Weekly Randoms 4.3.17

Ladybug2821

I have no idea how to do gifs, so....

Kgridley27

H and I are planning to take LO on vacation to Florida in May.  It will be about 24 hours of driving to get here (eek).  We're thinking of beginning the drive overnight (like 8pm or so) so hopefully LO sleeps through the first chunk of the drive. 

Here's the thing.  I keep having awful nightmares that we have to stop somewhere during the middle of the night to feed or change LO and we get attacked.  I have done this exact drive before.  I have driven through the night before.  I consider myself a smart and capable woman.  For some reason I am just terrified of this very specific, very unlikely scenario playing out.

I'm also, for some reason, feeling anxious about not anticipating what LO will need while we're down there.  Ladies, I suggest you all buy stock in baby sunblock companies. 

Ladybug2821

Kgridley27 said:

H and I are planning to take LO on vacation to Florida in May.  It will be about 24 hours of driving to get here (eek).  We're thinking of beginning the drive overnight (like 8pm or so) so hopefully LO sleeps through the first chunk of the drive. 

Here's the thing.  I keep having awful nightmares that we have to stop somewhere during the middle of the night to feed or change LO and we get attacked.  I have done this exact drive before.  I have driven through the night before.  I consider myself a smart and capable woman.  For some reason I am just terrified of this very specific, very unlikely scenario playing out.

I'm also, for some reason, feeling anxious about not anticipating what LO will need while we're down there.  Ladies, I suggest you all buy stock in baby sunblock companies. 

I just think as new mom's and maybe even STM+ that we build up fears in our minds even though we know its more than likely not to happen.  Our subconscious definitely doesn't help the situation.  The best advice I can give you is to tell yourself just that, its not likely to happen.  That is how I got over my fear of needles lol.  One day I just told myself this really doesn't hurt so why am I so scared.

I live in FL so I would definitely suggest the sunscreen as you've already mentioned, a hat, and sunglasses.  Bring pants and socks just in case, but more than likely LO should be in onesies.  You can even do sleeveless onesies.  A bathing suit and float if you plan to go swimming.  That's really all I can think of.  I take S out all the time and she has yet to have a sunburn.

Kgridley27

@Ladybug2821 do you use lightweight sleep sacks for bed?  I've got the bathing suits/hats/sunglasses down & figured he would just live in onesies with or without shorts.  But I am a bit at a loss for bedtime.

I also really hope B likes the pool as much as he likes the bath, but we shall see!

Ladybug2821

Kgridley27 said:

@Ladybug2821 do you use lightweight sleep sacks for bed?  I've got the bathing suits/hats/sunglasses down & figured he would just live in onesies with or without shorts.  But I am a bit at a loss for bedtime.

I also really hope B likes the pool as much as he likes the bath, but we shall see!

We are currently using the zipadee zip which is fairly light weight and is pretty much a sleep sack with arms.  But I do not put anything on underneath, she's just in a diaper.  If for some strange reason its chillier than normal, then I will put her in a onesie underneath.  I keep my a/c on 72-74 and the ceiling fan is on along with a cool mist humidifier.  S runs very hot so if I put too much on her she sweats very easily.

Kgridley27

@Ladybug2821 really helpful, thanks!  I'm not sure how he'd like the zipadee since he sleeps in a halo (sleeveless) but I think I'll get a lightweight one for summer anyway.  He's quickly outgrowing the two we cycle through now.

Ladybug2821

Kgridley27 said:

@Ladybug2821 really helpful, thanks!  I'm not sure how he'd like the zipadee since he sleeps in a halo (sleeveless) but I think I'll get a lightweight one for summer anyway.  He's quickly outgrowing the two we cycle through now.

We use the zippadee because S scratches her face really badly when she's sleeping.  But a lightweight sleep sack would be just fine. 

fitlady21

What sunscreen are you guys using on your babe? I bought babyganics and like it but I'm not sure if it's going to be strong enough for extended periods in the sun like on pool days. 

Ladybug2821

I use the neutrogena baby 50 spf. I'm in FL and it's worked really well. I've heard calendula brand is recommended but it's so expensive. 

Kgridley27

I have Neutrogena baby & the Coppertone stick for his face/ears but I haven't used any of them yet.  New England winters, ya know.

Ladybug2821

I will probably need to get one that is specifically made for the face.  So far I've just been putting a hat on her, but will definitely need it for when we get in the pool.

Kgridley27

You'll have to update me on how her first pool experience goes! Does she love baths? I had just assumed since B loves and has always loved baths that he would be a natural fish, but I'm told the exact opposite by just about every other parent to whom I've mentioned it.  But damnit, he will learn to love the pool if it kills me! haha

Ladybug2821

Oh no!  I hope that is not the case here.  S does love baths.  It doesn't even bother her if I pour water over her head and it gets on her face.  I plan to wait until May.  She'll be a little over 6 months and hopefully the water will be fairly warm by then.

Ladybug2821

How many ounces of BM/ formula are your LOs taking at a time and how often are they eating?  When I first went back to work S was eating 4 oz four times while I was gone. I was pumping 4 times at work and getting 16 oz. I cut back to pumping 3 times and was still able to get 16 oz but I changed the bottles to 3-15oz and put the extra ounce to the side to mix with oatmeal. It seems like this isn't enough for S now. After all that being said, just wondering what everyone else is doing. 

fitlady21

 I typically pump 3 times- get 6 ounces each time and she'll eat 3-3 oz bottles throughout the day. Typically every 2.5/3.5 hours.

I left her her this past weekend and in 24 hours she drank 28-30 ounces and I pumped 45 ounces. So I'm guessing she eats more nursing than from a bottle.. right? 

fitlady21

How long are you gone? 15 ounces sounds like plenty of milk for a 10-12 hour day. The babe will just nurse more later if he's still hungry.

Kgridley27

Anywhere from 20-26 oz of formula per day plus a total of 5 oz puree, 2.5 oz of which is mixed with about 1 tbsp. rice cereal. 5 oz. bottles at a time about every 4 hours or so, except for overnight.

Ladybug2821

fitlady21 said:

How long are you gone? 15 ounces sounds like plenty of milk for a 10-12 hour day. The babe will just nurse more later if he's still hungry.

I do hear that a lot of babies take in more nursing than from bottles. S just really likes to eat it seems. I'm gone 10 hours. Sometimes she doesn't nurse right before I leave so her last feeding would have been around 4 am. I Think H ends up giving her a bottle probably right after I leave so most days she probably needs 4 bottles. And it's hard to get a time frame in between bottles from H because he doesn't time anything  . But when I'm home nursing she goes 2.5/3 hrs. If I did 6 oz per pump I think that would be good but I'm not sure I could do that. How long do you pump for?  I'm doing 20 mins. The first pump of the morning I get 7/8 oz but after that it's only like 4 oz. Think I'm going to have to make some more lactation snacks again. 

fitlady21

I pump for 20 minutes but I must have a little bit of an oversupply. You could always pump after the last feed when you put your LO down. I just cut that pump out and I would always get 2-3 ounces so that could help you close the gap.

Ladybug2821

@fitlady21 That is a great idea!  Thanks

brzvice

Hi girls! I've been thinking of you all lately and did some drive by liking and catching up. It's been crazy at work these last couple weeks, my assistant is on vacation so I'm organizing and facilitating all the activities for 66 residents at the senior home. Vera and I also once again  on the cusp of being sick. Ugh. Hoping you and your littles are doing alright. Who can believe we are hitting 6 months already?!

brzvice

@ladybug2821 wow this dude sounds just like the boss from office space. You need to somehow print the meme below and sneak it on his desk.

brzvice

@Ladybug2821 That was supposed to go in twatwaffle Tuesday.. forgive​ me everyone

To get back on the eating topic...
 V eats 20-28 ounces of a bm/formula combination. She only breastfeeds once a day when I'm working and 2-3 times a day on weekends. She's more of a comfort nurser since Ive never felt confident in my supply. I prefer pumping so I can measure her intake. She drinks an average of 4 ounces at a time. 

Edit: she eats a few tablespoons total of solids throughout the day as well

Ladybug2821

H gave S 4-5oz bottles when I was at work. That just seems like way too much especially because she did nurse before I left.  If she didn't nurse it wouldn't be so bad.  I'm gone 10 or so hrs. Then she nursed before bed and woke up at 11:30 which also isn't normal. Maybe it's a growth spurt. I couldn't even pump 15 ounces yesterday. My period is due soon so I'm hoping that's the reason for the drop.  I normally am able to get 16 ounces. I'm wondering instead of doing 3-5 ounce bottles like I had been leaving maybe I should go back to 4-4ounce bottles. I just don't think she's that hungry because there are times she spits up and that's tells me she over ate. I think H doesn't know for sure when she's hungry and the 4 bottles will make it seem like there is enough if that make any sense. Sorry I'm on 4 hours of sleep this morning and I can't even blame it on S. I was doing the 5 oz bottles trying to stretch time between feedings but H isn't with the program it seems. 

bieberm04

Our baby eats 6 4 1/2 oz bottles and some oatmeal cereal, we decided to stick with the 4 oz ish bottles more often because we found that she just likes the comfort of eating.  She usually eats around 8 pm then 6:30 am and 4 times at daycare (10 hours).  I am only pumping so it is nice that I know exactly how much she is eating.

Kgridley27

@Ladybug2821 my LO is with my H's grandma for 4 workdays each week.  She "loves with food" and is very much of a mind that a baby that eats often is a well-fed baby.  When we first sent LO to her we sent along the same # of bottles that we would normally have used in a 10-hour period.  Not enough for her since that means he would have to go *gasp* three hours between feedings.  He's STARVING, she says.

Long story short, we ended up pulling a little bit of psychological wool over her eyes.  Since she felt that the response to any discomfort was immediately to feed him, we ended up splitting his formula into more bottles.  Same amount of formula, literally double the number of bottles.  It's more work for us with washing extra bottles etc., but so worth it for the peace of mind.  So what you said totally makes sense.  In fact, she requested that we even do "meal" bottles and "snack" bottles so maybe you could pose it that way to your H? Like, she should have these three bottles for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but if you think she's still hungry in between, here are these much smaller bottles you can give her.

Basically, it's pretty hard for a baby who is not mobile to overeat.  It especially sounds like your LO is good at spitting up when she has overindulged, which is a good thing!

mothernorth

Dang... I feel like Johnny is a fatty now... he just started taking 8oz at a time, takes about 5 bottles a day, plus bites of cereal throughout the day. 

Ladybug2821

@kgridley27 That is exactly what I meant lol.  I think I will definitely go back to the 4-4 oz bottles. 

Kgridley27

@AllyTheKid he sounds like a happy, growing baby to me!

For those of you who have started solids besides rice cereal or oatmeal, what are you finding your LOs love/don't care for?  This question is just for fun.

Another question! Is there any major difference between stage 1 & stage 2 purees besides stage 2s having 2+ foods mixed together, is there a big bad reason I should stay away from stage 2s if LO has had one of the two foods with no reaction & eats with minimal (a relative term) sloppiness?

mothernorth

@Kgridley27 I really don't think there's a difference other than that, I actually always skip stage one and go straight to stage two anyway. 

Ladybug2821

@Kgridley27 I think if you've tested the foods out individually with no problems then it is fine. H made the mistake of buying the mixture and S had a reaction so now we don't know which one it was.  It was the sweet potato/corn duo. S loves banana so far. She doesn't seem to turn away anything though lol. We did green beans the other day and she didn't love it but she sure did keep eating it  .

Kgridley27

LO is a big fan of squash and prunes.  He likes bananas and carrots and sweet potatoes and will tolerate green beans and peas.  Pears made him poop -- a lot -- and he spit up that day too which he never does, so we're going to avoid pears for a while and check back in a few months.

Last weekend we fed him stage 2 pumpkin + bananas...he loved it and I could feel the waves of contentment rolling off of him.  Had a taste and damn, I'm thinking of buying some for myself for lunch...

mothernorth

@Kgridley27 Ha! My SS loves that mixture too, and he's 9 

mothernorth

So I went and got my eyes checked for the first time in four years yesterday because my glasses broke and superglue just wasn't cutting anymore. I desperately needed new glasses anyway because after four uears, my vision has gone to crap. (Back story- I've worn glasses literally since I was a baby, I don't know life without them, and I will always need them because my eyes do get progressively worse every year, and that can't be stopped.) Well, after my exam, I was promptly explained what poor shape my optic nerves are in, and was referred to a specialist because it would appear I have early signs of a glaucoma. 

On the bright side... I had an exam and got 2 pairs of glasses for $220.58, and that's a bargain in my book. 

Ladybug2821

@AllyTheKid Sorry to hear that. Hopefully when you go to the specialist they say that's not the case. 

mothernorth

Me too! @Ladybug2821 I had an appointment scheduled yesterday, but then we had a blowout on the highway on our way to the city so I had to cancel and reschedule Talk about terrifying... my brother had to come save the day.

In other news- I am at the public library in my town because I need to print some sources for a research paper I'm doing, and I've been put on a wait list due to every computer being occupied. I'm sitting directly behind the computer I'm assigned to use at 2:10, and the guy using it right now is just sitting there watching anime -_-

Kgridley27

@AllyTheKid if the specialist confirms what your regular optometrist says, do you know what your options are for treatment?

I hope you got on that computer eventually. What a life to spend time in a public library watching anime instead of reading books or at least doing something productive...geez louise 

brzvice

I loled at the guy watching anime.. WTF?!

mothernorth

@Kgridley27 From what I understand, by the way my nerve looks, I could probably get by with some special eye drops. Since it doesn't appear to be caused by excessive pressure on my optic nerve from fluid it probably wouldn't need surgery.  At least not any time soon anyway, which is good.

Oh my gosh, you guys... so when you make a PC reservation, it kicks a user off after they've been on for an hour, and you can only access it with the library card number on the reservation. 
When anime guy got booted off and tried to log back on and realized there was a reservation, he literally threw a little bitch fit, threw his belongings down on the table, then quickly gtabbed them back up and stormed out of the library... guess he REALLY wanted to finish that episode. He looked to be in his mid to late 30's, so this wasn't just some kid either.

Anyway, I got my research paper knocked out finally! 

Ladybug2821

@AllyTheKid That sounds like good news!  Thank goodness for no surgery.

H and I finally went out by ourselves this weekend for the first time. It was ok, just dinner and a movie. I think we had higher expectations for more fun. Next time I'll plan something around an event instead. But that wasn't even the highlight of my weekend. Storm took amazing naps. It's official, I'm a mom and everything revolves around babe now lol. I think we are finally improving on sleep. Now just to get her to sleep longer than 5 am. What time are your LO's bedtimes and wake up times?

fitlady21

My LO typically falls asleep between 7-8 and wakes up for good between 6-7.