PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Mara]

MP I have no advice to offer because we had to resort to CIO. My kid just will get more needy if I let him. Last nite we did our 2nd night of middle-of-the-night CIO and he was much better than the first night thankfully. As you know we did paci at night, but now he can do it himself. However he's LAZY and will just cry for us. And then he gets MAD. This kid has a temper. But yep during the day he's all sunshine and smiles. Anyhow, I finally realized I don't want a 12mo old who still wakes at night expecting Mom to come stick the paci in. If he doesn't do it himself, he doesn't need it. The last 2 nights I haven't gotten AS much sleep but I am hoping it's an investment for the long run. Also I wanted to get out of the feeding him at night habit we created last 2 weeks when he was sick and I was worried he wasn't eating enough.

I do still go in when he cries to do paci but if he pops it out 5 min later (both nights did this) then I let him CIO. Last nite he intermittently cried for like 30 min but it was far and few between and then passed out again til 7:30.

If he doesn't want to be coddled, cuddled, rocked, whatever, then what else can you really do? J does not like when I try to soothe him in middle of the night. He wants to suck on the bottle typically but that isn't going to happen anymore. And he is also starting to get mad when I try to stick the paci in. So I feel like this is it. Anyhoo. Just my perspective. It sucks, but I think it's working. And MAN how quickly they slide into bad habits if you give an inch!!

re: mixing formula with BM. we did it...but you apparently are supposed to use it quickly after making it because the BM breaks down more quickly when you mix it with something else, or something. But we never had an issues and we did that for 3 months.

 

[Puppmom]

Swimmer, I'm so jealous that your EBF kiddo only poops every few days. N still goes 5 or 6 times a day! I guess that's MIL's problem now.

HH, I hope today was a good day and that the formula is still working miracles on little A.

Mara and MP, sorry your munchkins are giving you trouble in the middle of the night. I think it's normal. My nephew who's 9 months has started getting up TWICE to eat. My brother and SIL are at a loss. The kid guzzles 8 ounces each time! He wakes for the paci too so sometimes he's up 3 or 4 times.

AFM - tomorrow is my last day of leave! And, I lost tickets to a show DH and I are really looking forward to. I tried to clean up the kitchen counter clutter (come on, you know you have it too!) and I think I chucked them! This was my favorite band when DH and I were dating (Dismemberment Plan) and they're doing a reunion tour. The show is sold out so I think we're out of luck.

Enough complaining - on to something good. N lifts his head during tummy time now! I'm glad he showed off for me before I go back to work since MIL will get to see most of his firsts now. Hopefully, she'll spare us and let us think that when we see him do something, it was the first time.

 

[curlygirl]

So with the possible switch to formula, I'm kind of concerned about A not getting the immunity benefits. I've heard sooo many stories about FF babies getting sick all the time. Is there any truth in this?

HH, just wanted to pop in and say this is absolutely FALSE. Both of my children were exclusively formula fed and rarely got/get sick. They were both also in daycare starting at 12 weeks so I think that's saying a lot. I can count on one hand the times that both of them have been sick over the past 3 years. Hope that gives you some peace of mind.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Thanks CG.

How many oz should Aidan be eating at 6 weeks and 9 lbs? He'll be 6 weeks tomorrow, and we just transitioned to formula. A is currently eating his prior BM serving sizes on the same schedule (2-3 oz every 2 hours like clockwork). He has no desire to eat more, in fact getting him to take even 2-3 oz is a struggle sometimes. I realize it's only been a day, and we are approaching the dreaded 6 week g/s. Maybe it's just an issue of his tummy needing to stretch out or maybe it will correct itself over this next week? Since we're boosting the formula with cereal, maybe that's filling him up? He still gets hungry every 2 hours though, so I don't know...

 

[Puppmom]

So with the possible switch to formula, I'm kind of concerned about A not getting the immunity benefits. I've heard sooo many stories about FF babies getting sick all the time. Is there any truth in this?

HH, just wanted to pop in and say this is absolutely FALSE. Both of my children were exclusively formula fed and rarely got/get sick. They were both also in daycare starting at 12 weeks so I think that's saying a lot. I can count on one hand the times that both of them have been sick over the past 3 years. Hope that gives you some peace of mind.

...to add to this, N is EBF and has already been sick.

edited to reply to HH. That sounds about right because that would be about 24 ounces a day.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Pupp, I thought formula babies ate more but at longer intervals than BM babies?

 

[Puppmom]

Hmmm, I think there's a formula (hahaha) for how much formula fed babies eat. Like 2.5 times their weight in ounces per day? So for A, that would be about 22/23 or so ounces per day. Am I making that up?

...or is it that formula fed babies just go longer because formula takes longer to digest?

 

[Mara]

...24oz a day for a 6 week old might be a little much from my recollection. You can probably google formula feeding and find a formula on it. I think it might be something like 2oz x their weight per day. So if A is 10lbs that would be about 20oz. At 3.5mo I think J was probably eating maybe about 15-20oz per day, I remember because I was pumping about 15oz a day and mostly keeping up. He only ever ate 30oz MAX even at 6months and he was growing totally fine, even now with 2 solids a day he drinks about 22-24oz. That whole 'formula fed babies will eat more' thing never really applied to us... J has never been a HUGE eater.

BUT I know that some kids eat more and some eat less. I would let A eat what he wants to eat, or seems to desire. So give him 2-3oz and if he wants more or is still rooting 10-15min later, give him another 2oz and see what he eats. I'd rather go that route than try to aim for something and end up feeling like he's not eating enough if he seems happy. But when J seems to want more I give it to him, esp if it could be a g/s.

The things I have heard is that formula fed babies tend to eat more because a bottle flow is typically faster than a boob. BUT that is really just any ''bottle fed' babies then not formula fed.

The other thing I have heard is that formula fed babies can go longer between feedings--I assume because of the longer digestion thing. But who knows!

 

[meresal]

C eats the exact same in formula as he did in BM, and still goes 3-4 hours between feedings. Which is what he did when he was EBF.

HH, I think you are overcomplicating this. Just pay attention to A. Stop feeding him when he is full, and feed him more if he is still fussy. He is the best indicator of how much he should be eating... not the internet.

A is doing better, right? So just take a deep breath, and enjoy it. He will let you know if he isn't happy with something and then you can go from there. As long as things are better, just continue what you are doing.

As for the *dreaded* 6 week growth spurt... it really shouldn't be that bad for you. If he is formula eating, then just watch him after his bottles. If he starts eating more then just make the bottles accordingly. You will catch on.
My problem with the growth spurts came from BF'ing. He went from eating in 20 minutes, to sometimes taking an hour or more, which happened until my body starting producing enough for him. That was stressful. However, the bottle feeding takes away that whole issue.
You will do great! It is just a learning process. Nothing to dread! Only a few more weeks and he will be like a whole different baby!

 

[somethingshiny]

2.4 oz per lb of baby is the formula. A 10 lb baby should have 24 oz in 24 hrs. Of course this is just a rule of thumb, I've found that 20-40 oz a day no matter what the weight is "normal." JT was very much the 24 oz in 24 hrs and stayed that way until he was well over 10 lbs (he was almost 10.5 at birth) and finally maxed out at 32 oz a day when he was probably 18 lbs. Lily, however, consumes 40 oz every day and has for quite some time now. As soon as A starts getting bored or turns away, remove the bottle and see if he'll settle without more food. If you can wait 5 minutes without him getting fussy, he's probably had enough. Most of the time, formula lasts longer in the belly than breast milk because it's not as easily digestible.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

HH- agree that your should just follow his cues but here's some guidelines as per the handout from my breastfeeding class. Note that it doesn't differentiate between BM and formula- it's just an overall "intake":

Weight/Milk requirement/feeding if baby is fed 8x/day/feeding if baby is fed 10x/day:
9 lbs/24.0oz/3oz/2.4oz
10lbs/26.7oz/3.4oz/2.7oz
11lbs/29.3oz/3.7oz/3.0oz
12lbs/32oz/4oz/3.2oz

hope this helps!

 

[Mara]

HH- agree that your should just follow his cues but here's some guidelines as per the handout from my breastfeeding class. Note that it doesn't differentiate between BM and formula- it's just an overall "intake":

Weight/Milk requirement/feeding if baby is fed 8x/day/feeding if baby is fed 10x/day:
9 lbs/24.0oz/3oz/2.4oz
10lbs/26.7oz/3.4oz/2.7oz
11lbs/29.3oz/3.7oz/3.0oz
12lbs/32oz/4oz/3.2oz

hope this helps!

hehe J only ever had 32oz like maybe 2x ever hehe. and he's about 18.5lbs. I was always trying to get him to eat more.

ditto the other Moms to go by A's cues. If you give him his 3oz and he is still rooting or starts crying or sucking then give him 2oz more. See what he'll take. You might establish a pattern within a few days, routine always made me feel better HA. Good luck!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Thanks ladies. Gah! Motherhood has made me an uptight neurotic mess. I keep second guessing myself with everything.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Thanks ladies. Gah! Motherhood has made me an uptight neurotic mess. I keep second guessing myself with everything.

Don't we all?

At least you are an attentive mother. But rest assured that you will not underfeed your child - he will definitely let you know if he is still hungry!

 

[jcrow]

hh - you are doing great. hang in there because it does get easier. and loads more fun.

--

so last night we gave em her first food - avocado! she loved it. really reached for the spoon with her mouth. i wasn't sure how much to feed her. see seemed like she could have kept on eating, but i stopped her. i think she ate a good bit, though.

are we suppose to feed her avocado today too? or do we wait the 3-4 days without giving it to her again?

 

[MonkeyPie]

are we suppose to feed her avocado today too? or do we wait the 3-4 days without giving it to her again?

Mmm, avocado...

I understood it that you feed them the same food for three days in a row to check for allergies - one feeding doesn't always let them show up, but three days works it through their system.

 

[drk]

Jcrow - I also think you give a food 2-3 days in a row before introducing something else. K liked avocado the first couple times, and then would only eat it when mixed with banana.

HH - Follow his cues. K eats solids twice a day, but still only drinks 20oz EBM a day. She's had that amount for the last couple months, even though she's now 16lb. I still don't get why the amount of BM a baby eats doesn't change much from 1 month to 6 months, but the amount of formula "they" say to give them does. Ah well, she's happy and growing, and that's what counts. When he hits the growth spurt and starts looking to eat more frequently for a couple of days, you'll know it. For now, I'd probably offer 2oz each time, and if he still wants more, offer 0.5-1oz more after that until he doesn't seem hungry any more.

Puppmom - enjoy your last day of leave! I'm sure things will go great with MIL when you go back to work.

Mara - sorry J is being a pain in the middle of the night. I'm not looking forward to K getting to the same stage.

MP - it kind of sounds to me like he's still hungry in the middle of the night. Our only trick is to stuff K with solids and a bottle before bedtime, and she'll sleep through. I don't know if we're just blessed with a good sleeper, or if it's the food that's doing the trick, but I'm not willing to change things up to test it out!

 

[MonkeyPie]

MP - it kind of sounds to me like he's still hungry in the middle of the night. Our only trick is to stuff K with solids and a bottle before bedtime, and she'll sleep through. I don't know if we're just blessed with a good sleeper, or if it's the food that's doing the trick, but I'm not willing to change things up to test it out!

I thought so, too, until last night. He started to sort of whine, so DH got up to make a bottle and I got the baby. The moment I scooped him up, he stopped crying and started patting my face happily. He obviously just wants to make sure we are still there and will come when he cries, not that he's starving. Sigh. I told DH that this weekend will be doing CIO, sitting in the living room with our headphones on so we can stomach it. I hope it goes well.

 

[Puppmom]

God, I'm dreading work tomorrow. I don't hate work but I hate the idea of having like an hour or two a day with N. I feel like he'll forget who I am by the time the weekends roll around. This bites!

I knew this was the deal when we decided to have another but it still stinks.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Sorry you have to go back to work Pupp

So things are going well food wise with Aidan, though at the moment it's his bitc...I mean witching hour and he's fussing. I'm sitting here with my bra stuffed full of cabbage leaves, OMG the boobs hurt at the moment. DH and I talked things over and we've decided to exclusively formula feed going forward. So now I have the challenge of drying up the girls. Any advice on how to do this is greatly appreciated. I'm doing the sage in V8 and cabbage leaf bra tricks already, but if there's something else I can do I'd love to hear it.

Here is my contribution to tomorrow's pictures. Aidan is 6 weeks old today. Look at those cheeks! Yea, I guess I don't need to worry about how much he's eating, huh?

 

[taovandel]

I know I'm a little late to the Formula immunity topic...but Evan was pretty much formula fed since birth and he has never ever been sick. I think it helps too that I'm not a crazy germ-o-phobe also. (And I probably just jinxed myself!)

 

[meresal]

jcrow- glad to hear the first food went well! Agree that you do the same thing for 2-3 days in a row.
However, I tried sweet peas with C for the first time, and he hated them... so instead of going onto something new, I just switched back to apples for the next few days. I knew he didn't react to aplles, so that way I could still see if he was going to have an adversa reation to the peas.

Re: Solids... did anyone's LO's have bowel movement problems after trying carrotts? We have done pears, apples and sweet potatoes, all without any problems. Then the carrotts made C's stools very very hard... like, they weren't even stuck to the diaper when I changed him. I have decided to put carrotts off for another few weeks.

Pupp- I hope you enjoy every second of the last day with your LO!

MP- Good luck with the CIO this weekend.

HH- Aiden is too cute! Happy 6 weeks! One thing that has helped me, is to keep pumping, just pump less. If you normally pump/feed 4 ounces each time, then only pump half of that (2oz) for a couple of days, then half of that(1oz), and then just stop after that. It has worked really well with C, and I haven't had any pain at all.

AFM- We had C's 6 month appt today. He did really well after the shots, and was doing great until he decided to skip his last nap of the day at 5pm. He wasn't interested so we skipped it, we did the outside thing, and at 7 I eventually just let him play after it was apparent he wasn't going to nap. At 8 he got real fussy again, so I put him in the bath. He calmed down, but after pullinghim out, he was super warm. His temp was 100.6.
I made a bottle and he fell asleep about 9. I just hope he can sleep well tonight. Since he was so warm right before bed, I decided against the humidifier that I have been using for his stuffy nose. Ohh, I just hope this night goes well.

Here is my happy little guy on his 6 month birthday! We have his porfessional pics tomorrow around noon, so I hope he will be feeling well in the morning!

 

[mtjoya]

mere-yay! J's stools were hard and looks orangey...gross looking! I hear ya!

Lovely pics! So freaken cute!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Thanks Mere. I tried stopping cold turkey yesterday and I failed. I made it to 8 hours before I gave up.But I can manage every 8 hours, so I'm going to try for 3 pumps a day to empty (while taking sage and using cabbage) and then cut the qty down with each pump from there. It will take longer that I'd hoped, but I think I'll be more comfortable. I'm soooo tired of being a slave to the pump so extending the time between sessions is actually good mentally.

 

[meresal]

Mt- I'm sorry you had the same problems, but am so glad to hear it wasn't just us. I don't know what it is about those things!

HH- I know what you mean. I hope it goes well for you. C ate every 3 horus, so I can just can't imagine how full you must be since A eats every two! Stay strong! I'm sure you will see a change soon!

AFM... Last night C slept until about 3, when he woke up screaming. I picked him up only to realize he was scalding hot! Literally burned me to touch him under his armpit. I immeditaly took off his pj's and changed his diaper, and took his temp. It had spiked to 101.5! I gave him some more tylenol and put him in a regular onesie with the hopes of keeping his body cool on the outside at least. He ate a little bit, and then we rocked... and rocked... and rocked. It took him about an hour to fall back asleep, but by the time he went down, I could already tell his bady temp was dropping. Thank goodness.
Then he woke up this morning, allbeit 3 hours early, completely happy and a temp of 98.1! Hooray! He is so happy. Hopefully we don't have a relapse this afternoon/evening.
We are headed to our Alma Mater for Homecoming and I would hate for him to not feel well all while staying at a hotel.

 

[curlygirl]

HH, I know the horrible boob pain you speak of! It's miserable but it goes away so just remember there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Keep doing the cabbage leaves. Wear tight sports bras. Also, ice packs are your friend! Stuff ice packs into the sports bras. I would sleep like that. Do not let anything stimulate your boobs at all, meaning don't even let the water hit them in the shower. In about a week, you should be back to normal. I was really upset because normally I'm flat as a board but when my milk came in, I looked like a pornstar and I couldn't even enjoy it because of the intense pain! Hang in there!!

 

[ChargerGrrl]

happy friday!
great pics, hh & mere! cuties galore
pupp- am in the same boat as you- it's my last full day with n, he starts daycare on monday. enjoy your time with your little guy!

just popping in quickly to share a pic: tummy time from earlier this week.

 

[MonkeyPie]

just popping in quickly to share a pic: tummy time from earlier this week.

OMG! I love the head tilt! He looks like he's saying, "Whatcha doin' there, mama?" Oh he's precious

HH, that double chin is just begging for nibbling. How do you keep away from him long enough to take a picture? I took all of Micah's pics with my cellphone just so I could be handy to nibble on his face lol. A is SO cute, he's getting so big already!

Mere, he is just SO big for his britches. I told DH that C is only a few weeks younger than Micah and already getting up on his knees to crawl, and now he is convinced that Micah is delayed No, C is just ahead of the curve! Such a cutie.

No pic from me yet, but I dressed Micah in his Popeye onesie with some new black and turquoise baby legs I made last weekend, so I told DH to send me a picture in those clothes when he picks him up from MIL's later. He looked so stinkin' cute!

So last night I was home alone with the baby while my husband was working. I went to bed at 7pm so I wouldn't lose too much sleep from waking with Micah, which was weird, but kind of nice - I was so rested this morning lol. Anyway, every time Micah woke, I would poke his paci back in. Twice he went back to sleep for an extra hour, but the times that he didn't (twice), I made him only 4 ounces and didn't pick him up, just let him drink in bed. His eyes stayed closed the whole time, and he was back asleep in seconds after he was done. I am going to start doing this, I think, because he doesn't even fuss about not getting enough milk and he doesn't NEED me to pick him up, he just wants me to acknowledge him. So I think I will hold off on the CIO until I give this a try. Fingers crossed it works - I plan to wean him down to only one ounce bottles at night and then if he still wakes, try the paci. If that doesn't work, then CIO...ugh, I still hate thinking about it, but if we must, we must!

 

[somethingshiny]

HH~ Because I kept trying to BF Lily, my milk kept producing. When I decided that we couldn't keep trying and wanted to dry up it got soo painful. I kept a tight bra on 24/7. When they got really bad, I'd stand in the shower. Just the heat of the shower would cause the milk to leak like a faucet. But, it was a relief. It took almost 4 weeks to dry up completely. I suspect it's because I'd allow some to express. But, only the first 4-5 days were really bad. Good luck!!

 

[lovelylulu]

Happy Friday!!

HH - glad that aiden is getting some relief from the formula! hope that your milk production halts pronto. I wonder when it's time for me to wean whether I can sneak cabbage leaves under my office attire

Mer - C's got some beautiful eyes. totally a little heartbreaker and I love his initial shirt. love it. hope he's feeling better after those shots!

jcrow - hurray for brain food!!! glad that her first meal was a fun success.

Monkey - where's micah's photo. i love me some homemade baby leg shots.

pupp - i hear you about the return to work. boo. but it sounds like N is in excellent hands with your MIL and her users manual!

Charger - Nico is not only cute, but strong. go tummy time. enjoy this weekend with him and I'm sure he'll do great in day care. My place actually called looking for me ha! I think I mentioned that I was planning on starting the transition this week, but couldn't bring myself to drop her off (she's been heaps of fun) must be stronger next week.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++
AFM, I'm going back to work in a week and I'm all sorts of out of sorts. I kind of suspected that I wouldn't exactly be thrilled to return. It's hard because I do like my job and it will be nice to get up, wear some proper clothes, talk to adults, win arguments (it's what I do for a living ), and I know that N's going to a great place, BUT, I'm just not ready. Bah.

I've also been struggling with the part-time vs. full-time decision. I have the option to return PT (4 days a week), but if I look at my co-worker as an example, she's largely working her fridays anyway, definitely billing FT hours, but only getting paid a PT salary. double bah. I've gone back and forth and back and forth and I've decided to go back FT.

If it's really not working for our family, I figure I can try PT, but man.

Here's little N frolicking in the grass. okay, maybe not frolicking, but having a fine time nonetheless. babys have the life.