i posted something to the effect of ''comments made by those people who don''t post regularly can get misconstrued b/c we don''t KNOW them yet'' - her comment sounded a little ''attacky'' and i was simply saying that we don''t KNOW her enough to think ''attacky'' or just a simple question. that''s all. i think i even mentioned that it shouldn''t hinder anyone from posting.
is that enough clarification?

i can see how stuff like this can make someone stop posting - i can''t convince RPS to come back even tho i tried and that stinks! she was such a wonderful asset to this thread.

layne - did i say welcome??? i had to go to dr. google to convert ml to oz

i''m so not metric fluent.
as for 2 month shots: tylenol dosage is based on weight so i would wait and see what your LO weighs and ask the doc how much to give if he is fussy after. c took the shots like a champ and then was really sleepy all day and just slightly cranky so we never gave him any tylenol.

 

[TravelingGal]

Viz, I will tell you it''s a great honor to be raise-the-eyebrow girl.

I just think people took offense because you said things "veer off course" when a non regular posts. That implied there was a "course" that non regulars make the discussion pull away from, thereby lessening the spirit of the thread.

Like now. What I''m doing. Are your eyebrows raised yet?

As for RPS, that''s really too bad. If she doesn''t want to post, she doesn''t want to post. Her absence here is a loss for sure, but as I said, life moves on.