PAIF graduates - New Mommies - July

tvh1982 · July 2017

This thread is for those who have taken their little ones home. A place to discuss the joys and struggles of being a new mom.

Drove2u · July 2017

Hey guys. Viktoria just had her 6 month appt last week. She weighs 18.6 lbs and is 27.5 inches tall. She's an expert roller and is almost sitting unassisted. She still topples. We've been giving her all sorts of food and she loves everything. We've had a bit of sleeping issues so the doc gave us some pointers and it worked the first night!!! We're on Day 3 now and it's still not perfect but soooo much better. Traveling in Pittsburg now for work and it sucks leaving her like this. Luckily it's just for two nights. We're going to try peanut butter very soon. Our doc said if she has an allergy it may not show up for a couple of weeks. Weird.

ultratomato · July 2017

Girls had their shots and 6 month check up July 3rd.they are both 27 inches and one is 16 and one is 17. They are on stage 2 food now and trying new things daily. I want them to try avocados and eggs and maybe hummus. Not sure about peanut butter yet. Ped has not said for them to have that yet. Girls are trying to crawl they sit assisted or for a few seconds they roll like crazy I have a belly sleeper and a side sleeper. They sleep pretty well. I'm going to give them puffs cheerios and rice crispies. Anyone have any other ideas and what worked for them

ZoeFer · July 2017

Hi all ! sorry i have been mia lately. Lara is 7.5 months old now and she is doing great. she has been attempting to crawl for a long time but was not able to go forward until last week. now all she wants is to stand on her feet, she is mostly in downward dog position and getting angry that she cannot walk yet

) Her doctor actually told us to give her peanut butter at her 4 months appointment but we have not tried yet. She start d to eat better but she is not a big eater. She loves plain yogurt, avacado , chicken soup , she is okay with banana , pears, apples but did not like most of the veggie purees. i usually mix some veggies and add chicken in it and make soup. she also eats egg yolk in the morning.

kelrauh · July 2017

Ladies I am struggling with my emotions and work. Many of you know my story of bed rest for 11 weeks and having twins at 33 weeks. I worked part time through my bed rest and after the babies were born returned to the office when the babies were only 4 weeks old and they had been home from the NICU for 1 week. The babies are now 3 months old. I have felt really good up until 2 weeks ago. I have never wanted to be a stay at home mom and I have worked for the same nonprofit 3.5 years and loved it before now. But the past few weeks I have hit a wall where I don't have any drive and have major anxiety thinking about work. My boss seems to get frustrated with me very easy since I have returned, it almost feels like he is annoyed that I was off for so long. I have never had a passion for what we do at my nonprofit and now I feel like I am wasting my time working my job and paying someone to watch my babies. We cannot afford for me to stay home. I am contemplating moving jobs but I worry I wont be happy anywhere. I have really noticed an extreme of emotions the past week over this, I will just randomly cry then get really anxious and upset. Has anyone else struggled like this with going back to work? Any suggestions?

ultratomato · July 2017

@kelrauh I did struggle with returning to work in the beginning but it has got easier. Hang in their it's easier. Just really enjoy the weekend with the babies I always try to do that. And you are working to give this babies everything they need. If a new job will help then apply but you may want to give it sometime.

wifeinraleigh28 · July 2017

Arielle is 6 weeks old today! I'm currently struggling with some intense exhaustion/sleep deprivation. Most nights she is up every 2 hours (or less) but last night, finally, she slept for 4 hours and 15 minutes. I couldn't believe it! I woke up twice in a panic wondering if she was still breathing, so my sleep didn't exactly improve with the longer stretch, but I'll take it! I know it will get better.

She is really making eye contact and tracking us now, and is also so much more expressive. I know they say that at 6 weeks fussiness peaks, but she seems happier to me actually. Much more quiet alert time. She was very fussy and gassy the last couple weeks which led me to cut out dairy and caffeine from my diet to see if it would help, so maybe it IS helping which is why she's happier. (I was secretly hoping it wasn't the dairy so that I could eat it again lol).

@Drove2u @ultratomato @ZoeFer Reading your updates makes me so excited for the milestones that we have in our future! So glad to hear your babies are doing so well

@kelrauh I'm so sorry you're struggling at work. You definitely didn't get enough time at home with your babies which is probably the biggest contributing factor. A job change could be good, but I can't imagine what you must be going through right now. Sending you cyber love.

tvh1982 · July 2017

I've have a 35 week old baby at home, 8,5 months!
She army crawls and sits on hands and knees and also does downward dog a lot!
She loves to stand and does a step or two when holding her. She has no clue how to get to standing, so I'm ok with that...she's going way to fast!

She eats almost anything, and gets angry if she hasn't got something to eat if I eat.
She feeds herself, and thinks she's too big for purees. She 'steals' food from other kids at kindergarten, so she sits in her own chair instead of in the ones that are attached the table!

We've tried peanut butter the other day, so far so good. A little bit of egg went down well. Chocolate flakes on her bread (We are so Dutch) were taken with a smile, but plain with butter is her favourite.

As for working @kelrauh, I totally get it.
I never thought I would want to be a SAHM, but I'm dreading getting back to work. I'm still on maternity leave (yay Norway) so I know Ive been given a gift.
Financially you unfortunately can't quite. Maybe there is another job out there for you. I've been told it's easier to find a job when having a job. So hang in there and keep your eyes open. Any chance parttime is financially do-able?
I honestly hope you find a solution you are happy with, as nothing is worse then going to work and not being happy.

janejane-2 · July 2017

@kelrauh - sending hugs your way. I think the quick turn around from NICU to work has got you down, not to mention your boss and your lack of passion for your job. I would encourage you to look for a new job. Sometimes just looking will make one feel better because its a distraction and allows you to "do something about it". You may find that while you're looking you'll be able to re-focus or the anxiety will go away and you end up staying put. Take it day by day and know that your happiness impacts your babies so make sure to take care of yourself first. No job is worth the added stress.

My twins are 11 weeks this week. They HATE tummy time. I worry about them learning to flip and hold their heads given that tummy time helps the neck muscles grow to get these milestones down. We've slowly started going out with them in public but only a couple times and still no restaurants. One has been prescribed med for his reflux. They are now 50-50 in terms of formula and breast milk. Hope I can keep it this way until they are a year old. Wish I was producing enough BM for both, formula is so expensive even though its much more convenient.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer.

ZoeFer · July 2017

@wifeinraleigh28 did i ever congratulate you for the baby? congrats!!! Lara started to sleep for 6-7 hours streches after 7 weeks , but still wakes up once at around 3am for nursing , then sleeps until 6-7am. it gets better i promise ! you know what everybody says, sleep when baby sleeps. i was never able to sleep during the day even when i was on maternity leave and i regret that now

)
@kelrauh i am sorry about your struggle at work but i can completely understand. i returned to work when L was 10 weeks old and it did not feel enough to me. also, working in a job that you are not driven and excited about is really hard. i just changed my position last week and i had a week off between two jobs. Even that one week that i spent with my LO helped me so much. can you take one or two weeks unpaid family leave ? i hope you find a solution that helps you feel better.

janejane-2 · July 2017

@ZoeFer - how on earth did you get your 7 week old to sleep 6-7 hour straight?! :O What is your secret?! (Seriously). My boys are now waking every 3 hours from 2 hours which is better but still. One of my twins actually woke up every hour last night

, no clue why. Sigh. People say it gets better and I hope its true, just seems it happens faster for some people.

kelrauh · July 2017

@JaneJane my twins didn't go longer than 3 hours until 8 weeks. Then we started to get more gradually. Then like a light switch they started sleeping through the night at 12 weeks. They go to bed at 10 and sleep until 6ish. They sometimes wake up at 3 then go back to sleep. Hopefully your babes get the memo at least 1 of them. How do you and DH take care of babies at night?

tvh1982 · July 2017

Oh the sleeping through the night. It took my LO 8 months to receive that memo!
She never had time during the day to finish a bottle so was catching up at night.
I started reducing the amount at night, so it was less interesting for her to wake up.
But waited until she ate proper meals during the day.

As for tummy time, she hated it. Yet rolled both ways at 14 weeks.
They'll get the hang of it eventually. So don't worry. And over a few weeks they won't mind tummy time, so than it'll be easier to practice.

ultratomato · July 2017

@JaneJane my girls finally sleep through the night and it's been happening for about a month so it gets easier they are alittle over 6 months. They eat two meals a day of solid foods and they still get 4 bottles they may not drink all of their bottles though since they get full on the solids. I send the same amount to daycare just in case they have a day where they don't want to eat solids and they want their bottles. I will be trying to get rid of a bottle by lowering the ounces once they get a third meal around 8 months. They also started sippy cups of water. One likes it the other just makes a face. Our dr does not recommend any juice and to have the babies only have water. Which I totally agree with. Things do get easier.
@tvh1982 when did u give the eggs and peanut butter I'm scared to give it to them.
They are trying new things every three days they had black cherries, cherries and today is pumpkin!

tvh1982 · July 2017

I only tried that when Pia turned 8 months @ultratomato. We could start earlier, but as of her allergy I didn't want to try.
I was scared too and called my mum to see if she was home just in case I needed help.
But no reaction or anything.
Babies tend not to be allergic to yolks, but the egg whites.
I can relate to it finding to be scary, but the only way to find out is by giving it to them.
Have 'support' ready in case it goes wrong. And if you are really worried, go to the hospital cafeteria and give it to them there

AandDM2014 · July 2017

Hi ladies! It's been a long while since I've bumped but thought I'd give y'all an update today! On Sunday the babies were 19 weeks, 12 weeks adjusted. Clementine, the littlest, can roll over from both back to front and front to back quite easily. Edith, the big girl, can roll back to front, though often just rolls to the side, and front to back occasionally. She mostly prefers to be sitting up, but someone has to be holding her that way. Isaac, Mr. Stubborn, will generally just lay there. If he gets his big head in just the right position he can flop it back to get from tummy to back. All three can laugh but surprisingly Isaac does it the most! So many things are hilarious to him like stuffed elephants and diaper changes. They sleep fairly well, usually from about 7pm to between 12 and 2, then go back to sleep until the 6am feed, then usually back to sleep until between 8 and 9. They're slowly working their way off the preemie growth curve and onto the regular one! They get 100% breast milk, about 62% of which is mine, the rest from donors. Overall for being 7 weeks early they're doing wonderfully!

Here we are on the 4th.

ZoeFer · July 2017

@JaneJane somehow Lara started to sleep between 8pm to 2-3am by herself at around 7 weeks . but then at around 4-5 months old, she started to wake up every 2 hours ! so there are phases, at least for us. She is 7.5 months old now and she still wakes up once MOTN and once at around 6am. then usually sleeps until 7.30 again. She is not eating too well during the day so i could not cut her night nursing sessions yet but i probably should soon, as soon as she starts eating her solids better and getting her bottles.
i started egg yolks at 7 months , but now we think she might be getting allergies from that we are not sure. we have not tried peanut butter yet.

tvh1982 · July 2017

Such a cute picture of the four of you @aanddm2014.
Ive been following you close and they are so adorable!

ultratomato · July 2017

I don't know why but my girls can't make it past 630/645pm they need to go to sleep and they wake up at 5:15/5:30am I wish it was later can't complain

clt2pwm11 · July 2017

@kelrauh I am so sorry about your work. I watched many mommies and daddies use their leave while their baby was in the NICU only to return back to work almost as soon as the baby went home. After dealing with infertility, you have been completely and utterly cheated of your time with your new family. I had already decided to stay home but now I'm even more determined to stay at home as long as I can. With his poor lungs I can't risk him being in day care. We are making major sacrifices so I can afford to stay home though. If I were in your shoes, I would need to find something I was passionate about or else I would probably just drive myself and everyone at work bonkers. Do you absolutely have to work full time? Could you find a part time job that might hold you over for a few months so you can spend more time at home? Best of luck to you as you decide what is best for you and your family.

Little Charlie is doing well! He is almost 6 months, three adjusted. Last night I was nursing him and he looked up at me with this huge smile. I playfully squirted a little milk in his mouth to remind him what he was doing and he let out the biggest laugh! My heart almost exploded. He isn't rolling over yet but he is starting to put his legs up in the air in the position to turn, so I think we are getting closer.

kelrauh · July 2017

@tvh1982 @wifeinraleigh28 @JaneJane @ZoeFer @clt2pwm11 @ultratomato
thanks ladies for your advice. You all make me feel justified for how I feel. I was feeling like I was being irrational. If I wasnt the insurance holder in the family then I would have been able to take more time off. This is also the reason why it would be difficult for me to go part time or find a part time job. DHs job does not offer insurance because they only have 10 employees. If we would have had a bit longer NICU stay we would have medicaid and WIC but we make too much money to qualify.
@clt2pwm11 - I do not blame you one bit for not wanting to send charlie to daycare. Our Little ones arent starting until September 5 because I'm not comfortable with them being in that environment until they are a bit older since they are preemies. We have family watching them right now but that is not reliable for forever. I am so happy that little Charlie is doing good. We havent had true laughs yet but the smiles are enough to melt your heart!

@aanddm2014 - your littles are so cute!!! I do not know how you manage three of them. Two is extremely overwhelming and exhausting .

AandDM2014 · July 2017

@kelrauh it is hard but manageable. They have a great schedule which makes it much easier!

nellin-2 · July 2017

Hi all

Talia is three weeks and wow I am so in love!
To be honestI was scared about how hard these first few weeks would be but for the most part (with a few years and lots of reading) I'm finding motherhood comes naturally and I'm really enjoying it. I worried that I'd feel cooped up but all I want to do is stay at home and cuddle this bundle of joy. Maybe it helps that it's the middle of winter here and cold and raining!

She is doing really well. She's feeding well gaining weight and passed all her health checks and I'm now in almost no pain except when she cluster feeds - every half hour is pretty tough on the nipples!

She was sleeping really well in her Moses basket but she's getting less keen on that in the last few days and wants to be held to sleep a lot more. I don't want her to go backwards but she seems too young to to do any sleep training. If she starts crying in her bed I can't stop her crying without picking her up.

It must be so hard leaving them so young, even with family. You are so not being irrational for finding it hard @kelrauh especially after infertility and during your pregnancy! Especially frustrating to be in a position where you earn too much to have medicaid but also not be able to afford to work less!

@AandDM2014 Wow! What a great photo! I am in awe of all of you with multiples!

capps42613 · July 2017

Cason is 7 months & 1 week and he is crawling all over the place. He has also found the volume knob on the tv (which he likes to turn often) and his daddy's Xbox controllers lol

clt2pwm11 · July 2017

I need serious help. Charlie will not nap during the day unless being held. He hates everything (rock n' play, pack n' play, momaroo, bouncer chair, ALL OF IT.) At night I swaddle him and he sleeps no problem. During the day I try to recreate what we do at night and he is not having it. I'm starting to wonder if it is because of the sunlight coming in the room. He is getting close to the age where he really shouldn't be swaddled anymore. Any tips would be helpful because I probably do need to scrub my toilet and eat (not at the same time, obviously) at some point. I love him but GAH. I really need this kid to nap.

rmarble23 · July 2017

@clt2pwm11 can you wear him? something like a ring sling or i have a k'tan will give the swaddle effect and you are also holding him. i am becoming more and more comfortable with doing things while i have Emily in the k'tan.

clt2pwm11 · July 2017

@rmarble23 Yes that's good advice. I wear him quite often and he does sleep like that but there are still times when I really need him to nap on his own. I'm worried if I hold him all the time he will never learn to fall asleep on his own. Maybe that's silly, but it is a concern I have.

janejane-2 · July 2017

@clt2pwm11 - you swaddle him at night...where do you place him? In his crib? Bassinet? Do you also do this during the day when you're trying to get him to nap? Sounds like lighting could be an issue. Does the sun come in strong in the room he sleeps in? I don't have any recommendations per se but can only imagine the frustration at not being able to get stuff done b/c baby boy won't nap. Maybe give him a warm bath and warm milk, pull down the shades, and make the room relaxing??? Hope someone has something useful for you

Ladies curious as to where your babies slept at around 3months. My twins hate their cribs and don't care much for their bassinets. During the day they love to nap on one of my couches and their boppy pillows (the sitting one, not the U-shaped ones). Obviously at night I can't let them sleep on the couch or the pillow for fear that they'll roll over or slip or something and suffocate. (They are about 3 months old, 1 adjusted as they were premies). I'm wondering if I need new bassinets. I bought the Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play Portable Bassinet. The mattress pad is really hard so I wonder if thats it, then again seems like all bassinets have hard mattresses. Any input on where you little ones love to safely sleep at night appreciated.

rmarble23 · July 2017

@clt2pwm11 i understand the concern I feel the same way sometimes when I can't put my LO Dow during the day either.

@janejane we have the rock n play and LO loves to sleep in it during the day and if it's something you want to try I just got a flyer in the mail from BRU that it's on sale for like $40 from like $100 starting today

janejane-2 · July 2017

@rmarble23 - i should have added that they sleep well in their rock n play. However, I've read that they are not safe unsupervised (e.g. risk of SIDs). The angle and lack of full mesh can be dangerous. I know there's mixed feelings based on what I've read online but I'm just hesitant to use at night.

kelrauh · July 2017

@JaneJane - i have learned you have to do what you have to do. Patrick sleeps in the rock and play and Cece sleeps in a snuggle nest co sleeper. One of us has Patrick right next to us so we can hear him. I was very hesitant at first then i gave in because it was probably safer for us to take the chance in the rock n play than drive without getting any sleep

clt2pwm11 · July 2017

@janejane We use a pack n play with the "apartment" feature ( where you can bring the mattress pad higher so you don't have to bend so low). Like I said, this works beautifully for us at night! We do have to swaddle him pretty tight tight now. A friend suggested the merlin sleep suit. I'm willing to try it.

Drove2u · July 2017

Viktoria would only sleep in my arms as well for a while. Maybe like 3 months?? But she grew out of it. She's not 7 months and I've learned that when they're so young they won't really get into habits. She stopped sleeping in my arms completely now. Waaaah!! She also slept at night in her rock n play for five months. Then we transitioned her to a crib and we really had no issues. I think she enjoyed the space. I always think "will she be like this when she's 5?" No probably not. The whole sleeping in my arms did frustrate me a little but now I miss it. I say enjoy it while it lasts!!!

ultratomato · July 2017

@JaneJane my girls have been sleeping at night in their crib since 2 months I hate rock and plays and so did my ped because it is not good for there legs. We still don't always have them nap in their cribs it's a work in progress sometimes they sleep in swings never on me I would never allow that. That's me and everyone does there thing but I would not want them to get use to that. Although if they were sick it's a different situation. Girls nap in cribs at daycare. Sometimes if they won't sleep we go for a walk and I let them sleep in their stroller or we go for a car ride. But usually we are out and about so they fall asleep in car seats or stroller

tvh1982 · July 2017

I've struggled with naps and sleeping in general when my LO was little. She was strapped onto me 24/7!
Yes she slept in the carrier attached to me! Laying in the nursing pillow that I put a mattress cover over so it became a little mattress.
I bought the 'Lulla Doll' (lulladoll.com) and was able to put her down on her own for the first time ever.
As to get her to sleep in her bassinet, I actually first slowly started to undo the straps of the carrier. I used a babybjorn as it wasn't huge, so made lying easier (and didn't use it to carry her) so after a few nights she wasn't attached to me.
Then I moved the whole pillow into the bassinet. Jupp, not safe, not recommended, but boy did she sleep and so did I!
Then after a while I started to remove the pillow for naps and later for nights.
I also had my tshirt over her mattress and put a freshly used one on there every night/day.

She's now a happy 8,5 month old. Is a belly sleeper and sleeps most nights in her own crib!

clt2pwm11 · July 2017

@tvh1982 The t-shirt idea is genius. In the nicu, he had a scent rag. I might need to bring that back. It might help.

Hubs and I went early college style and hung some dark sheets over the windows to see if that would help. The buddy napped about an hour and twenty minutes which was awesome for him!!! We have about one more month where the swaddle is developmentally appropriate and then I will stay slowly loosening the wrap.

2legbaby · July 2017

I have been reading to keep up with everyone, but find it hard to type much on my phone app- on my lap top as baby girl is at day care (cue tears!) for her second day. I am off today but took her in for a little while so she can slowly get used to it, we had a nanny for the first month until her day care spot was open....my husband took her in yesterday and spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how not to have her in day care lol. But the people are great, she did great and my baby who still wakes up every 2 hours and doesn't go to bed until 10:30 pm slept from 7:30 (missed her bath) and only woke up every 3- 3.5 hours!

@kelrauh your post about your job resonated with me, I normally work 4 day/wk and 1/4 weekends. I went back initially 3day/wk but am due to go full time again. Yesterday I left home 6:30am and she was asleep, got home at 7pm and she was asleep (opened eyes long enough to latch/nurse and fell asleep again). It sucks! If we had to we could have just one of us working but it would require some serious lifestyle changes, selling our vacation home etc, but I am looking for non clinical veterinary jobs (like consulting) so that I don't have to work 12h days AND be on call for emergencies overnight! My heart goes out to you!

@clt2pwm11 I am glad the curtains worked! We hired a sleep consultant to try and help our sleep resistant baby, she recommended black out curtains and feels a white noise machine is key, she has a preferred one (the multifunction one we had you could hear this underlying loop that drives you crazy) its called Lectrofan. Also for all the ladies with smaller babies, a parenting group I am on everyone swears by the Magic Merlin Sleep Suit as a good transition from being swaddled to not- it looks crazy but people love it and despite how it looks they supposedly don't get too hot. Can only use until they can roll in the suit though. We have one but are still swaddling so I will let you know how it works out.

ultratomato · July 2017

Ugh what a week seems like it's been forever between work and the girls both having croup cough. My one was sick Friday and I had to rush home from work and then Monday my other one got it and I had to leave work early again. I'm glad it didn't wait to long to infect both girls but I want them better. They are also not sleeping that well through the night since they are coughing and congested ugh

2legbaby · July 2017

Sooo sorry @ultratomato! I am home today with my little one she has literally been in daycare since Monday three whole days and last night she woke up coughing sneezing and vomiting and diarrhea poor little bug but I can't imagine having to I'm sure you're not able to get any rest at all. fingers crossed they feel better soon!

ale9687 · July 2017

@ultratomato and @2legbaby I hope your little ones feel better soon!

Colleen0516 · July 2017

Hi ladies! I will be joining this thread now;
I had my twins 3 weeks ago! Both babies were born on 6/27, Hannah was first at 8:58 and Brayden was 8:59 via c-section. Both babies have been doing great! As we hit the 3 week mark, the sleep deprivation is kicking in. They were doing great at waking at the same time to feed but this past week they have been off schedule so I'm up ALL night and then going all day. I'm noticing they are starting with acid reflux too

poor little babies are gagging, choking on it and spitting up. They seem so uncomfortable at times; we're waiting a few more days and then possibly trying some formula with rice cereal in it at night and breast milk all day. We shall see what happens!

PAIF graduates - New Mommies - July

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