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@Beehive: we are just about to hit 3 weeks and I am noticing more awake time and alertness. It's not as easy to get him to nap as it was week one. He has also been fussy for his last feeding of the evening two nights in a row which I am still hoping is a fluke.
@gentlelunette: how's J doing? I hope the colds have cleared up. There is a stomach bug going around B's daycare and I am crossing fingers that it misses us.
My husband was back to work for the first day today and it actually went really well. I've been nervous about being on my own with two but today was a great confidence boost.
It is super early in my leave and I already seriously do not want to go back!
How are you all doing? I can't believe February is over. It's been looming for me since I got pregnant basically; it still seems a bit surreal to be on the other side.
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@gilmoregirl: glad your first day went well! I've had a pretty good week with 2, yesterday was nice enough that I used the k'tan for the first time ever and took both for a walk.
Today on the other hand stomach pains hit hard and so we watched too much TV, but survived.
Em is so easy right now I hope it lasts, shes very sleepy and never cries. (Besides the first two days). Eager to see some more awake time with her. Can't believe I'm already on week 2 of my 6-1/2 week leave.
It's going to go way too fast.
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That'll teach me to want more awake time, she was wide awake from 5 -6 this morning.
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@josina: lol!! Isn't that always the way? I was thinking yesterday just how much J was sleeping, and then I thought "Dont jinx it!!" Fortunately we had a fairly restful night, but she's been a bit wired this morning.
J's congestion seems to be clearing up. She's still a noisy breather, but it doesn't appear to be laboured like it was when she was stuffed up. We have our two week midwife check up this afternoon and I'm excited to see how much she's grown!
I had my first (unexpected) solo evening... DH got stuck at work on his first day back and I did daycare pickup/dinner/bath/bed on my own. It went way more smoothly than I could have imagined. I doubt it'll ever be that easy again, but it was nice to have the first time alone with both girls go so well!
@gilmoregirl: @josina: glad your first days solo went well too!
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Hi moms! Been kind of mia since I hate typing on my phone one handed. We are doing good though, 3 weeks old today! Babe loves to sleep and has been giving me 4-6 hour stretches! I'm worried because it seems like too much! Going to take her to get weighed today just to make sure she is still gaining appropriately. They said I didn't have to wake her once she passed birthweight which was about two weeks ago but I'm still paranoid. She's a good eater when she is awake bough. I was having a ton of nipple pain but saw an LC last week and we are working through it-seems to be bc I have one inverted nipple primarily so hopefully it will improve as it did with my son.
@gilmoregirl: I am noticing the same things - more alert, a little bit harder to get down for naps, and a few evenings of witching hour style fussiness and cluster feeding...not as bad as my first but who knows it's stil relatively early on! Awesome you had a good experience with the two on your own; I had one day when my Don's daycare was closed and I had two on my own and felt like such a champ we got out to the park and had a successful day although the afternoon featured more screen time than normal
when do you go back to work?@gentlelunette: the solo evenings are hard, good job mama!! I have done two so far and one was awesome bc DD slept while I did DS dinner and bath and be other night was a mess of trying to nurse a crying cluster feeding baby while simultaneously bathing and reading to my toddler. But we made it!
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Glad to read everyone is surviving their first solo evenings and/or days. I'm trying to savor the last week of my mom being here before reality will set in and I'll have to handle daycare pick ups with all four.
My two have been way more alert but not really more awake than the time they spend nursing. Although J was really fussy and is currently sleeping on my arm... While they have been fussy in the evenings they aren't nearly as bad as their older brother was so I'll take it.
F had her 4-6 week check-up with the pediatrician yesterday and she has nearly gained a kilo (so a little over two pounds). Everything else is fine too. J has his appointment tomorrow but he's gained the same (the midwife weighs him) I have a feeling though that he has grown more in length than F did. We shall see...
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@josina: haha doesn't it always go that way? We had a fairly restless night last night. T has done a few 5 hour stretches in his life but we are generally at 3-3.5 and I'm tired! Big brother fortunately has slept till 7 this week.
@gentlelunette: our day went so smoothly that it almost feels like a jinx. Like, I made real mac and cheese on the stove and everything felt so under control. Can't possibly last haha. Solo bedtime though!! Way to go.
@maggierose: right now I am going back in August when the new school year starts. I'd love to take the fall semester off as well but it's no pay, no benefits and it is really a stretch. I know I'm lucky that I can take even the six months though! Although that is also no pay, no benefits.
@Pumuckl: pickup with 4!! I was stressed yesterday doing pickup with one. Do you bring the babies in with you? T was mostly asleep so I kept him in the car seat but he is usually screaming his face off in the car so I dunno how we will handle it going forward. Maybe he will learn to sleep in the car.
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@gilmoregirl: lol. Real mac and cheese... I'm impressed. When I say I managed dinner, I should mention that DD1 ate boxed mac and cheese and strawberries and I had a protein bar and an apple. Not exactly a balanced dinner for either of us, but whatever! Haha
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I'm noticing some more alertness here too... but I'm kind of at a loss of what to do with her when she's awake! I usually just stick her on her back in the floor or the couch beside me and she squirms around until she's fussy and needs to sleep. Lol. Two weeks seems too young to use the activity gym. What do you guys do with your babes when they're up?
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@gentlelunette: hey, fed is fed. I would have used a box if I had it...something had to go with our fish sticks.
When T is awake I usually just stick him in the swing and try to keep big brother from squishing him.
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@Pumuckl: two pounds?! That's amazing! Glad to hear the babes are doing so well. I really don't know how you're managing 4. I'm in awe... supermom!
@maggierose: it's hard to keep up on here! Glad you're doing well and that things are getting better with the breastfeeding. I had some issues early on too when my milk came in and J had a hard time latching. Those days of cracked, bleeding nipples were so rough. I'm sort of thinking tonight (another solo night) might go sideways since yesterday was such a breeze!
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@gentlelunette: I usually put her on my lap and stare at her, lol. I have put her on the activity mat too and do some tummy time on that. Mostly I just savor these newborn days.
@Pumuckl: awesome weight gain! Hope next week goes well without your mom.
@maggierose: I'm paranoid yet too and have been waking em up at times, she has gone four hours though. I'll be glad once I'm sure she's gaining on track. -
@gilmoregirl: @josina: Thanksnfor the input. Maybe I'll bust out the activity mat, although today J's eyes haven't been open long enough to even see it. LOL!
We had our two week check up yesterday. J is doing great. She's gained 8oz in 8 days (yay) so she's now 7lb 3oz. Still so tiny, but growing well!
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Argh my computer just ate the long post I was about to submit! Anyways, it's great hearing everyone's updates. A is doing well, she was up to 8 pounds 16 oz at her 4 week checkup. Her reflux was still bothering her, so we went to an ENT who looked in her throat and confirmed that it was reflux. She started taking Zantac last night, and it seemed to really help (which is interesting because I read that it can take a couple weeks to kick in), but this morning she had reflux during a couple feeds again. Hopefully it will get better when the medication builds up in her system.
Sleep has been a mixed bag - she'll usually sleep for 4-5 hours for her first stretch (starting around 11 or 12, so we go to bed with her), then 2 hours or so for her next stretch. The problem is, it takes about an hour to nurse her and then another half hour to get her to sleep again after her first stretch of sleep, so hopefully that will get easier soon.
She's still quite sleepy during the day - we need to be better about keeping her awake in the evenings, or her nights are affected, though it is very difficult keeping her up when she's determined to nap!
DS was sent home from preschool with a fever on Thursday, so we're trying to keep him away from the baby. I also have some sort of virus (started as a sore throat and now my nose is going and I have a little cough). Really looking forward to winter being over soon.
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We got a 6 hour stretch last night!!! It means I slept for about 5 hours straight. This might never happen again but I feel so good today. All the every two hour nights have been rough.
@Beehive: what reflux symptoms does your guy have? They told me to be on the lookout with my son for reflux because of some breathing issues. He does do this squeaky swallow thing after eating that seems like it could be something but he also doesn't seem at all bothered by it. We don't go back to the pediatrician until he's 6 weeks (insurance/scheduling) which I am a little bothered by.
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@gilmoregirl: A 6 hour stretch is fantastic! Our reflux symptoms started with a couple big spit-ups (larger than just a normal dribble), but it became very clear when she started pulling away and crying during feeds, like it was hurting her to eat (but she wanted to eat more). Not all feeds were like that, but the feeds that had the reflux symptoms were torture - seeing her in pain but really wanting to eat! If it's not bothering your little guy, though, and he's gaining well, it's likely nothing that needs to be medicated (that's what I've been reading, at least).
I'm not sure if it's the same kind of squeaky, but A is also very squeaky when she eats, which is also what made our doctor suggest that we should keep an eye out for reflux (as the two often go hand in hand).
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@Beehive: yeah I think he is generally fine, even if he has some mild reflux. My first was a serious spitter (like, all the freaking time until 10 months) but never had any other symptoms. This time, the ped asked us to record some of his squeaky breathing and eating to see if it's a sign of something else...but they weren't really concerned. My gut says he's fine but there is a little piece of me that's worried I'll overlook something!
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@Beehive: hope the meds will get her to be more comfortable! Mine are just now getting more alert. Our evenings are actually a lot smoother when they sleep vs when they're up.
@gilmoregirl: we got 6-7h with an interruption (read move J to my arms after 4h) too! So much better. We still go to bed really late with them, 11:30pm-1am so hopefully we can move their last feed up a little.
So J weighed the exact same as his sister did two days prior. My feeling that he grew more length wise than F was correct too. Not sure how precise they measured but apparently he grew almost 2 inches.
Oh and F seems to have a mild case of thrush and J had an eye infection that he got drops for. At least we were at the doc's anyway
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@Pumuckl: oh my... what a doozy of an appointment! Good thing you were at the doctor, indeed! Hope the thrush and eye infection are clearing up!
How's everyone doing? We're pretty good... J has been sleeping really well, making the cluster feeds in the evening worth it. We had her hearing screen today and she passed, so that's good.
Still adjusting to life as a family of 4. S still has some very serious mama preference and I'm worried about it only getting worse once she's home with me full time in a few weeks. DH and I just have very different parenting styles and she responds much better to me. Coupled with the new baby jealousy, it's all mama all the time when she's home and I'm struggling to know how to handle it! I'm hoping it's just a phase that will pass.
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@gentlelunette: I'm sure it is just a phase that will pass quickly. My DS is getting better with the bratty behavior although he still wants to sit on my lap when I'm nursing the baby and still waking up at night with odd requests occasionally!
How is everyone feeling physically?? I'm almost 4 weeks PP and still having some lochia. I thought it went away a few times and went a day or two without a pad only to have some unfortunate gushes at random times.
I am also having horrible night sweats too - wake up absolutely soaked and I hate it! I don't remember either of these issues lasting so long the first time but maybe I'm misremembering. I also have a lovely hemorrhoid I've been dealing with. I'm either sweating bleeding or leaking milk over here and definitely don't feel back to myself yet.
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@Beehive: Has the zantac been helping her reflux now that it's been a few more days? How is DS doing... hopefully no more sickness in the house!
@gilmoregirl: Wow, awesome sleep stretch! Have you gotten any more or was it a one-time thing? That first long stretch is like heaven.
@gentlelunette: Hopefully everything gets easier as far as the mommy preference. E actually had a daddy-preference the first week we were home which was nice so I could have time with baby girl.AFM, things are good. Em is super easy right now, I think she's more chill than her brother was. She seems to be a super-nurser also, and will usually just do 10 minutes one side - it makes me nervous because I want to make sure she's gaining (next dr. is next Wednesday) but I pumped and got 2 oz each side in less time so I think thats good? She rarely ever cries unless she seems to have a 'bad dream'.
And WHAT do babies dream about?! I love watching the faces she makes.
DS is great with her still and no jealous, only issue with him is he does NOT want to go to daycare. We're keeping him in once a week so he's not too strange when he goes back fulltime in <4 weeks. -
@gentlelunette: thr eye infection has cleared up and I am still not dure whether F really has thrush since it doesn't hurt her and it really only is her tongue. The midwife also said she doesn't think it's thrush. I think we'll continue with the treatment for another couple of days and if it's still unchanged we'll stop.
@maggierose: My lochia stopped at around 4 weeks PP. The first time with B I was almost bleeding for 8 weeks and then the second time with J1 it was about 2 weeks. I didn't really have night sweats so I am of no help there...
We haven't really noticed any changes in mummy/daddy preference here so that's good. We really try to prioritize the older twos needs when they're home during the week and it usually works pretty well.
@josina: don't be worried about the nursing but if you're worried you can feed her a bottle of pumped milk and see how much she takes.
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@josina: The zantac has still been helping! I think it's definitely making a difference. She will still have some feeds where she'll struggle a little bit, but not like before. DS is feeling better now, his fever hovered around 100-102 over the weekend and went away on Sunday, never had any other symptoms apart from a light rash over the weekend. Hopefully DD will be spared, we kept them apart as much as we could.
Last night DD was cluster feeding a bit in the evening, and was wide awake for hours in the early evening, and when she went to bed at 11:30 she slept for 7 hours!! I'm sure it will never happen again, but it was glorious. It's like she wanted to let me get a full night's sleep so I could finally kick my cold (and I really do feel so much better today).
Has anyone been using a baby playmat/activity gym yet? We washed ours today and will try it out tonight. I'm looking forward to the babies enjoying hanging out in the swing or bouncer or play mat for more than 2 minutes at a time!
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@maggierose: I'm 2 weeks pp and still bleeding, I don't remember how long it was with DS.
I never had night sweats with DS, and actually thought I was getting sick until someone mentioned it on here last week, I didn't even realize that was a thing!
@Pumuckl: I'm not too worried since she's not crying ever like she's hungry, but definitely would be reassuring to see how much she drinks from a bottle. How much 'should' they be drinking right now? (she's 2 weeks)
@Beehive: Glad everyone is feeling better! I do use the playmat when she's awake. -
@maggierose: the night sweats, oh good lord. I have nights when I'll have to change everything 2-3 times. Awful. It seems a bit better in the past few days so maybe things are finally calming down. I definitely had them with my first but I think it stopped a lot sooner.
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@Pumuckl: does she have a white tongue? My guy does too but I think/hope it's just milk. I haven't been able to get I his mouth to try to brush it off but it's so light and seems to have a different pattern regularly. What do you do for treatment? Antibiotics?
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T will pretty much only nap in the wrap eek. It's sooo useful to be able to just stick him in there and go about my business that I just don't have the energy to even try to get him to sleep some other way. And he does fine at night in the rock and play so I think I'm just not going to worry (ha).
T will be a month in Friday and I can hardly believe it. The early days and weeks with my first felt like 100 years long (but colic will do that) but this time it is really going by fast.
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@Beehive: My two aren't ever really awake long enough to play on a mat
It's pretty much still eat then sleep over here.
@josina: I guess one never really knows. J1 took 5oz pretty much from the get go, she was down to 5 feedings really early and only later added a 6 feeding back in. The twins currently take around 3.5-4oz per feeding but since they only eat 5 times right now they are increasing their intake slowly to more like 4-5oz. Kellymom has this information on how much a baby drinks around what age: http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/#calculator@gilmoregirl: Yes she does but she has no white spots or anything on her gums or cheeks so I think it is just a milk tongue. We got an anti fungal medicine that has a fluid consistency which she gets via dropper.
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@Pumuckl: hmm I hope it turns out to be nothing. I'm convinced T just has milk tongue. Unless we get other symptoms I think I won't bother.
I'm nervous about the squeaky swallowing and breathing he does sometimes. I tend to be an under-reactor with health things but there is something just not sitting right for me. The doctor suggested I record it for his next appointment but I am not having much luck. I'll have to keep my phone ready I guess.
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@gilmoregirl: My DD is also very squeaky. I raised it with my pediatrician at her first visit, and she said it was likely laryngomalacia (http://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/laryngomalacia) and would go away on its own. Apparently it's not an issue if the baby is eating well and gaining weight. We went to an ENT to check it out (as she's very squeaky when she eats), and to look into her reflux, and the ENT put a little camera down her nose and took a look at her throat. She confirmed that the laryngomalacia was nothing to worry about (she said all babies have a floppy airway to some extent, but some more than others), but the reflux should be treated.
Of course it's possible your squeaking is different than our squeaking, but you may be in good company!
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@Beehive: coincidentally that is what the doctor told us.
I am glad it's a thing but a nothing thing, if that makes sense. We are just waiting it out for right now.
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We will hit one month tomorrow and T is definitely a bit more fussy but still nothing compared to his brother. He will not nap anywhere besides the wrap but he does ok at night so I'm trying not to care. It's nice that he does nap so well in the wrap because I can get things done and hang out with big brother AND baby gets some sleep so I have to think it's a positive. But I could use a bit of a break. I forgot how consuming it can be to care for a newborn.
I think T is getting close to smiling and I am sooo excited for the day when he smiles at his big brother. B continues to be obsessed with his baby brother and I think will lose his mind with joy when the baby smiles or laughs at him.
As for me, I am starting to feel a lot better. I have been slowly cleaning maternity clothes out of my wardrobe because they are too big. Of course, I don't fit in my prepreg clothes either but it's nice that my third trimester jeans don't fit finally. I am tired but more or less functional. I'm hoping to start doing some more walking soon. I have been taking it really easy this time. Having a second third degree tear took a lot out of me and I am trying to let my body heal. But I am definitely feeling better each week.
How's everyone doing? How are the babies?
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@maggierose: sounds like our postpartum experience is IDENTICAL. Night sweats are out of control (I had them bad with my first too), hemmorhoids and continued lochia (right down to the thinking it's over and having unfortunate gushes). I can't wait to feel back to myself!
@gilmoregirl: I can hardly believe how quickly time is going. I agree that the days crawled by with my first, but they're really flying now!
@Beehive: no activity mat yet. J mostly just lies on a blanket and squirms when she's awake. Lol. I haven't even really done tummy time with her unless she's on my chest. Lol! I'm looking forward to more awake/playtime too.
@Pumuckl: we have some definite milk tongue over here. Hope that's all your dealing with... thrush would be no fun at all!
@josina: mommy preference is still strong, and I've been totally giving in to it to keep the peace but it's making it worse, so I think it's time to crack down and deal with her tantrums for a bit. It's been the hardest part of the transition.
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@gilmoregirl: That's so funny! I guess it's fairly common, though I had never heard of it before this one. We have (temporarily) nicknamed her "Squeaks".
@gentlelunette: @Pumuckl: @josina: We tried the activity mat last night, and as with everything else she like it for about 4 minutes. Just long enough to get a few cute photos, though!
Small rant - clothes that work for nursing are even worse than maternity clothes. I don't even remember what I did for DS - surely I didn't wear the same 5 tops with buttons for the 16 months or so I nursed him? Have you guys found any great tops?
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@Beehive: I've only ever bought nursing tanks and just pull up whatever shirt i wear over top. I should invest in some nicer shirts this time!
As for my current wardrobe... I've been rotating the same two sweatpants/shirts every other day and have managed jeans only twice so far. I know last time it was 6 wks before I was back in pre-preg jeans. I have some super stretch jeans that fit me now with just a ponytail on the button .
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My postpartum wardrobe is mostly just pyjamas, maternity yoga pants, and if I go out... maternity jeans. Lol. I know all my old clothes won't fit, and I really don't want to buy new ones just yet, so I've been wearing maternity jeans despite the fact they're falling off. As for shirts, I'm still wearing my lower-cut maternity shirts and just pulling them up/down depending on whether I'm in the company of others or home alone. Lol.
J is such an awesome little baby. She's doing so well... eating well, sleeping well. I'm seriously so in love! I can hardly believe she'll be a month next week!
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@Beehive: Doctor told us it will probably get worse before it gets better, so I'm sure I'll continue to be a little antsy about it. Just sounds so awful when he really gets going.
As for nursing clothes, I am also into the shirt up, nursing tank down method. I wear a lot of tshirt style things anyway so it makes it easier to stick with a somewhat normal wardrobe.
@gentlelunette: I'm doing the same with my maternity jeans but the fit is awful. The panel is full of runs from hiking them up all the time, and probably from being worn constantly through 2 pregnancies. Maybe what I really need is more yoga pants - I only have one pair.
Yesterday was my first day solo with both kids...and our power went out for 5 hours. Many meltdowns, several of them mine
Really though, it was going great until the power went out and I even got both boys outside so B could play in the snow. So it feels good to have survived a rough day - like I know now I can get through the tough times too.
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I hear you all on living in yoga pants/leggings and some maternity jeans still. I'm feeling frustrated bc I gained almost 40 lbs this pregnancy and only lost like 15 since I've had the baby...weight has been the same now for the last couple weeks--maybe down a few then back up. Basically I have 25 lbs I need to lose and it's not showing signs of coming off anytime soon. With DS it was really hard to lose the weight until I weaned him after a year...my body likes to hang on to weight while BF, which is the opposite of what they say that BF makes you lose weight! I mean my diet has also been not te best...but I'm too sleep deprived to care to try to eat healthy right now. I also feel gross and flabby that I dont even know where to begin to get back in shape. I mean I know I can bc I did it once before but it took awhile...and I hate that in between stage where you can't wear your normal clothes and have to make do with the same few pairs of black leggings for days on end!
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@maggierose: I here you on having extra weight to lose this time, I gained 30 and am down 15 now. I've been eating pretty badly too! I normally walk on my work lunch breaks but wont be able to do that since I'll be pumping.
We've got baptism in 2 weeks that I need to find an outfit for...1 mo. Check up was yesterday, Em is up 2 lbs already from her birth weight which is awesome, no need for me to worry about her quick nursing sessions and I can let her sleep at night. I did get a 6 hour stretch the other night, although she keeps me up late.
How was everyone else'sā 1 mo. Stats?
Em is 9 lbs 2 oz, 21-1/4" tall. -
Can't believe I just packed up some newborn clothes already.
DH is pretty against having another so this could be my last. Grow slow baby girl!
It's going to go way too fast.
when do you go back to work?
It's pretty much still eat then sleep over here.
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