PAIF graduates - New Mommies - July

janejane-2 · July 2017

@Colleen0516 - congratulations!! How much did the babies weigh?Sleep deprivation wth twins is tough. Sometimes ours are on different schedules by say 30 min and then they get in sync and it throws everything out of whack (when I"m taking care of them alone). Its great to b on the same schedule when there are two sets of hands.

One of my twins has reflux. It got worse so we went to pediatrician who initially wanted us to get a wedge and have him sit up during sittings before recommending meds. That didn't work too well We got on zantac twice a day. Worked for about 10 days and then the crying, spitting etc, got worse. Basically he was miserable. Went back to pediatrician and she upped the dosage. Its been about 4-5 days and I see only a slight improvement

. Pediatrician did say it tends to go away by 6 month and sometimes medication just dines't work. Fingers crossed for you that it doesn't get worse.

wifeinraleigh28 · July 2017

@clt2pwm11 Arielle doesn't nap well during the day either unless she's being held. I can manage to put her down for a brief bit but she wakes up after like 30 minutes tops usually. If she's on my chest though she'll sleep for 2 hours! I don't have any advice but everyone tells me it will get better. I'm looking forward to being able to do sleep training at 4 months. I bought the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and started reading it. The techniques in there have worked for so many people I know!

@ZoeFer Thanks girl! I can't seem to ever sleep during the day either. Especially since Arielle doesn't nap long enough for me to actually get some decent sleep, haha. But things are getting so much better. Arielle is 7 weeks now, so I guess our babies are on a similar timeline!

@capps42613 Oh your LO is just precious!!!

Thank you everyone for chiming in and making me feel better about being up throughout the night. I am happy to announce though that Arielle's sleep has improved DRASTICALLY. For the last 2 nights we only had 1 wake up each night, and for about a week before that we only had 2. She even gave me a 6 hour stretch 2 nights ago, and last night we got a 5 hour stretch. I'm starting to feel more rested! She doesn't nap for long at any given time during the day though, but she does nap often at least. She's growing like crazy too. I don't know how much she weighs currently since the last time she was weighed was at her 1 month visit 2 1/2 weeks ago but she was over 10 lbs. And I can just feel her getting heavier and heavier. Her 2 month visit is a week from tomorrow and she'll be weighed then. She'll also be getting all her vaccines and I'm not looking forward to watching that. But being that I'm so paranoid about her health I am looking forward to having a vaccinated baby, haha.

Being a mom is by far the most amazing thing on this earth. She now gives me a giant grin when she sees me enter her line of sight, and this morning I caught her giggling at the new mobile we attached to her pack n play just yesterday. We keep her pnp in the living room for day time naps and also for her to hang out in when she's awake. She doesn't like her swing and she's starting to not really like the rock n play anymore either, especially when she's awake. But she loves to just be on her back and kick her legs in the pack n play. Love my squishy little girl!

wifeinraleigh28 · July 2017

Here's a picture of my sweetie from this morning!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/ri/gz0xuqjcpccg.jpg

Colleen0516 · July 2017

@janejane Hannah weighed 5lb15oz and Brayden weighed 6lb12oz. They are both over their birth weight now.
Im struggling with what to do lately. I started supplementing formula at 1 week to help them gain weight; once they did, I stopped supplementing. Then we started having gas problems. Thought it was something I ate, so we supplemented a little to let me breast milk clear out. Now I am kinda doing both, but they are still gassy and still have reflux. It's clearly bothering them, so I feel terrible that they are in pain. Hannah snorts and breathes very heavy when she gets herself worked up, sounds like her nose is stuffy. I wonder if it's an allergy? Or just normal? The doctor said we would watch it. I can't wait to go back for my 1 month appointment and talk to them again.

its so interesting that you like them off schedule, @janejane. I like them to feed atthe same time so that I can get some sort of sleep, othersie im breastfeeding for hours. But bottle feeding is so much faster! I'm kinda envious of bottle feeding. When I supplement, my feeds are so fast.

kelrauh · July 2017

@Colleen0516 - we have one with reflux and cows milk sensitivity. He spits up out of his nose which is why his nose is stuffy. He is on nutramigen for formula, zantac, and oatmeal. We are starting to make progress. I breast feed cece and she's always gassy but she isn't uncomfortable so I continue to breast feed her. I pump on top of breast feed and bottle feed her a few times A day even if I'm home. I didn't want to cut dairy out of my diet so formula for Patrick was my choice. You will find what's right for you. Breast feeding was a huge stress to me until about 10 weeks. I now enjoy it and Cece is a mommy's girl because of it.

Griffin5413 · July 2017

@Colleen0516 the noises are totally normal. I asked several times and our per assured us even all of the grunting is. Their digestive track is still so new that it is just developing more. I used gripe water sometimes to help with gas.

Gosh I hadn't realized tht it had been so long since I got on here. I've missed so much! Eli is 7 1/2 months and so fun! He rolls all over the house, tried his very best to crawl and is getting there. Still no teeth but they are coming. He just learned to clap this weekend and it that joy just melted my heart. He has only slept through the whole night in the last few weeks and it's not every night. Plus he is up by 5 or 5:30.during the week that's great since I leave for work at 5:45 but I really wish he'd sleep just a little longer on the weekend!

I know in the first few months life is crazy but for all of you ladies with the really new little ones... write stuff down so you won't forget! Like their first real smile or giggle or those things!

here is a pic from our family photos this last weekend

janejane-2 · July 2017

@Colleen0516 - when we brought our twins home they were on the same schedule which we loved. It was me and my husband so we each changed, fed, burped, etc., one twin. However, once my husband went back to work it was just me with the boys at night and I found it too hard to deal with them at the same time. Having them if even 15 min apart in waking up was nice. However, at least a few times a week they find a way to sync back up which leaves me a bit frazzled.

I exclusively breastfed/pumped for the first 2 months. The pumping allowed my husband to stay involved with their feedings. After 2 months I wasn't producing enough milk for both so I introduced formula. My twin with reflux loves to breastfeed, unfortunately the other twin has never been very good at it. As @kelrauh says, you'll find what works for you.

The reflux is frustrating; I can see how much pain and discomfort my reflux twin is in compared to his brother who doesn't have any issues. I have wondered if its my breast milk causing issues but then again he was exclusively breast milk since day 1 and we didn't really notice the reflux until about 7-8 weeks in. I hope your little ones find relief soon.

@Griffin5413 - your little one is so adorable. And those eyes!! What a handsome fella!

Tulips29 · July 2017

I love reading all these updates and seeing the baby photos! Haven't been on in a while and missed so many updates.

Aiden is now 6.5 months. He's such a happy baby and now everything is hilarious. @capps42613 I was remembering your FB comment from the other day that Cason was laughing at pizza...well the other day Aiden was laughing at slippers lol. It was hilarious to watch. We're introducing solids now. So far only tried avocado, sweet potato, carrots and zucchini. He's rolling all over the place and soon he'll be on the move. Sleep varies, he doesn't sleep through the night, but does sleep in 4-5-6 hour stretches. He became a belly sleeper since about 2 weeks ago and it still worries me. I do find myself waking up throughout the night just to check the baby cam.

@Griffin5413 I love this picture! Eli is going to be a heart breaker with those gorgeous eyes! I agree with you on writing things down. I wish I did that for each of Aiden's milestones or fun moments because these months are going by soo quickly now!

@Colleen0516 congrats mama! This may sound cheesy, but your story still gives chills as I remember reading everything you went through to get here and I'm so happy for you and your family. Enjoy your little ones!

Ladies who are on maternity leaves, sleep deprived, and feel like it'll never end...it will get easier, I promise. Those months when I was on mat leave, it seemed like I'd always be tired, sleep deprived and would have no time for a shower. Then I went back to work and in a blink of an eye my baby is almost 7 months. Where the heck did the time go? I often find myself missing those early "baby" days when he slept on my chest for hours. I tried to get him to sleep in my arms the other day and he wasn't having it. He now needs his own bed and a quiet room to sleep. Kinda makes me want to do this all over again sooner just to re-live those days.

ultratomato · July 2017

@Colleen0516 my one twin developed reflux when she was a few months she is almost 7 months and it has subsided but if she plays on the mat it comes up because she is rolling all over the place and doesn't sit still. Syncing them up is the best way to do it if I'm alone I feed one then the other you will drive yourself crazy if you don't do that. I didn't do it for awhile and I did go crazy. Girls were sleeping through the night but now that they are sick they wake up a total of 4 times for the both not bad. I can't believe they are almost 7 months I want to cry. But I'm not having anymore lol. I'm already planning their first birthday which is going to be the winter onederland theme. Since they are born 4 days after Christmas.

ultratomato · July 2017

@Colleen0516 also I never used meds for the reflux my LO never got upset or seemed to be in pain she always smmiled after it came up. Plus the medication doesn't help with reflux just the pain they say so I didn't want to put her on something she didn't need. As for milk allergy I thought my girls had it we did the test they passed but the dr still recommended non milk formula nutramigen formula by enfamil for them. Which is great I only pay 10% off the amount through my insurance and they deliver it as well

nellin-2 · July 2017

@Colleen0516 I worried about the snuffles and sneezes but they are apparently a normal. I also find how irregular her breathing is really disconcerting! She can hold her breath for a really long time without seeming bothered especially while eating!
I hope you get some improvement with their reflux and some sleep!

@tulips29 Even though I worry about bad habits and try to get to sleep in her bed I love having her sleep on me.
I both never want her to grow because she's so cute and at the same time can't wait till she starts hitting milestones like smiling and rolling over!

Tulips29 · July 2017

@nellin-2 I constantly struggle with those emotions - i want him to stay little forever but I also love when he learns something new. Smiling is an amazing milestone. It makes all the tough days and nights worth it. I forget about my bad day when I see that toothless smile

ale9687 · July 2017

@colleen0516 my little one had silent reflux. The spit up would sit in his throat, he was arching his back and thrashing all around during feedings. We tried alimentum formula for cows milk allergy but the spit up through the nose would choke him. We tried thickened formula and he vomited from it. So onto Zantac we went. After a few days he was slightly better but needed his dosage increased. We've increased it 3 times since he went on it but we always keep him at a very moderate dosage. I believe 6 months the reflux should start getting better but we have hit the 4 month spike and its intense. We went through two outfits in one car ride tonight.

ultratomato · July 2017

@ale9687 that is true mine is almost 7 months and hers has got better she still spits up but that's because she plays and rolls so much. I add oatmeal to thicken her formula since the beginning and that has helped her as well

Drove2u · July 2017

Hey guys. Just wanted to check in. Congrats to all the new mommies. I've been wondering a lot how I would do things differently with the second. I mean I had/have no clue what I'm doing and we're just/still figuring things out. Viktoria is just a few days short of 7 months. I remember the first two weeks being the hardest but also a blur. She had her days and nights mixed up and would cry all night. I remember my husband would change her diaper no joke TEN times at night. We laugh about that now. When she cried at night was she just hungry? I can't remember. But now she only whines if she's hungry or tired and she's an awesome baby. No teeth yet but she's been trying all sorts of food. Mac n cheese with veggies, vegetable and beef, chicken noodle and weird stuff like guava. She loves it all. She's so curious and grabby. Reading all the posts about the week old babies sleeping in your arms makes me sad because I miss that so much. I know it gets annoying, I would feel frustrated too but try to enjoy it because it doesn't last forever. I really try to enjoy each moment with her. Each hug and kiss and cuddle because I know when she's 13 she's going to hate me for no reason. Ha! Here's her picture.

Tulips29 · July 2017

@Drove2u she's adorable! Question for you, how are you preparing all the food for her like chicken and beef and mac and cheese? We've only introduced purée of some veggies and he doesn't seem to be a fan yet. I'm curious how to get him to eat the veggies before I introduce fruits and other foods.

Drove2u · July 2017

@tulips29 I buy pouches and containers. They have a huge variety of meats and things mixed. Haven't gotten around to making my own food yet and probably won't. Ha! Until she can eat regular non puréed food. There's a bunch of organic brands too that have a mix of food.

ultratomato · July 2017

@Drove2u the girls are trying everything too. It's the constant thing of keeping tracking if they ate something for three days or not which is sometimes hard to remember.

Here are pics from our family photos

ale9687 · July 2017

@ultratomato I read online that oatmeal is sometimes a trigger for reflux, we tried oatmeal cereal today for the first time and he cried during a couple bottles. I'm starting to think he's actually spitting up his medicine and that's why he's been in more pain than usual this week. It seems it's all a guessing game with reflux.

Griffin5413 · July 2017

@Drove2u - I'm right there with you on missing some of those things I never thought I would miss. I remember how exhausted I was when Eli was up every 3 hours and then I was trying to pump and just miserable. I was feeding him one morning thinking that even though I desperately needed sleep I was going to miss that time with just me and him.

ultratomato · July 2017

@ale9687 the rise cereal was constipating my Lo so that's why I switched to oatmeal plus no nutritional value with rice. And the reason I didn't want to do the medicine was she was never in pain and also It doesn't stop reflux it just takes away the pain

Drove2u · July 2017

@ultratomato love love love your family photos. So beautiful!!
We actually stopped doing a new food every three days. We did that for a bout a month with the basics: banana apple peas string beans sweet potatoes etc but now we get the pouches that are mixed with a bunch of stuff. Not sure how true this is but our pediatrician said if they're allergic to something it may not show up for a couple of weeks. So I'm confused why we have to wait three days....if anyone knows??

Tulips29 · July 2017

@Drove2u I think it was allergies as well from what I heard everywhere, but also might be to get them used to the taste of something different.

ale9687 · July 2017

@ultratomato if it wasn't for the pain I wouldn't do the medicine either. I couldn't take seeing tears in his eyes as he took a bottle.

@drove2u I was told its for allergies also. I also heard that the baby's gut is still maturing so the 3 days could be so that their belly gets used to each food. My dr just said take it nice and slow. Ds is only 4 month so I'm not stressing about introducing things quickly, we've done oatmeal cereal once.

for the moms starting cereal too my dr told me about the arsnyc concern with rice. He said once every couple days shouldn't be an issue but he sugested trying one of the other cereals instead if I was concerned.

janejane-2 · July 2017

Ladies that formula feed - how strict are you guys about throwing out the formula 1 hour after a feeding starts when baby is done eating? Here's my issue: one twin will show signs of hunger. I'll open a formula bottle or prepare a mix and baby will take a sip or two and call it quits (e.g. falls asleep or is just done). All formulas I've seen say that once baby starts eating the formula has to be tossed in an hour. Even if its a couple sips do any of you put in the refrigerator and use for a later feed? This happened to me yet again yesterday. I opened a gerber pre-made 3 ounce bottle. Twin took a few sips and that was it (other twin not formula feeding currently). So now the nearly used formula bottle sits in my fridge. I hate to toss it basically new and unused but I definitely don't want to make my baby sick. I'm a FTM so I don't know if I'm being way too cautious at following directions to a T.

ultratomato · July 2017

@JaneJane I would toss it after an hour after the babies mouth touched the nipple. It's not worth the chance for them getting sick in my eyes. I didn't ever have that problem with mine though.

Drove2u · July 2017

@janejane we used to be very strict with the one hour and we were wasting a ridiculous amount of formula which is totally worth it of course for your baby not to get sick. By accident in the middle of the night we gave her formula that was already mixed and she drank out of--four hours later. We were so nervous but everything was fine. I then started reading about it and read "have you ever heard of babies getting sick from old formula? It's just a marketing thing so you do waste formula and buy more" so now we give her older formula in a bottle if she doesn't finish it. 3-4 hours and she's been totally fine. Anyway I'm not recommending this but it's worked out fine for us. She still drinks it and we have had no issues.

clt2pwm11 · July 2017

@Colleen0516 That sounds like what Charlie would do. Does your baby have mucousy poo (looks like streaks of snot)? That can also be a sign of allergy. Since cutting dairy from my diet, Charlie has been much more comfortable. In fact, he was on reflux meds but after about 4 wks of my dairy free diet we were able to take him off. If it makes baby feel better, I personally think it is worth the sacrifice!

But omg. If I don't get some sleep I'm going to scream. I think I'm going to pump two feeds this week and when hubby is off I'm going to sleep in another room and let him do night duty. I'm getting 1 or 2 hrs at a time since baby hit a growth spurt. I literally could just cry all the time I'm so freaking tired. I'm one of those people that has always required a lot of sleep and this is really killing me. I had a friend's mom come over to hold him while I napped last week, but it is getting to the point where he doesn't want anybody but me. I got maybe 30 mins before he started wailing for me and all that did was leave me feeling groggy and pissed. It is sweet that he knows and prefers me, but like, not good for my sanity. I know I will look back on this and miss it yada yada, but I also know I'm on the brink of a breakdowns if I don't get some solid hours.

Also, I had to unfriend a real life friend. She kept pestering me about coming to see the baby. I laid firm boundaries after he came home from the nicu, and she was not respecting them. I sat down and thought about our friendship and she annoys me more than anything, so it seemed like time to sever the ties. I tried to ghost but then she would contact me on all forms of social media and my phone. I felt like I was being stalked. I finally just messaged her and said I didn't have the time to maintain the friendship but I wished her well finding new friends for this season of life. She has been bad mouthing me a bit to mutual friends which I expected, but my kid has extra medical needs. I don't have time for her bs.

Anybody else having a hard time with people respecting your new family boundaries?

Griffin5413 · July 2017

@clt2pwm11 I'm sorry about your friend. I have certainly found myself questioning whether or not I want to put the effort in with some of my friendships. Especially with a few people who I don't think are the best influences.
@JaneJane- we used to be really strict about it but are a little more lax. If Eli hasn't even had an ounce sometimes I will just take that nipple out and reuse the bottle a little later

tvh1982 · July 2017

I formula feed @janejane and my little pixie is not a big drinker and would do like yours. I give older formula. Not when she was tiny tiny, but from 3 months onwards.
As I heat the water then add formula I can re-heat the bottle after it's been in the fridge. They do this at daycare too. Just cool it right away.
Now my little pixie is almost 9 months and I don't always cool it or re-heat it. She's doing just fine

What you could do is make half a bottle, I've done that a lot too. So you feel like you throw out less!

As for why to introduce a food 3 times before adding a new one: if they are severely allergic, they react right away.
But this is more so they can get used to a taste. They don't always like it right away.

There are are different types of oatmeal. If you have a baby with cowsmilk allergy, they may eat/drink this, but look for the one without cowsmilk.

I make everything myself @tulips29.
Chicken I boil in a sauce or water so it doesn't get to dry and 'falls' apart.
Meatballs I serve too, these 'fall' apart easily too. I give her small pieces.
I mix/blend everything, but never smooth.
So my little pixie has no problem with pieces.
Fruits I don't purée, she eats them in pieces by herself or I help her.
Vegetables I steam, cool down, purée and freeze into ice cubes.
Potatoes, rice or pasta I cook on the day itself and use a fork to 'puree' it.
Sometimes she eats exactly what I eat, so with unions and garlic and stuff in it. Just make hers a little smoother with a blender or fork.
I just got the book 'weaning' from Annabel Karmel. A friend of mine had used it and it has 'dinners' in their you could eat too. Which makes cooking easier

My little pixie took her time before she started to eat properly, she didn't understand the spoon and I refused to start with fruits. She opens up her mouth for anything and is pretty upset if I eat and she has nothing.

The babies sleeping on their mummies; This too will pass.
Man did I hate that when someone said that to me!
I carried mine a lot.
Now at almost 9 months! (please time, slow down) she prefers sleeping in her crib. We still have our morning snuggles and last bottle snuggles, those moments I cherish! And sometimes middle of the night snuggles.

ETA: wow so many mistakes...English is hard!

LynnNJ · August 2017

I was just catching up. Dylan's starting daycare tomorrow. It's just part time for the first few weeks. I'm really excited, but I feel emotions coming up. They haven't boiled to the surface yet. I am so glad I'm doing this now instead of waiting until I have to send him in September. At the same time, I feel like I don't want to let go yet when I don't have to. I left him at my parents' house once or twice so I could get something done at home. That felt weird being at home without him. This is the first time he'll be with someone that's not family. I'll try to be as positive as I do when he had blood taken last week. He did great. He cried /whined for the minute the needle was in him, and a minute later he was smiling at everyone again.... even the lady just who stuck him with the needle.

Hopefully my attitude helped him. Tomorrow, I will do the same, but this one might be tougher for me. Wish me luck!

2legbaby · August 2017

Hope all goes well tomorrow @LynnNJ!

tvh1982 · August 2017

I know the feeling @lynnnj, my LO is going on Wednesday morning to daycare even though I don't work yet.
But thought it was nice for her to get to know them.
She absolutely loves them and now I feel less worried to drop her off once I start working. As I know she thinks they are the best.

byrneme · August 2017

Hi ladies! Moving over from the 3rd Trimester board. We brought home Zoey Alexis on Friday last week and are just getting adjusted to our new life. We couldn't be happier though and it's nice to see some familiar names on this board!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/73/g7lpi0yzo9c6.jpg

Tulips29 · August 2017

@byrneme congratulations! Zoey is adorable and hope you're all adjusting to life at home well.

Drove2u · August 2017

@byrneme congrats!! She is so cute!! We almost named our daughter zoey too!!

tvh1982 · August 2017

Congratulations @byrneme

Colleen0516 · August 2017

Checking in to see how everyone is doing??
My mommy brain (x2) is in Full effect so I don't know whre I left Off in the conversation lol

Griffin5413 · August 2017

Congrats @byrneme!

capps42613 · August 2017

@byrneme Congrats & welcome!

PAIF graduates - New Mommies - July

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