PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Hudson_Hawk]

Basil, have you tried using a nipple shield? That will protect the crack but still allow you to BF. And try rubbing some BM into the crack several times a day. You can get shields at BRU for about $6. Medela makes them.Your LC could probably give you one too.

 

[Kunzite]

dc - Welcome mama, and happy birthday to Sophia!!

Charbie - You mean to tell me that you can put an infant down? Somebody forgot to tell Mr. O!! After he came home from the hospital we spent the first 8 weeks or so holding the onery thing. My lunch consisted of putting him in the swing and him screaming at me while I ate. How dare I put him down in favor of food?!

noel - So sorry to hear about the hot flashes, friend. Do you know how long they'll last? Not forever, right? You are so strong! I'm glad to hear that your DH is okay too. I love your food picture! I spy green beans, right? What are the other two? We're getting a lot better about mixing flavors. We just mixed butternut squash and apples this week and O loved it.

pupp - Wow mama, that's heavy news! I know it's a lot to process but what you're afraid of (everything all at once) is exactly why we want two under two. I'd rather get the awful years over at once (yes, I said it, I thought the newborn months were awful). If we waited a long time between babies I don't think there'd be any hope for number two!! I hope that your appointment went well and that you and DH are at peace with whatever happens. Giant hugs!!

Lanie & HH - Cute pictures and I'm happy to hear that both of your trips were great! We're going to visit family in the midwest in October and I'm scared to death. You both give me hope that it won't be hell that I think it's going to be!! Did either of you buy a seat for LO? We weren't going to but ending up getting one for O so we can strap him in his car seat. The kid is just not content to sit on a lap.

LV - I do freeze most of what I make. I'll only put two days worth of food in the fridge. O loved the yogurt, btw! We just did regular full fat yogurt and he ate it right up! Why are you against puffs? I suppose I don't feel strongly about them either way, but we probably don't plan to give them often. I was more interested to see how he dealt with a new texture and to try feeding himself. The Green to Grow transition cup didn't go over well. I think we're learning that the shorter the cup the better. And he loves to throw his cup from the highchair too. Our poor floors are taking a beating! I just order him one of those sippigrips. Try to throw your cup now little guy!! I love the Wholesome Baby Food site. I have this chart printed out with my cook books so when I'm trying to pick new foods to use I just glance at this chart. It looks like they have tofu at 6 months.

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/solidfoodchartbyfood.htm

S is just too cute I love that I can look at her and envision exactly what she's going to look like when she's older. She just got such a maturity to her! Can you give me a rec for formula? I feel like I'm jumping into a totally new world. Our hospital sent us home with a few cans so at least we have a few weeks to figure it out....

Skippy - So happy to hear that the monitors get to come off! I find it so interesting that Evan was your name choice and you say he looks like you and that Miles was your DH's choice and he looks like DH. That's so cute! How did you decide which was which initially? Was the feeding specialist able to help you?

Shiny - Poor L! I hope she gets better soon.

basil - Like HH said, I think I would try a shield and see if that helps it heal a little faster. Things are pretty slow to heal in the beginning. My LC just gave me one. Welcome!! I can't wait to see more of little H!!

AFU - Things are not good on the milk front. I went from pumping 20oz a day about 10 days ago to 2.5oz yesterday I'm so broken hearted about how fast things went downhill. I've been in bed with a fever for an entire week (tonsilitis and strep) so I get why it happened, but I still didn't expect my supply to tank that fast. So I think I pumped for the last time this morning. I'm strangely not excited at all. I thought I would feel liberated to say I'm done but I think I'm still in mourning! We have enough frozen milk to last about two weeks. So I can be proud to say we made it to 10 months, but I just keeping thinking about how I didn't reach my goal.

BPF, O's 9 month picture...

ETA - Yes, his tongue is always out! We call him Barty Crouch Jr.

 

[Skippy123]

BASIL, ouch I hope it heals quickly! Can't wait to see pics of your lo and Welcome!

NOEL, awww

SS, thanks! it is a good thing you caught the ringworm, poor little baby! You are a good momma. I hope L feels better soon, bless her heart.

KUNZITE, thanks!!! We still need to wait on the sleep study though before he can come completely off, our fingers are crossed. Wow, I can't believe O is 8 months already! He is darling; I just love your little guy! What camera do you use to take pics? Not sure if you mommas already talked about this? You have an adorable subject and take amazing pictures! I am so sorry; I hope you feel better soon. I am sorry about your milk supply too; you did good momma! You should be proud and you made such a strong beautiful boy! hugs Oh Evan was named Evan because that is the only name we both liked; I caved on Miles. I chose Evan Estevan as my dad is Estevan and felt that Evan went well with Estevan and Miles went well with my dh's name. It was all a blur so I am not sure if we just looked at Evan and thought he is Evan and same with Miles? How did you come up with Oliver? I love the name Oliver,, btw! I love his tie tshirt too, waaay adorable Oh, where do you find a preemie growth chart? We found out their weight and height but not sure where to find that? eta: the specialist is positive and helpful. She told me it is just going to go very very slow but slowly he will feed like normal babies. It is nice just having support and someone saying, hey momma, yes it is hard but you are doing great and just keep doing what you are doing and maybe try this or that. You are so sweet to ask! thanks for all your encouragement and words of support always!

AFM
On Friday the boys turned 4 months!!!! I can't believe it is already 4 months! Oh and now they BOTH weigh 10 lbs. Evan is 10 lbs 9 ozs and Miles is 10 lbs 6.5 ozs!!!! They are on the low end for 2 month babys (but overall doing well).

 

[miraclesrule]

I second what Skippy said! That is the most adorable shirt Kunzite! I hope I get a grandson one day. I really want a grandson. But until then, I am remembering every character in Little Mermaid and Snow White....Ugh.

Skippy, I love your sons names. They suit them perfectly! I was so not hip about Ivy. I kept thinking everyone would call her "poison Ivy"...and the street around the corner is Ivy Lane. I could just see Ivy taunting Veda..."see they even have a name after me...I don't see Veda Street" Hahahaha, the things we stress out about. I just love the heck out of babies and can't wait to spend the next week with my two granddarlings...

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Kuzite, I flew when A was 8 mo (coast to coast flight) and now at 11 months. He was a lap child both times. The only flight we had issues on was the flight back from DC and that's just because he was very overtired.

 

[noelwr]

Kunzite - I expect I will stay menopausal for the next 5 years as next month I start anti-hormone pills and shots for that length of time. then it's 50/50 chance if I will stay that way or not. hope the hot flashes don't last the whole time. in the pic, we also have potatoes and pork, which is what DH and I were having for dinner. the other day I tried something new which was a big hit: brown beans, apple and beef sausage. no surprise, but Skye is also not a lap child. we will be buying her own plane seat if we fly with her, which right now we don't expect to until next summer. love O's onesie!

- - -

be careful what you teach your kids. earlier today, I thought it would be fun to prop Skye up on her knees and have her hang over the side of her play pen. obviously she remembered as a few hours later she used her new trick to grab her bunny off the piano... and then fell backwards and hit her head against the side. therefore the tears, but she was still determined to try to get the bunny a 2nd time.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Noel, That picture you posted yesterday of Skye was so cute. It's nice that you have her dresses so often. I almost always have S in pants because she's in the exersaucer multiple times per day, so I prefer her legs to be covered. We also keep it a bit on the chilly side, too, so I guess that's another reason. Poor Skye in the second photo, but looks like she finally got her bunny. Sorry you are experiencing those side effects from the chemo. I didn't realize you would stay on medications for 5 years. Is that standard protocol?

Skippy, Glad to hear things are moving forward. When will they do the sleep study?

Kunzite, He is just too cute! And, your photos never cease to impress!! I am soooooooo sorry about your supply going down and possibly stopping. I know how hard it is. You did such a GREAT job pumping for little O!! Look how far he's come.

Re: formula. First, check the expiration dates on what you have from the hospital. We used enfamil from the beginning, but recently (like last week) changed to Earth's Best because I was never even aware they made formula until I started buying their cereal and found it amazon. Sooooooooo, I'm still not completely settled on EB, but it seems to be going well so far. My pediatrician always asked what we were using. He said he didn't care what we used, because they are really all the same. After I started using the EB, I read more about it, and some people are saying the can lining has BPA (which I am not even sure is BAD in this context because it's a powder. I know BPA can leach into liquids, but can it leach into a powder???? I would tend to think not . . . .) And, other people complain because the label doesn't say corn syrup solids, it says something else, which is essentially corn syrup. At this point, it's a toss up. Fortunately, she seems to do well on whatever we give her!

Re: puffs. I find the concept objectionable. I'd rather just feed real food than some highly processed non-food marketed as a first food and the "first step toward healthy independent eating." I just think it's more marketing bs that conditions us to want something that, while convenient, isn't really necessary or good. Not good in the sense that I wonder what we are teaching baby about food if we were to give her these. This lady at work has been pushing them on me because that's what she used to give her granddaughter. I'm like ooooooo-kay, we hadn't tried anything other than bananas at that point and she wanted me to feed my BABY puffs. But, of course, I just smile and say, yes, we'll have to try them. I know a lot of people like these, so I hope I'm not offending anyone. From what I can tell, I may be the ONLY person who feels this way about puffs!

Just looked up sippigrips. Haha. That's funny. Let us know how those work out.

Basil, I highly recommend these hydrogel pads: http://www.amazon.com/Medela-Tender-Care-HydroGel-pk%252e/dp/B0011ECPA2/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1313865176&sr=1-1 Lansinoh makes a similar product. They sell them at BRU, and I've also seen them at Target. I would think you'd want only to pump on the left until the crack is healed. When did you last see a LC? If you haven't seen someone since the hospital, I suggest going to a LC to have them observe his latch on the left. It may be that he is not latching as well because you are hesitating a bit because of the pain. I know you are concerned that he won't want to bf if you begin bottle feeding, but I would have to think if he is bf'g on one side and only "topping up" via bottle that he is not going to forget how to latch. (Note, that's just my intuition. It is best to follow your own, combined with advice from an LC.) If you decide to bottle feed, you might find this helpful: http://www.breastfeeding-md.com/Nig...Help_Handouts_files/Proper Bottle feeding.pdf What kind of bottles do you have? My LCs recommended the playtex drop-ins because of the wide base of the nipple. I see that they recommend other bottles in the link. Good Luck, Basil. It can be very hard in the beginning, but you're doing a great job! You will get there, but don't hesitate to call a professional for advice. ETA: Here is the standard KellyMom link to help you determine if your baby is getting enough milk: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enough-milk.html

**********
AFU: We have mamammmammammmamamamamammama-ma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Squee!!!!!!!! OK, I know she is not saying it to me. But, but, she's saying mama!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! I love her so much. She said it for the first time last night. DH was there. I was like, she didn't! Did she just? She did, didn't she!!?!?!?

 

[Skippy123]

Skippy, Glad to hear things are moving forward. When will they do the sleep study?


Re: puffs. I find the concept objectionable. I'd rather just feed real food than some highly processed non-food marketed as a first food and the "first step toward healthy independent eating." I just think it's more marketing bs that conditions us to want something that, while convenient, isn't really necessary or good. Not good in the sense that I wonder what we are teaching baby about food if we were to give her these. This lady at work has been pushing them on me because that's what she used to give her granddaughter. I'm like ooooooo-kay, we hadn't tried anything other than bananas at that point and she wanted me to feed my BABY puffs. But, of course, I just smile and say, yes, we'll have to try them. I know a lot of people like these, so I hope I'm not offending anyone. From what I can tell, I may be the ONLY person who feels this way about puffs!

AFU: We have mamammmammammmamamamamammama-ma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Squee!!!!!!!! OK, I know she is not saying it to me. But, but, she's saying mama!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! I love her so much. She said it for the first time last night. DH was there. I was like, she didn't! Did she just? She did, didn't she!!?!?!?

No I feel the same way as you about the Puffs! My nephew LOVES them. I actually tried them to me they taste like refined white flour with a sweet flavor. I will not allow my babies to eat those. I think I am going to expose my sons to as many natural whole grain, fruits, veggies and lean meats as possible. I think if you get your lo use to healthy good food then there is no need for stuff like puffs. I understand it can be easy thing to give kids but I think I will try hard to get them to eat healthy if I can. YAY for Momma! too cute the doctor said the sleep study would happen soon but we haven't heard anything and Friday I called to ask them and they said they would get back to me. I live in a state that is so laid back about everything, oh well. LOL thanks for asking! It will be nice to have our son portable as hubby puts it so we aren't confined to the nursery with him.

 

[Skippy123]

I second what Skippy said! That is the most adorable shirt Kunzite! I hope I get a grandson one day. I really want a grandson. But until then, I am remembering every character in Little Mermaid and Snow White....Ugh.

Skippy, I love your sons names. They suit them perfectly! I was so not hip about Ivy. I kept thinking everyone would call her "poison Ivy"...and the street around the corner is Ivy Lane. I could just see Ivy taunting Veda..."see they even have a name after me...I don't see Veda Street" Hahahaha, the things we stress out about. I just love the heck out of babies and can't wait to spend the next week with my two granddarlings...

ops sorry I almost missed this post! I am trying to keep both babies pacifiers in their mouths right now. lol They need their paci's for some reason, oh boy! haha Thanks! I have a cousin named Ivy; I think it is a cute name. One of my close relatives had a name I didn't like but it finally grew on me. haha about V loving Little Mermaid and Snow White. too cute and funny! You should post pics of your grandbabies!!!


eta: Noel I hope the pills work! hugs

 

[AllieLuv83]

Kunzite please do not give up yet. I am one of those people whose supply tanks when I am sick as well! I was sick 3 times in the last 6 months and all 3 times my supply tanked and then rebounded. I am sick again currently, and my supply is not rebounding as well as I thought it would (as it did in the past), I am drinking a ton of water, resting when I can and taking "mothers milk plus" it is a supplement with blessed thisle and fenugreek in it. To make matters worse Charlie is not the hard working kind nor is he the hardcore milk drinker type so if there is no milk he just says "oh well" and goes to bed. Which leaves me with pumping when I never used to pump. So I am hoping that I can get back or close to where I was before. I would pump between 10-12oz a day for daycare. Yesterday I barely pumped 8.

As far as flying, Charlie and I flew 2 times over the summer. Once I flew alone with him and once with my husband. Both times we scheduled flights around nap times, I kept him occupied by walking around the airport, and the nursed at takeoff and he slept the entire flight. We brought the convertible seat and checked that, I wore him in my beco and checked the umbrella stroller. Even alone this was totally manageable, I even had a huge diaper bag with me. Oh and he just sat on my lap. I felt like buying him his own seat would require dragging a carseat through the airport and I couldn't have handled that alone.

Here is my late BPF, he is getting so big I can hardly believe it!

 

[Skippy123]

ALLIE, aww your son is precious!!! I love the collar up! He is a doll!

I have been doing the bear, I forgot to post the 3 month pic w/the boys and their bear but here is a 4 month picture since Friday was their 4 mo bday! Evan was drifting off to sleep (he slept like an hour afterward) and Miles was angry because he was tired too and he slept too after the pic! lol

 

[Lanie]

skippy -- what a cute pic and way to go babies on the 10 pound mark! They look the most alike that I've ever seen in that picture!

Kunzite -- yay for 9 months! Time has flown, hasn't it? I love his shirt! We didn't buy a seat for A, but he loves being in our laps, so no advice here. And sorry for the supply tank. Mine tanked when I got super sick with the flu and I never recovered, BUT I also gave up at that point. Hope you can get yours back if you aren't ready to wean yet.

charbie -- I echo what Kunzite said about not being able to put baby down. I also remember fondly putting A in his swing while I pumped or ate and him screaming. Ahhhh...those were the days. Hope you have an easy baby!

noel -- I almost wrote Skye right there! Hope your hot flashes go away soon. That is funny about you teaching her to pull up. I taught A that a bit ago, but I don't think he remembered! Already a strike against him, especially as a teacher's son!

basil -- I used a shield as well since my son was a baracuda super sucker. They were such a pain but made it not hurt as much. A tip (if you try them out) is to put a little nipple cream around the edges on the side that touches your skin so it doesn't slip off.

SS -- hope Lily feels better and happy anniversary!

LV -- what a pretty baby! She's such a sweetie!

allie -- popped collar is cute! He must be approaching a year soon, right?

puppmom -- thinking of you and your family. Hope to hear an update from you soon!

Lynnie and HOUMedGal and Laila -- if you are still lurking, update!!! Wondering how you are doing!

 

[AllieLuv83]

lanie- 2 more months to a year! I can't believe how fast time flew.

 

[noelwr]

boo... DH is in intensive care. he didn't get better from the antibiotics and was looking very yellow yesterday and like someone had highlighted the whites of his eyes. so back he went to the emergency room and he was so out of breath with heightened heart rate and bloody pee. as of this morning they still don't know what's wrong with him. they've done so many tests. hopefully there's more news when I go back to the hospital this evening.

 

[Skippy123]

boo... DH is in intensive care. he didn't get better from the antibiotics and was looking very yellow yesterday and like someone had highlighted the whites of his eyes. so back he went to the emergency room and he was so out of breath with heightened heart rate and bloody pee. as of this morning they still don't know what's wrong with him. they've done so many tests. hopefully there's more news when I go back to the hospital this evening.

oh no! I hope he will be okay, sending good thoughts his way.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Noel, Sending positive thoughts to your DH for a FAST recovery. I hope they sort out what's going on right away.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Oh goodness that sounds scary! My thoughts are with you guys.

 

[icekid]

Kunzite- Don't give up yet (if you don't want to). My supply is back up too and I am still making enough for Jumper. Like Allie, I am taking the motherlove supplement (bought from amazon.) Don't know if that is what helped, or my supply came back on its own, but I am happy! And if this IS the end, just remember- you have already given O a great start! I remember pupp's LC telling her that at one point- even if your milk dries up tomorrow completely, you've given your little man a great start. This is my mantra when feeling stressed about supply.

noel- Healing vibes to your DH! Poor guy, I hope they figure out what is going on ASAP.

Allie- Charlie is sooooo handsome. He always looks like such a happy little guy.

pupp- Thinking about you and your family. I am sure everything will work out, one way or another.

LV- S is such a little sweetheart. It's such a joy to hear how much you're enjoying being her mommy. OH, and I do feel you on the puffs btw. We're not sure we will buy anymore, but Jumper loooooves them unfortunately. We're doing whole wheat pasta as a finger food now, which he really likes. Puffs just seemed "easy" since they dissolve with little risk of gagging/choking.

skippy- Love your little guys with their bear.

Basil- I had some serious issues with cracks and such, due to candida. Horrifically painful. I'd also recommend Jack Newman's nipple ointment with ibuprofen if you know a compounding pharmacy. It got me through some rough times.

dc- Congrats mama! Sophia is adorable.

 

[noelwr]

well, DH is out of intensive care and off all the monitors. they still don't know what the infection is that his body is fighting, but they think it's viral. apparently there was too much oxygen in his blood, which is very characteristic of a smoker, but he stopped smoking 3 years ago. his blood is slowly getting better so they assume he is getting well.

I'm glad Skye and I didn't get it as well.

 

[drk]

Basil - I hope the left nipple is healing. Sorry you're having trouble with BFing on that side. I'd think that even having a couple days break from the actual breastfeeding might help it heal. Some women make much more from one breast than the other, or are only able to feed from the one side for some reason. There's no reason to believe you'll starve your baby by feeding from the R only. And if you're pumping on the L to keep up the stimulation and pump till empty (you might need to do breast compressions to help get the most out, or pump longer than you think you might need to), I don't think you should hurt your supply too much. If your baby's continuing to gain weight appropriately, there's no need to worry about starvation. My pump was better at getting milk out of me than my baby was.

 

[Mrs]

hi ladies!

First time post since a long hiatus (since my DD was born 2.5 years ago) and I'm afraid I'm not able to read as much as I'd like. My son will be 4 weeks old on wednesday and so far he is a DREAM baby! I keep pinching myself because he rarely cries, eats well, sleeps relatively well, and is generally content when he is awake. My daughter was much more difficult so I'm loving this! I hope it lasts!!!

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and ditto what Loves Vintage suggested to Basil re: gel breast pads! The ameda http://www.amazon.com/Ameda-17261M-...2L38/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313985226&sr=8-1 ones were given to me in the hospital and they were AMAZING! so great since you just rinse them with water and they are reusable up to 6 days. They were such a blessing when my nipples were so raw at first. I totally recommend them for any moms suffering with nipple pain!

noel, I hope your DH gets well soon! Sounds like scary stuff!

Hi to everyone else!!

Mrs

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Welcome back Mrs!

GAH! we make such cuties around here!

Noel-glad your husband is on the mend.

This is a fly by post. My mom forwarded a picture of my brother and I from when I was about 12 months. Up until now I've always thought Aidan was the spitting image of my husband. well, not anymore. I wish I had a picture of him to compare this to.

So without further ado....BEHOLD, MY SON!

 

[CatLuver]

Hello mommas, long time…I wish I could keep up better.

First, CONGRATS to dc!!!! I'm so happy for you. Enjoy your precious little one. I hope all is well in new baby / new parenthood land!

Noel, thanks for the info on Skye's sleeping and deswaddling awhile back. Hope your DH is doing better.

Geri - glad Claudia is napping much better now, I hope her night sleeping has improved too. Hope you are both doing well.

Kunzite - I hope your kitty is better! I must say, O is such a little heartbreaker. I can't believe he's 9 months old already. Sorry about the pumping, but 10 months is great! Re: making food and taking hours, have you tried roasting some things like sweet potatoes and squash? That saves a lot of time w/the peeling and dicing bc you can just put it whole or halved into the oven, then scoop out the meat when it's done.

Lanie - I LOVE A's little rolls!! I read in another thread that he doesn't like the Ergo - C didn't used to like it either, I think because he was too small so he couldn't see out of it, and because it was hard for me to stick him in from above after putting the straps on - but then I found a new way to put him in it (maybe that's how you're supposed to do it anyway) by holding him to my body before putting on the straps, and now that he's bigger, he loves it! He can be fussy and tired but as soon as I put him in there, he's happy as a clam. And now I can grocery shop at my leisure and not worry about him having a meltdown in the stroller. Also you might want to try it with one or both arms "out" if you haven't already. Or try it on your back instead of the front.

LV - what a darling little pixie girl! good point about the puffs. The only good thing I see about them is that you don’t have to worry about choking since they dissolve in the mouth? I'm so paranoid C will choke on something when he starts eating pieces of things, not purees.

pupp, congrats - it must seem overwhelming now but I hope it will be a blessing in the end!

Skippy, too cute picture! Glad the boys are doing so well. I make all of C's food too, so far he eats organic. I freeze cubes in little silicon trays and it works well.

Basil - I had the same issues, and found lanolin (lansinoh) helped a lot, and pumped for awhile to give them a break (I know it is a huge pain!). We gave a bottle at about 3 days because C was starving - my milk hadn't come in yet. It didn't affect bf'ing, and in fact he later rejected the bottle at about 7 weeks (so next time I will make sure to give a bottle a day). All babies are different, though. You could pump the left and feed on the right if you're worried.

---

AFM, I have been back at work for almost 2 months now and it's not too bad. It was an initial shock to go from being with my baby 24/7 to being away all day, but such is life. We deswaddled at 5.5 months after I found him in the middle of the night stuck on his stomach and not happy about it, broken out of his swaddle. He was stuck and couldn't turn himself back around, so I spent a day making him "practice" and he hated it, but it worked. Shockingly, it wasn't a disaster when I started putting him down unswaddled and now he sleeps on his back, side and stomach and rolls around the crib everywhere. Still swaddled for naps now though, even though he is really too big for it! He is mostly sleeping well, used to be 11 hours straight from 7-6 but for some reason has been waking up around 5 for the past three days. He's 6 months now and loves eating fruit, vegetables, meat, but not rice cereal because it gives him a horrible face rash.Still doesn't love the bottle, but will drink it when I'm gone, only about 6 oz during the day sometimes, but he eats 5-7 oz of food a day so hopefully that is enough. He has two little nubs for teeth sprouting out, and he loves using them on the nuby mesh feeder. Almost sitting, and wants to drink from a real cup (but makes a mess). He is such a joy, I love this age when he's so curious, smiley, affectionate, playful, and talkative, but not yet mobile so he can't get away from me It makes me sad how fast he is growing and he soon won't be a baby anymore

 

[somethingshiny]

noel~ Hoping your hubs feels better quickly and so glad that you and S didn't get it too.

Not much here. Met JT's kindergarten teacher today (very nice) and he actually attends school tomorrow. Lily is getting better quickly, you can't even tell she's been sick but she's still really tired. Baby T's fungus is almost cleared so that'll be a relief! My nephew is like the world's most perfect baby and all my sis does is complain about it. She's upset that he's waking every 3-4 hrs at night to eat. Um, hello! He's 3 weeks old! WTH? Sometimes she drives me nuts. We had a great anniversary trip to Chicago yest. We really needed the time away together. OH, and JAMES DENTON was at the restaurant we ate at. DH noticed him and said, "that's some actor guy." lol

 

[Lanie]

noel -- that's so scary!!! Glad your DH is home and hope he's feeling better!

SS -- hahaha...I had to look up who James Denton was. I recognize him, but wouldn't have known his name!

catlover -- glad to see your update! Time is flying. I can't believe he's 6 months now.

HH -- you guys sure do resemble each other. The only difference I see is your eyes, but everything else is almost identical! Too cute!

AFM -- I'm still stressing over our feeding schedule. Since we've been back from NY, A is fussy all of the time. He has 2 teeth that came in about a month ago, and no more that I can feel yet. He's fussy at daycare, and they told me they thought it was because he was sniffly. I looked at his daily report, and he didn't go down for a nap until 2pm! He graduated to a new room, so I don't know his teachers that well, so I'm hoping they didn't forget to put him down for a nap. No wonder he was a little terror today. Anyway, I feel like I have no idea about when to feed him a bottle vs when to feed him real food. I tried to do a b'fast, lunch, and dinner with real food and bottles in between/before, but for whatever reason it doesn't work with naptime/schedules/hunger cues. I really have no clue how to do all of this! And I bet a million dollars this is why he's so fussy bc I can't figure out when to feed him. He's so close to crawling. He does an inchworm crawl forward, and when he's not moving, he'll get up on his hands and knees, and will even get up on his hands and tip toes. But seriously....he hasn't cried this much since he was 2 months old. Go back to being the angel baby!

 

[Kunzite]

Ladies, thank you so much for the support re: my supply. You have no idea how much all of your posts mean to me. I had basically given up on Friday, cried all day Saturday, and then made poor dh get my pump back out (after making him put it away because I couldn't do it), and I'm trying my hardest to get things going again. I honestly don't think it's going to work (I'm still at about 4oz/day which isn't even a full feed) but I feel so much better about trying. I'm going to give it a week and see where things are after a week. I always said the line I draw is at 10oz a day to determine if all the pumping is worth it, but after my reaction to last week I don't know if that's true. It might be much lower! I honestly think the rapid drop in supply might have been playing with my hormones/emotions. I don't normally get that upset about anything.

Okay, I'll be back with a proper post soon I hope

 

[noelwr]

went to clinic yesterday. Skye is 27.5 inches and a little over 17 lbs. they tell me she is dead on average for her age (8.5 months) which I think is weird because she looks so much smaller than other babies. I wonder if they tell everyone else that their babies are too big and fat??? anyway, they are really happy with her development and say that she is quite fast with her motor skills, except for her sitting which she still mostly does tripod style.

DH is still in hospital. not getting any worse, but not feeling much better either. doctors still don't know what it is but find no reason for concern. I've got a sore throat. ugh.

Lanie - set a schedule and try to keep to it as much as possible. obviously, if he's sleeping while a meal is planned, just give it to him when he wakes up. then you might want to shift snacks and such accordingly, but I would keep dinner at the same time every day. I was told as they eat more solids, they will slowly drink less bm/formula. you will see this when they don't finish their bottles. but I think the trick is to first offer the solid and then the bottle an hour later (I'm thinking about lunch time). otherwise they are full from the bottle and don't want the solid anymore.

LV - I asked about the yoghurt and they told me it's because it's got cow's milk and they prefer to introduce that at 9 months rather than 6 months in case of allergies. btw, the reason I have to take anti-hormone pills is because my cancer is hormone-receptive. it is not a standard, but it is not uncommon. research shows no benefits for taking them more than 5 years.

Allie - yup, C is definitely looking different... but still oh so cute!

 

[Puppmom]

Just dropping in to say thanks for all of the kind words. Work has been crazy busy because my partner is out. She's back tomorrow and I might just hug her when she gets here!

Anyway, I'm feeling pretty terrible physically. I'm nauseous pretty much all the time. Wrangling a 1 year old while feeling like you're going to yack isn't exactly the most pleasant experience. I'm feeling much better mentally though - other than when I'm feeling sorry for myself for feeling sick! DH is dealing much better too. My OB gave me a due date of April 13 so that puts me at 6wks4days today. I have a dating scan to be sure today so I'll post more soon. Thanks again - you guys are awesome!

PS - Noel, I hope your hubby gets better soon and you can Skye avoid the illness altogether!

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Basil- I used NuGel pads (the lactation consultant at the hospital gave them to me, its something they use on some burn patients, and doesn't have to be wiped off to breastfeed) when I had cracked nipples and it helped immensely, they healed in about 2-3 days. I also used a nipple shield until they were healed, but my kiddos had some latching issues.

 

[dcgator]

Hey Ladies,

Sorry that I just did a fly by the other day, but mommyhood sure keeps you busy, eh? I also apologize that I can't keep up with everyone, but I will try to be better from now on. I must say though, I am loving all the baby photos! I will try to add mine on Friday this week too Btw, if anyone wants to read my birth story, it is posted in the preggo thread.

Noel - I really hope the your husband continues to get better. Hugs to you as well for the early menopause. Hang in there lady and enjoy your little princess.

Basil - I don't think the bottle is evil. When I was in the hospital, Sophia wasn't latching and I wasn't really producing enough so she was going a bit hungry. They had me supplement with formula, and she went back to the breast very easily. I still supplement for her 3 am feeding so her daddy feeds her and occasionally she will not take the boob, so I have to pump instead. There has been no nipple confusion from this little lady, so I say, give it a try. Pumping instead can be a bit of a relief from the teeth too.

Catluver - Hey lady, thanks for the welcome

Skippy - I am glad to hear the boys are doing better and I hope they continue to be great. Cute pics!

Everyone else, I will try to keep up going forward. I do have some questions for all you experienced mommies though. As for the bleeding, the books say you can keep at it for weeks, and mine has been pretty consistent now for nearly two weeks. If you wouldn't mind commenting on this icky topic, how long did your's continue post-partum? Also, what's with the leaking? Does it continue as long as you breastfeed, or does it get any better. I can barely make it out of the shower before Niagra falls start, lol. Finally, when does the reversed day vs night thing get straightened out? I am trying to keep her up some of the day, but it proves a bit tough.

Well, I think I have reached my quota of annoying questions for the day, I look forward to talking to you tomorrow. Take care mommas!