PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Puppmom]

HH, I think we're in the same boat with the worrying about milestones. N is *ahead* on some things - like vocalizing etc. but *behind* on others - like rolling his chubby butt over and wouldn't know his feet if you put them in his face (if they could reach that far ). I worry too but when I look at the total picture, he's probably on target. It's weird, just when I worry that he hasn't done something yet, he does it.

 

[drk]

I'm kind of worried K's not really crawling yet. She'll push herself backwards on her tummy, and can go backwards on her hands and knees. But going forwards? Maybe once or twice she's gone a little ways. She tends to get easily frustrated and will just lay down and suck her fingers to calm herself when it doesn't work easily. I'm sure she'll crawl in her own good time, but you read about the other kids who are crawling at 6 or 7 months and wonder what's wrong with her...

Cute photos everyone!

Kunzite - re dropping from 7 to 6 pumps. I have just enough milk for K on a ton of domperidone, so a mild undersupply. I've accidentally gone a couple hours longer between pumps than usual and if anything just end up mildly engorged. I think your LC is being a little overcautious to say to only move it 5 min at a time. You'll never get there at that rate! I was initially pumping 8-9 times a day, so every 2-3h, then cut down to 7 times a day, then 6, then 5. I think you're supposed to wait till about 12 weeks to drop pumps if you want to be more confident your supply won't take a hit. If you've got a good supply, you probably don't have to be so cautious, and you can always go back up again if you need to. I'd probably just stretch the time between pumps out by 30min or so and see how it goes. I wouldn't just drop one single pump and leave all the others at their original times. Women who nurse will easily wait an extra 30min before feeding if baby naps a little longer, and they don't all get mastitis. I also find that when I go longer 5h between pumps, I pump for 40min to try to get the same amount, whereas I'll pump for 30min if I've only gone 3h between pumps. HTH!

 

[lovelylulu]

drk - don't worry about little K. she'll be covering all sorts of ground soon enough. My little nephew crawled pretty late. Maybe 10ish+ months and then was walking at 12 months. so who knows how/when they put it together.

and I wish that I could show you the video of nora "crawling" she gets up on her hands and knees, rocks in place, then lunges forward into a face plant, gets up on her belly, sort of drags herself . . . not pretty, but AWFULLY cute.

 

[anchor31]

drk - Don't worry about it. J had trouble figuring out how to sit up on his own and crawl on all fours, but suddenly at 9 months he figured out how to sit up, crawl on all fours, stand up and climb stairs all in one day! One week later he was cruising all over the place. Now he's 12 months and still not walking, but I'm not worried. As long as they are encouraged and stimulated I don't think we should worry about these things too much... They figure it out in their own time.

 

[swimmer]

DRK, she is a smart lady, why crawl when someone will carry you?

 

[somethingshiny]

Aww, love the baby pics!!

lulu~ I always love the shots you get!


So, I'm ready to talk about something. I recently had a miscarriage. Some of you may have seen my thread. I had a positive test but very faint. Panicked because I did not want to be preggo. Took another test that was negative. Then the embryo/fetus came out. I went to the dr and was told that my body is fine and everything came out, etc. He thinks I actually got pregnant in Sept when I first started the pill, miscarried when I was getting lots of migraines, and then took a few weeks for it to come out. I have only told my mom and sister (besides DH) because I'm afraid of hearing things like "it's for the best." I did not want to get pregnant but that doesn't mean finding out you lost a baby feels good, ya know? If I had carried, I know I would have been absolutely panicking about all the migraine meds I was taking, etc. I would have been scared to death that the baby would have had major problems. I'm also astonished that I got pregnant while on the pill considering I spent YEARS trying to get preggo and carry. I'm pretty sure we're done having children so we've been thinking a lot about DH getting the V. I want your opinions if you think we're jumping into that permanent decision. I'm afraid that I'm thinking only with my emotions. I cannot have another miscarriage, I'd rather never have more children than to have to lose another baby. I'm so confused and frustrated about the whole thing. Thoughts?

 

[swimmer]

SS, more hugs. It is just the hardest thing to have an m/c. Hopefully you will be able to search through those emotions at some point in the future and decide what is right for you and your family. All my love, that is not an easy decision and you have really gone through it all.

 

[lliang_chi]

SS, very sorry to hear about your m/c. I have no words for you but wanted to send support and good vibes. I hope you can find the answer within yourself. Also you can try asking your Dr about a different form of birth control, or different brand of HBC that might work better for you?

HUGS friend...

 

[drk]

SS - so sorry to hear about your loss. I remember the pg test stuff, but didn't realize you'd miscarried. I'd be worried about jumping into a permanent solution too quickly. Chances are slim that you'd be able to get pg while on the pill a second time, and chances of something going wrong again if you did would be so low as well. I had one miscarriage at 8.5 weeks and on very early/chemical pg miscarriage too. That was during the 4 years we were trying to get pregnant with assistance. Yes, the losses were devastating, but I'd go through one again if I had to to have a second child. I guess it really depends on whether you want to keep open the chance of having another child some day. I'd wait a couple months for the emotions to settle down before making a firm decision one way or another. Once it's done, there's pretty much no coming back.

 

[icekid]

I finally got it together to post a couple photos on BPF... 5.5 weeks old!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

SS I'm so sorry for your loss....((hugs))

IK-Thumper is so handsome!

 

[noelwr]

somethingshiny - I am sorry for your loss. I also had a m/c pre-Skye, but everyone experiences it differently so I won't go into it. regarding the V, that is something that DH is going to do as well. all the men in his family have it done. we had already decided while pregnant that we would be a one child family, but I didn't mean for him to get the V. he suggested this himself. the problem I have with the V is that if something were to happen to me and DH were to marry someone else and she wanted to have kids, they wouldn't be able to. he says he doesn't want kids with someone else, but I don't think that's something you can really say about the future. but now with upcoming chemotherapy I cannot get pregnant and even thought it will be highly unlikely because chemo can make you menopausal and I'm not supposed to take the pill because my cancer is hormone receptive, the V is looking like quite a possibility. I mentioned this to our family doctor who said she wanted to speak to DH before he does this as he is still young (37) and thinks he need to think about it more. is there a medical professional you and your husband could speak with? maybe just talking about it and hearing someone say "It is not always possible to reverse a vasectomy so you need to accept that this is the end of any more children for you" will stir some emotions and help you decide.

HH - love the pic of A with his toy. at least it's not money wasted!

lovelylulu - I always love the quality of your photos. DH got me a new a camera so hopefully I'll learn all the buttons soon and that my photos come out half as good as yours.

icekid - Jumper already enjoys a mobile? we got one from the bank today (we opened Skye's first savings account) and I wasn't sure if it's too soon to use, if she can actually *see* it and if it's too big and scary. but since Jumper seems to like it at 5 weeks, think we'll try it, too.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

SS I'm so sorry for your loss....((hugs))

IK-Thumper is so handsome!

My bad, Thumper = JUMPER!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[somethingshiny]

Thanks for the support, ladies. That miscarriage was number 6. At this point it's also becoming humiliating, like I'm not smart enough to quit trying (although I wasn't trying this time), like I'm bringing it on myself. I have thought about if DH would want more children if anything were to happen to me or even if we got divorced. (Not that I see divorce in our future, but I love him so much I want to make sure we don't screw up his future no matter what it may hold.) He's more sure than I am about being done having kids. I'm afraid it's because he can't handle seeing me have any more MCs. For the next few months I'll be on the pill and use condoms and then decide if I'll do IUD. Apparently already suffering PPD puts a higher risk on longer lasting depression with IUD. Definitely want to avoid that! We won't make a permanent decision until we both feel "too old" to have more kids.


HH~ I was wondering when Jumper became Thumper! I thought I missed a good story or something!

 

[Skippy123]

SS, I am sorry about your m/c. huge hugs


icekid, you little guy is so adorable.

 

[Kunzite]

SS - No advice, but I'm very sorry for your loss.

icekid - Jumper is a doll! Look at those eyes. They must melt your heart!!

Yesterday was O's two month birthday. We're not doing stickers, just his monkey.

 

[cara]

SS- So sorry for your loss. It can be sad and devastating no matter what the circumstances and however many times you've gone through it before. Don't feel it is your fault either, this is a messy world we live in and loss is a part of life. Modern medicine in some ways has been good at sparing us the regular losses that people have had to cope with for generations. If you are not 100% sure on the sterilization procedures, let me recommend the IUD in the meanwhile. I got the copper one put in recently, so no hormones. (does that one also come with the same risk of depression in women whom have had PPD?) Supposedly it does make for heavier periods but I wanted some form of b/c I didn't have to think about and didn't have hormones so I'm trying it out.

Icekid- Jumper is supercute!

Kunzite congrats on getting to take your little lovely home for the new year! He's perfect.

Lulu, as always your daughter and pictures are gorgeous. She looks like such a little lady now.

Noel skye is gorgeous as well!

HH, S is not rolling over either, and likewise our pedi said these days 5-6 mo is more typical due to sleep on your back guidelines. For a long time S also showed absolutely no signs of being anywhere *close* to rolling over, but in the last few weeks he has started arching his back off the floor and more easily getting into a sidelying position so I'm no longer stressing it as he's making progress. Sounds like A is doing well!

We'll see what the pedi says about food at his 4 mo appt, but I think we are inclined to hold off a bit on the food and stinky poop, haha.

S has also been sick on and off but almost continuously since starting daycare. The being sick does cause him to wake more but he has never slept through the night. More than 4 hrs straight being somewhat rare. He usually does go back to sleep fairly quickly, because I have the spine of an worm and generally promptly bring him to the big people's bed and plug him into the boob. Perhaps I will pay for this method of minimizing interruptions to my sleep in the future but for now I am just trying to get through.

I haven't been posting or reading as much due to starting my new job this week and getting into the swing of that. Its going well but life is pretty busy! It is sad to see so much less of S during the week awake. Anyway, I enjoy reading the updates when I can!

 

[Mara]

omgosh the kiddos are beyond cute this week..!!! J is like a ginormous man boy at this point so i may only post one more pic before i jettison out of here in another month or so lol. i love the squishable little baby photos.

ss...sorry for your loss. re: the V... it is reversible, so if you are 99.9% sure and he's on board then i'd get it. if in the future for whatever reason he wanted to reverse it, he COULD feasibly do it. my parents got preg after my dad had a V (it had reversed itself or something, the chances are slim?) so surprise my youngest sister. but i think that's pretty rare? it was a very long time ago so i don't know details. anyhow, take your time to emotionally heal before making any big decisions, but it sounds to me like you are ready to be done and if he is on board, well then.

re: milestones, babies will hit them early and late, it just ebbs and flows. the funny thing is i really was waiting for a lot of them when J was younger... smiling, laughing, rolling, sitting, crawling. but now that the next one is walking, i am A-OK with him taking his time..!!! after crawling and around that timeline (7-8mo), i felt like the development is kind of explosive... especially around things like teeth and speaking/verbalizing. when they are really young i felt like the milestones were much farther and fewer between so i was always super eager for something. now i feel like they are almost every few days.

re: walking though-- J is way more confident with his push walker and we don't even need to be near him anymore with it, he just zooms around. so one day soon he will prob figure out he can walk on his own. i am just amazed at how giant my baby is and how he is such a little man. it is exciting and sad at the same time.

 

[somethingshiny]

JT didn't crawl until 11 mo, my nephew was walking by 9 mo. Every baby is different. Don't fret. Just enjoy the relative peace before the storm!

RE: copper IUD. I will research the risks associated with it. Thanks for the suggestion.

RE: V reversibg.

 

[drk]

Mara - are you sure you're going to stick with one? I saw that post about giving away stuff, but wanting your itzbeen back...

 

[Mara]

Mara - are you sure you're going to stick with one? I saw that post about giving away stuff, but wanting your itzbeen back...

LOL hawk eye. well you just never know for 100% sure and i'd feel silly if i gave away all my COMPLETE FAVORITES and then had to buy them again. i am giving away a ton of stuff (bouncer and car seat already given away!) but i am keeping one container of my favorite clothes 'just in case'--same as above. stuff i thought i couldn't find again.

 

[drk]

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

So I'm almost positive A rolled over last night in his crib. Why am I not more sure of this? I didn't put him to bed because DH and I had DATE NIGHT!!!!!!!! It was soooo nice to get dressed up and to go out. And we went to a yummy restaurant. We had to cut the night short because the weather started to get crappy. My mom swears she put him to bed on his belly (he's a tummy sleeper) and when I responded to him at his 1:30 wakeup he was on his back! DH had noticed that he started using the slats of the crib to push himself off of so we suspect that that combined with the elevated mattress might have assisted with it. He had no real interest today during tummy time. But he can get onto his side from tummy and back so we know rolling will happen sooner rather than later

 

[noelwr]

Skye: 4.5 weeks old

Skye & I went shopping today! not to the grocery store, but proper shopping. we went into 5 shops. the whole thing wasn't more than an hour because I'm not comfortable changing nappies or feeding outside the house yet.

question: for any other ladies who had the linea negra during pregnancy, when did it finally go away? mine is still there.

HH - wow, date night! sounds like you had a good time. that's good news that A most likely rolled over. at what age did you start him sleeping on his tummy? we think Skye is more comfortable sleeping on her tummy as well, but I don't dare put her in her crib that way in case of SIDS. I could never forgive myself. we do let her sleep on her tummy during tummy-time on her floor mat or on our chests, but that is always under our supervision.

Kunzite - it's like O is telling someone to "Chill..." with his hands out like that. he's still got the Asian look, little buddha.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

He's been tummy sleeping since around 8 weeks when we moved him to his crib. Before then he'd been sleeping on his tummy for naps and in his bouncy seat at night, but he started not sleeping soundly in the bouncy seat. His reflux doesn't bother him as badly on his tummy. We went out and bought an angelcare monitor, which has a motion sensor to tell you if they stop breathing. That at least gives us a little peace of mind. He can't sleep at all on his back, it triggers an immediate spit up. During the day he can play on his back if it's been an hour and a half or so since he's last eaten. On his back before then is a mess though

 

[Puppmom]

Icekid, that jumper boy is adorable! He looks so serious in the close up!

Kunzite, you would never know that O had a rought start! What a cutey and he looks so sturdy sitting there! Friends of ours took pictures of their daughter next to Curious George each month and they're so cute. And they give you such a good perspective on their size.

SS, I'm so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. What an emotional thing to go through. I second everyone else on waiting on a permanent form of BC.

Mara, I cannot believe J will be one in a few weeks. I remember when he was born and anxiously awaiting the announcement of his name. It feels like yesterday!

HH, date night? Woot! Woot! DH and I tried once but ended up taking our meal to go. We were only a mile from home so left him with DD. She texted right after we ordered that he had been screaming since we left. That was the day he decided he wasn't sleeping through the night anymore. We're going to try again in a few weeks. Can't wait!

I love weekends! We get to hang out with N ALL DAY and it's the best. He's so much fun! He's talking a ton and there are new sounds everyday. Now, he's really into raspberries. He's decided to make raspberries while he's nursing so he gets milk all over his mommy!

re: milestones. I looked up DD's timeline this weekend and she was early on almost all physical milestones then didn't walk until almost 14 months. She was crawling by 6 months - no way that's happening with N. This kids perfectly happy to stay where you put him! Whoever told me when I was pregnant that the worrying wouldn't stop when the baby came was right! I'm trying to relax about things and just enjoy him though. That's not usually that difficult since he keeps us pretty distracted!

 

[meresal]

Re: Skye: 4.5 weeks old

Skye & I went shopping today! not to the grocery store, but proper shopping. we went into 5 shops. the whole thing wasn't more than an hour because I'm not comfortable changing nappies or feeding outside the house yet.

question: for any other ladies who had the linea negra during pregnancy, when did it finally go away? mine is still there.

HH - wow, date night! sounds like you had a good time. that's good news that A most likely rolled over. at what age did you start him sleeping on his tummy? we think Skye is more comfortable sleeping on her tummy as well, but I don't dare put her in her crib that way in case of SIDS. I could never forgive myself. we do let her sleep on her tummy during tummy-time on her floor mat or on our chests, but that is always under our supervision.

Linea Negra, I think it finally faded away around 3 months. It is different for everyone.

Noel- Congratulations on the shopping! What are nappies? I had a hard time with nursing in public, and would most of the time, try to make it out to my car. I was comfortable nursing at Nordstrom though, they have a great mother's area in their womens' bathroom, that is almost always hidden from people just walking thru.
Re: Tummy sleeping: We have had C sleeping on his tummy, in his crib, since about 10 weeks. He had very bad reflux when laid on his back after eating, so we actually started letting him nap on his tummy at about 5/6 weeks. We would walk in and check on him every 10 minutes to make sure he was ok. However, as soon as he could turn his head back and forth at will, we moved him to the nursery at night and let him sleep on his stomach.

 

[somethingshiny]

linea negra~ With JT it was pretty faded by 2 mo or so but wasn't gone until close to 6 mo. I'm very fair so I think it showed longer. The last part to go was right by my navel. I never got it with Lily.

 

[drk]

Noel - mine is still faintly visible nearly 10 months out.

 

[Lanie]

Oh little jumper and little O are so cute!!! I love baby pics so much more as a mommy, and didn't think that was possible!!!

Noel--I was wondering that too! Mine is dark but I'm very fair skinned as well. It's gross. I feel so unattractive. Blah!

SS--so sorry to hear about the m/c. I didn't even make the connection when you were testing for it. So sorry to hear about it. No advice, just hugs.

HH--Glad you had a fun date night with your DH! do you like your angelcare? We have one but haven't used it since he sleeps right next to us. I've heard the alarm can sound for no reason? Has that happened with you? Anyone that has said that has "heard" that...I've never met anyone who had one but I think it will give me good piece of mind! Like pupp said, I worry prob more now than I did pregnant!

AFM-- little Anderson is 3 wks today! We went to a wedding Sat night. I don't know if you guys remember but I posted wanting to know if it was feasible. We skipped the ceremony (don't tell!) and went to the reception. Left at 6 and we were back by 10:45. I promised my hubs I wouldn't talk about him and I didn't until people starting asking about him! Everyone was shocked we were out with a baby so young. It was fun and glad we did it but I was chomping at the bit to get home! I pumped 2 min before we left to minimize leakage and had my booby pads in place. Even had 2 glasses of wine! So it can be done!

Did anyone have DH's that didn't seem to be in love with your LO as you? The 1st week DH was an angel and helped me out tremendously. He would get frustrated if A cried for no reason, but seemed pretty in love with being a dad. Now, it seems like he loves him but not nearly as much as me. I noticed it at the wedding. Maybe it's a mom thing. I just feel bad bc he kind of lost me since I can't give him attention, and he has this little thing that cries and he feels like he can't settle him down like I can. He makes comments that A loves me more than his daddy and it breaks my heart. He also doesn't help out as much. I really just wish he would give me encouragement or tell me that I've done a great job or something! He comes home from work, asks how A is, and watches TV. If I come home after being away, I run immediately to A and love on him like it has been a year since I've seen him!