We have a pretty laid back weekend. Taking DD to see Born in China this morning and then relaxing until our maternity shoot this evening. I'm half excited, half nervous. I don't really like taking pictures. Then tomorrow we are headed to Disneyland.
Have fun at your showers everyone!
I'm sorry to those that aren't sleeping well.
@RainyDays86 I'm glad to hear that your home and that you got comfortable sleep last night. I'm sorry that you can't snuggle DS close for a few days.
@RainyDays86 Yay for a shower and getting to sleep at home. Sorry about not being able to cuddle DS, that stinks! That's what creepy internet hugs are for-- sending lots your way!
Currently watching Gilmore Girls reruns and being lazy. We have no plans today which kind of sucks because I am SO anxious for my induction on Wednesday! But tomorrow we are going to H's parents for a belated Easter and that will take up most of the day. Hope you ladies have a great weekend!
Hello everyone! I've missed you guys. So sorry I haven't been around, but I have lots to share when I have a few minutes to type everything out. Good news: I'm *finally* home after three full weeks of hospitalization. I'm soooo happy!! Home sweet home!!! We are visiting sweet Isaac today in his new private room in the NICU, and I am praying he'll only be there a few more days. I'm pumping a ton right now so I'll have more bump time and will catch you all up on the drama of chailife.
I've done one large load of baby clothes and I still have more! And to think I thought we didn't have enough! still need to do blankets and sheets but we've made progress! All of the bottles are sitting on the counter to be sterilized...maybe I'll get there today lol
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." ~Charlie Chaplin
Happy Earth's Day! Happy to hear some good updates, hopefully sleep get caught up this weekend for those affected. Or everybody ha.
It was my morning to sleep in, but DH was up until 3am, which I only knew thanks to one of my frequent trips to the bathroom, and he was supposed to be up by 9 to get DD up. He kept snoozing away and I'm just laying there annoyed and ended up being too awake to go back to sleep. I just decided to move on from it instead of being a grump and the rest of the morning ended up being nice. We just had our first trip out since starting potty training so that was really nice.
The nursery is finally on track to being done. Decal got put up, mattress got ordered, curtain rod is getting put up today. Artwork still need to be done, but it's so nice to see it coming together finally!
@chailife34: Nice to see you back around these parts! So glad you're home & looking forward to hearing more of your story! Hopefully Isaac will be in the hospital for just a few more days? FX for you!
Everyone has a lot going on this weekend! I hope everyone gets rested and has a great weekend!
DH just made hotdogs for lunch & I am way too excited about it! We have a birthday party to go to then I will be studying the rest of the weekend for my finals coming up!
Today is a mini reunion with some of DH's family, unfortunately DH has to work, but FIL will be grilling up some good food and DD will get to meet some of my favorite ILs. I wish DH could be there, bit still excited because it's some of the few family DH has that was accepting of DH and I's relationship as I am not quite white enough for a lot of his other family. Also, realized the last time I saw them I was about this pregnant with DD.
Ok so give it to me straight. Do I really need to wash all the clothes before using them? What's the risk if I don't? Rash? And how often do you sterilize bottles?
Ok so give it to me straight. Do I really need to wash all the clothes before using them? What's the risk if I don't? Rash? And how often do you sterilize bottles?
Basically just a rash/reaction. Also most of your clothes are going to shrink. I only have washed my NB and 0-3 month clothes. I'll wash the next set when he starts to outgrow these.
I only sterilize the bottles after buying them the first time. Otherwise I'm fine with a wash through the dishwasher or a soak in hot water for everyday cleaning.
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
@Jens_Hoes I would sterilize the bottles when I first bought them and then just every couple of weeks when I had extra time. Otherwise, just a standard handwash. As for clothes, I personally will not wear anything without washing it first and do the same for DD. I have sensitive skin and have broken out into hives from not washing before wearing.
I have a random Facebook question. Aside from the group made for this board, which many of you are joining, does anyone follow other parenting or birth groups? My husband's cousin has added me to some, but I tend to unfollow them, because they are specific to her town/metro and I don't live there. If you do, what do you look for? (For example, she added me to a baby wearing group and a buy and sell group.)
I hope everyone's Saturday is still going well! My dad ended up back in the hospital yesterday (he's doing fine now, just caught an infection from his last surgery) so I went to visit him with bro and SIL and now I'm cooking meals for the next few days while I actually have energy.
@rkstro2 no, lol. 1am perogies always come from my freezer. I do make them from scratch when I'm feeling really ambitious, but that only happens a few times a year. I have a really yummy Weight Watchers perogie recipe that I make more often that uses wonton wrappers and you bake them in the oven.
@RainyDays86 I'm glad you got some sleep last night!
@llenadevida900 missing a prenatal massage is a totally legitimate reason for bring upset.
@chailife34 congrats on your escape from the hospital! FX baby only needs a few more days in the NICU.
@MollyandD I follow a few local groups: my local mothers club which I'm active in, a city moms fb page, and my area babywearing group. The moms group in particular is a really good way to get leads on fun activities and parenting crowdsourcing. The moderator keeps it pretty on topic so it doesn't junk up my news feed. It doesn't hurt to try them out you can always unfollow.
Hope you have fun @OmegaRose3! Yes, I wash/sterilize before first use @Jens_Hoes. @MollyandD I follow a local buy/sell/trade and a "natural parenting" group, which I don't pay too much attention to honestly. I'm not a big FBer, though.
@mrstgb hey fellow PNWer! Isn't the spring here incredible? I'm so excited for the fresh air and everything blooming. The rain finally seems to be breaking, though I call it "rainbow weather" with the mid day sprinkles. Can't wait for warmer days!
@mrstgb and @chailife34 Oh my goodness I am SO over this PNW rain!!! Yesterday was beautiful, but back to the rain today. This is only our second year here, but I don't remember it being this rainy for this long last year. Where is my sun?!
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
We have a deep freezer in our garage. It rarely gets used except around holiday baking or when my parents bring midwestern meat down to us. Anyway, we made a costco and grocery run for my freezer meal marathon tomorrow so I made DH clean out the deep freeze in anticipation. He just finished and he reports that there's about 5 bags of breast milk still in there. DD is 3 1/2 and hasn't needed frozen breast milk in 2 1/2 yrs. Whoops. And also, he didn't throw it away because he didn't think I'd "let him." I can be a hoarder at times, but that's a bit far for me.
@jayandaplus One thing I've found helpful when my LO is "sitting" wonky is to get on my hands and knees and let gravity pull her back center. Or, knees on the ground with my elbows up on the couch (same concept, just front end propped up a bit). I actually was doing that a minute before I read your question. She was trying to break free on the right side of my stomach and it was really uncomfortable, but just letting my belly hang toward the ground for a minute evened her out.
Well, the power went out during the last few hours of our class today, so that was fun. We ended up not being able to cover the whole feeding aspect very well without video guides, so I'm glad H and I also signed up for a separate BFing class. I'm still fairly clueless when it comes to feeding/pumping. You ladies have helped a ton, but it's going to be brand new territory.
@starphish18 I'm trying to remember how we handled burping. If bf'ing, I think i burped between switching sides and at the end. A bottle was 1/2 way and then after the whole thing. We dropped burping after a few weeks when DD wasn't much of a burper and didn't have gas issues.
We're moving 7 days before our scheduled c-section so I'm pittering around slowly putting things in boxes. It's hard to do being pregnant, having a 22-month old that refuses to nap but will get into everything if not watched, and exhausted from a cold Thankfully, I had enough days at work to put myself on leave a little earlier! 15 days till my DS arrives
@starphish18 I'm trying to remember how we handled burping. If bf'ing, I think i burped between switching sides and at the end. A bottle was 1/2 way and then after the whole thing. We dropped burping after a few weeks when DD wasn't much of a burper and didn't have gas issues.
Pretty much this. Both of my girls were fine without burping so I didn't do it every time. I think it's a learn as you go thing! You'll learn what helps baby or what's not super necessary.
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
You guys, husband made waffles for dinner. Already awesome, right? Older daughter is severely allergic to eggs, so we use yogurt in place of eggs in recipes. Well, today husband used caramel yogurt instead of plain yogurt. Amazing caramel waffles! Yum!!
@starphish18 I'd agree with others that it will depend on your kiddo. All of my kids have needed to be burped pretty often- when they started slowing down eating, I'd burp them. One giant man burp later, they'd be ready to eat some more.
@Jens_Hoes I haven't washed anything, in fact it all still has the tags on it, I only washed things I got second hand. As for sterilising bottles, the recommendation here is to sterilise before each use until 4-6 months. Usually I just wash them, throw them in the electric steriliser and let them sit there until I need one (they stay sterile for 12hrs or something with the lid on) then once I take one out I put the tops on all of them and store them in the fridge (also the recommendation to keep them sterile)
I realise this is completely different to the guidelines in the US.
Me - 22 | DH - 32 | Married - 24 May 2014 DS - January 2014
TTC#2 - December 2015
BFP - 6 March 2016 | MC Confirmed - 21 March 2016 TTCAL | April 2016 CP | June 2016 CP | July 2016
I think I'm just in the mood to have everything done so I don't have to worry about it. I just washed all of the baby clothes. sheets and blankets are in the wash and dryer at the moment. Put the disposable NB diapers (not all, just the ones out of the box from our shower) in the little hang thing lol gotta get some use out of it! Set up the books and opened up toys and what not that we've been gifted. Still much to do (sterilizing bottles and what not) but I'm feeling better that things are starting to be more organized and ready to go! Now I can actually figure out what we might be missing!
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." ~Charlie Chaplin
@MollyandD - besides my bump month group from DS, I only follow two local groups. One isn't really moderated and has tons of posts, and I only get some of the posts in my feed. The other is very heavily moderated, and I'm much more active in that. I'm a member of some topic-specific groups (local buy & sell, baby-wearing, vaccine group, etc.), but I unfollowed all of them and just used them to search for specific topics as I need them.
Did anyone happen to buy the bay home air bassinet? I'm trying to assemble it now and the zippers aren't lining up/splitting. I'm so frustrated. I just read reviews online that apparently a lot of people have this issue and ended up returning.
@SKZW - We are Team Green, so we have two names picked out. May Baby will either be Micah (to go with big brother Isaac) or Frances (after my mom's mom). We ended up just getting a plain, natural tree slice thing and some paint pens. The plan is for DH (and his impeccable handwriting) to commit it to ink at the hospital once we know what it needs to say.
@MollyandD - I am in a few b/s/t groups for certain brands of baby clothes that I love. BE CAREFUL - the good deals can suck you in and bleed you dry! You may or may not need this, but there are some good groups out there led by sleep consultants. Of course they want you to pay if you need intense, personal help, but they will often post articles or pointers that can be really helpful.
@starphish18 - I didn't burp DS in the really early days, and we didn't seem to have any trouble. Around 1.5 months, we went through about a 2 week period where he spit up SO MUCH. It was hard to believe he could hold that much liquid in him. I ended up cutting down on how long I let him feed on the second side because our Ped said he might just be getting too full, AND (the point of this little story) I started being a VERY diligent burper. I was hesitant at first - especially at night - because if a feeding had lulled him to sleep, I hated to think that I might jar him back awake. Turns out that wasn't an issue, and I think he was much happier to get all of the bubbles out!
Re: Weekend Chat (4.22, 4.23)
Have fun at your showers everyone!
I'm sorry to those that aren't sleeping well.
@RainyDays86 I'm glad to hear that your home and that you got comfortable sleep last night. I'm sorry that you can't snuggle DS close for a few days.
DS2 5/17
#3 Due 9/20
Hope you ladies have a great weekend!
Happy Earth Day!!
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." ~Charlie Chaplin
It was my morning to sleep in, but DH was up until 3am, which I only knew thanks to one of my frequent trips to the bathroom, and he was supposed to be up by 9 to get DD up. He kept snoozing away and I'm just laying there annoyed and ended up being too awake to go back to sleep. I just decided to move on from it instead of being a grump and the rest of the morning ended up being nice. We just had our first trip out since starting potty training so that was really nice.
The nursery is finally on track to being done. Decal got put up, mattress got ordered, curtain rod is getting put up today. Artwork still need to be done, but it's so nice to see it coming together finally!
DH just made hotdogs for lunch & I am way too excited about it! We have a birthday party to go to then I will be studying the rest of the weekend for my finals coming up!
Also, realized the last time I saw them I was about this pregnant with DD.
And how often do you sterilize bottles?
I only sterilize the bottles after buying them the first time. Otherwise I'm fine with a wash through the dishwasher or a soak in hot water for everyday cleaning.
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for clothes, I personally will not wear anything without washing it first and do the same for DD. I have sensitive skin and have broken out into hives from not washing before wearing.
@rkstro2 no, lol. 1am perogies always come from my freezer. I do make them from scratch when I'm feeling really ambitious, but that only happens a few times a year. I have a really yummy Weight Watchers perogie recipe that I make more often that uses wonton wrappers and you bake them in the oven.
@RainyDays86 I'm glad you got some sleep last night!
@llenadevida900 missing a prenatal massage is a totally legitimate reason for bring upset.
@chailife34 congrats on your escape from the hospital! FX baby only needs a few more days in the NICU.
We are in the PNW and it's been raining for weeks, but the sun just peeked out!
Yes, I wash/sterilize before first use @Jens_Hoes.
@MollyandD I follow a local buy/sell/trade and a "natural parenting" group, which I don't pay too much attention to honestly. I'm not a big FBer, though.
SO over this PNW rain!!! Yesterday was beautiful, but back to the rain today. This is only our second year here, but I don't remember it being this rainy for this long last year. Where is my sun?!
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
May17 Siggy Challenge
Labor
ETA: Do you always burp after feedings?
May17 Siggy Challenge
Labor
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
As for sterilising bottles, the recommendation here is to sterilise before each use until 4-6 months. Usually I just wash them, throw them in the electric steriliser and let them sit there until I need one (they stay sterile for 12hrs or something with the lid on) then once I take one out I put the tops on all of them and store them in the fridge (also the recommendation to keep them sterile)
I realise this is completely different to the guidelines in the US.
DS - January 2014
TTCAL | April 2016
CP | June 2016
CP | July 2016
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." ~Charlie Chaplin
@MollyandD - I am in a few b/s/t groups for certain brands of baby clothes that I love. BE CAREFUL - the good deals can suck you in and bleed you dry!
@starphish18 - I didn't burp DS in the really early days, and we didn't seem to have any trouble. Around 1.5 months, we went through about a 2 week period where he spit up SO MUCH. It was hard to believe he could hold that much liquid in him. I ended up cutting down on how long I let him feed on the second side because our Ped said he might just be getting too full, AND (the point of this little story) I started being a VERY diligent burper. I was hesitant at first - especially at night - because if a feeding had lulled him to sleep, I hated to think that I might jar him back awake. Turns out that wasn't an issue, and I think he was much happier to get all of the bubbles out!