PAIF Graduates - New Mommies - October 2018

mtpbadger · October 2018

@cashewchicken oh no! Glad you are all on the mend but goodness, everything got thrown at you!

Abigail is extra clingy today. As annoying as it is, I’m enjoying all the snuggles bc she is usually so active the snuggles are a rarity.

cashewchicken · October 2018

Oh and is it just me or the doctor doesn’t know what she is talking about? When we took him into the weekend clinic to consult a physician about his diarrhea, we were told to stop nursing and give him yogurt, mashed potato and lots of water. Uh, what? She said the breastmilk contains lactose and because he has diarrhea, he should refrain from milk even though my son isn’t lactose intolerant. My son is only six months old and just started experimenting solid food recently. Now we are supposed to take his main source of nutrition away? He can’t eat enough solid food to get enough nutrition from it. I just scoffed at the suggestion and kept breast feeding as it seems the google doctor seemed okay with the idea.

mbradfo2 · October 2018

@cashewchicken
Oh, what a rough week!!! School and daycare are great for spreading viruses around....I know we always get a rush of patients when school starts. Poor baby (and parents!). At least it sounds like he's getting over the worst of it.

Sometimes viruses can cause little rashes on the skin or maybe something he ate (flavor of pedialyte?). Anne has horribly sensitive skin and I'm always dealing with little red rashy spots of irritation from her diaper or clothes or just from too much contact w/ her saliva (yay teething). I keep hydrocortisone and aquaphor handy.

Did the daycare say if any other kids were sick? It does sound like you got a couple of bugs at the same time

I think it does get better as he gets older and more exposed to all the little bugs around us. But yeah, groups of kiddos == rampant illness spreading! Even for older folks -- I know the first year I was in pediatrics I got all sorts of illnesses I hadn't had in ages (ear infection, pink eye, strep throat...).

And that doctor sounds crazy. If he was allergic to lactose, he would have been sick from it ages ago and milk/formula should be his main source of food until 1 year! Perhaps she wants the yogurt for the live active cultures --- but there are products (culturelle, for example) designed for kids and babies that are better. You can even get some oatmeal with probiotics from gerber to mix into his milk. There's no way a baby who has just started solids is going to take enough solid food to keep him full and happy -- and that would be such a massive transition that it could cause GI upset on its own! We've been doing solids for about a month now and we are still 4 bottles a day with just one pouch of solids and the doctor says to just stay at that for now.

Edited to add -- was this an after hours peds clinic or just a regular minute clinic/urgicare? Sometimes the doctors aren't used to dealing with very little kids if they're just regular GPs or family doctors. The advice sounds like something you'd do for an older kiddo, not a baby. Does your pediatrician offer after hours phone advice? We always have one doctor on call answering the phone to cover after hours and decide whether they should go to the ER or an after hours clinic or if it can just be managed at home until the office opens.

Aera11 · October 2018

@mtpbadger you definitely weren't overreacting, I'd be the same way! You pay for child care & it's their job to care for your child how you would.

@2MomsHoping so glad you're mastitis is on the mend!!

@cashewchicken I'm so sorry your son was so sick, ugh that sounds horrible. Poor little guy

wildrainbow · October 2018

@2MomsHoping you need to stop saying things to make me cry, you are too sweet. I'm ok. This is really hard and my milk took a nose dive yesterday and I almost panicked. Luckily the LC calmed me down this morning.

@cashewchicken Wow! You've been through it! I'm so sorry it was a crazy cascade effect. I hope your sweet boy recovers fully and y'all can get some rest.

wildrainbow · October 2018

So, today was the best day ever! We got NICU this morning and the first thing they said was they drop his peep down to 3, then they said they were coming off it!! Matthew is on a high flow cannula at 23% oxygen on 3 liters. But, the good news didn't end there. They said I could hold him! Y'all, today, at 5 days old, I got to hold my baby for the first time. Today is also the fist day I've been able to see his face clearly. Seriously, BEST. DAY. EVER!

JWatt5 · October 2018

@wildrainbow - he’s so handsome!! So glad you finally got to hold your little man. I hope the good news keeps rolling in!

2MomsHoping · October 2018

@cashewchicken I feel so awful for all of you. I hope all of you feel better soon. Your poor little one. It’s so hard to see them not feel well and being exhausted doesn’t help. That doctor suggesting to totally switch his diet sounds crazy to me. I would also ignore that advice.

@wildrainbow now you are making me cry. I’m so so so happy to see you with Michael holding him in your arms at last.

sarzee2 · October 2018

@cashewchicken it sounds so awful what you guys have been going through, hope everyone gets well soon! And the doctor sounds like an absolute lunatic!

@wildrainbow omg seriously crying, I can only imagine a fraction of your relief at being able to hold him finally! Definitely will be holding my guy a little tighter today

mtpbadger · October 2018

@wildrainbow tears over here too! What an awesome day! And he is absolutely gorgeous! Glad he is doing so well and hope you are able to bring him home soon. Enjoy all those snuggles with him!

Holls214 · October 2018

@wildrainbow awe that is amazing. Congrats Mama. He is adorable.

@cashewchicken I’m so sorry sounds like you have been through the ringer. Hoping everything gets better soon. Hugs!

persnickity · October 2018

@wildrainbow he's so handsome! And yay for being able to hold him for the first time. I teared up reading your update.

@cashewchicken Mackenzie has diarrhea for the first time at 13 months. The pediatrition said to stop giving her cow's milk, because it's can be harder to digest when sick, causing more issues, but strongly encouraged nursing to help keep up fluid intake.

The first few months of daycare, none of us got sick. Between months 3-7 of daycare, we were all sick monthly. Now it's a lot less often, so it does get better!

@2MomsHoping We swaddled with her arms out to help transition to a sleep sack. It was tough for a couple days until she got used to it. If you don't have it, download the Wonder Weeks app. It's a life saver. Tells you when to expect no sleep. 😉

mbradfo2 · October 2018

@wildrainbow
How perfect!! I hope he gets to go home soon! He's such a tough little guy! Kudos to all of your NICU nurses and doctors making sure you get some bonding in

Are they doing any kangaroo care for you guys?

wildrainbow · October 2018

@mbradfo2 not quite yet. Today he literally got his IV out, and CPAP. We may start it soon. The Best thing was he immediately starting rooting when the nurse put him on me. That was the best thing ever!

Polythene Pam · October 2018

@wildrainbow happy tears!! He is beautiful! Hugs mama!!

@cashewchicken healing vibes, ugh I hope everyone is better soon!! And nope ignore that advice. Every bug and illness we’ve had, my doc said nurse nurse nurse. I did have to cut dairy but that’s not just a bug, both kids had a dairy intolerance. I still nursed (my son, my daughter was mostly formula)

cashewchicken · October 2018

@mtpbadger Daycare is so hard. I’m glad your DH had a chance to talk to the teachers. Being left on the side crying while everyone else is in a circle being read a book doesn’t sound right. @mbradfo2 The pictures of my son at the daycare showed him with different toys in his mouth so it was a matter of time he got sick and brought a bug or two home. My son doesn’t have a particularly sensitive skin, I don’t think, but we have been using pampers pure products, mostly unscented wipes, detergents and mostly organic cotton clothing all along. Lately with the diarrhea DH had been doing more laundry and a couple of times I noticed that he used scented detergent that we used to use before our baby came along. We will be hyper vigilant about the scented stuff from now on just in case. The doctor that told us to stop giving him BM was a pediatrician as we went to a weekend/after hours pediatric clinic. So I feel like she should have known better. Right now we are giving him probiotic drops instead of yogurt. Thanks ladies for agreeing with me that the doctor is crazy! @wildrainbow Matthew is gorgeous!

mbradfo2 · October 2018

@cashewchicken
Have you tried the Pampers Pure diapers? My mom keeps Pampers Pure diapers on hand for when she's watching Anne -- they are so soft and lovely feeling! I wish they weren't so pricey so I could switch to them from swaddlers!

Hopeful_mom · October 2018

@wildrainbow what a vision happy tears indeed! So excited to see you holding your strong Lil prince! Hoping you can bring him home soon!!!

@cashewchicken oh dear u poor thing! I’m so sorry u all had such a rough go of it! It’s so hard seeing your child sick and not knowing exactly what’s wrong to fix it! On top of being sick yourself!! Way to go mama!!

@2MomsHoping glad ur boobs are doing better!!! It’s crazy what our boobs go through! I’m glad I’m already on antibiotics and hope it clears up soon!!

so annoyed this disper rash is still here! And now I’m scared my LO is getting sick on top of it. Unfortunately my niece had a cold that lingered so she has been around germs but was hoping I could keep her germ free. She’s started to randomly coughing. She’s still breaths through her nose ok but this cough is a lil scary. She has so much extra saliva with her drooling that I can’t tell if she’s just choking on that at times. I have a feeling I’ll be taking her to the dr if it continues. As she randomly coughed while sleeping too waking her up. I purposely did not want her in day care to try and keep her from getting sick. I’m so frustrated! I guess my question is if it’s a cold woukdnt a runny nose go with it? It seems odd for the cough to come first no?

mbradfo2 · October 2018

@Hopeful_mom

Is the cough 'wet' sounding? It could be a bronchitis or croupy type of cough -- those wouldn't necessarily have a runny nose associated with it. If the cough sounds junky/wet, I'd put in a call to your doctor since they might want to see her to check and make sure she doesn't need any medication to soothe the cough. And of course, if it continues whether it's wet or dry sounding, I would talk to the doctor. That way, even if the doctor says 'no big deal, just push fluids and keep an eye on things' , you can ask if she can take an infant cough syrup like Zarbees to see if it helps.

Is she otherwise acting fine - eating well, cheery, resting - whatever is normal for her?

I didn't see -- did your doc give you nystatin or anything for the diaper rash? You could also try a different brand of diapers to see if there's a kind that wicks the moisture away from her skin a little bit better. We were just talking about Pampers Pure -- they keep baby dry very nicely. And maybe let her have some "diaper free" time before putting on a new diaper when you change her. Sometimes just airing out that area can help.

prudence9-2 · October 2018

Lurking from 3rd trimester...
@wildrainbow so glad you got to hold him!

2MomsHoping · October 2018

@Hopeful_mom I’m so sorry you are still having a rough go of it. We also do pampers pure diapers. I don’t think she has particularly sensitive skin but they do a good job at keeping her skin dry in the diaper. I hope her cough improves. I really don’t think it hurts to do a call in to your pediatrician. Hope she feels better soon.

cashewchicken · October 2018

@mbradfo2 We’ve been using pampers pure diapers pretty much since the beginning, except a couple of times when the diaper was not in stock at a nearby Target. My son can use regular pampers swaddles too (no rash) but I can’t stand the smell of scented diapers! It is pricey but worth it as long as I don’t have to sniff the scented diapers. Haha

@Hopeful_mom I hope your baby is not getting sick! And sorry she still has a diaper rash. My son has one too now with all the diarrhea that he’s had over the past week. We change him as soon as we know he wet/dirtied his diaper but still we wound up with one. We are now religiously applying aquaphor to his bum.

Hopeful_mom · October 2018

@mbradfo2 at first the cough was slight now I hear kink it’s so frustrating! I cold my dr but she’s already gone for the day, will take her tomorrow. I was planning on taking her even to check her rash!

I use pampers swaddlers and have been changing her the min she goes, I can’t believe how many believe how many diapers I’ve gone through already! Dr gave my nystatin but looking at the pics I took from when it started it’s awful and has gone through many stages. I hate having to test things out...u want the first thing to work. Aquaphor did nothing, desitin made it worse, balmax helped in the beginning...now I’m bac to butt paste. All with the drs info. I tried a&d too. No with this cold coming it’s too much. I wanted her to have no issues before trying food so looks like I’m still pushing it off!

And thank gd she’s still in good spirits and acting herself!! I’m concerned the rash is hurting her! I don’t think she’s thrilled but still ok

Hopeful_mom · October 2018

I’m happy to report that all my trial and error is finally paying off on this diaper rash!! Just praying in continues and goes away!!! Nystatin is good but also very strong for her skin that probably got irritated too. She’s such a wiggly worm we practically both took a bath in the balmax I had to wipe her legs down after I finally got her diapered! She’s such a character!

JWatt5 · October 2018

@Hopeful_mom - glad it’s workng. We had a bad rash from his poop a week ago and it’s just staying vigilant with the changing and gentle cleaning. I was even getting up middle of the night to change his diaper. It always looks so sore - glad it’s not really bothering her!!

[Deleted User] · October 2018

Speaking of rashes, I'm just curious.

Is a certain amount of redness in the bum area just normal when I take the diaper off? I'm inclined to think it's normal because nothing seems particularly "rashy" or angry at all, just looks similar to any slight red pressure marks from where elastic might hit. (Only in a different location.) I don't want to think she actually might be uncomfortable...

persnickity · October 2018

@BusinessWife Every so often there's slight redness from pressure marks. Like what you might see from elastic. If it's red around her vagina, creases of her legs, or anus, we apply a bit of diaper cream just in case. They said it never hurts to put a bit on.

2MomsHoping · October 2018

@hopeful_mom. I wish I could reach out and give you a hug it can be so overwhelming when everything is coming at you. I’m glad the rash is clearing up. Your doing awesome.

@businesswife we sometimes see a bit of redness too. She is prone to heat rashes and I think for her it’s related because we often see it when she is snug and
maybe a little over warm in her car seat or boppy for awhile. We put on diaper cream when we see and before bed as a just in case. It’s never developed into a rash yet (knock on wood)

mbradfo2 · October 2018

@BusinessWife
We usually have the red pressure marks from the diaper folds on the bum. I think it's more noticeable to us because she is so incredibly fair skinned -- if you pick her up (even gently), she'll have marks for a minute or two where you were holding her! I've learned to distinguish between normal and diaper rash by the look -- pressure marks are usually more pink than red and look like creases on the skin. Diaper rash is an intense red that comes in fairly solid patches rather than looking like cobwebs or creases.

And omg, leap 5 is no joke. We're nearing the end of it but she will burst into tears if I leave her side (even within sight) and gets fussy so easily if she's bored or tired. I spent most of the day moping up tears it seems.

Hopeful_mom · October 2018

@JWatt5 I keep hoping it’s not and she usually doesn’t scream while I clean her so I’m hoping it’s not. Now that she has this awful cold I have that to worry about too!! So annoyed as it’s not even winter and she has a cough too.

@2MomsHoping thanks I could use one! I’m laughing as this is suppose to be the easy part

@BusinessWife dr had me use buttpastr from the beginning as she is soooo sensitive and all was perfect till recently out of no where.

@mbradfo2 I have to still get the app that discusses the leap but my LO does not like to be alone. Even if I put her in the rocker she has to then go where I go or at least near someone to talk to. I wonder if she’ll always be this socialable

JWatt5 · October 2018

@hopeful_mom - you'd know if it was bothering her because she would be upset when you were cleaning her. When Parker has one that's bugging him he would cry through the diaper change - the last one was the worst (out of the 3 we've ever had - first two were because of thrush) and he was so upset with changes.

stella_700 · October 2018

@cashewchicken Oof, I'm so sorry for your little man, that sounds dreadful to have to go through all that. He deserves all the snuggles. You are doing a good job staying on top of it.

@ wildrainbow That little face! I'm so glad that he's improving so fast. Praying that it only snowballs from here. Does your hospital have rooms for parents while in the NICU? Once the twins were only in the feeding/growing stage they moved them to their own room, still considered NICU but not as critical. They both still had their feeding tubes, but no IV, lights for bili or breathing help. It had a pull out bed/futon so I could sleep there. I think I may have stayed every night but two nights, I really helped me get into the flow of caring for them. Being close to him will really boost your supply also. I'd ask about it, it couldn't hurt.

@hopefulmom @JWatt5 Oh, poor little bottoms. So far we've been pretty lucky. Except for that horrible case at the hospital (I blame the wipes) we've been pretty good. I'm not sure if its the cloth diapers or the disposables but I'm dealing with what look like rubbing marks on Chase's little butt. Just two marks on the same place on each cheek. I'm alternating between the A & D cream and the aquaphor, it seems to be improving but I'd like to see what's causing it.

wildrainbow · October 2018

@stella_700 I dont know if they have that or not. I know they have rooms for parents to sleep in, but I don't know if babies can be present. He isn't quite ready to move to the step down room, yet, but we are getting close. I'm hoping we can try to bf soon.

mbradfo2 · October 2018

It's been a rough two days here >.< She tries to stay up even though she's tired and just gets crankier and crankier. She's been chewing on anything and everything so I'm assuming her teeth are bothering her a bit. If she's cranky tonight, I'll probably give her some tylenol; I gave her a dose before bed yesterday and she slept from 8 pm to 5 am (normal wake up for me and her, we are crazies. Also the cat expects her food in her dish at 6 am sharp.)

Her crying really breaks my heart though...poor baby.. She's ordinarily so cheery and you can tell she wants to smile and have fun but she's just soooo tired and her mouth hurts. She's not inconsolable at least; if you pick her up, she calms down and snuggles. Unfortunately I can't hold her 24/7 and she hates the baby carrier >.<

It didn't help that the cleaning people come Monday morning so it was extra difficult for her to just nod off as she got progressively more tired. I have two sets of gel teething keys so I'll probably toss those in the fridge for later. My MIL also suggested chilling a wet washcloth in the fridge since she likes chewing on fabric.

JWatt5 · October 2018

@mbradfo2 - we used a wet wash cloth a lot! and we actually soaked it in chamomile to help soothe him. Teething is the worst.
One thing he really loved and still does is the Munch Mitt!

wildrainbow · October 2018

@mbradfo2 ds1 loved the wash cloth more than the teethers. I hope she feels better soon, teething is the worst.

mbradfo2 · October 2018

@JWatt5
@wildrainbow
I don't want to jinx it but so far the afternoon has been a bit smoother! She's been bouncing in her baby bjorn and playing with some toys without much fuss. -crosses fingers-

We have some fridge baby food (Once Upon a Farm, was on sale at the store so I figured what the heck) and I might give her some of that for dinner to help soothe her gums a bit. She's really liked the flavors she has tried so far -- might go for avocado today!

Hopeful_mom · October 2018

@mbradfo2 hope she feels better and enjoys her avocado

it’s the worst seeing them in pain!

persnickity · October 2018

@mbradfo2 I'll echo that teething is the worst! I never found a toy or thing that Mackenzie would chew on consistently. It was something different each time. Has to just rely on Tylenol to help. Nights were her worst.

wildrainbow · October 2018

Y'all, Matthew is out of his isolette! He is on 21% oxygen at 1 liter. He gets to wear clothes!! We also got to try to BF since he moved to an NG tube. He did amazing!!

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