-
@littlebug: One of the most interesting things I've learned from my sister who has a 7 month old is that sleep begets more sleep. It really does! I think it's impossible to try to have a routine with a newborn...
I do tummy time with the OTs at the hospital. If anyone would like to know what we do, I'll post.
We are still waiting for Dylan to get feeding done, then hopefully we can blow this joint and try to act like regular new parents! I think we are close.
-
@Mrs Green Grass: I would love to hear about your tummy time with the OTs!
-
I think the 2 to 3 week time was the toughest for us. LO would cry for between 1 to 3 hours in the middle of the night. LO is now 5 weeks and there is still no real routine. I definitely try to distinguish daytime from night time. And we do tummy time and put her on her play mat twice a day. But she still doest sleep well most nights. Last night was glorious!! She slept for 5 hours straight! That is her personal best
I still woke up and had to check on her , lol. But i have not slept longer than 4 hours at a time since the first week of December. At that time I was put on meds I had to take every 4 hours so I dont think I know how to sleep longer any more...lol@Mrs Green Grass: I would love to know what you guys do as well.
-
It definitely helps to know we are all in this together ! I've just started telling myself there are going to be some parts of this that I've just got to get through and that it won't last forever. Other times I'm completely over the moon! Most frustrating for me is when I get him to sleep, put him down , and 2 mins later he is awake again for no reason!
-
Ok...so first we put him on his back and do arm and leg stretches. I also kind of rotate his hips to the side if he's in the mood.
Then we switch to tummy and do about 10 minutes per side. I lay down face-level with him and also have some of his favorite toys to look at (a mirror and a high contrast panda rattle). You can prop him up a bit with a small towel (2-3 inches). Just place his arms right over the ledge of the towel. If he crawls forward, just keep you hand on his butt/lower back to keep him in place and force him to use his arms to help lift his head.
If he turns it or holds it own his own, great. If not, just switch his head to the other side for awhile.
After that sit him up between my legs (legs spread) and support his head while he practices a sitting position. I'll put his mirror in front of him. I also stretch his arms across his body a bit in this position.
That's basically it! : )
I do it before feedings because his reflux causes him to have a tendency to throw up if he moves around after...
-
Hi all :). Just wanted to add myself and Eli to the pp board mix! My milk came in yesterday (yay!) so I'm currently working through that. Right now, he either feeds for ~20 minutes on each side or 30 on one and 10 on the other (he does this himself). Then the next feeding, I switch which side I started with. He's eating about every 2.5 to 3 hours. He did go 4 hours last night/this morning, which was nice. But I'm exhausted! Join the club, right?
How long did your LOs nurse on each side in the beginning? Did you switch them at a certain time or did you allow them to decide when to stop on the first side? Also, what did you do to prevent total engorgement? Thanks for your help, ladies!
-
@allison: I follow his cues on when to offer the second side and think I'm about to start only offering one side at a time to make sure he is getting the hind milk. At the most he has only done about 10 min a side but he has been a quick nurser from the start and even more so after my milk came in. I hand expressed to comfort when my milk came in ! Engorgement lasted 48 hrs for me !
-
@Mrs Green Grass: Thanks for the tummy time tutorial! How is Dylan doing?
@allison: LO was feeding about 15-20 per side in the beginning and feeding about every 2-3 hours during the day and every 4-5 hours at night. Now that we are in more of a nursing routine she'll feed about 20 per side, in the morning she'll take only one side per feed and as the day goes on she'll take both sides. I offer which ever side feels more full. She's been gaining well and is almost two pounds over discharge weight.
I was thinking that now that everyone is on the other side that it might make sense to do another update.
Baby Name:
Birth day:
Birth weight:
Current weight:
Birth height:
Current height:
Type of birth (vaginal/caesarean/miracle):
Recent milestones:
How is sleep going?:
BFing?:
Any concerns?:
How cute is DH with LO?:
Next Pedi appointment:
Is it easier or harder than you expected?: -
Baby Name: Lavinia Jeune
Birth day: Jan 8th
Birth weight: 10lbs 1 oz. (dropped to 8lbs 10oz in hospital!)
Current weight: 10lbs 10 oz.
Birth height: 22"
Current height: no idea
Type of birth (vaginal/caesarean/miracle): caesarean
Recent milestones: Social smile today!
How is sleep going?: not too bad two 4-5 hour stretches in the night and good napping during the day
BFing?: yes. LO got thrush, had a big weight loss in the hospital, and had a habit of slipping off of her latch so we've been working with a lactation consultant and things are going really well now.
Any concerns?: After a brief struggle with BFing and weight gain things are going really well now.
How cute is DH with LO?: SOOO cute!
Next Pedi appointment: Tomorrow for one-month well baby visit. How can she be a month old already?!
Is it easier or harder than you expected?: So far easier. Waiting for the shoe to drop on that one though. -
Baby Name: Jackson Webster (jack)
Birth day: Jan 21
Birth weight: 9.2
Current weight:was back to birth weight a week ago. No idea his current
Birth height: 21 inches
Current height: was 21.5 a week ago
Type of birth (vaginal/cesarian/miracle): vaginal
Recent milestones: slept 5 hrs last night!
How is sleep going?: decent. Can't really complain. He usually eats around 2 and 5
BFing?: yep. Going good!
Any concerns?: gassy. Going to try to start fully feeding one side and block feed to make sure he is getting enough hind milk
How cute is DH with LO?: so sweet. I love when he comes home in the evenings.
Next Pedi appointment:6 weeks - late march
Is it easier or harder than you expected?: I'm usually a worst case kind of girl. So I think I worked myself up that it was going to be miserable. It has been challenging at times but not horrible! Jack is an angel ! -
@allison: I froze wet washcloths and wrapped them in a dry one, and put them on my breasts after feeding for 20 minutes. I would also hand express in the shower in the mornings. My engorgement only lasted 36 hrs.
If you've caught my other post, Leo is in the hospital with a breast abscess. Things are looking up, though.
Baby Name: Leo Harrison
Birth day: jan 21
Birth weight: 7 lb 1.7 oz
Current weight: 8.6 lbs
Birth height: 20 in
Current height: 20.5 in
Type of birth (vaginal/caesarean/miracle): vaginal
Recent milestones: he's holding his head up.
How is sleep going?: ok, not terrible.
BFing?: like gangbusters! Hope his illness doesn't slow my milk production (he's eating 5 min at a stretch instead of 10, but I'm also giving him lots of comfort nursing.
Any concerns?: hospitalized w a breast abscess. Boo.
How cute is DH with LO?: so adorable. I love him more when I see them together.
Next Pedi appointment:in expecting they will want to see him after his antibiotics run their course.
Is it easier or harder than you expected?: in some ways harder, others are easier. -
@dagret: How is Leo doing? Do you know when you'll be able to go home?
-
Great idea! (Especially for us latecomers to the group.
Baby Name: Eloise Marie
Birth day: Jan 4
Birth weight: 7 lbs 4 oz
Current weight: 10 lbs 2 oz
Birth height: 19.5"
Current height: 20.5"
Type of birth (vaginal/caesarean/miracle): Vaginal
Recent milestones: Social smile as of yesterday (2/5), holding her head up more
How is sleep going?: I hate to jinx it, but it's going ok. She has a good stretch at first (4 - 5 hours) and then wakes up ever two to three hours from there. Luckily, she goes to sleep quickly after nursing.
BFing?: Yup. She's doing great, although definitely less of a voracious eater than her brother was.
Any concerns?: Things are going really well at the moment.
How cute is DH with LO?: I love this question. He's really sweet with her. I've always loved how good he is with our son, but there's something about having a little girl that has him totally wrapped around her finger already.
Next Pedi appointment: Early March.
Is it easier or harder than you expected?: So far, easier. I had a rough recovery after my first birth, and I was really worried about how I would handle the transition to two kids while also recovering from pregnancy and birth. Luckily, my physical recovery has been easier this time, which I think has helped me mentally/emotionally as well. Eloise is also pretty chill, which has been a huge help as we figure out what our everyday looks like. -
@oliviaoblivia: the plan now is 48 hrs of iv antibiotics, so I'm not sure if we will go home late thurs or early Friday. Then he will be on oral antibiotics for 10 days.
-
@allison: I tend to nurse D on one side at a time, letting him drain (or nearly drain) one side, then I start on the opposite side for the next feed. At night, before bed, he nurses for like an hour and a half, so sometimes I'll switch sides more than once. I just let him guide me - if he pulls off, I'll switch sides to see if maybe he just wasn't getting milk anymore.
@dagret: So no surgery? So sorry you have to go through this, but thank goodness you caught it and your ped was on top of it so quickly!
Baby Name: Daxon Michael (eventually we'll probably call him Dax, but for now he's still Daxon)
Birth day: January 17
Birth weight: 8lb, 1 oz
Current weight: Not sure. He was down to 7lb, 13oz at 5 days old. Hasn't been weighed since. But I'm going to a New Mom's support group tomorrow, and they'll have a scale there, so hopefully he's put some weight back on!
Birth height: 21"
Current height: Not sure.
Type of birth (vaginal/caesarean/miracle): Vaginal
Recent milestones: Social smile this morning!
How is sleep going?: It's kind of all over the place. We usually get at least 4 hours when we first put him down (around 10), then we're usually up every 2 hours after that. Last night, we got 6 hours, then 3 more - we revisited the swaddle and it seemed to help? We'll see.
BFing?: Going pretty well. The evening cluster feeding seems to have stopped as of last night, but again - we'll see.
Any concerns?: I still think he may have reflux, but he doesn't seem to be in any pain, so it's hard for me to say.
How cute is DH with LO?: OMG, I LOVE watching him with Daxon. He really interacts with him, and when Daxon is fussy, he walks him around the house, especially to show him the snow. I'm falling in love more and more...
Next Pedi appointment: Feb. 18
Is it easier or harder than you expected?: I had a lot of friends who really struggled with breastfeeding and who had babies who were/are horrible sleepers, so I expected it to be awful. It hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought (knock on wood). -
Thanks for the info/advice! I can't seem to get the hang of hand expression or manual pumping, but the boob knots are getting better, I think?
Baby Name: Elijah James (Eli)
Birth day: Feb 2
Birth weight: 8 lbs 9 oz
Birth height: 20.5 inches
Type of birth (vaginal/caesarean/miracle): vaginal
Recent milestones: he's pooping and peeing a ton now that my milk has come in
How is sleep going?: it's okay. Last night was our first night home and we got about 3.5 hours at one time. In the hospital, he slept 4+ one night.
BFing?: yep
Any concerns?: recovery for me. Eli is perfect, but currently I can't walk and it makes it really frustrating. I think I damaged something in my pelvis during labor.
How cute is DH with LO?: this is the best part, for me! He has taken on way more than he thought he'd have to (bc of my recovery situation) and he has really taken on his role as dad so well! I love to watch him with Eli.
Next Pedi appointment: tomorrow
Is it easier or harder than you expected?: both, I guess. It's harder because I'm exhausted and I can't move around. BFing is easier and I enjoy it much more than I thought I would. Just one look at him, though, and any frustrations I have just melt away. -
@allison: try hand expression in the shower it makes it easier! The engoregement will go away soon I promise !
-
@Mrs Green Grass: Thanks for the tummy time info cant wait to give it a try tomorrow.
Baby Name: Abigail Eileen (Abi )
Birth day:12-31-12 So technically a december baby and momma but I am not switching
Birth weight: 6.4 dropped to 5.11 due to tongue tie feeding issues
Current weight: 7.1 a week ago not sure now
Birth height: 19.5
Current height: 20.5 a week ago and I think an inch longer now!
Type of birth (vaginal/caesarean/miracle): vaginal
Recent milestones: Slept 5 hours straight
How is sleep going?: eh, just depends on the day. naps have regressed to having to be held constantly. She will nap in her swing with it on sometimes but not a lot.
BFing?: Nope, Formula
Any concerns?: Pooping. We have switched formula twice and she still poops every other day if that., and it isn't the right consistency. Dr isn't really happy with it even though it can be normal for some babies. And I know it bothers LO cause she gets so fussy on that second day. So far we have tried diluted apple juice it seems to work a bit but not great.
How cute is DH with LO?: Pretty darn cute. Especially when I wake up to him at night on the monitor talking to her like she is a teenager...lol. We aren't the baby talking type.
Next Pedi appointment: March 1 for 2 month WBC
Is it easier or harder than you expected?: Easier, I think just cause your body adjusts to the no sleep or crappy sleep better than I would have expected. And when I look at her sweet face, she is all that maters, I can deal with everything else.ETA I forgot I wanted to sahre a couple of pics from our DIY newborn pics
-
Baby Name: Dylan Scott
Birth day: 10/7
Birth weight: 1lb 15oz
Current weight: 7lb 6oz
Birth height: 13.5
Current height: 19.5
Type of birth (vaginal/caesarean/miracle): vaginal
Recent milestones: took first full feed by bottle!
How is sleep going?: great
BFing?: on hold while we get bottle feeding down
Any concerns?: reflux, getting him home
How cute is DH with LO?: super cute
Next Pedi appointment: ?
Is it easier or harder than you expected?: bothWe are making a lot of progress on feeding, but Dylan's reflux is making it really hard for him to want to eat. It should be soon though...
-
@pinkb: So cute!! I'm an October mama, but no way I'm switching either!
-
@pinkb: They turned out great! I did a DIY photoshoot, too.
PS - Glad you and @Mrs Green Grass: aren't leaving us!
-
@pinkb: oh my lord what a cutie! thank you for sharing, those pictures put a smile on my face.
@allison: this is belated, but congratulations! so happy to see you on this thread after your long wait!
@Mrs Green Grass: from just shy of 2 lbs to over 7 lbs--i am so happy that your little man continues to grow and thrive. congrats on the first full bottle feed!
@dagret: i'm so sorry to hear that you are going through this. i hope you are headed home today or tomorrow!
Baby Name: Little E (husband has privacy concerns)
Birth day: 1/17/2013
Birth weight: 8 lbsCurrent weight: not sure, but after a 10% weight loss after 4 days, he did gain the weight back by his 2-week appointment thanks to supplementing with formula and bottled breast milk
Birth height: 20 1/4
Current height: not sure
Type of birth (vaginal/caesarean/miracle): vaginal
Recent milestones: starting to smile--at what, i don't know, and it might just be grimaces
How is sleep going?: doesn't always go to bed easily, so we need to work on that, and usually sleeps 2.5 to 4 hours.
BFing?: yes, it is a big production around here because he is a very, very sleepy nurser. we nurse for 20-30 minutes, then give him a supplemental bottle to make sure he's getting enough nutrition (hoping that our ped tells us we can wean him off that at the next appointment), and then i pump. takes for fucking ever.
Any concerns?: i know they say you can't spoil a newborn, but i am concerned about developing good sleep habits. not that i've developed any type of strategy to tackle this concern, as i am in the mode of just doing whatever necessary.
How cute is DH with LO?: i'm really impressed with how my husband has adjusted to being a parent. much better than i have, i think.
Next Pedi appointment: 2/18
Is it easier or harder than you expected?: i knew it was going to be hard, but it's hard in ways that i didn't expect. i didn't expect how sad and emotional i would be over the breastfeeding issues that we have had.
-
We were discharged from the hospital today - so happy to be home! Thanks everyone.
-
Baby Name: Theodore and Dallas
Birth day: 1/8
Birth weight: 6 lb 9 oz and 7 lb 1 oz
Current weight: not sure. They were 7 lb 10 oz at their 2 week checkup
Birth height: 19 each
Current height: they were 20 in at 2 wks
Type of birth (vaginal/caesarean/miracle): c section
Recent milestones: interacting with each other more
How is sleep going?: we consistently get 3-4.5 hr stretches
BFing?: pumping and bottle feeding. I'm battling low supply for twins, so we occasionally have to supplement with formula, maybe once a day.
Any concerns?: whether they're sleeping too much during the day
How cute is DH with LO?: I love seeing DH with his boys!
Next Pedi appointment: 2/20
Is it easier or harder than you expected?: getting past the baby blues was so much harder than I ever expected. Now that I feel hormonally balanced again, it's easier than I thought handling twins. Breastfeeding was too hard with two of them.
-
@dagret: Yay!
-
@Mrs Green Grass: thanks for sharing about tummy time! it's helpful to have something to do! i just looked up a way to do infant massage.
@pinkb: @Mrs Green Grass: you ladies can't leave us!!
@pinkb: cute photos!!
Baby Name: Rowan Eloise
Birth day: January 11
Birth weight: 7 lb 8 oz
Current weight: weighed her last week (holding her on my parents' scale) and i think she was 9.5 lbs. can that be right?! going to a lactation group tomorrow, so will use a real scale
Birth height: 19.5
Current height: 21.5 at her 4 day check up! that puts her in the 98th percentile. guess she gets that from her dad.
Type of birth (vaginal/caesarean/miracle): vaginal
Recent milestones: she's much more alert during her wake times. we are also able to use our one size cloth diapers, so we're in the process of figuring that out.
How is sleep going?: pretty good. i was recognizing her routine and saw that she hadn't fed from 10-midnight in over a week, so i tried making sure to get in a feed around 10-10:30 and she's been sleeping about 4-5 hours after that and then 2-3 hour stretches after that long one.
BFing?: yep. she had a tongue that we clipped, but she had a good latch before that. looking forward to my nipples toughening up. my left one is still pretty sore! i also leak... a lot. i should buy stock in reusable breast pads!
Any concerns?: not really at this point. we're trying to figure out what we want to do regarding vaccination schedules.
How cute is DH with LO?: so freaking cute. i am super attracted to him when i see him with her. love their interactions.
Next Pedi appointment: we just got Row her own insurance plan so we can go to the ped that we originally wanted to (she was on my HMO before, so we saw someone else) and they don't do one month check, so not until march!
Is it easier or harder than you expected?: easier so far. i expected to be exhausted and slightly miserable, but with breast feeding going well, R being a pretty easy baby (we know with her that she's either hungry, wet or over tired), and the sun being out, i've felt really good. recovery from my quick labor has been great and i credit dailey method classes for keeping me in shape and being able to bounce back quickly. i also had bad circulation in the last two months of pregnancy so sleep for me was really terrible. i woke up every hour or two to turn over because my arm fell asleep or to pee, so now when R is asleep, i am fully asleep until she stirs again. i guess i feel more rested?
like @oliviaoblivia: i'm enjoying the fact that she's easy now and we get her because the other shoe can drop and i'll be mourning the loss of my simple girl!
and a photo of our girl after waking. i say she has ricky bobby hands because she doesn't know what to do with them:
-
@birdofafeather: I died over the Ricky bobby quote! She is so cute !
@pinkb: ohhh she is so sweet and love her sweet name!
HAPPY FRIDAY LADIES !
-
Anybody have orange newborn poop? I know its supposed to be mustard yellow, and hes had a few of those, but pretty much all of his poops since yesterday morning have been orange. Dr. Google says its normal, but I need reassurance.
-
@allison: Yup. D's have been various shades of mistress (from spicy Dijon to Kraft yellow), green, brown, and definitely orange! Everything I've read says it's totally normal!
D was SUPER fussy today - didn't sleep from 7:30-3:30, cried every time I tried to put him down, didn't nurse well. Finally tonight he had some major farts, and we realized he was having gas pains, probably from the broccoli I had for dinner the other night. Poor little guy! Gave him some Little Tummies drops, and he seems better already.
-
@coacheswife123: Don't you just love their sleepy faces? I live this I've I took of D after he fell asleep after side-lying nursing the other morning.
-
@allison: L totally had orange newborn poop. Now that he's on antibiotics it changed color again.
Thank GOD my mom is here for a visit. I think being sick and in the hospital screwed up his waking/sleep times a bit and L was up from 10-2, then only slept in 1.5 hr stretches the rest of the night, taking 30-45 min to settle each time. DH told me today how tired he was and I was ready to smack him, bc he doesn't get up at all at night.
On the bright side, I had my first pumping session this am and got 5 oz! Hoping to pawn off a night feeding at some point...
-
@coacheswife123: @littlebug: omg, they are so cute!
L had his first tub bath today.
-
@littlebug: those tummy drops are lifesavers !!! Somedays I give Jack some after each feeding ! He is soooo cute !
-
@dagret: haha so cute!!! I'm ready to give jack a tub bath he hates being sponged off! I've been pumping one bottle a day for DH to feed. Need to throw another session in there for a freezer bag a day too. Trying to figure out when to do it. If your DH does a night feed will you wake up anyway to pump or sleep through ? I would looove to pawn one of those off. Pumping logistics confuse me.
@allison: no orange poop for us but seems totally normal ! How are you feeling ? Did the engoregement ease up and has your walking gotten better ?
-
@coacheswife123: I am not sure- I think I want to do 1 pumping session for a week before adding a new one. How much is jack eating in his bottles? I'm confused by the pumping logistics too. I can't find a good start-up guide anywhere.
Anyone find any good pumping resources?
-
Yeah, I'm totally confused about pumping, too. I pump when I can - usually two or three times a day, and get anywhere from 1-4oz per session. Right now I'm just building my freezer stash for a trip home in a few weeks, because there will be several times that he'll need to be bottle-fed because I won't be available. I did give him a bottle last weekend when Hubs and I had some celebratory champagne.
-
@dagret: I started about a week and a half ago and he was eating 2 oz. we just bumped up to 2.5 !
-
@littlebug: @dagret: Ok, good! Husband keeps telling me not to worry, but you know.
@coacheswife123: yep, engorgement is no more, I don't think. That was fast! I expected it to be much worse. Walking is improving slowly but surely. I took my first unassisted steps today so that was a huge milestone for us.
It's just really hard for us right now with me not being able to move around much. I can't carry Eli, so DH has to do all the walking, changing, putting in the bassinet, etc. Then he does all the cooking and laundry, too. He never gets a break, and he's just exhausted. I feel so terrible that he doesn't have time for a nap, and we're up all night with cluster feeding. I'm really ready for my mobility to increase.
-
I'll chime in with the totally confused about pumping crowd. My LC said not to start for a few more weeks, but DH really wants to feed her and it would be nice to be able to run an errand or two on my own. How did you guys get started?
Adding a requisite shot of LO winning.....
-
@oliviaoblivia: She's so cute!
I pumped twice last week so I could drink (2 weeks pp). ButI only pumped those 2 times because my flanges were too small and it hurt to use the pump. I got the new flanges yesterday, so since then I've pumped 5 times, I think.
I still woke up and had to check on her , lol. But i have not slept longer than 4 hours at a time since the first week of December. At that time I was put on meds I had to take every 4 hours so I dont think I know how to sleep longer any more...lol
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite2
762 comments