PAIF Graduates - New Mommies - June

tvh1982

wifeinraleigh28 said:

@tvh1982 I have tried swaddling with her arms up (that's how we were told to swaddle at the hospital) but she doesn't like that either and usually ends up squeezing her arms out of it anyway!

Pia did that too

ale9687

@wifeinraleigh28 I believe the infant insert is for 7 or 8lb to 12lb. Ds was 1 month once he hit 8lb and went in it for the first time. My sister's girl was 8 11 at birth and went in the carrier with the insert at a week old. 

dragonfaerie

@JaneJane Sleeping through the night is one of those things that cannot reasonably be expected for a lot longer than you think. And keep in mind that "sleeping through" is only 6 hours for littles. I know it's hard,  but their tummies are little and they are learning the world outside of Momma. Be patient, with them and yourself. And adding formula just to hemp then sleep may cause tummy problems and may not help sleep. 

2legbaby

Read this tonight and really made me think about my lack of sleep in different perspective

https://medelabreastfeedingblog.com.au/hey-mum-wake-im-hungry-babies-love-breastfeeding/#.WTsDOcW7yXA.facebook

Drove2u

@griffin5413 I just got my bill. It's $800 for the year and I have 4 frozen. I'm hoping to start the process again right after her first birthday. I only want 2 as well and don't want to pay these storage fees for a long time. I also just want to get it over with and complete my family. I'm 36 already. 

capps42613

Aww. Hearing you guys think about baby #2 is so exciting. 

tvh1982

That made me teary @2legbaby.

Im still very much debating about a second baby. I'd love one and have 4 more embabies which have the same donor. But it was a tough journey, a tough pregnancy and a tough start, it frightens me to do it all again with a toddler!
I need to have this natural forget meganism to kick in first

Griffin5413

Thanks ladies... I think we are going to start the process again sometime next year. I def don't want another December baby so if we start in the summer that would put us with a spring baby. Plus Eli will be 2. It's kind of crazy to think about!

wifeinraleigh28

It's crazy to think about starting the process again! We're probably going to go back to the RE when Arielle is about 1 to start talking about things. Ideally I'd like our kids to be about 2 - 2 1/2 years apart.

@ale9687 She was 7 lb 11 oz last Monday. I'm guessing she's at least 8 lbs now but we'll find out at her 2 week appt on Tuesday! She feels bigger/heavier and her newborn diapers are getting snugger. My baby is growing so fast

ale9687

Today's a big day! It's baby boys first day of daycare, and he gave mommy and daddy a full nights sleep to prepare for it! He might've slept through the night but dh and I woke up multiple times to check on him since he didn't wake us up. 

Tulips29

@ale9687 what a big exciting day! Hope first day of daycare goes well for him. And yay for extra sleep! 

tvh1982

Fantastic a whole night sleep @ale9687. 
My LO does that every so often and it freaks me out. I wake up with a heart rate from here to Tokyo
Hope your first day of daycare went well as your LO probably thinks it is wonderful having kids around!

Griffin5413

@ale9687 yay for first day of daycare! Hope everything goes well!

2legbaby

@ale9687 I hope the first day went well! And that was nice you got a good night's sleep! 

Griffin5413

@ale9687 yay for first day of daycare! Hope everything goes well!

ale9687

Thanks ladies! We had two full nights sleep in a row! Fx it lasts! Daycare went well for me and ds, dh was very stressed the last two days, I guess one of us will always be worried about every thing. 

LynnNJ

I've been lurking for a while lately and only seem to get a chance for a few minutes at a time. It's difficult for me to go back to see who said what especially when I post from my phone, but I wanted join in on some of topics that others discussed. 

Dylan was 5 months old yesterday. He's doing more things, but in some areas we're still having issues. 

He's doing great at night (knock on wood, because usually after I say that, he has a bad night). Sometimes there are issues with him going to sleep initially, but he's pretty good once he's sleeping. Most nights he's asleep by around 10 and I actually get him up around 8 am. He could probably sleep later if I let him (not a morning person like his parents) but he then he gives me a hard time in the morning because he's so hungry. I have to start getting him up earlier to prepare him (and me) the when I go back to work.  He's not doing well with naps. I wouldn't care if he didn't nap, but he gets really cranky if he doesn't sleep. I'm really hesitant to start a strict nap schedule or not going anywhere when it doesn't go with his schedule. It's does mess up his naps and his ability to go to sleep easily at night, but he's getting better. 

The pediatrician told me to start him on solids at 5 1/2 months and gave me specific instructions with a list of foods to try and the order. I guess this will prepare him for his 6 month appointment since I will be able to discuss how he's doing so far. When I gave him a bottle around dinner time the past couple of days, I gave it to him from the high chair so I could test it out. It reclines, so I can put him on an angle that works. He seems very comfortable in the chair and is able to see us well, so he doesn't need to do anything for our attention. We'll start solids in the evening in a couple of weeks, he'll know that the high chair is for meals. 

I'm going back to work in September (I'm a teacher), but I want him to start daycare in August so I can get used to the routine. It will make me feel better about leaving him leave if I ease him into it. It probably won't make a difference to him, but I feel better knowing that I'm not leaving him there for the whole day the the first time. A couple months ago I realized that while I love this time with him, I'm not meant to be a stay-at-home mom. I actually have no choice anyway, but it felt good knowing that I want to work. It's going to be really challenging though. We reserved his spot at a daycare while I was still pregnant, so we're all set when the time comes. 

As for baby #2, we can't wait long if we decide to try the another. I'm already 43 (a young 43  ) and it is covered under insurance until I'm 45. I mentioned a while back that DH did not do well when the baby was first born. There's a lot going on with him beyond what I can really share. However, he is more involved and has developed his own bond with Dylan. There are things I'd like him to help more with, but we're making it work. I just have to be realistic if we go for baby #2 and know that my husband is not going to become a different man. So I have to set up more support for myself. I know what I'll need since I've been through it. Everything went very new. Even though I was not expecting the intense emotions the first time, at least I won't be figuring everything out on no sleep. My brother is getting married next summer and I have to work a full year to get certain benefits again, so I'm hoping it will work out that I'm in my 2nd trimester during the wedding since I'll have to travel for the wedding. So I might try to start in the late winter. 

That's what's new here.

LynnNJ

I forgot to mention that we're way behind on tummy time, even though I have been doing it with him early on. A slight adjustment I made has allowed me to do it more often with him, and although he's way behind where he should be, he's finally making progress. 

The right side of his head has been getting flatter since he was about 1 month, even though he was born with a perfectly round head. 

He had an appointment to check his head, but they want to see him again in 8 weeks weeks. It's too early for a helmet, so hopefully he'll make more progress before 
his next appointment. 

rmarble23

hi ladies, i am here, a new mommy to Emily Renee born 6/4 weighing 6lbs 11oz and 18 3/4 inches long.  It was a long 3 day induction which every complication came up (htn, GD, pre eclampsia then severe eclampsia, fever, GBS+, slow progression, bad epidural, low platelets, almost no urine output despite all the fluids) and ended with a c section but Emily is absolutely perfect.  the hospital stay was hard on all of us, we had a nurse for most of the time (4 days after birth) that we just didn't get along with and had horrible bedside manner.  anyways we are home and adjusting to life with baby girl.  during the hospital stay we attempted to breastfeed and multiple things happened and set us up for failure which i think is harder on me than i thought.  Our first nurse who was amazing set us up with a shield and then to supplement using the shield with a small catheter and syringe as my milk wasn't in and the amount of complications were all going to make it longer before my milk did come in.  In the end this seemed like a good idea but it stressed DH out as he was doing most of the work and then in the end we would try to give a bare nipple and she refused it right away.  After 4 days in the hospital and coming home i never felt my milk come in but i decided to try to pump and ended up with almost nothing and tried a couple times only to realize it would take an entire day of pumping to make a single feeding.  anyways fed is best and i am coming to terms that its not my fault.  

Tulips29

@rmarble23 Congratulations on your baby girl! I'm sorry to hear that your start to motherhood has been challenging, but good thing you're home now and adjusting to your new life. As for pumping, it's definitely hard so don't beat yourself up over it. Not everyone responds to a pump and it does take a while for the milk supply to stabilize. What's important is that your little girl is healthy and doing well

kelrauh

@rmarble23 - I am sorry you had such a hard delivery but congrats on being home with your baby girl!! I exculsively pumped the first 6 weeks due to babies being in the nicu and latching problems. I did not get a good supply until about week 3. I now breast feed and pump (9 weeks) but I only get enough for the one baby who is on breast milk. I am also horrible at pumping in a decent amount of time because I hate pumping at work, due to having a 4 person office and no good place to pump. 

Griffin5413

@rmarble23 congrats on your little girl! I'm sorry to hear it was so rough. I think a lot of us had different deliveries than we were hoping for but happy healthy babies were the end result and that's whats most important. As long as Emily is healthy you do what is best for you and the baby. I never got to exclusively bf and I felt guilty for a while but Eli is perfect and he's growing just fine and that ultimately is more important than my ego. 

rmarble23

thanks ladies....yesterday had a weird wrench thrown into things...my boobs started to leak?!   10 days pp and they finally decided to say here i am with some good stuff??  i tried to pump and see what was in there but Emily was too fussy and needed to be held instead.  I tried to nurse her but she isn't a fan of the bare nipple since we only used a shield in the hospital.  so i am wondering if i should get a shield and see what happens.  i know i am behind and wont have a full amount but maybe??

ultratomato

Ladies sorry for being mia always but with work and the girls ugh no time. They are not sleeping through the night yet ugh but we are trying hope all is well and as for baby number 3 it's a no 

2legbaby

@LynnNJ glad to hear Dylan is sleeping well for you (I'm jealous! ) and hope his flat head gets sorted out without a helmet. I am sorry to hear that there are struggles with your husband - let us know if there is anything we can do,  even if you just need to get stuff off your chest.

@rmarble23 congrats on baby girl but soooo sorry for the complicated delivery and crappy hospital stay - I am so glad Emily made it through with no concerns!  I used a shield for a while as my LO had a tongue tie and it hurt like crazy until corrected... they are like $10 on Amazon although I am sure babies r us etc likely carry too- hope the leaking is a sign your body's recovering and catching up! Try and pump every few hours of you can

2legbaby

I have to go back to work Monday I can't stop stressing about it - leaving her (although first month she will be at home with nanny and DH works from home which helps), working on next to no sleep (she still gets up every 2h usually, sometimes 3), pumping at work, coming home past her bedtime and then having to get her stuff and my stuff ready for the next day...I know lots of you mom's have gone through this day and survived but man...I am freaking out

Tulips29

@rmarble23 it's possible your milk took longer to come in. Everyone told me 3 days, but mine took a little over a week. You can definitely try a shield again and see if it helps. I would also try pumping again to mimic baby's eating schedule if you want to try that too. 

ale9687

@rmarble23 congrats on your little girl. In the end fed is best! If your little one doesn't latch and pumping is too much there's no shame in using formula.

@2legbaby good luck with daycare! It's a big adjustment but you'll get more and more comfortable with it as the days go on. I know my place appreciates having as much information on how to sooth ds so make sure to give them as much information as possible. 

@lynnnj I hope the flat spot clears up with more tummy time! We're a little behind in it as well as ds was small and in the hospital the dr said wait to start at his due date. He also favors his right side so much I'm noticing a flat spot. Hopefully tummy time helps to fix it. Would love to hear any advice your doctor gives you. 

ultratomato

@LynnNJ my one twin had a flat head and popped and looks normal now. Hopefully that happens for you. Good luck and if not they sell some cool looking helmets these days 

Griffin5413

@2legbaby going back to work is hard but everything will work out!for us it was like Eli knew we needed him to sleep longer and he did. He's still up once a night but much better than before I went back. 

Drove2u

Hi guys!! Just caught up on all the posts. So fun reading about everyone's babies and hearing how well everyone is doing. 
Viktoria is six months now and weighing in at 17lbs and 26.5 inches long. She's rolling over from back to stomach but hasn't figured out the stomach to back yet. 
We had her cardiology appt yesterday and were ready to schedule her open heart surgery for August as we were told to in June. But we got good news and her hole got smaller just a little. So we are cleared until September. We go for another appt then and will go from there. 
She's loving solid foods too. 

2legbaby

@Drove2u So glad to hear Viktoria is thriving! I am glad that her improvement means more time to get bigger and stronger for surgery-you are such a brave momma too-i can i only imagine how hard it is

ultratomato

Ladies do you by the weeks for your LOs age I was but that would make them 48 weeks at 12 months which isn't correct so I'm going to use the 29th of every month as their monthly thing 

Drove2u

@ultratomato that confuses the shit out of me. Hahaha. I never know. So now I've just been approximating rather than exact day. 

kelrauh

@ultratomato - dh and I had an argument about this. He goes by weeks and I go by day of the month

2legbaby

Yep same problem- I was taking her monthly pics based on week and DH pointed out her 'birthday" was a week away....I think we will use the 25th of each month but it is confusing

ultratomato

I'm glad I'm not the only one lol. Hope all DHs enjoy their first Father's Day I know mine will I think he has double the girls to enjoy it with 

tvh1982

I take weekly and monthly pictures. Only the weekly pictures she wears the same outfit. The monthly one whatever cute dress, tutu or what not I have found.
Her weekly go on every Tuesday yet her monthly depends on which day the 1st is.
I don't tell people how old she is in weeks, as she's 7,5 months now, no one knows that's 32 weeks!

Ive been readying all, but often too tired to reply. Not sure why as I still don't work. Might be all the visiting people all over the Netherlands and Belgium. We've had a few rough nights (as she's always having a cold) and then I need to wake her in the morning to get to appointments.

Congratulations @rmarble23! 
As for BF, a fed baby is a happy baby, a well rested mum is a happy mum.
With me it never got going, I'd pump a whole day for 40cc. Once I stopped it started coming a bit more, but by then I was too tired to try and my LO had no idea what to do (she had cowsmilk allergy too, so wasn't a happy baby) I used a shield, but the hospital gave one a size too small, so my nipples were ruined by day one.
So hope you got the right size. Both my sister an BFF used a shield and it worked.
Follow your gut, and when it says enough is enough. Then it is.

As for the flathead @lynnnj, my LO slept in her side and I swopped between sides every sleep. 

Way to go Viktoria @drove2u! Glad she's improving. She'll be a strong little girl by September!

Here we have an almost crawler. She's trying sooooo hard and is getting on her knees now. It's only a small matter of time before I need to go 'fetch' her everywhere.

capps42613

@rmarble23 congrats & welcome!!

@tvh1982 I still can't believe she still fits in that outfit 

@2legbaby going back to work is tough. We all went through it & had the same feelings. Good luck tomorrow! 

Griffin5413

I do the monthly pics on the 7th of each month but I'm right there with the rest of you. Lol

@Drove2u that's great news about the hole in Victoria's heart!