Tuesday Ticker Change 6.6.17

mrsrep123

Nothing formal... just miss chatting with you ladies... what's going on with you and your LO's?

mrsrep123

It's been 4 weeks and 2 days since Rowan entered this world and he'll be one month old tomorrow. Man, time is flying!

He is so alert it's unbelievable. I'm regretting not getting his bouncer and swing sooner because he already seems to be bored with our current routine. But, I finally ordered the baby Bjorn bouncer and a graco swing/bouncer combo with my Target completion discount and one  will be arriving today and the other tomorrow.

I still have some mom guilt with DS1 not getting much one-on-one mommy time but I know it'll all get better with time. It really does suck though.

Anyone weaning from the breast or pump before going back to work?

Kipperoo

Hey there!! I miss chatting with you, too!! I can't believe Rowan is already past the 4 week mark! The Bjorn bouncer chair is awesome. It's currently my nearly 8 week old's favorite spot, hopefully he will love it, too!

I am weaning from BF before going back to work, but honestly my supply has never really picked up and my pumping sessions are generally only giving me 1.5-2 ounces, so I will likely throw in the towel when I head back. It's kind of a bummer, but when I think about the time I would lose from work to pump, I don't like the trade off. I'd rather leave work an hour early and spend more time with the kiddos. Sigh. There really is no easy choice.
 

MrsCPALeslie

Hey @mrsrep123!

Noelle will be 2 weeks tomorrow and she has been very alert since day one. We took pictures yesterday and she was supposed to be sleeping for the shoot, but she was just so curious about everything.

She sleeps a lot during the day, but is very alert and up during the night which is a struggle for us and when she is ready to sleep, she wants to sleep in my arms or in the bed with us and I know that is a no no. 

Overall, we are doing good and taking it day by day. 

 Here is a sneak peak from the shoot.

CCNellans

Evelyn is sleeping almost all day (today at least) - early evening seems to be when she's awake, until around 9-10pm... Knock on wood, but she's been sleeping at night from 10-230am then until around 430-5am. 

I'll still pump when I go back to work, but I wonder how my supply will be. She's only a week old yesterday, so is still eating around every 2 hours, but sometimes she'll just fall asleep, and nothing I do will wake her to finish... thinking my supply is not what it was with DS... I had to EP with him because of latch issues and I was a milk machine. I can't tell of course though, what she's getting with just BF'ing, but I'm not engorged anymore at least. 

Also, can we have a TMI thread? Or should I bump the old one? 

mrsrep123

@Kipperoo you're right, there is no easy choice but I'm right there with you. I'll be weaning from EPing before going back to work as well. Like the first time around with DS1, I didn't want the stress of pumping at work to affect me, the milk, family time, so i weaned before returning.  I'm so excited about the bouncer. It just arrived and I'm going to rip it open the minute this pumping session is over.

@MrsCPALeslie tell me about it. I feel like Rowan was alert from day one as well. The photo of Noelle is too cute!

@CCNellans yup, Rowan is the same with his sleep/wake cycles right now. Sounds like we're all in the same boat.

mrsrep123

@Kipperoo did you get the wooden toy bar for it, too? 

slowmo

Hi Tuesday gals! 

Feeding Mary continues to be our biggest challenge. I get obsessive about the numbers and every feeding. It bums me out because I feel like I should be enjoying this time more with her. I'm trying to get perspective -- her diapers are fine, she's more alert, etc. But I feel kind of traumatized from the beginning, when I thought nursing was going well, and we ended up in the NICU because it clearly wasn't. I also feel guilty that I've been so focused on Mary that I've been short on patience with my son. Being home with two kids is hard. I scheduled an appointment with a therapist to work through some of these things. I feel good about being proactive, though, so I feel confident I'll find my way.

@mrsrep123 -- I feel you on the lost one-on-one time with the older kiddo. I'm looking for an occasional afternoon sitter so I can take him to the park solo now that weather is finally warming up.

@kipperoo -- I'm already done BFing and pumping. I pumped a couple months last time and only ever got an ounce to an ounce and a half at a time. I knew I couldn't do that again, not with a baby and a toddler in the mix. I felt guilty, but I definitely think the quality time you get is worth it! 

@MrsCPALeslie -- Noelle is gorgeous! Hang in there with the sleep thing. It's so hard when they want to be held 24/7! 

@CCNellans -- We had to wake Mary up to eat and keep her awake when she'd nod off. It became easier around the 3-week mark for us so hang in there! 

Question about bouncers: I regretted not getting one for my son last time and was thinking of getting one for Mary. I'm concerned about her being too accessible from my lovable but rowdy toddler. Where do you put the bouncer? 

Kipperoo

@mrsrep123, I didn't get the bar because we have a different toy bar that arches over the floor for playtime but is also a good height for the bouncer. 

@slomo, toddler accessibility with the bouncer is a little challenging. We only put the baby in the bouncer on the floor if we are also in the room. It's awesome, though.