PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[TravelingGal]

Date: 8/7/2009 10:36:13 PM
Author: sunkist
Hey TGAL! I noticed you talking about baby/sleep books and I have a quick question. I need to decide what book to read before baby is born and can''t decide between HSHHC, Baby Whisper, or Happiest Baby on the Block.

I know there have been a few reviews of these books here over the months but I''m too exhausted to find them. Is one better in your opinion? Or are all these books totally different you can''t compare??

Hi Sunkist,

Sorry I missed this post!

Happiest Baby on the Block is great, but get the DVD, not the book. It also won''t help you in the way of sleep training...it''s more a book on how to soothe the little one and is really only effective when they are wee things (about the first 2-3 months, if that.)

A lot of people here like the Baby Whisperer, and that''s probably an easier read. I have not read it but read a lot of reviews on it. I really liked HSHHC but I will warn you, it''s a tedious read with no real clear but guidance on "step by step" training. The best part about the book is understanding the science of sleep and what to look for in your little one. I am a fan of this book because I have found that he is RIGHT ON about baby sleep patterns and my 16 month old is tracking within the guidelines of the book quite naturally. Plus it was understanding the science of sleep that helped me...I was able to make sense of a lot of things. This guy is big on routine and consistency, so if that is not your gig, probably not the book for you.

Any more questions let me know.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 8/9/2009 9:29:18 PM
Author: mela lu


Ohh. good to know. I''m counting on him getting back on track when we''re back home. I''m going to just take it easy while away

. 9 to 9 kinda sounds amazing actually! hah. I''d leave him at that until you move...why not? Are there any downfalls that you can see in doing that?

Blen - sorry to hear about your tummy

. GL with the house!

Romy''s totally ''on'' naps now. He had a 2 hr nap today, plus two other 1 hour naps. It was a faze. Thank god.

Romeo 10 weeks.
Ps. today is our 2 yr wedding anniversary

. I''m just so happy

Happy Anniversary Mela!

Out of curiosity, did you decided to swaddle him during naps?

 

[kelley1975]

I just wanted to pop in and introduce my newest addition, Micah (aka...Sir Toots-a-Lot). He was born July 18th and is (according to me) just perfect. Of course his daddy and his older sister, Amanda would also agree....

 

[Courtneylub]

Alright, Mela!!

Kelley, your family is simply gorgeous!!

 

[nycbkgirl]

DD- i hope things get better..sleeping issue is the number 1 mommy sanity killer

...thank goodness dh stays the niteshift when he comes home! or else id be in the kookoo house with these 2! jon has a routine and now jackie is almost there but i also worry about regression..esp when im not there to put them to sleep..we went to a gettogether sat nite and mom and dad slept over but luckily she followed my instructions and all went well! and we may be taking a cruise in feb so hoping that goes well too!

Mela- happy anniversary!!!! i reallly hope there are no set backs in croatia!

Blen- i had the same bib issues and i peeled the velcro very slowly but it also kept waking them ...so i generally do not velcro the back anymore. sometimes i did lay them with the bib but i watched all the time..never at nite. and same drooling goin on here...the hands are always in the mouth and it distracts from sleeping too!

Mrs- fun fun game

..lol cant wait for that one!

Mgal- hmm guess even with the switch its still sooooo low. o well.

Kelley- picture perfect!

 

[mela lu]

Date: 8/9/2009 11:56:33 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 8/9/2009 9:29:18 PM
Author: mela lu
Romy''s totally ''on'' naps now. He had a 2 hr nap today, plus two other 1 hour naps. It was a faze. Thank god.
Romeo 10 weeks.
Ps. today is our 2 yr wedding anniversary

. I''m just so happy

Happy Anniversary Mela!
Out of curiosity, did you decided to swaddle him during naps?

I tried the mummy wrap for a few naps, but didn''t find it lengthened them. So I switched to my regular cotton blanket (swaddled) and that worked just as well. I think he was going through a weird thing where he couldn''t switch his brain "off".

Now, my next dilemma....he''s been BUSTING out of his mummy swaddle about twice a night. Each time I go in, re-wrap him, and put his paci back in. Trouble is, this whole shennanegan disturbs his sleep, so that he''s not 100% asleep again. Example. Last night he busted out at 1:15am. I had to re-swaddle him and then pacify him until his feeding which was at 3:30!
That was 1:45 mins of paci-duty!!!

Do I stop swaddling him at night? I know that if I don''t, he''ll have poor sleep as well because of the flailing arms. So, either way, he''s getting disturbed sleep.

What would you do?

 

[MustangGal]

Mela - Kyle started upwrapping himself at one point also. Is Romy too big for the wrap you''re currently using? DH was able to wrap him tight enough, but I never could. We were able to keep him going in it until about 3 months, then stopped since it was getting hotter and we wanted him to learn to sleep out of it.

 

[mela lu]

Kelley - your family is SO gorgeous!

Mustang - I do think he's too big for the miracle swaddle. Do they sell larger ones? his feet "hit" the bottom of the sack! How long did it take Kyle to learn how to sleep without it?

 

[MustangGal]

Mela - We used the Swaddleme ones, they come in a large size, and t-shirt type fabric so they weren''t too hot. It was about 1-2 weeks or so for his sleep pattern to return when we stopped. He would wake up more often, but went right back to sleep with a paci and a pat. It still meant me having to get out of bed 3-4 times during the night

.

 

[Sabine]

Mela, congrats!

Kelly, gorgeous family!

Blen, I''m also totally impressed with all you seem to be able to do!

Dreamer, hopefully Hunter will be back on track right away!

Mrs., how fun for you...best game ever, I''m sure!

As for me, we''re officially formula feeding now. I''ve accepted it and am okay with the decision. Unfortunately, Jackson is still gassy sometimes and gets hiccups after about half his feedings, but my mommy instinct tells me it''s just normal newborn fussiness and not any other bigger problem.

My mom is leaving tomorrow. In a way, I''m soooooo glad she''s leaving because she is working my last nerve. But at the same time, I''m nervous about being on my own as well. I still haven''t figured out how to walk the dog with Jackson or a few other things on my own. Dh''s family is coming to visit this weekend, then my bil and sil next weekend, and then my dad the weekend after that. I''m actually at a point where I wish people weren''t visiting and we had time to settle into a routine on our own, but I also feel like I don''t want to stop them from visiting.

Also, I tried to use a sling for the first time today. I was hoping that would be a great way to take the dog out on a quick walk. I was surprised at how sunk in he was in it, and I don''t think he liked it. I also have a carrier that is similar to the bjorn, so maybe that will be better until Jacks is a bit older.

 

[MustangGal]

Sabine - I''m sorry BFing didn''t work for you

. At least he was able to get some breastmilk, which it better than none at all. I know it''s a tough decision, but tons of babies are formula fed and come out just fine (my DH is one of them!). Maybe see how he does on formula only for a week or two, and if he''s still gassy and fussy, call your pedi and ask about switching formula. We ended up switching at 6 or 7 weeks to a lactose-free formula, and he got much less gassy, and less fussy. And he still gets hiccups. I''ve heard if they had hiccups a lot when they were in the womb, they will outside too.

 

[mela lu]

Date: 8/10/2009 4:09:49 PM
Author: MustangGal
I''ve heard if they had hiccups a lot when they were in the womb, they will outside too.

Romeo has then as I type - and he got them daily in the womb too!

Mustang - 1-2 weeks to get used to not being swaddled!!! crappers!


Sabine - I SO know how you feel. Other than my parents, I hated visitors!!!!!!!!!!!! Its a tough call, but do what you and dh think is best for you. PP is tough enough without the added pressure from guests!

 

[Dreamer_D]

sabine well if it helps hunter was bf and was still very gassy and often fussy the firt 3-4 weeks. i think it took time for his digestion to get the hang of eating. apparently farting is a learned thing too... lol

mela we used swaddle me AND a receiving blanket from 9 weeks to 12 week s when we stopped swaddling. i saw stick with it as long as possible because you will see regression when you stop and who wants that!!

 

[E B]

Hello all! I know I''m not very active ''round these parts yet, but I do lurk. It''s just hard to type with one hand, the other wrapped around a baby.

fiery- I feel your pain RE: overactive letdown. It''s been better this week b/c he''s been eating non-stop, but the week before, he was choking at almost every feed. I found hand expressing helps a lot as well as nursing him at an angle so that he was almost on top of the breast. It isn''t recommended for every feed (risk of plugged ducts), but is good in rotation.

kelley- What a beautiful family! Your daughter looks like she has your husband''s eyes.

mela- We''ve had great success with the Miracle Blanket (Henry was able to kick out of every homemade swaddle, but not the MB!), but Romy might be too big for it at four months. Might be worth checking out, though. I''ve also heard good things about the SwaddleMe.

Henry will be eight weeks this Friday, the day we''re leaving for a long weekend trip (just for fun). I''m a little worried about sleeping arrangements, as I''ve read hotel cribs aren''t always safe. We''ll probably bring him into bed with us, which will be interesting, since we haven''t yet transitioned to full co-sleeping. It seems easier than bringing a pack ''n play, but I will admit I''m still a bit nervous having him in bed with us all night when he''s still so floppy and delicate.

And because I don''t think I''ve shared a photo of him in this thread yet:

 

[neatfreak]

Ebree-First, he is ADORABLE! Second, we''ve been in a bout of hotels lately due to our move and none of them have had cribs at all-they have all had pack n plays. So I think as long as you''re staying at a nicer hotel (we were at Marriot hotels for the most part) they should either have safe cribs or just pack n plays.

 

[D&T]

Date: 8/10/2009 1:41:50 AM
Author: kelley1975
I just wanted to pop in and introduce my newest addition, Micah (aka...Sir Toots-a-Lot). He was born July 18th and is (according to me) just perfect. Of course his daddy and his older sister, Amanda would also agree....

what an adorable new addition! Congratulations I can see a smile there! what a beautiful Family you have

EBREE- what a cutie you have too! love these little beings

 

[Mandarine]

Quick question for the twin mommies

I haven't bought much clothes since I thought I would get a ton in the shower. Turns out I only got one set of PJs and a handful of short sleeved onesies.

I was wondering if you guys minded sharing what type, how much and what sizes clothing I should get? (0-3, newborn?, etc). I definitely don't want to be doing laundry every day so I want to have a reasonable amount, without going over board. I have a few hand me downs (not much though) from a friend and sister, so I need to first count how much there is in there..for the rest, I'll probably go to TJMaxx or something since they seemed to have good deals on babies clothes.


TIA


ETA: Ebree, he's adorable!!!!!!

 

[MustangGal]

Mandarine - I don't remember when you're due exactly, but that'll make a bit of a difference. Kyle was winter, so he lived in feetie-pajamas at the begining. With twins, I imagine they'll be a bit smaller than an average single birth, so newborn sized things would probably last you at least a month or two (my 9 pound baby was able to wear new born size for about 3 weeks). Onesies are good to have around too. And cloth diapers work great for cleaning spit up. I always have a few laying around because you never know when they're going to blow! Each mom/baby ends up prefering different things, so I wouldn't stock up too much incase you don't like what you got a ton of.

You'll probably go through 2-3 wardrobe changes a day, including changing pad covers (Kyle was constantly spitting up on those). I think I was doing laundry about 2 times a week when he was little. I have it donw to once a week now

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 8/11/2009 4:57:32 PM
Author: Mandarine
Quick question for the twin mommies

I haven''t bought much clothes since I thought I would get a ton in the shower. Turns out I only got one set of PJs and a handful of short sleeved onesies.


I was wondering if you guys minded sharing what type, how much and what sizes clothing I should get? (0-3, newborn?, etc). I definitely don''t want to be doing laundry every day so I want to have a reasonable amount, without going over board. I have a few hand me downs (not much though) from a friend and sister, so I need to first count how much there is in there..for the rest, I''ll probably go to TJMaxx or something since they seemed to have good deals on babies clothes.



TIA



ETA: Ebree, he''s adorable!!!!!!

Honestly I would largely wait...with twins you''ll never know what sizes you''ll need and even what seasons to buy for initially.

You are due in November, right? I would buy a few preemie size sleepers and leave the tags on and then buy a bunch of newborn sleepers and then some 0-3''s too. You''ll certainly use the newborn and 0-3''s during the winter so there is no harm in buying them early but it''s the preemie ones that you never know if you''ll need to use or not.

My boys were full term and the newborn size stuff was huge on them for about 2 weeks...so we used preemie stuff at first then quickly they went into newborn. But if god forbid your boys are born really early they''ll need preemie stuff for longer.

You/someone else can ALWAYS go run out and buy more. Don''t go overboard now until you know what you like and believe me what you like now may not be what you like once the twins are here!

 

[E B]

neat, D&T and Mandarine- Thank you so much!

neat- That''s good to know, thank you! I think we''re staying at a Marriott, actually. I''ll inspect it (though, what do I know about safe cribs!) and make sure it looks sturdy before using, if we use it at all.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Ebree, I would imagine for liability reasons the cribs will be up to code. We have gotten cribs several times and while they looked scary (think orphanages in third world countries) we never had any problems. I do bring duct tape with me just in case. I had to make a towel bumper several times since I have a wiggle worm.

Love all the baby pics!

 

[fieryred33143]

Ladies sorry about the selfish post but I need some bf''ing help/ideas.

Sophia latches on well but I have a forceful let down. She''s getting better about eating and not choking. However, after maybe 10 or 20 minutes of eating she starts crying. I don''t know if it''s because it''s not quick enough for her anymore or if she wants to comfort suck without dealing with the letdown or if she doesn''t like the hindmilk or she doesn''t know how to take herself off when she''s done...I really don''t know. I end up switching breasts but she still cries until she gets worn out and falls asleep. She''s eating every 1 to 2 hours because she doesn''t get enough to eat during the feeding. I''m going to see the LC tomorrow since I''m afraid that she''s not eating enough but do you guys have any ideas what it could be? It has happened during every feeding since two nights ago. It breaks my heart because I don''t know what is wrong and I know she''s falling asleep hungry and the poor girl gets so frustrated

. I did pump 4oz the other day and gave it to her but she was still really hungry after so I don’t want to rely on just pumping.

 

[gailrmv]

mela I am so jealous of your nap success. We are still not doing so well on naps here. Today was the best day we've had in a while - 45 min nap in the morning, 30 min in the afternoon. And that was a GREAT success for us. Ugh. I wish we had more typical naps over here!

Mandarine Do you have a carters outlet near you? They have cute stuff and great prices (esp if you get on their email list, they will send tons of 20% off coupons.) THe best part is if you keep your receipt and tags on, you can return things any time. I found that we received tons of clothing gifts after our guy was born. Most were for 3 months, though, so he outgrew those fast. You may also want to borrow if you have friends with babies, because honestly, while it is so fun shopping for their little clothes, they do outgrow them SO fast. I just loaned a bunch of things to my neighbor and I realized some were not even worn, or maybe 1 time. In the beginning I loved the Gerber zip up pj's with feet. Didn't need to mess with socks to keep his feet warm, and the zipper was such a time saver for diaper changes. We received some as a gift and got the others at Target (Gerber brand is the only one I've seen with zippers). Hope that helps!

Fiery So frustrating! We had many nights like that. Could it be a growth spurt, and she is nursing so much to up your supply? Sometimes I would nurse on one side while pumping on the other, so that when he finished one side I could give him the immediate gratification of a bottle (which he took faster), and then he would conk out and sleep a little while. Otherwise he was on the boob 24/7 I kid you not. Are you drinking enough water and eating enough, so that you are making enough milk? The herb supplement More Milk Plus helped me when I needed to up my supply. I got it at Whole Foods. Most of our nursing challenges seemed like a huge crisis at the time (of course - because you want to make sure your kid has enough to eat!!) but in retrospect, most of our problems worked themselves out in a few days.

EBREE He is just adorable!! Just curious do you think he looks more like you or your DH?


All is well here... except the no naps of course! My inlaws visited for the day. I wish they would offer to babysit once in a while - they live 2 hours away. Maybe when A is older, they will offer or we will ask.

 

[fieryred33143]

TDM-I think she is going through a growth spurt right now. I remember reading that they go through a growth spurt around six weeks (tomorrow she’ll be six weeks). I really hope that’s what it is. At first I thought maybe I didn’t have any milk but I just fed her again, she cried again, and when she pulled off milk was literally squirting everywhere…so maybe she just gets frustrated with how quick it is??

 

[MustangGal]

Kelley & Ebree - beautiful babies!

fiery - I''m sorryng about BFing issues, hopefully the LC can help get it figured out.


Kyle is 6 months old today! It has gone by so fast. He''s just about crawling, trying really hard to but hasn''t gotten it all figured out yet. Teething seems to have stopped for now, but I''m sure it''ll come back with a vengence.

And we booked a night at the hotel we stayed at on our wedding night! The economy must really be hurting the resort industry. 8 years ago we paid $99 a night for a beautiful resort in Palm Springs in September (the off season). We just paid $79 for the same room (for September), and it includes $25 in resort credit and a 15 minute facial. We''re only staying 1 night, and will go have dinner at the country club we got married at. My mom will take Kyle for the night, then drive him to the in-laws so MIL can have him for the day. We''re trying to be fair with the famlies

. I''m really looking foward to a night off!

 

[sbde]

welcome kelly1975! gorgeous family!

love the pic ebree, henry is such a cutie.

mustangal - happy 6 mos to kyle! how exciting that he is ready to crawl. J has been somewhat crawling for the past few days too! it''s not quite in perfect form, and is more like an army crawl but it is still very cute, and a very BIG reminder to mysefl that i need to start babyproofing!!

mandarine - i had a winter baby too and he wore footed sleepers and onesies almost exclusively the first few months. i didn''t bother with any fancy outfits until the 3-6 month timeframe, because the sleepers were definitely the coziest things for him. like everyone else said, just pick up the basics for now and keep the tags on for the preemie and newborn sizes. all the 0-3 month clothing will be worn at some point so you are probably safe to get more of those. in terms of qualilty i liked carters and "little me" sleepers and gap onesies because they were a bit thicker and good for winter. for one baby i had about 9-12 sleepers in each size, and did laundry once a week. you''ll likely need more than that with twinkies don''t forget little hats! i had picked up about 5-6 hats for him as well.

 

[lili]

Kelley--
What a beautiful family.
Your kids are adorable!

Ebree--
Henry is a cutie!

 

[mela lu]

Soooooooooo tired today so I just want to pop in and offer my support to Fiery. You poor thing. BF is exhausting and hard. Good for you for sticking with it - it will get easier. The only times Romeo has cried while feeding was because of GAS. He would eventually let out a massive belch, and his stomach would literally go from big and hard to soft and mushy from the one belch. Sometimes with the fast let down (I have it too) he takes in a lot of air trying to manage the whole "Breathe and swallow" coordination. Could it be gas?

Otherwise, DEF get help for that. Feeding is the one time they should not be crying

. good luck girl. Thinking of you.

Ebree - Henry is just SOOOO cute. OMG I love that pic!!!

Hi everyone else

sorry to do a drive by, but I''m turning in super early tonight. TTYL!

 

[nycbkgirl]

Hey everyone

its been so hard even getting on the computer these day...lots of fussy non sleeping babies

Mandarine- i would say wait wait wait!....do not buy clothes yet..i went out with my fam after i came home from hospital (babies were still in nicu and i had a time frame of when they comin home) so popped in the wheelchair in BRU and bought everything..even tho my fam couldve went w.o. me. and if god willing ur babies are full term like Neat''s...someone can run to BRU and get everything...mostly the onesies with the feet and hands!...looooved those!..if u do buy clothes in advance remember not only to keep tags on but receipts as well...BRU wont return OR exchange w.o. them!

Fiery-

about the bf''ing! im thinking it will get better!!

Sabine- im glad u are comfortable with ur ff choice..bf''ing really isnt for everyone....finding the right formula may be a project in itself...just monitor gas and poop and weight gain and u will tell!...do u use the mylicon for gas??

EBree- omgggg hehehe love Henry

hope everyone is gooooood! and wishing everyone lots of sleeep filled nights

 

[jas]

Date: 8/11/2009 4:57:32 PM
Author: Mandarine
Quick question for the twin mommies

I haven''t bought much clothes since I thought I would get a ton in the shower. Turns out I only got one set of PJs and a handful of short sleeved onesies.

I was wondering if you guys minded sharing what type, how much and what sizes clothing I should get? (0-3, newborn?, etc). I definitely don''t want to be doing laundry every day so I want to have a reasonable amount, without going over board. I have a few hand me downs (not much though) from a friend and sister, so I need to first count how much there is in there..for the rest, I''ll probably go to TJMaxx or something since they seemed to have good deals on babies clothes.


TIA


ETA: Ebree, he''s adorable!!!!!!

I agree with the other twin mamas -- wait. Also, this is the kind of thing that all those people who will ask if they can bring anything/what gifties you want...send ''em to Target or TJMaxx.

We got a ton of stuff from Craigslist...about an entire 18 months worth of wardrobe...the lady was just going to donate it to charity. I became that charity. It was awesome.

To be fair, those first few weeks we had them mostly in diapers and a blanket/wrap/snuggly thing. They just blarped all over everything and they were easier to wash than the clothes.

How are you feeling? Sorry, I haven''t checked in on the preggo thread enough. I just read today that Mara is preggers. That''s how behind I am. But it sounds (and looks!) like you are doing beautifully!

Hi to all other mamas. I''m sorry to be MIA. Ebree, your babe is adorable!

I''m going to be "graduating" to the other thread in a few days...see you on the flip side!