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On the flip side, I have a friend who is EPing her second child (who is a year old), after doing the same for her first (now 3). She says she actually likes it, because she's a bit neurotic and likes to see exactly how much milk her baby's drinking. I guess it's a different strokes for different folks thing, just like so many other parenting choices.
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Mar 31, 2011 18:34
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Yeah, we got one because we were paranoid about Cecilia's growth since she was so tiny at birth. It was $60 when we got it, but so worth it for our peace of mind. We have this one; the cradle part comes off so you can use the scale as a toddler scale. Bonus: weighing monstrous cats on it and cheering when the baby overtakes a cat in weight. 
Fire In The Disco fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Mar 31, 2011 |
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Mar 31, 2011 19:20
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A Serious Woman, you can also do things like eating oatmeal and taking fenugreek to up your supply. The nap thing made me giggle-- not in an "Ahahahahah, what a dumbass!" kind of way, but in a, "Yeah, gotta love trial-and-error parenting" way. It was like me with burping. I didn't think breastfed babies needed to be burped. I mean, how would they get air? It just made sense to me. So when I'm sitting there holding a couple weeks old Cecilia while my sister's over, and she starts doing this thing where she sticks her tongue out over and over again right after nursing, I commented on it to my sister. She was like, "Seems to me like she needs to burp." I looked so confused. But I burped her, and voila, a humongous, fat-rear end trucker belch came out. So, uh, yeah, breastfed babies sometimes need to be burped too...
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Apr 1, 2011 00:06
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This is a touchy subject, but you need to have a deep talk with your wife. Does she want her mother there during the delivery? If she does, you want to back her on this. Anything that makes a woman's time laboring easier for her is worth doing. The two weeks after the baby comes might be excessive, or it might not be. Are you off for at least that long? If you're not, your wife might want the help. But really, the bottom line is, you two should talk and come to terms about this before you go back to the hospital.
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Apr 2, 2011 00:55
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Okay, so you guys are on the same page. That's good! So...here's where the hard part starts. Generally speaking, it's advised for the man to be the jerk for his wife's sake when it comes to these kinds of things. She has other things to focus on, etc. This one's tricky though, because it's her mother. Do you feel confident standing up to her for your wife's sake? Maybe a compromise can be reached where she comes out when you go back to work?
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Apr 2, 2011 01:39
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Is there a hotel she can stay at? Also, can you make it clear to her that if she's staying for two weeks, she's got to help out, and that doesn't mean holding the baby?
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Apr 2, 2011 05:52
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Exelsior posted:I debated about putting this next part in because its not really the same situation, but anyway... Yeah, I think this is pretty common with crummy situations postpartum that aren't nipped in the bud. I've heard similar stories to yours more than once, and my own situation postpartum, while nowhere near as big of hassle as yours or as MarshallX's potentially could be, was nevertheless not what I needed as a new mother. What I'm trying to say is, MarshallX, be an rear end in a top hat for your wife's sake, if she wants you to be.
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Apr 2, 2011 06:45
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Get the MIL out of there so that she feels comfortable with dealing with a fussy baby, because getting him to latch properly is going to be an uphill battle and she doesn't need to have the stress of MIL there compounding it. Also, look for the local LLL chapter in your area. Sometimes LCs are great but just don't get to the root of the issue. I have heard nothing but awesome things about LLL groups, and having multiple experienced breastfeeders there to help often does what a LC alone can't.
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Apr 4, 2011 07:23
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A Serious Woman posted:So what do you guys do to keep your kids entertained? Zoey's just over six weeks old and I'm at a loss as to what to do to keep her interested. I show her black and white baby stimulation images, play with her on her play mat (it has musical toys, dangly things, etc.), sing to her, talk to her, read to her, carry her around to let her see the happenings of the house (I'd do more of this if my back wasn't shot), let her sit in her chair that has dangly things that I'm teaching her to hit, etc. The problem is that no matter what we do, she gets bored within 10 minutes, starts crying and then wants to do something else. I'd be happy to do whatever I can to keep her content but I feel like my usual bag of tricks is coming up short. Any suggestions? We go somewhere every single day, and have done so since she was a month old or so. She is a very social baby and is at her happiest out in public, while on the flip side she gets bored at home all day. So even if it was just going to Target or the grocery store, even if I didn't have any shopping to do and we were going to wander, that's what we did. I found a great mom's group too, and go to playdates a couple of times a week. At that age Cecilia still slept every 1.5 or so hours, so our outings were limited, but they still broke up the monotony. I'd either get her home in time for nap or I'd let her fall asleep on me (I wore her all the time) and keep walking.
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Apr 6, 2011 01:51
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Braksgirl posted:See, I don't really do a whole lot. I think a few minutes of play time here and there are fine but the rest of the time, babies can just observe their surroundings. I don't think the baby is bored so much as she's probably got sensory overload. I think just letting her be as long as she's happy and letting her watch you fold a load of laundry is good enough for a very young baby. Sing a little song while you do it if you feel the need to interact. I don't think you have to be entertaining a baby every moment they are awake. I agree with this completely, though I added narration of the things I was doing like folding laundry. However, it doesn't change the fact that breaking up the day by going somewhere every day vastly improves my baby's demeanor that day (and has since she was tiny).
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Apr 6, 2011 03:45
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MarshallX posted:How long did the people that had issues nursing try until they gave up and pumped? How did you deliver the pumped milk to baby? I would try cup or syringe feeding him so that it's not even remotely shaped like a nipple. Like, try latching and if it ends up not working, switch to the cup or syringe. As far as the length of time thing goes-- you can keep trying for a long time if you are so inclined. I have two different friends whose babies ended up latching well later in infancy. The first is a mother of twins. The boy latched great from the start, but not the girl. She worked with the girl tirelessly, it seemed, and finally, around 3 months old, the girl began latching and nursing well. The other was even longer. Her son was a NICU baby born early, like 30ish weeks. He didn't even get to try nursing until he was like 8 weeks old. He couldn't nurse well for a very long time, but something clicked around 6 months and he is now, at 15 months, a "boobaholic," according to his mom.
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Apr 6, 2011 19:41
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I totally agree with everything Panne said, and wanted to add that if she's not already, she should try squirting milk into his mouth when she's latching him, if possible, to keep reinforcing that milk comes from her. Oh, and I know I said this once before, but La Leche League is often the saving grace of nursing relationships.
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Apr 6, 2011 21:52
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MarshallX posted:Oh my god, the breast shield was a godsend. It worked the first time we tried it with the Public Health Nurse after exhausting all other options for breast feeding. We just sat down to feed again and he went right on. That is awesome!! I've heard of people using nipple shields up to 3-4 months old, so if the baby or your wife don't feel ready in a couple of weeks to wean off of it, they still have time. 
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Apr 8, 2011 00:35
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My original plan was to go back to work when Cecilia was 12 weeks old. In the US, maternity leave is laughable. You generally qualify for 12 weeks of unpaid time off, but that is about all employers are required to provide. My employer was considered quite generous-- I got 2 weeks off before my due date (she was actually born on the first day of my maternity leave, at 38 weeks exactly), and then 6 weeks of paid leave, as well as the option to take 6 more unpaid. By the time she was 3 or 4 weeks old, I was pretty sure I didn't want to go back at all. We started messing with finances, and we knew it would be really, really tight. We went back and forth for a few more weeks about it, but by the time Cecilia was 10 weeks old, we'd decided that we could make it work. So I ended up putting in my two weeks' notice and then using accrued vacation time to cover those two weeks, so I never went back at all. It has not been easy, that's for sure. We never have extra money for anything gratuitous, and that is harder with a baby than it ever was before. But I wouldn't change anything. I am thrilled to be a stay-at-home mom, and I know that my mental state would not be very good if I was still working. We'd have more money, but less happiness.
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Apr 8, 2011 00:55
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I did Hypnobabies along with Bradley childbirth classes. I didn't do much with workbooks with the HB, just listened to the tracks at night. I do think it really helped though; I was very much able to be inwardly focused during labor. The nurses were surprised at how quiet I was while pushing, and I was so deeply focused that I actually drifted off between contractions. So I think it worked well, even if I didn't follow it as intended.
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Apr 8, 2011 18:18
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It sounds to me like he doesn't want to be put down. Can he be worn for naps? It's really common for young babies to sleep best being snuggled-- remember, he was held 24/7 up until recently!
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Apr 9, 2011 17:08
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Missa posted:I nursed my first daughter to sleep basically every time she needed to sleep for about the first year. Everything can create bad habits. I agree with this a thousand times. Advice from outside people often is do not do xyz because it will form bad habits. For me, self-preservation won out. If Cecilia slept, I slept. Therefore, I was willing to do what comforted her, so we could both rest. Besharing? Yep. Nursing to sleep all the time? Check. And in fact, now, at a year old, she nurses to sleep half of the time and goes to sleep after nursing the other half. She did that all on her own with no help from me. I really advocate doing what makes the most harmony for your family, as hippie-dippie as that sounds, and worrying later about making changes. Here's another anecdote to support that: Cecilia needed to be held to sleep for the first three months. All sleeps, all the time. I would try her in the swing and never had any success. But somewhere around 3-4 months, she began to be okay with being put in the swing asleep and would stay asleep for 15 minutes. Then 20. Then an hour. Finally, she would take upwards of a 4 hour nap in the swing. It just took her body getting a little more mature.
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Apr 11, 2011 02:38
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But, she was able to put herself to sleep shortly before her first birthday-she was just a comfort nurser. Side nursing saved me hours of sleep.
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foxatee posted:Alright. I'm at 38 weeks and I still haven't felt any contractions. At least, if I am having them, I don't notice. The most I've gotten are menstrual-like cramps, which my doctor says is perfectly normal. Is it normal for me not to feel any contractions this late in the game? Because every time I go in for my weekly check-up, he asks if I've felt anything and I feel like such a failure for not feeling a drat thing. I had some Braxton Hicks, but they were pretty noticeably just those, as they only consisted of my belly tightening, and nothing else. But the first time I had real contractions that I could feel down to my cervix, I was going into active labor. edit: You also can have contractions that you can't really feel, but are definitely there. Have you had any non-stress tests? During those the monitor can pick up contractions, so you can look to see if you've had any. Fire In The Disco fucked around with this message at 05:12 on Apr 11, 2011 |
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Apr 11, 2011 05:04
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Ariza posted:She was just under 6 lbs when born and only a bit past that now. We have a couple of different carriers and one sling and they all have a minimum of 8 lbs for usage. I think I'll try one and see if she seems comfy and able to breathe. Try a wrap-- I wore my tiny baby from 2 weeks old onward in a wrap. She was 6 lbs at birth and 5 lbs 10 oz when I took her home. By 2 weeks old she was just over 6 lbs. You want to wear the baby upright, with her legs froggied in, facing you. She'll rest her head on your chest, and it will be easy to ensure she's breathing fine. I am pretty staunchly against CIO, but even the most ardent supporters of it don't recommend going that way until 6 months old, so I wouldn't even consider it with a baby as little as yours.
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Apr 12, 2011 17:32
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Revenant77 posted:Do you swaddle her? If not, I highly recommend it. My kid tries to be Houdini but it helps when we put her down for bed. It helps with transitioning her from my arms to bed/swing because she gets jostled less. Definitely this, and if she fusses about being swaddled, do it right before you give her milk. That seems to be a magic cure-all for swaddle fuss. I highly recommend the SwaddleMe velcro swaddles.
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Apr 12, 2011 19:08
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Liviana posted:I also am a firm believer in an early bedtime once they are hold enough to start learning to go to sleep on their own. Aki is still in bed before 7 every night and often by 6:30. Yes, that means I get a wake up call around 7am every morning, but she is an incredibly pleasant, happy baby on that schedule and I really do think that her bedtime makes a huge difference. This kind of thing, I have found, is generally true for many kids, but it's good for people to know that there are always exceptions to the rule. Cecilia's one of those kids who has always napped well but never slept more than 8 or 9 hours at night-- certainly not 12. But, even though she goes to bed at 9-10pm, she is happy and well-rested and I don't see a need to try to force her to sleep more, since she does well as is. So yes, try for an early bedtime when your baby is sleeping consistently, but if it doesn't work for your family for whatever reason, don't stress it either. Winson_Paine, congrats, she is gorgeous!
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Apr 13, 2011 00:07
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I think part of it at least is the high variation in when a test comes up positive for different women. I know of some women who have gotten positives as soon as 8-9 days past ovulation. Me, though, it took until I was 6 weeks pregnant (which is 4 weeks past conception) to get the positive. By the time the most women have missed a period, they're a good 2-3 or so weeks past conception, or 4-5 weeks pregnant, and for most women that is long enough for there to be enough growth hormone in their urine. I'm just the unlucky one who took longer.
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Apr 13, 2011 05:45
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I was on birth control pills for about 12 years as well. It took around 7 months for me to get pregnant after getting off of them. If she does start to want to track anything fertility wise, get her a copy of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility." That book is amazing (although irony of ironies, I was already pregnant when I got it, I just didn't know it yet)!
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Apr 13, 2011 16:46
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Old Navy and oldnavy.com often have pretty good sales.
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Apr 13, 2011 23:53
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AlistairCookie posted:You also can't beat Penny's (physical store) for kids clothes. Creepers for $4, two piece outfits for $6 when they run their clearances. God, this is true. There is one nearish me, and everything is so goddamn cheap. I love it.
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Apr 14, 2011 00:55
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It's entirely possible that I still live in yoga pants now, a year postpartum.  I also live in the desert aka the surface of the sun.
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Apr 14, 2011 22:54
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Your Pregnancy Week by Week is a good one. I liked that one a lot when I was pregnant. My day that started a new week of pregnancy was Tuesday, so Monday nights my husband and I would read the next chapter to see what was going on the upcoming week.  As for books about the first couple of months, I would suggest "The Happiest Baby on the Block" (they have a DVD as well if that's preferable) and Dr. Sears' "The Attachment Parenting Book."
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Apr 20, 2011 00:39
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Helanna posted:Are these glucose tests done for everyone, or just for specific reasons? I've never heard of them before. The OB practice I went to (US) does it for everyone, although I didn't get one because I'm a full-time diabetic (lucky me  ).Amykinz, mine grew a lot early on, and then not a lot again until my milk came in.
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Apr 23, 2011 21:49
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foxatee posted:I didn't know this was a possibility. This sounds awesome, and good for you for sticking to it. Also good for you for syringe feeding to avoid nipple confusion. limegrnxj, what Juanito said is what I was told too-- the level of activity your body's used to is fine to keep up, unless it starts to make you lightheaded or feel weird. Adding new exercise routines is generally not recommended unless your doctor okays it.
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Apr 25, 2011 22:48
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foxatee posted:A few things: 1. If she's still latching fine for nursing, and you're not totally against pacis, I wouldn't worry. You have plenty of time later on to limit it to sleeping or duress only, etc. 2. I still can only trim Cecilia's nails when she is swaddled, with her hands poking out the bottom of the swaddle flaps (this is the velcro kind, the SwaddleMe). When she was teeny, I did it when she was asleep. Now that she doesn't sleep in the swaddle, I do it while she's awake and there is much displeasure vocalized. 3. I like the washable kind.
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Apr 26, 2011 19:31
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MarshallX posted:Anyone have any tips for mucus in our 3 week old's eye? We've been massaging the (where we think) tearduct is at every change and wiping away the mucus. The white of his eye is not red so we don't think it's an infection. Sounds like it could be a blocked tear duct, and you're already doing a good thing for it by doing the massage. I'd wash it away with warm water on a very soft cloth rather than just wiping it though. If your wife is still breastfeeding at all, a bit of milk in it can help, too. If it doesn't clear up quickly, though, talk to your doctor.
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Apr 26, 2011 23:04
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It's not uncommon to start dilating early, especially if this isn't your first baby. I remember my sister walked around for like 3 weeks at 5 cm with her second. And even though she was my first, I was at 4 cm for at least two weeks before Cecilia was born.
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Apr 28, 2011 20:11
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I find that the Bravado BodySilk nursing bras offer plenty of support for my DDD/F cups, and they are underwire free. They also come in S, M, L, etc sizes, and there's a little wiggle room in each size, so going up another cup size doesn't mean getting rid of the bra.
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May 2, 2011 22:03
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I've heard great things about nipple shields for those who need them, including people who use them up through the first 3, 4, even 5 months before weaning off of them. How is your supply? Do you overproduce? Underproduce? For the most part, leaving on one side is preferable because the fattier, more filling, more nutrient rich hindmilk is "behind" the waterier foremilk. There are a few exceptions to staying on one side, like if you don't produce much milk and the baby is fussing for more, and you know more isn't flowing.
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May 3, 2011 05:43
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I would talk to her about it. She might suggest some stuff to do over the course of the next year, including starting on prenatals. Ironic story- we had a pre-conception appointment set up with my OB/Gyn, and had to make it like 4-6 weeks in advance, because they're longer appointments and she was all booked up. About 2 weeks before the appointment, I got a positive pee stick test. So my pre-conception turned into a regular OB visit. She called us overachievers.
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May 4, 2011 03:08
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Let them air dry and apply lanolin. Cooling packs can help a lot too; there are gel ones that are made to go in the fridge and then you just tuck one into your bra.
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May 4, 2011 21:03
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foxatee posted:I'll have to look into these gel packs. I've been using an ice pack and that lessens the pain a great deal. I have been letting them air dry and whatnot (again with the fear of thrush), but the ice pack seems to be the only thing that makes the pain go away. Get a little potty, sit her on said potty, wait til she's done pooping, and finish changing her. The 15-20 minutes per side thing is mostly considered to be outdated information, according to my LC last year. The big exception to that would be if after 15-20 minutes the baby is fussy and you're not actually getting any milk out anymore. And yeah, side-lying nursing is a freaking godsend for sleeping!
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May 7, 2011 05:44
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dreamcatcherkwe posted:I don't think you're supposed to use sunscreen before 6 months. Just put a sunhat on him and a light layer of clothing. Yes, this. Even sunblock rather than sunscreen is next recommended before 6 months. When you and your wife are outside, are you in the direct sun the whole time yourselves? Do you have shade you sit in? Just hold him or wear him if you yourself are in the shade.
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May 9, 2011 20:37
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foxatee posted:Speaking of wraps and whatnot-- living in Houston in the summer, it gets pretty drat hot. Today it is 90 degrees with a low of 70. What would be the best type of carrier? Keep in mind I gotta get something my husband will use, as well. I live in the desert, and in the summer, temps top out at about 110. I wore Cecilia last summer (she was 2-5 months, approx) in a cotton gauze wrap. It's totally breathable and it lets air through it. However, my husband wasn't always a fan of using it, because he didn't want to practice the wrapping technique to get it down.
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May 9, 2011 21:01
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| # ¿ May 14, 2024 17:42 |
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They do, and it is AWESOME STUFF. It's one of the few things that doesn't make my crazy-rear end skin break out.
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May 10, 2011 00:14
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