Hellobee Boards

@MrsADS: girlfriend, you need to treat yourself tonight.

@ohcaptain: my pp bleeding/spotting was done by 3 Wks but then I did have some random tinged tissuey looking discharge for a couple days this wk. my mom said it can stop and start for a bit. M

btw, favorite baby thing so far is when R is hungry and trying to nurse on my face with her little bird head and I get to pretend she is giving me kisses for a minute!

@buttermilk yea I love when M is hungry and tries to latch on to any of my body parts that are close by... he does the baby bird mouth and gets so excited he pants like a dog. So cute.

I'm treating myself...just fed the baby and I'm going to sleep AND DH is holding him downstairs so it's nice and quiet.

@buttermilk: I have a picture where C is basically nursing on his brother's nose because he tried to kiss him. Hahaha

@MrsADS: @buttermilk: so cute! Yesterday C was hungry and I was just finishing something so he latched on to DHs arm and left him a little lovebite - its still there today! I love when I'm nursing C and he strokes the side of my ribs with his little hand.

@lilteacherbee: that sounds amazing to be able to share all those experiences with a bff!

You guys. DH took both kids to his parents for the day/night (I'll be going up there later tonight)! It's the first time I haven't had a kid with me for longer than an hour since C was born! It's 9am, they just left, and I'm in bed!! I'm going to the hospital later to take photos of the new baby, but right now I'm just enjoying the silence! I know I'm gonna miss them like crazy and be so happy to see them tonight, but man, I needed this break SO BAD!!!

@Mrs. J: Yep. He's been taking a bottle every few days since a week old, so he should do okay. It felt like old times this morning when I loaded up the bottles to send with him haha

@Portboston: my pumping supply is fine... You must have me confused with another mama!

@lilteacherbee: Hope you enjoyed your free time!

@buttermilk: I also have a baby bird face! P also does frantic head, where she jiggles her face back and forth trying to find a nipple, or trying to latch on when she finds it! So funny!

I've got a baby bird, too, who latches onto anything when she is hungry... and she hasn't had to latch for two or three weeks because she's been strictly bottle fed. Maybe because she uses Avent natural bottles? They are supposed to be more boob shaped. I love when she tries to nurse from my nose

Weaning is going pretty well so far. It's been 28 hours since my last pump and I barely feel engorged. I just feel like I have a normal amount in me. Also, I had a little leak today and the milk seemed almost clear. I think I read somewhere that's a sign of drying up, so I guess my breaking up with breastmilk was inevitable in the next week or so.

BUT... something totally awesome happened today. We went to Walmart for some $2 pants for C and right in the front door was a pallet of baby stuff on clearance. We got a Graco MyRide 65 and a Graco MyRide 65LX for $45 each... they were originally $102 each! One was made in Aug 2014 and the other in Jan 2015 so they will last until C is in a booster seat. I wish they had two of the LX's but oh well. Now we are set for when she outgrows her infant seat.

@Ms. RV: We don't nurse more than once a day, and frequently did less at times, and she still latches on everything. My nose is my favorite too.

Finishing up our first date without the baby! We had lunch, got pedicures, and I got a massage! (I was supposed to do that tomorrow, not as part of the date, but DH got Titans tickets so I won't be going out tomorrow.) I'm very ready to get back to her (and to pump!), but it was great. Hopefully we can make a habit of it.

L is finally more willing to sleep in the swing, but it's on the highest setting and barely swinging. I can't figure out what's wrong. Anyone else run into this with the snuggabunny?

Can we talk baby naps?

M is a bear to get to sleep during the day. I know at this age they aren't supposed to have more than like 1 to 1.5 hours of awake time. Well, I get to about an hour and try to get him to go to sleep. It is SO DIFFICULT. Even if I wait longer (1.5 - 1.75 hours), by which point he's crying and upset, it's so tough. I feel like my whole day is nurse him, stay up for about 30 minutes of talking to him, walking around the house, whatever, and then start the hours-long process of getting him to nap. I go to the dark nursery, rock, swaddle, SUPER LOUD white noise (he loves to be right next to the vacuum cleaner or hair dryer), rock some more, etc. and this baby fights sleep like no one's business. The good news is once he goes down he usually takes a long nap (probably because he is exhausted!).

I feel like I am doing all the tricks to get him to sleep and it's not working. Any suggestions? I am so burned out on spending my WHOLE DAY rocking and trying to get him to sleep.

The related question - he's 5 wks old now and I would really like to get out of the house a little, like short outings to Target, the grocery store, etc. but I feel like I am tied to the house so he will nap (to have the dark room, swaddle, etc). Should I just go ahead and go out and maybe he will learn to nap on the go? I am afraid if I go out he will be a bear and crying because he has not slept!

Aren't babies this age supposed to sleep a lot?!

@buttermilk omg I'm so jealous of your night sleep. M will go 3 hr stretches sometimes but that's 3 hours between feedings, so - wake up 1 am, nurse, rock, get him back to sleep by 2 or 2:30, he's up again at 4. Which I don't get bc he's seriously a chunk baby and I know he's getting a ton of milk, but idk.

Yea anything you learn about naps please share! I'm going crazy with the crappy naps! And I'm worried if he will ONLY nap after an hour of rocking in the dark nursery, in the swaddle, with white noise... I would like him to be able to nap on the go, like in a carrier or in a stroller.

@MrsADS: Have you tried skipping the 30 minutes of playing with him? L frequently goes straight back to sleep after eating, and doesn't want the awake time. It's usually pretty obvious though.

@buttermilk: I'm jealous too! 4 hours is our max, usually more like 2-3. And I'm not getting her up till she's really ready (it'd be every hour if I did every fidget). Though the doctor didn't want us going more than 3-4 hours anyway. I think her growth is fine and if she wants to sleep I'm going to let her, but whatever

@Ohcaptain yeah I am going to try this. Not that I want to be out all the time (still too germy for a 5 wk old), but I can't be prisoner in the house, it's not good for my mental health.

@torchwood that's a good idea. He was out of control tired this morning, after an HOUR of rocking (my arms and legs hurt!), finally got him down... but he woke up 20 mins later to nurse. He fell asleep after but then woke up and just started screaming. I put him a tight swaddle and only had to rock for maybe 10-15 mins and he's been asleep now for about 30 minutes.

@buttermilk unfortunately when he wakes up at night he is STARVING and screams bloody murder until I put the boob in his mouth! M sleeps in the RnP next to my side of the bed too.

@MrsADS: awesome! Seriously just keeping moving wearing him or in the stroller is usually enough to let me get some errands done. When I have both of them, it's another story!

@torchwood omg she's adorable... except I cannot support that Gators shirt. (We are Vols fans, I grew up in TN!)

I don't understand this whole infant routine thing. How much awake time are they supposed to have? I feel like I hear 45min-1hr but also 2-3 hrs. I'm so confused. It takes like 45 mins to wake change and feed her. Then I'm supposed to put her right back down? We usually play for like 30 mins and then I want to put her down for a nap but she almost ALWAYS wants to nurse again. How am I supposed to get her on a nap routine when she wants to eat every 1.5 hrs?

ETA: up until now she has been randomly napping with usually a big 2 hr nap at some point in the day but nothing is predictable.

@buttermilk: How old is she now? L is (I think) about 7 weeks adjusted, and she doesn't have a set schedule/routine. I just follow her lead. She usually eats while I pump, then if she's tired I rock her to sleep (or put her in the swing). If she's not she has play time on her mat or in the pack'n'play. She might want a little more to eat before she falls asleep if she does play time; I just keep a bottle on hand and offer it if she seems interested. She naps anywhere from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours, and I usually can't really predict what it'll be any given time (unless I know she's been up longer than usual or had a bigger meal, then they're longer). I'm expecting her to settle into something more predictable in the next month or two, but not really right away.

@buttermilk: at 8 weeks old, P has decided to only nap in the ktan or on our bed with us. Hopefully this passes soon! She wakes up if we do a transfer to the swing after only about 5 min. Night sleep is still okay. Who knows what it means!