PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[lliang_chi]

NEL, Wow, you're so good you went to your office. I've been telling myself I should go and visit but I haven't. How terrible, I know! I was going to go today, but Sis took off work early so we hung out. OMG, I totally want to cry when Ethan makes a swipe at my boobs too! Even with the nipple shield. I totally protectively cup myself when I go to nurse him. He's really hands-y.
Totally know what you mean about breast-handling. I finally explained to J why when I say, "I have to pump right now," it really is RIGHT NOW. I explained it to him but, not sure if he gets it. I

Skippy, what's camelcamelcamel? Hm, that FP space saver looks quite appealing. I guess we'll see what we'll do with the dining table first. Ours is all glass, and that *definitely* has to go before Ethan gets mobile.

So Sis and I were able to hang today because she had to got to the dermatologist to get some of a mole excised. She got it removed and they tested it and it was pre-cancerous, so they took more precautions and removed some more. So PSA: Skin cancer is no joke! I pointed the mole out to her last year when sometime when we were all in bathing suits, and it took her a while to remember to make an appointment, then to get seen.

 

[Skippy123]

LC, camelcamelcamel is an Amazon price tracker, Amazon price history charts, price watches, and price drop alerts.

NEL, I bet your coworkers went crazy over how precious she is!!!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Skippy - I miss you too! I can't believe the boys will be one soon! We'll be in the same thread again soon. I'm sure all the new mamas here are happy for your tips.

LC - That yawny stretchy photo is precious! I remember when S used to do that. I just loved it!! And, that romper is TOOOOOOOOOO CUTE! Where's it from? Not that I have a need for one, haha, but you never know . . . maybe one day? I'm just really drawn to the print, so curious about the brand.

 

[lliang_chi]

LV, the brand is Zutano, and it's got beavers on it and it says "Let's grow trees". Which is odd because beavers cut down trees, but hey, maybe i"m the only one keeping track. I got it as a gift so I don't know where you can get it from. And it has an elastic bottom, so no feet. Its like a baby "night gown" but with elastic at the bottom to contain the feet. I dunno if that makes sense. It makes diaper changes really easy.

 

[parrot tulips]

I've gotten some preemie clothes by Zutano (on a preemie clothing website), but I know Amazon carries the line as well.

 

[Loves Vintage]

LV, the brand is Zutano, and it's got beavers on it and it says "Let's grow trees". Which is odd because beavers cut down trees, but hey, maybe i"m the only one keeping track. I got it as a gift so I don't know where you can get it from. And it has an elastic bottom, so no feet. Its like a baby "night gown" but with elastic at the bottom to contain the feet. I dunno if that makes sense. It makes diaper changes really easy.

Haha, that was really funny. I've heard of Zutano. Very cute! Yes, the gowns did make diaper changes easier!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, the nightgown is super cute--we have several of those night gowns with the elastic bottoms. I used to use them often when I wasn't leaving the house as much (the nightgowns aren't great for the carseat), but I still use them every night!



I just got back from meeting the mom group again this week--we just grabbed coffee and went for a walk. I feel like I'm sort of exiting that scary first month. Katie has a pretty good routine, so I'm no longer nervous about taking her out and about. We've never really had issues with sleeping at night, but now she goes back to sleep without any fussing at all. I know I'm probably jinxing myself, but it seems like she "gets" that nighttime = sleeping. Even if she's a little awake when I put her in the rock and play, she just settles herself to sleep. This morning she gave me a huge smile and then nestled her head in my boob and I wish so badly I had it on film. I feel like I can start to interact with her a little, like she finally knows who I am and is happy when I'm around. I feel lucky that the first 5 weeks were never that bad for me, but I still feel like it gets easier every day. And I'm just enjoying each day so much.

quick question: when is it safe to use the bumbo? I always thought it was 3+ months, but K seems to have a strong neck and I've been thinking of trying it. I'm not sure if I should, though.

 

[pancake]

Hey ladies, sorry I've been slack. It has been all sorts of crazy this week, and not of the good variety unfortunately.

NEL, looks like your mothers group is all go! That's great! There are about 10 mums in mine, and they are all lovely but I have definitely got chatting with 2 of them more than the rest - over cloth nappies, of all things! Plus those 2 are about the same age as me whereas the rest are all a bit older, so it's nice. I'm looking forward to once the formal program (at the maternal and child health centre) finishes and we all get together casually. Hopefully the group will be as active as yours is!

LC - Ethan is so smooshy and delicious! He is a big boy! How is the nursing going, still improving I hope? Re the different holds, I didn't try any different ones until I knew S had the hang of cross-cradle/madonna. Now I think I could stick her on the opposite side of the bed from me and she would find a booby somehow!

Skippy - you have to come back here and visit us once you graduate to the toddler thread!

AFM (me, not us!), things are rough at the moment. As I mentioned in my last post, my dad has been having a lot of tests, and it is gradually becoming clearer that the most likely diagnosis is metastatic lung cancer (he's not a smoker). He is having a couple more tests next week but it is highly doubtful that it is operable so the sooner he can see an oncologist, the better (this will be after the biopsy next week). I imagine he will probably have local radiation to his spine for the bony disease, and chemotherapy with the view of getting as much time as possible... it has all been a huge blur these last few days and I am really feeling the burden of being "the doctor" of the family, as it means that I know things before he even does. My brain is also scooting ahead (especially during middle-of-the-night feeds) wondering what I'll be able to do, thinking about the practicalities, etc... I just have to remind myself that he is an autonomous adult and will have his own wishes and wants, and that I need to be reactive to those rather than thinking I have to take all of the decision-making on myself. The whole thing is much more complicated because of his acrimonious split with my mother, the previously extremely acrimonious relationship I had with him (and all of the problems over the last 20 years) and the emotional overlay that that adds to the situation.

Trying to take it a day at a time. He seems to be doing ok at the moment; I don't know if that is because he really is, or because he's in denial, or because he doesn't yet know the extent of it. When I rang him this morning he was playing tennis, so that made me feel better. He told me not to worry about him, that I should worry about Sylvie instead.

AFU - Sylvie continues to be a beacon of joy amongst the current complications! She smiles and coos now, and I am loving the fact that she saves the biggest smiles for me!! I weighed her when I was at mothers group on Wednesday and she has gained ANOTHER 700g in 2 weeks! She's nearly 5kg (11lb!) now. PT her cheeks are not quite as impressive as Ava's yet, but we're working on it!

I had my 6 week check up today. Had the glamorous stuff like an internal and a Pap smear, and I got started on some estrogen gel so that I can have a Mirena inserted in 2 weeks (TMI? Sorry!). Sylvie was so funny - she was being all angelic and lovely and cute, and then suddenly started FARTING like crazy, and then did a big poo!

 

[lliang_chi]

Pancake, HUGS my friend! I'm so sorry to hear your father's diagnosis. It's tough and I'm sorry you have to go through that. I do hope you keep the same frame of mind that it's not your job to make all the decisions. Don't take it upon yourself to try to make this your problem, you have plenty to worry about wiht the new baby. I'm glad S is growing so well! What a big girl! Question about the Mirena: What's the estrogen gel you need to put in. I'm thinking of doing IUD rather than pills, so I'd like to hear what you have to say about Mirena. Also what happens at the 6wk appt? Mine is tomorrow AM. Do I need to bring Ethan? I don't think I do so I wasn't planning on it.

NEL, I liked the nightgowns when we were doing the sink soak for Ethan's diaper rash. I still soak him a little bit since his bum is a little sensitive but I'm not doing it all the time like when his tushy was still healing. Aw, your post made my heart go mushy. I"m so glad you're drinking in mothering Katie. She's a lucky girl to have such a great Mommy. Re: the Bumbo, I think dunno if Katie's torso is strong enough to hold her up in the Bumbo. But I suppose there's no harm trying to stick her in it and see what happens.

AFM, my 6wk appt is tomorrow. And Ethan's getting a blood draw for billirubin again. THat's about it. My BFF from university is going to visit this weekend. I'm so looking forward to it. We're doing dinner @ Sis's house. Sis is making paella, I'll make apps and BFF is making sangria Holy cow I can't wait to have some sangria!!!

~LC

 

[FrekeChild]

I suck at replying and keeping up at this point. One day I'll be better at it!

Aralia is 4 months, 25 inches and 13.5 pounds! What the heck?! She's almost normal sized! Still fitting in 3 month sizes, keeping me on my toes, but we're finally starting to figure out a rhythm. She's finally really interested in toys, and thinks the dogs are hilarious! I'm still exhausted all of the time though...

Keeping all of you in my thoughts!

 

[pancake]

LC, thank you for the thoughts, it means a lot. It is going to be really tough but I really do need to focus on just getting through each day and taking it as it comes. That does not come naturally to me but I am working on it.

Re the estrogen cream - women who are breastfeeding are relatively estrogen-deplete post-partum, and so the hormonal stimulus that lubricates and nourishes the vaginal mucosal lining (sorry for the gross medical language!) is not there. That results in the lining of the vagina becoming relatively dry and kind of "shrunken" (not in size, but in the sort of quality of the lining). So I'm using the cream for a couple of weeks to "re-estrogenise" the cervix so that inserting the Mirena is easier. It's not a part and parcel thing though.

I assume that the 6 week appointment for you is similar to what we have over here. Basically, my obstetrician had a quick look at Sylvie (although he did laugh as he did it as my husband and I are both paediatricians! That said, we have been 100% NOT interested in looking at our daughter medically!) and then had a chat to me. The chat covered how I was going, whether I had ongoing discharge, pain, etc, and what I wanted to do about contraception.

Freke, she's gorgeous!!

One of the things that this last week has shown me is how lucky I am to have the support network that I do - I have been talking to a few close friends and my mother-in-law (she is a radiologist; she knew that my dad was having scans so it followed that she has found out what has been going on), and I'm so grateful for the support I have from them - and also from my online community here! It has been hard because apart from my husband (who has been 1000000% wonderful), my main confidante is normally my mother, but because of the nature of her relationship with my father, I can't talk to her about this. Also, I am the only one who knows - my mum, brother and sister don't yet.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Pancake, I've been thinking about you and your family. I have no doubt that you must feel very drained. It's not just from all of the practicalities around caring for your father, but there is the emotional side, too. Trying to figure out how you feel about caring for him is very tough. Sometimes I feel like the logical side is easier. But LC is right, you should not feel that this is all on your shoulders. I'm glad, at least, that he's taking the news in stride. Or maybe there is some denial on his part, I'm not sure, but it's good that he's continuing with his "normal" life.

Hopefully the mom group helps you to take your mind off of some of this. Our formal meetings with the instructor are on Tuesdays (I think you meet on Tuesdays, too?), but a few of us get together informally on Thursdays now. Maybe a few of you--just whomever can make it--can start meeting casually another day of the week. I think 2x per week is nice. Another mom group meets 3x per week (1 formal, 2 informal) and that is tougher. I'm doing 3x per week next week and am trying to figure out when I can get to the grocery store and run some other errands since I like to leave my weekends free for family time.

Freke, A is such a cutie--how can you not smile when looking at that beaming face!

LC, how is E's diaper rash doing? Is it gone again? And woohoo for sangria! Let me know how your 6 week appointment goes, mine is next week. I know my doc is going to ask about birth control and I'm not sure what I'll do. I was on the pill, but apparently that's not good for breast feeding. D wants for me to stay off of BC since we're unsure about when we want to try again, but I still want to know my options. Anyway, I hope your appt. goes well!

AFU, fussy baby on my hands. She's constipated. She's usually fine until about the 48 hour mark (of no pooping) and then she starts straining and grunting. She didn't sleep well last night and I'm really hoping she goes soon. Poor baby. When she does go, her poop is soft, I just wish she'd go more often.

 

[parrot tulips]

We attended our first mom's group today. I felt a little like an outsider, since most of the women have met before (I can be painfully shy, which didn't help), but I think it might be nice in the long run. The group was a mix of SAHM's and women who are going back to work...some part time and some full time. It was great meeting a bunch of local first time moms and sharing experiences and advice. They occasionally meet at each others' homes, and sometimes at parks, like today. We must have been a sight. Half a dozen women with little babies chatting away, whipping out boobs (some used nursing covers, some didn't), and rocking strollers back and forth in unison.

 

[Loves Vintage]

PT - That's great that you were able to go out and meet some other moms. Do they meet weekly? If you're looking to get out more, check your local library and others near you. They often have weekly sing-alongs, reading time, or nursery rhymes for specific age groups, even little babies. It's a great way to meet other moms and to get out of the house with baby!

FC - A is a beauty! She looks so bright and alert. I bet people tell you that all the time! Adorable romper too! You guys are killing me with all of these cute baby clothes!!

 

[Mannequin]

Weston had his one month checkup today. His head measurement is 14.5 inches (50th percentile). He has only gained a 1/4 inch in length by their measurements (I think that is off, hs newborn clothes are too short!), so he is 21.25 inches and 30th percentile. Weight wise, he is up to 10 pounds 7 ounces which is 55th percentile. He gained two of those pounds in the last two weeks - he has been an EATING MACHINE. There have been a few evenings in the last week where all we did was sit on the couch, watch TV and nurse. He's eating approximately every two and a half to three hours and we have been focusing on full feeding both boobs with the nipple shields (tough when he gets to dozing off mid-feed). I've been pumping whenever I plan to be out during the day since public nursing is a challenge with the shields and a squirmy baby. I wish he would sleep more at night, but obviously he is having some major growth spurts so he's awake to feed often. Swaddling him up buys more sleep time for all of us after his initial fussy protests to being bundled up. He's getting much more interactive when he is awake as the weeks roll on. We like to take walks and he enjoys watching me dangle rattles in front of him. He went to school with me last week and met the teachers and some of my students. He was such a good boy! We also visited Daddy at work and had our first dinner out as a family of three at Big Boy.

Hope you all are doing well. I will come back and respond to posts later!

 

[lliang_chi]

Hello ladies!

I resurrected my laptop. I spilled a bunch of water on it yesterday, but luckily we managed to salvage it.

Freke, OMG what a happy smiley baby! I could just stare at A for hours. How do you manage to get anything done??

Pancake, thinking about you my dear. I'm glad you have a great support system and you can rely on others, like your DH, friends and MIL to help you. I can understand that you can't talk to your mom about this. My parents are also in the same sort of messed up phase of their relationship so I hear ya. Thanks for explaining what the estrogen cream is for. My midwife did tell me that since I'm breastfeeding, I'll be lacking lubrication, so if DH and I decide to start having sex again, to pick up some tube-o-lube for general comfort. I didn't know it was because of the lack of estrogen.

NEL, Ethan's rash is gone again (touch wood). I should be getting some other diaper products this week that I can hopefully keep it gone for good. The sangria was TASTY!! My 6 wk appt was OK. She talked abotu PPD and checked my incision scar. Then did a pap. Ugh the pap was SO WAY uncomfortable. Also talked about birth control. She said any birth control that contains estrogen is not good for breast feeding because the estrogen can be passed through the breast milk. And we dont' want to give babies any of the hormones. How's K's BM? I hope she was able to get through the constipation. Poor thing. I caught your post in the pumping thread. Stay strong and don't get discouraged. YOu're doing so much for your little girl. DId you talk to the pedi to see if you can get a scrip to help increase supply?

PT, Great you have a good mix of Mommy's at your mom's group. I'm sure everyone will warm up to you and Ava. I mean who can resist those chubby cheeks! I'm so jealous of your warm weather that you're outside enjoying it. Please enjoy it extra for Ethan and I. IT's sunny but too cold here for me to take him out for very long...

MQ, aw hooray that Weston is doing so well!!! What a big week for him. Lots of visits and even a dinner out! Maybe he likes the Big Boy dinner that's why he's nursing so much. LOL!

AFU: Ethan is doing really well. We had a good day today. He's getting the hang of nursing and has even nursed without the nipple shields! Definitely seeing more awake time with him, and I'm at a loss of what to do to keep him calm and entertained. He's been having some pretty decent stretches at night. Last night he dropped the 11PM feeding and woke up at 1AM. DH didn't want to wake him. Tonight I tried the "dream feed" (a la The Baby Whisperer), and hopefully that'll get him through most of the night, maybe even dropping the 3AM wake up.

My 6wk appt was uneventful. The midwife said she noted some spotting, and if it continues I should call her so they can check to make sure nothing's wrong. She went over birth control methods, and I think I'm going to do the Mirena route.

Lastly our furniture is scheduled to be delivered on Weds. We'll see

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, ohmygoodness, Ethan is so cute. I love the pic of him with Quizas. Glad to hear that your 6 week appt. went well, at least everything except the spotting. And I'm also glad you got to enjoy the sangria! Thanks for the encouraging words about pumping--I think I'm just hitting a wall and am frustrated with my own body. I'll talk with my OB and the pedi about my supply. I have my 6 week appt. and K's 2 month appt. coming up.

The longer stretches sound great! So when is E's last feeding now? Around 9pm? We're still up 2x per night, but it's a little more stretched out. I used to top her off around 10pm, then she was up at 1 and 4. Lately she has her last cluster feed around 9:30, then she's up around 2 and 5ish. She usually only takes 2 oz. at the 5am feeding, so I'm hoping we can eventually drop that one an do a 2 and 7am (when she's up for the day).

K's constipation is still there. At 48 hours, I give her a tiny bit of prune juice, though I don't know if it helps. She had a huge pooping session at 2am, but I can clean it up without waking her too much now.

MQ, even though I know you're sleep deprived, it sounds like things are going well! Weston is eating like a champ and you're getting out of the house, which is great! I'm sure the teachers and students adored him and the same for your husband's coworkers. We do the same thing with the swaddle. Katie doesn't really like it, but I think it keeps her more settled at night. I don't bother during the day because she wears herself out trying to break out of it, but at night she seems to tolerate it

Pancake, thinking about you!

PT, so glad you're enjoying the mom group. I think having a network of women who have babies very, very close to the same age is so helpful. Especially for first-time moms!

AFU, nothing exciting! Just plugging along. K seems to get bigger and stronger every day. Like Ethan, she's up more during the day and settles down pretty easily at night. She has some baby acne right now, but that's not really anything to be concerned about. She enjoys our daily outtings and I'm just sort of waiting for the 6-week growth spurt. Yesterday she was really sleepy, but not really eating a ton, so it could have just been a sleepy day.

We tried the bumbo. She hated it

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, I feel like I'm a meanie for saying this but Katie's so cute in the bumbo picture it totally makes me laugh. I know she's crying, probably wailing, but OMG she's so cute! I just want to scoop her up!
Ethan had really sleepy day this weekend too. He grazed all day, eating only 1/2 to 2/3rds of his normal feeding, and waking almost every hour or so to eat. DH was with him most of that day and J didn't complain too much since Ethan was really nice about it. DH hates it when E's super cranky and inconsolable and gets really frustrated and starts getting mad at Ethan. I told him if he ever needs me to take over I will. Even if I'm out & about, I'll come home straight away if needed. He gets it. I think he just doesn't have the same patience since I'm home with him and dealt with his crankiness multiple times.
Ethan clusters around 6/7PM, 8/9PM, then 11PM dream feed if I can do it, otherwise 12M/1AM if DH does it (and doesn't wake him up). He gets up around 3/4AM for a feeding, then is up for the day around 7AM. Sounds like you'll be able to drop the 5AM feeding soon, that's a bonus. I also stretch Ethan out to go the full 4 hrs between feedings at night. So I'll hold him, and snooze with him but I won't feed him until the 4 hrs hits. But Ethan's also a lot bigger than Katie is, so I know he can go that long.
I hope K's constipation goes away soon. How do you do diaper changes that don't wake her up too much?? I had to diaper change after E's dream feed last night and TOTALLY woke him up...

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I always feel that Katie is a bit less fussy on the weekends, so D doesn't get to witness the big meltdowns. Granted, they're rare, but still. And I'm so jealous that you can leave E alone with J. I only left K with D once. I had to run to the grocery store because I forgot one item and I was gone for maybe 15 minutes. When I got home, she was crying and D was frantic.

The nighttime diaper change is tough. Does E still hate having his changed? K doesn't mind it anymore, so that helps. I usually change it before feeding, but if I know she's peed, I don't want to put her back to bed. So I wait 'til she's had most of her bottle, then caaarefully change it. Then I give her another half an ounce of milk to settle her back down. The clothing actually gives me the most trouble. If she's in a nightgown, pulling it down often wakes her. If she's in footed PJs, getting her feet back in will wake her up. Luckily, even if she wakes a bit, she usually settles back down within 10 minutes.

 

[lliang_chi]

I agree, the weekends E doesn't seem as cranky and grouchy. Oh no! D really needs to start taking care of her more so he can build his confidence. Maybe having people tell, "WOW, D you're doing such a good job with Katie" will convince him that he's able to take care of her on his own. J was kind of like that until I reasoned with him, "I've never had a kid either, so we're both making this up as we go. THe only thing I have that's "more qualified" than you are boobs." Even then E was mostly bottle fed in the beginning (or SNS), so we were both able to do the feedings.

E is still not very happy with the diaper changes. Or maybe just when I do it. The only way he'll sit through them is if he's fed and full. Otherwise he's kicking and pouting at the very least and full on crying at the most unhappy. J always changes him after he's fed. I'm used to changing him before he's fed because I always wanted him most comfortable when he was nursing since we had such a hard time with that. But I guess he's nursing alright now, so I can swap to changing after.

 

[janinegirly]

LC&NEL: Love the photos, your munchkins are growing so fast!

NEL: LOL on the Bumbo!! This is why I was asking if I was the only one whose LO hated it....DD1 did and now DD2 is following suit. She started out backarching and now her legs are too chunky so she is suctioned in. No time to even take a photo, she wants out and is ready to propel herself out if not. So my oldest (toddler!) has decided it's her seat, and fits in!! (she's tiny...).


AFM: Solids are catching on (she eats several servings at once!), but she is not eating as much milk now. Poor thing is stuffed up so I just ordered the nose frieda...my supply also seems to be dropping a bit sadly, but still pumping constantly.

 

[Skippy123]

FC, she has grown so much!!! so cute!!!

LC, awww he is adorable! I love all his hair!

NEL, awww she is adorable!!!!

 

[pancake]

NEL, I am another one of those mean people who laughs at crying babies - I giggled at the pic of Katie in the Bumbo too! She's just gorgeous. I am sorry to read of the ongoing trials and tribulations with expressing (over on the other thread). Ultimately, I think you do the best you can, and then if it reaches the stage of becoming counterproductive then you stop. Katie will be fine, no matter how much breastmilk or formula or combination of both she receives. You are doing an awesome job! Sylvie has been having spots and dots as well - she had it really badly during a heatwave a few weeks ago, then it cleared up, and then she's had a minor viral thing the last day or so and the spots are back. Baby skin is a capricious thing!!

LC - I love those photos of Ethan, he is such a handsome little guy these days! Well done with the nursing, what an achievement! Glad you are getting longer stretches between feeds in the evenings, it makes such a difference. Have you organised your Mirena? Mine is in a couple of weeks. Supply of the estrogen cream here is patchy at the moment so instead I have these little tablet pessary things with an applicator, similarly glamorous!! It's amazing what a lack of estrogen does - my Pap was also the most painful of my life! I said to my obstetrician that I'd never had a Pap that was painful before - he said that was because I'd never had a post-partum Pap before!

Mannequin - Wes is doing so well! Post some photos for us! How are things going with your hubby and the division of labour?

Janine, wow, A is doing so well with solids! She will naturally take less and less milk the more solids she eats. Sorry to hear about your supply issues but you have done so well to get this far with expressing!

AFM, I have been a bit AWOL again I know - it has been an insane week or so with my dad's stuff. It is confirmed that he has metastatic lung cancer with known spread to lymph nodes, pleura and brain - he had a bronchoscopy yesterday and they did the CT brain because I raised concerns about Dad's increasing confusion, which has come on over the last week and is now really quite marked, to the point where he can't remember conversation he had 2 hours ago, has trouble operating his mobile phone and is confused about the day of the week.

In view of the confusion and the confirmed brain metastases, he is being admitted to hospital this afternoon to commence chemotherapy as an inpatient, which I think is an excellent idea.

I talked to my mother about it last night to tell her about the diagnosis and she immediately said that he could stay at her place and she would look after him - that's the kind of person she is. This is despite the fact that he made her life hell for years and she is still smarting over all the things he did without ever giving her a single apologetic word. Anyway, overnight she has already thought about all the practicalities (eg should his care be transferred to the hospital nearest her house? When will his appointments be? Could he sleep in the upstairs bedroom?) and she's been absolutely brilliant, BUT - when I asked my father if he wanted Mum to come in with me to the hospital this afternoon, he immediately said no and that he didn't want to see her at all. So I didn't even broach the thing of staying at her house, and I'm not sure what will end up happening with that. He can't stay with us; we simply don't have the space, plus we have Sylvie and I need to put her and my husband's interests first. Also - I think I'd probably kick him out within 12 hours! So I'm not sure what will happen... I guess we'll have to wait and see. Mum categorically says that I should NOT offer for him to stay with us as she thinks it would be to our detriment as a family (I agree), and even if he doesn't like the choices he's given, he does have a choice (ie he can stay at the family home). I think she's probably right.

Overall I think I am actually relieved to have all the results of his tests and things, even if they are bad....because I knew it would be bad, and so to have knowledge of the specifics seems a positive thing as it allows us to move forward with treatment and plan for the future. We are just waiting on a final cell diagnosis (tomorrow) and results from molecular studies (about a fortnight). I am concentrating on the things I know I can help with - talking to doctors, organisational stuff, etc - and staying away from thinking about the vagaries of my relationship with him. In all honesty, a large part of me still hates him, but that doesn't change my wanting to help him.

As for US (the point of this thread!), little Sylvie is continuing to kick goals. We are working on helping her settle in her bassinet rather than in arms - she was previously doing this, but over the last 2 weeks had been much more unsettled and so she had been falling asleep on us quite a bit. We are sort of doing a modified Baby Whisperer thing with shushing/white noise and patting, and working to identifying her very early tired signs (we have discovered that by the time she yawns, it's quite late already). She is not settling herself very well after her first sleep cycle of every nap, so many of her naps are only 45 minutes but we are getting the occasional 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap during the day. The nights are still good and we've never had problems then - touch wood that will remain the case!

What strategies are you ladies using to settle your bubs? Would love to hear...

Otherwise, things are motoring along. She is full of smiles and starting to gurgle and coo at us. Growing at a rate of knots and I have just started putting her in OSFM cloth nappies. Cannot believe she is 2kg heavier than when she was born! People still talk about how tiny and new she is but to me she just looks ENORMOUS.

Edit: photos!

Stop! Daddy Time! (please excuse Daddy's disgraceful hair, it has been cut since then )


6am burping sessions are the best times to chat:


My big girl:

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Pancake, I know you aren't suprised by the diagnosis, but I'm still very sorry. Your mom sounds amazing--I don't know what happened between your father and her, but it sounds like he was in the wrong and the fact that she's able to push that aside and offer to care for him is amazing. It's a little disappointing that he still has some residual feelings there that are making this more difficult, but hopefully it will work out. And I completely understand why you're relieved to have a diagnosis, even if it's a poor prognosis. That's the planner in you coming out!

I'm glad to hear that Sylvie is doing well! We've also been trying to get Katie to settle without holding her. Lately she's really been fighting sleep (even when we're holding her), so it's been tough. The good thing for us is that she still does really well with settling herself at night, so it seems that so long as it's nightime, she's in our bedroom and in her nighttime bassinet, she's fine. But when we're downstairs during the day? It's a different story.

When all else fails, the best way to soothe K when I need her out of my arms and she's sleepy is to swaddle her, stick her in her pack and play and vacuum. The vacuum puts her to sleep every single time. We have a white noise machine that would probably work just as well, but it's upstairs and I don't want to drag it down during the day.

She's also started to like her swing. Sometimes.

Bouncing on the yoga ball or wearing her still do the trick for us, but obviously that requires her to be held. Still, if I'm in mom class and she's fussy, it's the best way to settle her.

As for naps, I try to get Katie to nap for 20 minutes or so every 60 - 90 minutes. Then she takes one long (1.5+ hour) nap in the after noon. Anyway, sorry for the long post, but we talk about this kind of stuff in mom class and I find it helpful.

Katie was giving me some good smiles this morning, so I took a few pics

 

[random_thought]

So it's been awhile since I've posted here *cough*8 months*cough* but I just wanted to drop in and see how everyone has been. Cayden is 11 months old right now so I only got 1 month I can post in this thread which is uber lame of me but c'est la vie Here's a newer picture of my little guy at grandma and grandpa's 2 weeks ago

 

[parrot tulips]

Eek! I'm loving all the new baby photos!

As for sleeping, we got a seriously disapproving look from our pediatrician when we told her we'd often let Ava fall asleep in our arms, before setting her down in her bassinet/crib. Honestly, with us, it was mostly laziness. Having to go through a whole routine to get a short nap here and there is a little time consuming. But these days, when we notice A getting tired, we zip her into a sleep sack (she wriggles around so much these days, I'm afraid to swaddle her), turn on the sound machine, read a story or two, and she's usually asleep. Most naps only last 30-45 minutes, but we'll get the occasional 60-90 minute one here and there. In a pinch, we'll stick her in her swing or use the Ergo. Night times are easier. After her bath and evening feed, she'll pass out. She falls immediately back asleep after middle of the night feedings/diaper changes. The last two nights, between the hours of 7:30pm-7:30am, she only woke twice to feed. I'm hoping this is a positive trend that will continue, but...

Some pics. If she's in a good mood, Ava will tolerate her Bumbo for a few minutes.

 

[taovandel]

I've been a bad mommy over here. I wish I had posted more often and now my sweet Violet is about to turn 1 and I'm banned from here ( ). I do visit here at least once a week and I mainly look at the pictures of your sweet little babies!

The whirl of birthday/holiday weekend is coming up so I wasn't sure I'd be able to do a post about my sweet baby girl or not in time. She turns 1 on April 8 (Easter) and I'm just so amazed by her. To me she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. She's funny and stubborn as hell and won't let anything get in her way (even big brother Evan). She's quiet and thoughtful and adorable.

I'm so blessed to have her in my life and I can't wait to see what crazy things she puts us through in the next year (and in our lifetime together!).

 

[Mannequin]

A few pictures of my little guy:





I really miss sleeping. Ended up on the couch last night with the kid. He ate around 6:30, 8:00, and 10:30 last night. We had out of town family visiting and the house was loud until 10 pm, and it messed up the usual quiet time around here. Weston could not settle himself down after I tried getting him to his crib, and he was up and fussing or nursing from 11 to 3:30. I've had about four hours of broken sleep since then. Hubby has not been helping with any feeding and refuses to give up our bed for cosleeping. His suggestions to give W a bottle of my milk make no sense when I am BFing, and I refuse to let this baby CIO when he is so little. I desperately need a bedtime routine or something to help this poor kid sleep, he's just not regulating well on his own yet. He woke up next to me after about 2.5 hours of sleep this morning and gave me such a sad, overtired cry that I started crying. He just took a half hour nap, woke up to nurse again, and is asleep in my arms. If I try putting him the pnp bassinet, he'll wake up. If I am lucky, he'll fuss quietly and doze off. Wish me luck, I am so tired.

 

[lliang_chi]

Quick question mamas,
Anyone have any suggestions for cradle cap? I think Ethan has a mild case and I want to get rid of it before it gets worse. It looks like dandruff and the skin near his hairline is kind of "scaly" for lack of better word. I saw it on his eyebrows and rubbed it off. It sort of came back a few days ago but rubbed it off again.

Thanks,
LC

 

[Loves Vintage]

Mannequin - W is such a gorgeous boy! Your post made me sad! Can I ask a few questions? Is the PnP next to your bed? Is W napping well during the day? Can you nap when he naps? (I see you said he napped for 30 mins just when you posted.) Will he sleep in the swing? Are you swaddling? My S used to nap very well in the swing during the day, and it really helped.

ETA: Does your DH have off tomorrow? A lot of people do due to the holiday. Will he take care of W and handle a feed so you can get a solid 4 hrs of sleep maybe? It sounds like you really need some catch-up sleep, and well, 4 hours probably won't be enough, but it will certainly help. It can be so hard in the beginning. I promise it will get better, but we need to get you some sleep!!