H asked me the other night about head control. He was like "at what age are they fun, alert and looking at you?" Um...around 3/4 months like our niece if that's what you mean. "Well, when are they no longer like this (acts like a baby with no head support) and I don't have to pay attention to their neck anymore?" Depends. "Ugh, they should be born with head control! I worry so much about supporting their head" hahahaha
@NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot@hp_momma So legit question here: If the only "safe" place to sleep is on a hard, flat surface. Are babies not supposed to fall asleep in our arms? Are you putting them in danger by keeping them sleeping on your lap or arms or something (and I don't mean when you are sleep deprived, but I've certainly rocked my nieces to sleep and let them sleep on me for a period of time).
This all blows my mind, as my MIL & SILs have not done safe sleep recommendations I guess.
@Jens_Hoes sleeping in your arms is totally safe as long as you are awake and alert. DS spent most of the first month of his life sleeping in my arms while I sat on the couch watching the entire 10 seasons of Friends.
Yes to what @RainyDays86 said. As long as you are awake, you're fine. DD spent all of her newborn days sleeping in my arms while I binged on TV because she hated to be set down. Of course she slept ok at night in her RNP. @hp_momma gives me some hope above that I can get this kid to lay flat for naps/night.
On a related note, I also really enjoyed baby wearing when out and about. I think that safe sleep group may recommend not wearing while sleeping, but I always had one hand on DD feeling her breath. Not because I was aware of that issue back then, just because it's sort of a natural reflex when a kid is attached to you.
@mamatowildones I agree on the pineapple. I had a pineapple milkshake before bed and went into labor that night/morning. I'm sure it is purely coincidence since it was my due date and all
Yes to what @RainyDays86 said. As long as you are awake, you're fine. DD spent all of her newborn days sleeping in my arms while I binged on TV because she hated to be set down. Of course she slept ok at night in her RNP. @hp_momma gives me some hope above that I can get this kid to lay flat for naps/night.
On a related note, I also really enjoyed baby wearing when out and about. I think that safe sleep group may recommend not wearing while sleeping, but I always had one hand on DD feeling her breath. Not because I was aware of that issue back then, just because it's sort of a natural reflex when a kid is attached to you.
I think it's mixed on the baby wearing and in part to the carrier used. I feel as long as you're awake (and I'd assume you would be) that it'd be very little difference from holding the baby.
Yes I did plenty of nap times with baby sleeping in my arms. I just really tried to put DD2 in her crib. But there were plenty of times when I was exhausted and just needed to sit down and it was the perfect excuse for newborn cuddles! I also did plenty of shopping trips or cooking dinner with DD2 sleeping while baby wearing.
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
+1 on wearing the baby while he slept. You kind of can't help but keep a hand on them. DS screamed for what felt like 18-20 hours a day until he was about 3 months old, and one of the ways I found to calm him down was to strap him into a wrap and walk around the room. He'd almost always fall asleep. Not great for an exhausted new mom, but at that point I'd have done anything to shut him up!!
@hp_momma@NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot can you guys walk me through the logistics of baby wearing? I'm just so confused with how you have to unwrap them and put them into the car seat and then wrap them back in (or put in a carrier) once out of the car and stuff. Is it a hassle or is it more convenient than just carrying them in the bassinet seat and so on?
@thistlenweeds It's personal preference. We mostly kept DD in a car seat at restaurants or when we were running in to a store (grocery, target). I wore for the longer haul sort of trips to a market or mall or if we went to something like a baseball game where strollers aren't easy to use. Oh and wearing through an airport is the easiest too. Some longer excursions (like at the mall) were a combo of carseat in stroller and wearing. DD would get annoyed with either so we did both to switch it up. I wouldn't take out of the carseat for a quick run in to someplace unless DD was pissed. It's just easier to snap the car seat in and out of the base. I know some moms go straight to a convertible seat and then wear when they are out of the car.
@hp_momma@NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot can you guys walk me through the logistics of baby wearing? I'm just so confused with how you have to unwrap them and put them into the car seat and then wrap them back in (or put in a carrier) once out of the car and stuff. Is it a hassle or is it more convenient than just carrying them in the bassinet seat and so on?
This might not be what you're asking, but if you're going places like running errands and getting in and out of the car and the baby might be falling asleep (esp in the car), then I HIGHLY recommend an infant carseat bucket that removes from the car and is a carrier of sorts, as opposed to a convertible carseat that accommodates infants and older kids, but is not to be carried around with a kid inside it.
And once you have your infant bucket seat, you should get a stroller frame so that you can plop your seat into the frame wherever you are going. The frames are light and fully collapsable -- much better than the stroller systems that are sold along with carseats.
If your errand is the grocery store, either buy a small enough amount of stuff that you can use the stroller as your cart (the underneath basket of it) or wear your baby afterall, or put the whole infant seat / bucket into the main compartment of the grocery cart.* Do NOT mount the bucket on top of the cart by the handlebars.
*Some people say this is also unsafe, but I'm not sure I really buy it; the cart won't tip over. But it is absolutely unsafe to have the carseat on top of the cart.
FTM: Does anyone ever feel so normal (not pregnant)?
I was walking past the countertop in the lunchroom and only noticed how close I was until I felt my belly rub on the edge.
Earlier I opened the door for a person behind me and didn't realize my belly kind of blocked his way as I stood beside the door, then I moved behind the door lol
Dates: Yes, I used to eat dates regularly before I was diagnosed with GD. I still plan to eat them if possible at the very end, and definitely during labor/after. Not only are they nutritious and high in fiber and good vitamins and sugars, but like @sarah0985 mentioned they've been shown to help with labor/birth.
On exercises to turn breech babies: Keep in mind that those exercises are also good for your pelvis. They'll help prep your pelvis for a good labor. (So I've heard/read.)
I am sick and have a fever. This BMB gives me so much to look forward to!
I just want to add that not only does tummy time on your chest help with neck control, doing it skin to skin helps stimulate milk production.
Some unsolicited advice for FTMs, take advantage of the newborn stage. Don't worry about leaving the house if you can. I truly enjoyed Netflix bingeing with DS1 on my chest and not doing anything else. Once DS2 came around we still bonded, but watching a toddler at the same time was more work. Everyone told me don't hold your baby all the time, he'll get uses to it and never let you rest. Luckily I. Paid no attention and took advantage of all those snuggles. Now at 5years old, DS1 is sometimes too cool for hugs. I am just thankful that I. Got all those hugs in when he was little.
DS hated tummy time and I never really caught onto baby wearing with him. But these are both things I'm going to try to be better at with DD. And I let him sleep on me for many, many hours while watching Gilmore Girls in its entirety during my leave. I wish I had an equally exciting show to binge on this go around...
@NotAPlaya-JustCrushAlot@kat81 thanks, that helps! We did get a thing where there's a sort of bassinet that you put into the stroller and then can detach and put into the car onto a base. I'm thinking of trying wearing too though.
@thistlenweeds I think it's just something you get used to. When we only had DD1 we mostly kept her in the carrier for shopping trips or the restaurant. When DD2 came along I needed room for DD1 in a shopping cart so it was easiest to get DD2 out of her car seat and babywear her and then get DD1 out of her car seat and place her in the shopping cart. We still used the car seat for restaurant outings. I also have a Baby K'tan which doesn't take a lot of "wrapping". You just slip it on and slip baby in!
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
+1 to k'tan - love that thing. It was my saving grace when DD was tiny and then we moved to Ergo 360 when she grew into it. No tricky wrapping techniques, just throw it on, plop the baby in and go!
We found an adapter for our Britax bucket car seat to connect to the Bob stroller and that was a life saver. REI had it, if you're curious, and it was available for Graco and Chicco.
A word on the dates: my midwives have been so impressed with the research that they actually give a jar of dates to mamas starting at 36 weeks (6 a day for 4 weeks). Shortens labor length and intensity. They also swear by red raspberry leaf tea for the same reason. It's not used for induction rather to help prepare the uterus for labor/recovery. I did both with DD and had a 3 hour labor and very easy recovery.
re: baby wearing I really like the idea, but i am such a hot natured person and summer in Florida is brutal. So we will rely on the stroller a lot when we are out.
@CarmCeG I hit my belly on things all the time. I've actually hit it on hard corners a couple times, right at my belly button (which hurts so bad)
I'm starting to feel guilty because I am so uncomfortable and miserable I've just been hoping to go into labor any time now. Of course i want baby to be as healthy as possible, but I also feel like I'm at the end of my rope and can't take much more.
In the spirit of @mcvgal I have some more unsolicited FTM advice -- regarding taking advantage of the newborn time, feel free to go out with your friends and take the newborn along. This obviously depends on your stage of life, but if you are someone with mostly childless friends who like to go out to eat, go to the bar, etc, feel free to take your newborn along! It will also depend on the temperament of the newborn, but if you have one that doesn't cry that much you can totally take him/her along and let him/her nap in the carseat part of the time, and nurse him/her the rest of the time. All of the while, you still got to see your buddies and hang out. We did this for the first three months of DS's life. Our friends were almost all childless and grad students or young professionals who went out on a regular basis. Eventually the kid will develop a sleep schedule and that will ground you (or one of you at a time, or you need a sitter), but during that random newborn time really feel free to go out there. Oh and you can't do anything at all in the first couple of weeks, either, because it's too crazy. But feel free to take advantage of the sweet spot time.
DH and I are both going to be on leave this time around and we fully plan to go out to eat at nice lunch places with the newborn. Because we have two others we won't be partying in the evenings or anything (and most of our friends now have kids and don't party on a regular basis anyway), but we will definitely do what we can for fun during the day if we ever make it past the "at least one of us absolutely needs to be napping right now or we'll die" phase.
Going out to eat during the newborn stage is the easiest! Soak up every moment of it before they hit 18months and all hell breaks loose at restaurants!
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
Totally second the advice from @kat81 regarding getting out with your newborn. I look back now at how portable DS was from 6 weeks-3 months and I wish I would have done even more. It's overwhelming at first, especially if you are doing it alone...I remember my first solo trip (with the baby) to Target and I nearly broke down crying because he suddenly started crying in the middle of the store. But once you get over that first hump, you realize that they really DO sleep most of the time and you should use that opportunity to get out and see friends and do adult-ish things!
Totally second the advice from @kat81 regarding getting out with your newborn. I look back now at how portable DS was from 6 weeks-3 months and I wish I would have done even more. It's overwhelming at first, especially if you are doing it alone...I remember my first solo trip (with the baby) to Target and I nearly broke down crying because he suddenly started crying in the middle of the store. But once you get over that first hump, you realize that they really DO sleep most of the time and you should use that opportunity to get out and see friends and do adult-ish things!
One "going out" thing you should definitely be doing solo is going to a breastfeeding support group or some other kind of moms group in the beginning. It is very therapeutic! And unless it's full of crazies, you can attend even if you are formula feeding.
Ok, I just caught up on 4pages, I apologize for not tagging.
-Adding a new member to the family, I know I've mentioned that I am a little terrified, mostly because of regression but I am fixing to have 3 in diapers
-"Flat head" issues, DS was born with torticollis and severe plagiocephaly so we are hoping to keep #3 out of baby containers when possible. That was a nightmare to deal with.
-RnP, see above reason why we will avoid, but if I need to shower or something I don't see an issue. When the twins came home from NICU we told the Neo we were planning to use them and he responded "good" (reflux issues). At their 2 month appt was when we were told to stop since DS's issues were getting worse.
-Tummy time, we started maybe a week or 2 after they came home, they did lay on our chests before that.
-Baby wearing and car seats, if you are using a stretchy type wrap you can "pre-wrap" before you get in the car so your tails aren't hitting the floor of the parking lot, then you just slip baby in.
Ok, I just caught up on 4pages, I apologize for not tagging.
-Adding a new member to the family, I know I've mentioned that I am a little terrified, mostly because of regression but I am fixing to have 3 in diapers
-"Flat head" issues, DS was born with torticollis and severe plagiocephaly so we are hoping to keep #3 out of baby containers when possible. That was a nightmare to deal with.
-RnP, see above reason why we will avoid, but if I need to shower or something I don't see an issue. When the twins came home from NICU we told the Neo we were planning to use them and he responded "good" (reflux issues). At their 2 month appt was when we were told to stop since DS's issues were getting worse.
-Tummy time, we started maybe a week or 2 after they came home, they did lay on our chests before that.
-Baby wearing and car seats, if you are using a stretchy type wrap you can "pre-wrap" before you get in the car so your tails aren't hitting the floor of the parking lot, then you just slip baby in.
I think that having multiple kids in diapers is overblown as a bad thing. There are a zillion reasons that having 2+ young kids/babies in your household is hard. But having multiple kids in diapers is not very high on that list, IMO. Looks like your twins are still very young so there is no need for them to be potty training any time soon anyhow.
This is weekend I made a trip to L&D with cluster BH contractions every 3-5 minutes, no changes in my cervix so that's why they labeled them BH. I got a bag of fluid and 3 shots of Terbutaline. The scariest part was every time I would have a contraction baby's heart rate would drop below 110 but thankfully it would raise back when the contraction was over. And then Monday pregsomnia/gas had me up since 2:30 AM, I crashed as soon as I got home from school at 8pm.
@kat81 yea, currently there is no plan to PT, they are only 26 months so definitely not rushing it. DS is in no way ready and DD tricks me every now and then thinking she is (she may be, but I'm too slow right now lol).
Finished up my NST and doctors appointment early, now DD2 fell asleep in the car and I have an hour before I have to pick DD1 up from school. So Starbucks run and bumping in the car it is! Wouldn't want to wake a sleeping child
Married 03.09.09 Sweet Baby H 12.21.11 Sassy Baby P 03.26.14 Little Brother Due 05.22.17
Question for those of you who've done the Amazon welcome box... my page currently says "Welcome Box is currently unavailable. Please check back later." Have you seen that before? Is it just a temporary website thing or should I really wait a few days to check again? Thx!
@BeachMommy2B You should see how often I get yelled at (they like to say they're reminding me lol) to stay off my feet or not bend over for things.
In my defense I've gotten a lot better at not bending down for stuff.
I even say a funny little phrase to myself "If it hits the floor, then it doesn't exist anymore." lol
H asked me to pick something up the other day and thought it was hilarious when I gave him a blank look and told him my feet don't exist to me anymore... I mean I CAN get things off the floor, but I can't breath properly when I do.
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 feel like all i do is complain on here lately and im so sorry for that. But last week i accidentally swallowed dishwashing detergent that had bleach, had to call ob again yesterday about a weird place on my belly and lack of movements (that of course got more active as soon as i got there) then i just fell in the bath tub and i am not even sure what happened bc it was so quick. I was already on my knees picking up dds toys so i could soak and somehow i slipped. Our tub is tiny and i caught myself with an elbow and cant tell if i even hit my belly on the side or not, it all just constantly hurts anyway. I dont want to call the poor ob again and dont even know if i need to but im ready for this to be over bc it is stressing me out! Again, im sorry to complain so much.
Eta- i know these are not serious problems compared to what many are going through and im not trying to be aw-ish, i just hate all the worrying associated with pregnancy.
@Jkp7749 I was thinking of you today! I only made it 32 weeks out of the hospital but I remember everything being agonizing. Are you having any contractions after the fall, other pains? I'm a worrier so I call about everything but I totally understand that feeling like you are calling too much.
@Jkp7749 Don't feel that way. We are all here to support one another. We all have varying situations and I'm happy to say that we've all put our best effort in understanding these differences.
The OB has a number for you to contact with any questions, comments or concerns for this very reason. If you truly feel the need to call, then do it. Your peace of mind is important for you and LO.
*eta: I don't know why I spelled out commons instead of comments -___\
@Jkp7749 it's easy to feel like an annoyance to our docs sometimes with everything we have going on. But don't hesitate to call. Always better to be safe.
Re: Randoms and Questions 4.3-4.7
1st Baby 5/12/17, Henry
So legit question here:
If the only "safe" place to sleep is on a hard, flat surface. Are babies not supposed to fall asleep in our arms? Are you putting them in danger by keeping them sleeping on your lap or arms or something (and I don't mean when you are sleep deprived, but I've certainly rocked my nieces to sleep and let them sleep on me for a period of time).
This all blows my mind, as my MIL & SILs have not done safe sleep recommendations I guess.
On a related note, I also really enjoyed baby wearing when out and about. I think that safe sleep group may recommend not wearing while sleeping, but I always had one hand on DD feeling her breath. Not because I was aware of that issue back then, just because it's sort of a natural reflex when a kid is attached to you.
May17 Siggy Challenge
Labor
1st Baby 5/12/17, Henry
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
Married:09/14/13
Baby 2 - Due: 5/4/17
May17 Siggy Challenge
Labor
And once you have your infant bucket seat, you should get a stroller frame so that you can plop your seat into the frame wherever you are going. The frames are light and fully collapsable -- much better than the stroller systems that are sold along with carseats.
If your errand is the grocery store, either buy a small enough amount of stuff that you can use the stroller as your cart (the underneath basket of it) or wear your baby afterall, or put the whole infant seat / bucket into the main compartment of the grocery cart.* Do NOT mount the bucket on top of the cart by the handlebars.
*Some people say this is also unsafe, but I'm not sure I really buy it; the cart won't tip over. But it is absolutely unsafe to have the carseat on top of the cart.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/some-epipen-epipen-jr-devices-recalled-by-mylan-in-the-us/ar-BBzdnPY
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." ~Charlie Chaplin
FTM: Does anyone ever feel so normal (not pregnant)?
I was walking past the countertop in the lunchroom and only noticed how close I was until I felt my belly rub on the edge.
Earlier I opened the door for a person behind me and didn't realize my belly kind of blocked his way as I stood beside the door, then I moved behind the door lol
23 y/o;
[05/06/17]
First time mommy
90% of the way there
Dates: Yes, I used to eat dates regularly before I was diagnosed with GD. I still plan to eat them if possible at the very end, and definitely during labor/after. Not only are they nutritious and high in fiber and good vitamins and sugars, but like @sarah0985 mentioned they've been shown to help with labor/birth.
On exercises to turn breech babies: Keep in mind that those exercises are also good for your pelvis. They'll help prep your pelvis for a good labor. (So I've heard/read.)
I am sick and have a fever. This BMB gives me so much to look forward to!
Some unsolicited advice for FTMs, take advantage of the newborn stage. Don't worry about leaving the house if you can. I truly enjoyed Netflix bingeing with DS1 on my chest and not doing anything else. Once DS2 came around we still bonded, but watching a toddler at the same time was more work. Everyone told me don't hold your baby all the time, he'll get uses to it and never let you rest. Luckily I. Paid no attention and took advantage of all those snuggles. Now at 5years old, DS1 is sometimes too cool for hugs. I am just thankful that I. Got all those hugs in when he was little.
11.2011 - DS1
02.2013 - loss at 6 wks
06.2014 - DS2
10.2015 - loss at 12 wks
03.2017 - DD
I also have a Baby K'tan which doesn't take a lot of "wrapping". You just slip it on and slip baby in!
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
We found an adapter for our Britax bucket car seat to connect to the Bob stroller and that was a life saver. REI had it, if you're curious, and it was available for Graco and Chicco.
A word on the dates: my midwives have been so impressed with the research that they actually give a jar of dates to mamas starting at 36 weeks (6 a day for 4 weeks). Shortens labor length and intensity. They also swear by red raspberry leaf tea for the same reason. It's not used for induction rather to help prepare the uterus for labor/recovery. I did both with DD and had a 3 hour labor and very easy recovery.
@CarmCeG I hit my belly on things all the time. I've actually hit it on hard corners a couple times, right at my belly button (which hurts so bad)
I'm starting to feel guilty because I am so uncomfortable and miserable I've just been hoping to go into labor any time now. Of course i want baby to be as healthy as possible, but I also feel like I'm at the end of my rope and can't take much more.
DH and I are both going to be on leave this time around and we fully plan to go out to eat at nice lunch places with the newborn. Because we have two others we won't be partying in the evenings or anything (and most of our friends now have kids and don't party on a regular basis anyway), but we will definitely do what we can for fun during the day if we ever make it past the "at least one of us absolutely needs to be napping right now or we'll die" phase.
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
-Adding a new member to the family, I know I've mentioned that I am a little terrified, mostly because of regression but I am fixing to have 3 in diapers
-"Flat head" issues, DS was born with torticollis and severe plagiocephaly so we are hoping to keep #3 out of baby containers when possible. That was a nightmare to deal with.
-RnP, see above reason why we will avoid, but if I need to shower or something I don't see an issue. When the twins came home from NICU we told the Neo we were planning to use them and he responded "good" (reflux issues). At their 2 month appt was when we were told to stop since DS's issues were getting worse.
-Tummy time, we started maybe a week or 2 after they came home, they did lay on our chests before that.
-Baby wearing and car seats, if you are using a stretchy type wrap you can "pre-wrap" before you get in the car so your tails aren't hitting the floor of the parking lot, then you just slip baby in.
1/7/2015 Twins born @ 34 weeks
This is weekend I made a trip to L&D with cluster BH contractions every 3-5 minutes, no changes in my cervix so that's why they labeled them BH. I got a bag of fluid and 3 shots of Terbutaline. The scariest part was every time I would have a contraction baby's heart rate would drop below 110 but thankfully it would raise back when the contraction was over. And then Monday pregsomnia/gas had me up since 2:30 AM, I crashed as soon as I got home from school at 8pm.
1/7/2015 Twins born @ 34 weeks
1/7/2015 Twins born @ 34 weeks
@BeachMommy2B You should see how often I get yelled at (they like to say they're reminding me lol) to stay off my feet or not bend over for things.
In my defense I've gotten a lot better at not bending down for stuff.
I even say a funny little phrase to myself "If it hits the floor, then it doesn't exist anymore." lol
23 y/o;
[05/06/17]
First time mommy
90% of the way there
In other news: we're getting the house keys today! Wheee!
Sweet Baby H 12.21.11
Sassy Baby P 03.26.14
Little Brother Due 05.22.17
Question for those of you who've done the Amazon welcome box... my page currently says "Welcome Box is currently unavailable. Please check back later." Have you seen that before? Is it just a temporary website thing or should I really wait a few days to check again? Thx!
DS - January 2014
TTCAL | April 2016
CP | June 2016
CP | July 2016
@PartiallyDomesticated I am also guilty of this haha
My fiancé thinks I drop things on purpose
23 y/o;
[05/06/17]
First time mommy
90% of the way there
Eta- i know these are not serious problems compared to what many are going through and im not trying to be aw-ish, i just hate all the worrying associated with pregnancy.
1/7/2015 Twins born @ 34 weeks
@Jkp7749 Don't feel that way. We are all here to support one another. We all have varying situations and I'm happy to say that we've all put our best effort in understanding these differences.
The OB has a number for you to contact with any questions, comments or concerns for this very reason. If you truly feel the need to call, then do it. Your peace of mind is important for you and LO.
*eta: I don't know why I spelled out commons instead of comments -___\
**I blame baby brain lol
23 y/o;
[05/06/17]
First time mommy
90% of the way there