Any mamas that have colicky or gassy babies, this is a PSA for gripe water. It is amazing! Baby slept for 4.5 hours before I had to wake her to feed her. Helps her tummy so much! I have a happy baby again.
I just bought some this morning to help with hiccups. Within a minute of giving her a dose mid-hiccup they were gone. I hope it helps with the fussiness during those times that nothing calms her.
Night before last, Violet screamed for 4 hours straight. I bought some yesterday. And also, for rid of her hiccups mid hiccup! But I started using it yesterday and she has been so much more calm and relaxed. Fingers crossed its not just a fluke. So far it's the best $10 I've spent.
So I know newborns sleep a lot, but does anyone feel like all their baby does is sleep? And if I try to wake her up, it's a struggle. It's like living with a teenager. This kid has been sleeping all day.
So I know newborns sleep a lot, but does anyone feel like all their baby does is sleep? And if I try to wake her up, it's a struggle. It's like living with a teenager. This kid has been sleeping all day.
Yes! I'm almost 3 weeks pp and we're finally starting to get some stretches of daytime happy awake babyness! It's tough but I try not to wake him during the day because (1) I want him to sleep as much as he needs and I know his body is doing so much work and (2) I read that babies who sleep a lot during the day quickly become better night sleepers.
So I know newborns sleep a lot, but does anyone feel like all their baby does is sleep? And if I try to wake her up, it's a struggle. It's like living with a teenager. This kid has been sleeping all day.
Yes! I'm almost 3 weeks pp and we're finally starting to get some stretches of daytime happy awake babyness! It's tough but I try not to wake him during the day because (1) I want him to sleep as much as he needs and I know his body is doing so much work and (2) I read that babies who sleep a lot during the day quickly become better night sleepers.
I feel like I am doing something wrong since I let her sleep and we barely play!
Any mamas that have colicky or gassy babies, this is a PSA for gripe water. It is amazing! Baby slept for 4.5 hours before I had to wake her to feed her. Helps her tummy so much! I have a happy baby again.
I just bought some this morning to help with hiccups. Within a minute of giving her a dose mid-hiccup they were gone. I hope it helps with the fussiness during those times that nothing calms her.
Night before last, Violet screamed for 4 hours straight. I bought some yesterday. And also, for rid of her hiccups mid hiccup! But I started using it yesterday and she has been so much more calm and relaxed. Fingers crossed its not just a fluke. So far it's the best $10 I've spent.
Which brand did y'all get?
I bought Mommy's Bliss. I'm sure they're all relatively the same though.
So I know newborns sleep a lot, but does anyone feel like all their baby does is sleep? And if I try to wake her up, it's a struggle. It's like living with a teenager. This kid has been sleeping all day.
Yes! I'm almost 3 weeks pp and we're finally starting to get some stretches of daytime happy awake babyness! It's tough but I try not to wake him during the day because (1) I want him to sleep as much as he needs and I know his body is doing so much work and (2) I read that babies who sleep a lot during the day quickly become better night sleepers.
I feel like I am doing something wrong since I let her sleep and we barely play!
Don't feel that way! During the awake time I mostly just talk to him. Today we talked about the grocery store and how mom needs to eat and drink more to make more food for my growing man. Then he spit up and fell asleep
@yogahh you're not doing anything wrong! At this stage babies need to eat and sleep more than anything else. You'll see in a few weeks, she will be more alert and have longer stretches of awake time, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to play and interact. I'm trying to remember with DS1 when the EASY method started to actually mean something for both of us but even though it was only 2 years ago it's such a blur now.
Here is a possibly dumb question- how do you guys know when to put your baby to bed? I know it's typical for young babies to have a sort of evening witching hour, and when that's over they kind of crash and go to sleep, but so far we haven't seen much in the way of evening fussiness (she is only 11 days old though). And my son was totally abnormal and went to bed at 8:00 from the very first night home from the hospital, so this is all new to me.
My husband has been staying up with her til about 11:30 or so and I've been going to bed at like 9. He says she's mostly calm and just dozes on and off during that time, which makes me think maybe we should just be putting her down at 9? When she does go down at 11:30, she typically sleeps for 4 hours before nursing for the first time. When he goes back to work on Wednesday he won't be able to stay up with her anymore because he has to get up at 5:00 for work, so I feel like I want to get this sorted before then, which is probably not possible because newborns be crazy.
Here is a possibly dumb question- how do you guys know when to put your baby to bed? I know it's typical for young babies to have a sort of evening witching hour, and when that's over they kind of crash and go to sleep, but so far we haven't seen much in the way of evening fussiness (she is only 11 days old though). And my son was totally abnormal and went to bed at 8:00 from the very first night home from the hospital, so this is all new to me.
My husband has been staying up with her til about 11:30 or so and I've been going to bed at like 9. He says she's mostly calm and just dozes on and off during that time, which makes me think maybe we should just be putting her down at 9? When she does go down at 11:30, she typically sleeps for 4 hours before nursing for the first time. When he goes back to work on Wednesday he won't be able to stay up with her anymore because he has to get up at 5:00 for work, so I feel like I want to get this sorted before then, which is probably not possible because newborns be crazy.
Any advice? What are you all doing for bedtime?
My baby had a long nap around 8-1130pm so I started his bedtime routine at 7pm. If your LO is relaxed and happy around 9pm I'd start whatever routine you wanna do around then. Sometimes after our bath, nursing, and story time he isn't tired, but for me it's important to have that routine down for him
@Bellodomani with DS we would keep him with us dozing on and off until around 10-11 when we went to bed. When we realized we should probably create some nighttime sleep associations we did just what you are doing--trying to notice what time they tend to get tired. I will say DS was originally 9ish for our own purposes but settled into a 7-8pm bedtime which was awesome before this regression going on now. All it took was slowly starting the bath time/bed time routine a bit earlier to move it as he started showing signs of being tired earlier. I was worried about him not sleeping as much because of going down earlier, but I think it ultimately just helped him understand what nighttime was all about when he'd wake up for a first feeding around 10-11pm
Anyone have any experience with a blocked tear duct? Pretty sure the baby has one. I read about massaging and using a warm rag so I've started that. Anyone who has dealt with this, how long did it take to clear up? Or did you have to see the pediatrician for this issue?
Anyone have any experience with a blocked tear duct? Pretty sure the baby has one. I read about massaging and using a warm rag so I've started that. Anyone who has dealt with this, how long did it take to clear up? Or did you have to see the pediatrician for this issue?
You're doing all the right things. It's not a big deal and clears up on its own too usually. My LO is 4 weeks and still has a blocked left one but it gets better every day. The massage helps the most. My doc told me it's usually the top duct that's blocked so massage from the inner corner and up towards the eyebrow and across
Anyone have any experience with a blocked tear duct? Pretty sure the baby has one. I read about massaging and using a warm rag so I've started that. Anyone who has dealt with this, how long did it take to clear up? Or did you have to see the pediatrician for this issue?
You're doing all the right things. It's not a big deal and clears up on its own too usually. My LO is 4 weeks and still has a blocked left one but it gets better every day. The massage helps the most. My doc told me it's usually the top duct that's blocked so massage from the inner corner and up towards the eyebrow and across
Thanks for the advice! I'll be sure to massage throughout. I know it'll probably clear up on its own but you just never know. I had surgery for one when I was 18 months old so just trying to clear it up before it gets worse. Thanks!
Anyone have any experience with a blocked tear duct? Pretty sure the baby has one. I read about massaging and using a warm rag so I've started that. Anyone who has dealt with this, how long did it take to clear up? Or did you have to see the pediatrician for this issue?
I got them from time to time when I was little. A warm wet (not dripping) paper towel would help every time!
Anyone have any experience with a blocked tear duct? Pretty sure the baby has one. I read about massaging and using a warm rag so I've started that. Anyone who has dealt with this, how long did it take to clear up? Or did you have to see the pediatrician for this issue?
I'm pretty sure that Henry had one last weekend. His right eye kept crusting over shut. I spent the first day just wiping the crust away with a clean cloth but it got worse on day 2. So after reading some sites online, I decided to pump an oz of breast milk. Then I used clean q-tips and dipped the end in saline solution. I wiped the eye clean so it could open, doing only one swipe per tip end (went through a bunch but worth it). Once the eye was clean I then cleaned my hands, and dipped my index finger into the breast milk. I used it to place 2 drops of milk into the inner corner of his eye. Then I gently massaged the area between his eye and nose, going up/down and in little circles. I repeated this a few times over day 2, and by day 3 it looked MUCH better. I did it once more that morning, and it's totally cleared up now. Hope that helps!!
Also re: gripe water... That stuff is miraculous! But we think it might have given him the runs? So my ped told us to hold off giving it for now. Which sucks!! We had one more super watery diaper today and haven't given it since Thursday so I'm not convinced it's the culprit. I'm trying to avoid dairy now to see if that helps instead. I'm also not convinced it's diarrhea - but it sure is watery!! It's sporadic now. But on a big one it goes up his back and all over the diaper. Maybe it's just normal BF poop?
Edit: Ped gave us the go ahead to keep using gripe water as much as we want! She's thinking he has reflux or a food intolerance instead, so we're trying elevated angle sleeping and a 3 week elimination diet for me. Fun fun!
Any suggested solutions for a scream fest during diaper changes? DS is over 2 weeks old and screams when being changed, most of the time.
We haven't tried wipe warmers yet, have heard mixed reviews so wasn't sure if it was worth it.
I actually watched my mom change Ezra's diaper because she said one of my brothers was a screamer. She spoke in a really calm voice and talked the whole time about what she was going to do, like "okay now we're going to wipe your little rump cuz it's dirty". He was fixed on her the whole time. When I mimicked that he stopped having total blow ups.
@tgortney, we have the Prince Lionheart wipe warmer and it's fine, but LO screams just as much as he does with wipes not in the warmer. The top on our warmer also pops open alot which causes the wipes to dry out. We'll keep using it for now, but wouldn't buy it again.
@aehogan9, our LO has a blocked duct in his right eye. Pediatrician told us to treat it with warm wash cloths and massage, but also prescribed topical azithromycin to prevent infection.
@tgortney, we have the Prince Lionheart wipe warmer and it's fine, but LO screams just as much as he does with wipes not in the warmer. The top on our warmer also pops open alot which causes the wipes to dry out. We'll keep using it for now, but wouldn't buy it again.
@aehogan9, our LO has a blocked duct in his right eye. Pediatrician told us to treat it with warm wash cloths and massage, but also prescribed topical azithromycin to prevent infection.
Seems like total overkill with the antibiotics! Preventative antibiotics are not necessary at all and that is really poor prescribing on the part of the Doctor. Massage usually does it. It's not common that it gets infected
@tgortney we put a warm/wet wash cloth on his tummy sometimes when we are changing him and it helps a lot. At this age it just makes them feel vulnerable and exposed when naked which is why sometimes they dislike diaper changes, baths and having clothes changed. The wash cloth adds some security and usually eases the situation. After we move to real baths when everything is healed, I leave a warm wash cloth on the belly during baths as well.
Otherwise, we just try to distract him while we change.
Don't really know the appropriate thread for this, but to all my fellow FTMs whose husbands went back to work today, can we all have a big group hug after last night?
Last night was my first night on full-time duty, and all the sleep progress we've made was a total regression. And FUCK swaddles. Seriously. Sorry if that language offends anyone, but it's been a long night, and my husband has gotten so good at swaddles. Me? I'm awful. I get her into a nice milk coma, and then my 10 attempts at swaddling wake her up completely and give her a crying fit. We have the sleep halo gowns and other zip up swaddles, but the only ones she likes are the handmade muslin swaddles. I've also been nursing her in bed, but last night we used the glider in the nursery. I typically use a pillow and do the football hold, but I can't fit a pillow in the glider with me, so I used my brestfriend. She kept falling off my boob, so I had to switch to the pillow being awkwardly beside me and basically holding her up. It's like I'm starting over all the way back to the first night home from the hospital.
I don't know how I'm going to be able to do this by myself during the week. Me and LO are screwed. I cried last night trying to swaddle her before bed because I couldn't do it, and my husband had to take over so I could have a frustration break away from the baby. She sensed I was upset, so of course she got upset. Does it make me a bad mom to say I'm actually counting down my maternity leave? Not only will she be a little older then and hopefully a bit better, but I also won't feel bad waking up my husband for help. Also waiting for the 6 week mark to introduce bottles.
@missnc77 I think that's the appropriate word. My DH still has a week, but I'm scared out of my mind. He is actually going to try to introduce bottle today (4 weeks tomorrow) while I have lunch with my boss... I'm glad I won't be around in case there is a meltdown
my husband is very good at swaddling too. I have tried the velcro ones with some success but he's the champ at using just the swaddling blanket. My husband still has quite a bit of time off but it is going by quickly.
I know exactly what you mean. The husband went back to work today and it's taken 2 hours to put DS down for a nap! And I'm usually the nap whisperer! I think he's also going through a growth spurt so he's been especially cranky and hungry. Perfect timing, kid!
Now, while he's sleeping, I'm trying to get another bottle ready annnnd find time to poop and pump. I stayed up pretty much all night last night so DH could get some sleep. I woke him up twice for help and I felt so bad about it. I hope he got some sort of rest even if it was broken sleep.
We're slackers in that we don't have a routine down yet, so I'm really hoping that starts soon. We're just on the baby's schedule right now and it's madness. We have no bed time anymore and I'm dying (ok, maybe figuratively).
Harry is 11 days old today and has peeling hands, feet, and some dry patches on the side of his head as well as a few other places. The nurses at the hospital said not to put any lotion on him but I would love to help him not be so scaly and peeling, it looks uncomfortable. Before I call my ped, any opinions/advice from the May mamas on what to do?
Harry is 11 days old today and has peeling hands, feet, and some dry patches on the side of his head as well as a few other places. The nurses at the hospital said not to put any lotion on him but I would love to help him not be so scaly and peeling, it looks uncomfortable. Before I call my ped, any opinions/advice from the May mamas on what to do?
Ezra's feet peeled a little when he was about that age. I put some coconut oil on his feet while he was nursing and it seemed to help. I didn't even think to call the pediatrician or nurse, I just did it.
Harry is 11 days old today and has peeling hands, feet, and some dry patches on the side of his head as well as a few other places. The nurses at the hospital said not to put any lotion on him but I would love to help him not be so scaly and peeling, it looks uncomfortable. Before I call my ped, any opinions/advice from the May mamas on what to do?
I would just leave it alone. They heal so quickly! Different parts of my LO are peeling every day. It's natural and not actually uncomfortable. My ped said leave their skin alone while this is all going on.
Harry is 11 days old today and has peeling hands, feet, and some dry patches on the side of his head as well as a few other places. The nurses at the hospital said not to put any lotion on him but I would love to help him not be so scaly and peeling, it looks uncomfortable. Before I call my ped, any opinions/advice from the May mamas on what to do?
Emma went through the same thing about that time. I put lotion on her (and did the same with DS when he was that age). And I always lotion them after their baths (for Emma that's about once every 3 days barring spit up/poop disasters). I've never been told to avoid lotion on them, even at that age (though I do only use Burt's Bees Baby Bee on her. DS gets his J&J at 2.5).
Harry is 11 days old today and has peeling hands, feet, and some dry patches on the side of his head as well as a few other places. The nurses at the hospital said not to put any lotion on him but I would love to help him not be so scaly and peeling, it looks uncomfortable. Before I call my ped, any opinions/advice from the May mamas on what to do?
I was also advised to leave it alone. My LO has sensitive skin (as do I) and so I was happy to do nothing out of fear that any product might give her a reaction. She's stopped peeling now and is 3.5 weeks... but now has baby acne. What fun!
Harry is 11 days old today and has peeling hands, feet, and some dry patches on the side of his head as well as a few other places. The nurses at the hospital said not to put any lotion on him but I would love to help him not be so scaly and peeling, it looks uncomfortable. Before I call my ped, any opinions/advice from the May mamas on what to do?
I was also advised to leave it alone. My LO has sensitive skin (as do I) and so I was happy to do nothing out of fear that any product might give her a reaction. She's stopped peeling now and is 3.5 weeks... but now has baby acne. What fun!
@LadySamLady we have the exact same situation over here. DS1 never had baby acne or noticeable peeling but this baby has both. I know it's not painful but I can't help but feel bad for DS2.
Harry is 11 days old today and has peeling hands, feet, and some dry patches on the side of his head as well as a few other places. The nurses at the hospital said not to put any lotion on him but I would love to help him not be so scaly and peeling, it looks uncomfortable. Before I call my ped, any opinions/advice from the May mamas on what to do?
Harper has dry skin on her hands. My MIL called me to tell me to put lotion on her after I sent her some pics. I put the smallest amount on at night after a bath (aveeno babies) and after two days it cleared up, so I've stopped since then. Didn't even think to question it.
Any suggested solutions for a scream fest during diaper changes? DS is over 2 weeks old and screams when being changed, most of the time.
We haven't tried wipe warmers yet, have heard mixed reviews so wasn't sure if it was worth it.
Funny you mention the wipe warmer. My MIL bought us one and DH and I both laughed at it thinking what a joke, but now it has saved our lives. It has been so cold in the middle of the night that it literally is the only thing that keeps DS from screaming bloody murder when we wipe him. I also read they are a huge waste of money but now I am totally team wipe warmer! DS is so calm now when we change him compared to when we used the cold wipes straight from the package.
Harry is 11 days old today and has peeling hands, feet, and some dry patches on the side of his head as well as a few other places. The nurses at the hospital said not to put any lotion on him but I would love to help him not be so scaly and peeling, it looks uncomfortable. Before I call my ped, any opinions/advice from the May mamas on what to do?
The nurses told me to put fragrance free lotion on the peeling hands and feet. I bought the brand "babyganics" and it has worked wonders. However I was advised NOT to put the lotion on his face because he has the baby acne and it will just make it worse. So we leave his face alone but lotion his body. Gone are the days of the fresh newborn skin, now he is like a mini teenager going through puberty recovering from a gnarly sunburn! haha!
@JoMunson I use breastmilk on it too. It makes me laugh because each morning he wakes with some and I put milk on it. By afternoon it's gone, then the next day it's back but in a different location.
@JoMunson I use breastmilk on it too. It makes me laugh because each morning he wakes with some and I put milk on it. By afternoon it's gone, then the next day it's back but in a different location.
I know! He looks like a drunk frat boy after I've gotten my boobs on him!
Re: Newborn Questions
I feel like I am doing something wrong since I let her sleep and we barely play!
5.5.16 | 8.14.17 | 1.30.19
My husband has been staying up with her til about 11:30 or so and I've been going to bed at like 9. He says she's mostly calm and just dozes on and off during that time, which makes me think maybe we should just be putting her down at 9? When she does go down at 11:30, she typically sleeps for 4 hours before nursing for the first time. When he goes back to work on Wednesday he won't be able to stay up with her anymore because he has to get up at 5:00 for work, so I feel like I want to get this sorted before then, which is probably not possible because newborns be crazy.
Any advice? What are you all doing for bedtime?
5.5.16 | 8.14.17 | 1.30.19
5.5.16 | 8.14.17 | 1.30.19
Also re: gripe water... That stuff is miraculous! But we think it might have given him the runs? So my ped told us to hold off giving it for now. Which sucks!! We had one more super watery diaper today and haven't given it since Thursday so I'm not convinced it's the culprit. I'm trying to avoid dairy now to see if that helps instead. I'm also not convinced it's diarrhea - but it sure is watery!! It's sporadic now. But on a big one it goes up his back and all over the diaper. Maybe it's just normal BF poop?
Edit: Ped gave us the go ahead to keep using gripe water as much as we want! She's thinking he has reflux or a food intolerance instead, so we're trying elevated angle sleeping and a 3 week elimination diet for me. Fun fun!
We haven't tried wipe warmers yet, have heard mixed reviews so wasn't sure if it was worth it.
@aehogan9, our LO has a blocked duct in his right eye. Pediatrician told us to treat it with warm wash cloths and massage, but also prescribed topical azithromycin to prevent infection.
Otherwise, we just try to distract him while we change.
Last night was my first night on full-time duty, and all the sleep progress we've made was a total regression. And FUCK swaddles. Seriously. Sorry if that language offends anyone, but it's been a long night, and my husband has gotten so good at swaddles. Me? I'm awful. I get her into a nice milk coma, and then my 10 attempts at swaddling wake her up completely and give her a crying fit. We have the sleep halo gowns and other zip up swaddles, but the only ones she likes are the handmade muslin swaddles. I've also been nursing her in bed, but last night we used the glider in the nursery. I typically use a pillow and do the football hold, but I can't fit a pillow in the glider with me, so I used my brestfriend. She kept falling off my boob, so I had to switch to the pillow being awkwardly beside me and basically holding her up. It's like I'm starting over all the way back to the first night home from the hospital.
I don't know how I'm going to be able to do this by myself during the week. Me and LO are screwed. I cried last night trying to swaddle her before bed because I couldn't do it, and my husband had to take over so I could have a frustration break away from the baby. She sensed I was upset, so of course she got upset. Does it make me a bad mom to say I'm actually counting down my maternity leave? Not only will she be a little older then and hopefully a bit better, but I also won't feel bad waking up my husband for help. Also waiting for the 6 week mark to introduce bottles.
@missnc77
I know exactly what you mean. The husband went back to work today and it's taken 2 hours to put DS down for a nap! And I'm usually the nap whisperer! I think he's also going through a growth spurt so he's been especially cranky and hungry. Perfect timing, kid!
Now, while he's sleeping, I'm trying to get another bottle ready annnnd find time to poop and pump. I stayed up pretty much all night last night so DH could get some sleep. I woke him up twice for help and I felt so bad about it. I hope he got some sort of rest even if it was broken sleep.
We're slackers in that we don't have a routine down yet, so I'm really hoping that starts soon. We're just on the baby's schedule right now and it's madness. We have no bed time anymore and I'm dying (ok, maybe figuratively).
Good luck to you this week! You're not alone!