PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[parrot tulips]

LC - I remember the OB's coming to check on me while I was in the hospital recovering from my c-section. When they asked how I was feeling, and I responded "Wonderful! Blissful!" they were in complete shock. I was thrilled with how well Ava was doing, considering how early she was. The exact word from the Neonatologist regarding her condition was "extraordinary." They said that many (or most?) women suffer from some form of baby blues (though not necessarily full on PPD).

I know you mentioned being late caused a little tiff between you and your DH, but I had to chuckle a little bit. If we're running late, it's always pinned on me. Buuuuut...J always forgets that he leaves it to me (meaning he takes no initiative himself) to make sure we've got enough diapers and wipes and an extra change of clothes and a pacifier and a hat and a blanket, and the wine/dessert/side dish (if we're going to someone's house for dinner) and, and, and. All he does is get dressed and sit around wondering what's taking me so long. Luckily he always expects me to be late anyway, so it's nothing new to him. lol.

Pancake - Awww, Sylvie is such a doll. I love happy, smiling, babbling babies. They're the best. Ava is pretty loud herself, and quite the chatterbox.

I'm so sorry about your father. It sounds like such an awful situation all the way around. Whether he is able to realize it or not, he is very fortunate to have you, your mother, and your brother in his life. I've been thinking of you and your family.

Janine - So glad to hear A's christening went well. How old is she again? Ava has no sense of stranger danger yet, and I'm wondering if that has more to do with her age or disposition.

NEL - I love parent visits (mine only live about 10 minutes away, so we're treated to them often). My mother is a horrible baby hog, and has literally dug her fingers into me trying to pry Ava out of my arms.

S&I - Alex is gorgeous! I'm sorry about the stress around breastfeeding. It sounds like you have a great, proactive LC. I couldn't get more than a few drops of colostrum for the first week (barely enough to fill the tip of the plastic "bullets" I was given to collect it in), so I know how stressful it can be. Hopefully things work out, but there's also nothing wrong at all with having a formula fed baby. I was a formula baby, and ironically the healthiest of my siblings (who were breastfed).

 

[NewEnglandLady]

PT, I can't get enough Ava pics, she's soooo cute! And so funny that your mother is a baby hog. My MIL is a baby hog, I joke that when she comes in the door I just hand her K because anybody standing in her way could be injured. K hasn't experienced stranger danger yet, but our mom group instructor said it's likely right around the corner.

S&I, Alex is soooooo cute! I haven't caught up on the preggo thread since my parents showed up, but sorry to hear about your supply issues. I didn't get colostrum for 3 days, I think. When my milk started coming in, I would pump for 30+ minutes and put it into a syringe because I didn't get more than 5ccs. My supply has never been great and I was only able to exclusively breastfeed for a short time. Now I get about 10 - 12 ounces per day, so only 2 of K's bottles are breastmilk. You're doing everything you can!! I think that with all things baby, you just have to roll with the punches. Hopefully your supply increases, but don't beat yourself up if it doesn't. I've been there and the stress is awful.

In regards to the b-day party, I don't know. My pedi told me to take K out, but just avoid crowds of kids because of the possible germs. Unless you know none of the kids are sick. That being said, D took K to see the easter bunny (I was against it because a ton of kids were there) and she was fine, so I may be a little paranoid. How big is the party?

Janine, the 'rents visit did go well. Sorry to hear about your in-law drama. I hate family drama, it just adds stress and always seems so unecessary. It's especially annoying when the drama comes from adults who should know better.

Pancake, S is such a cutie. I bet she's really lifting your spirits at a tough time. When I'm struggling with anything, just looking at K makes me feel better. And good for you for knowing when you need a break. And taking it! You've been buring your candle at both ends since finding out the bad news about your father and you need to take breaks.

LC, Ethan is such a good boy!! I hope K does as well with her shots later this week.

AFU, my parents went home today and I'm a bit sad. I had mom group today and mentioned that I'm hitting a bit of a wall. I think I just need to take a little time to myself. I'm going to make a hair appointment and do a little shopping. I haven't done anything like that since having K and I really think I need it to feel "normal" again.

 

[bubbly1126]

I skimmed the pics and I must say PS babies are the CUTEST EVER!!!!

I'll come back later to catch up but for now here is a pic of Liam @ 7 1/2 months on 4/22/12...

God, I LOVE this kid with every fiber of my being.

 

[pancake]

S&I, I don't think I've congratulated you yet on Alex's arrival - he is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!! I LOVE those newborn pics, not too staged and brings out the real "babyness" of your little one. Don't get discouraged with the breastmilk issue - LC and NEL have first-hand experience of the trials and tribulations of pumping and they have made it work... you will get there one way or another and even if you end up formula feeding, as PT says - Alex will be fine!

Re going out to parties and gatherings, or restrictions on visitors etc... our decision was to have no small children visit S for the first month, and her first big gathering was at 6 weeks. The reason for this was that we are both paeds, and we knew that if she got a febrile illness in the first month she'd end up having a full septic screen at the hospital (blood cultures, urine cultures, lumbar puncture, admission for antibiotics) and we wanted to try and avoid that as much as possible! But really, think about all those babies born into families with young kids who go to childcare - they are constantly exposed to bugs and they do fine! Plus, the immunisations do not really protect them from bugs they would most commonly catch from other people, which are mostly viruses. Exception would be rotavirus, but a young infant is at very low risk of that anyway because of the way it's transmitted.

NEL, you hit the nail on the head - Sylvie is our beacon of sunshine at the moment! She makes everyone feel better, most of all me and my mum. I giggled reading about your and PT's "baby hogs" - my mother is the WORST baby hog! She puts dibs on picking up the baby when she wakes up, changing her nappy, burping her... Sometimes I can only laugh

Time for yourself is so important. I hadn't really thought about it until the last few weeks since my dad got sick, and all of a sudden last week, when I took my couple of days "off", I realised that I really need to make time for myself a bit better. At the moment my only proper "me" time is in the shower! So I am going to try and get a pedi this week sometime (even though the weather is pretty cold and wet at the moment -- I will know that my toes look good!) and I also have a voucher for a massage that was given to me by my workmates when I went on maternity leave that I should use.

Janine, thanks for your compliments on Sylvie! To my totally UNobjective eye, she is pretty darn cute... but I confess I don't mind hearing others say it too Too true re the excitement of the happy bubbly stage... I love waking up in the morning to her "ah-gooooooo"s (although not sure who they are directed at... seems to be the ceiling fan!).

PT - love the pic of Ava! See above for my comment on baby hog grandmothers. Fortunately the flipside of that for me is that my mother LOVES looking after Sylvie for me so I can go places and do things. The only issue with that is at the moment, I don't really WANT to leave her!

IHA - that pic is gorgeous! Love bathtime. Always yields good photos, too!

AFU, Sylvie is having an unsettled couple of days at the moment. Think she is having a growth spurt. She is waking more frequently at night for feeds and her sleep is a bit unsettled too - much more interrupted than usual. Could not believe it yesterday when I put her in a 000 jumpsuit and she could not straighten her legs in it -- I had to put her in a 00! (that's 3-6 month size here) My baby is growing too quickly

D & I have a dinner booking on Saturday night at a nice restaurant - my in-laws gave us a voucher for Christmas with the intention that we would drop Sylvie at their house (it's just up the road from the restaurant) and have a date night. Well, the in-laws are overseas at the moment, but the voucher expires on May 1, so...enter baby hog grandmother (my mum) to save the day!!! I am actually kind of reluctant to leave Sylvie for the evening, but I know it'll be good for us. Plus it will be nice to dress up and not worry if what I am wearing has adequate breastfeeding access

 

[janinegirly]

PT: I love Ava, she is such a cutie. You should start selling calendars of her..lol. My A is 6 month old now. Maybe your A has a trusting disposition compared to mine, hehe. Around 5 months she would stare at new faces (sometimes my mom if hasen't seen her in a while) and then if they come too close, it's full on cry! With nurses and doctors it's a stare down and then full on cry -- they always say oh maybe it's this or that, but I know it's because she doesn't know who these peeps are!

NEL: Glad the visit went so well. Good for you on getting some me time in there, I have never been good with that. Got my hair done/cut the day before returning to work - I don't recommend cutting it that close!

LC: How are you doing?


IHA: what a cutie, love the smile!

Pancake: Woo hoo on dinner with DH! WE also did not let our girls around anyone but immediate family untl after 4-6 weeks and kept her close to home until after the first round of shots..

AFM: put a bunch of photos on FB, find us! And for those with grandma hogs, that is adorable. Cherish it...it's not always the case for everyone.

 

[lliang_chi]

Hey everyone!

So Ethan ended up pretty uncomfortable after his shots. When he wasn't sleeping he was making the saddest cries ever. It was totally breaking our hearts. He's back to normal but OMG. Next time I'm giving him a single dose of acetaminophen when I get home so he'll have it in his system when he wakes up.

Pancake, I'm glad you were able to take a few days off, and hope you enjoy your date night! Sounds like you really need some time to yourself to re-center. S is the most gorgeous thing ever! Happy Mommy = Happy Baby. Still thinking about you and your family.

S&I, Alex is beautiful!!! Ethan had a bout of jaundice lights too. I'm glad Alex is better. I hope your supply goes up and Alex's breast feeding starts going smoothly. As for how I got through the pumping and breast feeding issues? I had to wait it out until Ethan got bigger and more used to nursing. His problem was that he didn't latch. I'd offer him the breast (with the shield) at first maybe only 2-3 times a day. It was very frustrating for both of us when he'd struggle. We were using the SNS and finger feeding him for the first 2 weeks. Then we switched to bottle feeding after 2 wks. I'd still offer him the breast (with the nipple shield) at all his day time feeds. He got better at nursing with the shield. It wasn't until about 5wks he was nursing consistently with the shields. Then I would offer him the breast with no shield at first, and when he struggled a once or twice, then switch to the shield. Now he pretty much nurses without shields unless he's frantic or just being lazy. Sounds like Alex is latching just fine, but your supply just needs to establish. And definitely don't fret about supplementing with formula. Alex is healthy and gaining weight, so you're doing everything right.
Birthday party: If there's a lot of little kids there, and your DH really wants to go, I'd just keep him away from the kiddos. No touching, not hugging etc. And feel free to leave early too. Everyone will understand with a brand new baby.

PT, What you said about your DH just getting himself ready was *exactly* what he did/does! I'm running around, pumping, packing hte diaper bag, changing Ethan, getting myself ready, putting Ethan in the car seat etc. Then DH had the nerve to say he "doesn't know what needs to be done" BULL!!!! I mean, duh! It's OBVIOUS! I think you're right, baby blues is the best way for me to describe what I'm feeling.

NEL, oooh! Nothing like a new haircut and some shopping to make a girl feel right again. I hear you about hitting a wall. Hope Katie's shots are OK later this week. I'm glad your folks' visit went well. It's nice to see them dote on the baby. And someone else to hold her is a plus.

IHA, Love Liam's cutie pie smile!

Janine, doing OK today, thanks for asking. Our folks live out of state from us (FL vs us in Chicago), so we don't have baby hogs. But it's really touching to see them dote on the babies, so I agree with you, it's a blessing to have family.

Ethan's been wonky with his day time naps. he'll only sleep for 20 mins, then he'll wake up and grunt and whine a little in his crib. I'm sitting next time shusshing him in hopes he'll go back to sleep. I don't think he will. I don't want to pick him up either though. When I put him down he's dry, changed, fed, burped, and drowsy or asleep. He wakes up but doesn't want to go back to sleep unless I pick him up and rock him a little. Anyone else noticing their LOs are not so easy to go down anymore?

~LC

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, K has been having a tough time with daytime sleep off and on for the past several weeks. Earlier this week, she was great. Today her longest nap has been 40 minutes. And she's constantly waking and shifting. It's not gas, so I'm not sure why she's waking up so much. I do find her daytime sleep to be furstrating. I can't get her on any type of schedule. And I can't blame everything on a growth spurt! I hope Ethan's daytime sleep gets better. It's tough to get anything done when they're up all day! Plus, they get fussier as the day wears on, which is exhausting!

Janine, I have to remind myself to be appreciative of the baby hog. A good friend of mine doesn't have any relationship with her sons' grandparents and she's distraut over it. Even if my in-laws can be a bit much at times, it all comes from a loving place.

Pancake, so far my only proper "me" time has been in the shower as well. And then I am constantly checking the monitor/sticking my head out of the shower to make sure she's okay. I'm hoping that if I leave the house and do something for myself, I'll be able to let go a little. I'm sure I'll still feel tethered to her, but it will still help.

Oh, and an Australian friend of mine sent me some footed PJs in the 00 size. I had no idea what size that was, but I put Katie in them the other day and they fit perfectly. I'm surprised to hear that 00 is 3-6 months! K is getting big!

IHA, Liam is adorable as always!!

AFU, dreading K getting her shots tomorrow. I need to see if we have any children's tylenol. If not, I'll have to send D out to get some tonight. I don't want to be without it!

K has been a little out of sorts today. This is day #3 of being fussy after several days of her being a happy baby. She hasn't been sleeping well during the day and today she was so overtired that she started crying while i was feeding her, which never happens. I swaddled her and put on some white noise. She cried for a few minutes and then fell asleep. But she's not STAYING asleep.

 

[pancake]

NEL, we have been having fussy days here too. Tuesday last week D stayed home from work to give me some extra support as I was doing it really tough with the family stuff, and it was lucky he did as S didn't sleep longer than 40 minutes in a stretch all day (doesn't sound bad but she is a solid 1.5-2 hour napper usually) and as a result was fussy, grumpy and generally disconsolate all day. We put it down to a growth spurt type thing, as she was also feeding more frequently. Then she calmed down again until the last couple of days, when she did the same thing. Yesterday she got really overtired and then went 6 hours twice between feeds overnight. The long overnight sleeps were nice but to be honest I would rather her day sleeps be better quality as it just makes her a happier bub! Fingers crossed she is back to her normal self today... I have noticed that she has visibly GROWN in the last week, plus she's made some developmental bounds too, so maybe it's all that growth spurty wonder-weeky stuff.

Good luck with the immunisations! You never know... K might be fine with it all. S had 2 big sobs at the time (the beetroot-faced, breath-holding type sobs), then was fine. She then fell asleep, and the only effect we noticed was that she slept more for the next 24 hours (which, let's be honest, is never a bad thing!). Several of the other mums in my mothers group noticed the same thing too, so maybe K will be the same? Definitely good to have the baby Tylenol on hand though. I made sure we had some in the house before S had her needles too.

LC, see above - S is less settled these past few days too! She's still settling to sleep ok, but she's having pretty restless naps and grizzles quite a bit, plus sometimes she is waking after 40-60 minutes and can't re-settle no matter what I do. Sigh! I am doing what my maternal & child health nurse suggested, which is essentially aiming to keep her in her bassinet for an hour from when I put her down - ie. if she wakes in that time I try to re-settle her, then if she's not settled again by the 1 hour mark, I give up, pick her up and do something else with her.

Re DH issues - mine doesn't get frustrated with me for taking too long, but that is because HE takes forever! When we go anywhere with S, I want to be super-efficient so that she is in as good a mood as possible when we go and isn't waiting around in her car capsule too long. He will always be doing something else when I ask him to get ready and when I tell him to get a move on, he tells me he IS ready. Then once S and I are ready, he suddenly starts faffing around doing all the things he forgot he needed to do to get ready Argh!!

Janine, I searched on FB for the group but when I look up "Pricescope", no groups come up - only individual people I wanna see pics of A!!!

AFU, as I said - S has had a relatively fussy couple of days. Last night she was so overtired she even had a little trouble settling to sleep in the evening, which is usually calm city. She then went 6 hours between feeds (8pm...2:20am...8am) and was only up for 45 minutes this morning before I put her down again. I hope she is going to have a better day today - I get sad when she's not quite her happy self! This morning she was so cute... I took her to the hall mirror and she grinned and ah-goo'ed at our reflections for a good 10 minutes She then vomited big-time all over her playmat, so it's now in the wash and she will just have to cope without Roundy for the next few hours. Poor S

 

[FrekeChild]

One word: teething

That's my coming out of lurkdom post for a while. More when life gets a bit more back to normal!

 

[Skippy123]

thank you for the birthday wish for E and M!!! Sharon, Scarlet and friends!!!

I am LOVING all the baby pics!!!! beautiful babies, inhisarms (super cute smile, love the hair slicked up), PT (love her w/her bunny, aww), S&I (awwww precious newborn, congrats), Pancake (she is beautiful, and snug), LC (e is soo precious), MQ (awww he is so cute)

 

[S&I]

PT, Ava is so darn cute! I can't believe she's gotten so big already! Love those chubby pinchable cheeks! Remind me how much she weighs now? Thanks for the reminder that there's absolutely nothing wrong with a formula-fed baby. I really don't have anything against it either, but I had this original plan of breast feeding, and I guess I let it get to me that I was having a hard time. I do hope that all the herbal supplements and other stuff I'm taking/doing will help increase my milk supply before I go back to work, but I'll have to remember to not stress over it if it doesn't happen.

NEL, so sorry to hear that you're feeling a bit down lately, but I hope your hair appointment and shopping day helps make you feel more normal again. Thanks for reassuring me that I'm not the only one with a lack of milk supply. I'm pretty sure my supply will always be less than what A is going to need since I'm so behind right now. I just got done pumping 5 ml at the max level for 20 minutes, ha! I'm definitely going to ask A's pedi about the birthday party. DH wants to defer to what she says. The party won't be that long (maybe only about an hour and a half to 2 hours max), but there will most likely be quite a few small kids there since its a 1-year-old's party. How early did you take K out for walks and stuff? I feel like I need to get out of the house, even for a little while, besides just for A's pedi appointments.

IHA, Liam is so cute! I love his big beautiful eyes and that Mohawk is adorable too!

pancake, I hope Sylvie gets over her frequent wakings soon, so you can get some rest! Yay for planning out a fancy date night. I can imagine that you'd be nervous about leaving the house without S in tow, but I'm sure you'll have a fabulous time. Thanks for the congrats about A, and for providing a pedi's point of view on the outings. We've already had a few visits from friends with LOs, oops! I think we'll defer to what A's pedi suggests. The full septic screen does sound quite scary though!

janine, how do I find you on FB?

LC, so sorry to hear that E had a rough time with his shots, poor guy! Is is normal to give them tylenol for the pain? A cried so much just getting his heel pricked for all the bilirubin checks, so I can't imagine how he'll react to shots. Thanks for telling me about your breast feeding troubles. It definitely gives me hope. I asked my LC about possibly using a nipple shield to help with the blisters, but she said she only recommends them for people with inverted nipples or babies who are having problems latching on moms that already have adequate supply. I've found that the SNS is a bit frustrating to use, because the tube doesn't always get pulled in correctly, so I find myself struggling with putting it in A's mouth over and over again until he gets to sucking on it. Sometimes, he can't get it, so I let him stay on my breast until he gives up, and then give him the rest of the formula with a bottle. I have another LC appointment on Friday, so I'm going to bring that problem up to see what she says.

Freke, so sorry to hear you're having trouble with A and teething! Hope you get some rest and get back into the swing of things so you can come back and post regularly. I'd love to see some current pics!

Skippy, happy birthday to your LOs!

AFU, I've been keeping a daily feeding diary per my LC, and it's looking pretty pitiful, especially my pumped volumes. But I'm doing the best I can, so that's just going to have to be enough. A went through all of yesterday and the night before only feeding every 4-5 hours because he was sleeping so much. I was starting to worry that he was getting lethargic from lack of eating, but he seems to have gone back to his normal 2-3 hour feeding schedule today. I have to admit though, that I got more sleep yesterday and felt more rested, but I'll have to wait until he's older to get more sleep. Thanks for all the lovely comments about A! We think he's pretty perfect ourselves, but we're obviously biased.

 

[janinegirly]

Sorry to hear about all the fussy babies - Freke is right, it could be teething if you notice other signs. Mine started having a tough time around 3 mo's. I got her teethers and Orajel but never actually used the Orajel. I put my hands in her mouth to feel for swollen gums. Other signs were putting everything in her mouth and drooling. Now she's got 2 little teeth (so cute), and not as fussy, but still chomping on anything and everything plus drooling so there are more coming I think..
Other possibilities are that they just having bad days/week - it happens but then they return to their usual sleep schedule for the most part.

NEL: that's pretty funny on the Aussie onesie, because a friend of mine gave me 2 and I just let DD wear it until it got too small since I had no clue what 00 was. They were also very stretchy material which made it harder to tell - but boy were they comfy!

Pancake & S&I - maybe they changed the group so just search for me . If that doesn't work, let me know..

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Janine, was your onesie called a wondersuit? I only ask because Katie's is a stretchy terrycloth and I really like it. And interesting about the teeting--Katie is drooling like crazy, but the pedi said it's still way too early for teething pain at 2 months. I still bought her some teething toys for when the time comes.

S&I, I soooo remember the days of pumping forever to get a few MLs. I was not expecting to be tied to my pump so early, so it was a bit of an adjustment. Do you feel the same way? How much are you nursing vs. pumping? I've been pumping at the max level as well--the gel pads help on the bad days! You should pat yourself on the back for doing everything you can! I know it's hard at times. Particularly in the middle of the night when you're pumping away!

Pancake, I couldn't agree more with your frustration over having great night sleeps due to the fussiness/overtiredness during the day. Yesterday Katie would not stay asleep at all, but then at night she slept from 9pm - 5am, then 5:30 - 8:30am when I finally had to wake her to eat before her dr. appt. I'd rather her sleep well during the day than be completely exhausted a the end of the day.

How is Sylvie today?

LC, I hope Ethan (and you!) are feeling better today!

AFU, shots were this morning. She got two in one thigh, one in the other thigh and the oral vaccine. She was happy and chirpy with the dr. and nurses, but did scream during the shots. She gave me the most pathetic look while I was holding her as the nurse was giving them to her. It made me feel awful!! I was afraid she thought I was hurting her. Ugh.

She's asleep right now, but she should be hungry. She barely ate before her appointment and it's been a few hours since!

ETA: she"s 11 lbs. 10 oz. and 23.5 inches long @ 9.5 weeks.

Attaching some pics from the appointment this morning.

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, aw, poor Katie!!! Ethan slept like CRAZY after his shots. I think some moms say that's not unusual. He wasn't interested in eating much after his shots too, so I was kinda happy I tanked him up before his appt. He's still not 100% up for eating now, 2 days afterwards. I hope he goes back to normal again. Funny you say K's been drooling a lot. So has Ethan. But I also think it's too early for teething pains, he's only 9+ weeks.

Janine, I hope it's just a few bad days or something. So cute that A has two little teeth! I'm glad she's not as fussy anymore.

S&I, I dunno if which SNS you have, but if you can, order the "permanent" one by Medela from Amazon. I think it's only like $30-$40. It kinda looks like a booze flask. It has different sizes of piping so Alex can get more/less formula which I rather liked. The temporary SNS piping was so fine it took FOREVER to feed Ethan. As far as the SNS on the breast, I only got it to work once and it was just SO frustrating for both me and Ethan. But if it's any help, what I learned: tape it like a cross, one piece of tape along the length of the tube, and a long piece of tape perpendicular to it. And use a long piece of tape and tape it as close to your nipple as it's comfortable for you (there's some sensitive skin around there). Also, I didn't pay attention to where the piping ended up in respect to Ethan's mouth/position on my breast. As long as the tube was in his mouth, and he was sucking on it, it worked. So don't sweat if it's not directly under his lips or whatever. Also with Ethan who was a little jaundiced, he would sleep a lot too. THey say jaundice makes babies really sleepy.

Freke, hope A's teething is over soon. Poor little thing! What's the word on your DH's interview?

Ethan was super cute last night at 10:30-11PM. But he was NOT interested in eating. He kept smiling at me and DH. And he gave me the happiest little coo ever. But he's still not sleeping much and his appetite is weird. He's doing short nursing sessions, only 10 mins tops.

 

[janinegirly]

NEL: gosh those are the cutest pictures and captions ever! The scream shot is hilarious (sorry K), the kicking legs, oh my. I always put all DD's clothes on and leave it unbottoned so I can snap up and get outta there as soon as the shots are done. My#1 gargled the oral vaccine (so stubborn!) but #2 gobbled it up, haha. What color are K's eyes btw - they are looking blue.

LC: if it's becoming a pattern, give your pedi a call and see what they say. It's always better to get it noted in case - and maybe they'll have some advice. Cute on the coos, love them! A is at the blowing bubbles stage. That plus carrots = not good, lol.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Holy cow. I just woke K up to eat. Big mistake!!! Luckily I got 5 ounces in her around noon (a couple of hours after her doc appt.), then we went to the park and she seemed fine. She fell asleep in her ergo and I just swaddled her and put her in the pack and play when I got home. I woke her up at 4pm to eat and she started kicking her legs and then SCREAMED. She's obviously really sore from the shots and I couldn't get her to stop kicking. I gave her some Tylenol, though she was spitting the syrup up, so I'm not sure how much got in her. I changed her diaper and could only get her to eat an ounce. She was screaming so much that she couldn't eat. I feel AWFUL. I really wish I'd given her the Tylenol when we got home, but the pedi said to hold off unless she seemed sore or had a fever.

LC, interesting that Ethan is still not back to normal eating/sleeping schedule. Katie JUST started giving me 8 hour stretches, so I'm really hoping this doesn't throw everything off. I hope Ethan gets back to normal soon--I agree with Janine that if he continues to not eat much, just call the doc.

Janine, K's eyes are actually getting lighter and turning more blue. She had greyish eyes when she was born, which we expected to turn brown. The pedi told us today that she thinks they are truly blue and will likely stay that way. I have no idea where they came from.

S&I, I forgot to answer your question about when I started taking K out. I'd say right around the 2 week mark. I asked the pedi about it at her 1 week appointment because even by then I was tired of just walking around the yard with her. The pedi told me to avoid kids and crowds. At 2 weeks I was doing very short jaunts in the park (it was still cold) and I went to the grocery store once a week. At 4 weeks I was out more--the park, the mall, Target, etc., but only doing one outting per day. At 6 weeks I started doing a 2-mile walk in the park every morning with the dog, then my errands in the afternoon.

 

[lliang_chi]

Janine, LOL carrot bubbles? Ha ha, I'm imagining that wasn't exactly high up on the cutie pie scale.

 

[Skippy123]

NEL, awww she is so cute; I love her blue eyes!!! Those first few shots are tough!!

 

[pancake]

Janine - CARROT BUBBLES, lol!!! So funny (especially as it is not my mess to clean ). I had no luck finding you on FB unfortunately - I just searched for "Janinegirly" but there was only one "Janinegirl", who I assume isn't you

NEL, that photo collage is priceless! I like the one where she's sipping her rotavirus vaccine. I had to pinch S's cheeks when she had hers to make sure she didn't just spit it all out... she hates anything that is not a boob, lol! I hope Katie is feeling a bit better today, poor little thing. She is looking so expressive and sweet these days! And those eyes are definitely looking bluer by the day.

Bonds Wondersuits are an Australian baby icon! They are great - comfy, cute and wash and dry really well, they are indestructible! You can get them everywhere here, even the supermarket! Target here also makes their own version and they are just as good. Sylvie wears them a lot. The suit that she had to size up in the other day was one of these... her Gap 3-6m suits and other 00s are still a bit too long for her.

LC, poor little E-man Hope he is more himself today. It's normal for babies to be a bit out of sorts for a few days after immunisations. As long as he is having a decent number of wet nappies you don't need to worry too much about the decreased feeding. It'll pick up as he feels better. It's a tough break for our little ones!!

S&I, hope you've had a good day for pumping and feeding. Re date night - I'm not really nervous as such about leaving S at home because it'll be my mum looking after her, and she'll go down for the night pretty soon after we leave. It's more just that I don't want to be separated from her for that long! But I know that these opportunities are rare, and with everything that has been going on for the last month with my dad being sick etc, our relationship has been the last thing on the list of priorities, and it is important for us to make the most of this protected "couple time". We'll probably just talk about the baby all night though

Freke, hope you are pushing on through the teething jungle!

AFU... back on the subject of baby hogs, my mum is being a bit annoying again. This happened quite a bit about a month ago and has just resurfaced in the last couple of days. She is just a bit too intense around the baby for me - I know it's just that she can't rein in her excitement, but I am finding it frustrating that when she's around S, she wants to do EVERYTHING - she wants to pick her up from her nap, burp her, put her to bed, etc. S has been unsettled in the last few days and Mum doesn't seem to understand that in that situation, it might work better for us if I just do the settling. Also, S has a super-alert face, and Mum can't pick up on her subtle tired cues that we now recognise. She thinks that because S's eyes are wide open and looking around, that she isn't tired. So as a result S gets overstimulated and it's even harder for her to settle quickly. When Mum came around yesterday, I was just arriving home from a walk and S was asleep in her pram. I was going to quietly and swiftly transfer her from her pram to her bassinet, but Mum insisted on picking her up and checking her nappy before wrapping and putting her down, all the while chatting excitedly about whatever S was doing at the time. I asked her to keep things a bit more quiet and calm, and Mum said, "I'm not talking to Sylvie, though!" - as if S knows who she was talking to, it is all just stimulation for her! Then as Mum was leaving, I had just put S down after she was overstimulated and overtired and she was grizzling for quite a while. Mum said, "Are you sure she's tired? She doesn't sound tired, she sounds like she wants to be picked up!" I just wanted to scream, "LET ME PARENT MY OWN CHILD!!!"

I guess for grandmothers, sometimes it's hard to see that even though they've done a lot more parenting than us, that we do know our own babies best

Here's a phone pic from our walk yesterday:


A quiet evening chat:


Post-bath, pre-pyjamas:

 

[lliang_chi]

Hey ladies!

I think Ethan's getting back to normal. His nursing time is still much shorter than usual, only 10 mins, but his naps are getting back to what they have been.

Pancake, my mom did the same thing when she was up visiting. If Ethan made any noises, she'd look in, and say, "He's wide awake!" and immediately pick him up. I finally had to give her other things to do besides picking him up. LIke reading him a story, or something like that. Also I'd tell her how to settle Ethan. He wouldn't settle as quickly but he would eventually. But then she wouldn't put him down once he fell asleep....

NEL, wow 2 mile walks, that's awesome. Do you go in your Bumbleride? I love Katie's eye color! Maybe it'll stay a blue-grey color?

Today I did my Mirena insertion. Pancake, suggestion for you, take ibuprofren before going in. It wasn't bad, it felt like a HIGHLY uncomfortable pelvic exam. GOt home, and ended up taking an hr nap after lunch. Some spotting from the insertion but that's about it. I'm feeling normal again now.

After my nap I read to Ethan while DH did some work. Ethan was listening so well, DH got up and I think he filmed some of our story time together.

~LC

 

[pancake]

LC - I actually got the Mirena put in Friday a week ago! It was fine... I had been told to take an anti-inflammatory on the morning of the procedure, but I forgot - so I bought some Voltaren in case I needed it afterwards. To be honest the most painful part was the speculum (OUCH!), the actual IUD was ok. Glad yours went well too.

It's nice to have some solidarity on the grandmother issue. My mum does EXACTLY the same things as yours - wants to cuddle her to sleep, wants to pick her up the second her eyes are open, talks to her constantly even if she's tired... I wouldn't be fussed if S was as she was about a week ago, but she's forgotten how to settle in the last 4 days and I just want to be super-consistent with the settling routine. My mum will do it, but she gives up much earlier and picks up the baby, whereas we will persevere for up to an hour when required, unless she really starts crying, in which case we just pick her up and calm her, then start again.

Glad Ethan is getting back to normal. He probably gets almost all he needs from a 10 minute nurse these days!

OK... going to go and shush-pat my non-sleeping beauty now! I am being super insistent about naps today as we have date night tonight and who knows how much sleep she will get with my mum looking after her..

 

[lliang_chi]

Pancake, I told my mom that it can take up to 20-30 mins to shush and pat, but if she wanted to hold Ethan that's the only thing she was allowed to do. It helped that I was right there next to her so she couldn't be sneaky and decide to do something else. But she did manage to sneak off with him to his nursery and read him probably 3 books. I hope you enjoy your date night.

~LC

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Pancake, I can see why the Bond Wondersuits are so popular--I love hers. I love the stretchy terry. I wish you could get them over here!

And I'm so with you on the overbearing grandma. I'm having the same issues as you and LC (and many others, I'm sure). D's mom just can't keep her hands off, even when Katie is overtired. The other day she came over while Katie was on her activity mat doing tummy time. Katie was cooing at herself in the mirror and D's mom picked up her up claiming she was "fussing". ???. What's worse is that I'm not having Katie fall asleep in anybody's arms in preparation for going to the babysitter, so I have to pry her out of my MIL's arms and put her in her crib or pack and play. That seems to really annoy my MIL.

LC, glad to hear Ethan is getting back to normal. Katie sometimes eats normally and sometimes just grazes. And not to bring up a bad subject, but are having to go back to work soon? I only ask because I feel like it's right around the corner for me.

AFU,

I noticed that Katie really seems to love to kick with her legs, so I ordered a jumperoo. I figured she was still too young for it, but it would be nice to have when she was ready. Her head control is good, but I wasn't sure if she could reach the ground.

Anyway, I got it yesterday and she is too small for it, but she LOVES it. She loves kicking her legs because it provides enough bounce to trigger the lights and music. I'm still afraid of keeping her in there for very long because I'm afraid her neck gets tired (could be irrational, I don't know), but she loves spending time in it.

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, is that Bo/Beau with Katie? Aw, he looks like he takes such good care of her. Aw, how cute Katie likes the jumperoo. As far as returning to work, yes, I'll be going back full time the week of Memorial Day. Like May 30th/31st. I'm looking forward to going back. I know it'll be a tough, tough, adjustment, but we can do it.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Yep, that's Bo! I think he's as entertained by her jumperoo as she is. I'm returning the same week--the week after Memorial Day. My schedule will be M, W and Th, so I'll only have to work W and Th of that week and D is going to watch her those days since we don't start daycare until June. For some reason I thought you were going back earlier because of FMLA issues. And you're right, we can do it. I'm looking forward to seeing my coworkers and client again. And we still have another month, so I'm not going to sweat it for now

 

[S&I]

Janine, I think I found you by searching for "janine girly" with a space. Is the profile pic a shot of your girls holding hands?

NEL, so sorry that K had such a rough time with her shots, but I love the pics! Her eyes are beautiful! Maybe both you and D have the blue-eye recessive gene that she picked up. That's exactly how I feel - tied to the pump! It's like I'm always attached to that thing every 2 hours. I've been trying to nurse and pump at each feeding, but I sometimes feel like it's not necessary, since A will pretty much suck me dry if he's concentrating, so pumping will yield nothing. He hasn't shown any signs of nipple confusion, so I've been giving him his formula in a bottle instead of using the SNS during the night feedings because it's so much easier when we're both half asleep. I'm not sure if doing that is setting myself up for nipple confusion in the future though. Thanks for the breakdown of when you started taking K out. That helps. We have his 2-week appointment tomorrow, so I'll confirm with A's pedi. That looks like an awesome jumperoo and K looks like she's enjoying it! We might end up getting one of those later on too, because A loves kicking his legs too. I love how chill your puppy is around the baby. Ours gets way too excited because I won't let her lick A. My parents have been puppy-sitting her at their house ever since A was born, but they bring her over every day so she can get used to A.

LC, I'm glad to hear that E is getting back to normal. Re: birth control. Did you have Mirena before you were preggo too, or what made you decide to try it out? I'm supposed to decide what type of BC I want at my postpartum appointment. I was on Jolivette pills before, but they totally messed up my cycles so I'm not sure I want to do that again. Thanks for the info about the permanent SNS. I'll have to look it up. The one I have is also from Medela, but it's just a small one that only holds like 80ml or something. It definitely is a pain to get the tube in the right place.

Pancake, sorry your mum has started up again. So far, my parents have both been pretty chill around A, and only picking him up when he's fussy. The thing they do is continue to wrap him up in way more blankets than necessary, saying that he's not sleeping well because he's too cold. He woke up in a sweat last night because of what my mom wrapped him in before she left for the night. Hope date night was a smashing success! Oh, and I the twilight chat pic - so precious!

AFU, we had a 2nd appointment with the LC, and she determined that I've been producing at least 5 ounces per day, so I'm improving. I went from pumping only about 1-2ml to about 10ml per session since I've been taking all those herbal supplements plus the Reglan prescription. I'm hoping it'll keep increasing each week. A weighed in at 6 pounds and 14 ounces, which the LC said was the normal rate of 1 ounce per day, so he's eating the right amount. He seems to want more than 2 ounces now though, so he might be on the verge of a growth spurt soon.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

S&I, yay for producing more milk! I promise it does get better...and I'm only a couple of months out. Trying to increase supply sometimes feels like trying to squeeze blood from a turnip and those MOTN pumping sessions are a real drag. I definitely hit a wall more than once because the thought of being tied to the pump so much for months was daunting. But it's not always like that, eventually you can reduce the sessions and it feels very freeing!

If A doesn't have any nipple confusion now going between the bottle and breast, I doubt he'll develop it. When I nursed, I only nursed during the day, then did bottles at night and K never had any problems at all. She was always a champion latcher and couldn't care less how she was getting her milk, as long as she got it

Moms, question for you: If you started with your newborn sleeping in your bedroom, when did you move him/her to the nursery? I told myself that when K only woke 1x per night, I'd move her to the nursery. That started happening a few weeks ago and I still haven't moved her. Why? Because I'm going to miss her being right next to me in her rock and play at night. I know I probably should make the transition, but I'm sad about it!

 

[pancake]

NEL - the Wondersuits are like, $15 for a 2-pack here, so if you ever feel you really want some, give me a yell!

That photo of K with Bo is GORGEOUS. I am so envious of all you girls with gorgeous dogs - we don't have any pets, we were going to get 2 Burmese kittens last year but then I got pregnant instead I love all of LC's photos of E with Quizas too - priceless!

Re moving the baby out of the bedroom, I just cannot imagine being ready in the next couple of months! S has only been waking once a night since she was about 3 weeks old, but I just love having her there, her noises don't bother me, and it is just so much easier for that one night feed. Once she's STTN (IF that ever happens) I suspect I'll justify keeping her in with us by saying, "well, she doesn't bother us at all now!"

S&I, yay for your increasing supply! Keep at it, you are doing a stellar job. Re nipple confusion, I don't really believe in it. A is doing fine on both breast and bottle at the moment, and provided that you keep working on the breastfeeding, I think you will be ok. We are in a slightly different position at the moment - we are working on S taking the bottle more willingly, with varying success! She took 110ml (nearly 4 oz) for my mum this morning, that is the best she has done yet.

Oh and re Mirena - I didn't have one before TTC, I opted for it now as I wanted hormonal birth control without a) compromising my breastmilk supply and b) having to take a pill every day within a narrow window (the window for the mini-pill is only about 3 hours!). I've had it for nearly 2 weeks now, and so far, so good. The insertion was fine.

LC, you sound like you have the grandmother issues under control. Ours are a work in progress... improving slowly but with some setbacks here and there.

AFU, it has been a tough week so far. My uncle (one of dad's 9 siblings) flew in from the States on Sunday to spend a week with my father, and due to various things (picking him up from the airport, taking them grocery shopping, taking them to Dad's appointment with the oncologist today), I have been away from Sylvie for a minimum of 3 hours every day since Sunday (it's now Tuesday). I feel pushed to my limits and I am feeling pretty distraught about being away from her that much. Even though my mum looks after her, it's not ME, you know? Plus I am having to express, and because my mother can't settle Sylvie the way that I can, I am dealing with a stroppy, overtired baby more often than not.

It is made worse by the fact that until a week ago, Sylvie was a brilliant sleeper - and since Tuesday last week, she is needing SO much help and isn't managing to re-settle halfway through her naps. I can pretty much get her to sleep enough if D or I (or both) is/am with her, but it's hard work. My mother tends to pick her up when she cries, lets her play, then tries to put her down again. Today I came home - 40 minute drive to my dad's house, where he and my uncle are staying, then to the hospital for his appointment, then took them grocery shopping, then drove them home, then 50 minutes to get home again - and she was super-tired; I fed her and then took a while settling her, then am trying to get dinner on, have just expressed, etc etc etc.

My dad still doesn't want to live at home with my family, and still wants to live at his place - even though that means he won't see much of us as he lives too far for me to make the trip more than once or twice a week (with or without S). My poor mother has been put through the wringer and is rapidly running out of goodwill - she will look after him to the end if need be but she is much more detached about it than she was. In fact everyone is running a bit low on goodwill. He was not a good husband or a good father, and the pressure that the situation is putting on us all is unbelievable. Over the last three days I have had a few big cries just because I feel like I am breaking under the strain. I don't want him to be alone, but we have given him the best option we can think of and he doesn't want it; but he still wants to be driven around, to have us pay his bills because he can't operate his accounts, deal with his financial affairs, etc.

I don't know. I look back at the last month and it has been completely DOMINATED by my father, his illness, his complicated web of deception and lies, his care needs... I feel selfish but I really resent that this has taken me away from my baby and giving her my full attention. Not to mention my husband.

Any thoughts or advice would be so gratefully received... I am really at my wit's end.

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, wow, pretty sweet you'll have a PT gig for a while. I don't think it was an option for me, but then again I didn't ask. Rats, I probably should've. Well, I think I am looking forward to going back, and I think I'd want to go back full time too. Yes I had the rug pulled under me for the STD payments, but FMLA is good until mid-May. But I'm pretty much doing unpaid for the last month because STD benefits weren't for as long as I was led to believe. Oh well. DH and I spoke about it, and we're OK with it.
Re: moving baby, I think I'm going to do that in May. For a few reasons: 1) He's sleeping with just 1 wake up at night now. 2) He can nurse well at night too. 3) I feel like DH and I need our "alone" time back, which will start with getting the baby out of the room.

S&I, I'm like Pancake and did not have Mirena pre-baby. I was on Seasonale, and it really messed with my cycle. To the point that I went to acupuncture to try to get my cycle back to normal/help with fertility. So I knew I didn't want to go back on Seasonale. Plus because I'm breast feeding, we're limited to only HBC that is progestrone only. So that's the "mini pill" (I believe that's what it's called), IUD, or condoms. The mini pill, like Pancake said, you MUST take at the exact same time every day, or it's ineffective. So I went with Mirena. The insertion wasn't too bad, kinda like a very uncomfortable pap.
SNS, yes we started with the 80ml SNS, I highly suggest getting the permanent one. We used the SNS for 2 wks, and I have no regrets spending $40 to get the permanent one.
Hooray for your supply increasing! THat's fantastic! I think at 2 wks, we up'd Ethan to 3 oz, approx 90ml, then slowly kept going up to about 4oz, which is what he's doing now. He hasn't been very interested in eating more than that.

Pancake, First off, HUGS my friend! TBH, your dad is going to take whatever you give, and right now you're the only one giving. And you have to pay his bills and drive him around? That's crazy! You and your family have given him PLENTY of options. If he's choosing to decline them and making it harder, then that's his choice. So, I'd say, "Sorry, dad, I can't see you this week because Sylvie needs me." And keep telling yourself that Sylvie needs you. You say, you feel selfish, but y'know what it's NOT selfish. You presented him with the best option (moving into your family home) and he declined. If he chose to make that decision, then he has to take the all the consequences of his decision. And if/when you dad balks or tries to lay it on thick about how you're abandoning him, point out, "I gave you an option that will allow me to help you more but *you* chose NOT to take it." Just because he made a choice doesn't mean you have to reshuffle your ENTIRE life to accommodate him. You have a BABY. He remembers those things, right? Y'know totally dependent and unable to care for themselves. Oh and this one just so happens to have COME OUT OF YOU. So yeah, baby trumps father. Them's the breaks. (Sorry for the novel, but your father sounds like my father and I this is the convo I'd be having if I were in your shoes). Hugs, you are NOT being selfish, you're being a MOTHER.

 

[bobbin]

Hello Mommys! I have finally found a moment to get on and post. I am going to try to catch up, this thread moves so quickly. I don't know how LC/Nel/Pancake find the time to post so often!

LC: Sorry to hear you have been feeling a bit PPD-ish. How are you feeling now? Have you resolved the issues with your DH?

Pancake: So sorry to hear about your Father. I have been lurking on this thread for a while and it sounds like such a stressful situation. I agree with LC that you need to establish your boundaries to allow yourself to make Sylvie your first priority. From the sounds of it that won't be easy though so hugs to you.

S&I: Those photos of Alex are gorgeous! Congratulations again. Sorry to hear that you are having supply issues, but it is so great that your supply is slowly increasing. We have been taking C out in public to go shopping etc, but not to any places that she will be mingling with kids or lots of people. At the shops she is held by me or DH and wrapped up the whole time. I hadn't really thought about not going out though.

Nel: Since the 2nd day C has been home she has been constantly in the Bonds style wondersuits! They are great. We have been using the Target brand ones though. Mittens and socks just don't stay on so the suits solve that.

AFU: Overall C has been a great little baby. She started to sleep in her bassinet in between feeds on Thursday or Friday night I think and is now waking up between 1-2am and 4-6am every night which I have been coping with alright. I hit a wall around 3pm and have a nap most days.

In between feed times I am really happy being a mum and loving caring for our little girl. Feed times are a little stressful for me and I dread them a bit

Breastfeeding has been really hard. I have had a few cries about it. C attached alright and had a few feeds in the hospital, although only one of them was proper attachment with no associated nipple pain. The other ones gave me cracked, blistered nipples. Since those first few feeds, she started to refuse to attach at all. The night before we went home, she started to attach again so I didn't hire a pump when we left. That was a mistake as as soon as we got home she started to refuse to attach again and we had to make an emergency dash to the chemist an hour before they shut to buy a manual pump to get through the night (although I am still using the manual pump!). Since then all of her feeds have been expressed breastmilk. She is starting to make a few improvements - she has been attaching and detaching and not getting too upset about it for the last few nights. I think she has attached and sucked for about 5 mins max so she is still needing to be bottlefed. However, my nipples are still really sore so it is uncomfortable to feed.

We have made two visits to a drop in breastfeeding clinic. They have given me a nipple shield to try. I am finding it a bit fiddly though - the edges keep flipping up and sitting over her nose when she attaches. LC - do you have any tips on using nipple shields?

THe only saving grace for breastfeeding is that I have really good supply - I am pumping between 50-100ml from each breast each session. She is only taking between 80-120ml each feed so I need to sort out storage soon. We are wasting milk at the moment. We weighed her today (8 days old) and she was 60g up from her birth weight.

Poor little C has either conjunctivitis or a blocked tear duct. We have an antibiotic eye drip to put in and are cleaning with saline solution a lot. It looks so red and sore for her.

We had professional photos taken of her yesterday so hopefully we will get them in about a week. I am going to get a print for each of the grandmothers for mother's day if I can.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of Charlotte:

It was DH's birthday yesterday:



Excuse the pizza boxes and other mess on the table (our first night home and we were a bit lost with anything other than looking after C):