PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[PinkTower]

Happy Friday, ladies!

HH, I hope you can get some serious recourse for your DH. Honestly. That makes me so angry for you! And I saw your comment about the Woombie - I wonder if it will work better for you when A is bigger? He's a little peanut right now, maybe he needs to grow into it.

mtjoya, what a cutie! She looks so stoked with that toy.

pupp, I still have to remind my mom and dad about things they really should not be doing with Micah - like feeding him french fries At least he will know your MIL and won't be as likely to cry for her as he would with a daycare. I will be thinking about you! When do you go back to work?

Mere, that picture still cracks me up! He's so little next to that humongous candy corn. And I absolutely loved being pregnant, too, until the last few weeks - then I was just huge and my waddling was horrible. Plus I had this weird tendon pain in my left inner thigh that made walking sort of uncomfortable. I don't miss that at all, but I do sometimes wish I could feel little kicks. I can hardly wait for our next mini-monkey!

I think I missed something I was going to respond to but I can't think of what it was lol.

Anyway, AFM, here is Micah's BPF. We took him on a Walmart run for formula and diapers (we finally got the Overnights Huggies, I hope they work because he is leaking at least once a day/night and it's killing us, even though the diapers are the right size for him!), and DH found this hat. It's meant for tween-age girls but it fit him so cute we got it. It was only a dollar, and he didn't have any problem with it being on. He was too busy chewing on his cart cover toy.

MP, Please tell me more about the cute outfit. I am beyond this phase, but I need a baby gift for October 28. The baby will be a girl, if that matters. -Thanks, PT

 

[blushingbride]

Thanks Lindsey - got it! DRK told me the dosage she took per day. How much did you take?

 

[AllieLuv83]

Hello Ladies...I guess I can officially join you over here. I posted my birth story on the pregnant ps'ers page. Little Charlie came into this world 2 weeks early he definitely listened to my pep talk about Mommy never being late to anything and telling him that he should not be late either. I guess he took that talk seriously and decided to come out early to prove everyone wrong.

He is 4 days old today, my DH and I are feeling like we are in a time warp because the days all mesh together, but finally today we have a chance to sit and relax. We are totally in heaven. DH is smitten, he just stares at him and mumbles things like "I don't know what I ever did before you got here" and "you are the best thing that ever happened to me". Everything seems to be going smoothly (knock on wood), he is nursing pretty well and my milk finally came in. We have been having to supplement with some formula because he had a bit of jaundice, but hes getting better and less yellow . The doctor thinks that because he is BF and because we have a blood incompatibility, that this is the reason behind his jaundice.

Here is a picture of him napping in his little crib for the first time and taking a little sunbath (natural photo therapy) to get rid of that yellow tint!

 

[turtledazzle]

Allie - He is precious! Congrats to you and your DH!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Anyway, AFM, here is Micah's BPF. We took him on a Walmart run for formula and diapers (we finally got the Overnights Huggies, I hope they work because he is leaking at least once a day/night and it's killing us, even though the diapers are the right size for him!), and DH found this hat. It's meant for tween-age girls but it fit him so cute we got it. It was only a dollar, and he didn't have any problem with it being on. He was too busy chewing on his cart cover toy.

MP, Please tell me more about the cute outfit. I am beyond this phase, but I need a baby gift for October 28. The baby will be a girl, if that matters. -Thanks, PT

I'm not sure what you mean PT - you mean his jammies? Or his hat?

Allie, congratulations!!! What a cutie!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Blushing- Sorry about not posting the link to the site. THANKS to Lindsey for passing it on! Just thought i'd share my dosage- I take 3 pills 3x/day. Each pill is 10mg, so that's 90mg/day. I think that's somewhere in the middle for recommended dosage, which is what my DH is comfortable with me taking (he's a medical chemist and tends to think conservatively about these things- in fact, he didn't want me to take it because it's not approved in the US)

HH- Sorry to hear about your newborn pics experience. Like Mara's our photog came to us and offered up lots of great pre-session info. Yeah, my DH was kinda take it or leave it about the whole then, but then we got the pics and he was all gaga. Now he admits that it was totally worth it- the pics are priceless. Just wait until you get yours I'm sure that there will be more than just one that you'll love!

MP- please post pics of your paci clips! Would love to see them.

Allie- Welcome and CONGRATS! Charlie is precious

AFM- Nico turned 4 months on Friday. His pedi visit went great- he's now a bit over 11 lbs, and is 24 inches. He continues to grow on his own (slow) curve which his pedi is happy with. He took his shots like a champ, and was just somewhat cuddly/clingy for the rest of the day (just like for his 2 month shots). We got the go-ahead to start solids at 5 months- looking forward to it!

This weekend was filled with adventures- drove about 45m to go to a food truck fest yesterday and it was a total bust as the lines were HORRENDOUS. I'm sure they didn't expect such a big turnout. Anyway, we left and had to scramble to find somewhere to eat. To make matters worse, I think I left the diaper bag's changing pad in the family restroom- ugh. Any idea where I can score a replacement? it's a brown nylon SKIP HOP pad.

Today was much better- stayed close to home and went to the local Pumpkin Festival. Ran into some friends and just had a nice family outing. Got some great pics- here's one:

 

[PinkTower]

I mean that cute little fish suit!! The whole photo was so cute I stopped and stared at it!! You really need to become a pro photographer. You are better than most.

 

[somethingshiny]

Just wanted to pop in and say we're here and everything's fine, just really busy.

All the babies are so sweet and cute. I love the fall pics!!!

Lily is 3 mo old now! It's hard to believe. As much as time flew with JT, I think it's going even faster this time.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Allie-what a cutie pie!

 

[MonkeyPie]

I mean that cute little fish suit!! The whole photo was so cute I stopped and stared at it!! You really need to become a pro photographer. You are better than most.

Aw, thanks PT I got the fish suit at The Children's Place! I love these except in the middle of the night when I have to fight with the zipper, haha. Best part is it's only $5! But it's here: http://www.childrensplace.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10001_-1_614802_120813_24101|24558|24535_newborn|boys|sleepwear_newborns

Charger, I attached a picture of the first paci clip, which came out the best. He was not crazy about the new paci, but chewed like mad on the strip so he must like it ok lol. I took this one quick with my cellphone and he was all over the place with excitement so it's blurry lol.

 

[jcrow]

lulu - em turned 6 months on oct 7 and we still haven't given em solids. no cereal or anything. at her 4 month appt. the doctor said everything seemed to be going really well with bfeeding so he saw no need to start foods. i also wonder if because she was born early, her tummy was actually a 3 month old tummy and maybe not ready. that's my guess, although the doc never said that. today is her 6 month appt because we were out of town last week. i'm sure we are going to be given the green light to start.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

*sigh* I wish I had a happy baby. I'm so sick of hearing about people and their happy cooing loving babies. My kid cries 24.5 hours a day, doesn't smile, only makes angry sounds, and acts like he basically hates me. He wont even look at me unless he's eating

 

[lovelylulu]

hudson - i promise the *happy* will come. my own baby nearly slept through her first two months and while that might be better than a cranky kid, I was longing for some more playful interaction. it came. and aiden's will too.

how old is he again?

 

[lovelylulu]

thanks jcrow and dreamer!

happy six months em.

we've decided to hold off for another month or so and see if she seems more ready.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Thanks Lulu, he's 5.5 weeks. We have an appointment with the pedi this afternoon to talk about what's going on. Though a friend told me our pedi, while an awesome doctor, is really old school and believes in colic vs reflux or other issues. If she says there's nothing we can do other than what we're doing I might lose my sh*t.

 

[meresal]

HH- How old is your little one now? Have you tried taking him outside yet?

I swear the first 2 months are the worst. It all gets better.


Our little guy is 6 whole months today! He slept thru the night last night, it has happened before but doesn't ever last more than a night or two, so we'll see if this one sticks. lol.
Also, he is now a car SLEEPER! I remember those trips where I would be crying as I drove b/c I just couldn't handle listening to him scream any longer. I never thought I would see the day, but it is finally here! This past week he has done really really well. He only fusses when he is hungry... which I can totally handle!

Cute cute babies everyone! MP, that paci clip looks professional! Awesome!

 

[PinkTower]

Thanks Lulu, he's 5.5 weeks. We have an appointment with the pedi this afternoon to talk about what's going on. Though a friend told me our pedi, while an awesome doctor, is really old school and believes in colic vs reflux or other issues. If she says there's nothing we can do other than what we're doing I might lose my sh*t.

Not sure it will matter whether or not the "thinks" it is colic or reflux. We had to take our daughter to a Teaching Children's Hospital for testing. I do not believe it can be diagnosed otherwise.
I have Crohn's, for example. But, I had a biopsy to confirm what we already knew. I recall you have similar issues, so I believe it may be genetic for you. At least a predisposition to stomach pain, I suspect ,is caused by the mother's health.
. But, both my children were terrible babies. I was a zombie. I recall one day my husband came home from work and I had her on the washing machine with the washer and the dryer going and the vacuum cleaner in the middle of the floor running for noise beside us. She was still screaming bloody murder. My husband looked at me like I had lost my mind and I was just babbling, "it is helping, it really is helping," like I was trying so hard to convince him of what we knew was complete madness.

By eight months I had her zipped inside one of those netted tents over her crib at because she would launch herself out. So, you may as well begin shopping for one.

But there is good news. She grew out of it. If it is any consolation, she grew into a wonderful girl. Take if from me, if you have a choice between a difficult teen and a difficult baby, you want the difficult baby.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Happy Monday, Mamas!

Nico slept in his crib/nursery for the 1st time last night. Of course I was up almost every hour checking out the video monitor, so didn't get the best sleep. He cried once around midnight. Went in to nurse him and he was out like a light afterwards. He didn't get up again until wakeup at 6a.

It took us a wee bit longer to move him to his nursery, as i honestly wasn't in a huge rush (he's not a loud sleeper or anything). We also needed to get a couple more things for the room (like a window shade!)- it isn't totally done, but he can at least sleep there. I'll admit that it's somewhat of a drag as our master bedroom is on the main floor and his room is upstairs. I'm sure I'll get used to it.

This is my last full week with him- he starts daycare next Monday and I go back to work the following Monday. Too bad that it's looking like a dreary/rainy week here. UGH

Happy 6 months to Em and C!
MP- THANKS for posting the pic of the paci clip. You're so crafty!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Thanks ladies. Mere, we have taken him outside. He passes out, which is great, but it's short lived. As soon as the walk is over and we're back inside he's up and fussing. Unfortunately in the NE it's chilly at this time of year so, while we can definitely go outside, staying out for hours on end isn't going to happen.

PT-I wondered about my stomach issues possibly being part of the problem and have gotten back on the gluten free wagon. I'll mention it to the doc today. Maybe my preexisting history will make the doc take it more seriously?

 

[ChargerGrrl]

oh yeah, speaking of nurseries- I recall that someone has the Ikea Poang chair in theirs. Don't remember who it is and really don't want to go thru the nursery thread- anyone recall who it was? would LOVE to know how it's working out and if you have the rocker vs. the regular poang. THANKS

i don't dig the look of the traditional BRU gliders- and they're kinda bulky. we'd prefer something that could be used in another room of the house once we're done with it (and is "sleeker" looking)

 

[ChargerGrrl]

HH- are you using any techniques like from THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK? They worked great for us- albeit, N wasn't particularly fussy, but when he was they worked like a charm. I wouldn't recommend reading the book at this point- check out the DVD instead. The doc also has a facebook page and he's pretty active with it.

hang in there- as the other mamas have said, it does get better.

 

[MonkeyPie]

I think it was Mara that had the Poang, Charger... I could be wrong, but I can almost swear we had a thread just about those chairs.

Thanks for all the compliments on the paci clip I really enjoyed making it, and I plan to make him a few more and then maybe start selling them on Etsy. They are just so much fun to make. Plus they are cheap, one-of-a-kind baby shower gifts!

HH, I can't exactly relate but if it helps, the first two months are USUALLY full of "baby hates life" kind of screaming and wailing. They just don't know how to do anything else and so for every little thing they cry. You're so close to him being out of that phase, and then he will smile at you and you'll forget all these hard nights. I promise, it's coming!

 

[PinkTower]

If it is a big group, It will depend upon which dr. you get. I got one the first time that had a new baby at home. He therefore felt that no matter how bad I had it, he had it worse.

Next time, I got a different doctor and he insisted the baby go for testing right away. I recall he said he wished he had seen the baby the first time, and used the word "humane." I will never forget that. And, ta da... the test was negative. I had birthed a baby shrew and the test was negative?

If you haven't had a baby like this, as the first doctor, you cannot know what it is like. I do not have one professional photo session of her, for example. It was out of the question. You would just have to live through it to know. One thing the dr. did say was to let her sleep on her stomach, never mind what the recommendations said. If anyone wants to criticize, they haven't been in my shoes. Besides, she never slept enough for it to be an issue. And, she slept in a swing. No bed until 7 months. She got to the point that she could tip it then, and within 4 more weeks she could climb and launch herself over the top of the crib, so we had to get the net tent/ cage for the crib top.

But now, I know I have Crohn's. Back then I did not know. So, it all fits now. Do you have any family? I went a couple of states away and stayed with my mother and stepfather for 3 weeks. That way, all three of us could pass the night together walking up and down their long gravel driveway at three am.
You will get through this, and we will be thinking of you. Let us know how it goes today.

 

[somethingshiny]

HH~ I'm sorry to hear you're still struggling with A. I had such a rough time with Lily for the first 2 months. I implemented HBOTB by suggestions from this thread. It took a while and a conscious effort on my part, but it eventually worked. Also, don't know if you're swaddling, but Lily was better after I stopped. And, I really don't want to offend you, but have you considered the possibility of PPD? The way you write is very similar to what I was doing when I was diagnosed.
Some of the symptoms include:
* Agitation and irritability
* Decreased appetite
* Difficulty concentrating or thinking
* Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
* Feeling withdrawn, socially isolated, or unconnected
* Lack of pleasure in all or most activities
* Loss of energy experienced
* Negative feelings toward the baby
* Thoughts of death or suicide
* Trouble sleeping

If you have any of the symptoms, talk to your doc or the pedi.


(((hugs))) It will get better!!

 

[gingerB]

quick drive-by

HH - <<hugs>> sounds like you're having a rough time. i distinctly remeber from ~4 weeks to ~8 weeks were THE roughest. sleep wise, fussy wise, everything wise. i am a whole hearted endorser of the HBOTB DVD. i swear it saved DH's and my sanity. my friend told me about it and sent it to me with a big lecture on watching it ASAP and i totally blew it off. the the 3 week madness hit and a week into it in desperation i popped in the DVD. it really does seem like magic! it takes a little prcatice to get the moves down, but its worth it. and also know that this too will pass. those few weeks we were like zombies going through the motion of life, but very slowly, things got better. they WILL.

charger - i'm pretty sure it was mara who got the poang

````
AFM - we went to go pick out our order for A's prof pics at 7 months. so cute!! it was insane to see how much he changed in just 1 month (turned 8 mos last friday) -- so much of his chub is melting away as he's elongating so rapidly. where is my baby?? can't wait for the pics to come in

learning to cook with quinoa this week. initial fail baby food wise (gagging, moaning -- oh the drama of it all ), but then i started hiding little bit at a time in his other food, adding more each time and now he's happily chowing away without complaint. also looking for ways to make it for DH and i. any suggestions welcomed!

i thought i was really cautious re: advancing A's diet, food selection wise as well as texture. but DH is more of a wuss than i am!! we started puffs a few weeks ago and initally DH was nooo...he's going to chooooke! he didn't. now he loves them (DH and A ). These past few weeks i've been adding diced steamed super soft carrots and peas both as finger foods and mixed into his chunky purees for texture and DH is freaking out. Then this past week I gave him a steamed super soft, but whole baby carrot to gnaw on and DH flipped again. he hasn't seen me start the mum mums yet - can't wat for THAT reaction . on a side cute note, A is starting to "chew" even his purees, i guess because we've been practicing with solid-solid foods. and i say "chew" because we are 8 mos and nary a sign of a toofus yet

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

HH- are you using any techniques like from THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK? They worked great for us- albeit, N wasn't particularly fussy, but when he was they worked like a charm. I wouldn't recommend reading the book at this point- check out the DVD instead. The doc also has a facebook page and he's pretty active with it.

hang in there- as the other mamas have said, it does get better.

We use the 5 s's religiously. They work during his witching hour, but the rest of the time we're sort of at a loss. We just got back from the pedi and she suspects reflux, so we're going to try rice cereal in his bottles and then move on to Rx if needed. Hopefully the rice cereal works and works quickly because I don't think I can take two more weeks of this and that's how long she wants us to try it for. In a matter of a week he's gone from being fussy in the evening to being fussy round the clock. He's not sleeping well and he's also not eating as well as he was.

Good news is he's 9 lbs and 24 " long, that's up from 5 lbs 10 oz and 19" at birth.

 

[Mara]

ginger...we do quinoa too, J seems to like it (tolerate it) with other things. but if you eat it plain it is kind of a funny nutty tangy taste. but i just love that it's a great grain. i also do a wild rice, couscous, garbanzo combo thing i found at TJ's. i just boil it for 5 min then add a bunch of veggies in to boil with some evoo and then puree it all together.

but since J has been teething so horribly his tummy is all messed up so his poo is like thick paste consistency so i am just doing basic veggie and banana puree's with rice cereal to help bind it for now. it makes mealtimes way easier that's for sure!

re: poang..yep we have it in J's nursery. we didn't use it much when he was little but i do sometimes to rock him or read him a book. we have the brown leather. i will say i am tall and it's an easy/comfy sit for me but if you are not tall it might be a weird sit, I think snlee had it too and is smaller and didn't like it as much. and it IS hard to get out of sometimes with a sleeping baby, since it sits back deeply and angled. but i really like it and am glad we got it.

HH ditto the other ladies that it DOES get better. there are definitely days where i thought J hated me or didn't even care about me, felt just like it was give give give and he took took took. it's so hard with no reciprocation, i think we are all conditioned to give and receive love and affection and with the baby they just are not there until closer to 6-8 weeks. and he'd wake crying. be on the changing table crying. he seemed to only be happy when eating. he had mild reflux and we did the whole tilted sleeping bassinet, elevation while sleeping, etc etc. we also did gas drops and gripe water which did help. also--i know you are BF'ing and i don't want to say stop BUT if things continue, and you have cut a bunch of stuff out, i'd be curious enough to give him some sensitive tummy formula for a day or two and just SEE if that makes a difference. if nothing else it's a data point. but it will get better.

not too much else to report here other than J has a trunk rash now i guess as an 'end of virus' signal. it doesn't bother him at all and it's fading, yest it was more prominent but my poor baby. and he's been waking more at night, just crying and rubbing his mouth. my poor little boy!!!

 

[meresal]

Hudson... is he falling asleep at all? How?

You sound like you are at your witts end, so for your own sanity, I would throw out everything that you *know* is supposed to work, and just figure out what works for him.
People constantly told me that I needed to get my baby out of the sun/Texas heat... but I knew that is where he wanted to be and it was what made him happy... and was the only thing that would get him to sleep.

You say it is getting cold outside, but is it affecting your little one? Do you take him inside b/c he is cold, or because you want to go inside?

And just remember... he is not upset and crying to make you unhappy. He is hurting. It is not your fault, it is not anyone's fault, but he needs you to be there for him. Just take deep breaths and if you need to, set him down for a few minutes and come back.

Have you tried letting him nap on his stomach? Since I could watch him during the day, I started doing this with C at 6 weeks. I would check on him every 10 minutes. I also held him on my chest at night. Once he could move his head back and forth in his sleep, which was about 8 weeks, we moved him to his crib and let him sleep on his stomach. Just another thing maybe you could try to help him out.

You are doing great HH. Just keep it up! It is just a phase and he will be smiling and happy in no time! We can all vouge for that!

 

[Mara]

...re babies crying because they are hurting..

I always refer to this article I read back when I was looking for articles on 'perpetually fussy babies' around 4-5 weeks for J. I will have to see if I can find it again but it's a book called something like Your Fussy Baby. It's by the same Dr that wrote Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby.

Anyway in this first chapter (found online) ... he said that when babies cry, even incessantly, we ASSUME that they are in pain or sad or whatever. We attribute rational emotions to them. But really they can also be crying because that's the ONLY WAY they know how to communicate. They can't talk. They are fresh outta the womb. It really stuck with me and maybe it was like a drowning man clinging to a life raft or something but I preferred to think that J was not crying because he hated me or the world and that we were doing a crap job, but because it was his only way to communicate.

Just a potentially different alternative thought. Doesn't mean that Aidan is not feeling uncomfortable at times if he does have reflux or gas or whatever but 24/7 ... I tend to think that normally the babies don't feel like that. So there have to be some times when they are just communicating. It may not be the way WE would prefer, who wants to hear crying??? But that thought might help mentally sometimes.

I'll try to find that chapter and link it. I was going to get the book but within 2 weeks J was getting better.

ETA...did find it. I think all new moms should read this..!! It definitely helped me late one night reading it thinking, GEE maybe it's not me.

Your Fussy Baby: Excerpt First Chapter
http://www.enotalone.com/article/4386.html

 

[meresal]

Ohh, Mara, I was just referring to the reflux... if he does indeed have it.

I can understand if the baby never stops crying, but if he stops when you do something in particular, then I would do that for as long as possible. Anything beats the crying.