PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[monkeyprincess]

Dandi, Oscar looks and sounds like he is doing great! My kiddo has yet to fall asleep on his own in his crib. He can put himself to sleep on his lounger, in his carseat or in his bouncer sometimes, but he needs to be out like a light before we put him in the crib, and he will be 4 months on Wednesday. So, I think you are doing pretty darn well! I still fall prey to letting other people's comments regarding my parenting stress me out or hurt my feelings, but I'm getting better and better at ignoring it. Ev is a "high needs" type kid who just needs a lot more attention than a lot of other babies I know and have been around, but a lot of people seem to think I am just coddling him too much and that's why he doesn't sleep well. I wish I could just give them Everett for a night to see how they fare! All that is to say, trust your instinct and parent as you fit! We do bathe our little guy every night mostly because we are trying to stave off cradle cap, but he does have some patches of dry skin. I just lotion him up after his bath with moisturizing baby lotion.

JGator, K is beautiful! Ev got that same exersaucer amc posted for Christmas, but he is not quite holding his head up well enough to use it. We also have a jumperoo, but same story. My SIL who owns the daycare recommended both of them and uses them at her facility.

Lulu, so jealous your little girl is sleeping so well! I got that Wonder Weeks book this weekend and started browsing through it. Ev is 17 weeks right now and a bit fussier than usual (which is lovely), but now because of that book I'm thinking it might be because he is going through another big change.

amc, love your little blondie. What a cute kid, and he looks so grown up!

AFU, my DH has a call in at the doctor's office right now because Ev woke up with a really bad crick in his neck, so his head has been really tilting to the right since about 5 this morning, and my SIL called because she also noticed it when she went to check in on his room at daycare. It's happened a few times before and then sorts itself out later in the day, but we just want to make sure there is nothing wrong with him such as tightening in his neck muscle. There is always something to worry about with this kiddo! Ev had quite a morning. In addition to the neck, I left him uncovered a minute too long while I was changing his diaper before he left for daycare this morning, and he and I (and the wall) got soaking wet. Then he spit up forcefully in his carseat all over himself and all over my husband's shirt right after I put him in a new outfit, so I had to change him again. He was in his 4th outfit of the day by 7:30 a.m. Good grief!

 

[dani13]

Hi all!

How was everyone's weekend? We got a crapload of snow here, but it wasnt too bad. I went food shopping on Sat am after the storm, and it wasnt bad at all like it usually is, so that was great. I also went into work (the hospital) yesterday for a few hrs just to get acquainted with the new computer system that they implemented while I was out on leave. It felt so weird to put my scrubs on and be back there! I havent worked there in like 8 months! Nice to see all my friends, and I really do enjoy bedside nursing....And now I have a whole new perspective on labor and delivery since now I've done it myself!! Next Sat is my first official day back, so kind of nervous, but looking forward to it at the same time. Back to the office first wk of March. I cant believe my maternity leave is over in 2 weeks!

Oh, MP, that sounds like a typical day in our household! L has peed and spit up on us so many times, its ridiculous. He now permanently wears a bib, which my DH jokingly says always matches his outfits like a tie. HA! But between the constant drooling and spitting up, if he doesnt have a bib on, I would literally go through 17 outfits a day!!! Plus, Im a clean freak, so you know how that goes.....

AFU, L is doing this now...I put him down for naps, he sleeps for 10 or 15 mins, then starts crying. Rinse and repeat x 4 or 5. Its so exhausting. Im LUCKY if I can get 45mins-1 hr out of him 3 times a day. He seems to want to go down for a nap every 2 hours or so, but they are super short. Its crazy! Then at night, his bedtime is about 6:30pm (wish I could push him later, but its a no-go), and he will sleep till about midnite or so, then up every 3 hours to nurse after that. Then he is up at about 5:30-6 am for the day (well, until his next nap, haha). I think I seriously need to read up on sleep training, because Im nervous for when I go back to work! Its going to be hard! The breastfeeding is still driving me a little nuts too. Kid literally is on one boob for 5-8 mins and that's it. Does not want the other side, or any more in general (at least at that session). How does he get enough!? But the real issue is that I feel he grazes on me, because an hour later he will want more, and it gets so exhausting!! What is going to happen when my Mom has him when I go back to work? He's not going to be able to do that with the bottle as easily!
Also, it seems like he CONSTANTLY wants to be held and/or entertained by DH or myself. My Mom says that is typical of first borns...Who knows? All I know is that L went from angel baby to a high needs kiddo, like Ev, MP!! Def not the type of kid that you could plop somewhere and he'll be all good! I cant even take a trip shopping with him without him having a meltdown in his carseat bc he hates being strapped in someplace! UGH! He's lucky he's so cute!! lol

And my question of the day....What IN THE HELL did I do with all of my free time pre-L??????? I mean, seriously!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Puppmom]

AMC, the boy bibs are on sale on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/green-sprouts-Waterproof-Absorbent-Terry/dp/B000CP2X9O/ref=pd_zg_rss_ms_ba_baby-products_9?ie=UTF8&tag=mam0cc-20

 

[monkeyprincess]

AMC, the boy bibs are on sale on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/green-sprouts-Waterproof-Absorbent-Terry/dp/B000CP2X9O/ref=pd_zg_rss_ms_ba_baby-products_9?ie=UTF8&tag=mam0cc-20

Ha, of course there are now that I already bought them! They have been working pretty well so far, although my husband doesn't like it that they velcro right in the back instead of to the side where you can reach a little easier.

Dani, yeah, Ev lives in bibs as well. He is the spit up king, so we have no choice. But we don't usually have to change his outfit 4 times in 2.5 hours, and change both of our outfits as well! Too funny. Sorry to hear you've also got a needy little guy on your hands. I've just gotten so used to it that I don't think much of it anymore, but I was with a friend over the weekend who has a son that is a couple weeks younger than Ev, and their personalities were so night and day that it made me realized just how high maintenance Ev really is. My friend's kid is just as chill as can be and was content to hang out by himself for nearly the whole time we were together, even while he was awake. I couldn't believe it. I have to constantly provide Ev stimulation or hold him, or he melts down. I guess Ev and L just need us more!

 

[amc80]

AMC, the boy bibs are on sale on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/green-sprouts-Waterproof-Absorbent-Terry/dp/B000CP2X9O/ref=pd_zg_rss_ms_ba_baby-products_9?ie=UTF8&tag=mam0cc-20

That is so annoying! Mine should be delivered in a couple of days.

 

[lliang_chi]

Dani, how old is L now? By the time Ethan got the hang of breast feeding, he would literally just nurse for 7-8 mins. And he was fine. But breastfed babies tend to need "top ups" more often. Even when he was a bigger baby, Ethan still needed to get milk every 2.5-3 hrs. It wasn't until he started solids that he could stretch a little longer between. I 100% know what you mean about looking forward to work. I was like that as well. Go easy on yourself the first few weeks back, until you get used to your routine. Also re: L's skin, if you worry about his dry skin, just slather Aquaphor/Petroleum jelly on him after his bath every day. Do it RIGHT after you towel him off and his skin is still a little moist. It locks the moisture in better.

MP, Ethan's been spitting up a lot recently so I TOTALLY hear you on the multiple outfit changes. I usually keep a cloth pre-fold over Ethan during a diaper change so it'll soak up accidents if he decides is a fun idea. This kinda helps in the MOTN changes too, it keeps him a little warmer when I strip him waist down. He doesn't wake up right away. I hope Ev's neck is just a bad crick. I'm glad you got a quick resolution for Ev's cradle cap.

Lulu, can you pump right before you go to bed? That might give you a few hours instead of going 10 hrs without pumping.

JGator, how's K's torso control? Have you sat her in a Bumbo seat? The jumpers/exersaucers they need to be able to hold their torso up. Even if K's a little floppy, maybe you can fill around her with rolled up towels.

Mayer, How are you and N doing? Haven't heard from you guys in a while. Glad N's doing so well with going to bed on his own. We gave Ethan a bad habit of drinking milk to go to bed. I'm not looking forward to breaking him of that habit when I'll need to eventually.

AFU: Ethan is 1 yr next week! Wow! he's been doing OK. He's been waking at his normal 5-ish when we used to give him a bottle, but last week he's been refusing ot go back to sleep. So this weekend we've just been letting him CIO in the morning and he usually goes back to sleep for another hr. Hooray.
In other news, we FINALLY nailed down a date for my ILs to "move" up to Chicago. MIL's first appointment (consultation) with a surgeon is the last week of Feb, so we're going to move them up here not this weekend but next weekend. Ethan will be left behind here with his favorite Auntie watching him while I go down and help J fly up with his parents.

~LC (here for one more week at least)

 

[dani13]

Thanks LC!!! L is 4.5 mths now! Did E nurse 8 mins just on ONE breast though? Happy early birthday to Ethan!!

 

[lliang_chi]

Dani, Yup for sure, just one breast at a time. I had to remember which one he nursed and switch him to the other side. Although it was almost obvious which one was more full (I had a very nice supply so could tell by which felt more full). I remember I would nurse him in the AM. Then James would take him and I would pump & snooze. Then pump twice at work. Then come home and nurse him on the other side. Then J would feed him while I made dinner. Then pump once more before going to bed. I think he was still waking MOTN so I would nurse him MOTN too.

~LC

 

[dani13]

LC, why would you pump after you fed him? Just wondering....And how often would you pump at work? Im going back to work soon, and Im so nervous that I wont be able to keep this up! I still feel like I dont have this all down!!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, so sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. I was working crazy hours and trying to feverishly prep for the blizzard, then we were without power for 4 days and I'm finally back in the swing of things. The toothbrush K has is a ring with soft nobby things. I tried to find one on Amazon, but didn't have any luck. I just got it at Target. But this one seems good, too:

http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Banana-Bendable-Training-Toothbrush/dp/B002QYW8LW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360677055&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+toothbrush+ring

Basically, any type of toothbrush that Katie can use herself, she likes. Anything that requires me to do for her, she hates.

AFU, we officially have a toddler

 

[Buttons]

Fly by post!

Dandi I don't think it's reasonable to expect an eight week old to consistently self soothe. My 4 month old can't do it consistently! They don't have object permanence till much older so it's a bit much to ask of them. Just do whatever works for now and the routine will fall into place later

Dani T has always only nursed from one side. I was never told to offer the other side at every feed so it never occurred to me. I only offer it if he's been on side A for an eternity and my boob is getting sore, or if he is getting agitated trying to get another let down and it's not happening for him. When he does that I switch to side B and he's usually asleep then within a few minutes. And his average daytime feed these days is about 6-8 minutes so that is interesting to hear you are experiencing the same pattern. My LC says at this age their suck is much more powerful and they can get all they need very rapidly. Plus they are so into everything now that feeding is something they get out of the way quickly so they can go back to playing! At night then they slow down and eat more - T does half hour or 40 min feeds during the night.

Momentous night here the other night, T slept from 11pm to 4am! A whole 5 hrs! That is the first time since Dec 14th (but who's keeping track?!). Then last night he was back to the normal every 90 minutes routine. Oh well.

I am dying with some kind of sinus infection so not feeling very well. I did make it to the cinema with some girls I met at Mammy group last night though, saw Les Mis and loved it.

Only other news is my friend had a wee boy on Saturday! Yay!!! A little playmate for T! I haven't been able to go and meet him as I am sick but I've seen pictures and he is the dotiest thing. My other bridesmaid - they are sisters - is due in June. So exciting

 

[lliang_chi]

Dani, I would pump about an hour after I fed him in the morning. Mostly to drain the other breast since he only nursed from one side. Initially I pumped twice @ work. After about 3 wks of that, I dropped to just 1 pump @ lunch. That I kept until he was 10 months old.

NEL, hope you were OK during hte blizzard. Did you take Katie out in the snow? We had a small snowfall (4 inches) a few weeks ago, and we put Ethan in the snow. He was nonplussed. Is Katie walking?!? Ethan took a few steps but is still crawling as his main method of transport.

Pancake: HAPPY BIRTHDAY. And Happy Birthday to Sylvie soon. I think it's tomorrow, right?

Buttons, poor you! I hope your infection gets cleared out soon. Hooray for T sleeping so well! Happy dance, happy dance! Glad you got a chance to hit the cinema with the Mommy group. Sounds like you all had fun.

AFU, I forgot to add last time, Ethan's got like 6 or 8 teeth coming in at once. He's been pretty fussy so we've been giving him acetaminophen. That seems to be helping. So I got a toothbrush from Amazon and he doesn't quite like it when I jam it into his mouth for some brushing. Poor guy.

~LC

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, Katie is walking, but not consistently. I know she would prefer to walk because she seems to think it's so much fun to try to get from one place to another on two feet. She giggles, even when she falls down. But she's still mostly crawling for efficiency.

We did take her out in the snow. At first she thought it was great fun, but then I think she got too much snow on her mittens and it was cold, so she lost interest. This is a crappy smartphone pic from my husband--I haven't downloaded any pics from our good camera.

 

[monkeyprincess]

NEL, cute snow pictures! Hope you and your almost one year old are doing well. And you better post some walking pics!

LC, wow, poor little E getting all those teeth at the same time. No wonder he's been fussy. I can't believe you are all going to have one year olds soon. Time really does fly! Oh, and I guess you are right that I need to keep a diaper cloth on standby. I thought we had passed that phase because it hadn't happened in forever, but he did it to daddy in the tub last night too. It was hilarious because we leave the bath water running the whole time because E likes how it sounds and feels, so when he started weeing, neither of us realized what was happening at first until it became apparent the little fountain was coming from him.

Buttons, hope you feel better soon. That's great T's sleep is improving a bit. We had a record night last night at our house too! Yay, for your friend! How fun that you will have kiddos close in age.

AFU, as I mentioned above, we had a record night last night. Ev slept for about 7 hours straight in his crib. I put him down at just before nine, and I decided to stay up and read because I assumed I would be feeding him again around 11 or 12, but then he never got up, and then I wasn't able to get into a deep sleep because I kept anticipating he would wake up every time he moved. Finally, I went in and woke up DH at 3 because I needed sleep, but Ev continued to sleep until 4. DH put him back down at about 5, and he slept until 7:15 when I had to wake him up to get ready for daycare. Almost too good to be true. We'll see how long it takes him to do that again

TMI question, but for those of you whose cycles of have returned, has it been heavier than pre-baby? I don't know if it was because I was on the pill before TTC, but my cycles were super light and only lasted two days the whole year before getting pregnant. Now, they are much longer and heavier. Not sure if this is temporary or permanent, but it is rather annoying.

 

[amc80]

TMI question, but for those of you whose cycles of have returned, has it been heavier than pre-baby? I don't know if it was because I was on the pill before TTC, but my cycles were super light and only lasted two days the whole year before getting pregnant. Now, they are much longer and heavier. Not sure if this is temporary or permanent, but it is rather annoying.

I expected mine to be heavier, since everything I read said they would be, at least at first. But I've had 2 AFs and they have been lighter. Not much, maybe 10% lighter or so.

 

[Loves Vintage]

LC, Katie is walking, but not consistently. I know she would prefer to walk because she seems to think it's so much fun to try to get from one place to another on two feet. She giggles, even when she falls down. But she's still mostly crawling for efficiency.

We did take her out in the snow. At first she thought it was great fun, but then I think she got too much snow on her mittens and it was cold, so she lost interest. This is a crappy smartphone pic from my husband--I haven't downloaded any pics from our good camera.

Awww, NEL, she is just CUTENESS!! I love baby snow pictures!!!

 

[mayerling]

LC, thanks for checking on me. I'm still around, lurking. I read every day but I don't really post much since most of the people I did the pregnancy journey with are not around any more, except for AMC, and there's nobody to 'compare notes with' so to speak.

We're doing okay. N has been consistently STTN. He'll do 8 hours straight most nights and we've had some 9.5 hour stretches! I've also transitioned him to 2 naps a day. I say 'transitioned him' because since he only catnaps I make sure I'm there to settle him to go longer so as to be able to only take 2 naps. It's really working for him, though, because even though he's up longer until bedtime, he's in a better mood. It's like that 3rd nap did more harm than good. We've also introduced a 3rd meal of solids. Oh, and he's able to pull himself up to stand! No teeth yet.

 

[dani13]

Thanks so much for the reassurance, LC and Buttons!!! Im feeling alot better now! I guess I will start pumping in the am now to drain both sides, since I wake up full every day. LC, did you pump the side he didnt nurse on too, or did you just alternate boobs with each feed and just do the am pump? Also, did you get up to pump during the night even if E didnt wake? I feel like going 7+ hrs through the night without feeding or pumping is going to make me production go way down...But maybe Im getting ahead of myself, since L still wakes up every 3 hrs during the night!!! Wishful thinking??!!! HA!

 

[lliang_chi]

Dani, Ethan used to get up MOTN like around 2 or 4 AM, so I would just nurse and didn't have to pump MOTN. That helped keep my supply up. But at this point, (over 12 wks) I wouldn't think your supply would take too much of a hit if you STTN with L. But check with your lactation consultant first. As much as MOTN feeding/pumping is important to keep your supply up, sleep is also important.
Whenever I pumped I pumped BOTH breasts, even if Ethan just nursed off one of them. I'd only get a piddly ounce or so from the nursed breast, but I'd get the normal 4-5 oz from the full breast. Whenever I'd pump @ work, again pumped BOTH breasts. Then when I got him he'd nurse from the breast that he didn't nurse from in the morning.

Mayer, glad to hear you and N are doing well. Sounds like the 2 naps are really helping him. Ethan naps for only an hour+ at home. it was only 45 mins before that. Day care they write down that he takes close to 2 hr naps. We probably need to let him CIO a little bit for his naps so he goes back to sleep.

MP, ha ha your little Ev sounds like quite the prankster. Does he love bath time? Ethan LOVES bath time but he's taken to drink the bath water. TOTALLY GROSS! Last night he got a big kick out of kicking his legs and splashing all the water out of his infant tub. We still bath Ethan in a kiddie tub. At some point we might graduate him to the regular tub, but for now he's good with his blue one.

NEL, aw your K looks so ADORABLE! What are you planning for her birthday? We'll be just the 3 of us for Ethan's birthday this Sunday, but I think I'll make cupcakes and we'll Skype the grandparents and sing happy birthday. We'll try to do another organized thing the 1st weekend of March after the ILs move up here for the MIL's surgery.

~LC

 

[pancake]

Just a very quick post to say that it was our little Dot's first birthday today!



Can't believe we're graduating to the next thread... how does it go so quickly?!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Happy, happy birthday little Miss Dot! What a wonderful first year she's had! I'm going to miss seeing that little beauty's pictures and reading your posts on this thread, but you'll have to keep checking in with us until we all join you in the other thread. And I'll probably have to stalk you, LC and NEL over there too!

Here's my little guy this morning on his 4th month "birthday." I can't believe how fast time is going!

 

[JGator]

MP, happy 4 month birthday to Ev. He's so handsome. He looks very tall too! Hope Ev has kept up his 7 hour stretches of sleep. K has been cranky/fussy lately and waking up more in the middle of the night than previously. I really wish she would save the middle of the night wake ups for when her daddy is home since he travels for work during the week. No AF yet so can't help you out there, but I think it's probably different for everyone, and very well could be differences between being on and off the pill.

Pancake, Happy Birthday to Dot! She always looks so happy, and she's such a beautiful little girl. We'll miss you in this thread.

LC, K has pretty good head, neck, and torso control. I guess we'll just have to see how she likes the jumperoo and put it away if she's not ready. Happy soon to be birthday for Mr. Ethan. Wow for 6-8 teeth at once! Poor little guy.

NEL, K is adorable in all that snow. Sorry to hear you lost power. Congratulations on K graduating to Toddlerhood.

Dani, I bought a book on Amazon called Making More Milk - you might want to check it out. I think everyone is so individual. You may be able to pump less often and still produce enough. You will just have to try things out and adjust as you go. Good luck going back to work. This is my 4th week back. I work from home, and it's so difficult to keep a balance of work and baby when I hear her crying.

Mayerling, congratulations on N sleeping through the night! That's great! Sounds like you found the right balance of naps.

Buttons, congratulations to your friend. That is great that Wee Buttons will have 2 play mates! Sorry to hear about your sinus infection. I hope it clears up quickly.

AFU, the nanny started last week. Seems to be going well so far. I have to go into the office today for a couple of hours so I will be leaving K alone with the nanny for the first time today. Wish me luck. K has been pretty cranky in the evenings lately - she used to only cry when she was hungry, but I think the teething is bothering her more. We can't find a good teether for her small mouth since she's only 3.5 months all of the teethers we have are too bulky. Any recommendations??? Also, when did you all switch from Low flow to Medium flow nipples on bottles? The nanny suggested it, but K seems to spill a lot on the medium flow.

 

[dani13]

Thanks so much, LC!

Happy first bday, Dot!!! You are such a cutie!!

Happy 4 months EV!!! What a handsome little fella you are!!!

JG, I will look into that book. Best of luck going to the office today. Re; teething, we saw our ped last wk and I mentioned to him that I think L is teething...he tended to NOT agree. He said that he is a little young for teething, and the most likely cause for the irritability and crying is fatigue. It makes sense, because he gets really irritable as the day goes on sometimes. Is K like that? He also said that it is normal at this age for them to want to put EVERYTHING in their mouth, and for them to drool excessively. Who knows. I've been reading a book on sleep training now, and I truly believe now that L is not getting enough sleep with his short naps and all. I'm trying to work on getting him to sleep better. Just started the book, so I will let you know how it goes. Also, re: the nipples, we switched L to the faster flow around a month ago (so 3.5 mths). He seemed to be getting really frustrated with the slow flows and feeding him from the bottle was a nightmare. He started doing better immediately with the switch.

I feel like such a bad Mom today. MH suggested that I just give L more time at the breast....He said that Im too fast to assume he is done and get up and go about my day. Since hubby gives him the bottle once a day, he said that L just takes a long time to feed, taking breaks every few mins for a few mins. I tried giving him more time this morning, and what hubs said was true....he did take several breaks, but went back 2 or 3 times before he really seemed done!!! Like I said, I feel like such a bad Mommy for thinking he would eat for 5 mins and then be done! Have I been starving him the whole time, and that's why he wants to nurse like every 2 hours during the day??!! OMG!! How would I know though? He always seems like he is truly done after 5 mins or so!!! UGH

 

[JGator]

Dani, I wouldn't have thought K was teething, but her pediatrician told us at 10 weeks that she is due to swollen gums and the symptoms (which we thought was an ear infection).........I will ask them to check again on the next 4 month visit in 2 weeks. She does put her hands in her mouth all the time. Today, she has been fussy all day, but yesterday it was just in the evening after I took over from the nanny! I think if L wasn't crying you were fine to stop feeding him after however long - you weren't starving him. My DH just realized that he has been putting 1 scoop of powdered formula into her 4 oz bottles instead of 2. Thankfully, we mainly use ready to drink liquid, and and he hasn't done it that many times!

 

[Buttons]

JGator T is definitely teething too! Swollen gums, hands in mouth constantly, GNAWING on his Sophie (and DH's knuckles!) every chance he gets. We can actually see the white lumps under his gums but I know it could be months yet before any teeth ever actually cut through. I hope things went really well today with the nanny. I will be interested to see what you come up with re teething toys as we are in the same situation. Someone suggested to me freezing breastmilk in ice cube trays and then giving him those in a baby net. I haven't tried it yet though.

Dani hon no you are not a bad Mom!!! You have been feeding L as much as he seemed to want, and I bet you were putting him back on whenever he seemed hungry again, I would wager it will all even out one way or the other... T is a snacker during the day and a guzzler at night - by that pattern you could say I am starving him during the day but I feel he makes it all up one way or the other. You may find now that L feeds a bit less frequently if he's doing longer boob sessions, which mightn't be a bad thing for you eh? Don't beat yourself up Mommy, you are doing a great job! (((hugs)))

monkey that is a gorgeous photo of Ev!!! He is so alert and full of business! Love his wee outfit too, I am all about the stripes on little boys Happy 4 month birthday Ev! So glad to hear he celebrated by treating you to a good night's sleep!

pancake Happy Birthday to Dot!

mayerling yippee for STTN! I am jealous

NEL that photo is precious! We hardly ever get snow like that where I am. She looks so cosy all wrapped up in her jacket

Lliang the toothbrush antics sound hilarious I hope the teething pain eases up soon for poor Ethan. Can't believe he is a year old next week.

===

So as suspected the five hour sleep was a fluke The night after that he only did 90 minute sleeps. Then last night DH tried to take the night shift so I could sleep and he went berserk every time DH tried to offer him a bottle. Cried himself hysterical and wouldn't settle until he got on the boob. So we both ended up getting less rest than if I had just fed him myself from the get-go

I went to a pharmacy today and sought advice about what to take for my dose and after hearing my symptoms she told me to go straight to the doctor as she thought I'd probably need an antibiotic. I myself have thought it's probably a cold/flu type thing and therefore no point taking antibiotics but off I went to the GP. €45 later and the GP says I don't need an antibiotic and to just continue treating it as I have been so far. Oh well. At least this way I have peace of mind that it's not anything more sinister and that it's not heading into my chest.

Also how on earth will we ever cope in here without Lliang and pancake?!?

 

[amc80]

Does anyone else feel like their kid is always sick? I do...because he is. He finished his 10 day course of antibiotics for a sinus infection. This kid has been stuffed up/snotty since October (aka when he started daycare). This is sinus infection #2. He's also had a bad cough and has been getting breathing treatments for 3 weeks or so. He did get better on the antibiotics, but only for a day or two, then he was right back to normal. He's also been throwing up occasionally and has had some loose poops (I swear, I can't spell the D word). Come to find out there's something going around at his daycare, possibly rotovirus. A few kids are out with it. Well, most of the pooping and barfing seemed to have gone away. Until this morning, he woke up screaming and felt hot. I gave him a bottle while I found the thermometer. He had a temp of 99.8. Gave him tylenol. Barfed everything up about 5 minutes later. So we are going back to the doctor today. I feel so bad for the little guy...he's been cranky and that's just not like him. I also feel bad for me since I haven't had anything close to a decent night's sleep in I don't know how long.

Just made a latte at work, but would prefer a jack and diet. Yes, it's 9:54am.

ETA- Sorry for the rant. I'm in a crappy mood. Can you tell?

 

[monkeyprincess]

amc, YES, my kid has been sick for about a month straight now after starting daycare. My SIL (who owns the daycare) and MIL keep saying that it is great because that means he will have a strong immune system, and if he wasn't in daycare, he would be sick all the time when he started school. I keep biting my tongue, but I want to ask why it is so much better to be sick as a little helpless baby than it would be to get sick when you are a little older and you can at least understand what is going on and fight it off better. Plus, I didn't go to daycare and barely missed a day of school. Whatever. I hate it, and it gives me horrible mommy guilt about working every time he sneezes or coughs. Hope your little guy feels better soon.

JGator, we are having the same slow v. medium flow nipple dilemma right now. Ev started taking forever to finish a bottle, so we bought some medium flow ones last week. But with the medium flow, he either gulps it down way too fast (like in 5 minutes) or he spills so much formula out the sides of his mouth. So we're back to slow flow, and he is dinking around and getting distracted a lot when he eats again. I wish there was something between slow and medium flow! Oh, and Ev is super fussy at night lately too. It's almost like he is back to his colicky days. He is a cat napper by nature, and that is what he does at daycare, so I'm thinking he is just exhausted by the time night rolls around. But thanks to Lulu and her Wonder Weeks book recommendation, I also think the fact that he is 17.5 weeks may be contributing to his current fussiness, as another "leap" is supposed to occur around 19 weeks. My friend gave Ev these teething things http://www.amazon.com/Bright-Starts-Teether-Assorted-teethers/dp/B001AAV30K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1360781264&sr=8-2&keywords=bright+starts+chill+and+teethe,, and I have let him try them out a couple times. At first, he isn't too sure about them being cold, but they definitely are small enough to fit in his little mouth. I think there's a girl version too.

Buttons, I love stripes too. Now that I'm putting Ev in real clothes, he wears a lot of striped onesies. So sorry to hear you are having some sleeping struggles and not feeling well. Hang in there.

Dani, hugs. I had a similar thing happen with Ev when he was about two months old. We were only feeding him three ounces at a time because he was spitting up so much and having bad acid reflux. He would always cry when he finished the bottle, which I thought was related to the reflux. And he was always crying those days, so we never knew when it was a hunger cry or just colick. But when we took him to the doctor he wasn't gaining weight as fast as he should, so I started feeding him more at a time, and he stopped crying after his bottles. I felt HORRIBLE like we had been starving him the past few weeks by not giving him more than 3 oz at a time. It's so hard when they aren't able to communciate with you and tell you what they need! Sounds like your little guy is doing just fine though, so you definitely shouldn't feel guilty.

Oh, and we got a 6 hours stretch out of him last night, so I'm really hoping we are on the verge of a pattern. Not holding my breath, but it sure nice when it happens!

 

[lliang_chi]

Dani, first of all do NOT feel like a bad Mommy. Believe me, babies drink differently from the breast and from the bottle. And your body works differently with the baby than a pump. L was drinking often, and was happy, and had plenty of wet diapers, right? TBH, even with the bottles, Ethan was drinking every 2.5 hrs when he was on only breast milk. And he never took more than 5 oz of milk at a time in the bottles. If you want to give L the option to drink more, then definitely do so, but don't feel like he was being deprived at all.

Pancake, Happy birthday beautiful Sylvie. I can't believe you're such a big girl already. Pancake, how's being back at work? Hope you're enjoying it. What is your childcare for S?

MP, Happy 4 months Baby Ev. He's getting his hair back, it looks much lighter than when he was born though. How's the cradle cap? Sorry to hear Ev's been fussy, but sounds like he's on the verge of another big milestone. Maybe rolling? Oh and at 4 months they start to get more aware of the world too, so he might just be working on how to shut it all out be the end of the day. I kept the lights dim at night to help Ethan slow down and get ready for bed.

JGator, how'd it go today with leaving K with the nanny? I'm glad you found one you're happier with. SInce you said that K has great head and neck control, my guess is she'd like the jumper/exersaucer. Does she like "standing" (bearing weight on her legs)? For teethers, can you wet a washcloth and freeze it? That will give K options for sizes depending on how you fold/roll/flatten it.

Buttons, don't feel discouraged that T didn't continue the long stretch. He's getting there. He did 5 hrs once, he'll do it again, I promise you. I'm glad to hear your sinus infection isn't getting worse. Speaking of toothbrush antics, Ethan CLAMPS UP now whenever he sees the toothbrush (a.k.a. Mommy's new torture device, the original one being the Nosefrida). So I'm going to get the banana ones and see if he'll play with that at least. I keep putting one in my mouth, hoping Monkey will copy me, but that's the ONLY thing he DOESN'T copy me on. And thanks for the sweet sentiment, I'll still come in here and check on you guys. You can't get rid of me that easily

AMC, Hugs my friend. It's winter so daycare sickies are part and parcel. Believe me it gets better as the weather warms up. Give B a couple of months. Just make sure he's getting nice nutritious meals and that's the BEST you can do for him. Also maybe you can try formula with probiotics if you subscribe to that thinking. I *really* hope B doesn't catch rotovirus. Dude, why are your bringing in your kid if he/she is that sick? But Ethan has been mostly on, occasionally off, with a cough since starting daycare. He used to always have a runny nose too, but that's been getting better.

Re: the medium flow nipples, we switched Ethan right around 13 or 14 wks or so. I know MP said Ev was dribbling a lot or gulping too fast. You can train him to actively suck the milk out of the bottle instead of just passively swallowing milk that's pouring out. Basically feed him sitting nearly upright and let the milk only half fill the nipple, so you're holding it almost parallel to the floor. The babies will have to actually SUCK to draw the milk into their mouth. When they get used to the faster flow, you can start feeding them at more of an incline. I'm not sure if I'm making myself clear, if I'm not I'll post some pictures.

~LC

 

[dani13]

LC, L NEVER takes more than 3 oz from a bottle. Isnt that weird for a 4.5 mth old? Seems so little!! We mentioned it to the pedi and he wasnt concerned at all...he said that is common with bf babies. UGH, I wish I would just stop doubting myself!!!

Thanks so much for the encouragement though LC, JG, Buttons, and MP! I really appreciate it!

 

[amc80]

Thanks to my fellow mom of sicky babies for the support! At least I'm not the only one. Just got back from the doctor. He thinks this is all stemming from a sinus infection (oh, and now the start of an ear infection) and that the last meds (amoxicillin) weren't strong enough. So he's on a stronger antibiotic plus a steroid for his coughing-that-won't-end, plus we are to continue the breathing treatments. Poor little dude. While at the pharmacy, waiting for prescriptions, I gave him some tylenol. By the time we got back to daycare he seemed to be feeling a bit better. Hopefully this new combo does the trick.