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Also!!! in the past week my baby went from sleeping in 90-minute increments to sleeping for real at night, 5.5-6 hours for the first stretch, 3-4 hours for the second. at least for now
Am so grateful and slightly less zombie-face.
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@LCTBQE: We first got her to take the Born Free Breeze, but I can't recommend them. The nipple collapses really badly because the vents don't work for crap. We then have to pull it out and it takes forever for air to get back in. And then she gets super fussy and impatient.
We also got her to take the Playtex drop in type yesterday, which I like better. For DS we used Avent Natural because we liked those the best. I've heard Dr. Browns have a ton of parts, so if your baby isn't prone to gas they may not be necessary. Also, if you provide breastmilk for a year he may never need the larger bottles.
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@ShootingStar: ugh that sounds so frustrating for both you and her with the collapsing nipple; glad you found a better system. why is it that you didn't just use the Avent Natural with your daughter, too? did she not like it?
I *think* my baby is prone to gas, but not really sure TBH because I have nothing to compare it to, and can't tell if he's just getting better because his digestion system is maturing, etc. good to know that I can hold off for a while (perhaps forever) on the bigger bottles--we have limited space for all this crap in our kitchen
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@LCTBQE: OMG! I keep imagining winning the lottery. I'd suck at being a SAHM but ugh to going back to work. My LO has his 2month appt next week. Shots.
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@MrsSCB: @ShootingStar: thank you for telling me to not worry about building up a stash. I think that is what I have been focusing on. Especially since I've heard so many girls talking about buying extra freezers and such for all their frozen milk! I would just like to try to pump once a day and have a little stash. I don't plan to leave my baby much at all during my three month maternity leave. but I do need milk bottles ready for the dry-runs I plan to do before going back to work. And my husband gave her a bottle yesterday so I could get my hair done! Woo hoo!
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@LCTBQE: She screams so bad at the Avent bottles
. I think we made a few mistakes with them - we fed formula because I didn't want to waste pumped milk, and we didn't keep up with feeding her bottles. So we got some other bottles in the hope that she wouldn't immediately reject them and we could get her used to taking a bottle and then get her to take the Avent. However, I'm liking the idea of a lot less bottle washing with the Playtex ones. Bottles and pump parts and everything else have already taken over our kitchen counter and we're only doing one bottle a day. When we're doing 4 bottles 5 days a week it's going to be nuts.
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@katsupgirl: I'm taking 3 months total off and am going back at the end of November. I had a little sadness yesterday thinking that I would be going back to work then if I just took six weeks off. No way I'd be ready - physically or emotionally. And yes... I really hate thinking about going back to work. I have six weeks left and I assume the last two weeks will slowly be consumed with worrying about going back.
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@ShootingStar: i bought the Kiinde bottles which I think are updated options as an alternative to the playtex drop ins. The Kiinde are so very easy and it's the best nipple that I have tried. And the company itself is amazing.
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@pwnstar: so I also am trying to pump in the morning after the first big feed. How long do you wait after you nurse to start the pump?
My problem is my baby hasn't been napping too well and I hate to pump if she is awake. But I need to just get better about figuring it out. She's currently napping on me (which I love!) but I'd like to pump in the next 15 minute so praying I can transfer the baby somewhere and she stays asleep!!
Also... Are you pumping 3ish ounces total or each boob? And what amounts do you freeze?
I've been trying to freeze 4 or 5 ounce quantities. My husband gave my baby a 5 ounce bottle and she took it all without hesitation. Would she have been oaky with a 3 ounce? Yikes. I worry about figuring out how much she needs. The thought of a hungry baby makes me sad.
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@LCTBQE: thank you for reminding me that I wanted to call Emma's pediatrician to ask about vaccines. I want to know which ones she's scheduled to be given and if I can space them out. I'd rather go in every three days than have her be given several shots in one day. And I don't want what's not necessary. Like I've heard there is an anti diarrhea shot. I don't want that one unless I learn something significant about it. Of course, I trust my doctor and will consult with her on all of it.
ETA: the hepB was offered at the hospital. I declined and had it given at her two week appointment.
Speaking of hepB, this was given to me personally when I graduated high school. Anyone know why it is now given at birth?
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@LCTBQE: I haven't had any luck with pacis yet!
As for thrush, I had really red itchy nipples that were super slow to heal. My LO never had thrush, but the LC who was doing home visits confirmed I did. I think I was more prone to it because my nipples had been shredded in the early days.
My little guy had his 2 month appointment yesterday. Yeah, lots of shots--5 vaccines total, 1 oral and 4 shots. He really did great, but it's just so heartbreaking. He has been super sleepy since then, and a little fussier than normal. But if both of my legs were sore I'm sure I would be fussy too!
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@agold: I try to pump whenever I can--sometimes it's a few minutes after the feed (when he seems to be content to not be held for 10ish minutes), and sometimes it's an hour after the feed (which is more ideal). When I pump after the feed, I get about 3ish ounces total (combined amount from both boobs). When I pump about an hour after the feed, I get about 5ish ounces (again, combined total from both boobs).
I am currently freezing in 3oz amounts. I won't freeze more than 4oz in one bag. I like the flexibility of smaller amounts (to supplement another pump session, combine with formula (if needed), etc.).
For your pumped milk feeds, are you using level 1/slow flow nipples? Also, babies have a suck/swallow reflex. So, it's easier to overfeed them with bottles (essentially, they keep eating because the food keeps coming versus BFing when they have to more actively get the milk). So babies are likely to finish a bottle due to reflex even if they're full/satisfied.
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@pwnstar: so I was wondering about that about bottles. Yes, I am using a slow flow nipple. And I just called my husband and asked about the bottle. He said he buried her after about 4 ounces and she looked milk drunk and like she could have been done. But he gave her the rest just to see and she took it. So I'm thinking I will aim to freeze in 4 ounce quantities for now.
Omg. How do we know when they need more? As it is, the bottle/bags I am using only go up to 6 ounces. Girls talking about switching to bigger bottles just made me nervous!
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@agold: here is a good Kelly Mom article about how many ounces (approximately) of pumped milk babies need for each feed.
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@agold: I hit 8 weeks today and I would definitely not be ready. Oh and I wouldn't worry about switching to bigger bottles just yet. Bottle-wise I use the drop-ins.
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@agold: The Kiinde system looks cool, but I find the concept of pumping into bags and then directly feeding from them kind of weird. Mostly because you don't usually pump from one side the exact amount you want to put in a bottle.
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@agold: my BF babies never too more than 5-5.5 ounces. BM isn't like formula where they need a lot more ounces as they get bigger. And once they start solids and are really eating the number of ounces goes down again.
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@agold: anti diarrhea may be The rotavirus? We are also skipping that.
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@pwnstar: thank you! I will read that article tonight!
@ShootingStar: I love using the bags to feed! What I do to address the issue you are describing is that I use one bag to pump into whether boob I think will give the most. And for the other boob, I pump into one of the medela bottles. Then, I use a funnel to dump the bottle into the bag. Easy peasy!
@T.H.O.U.: that is really interesting about the ounces staying the same! I now recall the lactation consultant saying something about that! Thanks for sharing your experience with your own littles.
And yes, the rotavirus. I looked it up a little today. Vaccine only just came out in 1996 but was later withdrawn from the market because it was link to a rare but fatal intestinal issue. The vaccine came back in 2006. Rotavirus I think is spread through infected poop. The examples I read about are baby poop on a day care toy. I'm really considering skipping this one. It's not on the list of mandated vaccines that California how'd requires kids to have in order to enjoy their constitutional right to attend public or private school.
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@agold: yup. My daughter had the vaccine in 2011/2012 and still would up sick (that sucked). Then when my son was born in 2014 it was back out on market but our doctor didn't feel comfortable in the studies.
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@T.H.O.U.: did your daughter get sick with the actual rotavirus? How badly did it affect her? Are there any others that you decided to skip with your doctors approval?!
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Whyyyyy does my child suddenly not want to nap? He used to reliably take one solid twoish hour nap every afternoon -- I'd swaddle, feed, and then he'd fall asleep and be out. Lately he keeps waking up after like five minutes, so I try to get him to sleep again and he wakes up again...repeat a million times. He'll nap in the stroller if we take a walk, but the afternoon nap was literally the only time in the entire day that I got to do anything for myself
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@MrsSCB: how old is he now? right around 8 weeks, they really start to wake up. my little guy used to be so easy to put down, and now I don't get a good nap unless I hold him.
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@pwnstar: a little over eight weeks, so that makes sense. *sigh* I miss the long naps. On the plus side, he is getting a lot more aware. He's smiling a ton and making cute noises. And he rolled over twice today!
As a side note, my husband finally made a ton of progress in the job hunt and suddenly got three offers last week. So he will soon be employed again. Yay! But we'll miss having him at home with us. The job hunt was stressful, but it was nice that he got to spend so much time with F.
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@MrsSCB: my girl is a little over 7 weeks and she's hard to put down for a nap also. that's great your baby rolled over!!!! But I'm just now thinking... Yikrs! I never put my baby down! What was he doing when he rolled over? Just happily chilling in a pack and play?
And congrats on your husbands three job offers!!!!
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@agold: he was doing tummy time on a blanket on the floor -- it was funny because I was talking to my husband as I laid F on the blanket, and I almost missed it. So we decided to see if he would do it again and he did! We got video the second time. May just be a fluke, but it was exciting nonetheless
he doesn't tolerate floor tummy time long, though, so we do it more often on our chests.
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@MrsSCB: congrats to your hubs! I know the job situation was stressing you guys out.
I'm not ready for rolling! Such a game changer.
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@katsupgirl: thanks! And F probably just got overly ambitious for a sec because he hasn't rolled a third time, haha. Later in the day, I put him down for a moment swaddled on our bed and he rolled from belly to back. My husband was like, "omg! He did it the other way!" I just said, "uh, that's because he's wrapped up like a little sausage on a soft surface, I don't think that was on purpose..."
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@MrsSCB: I'm so not ready for mobility. I'm loving the smiles and new sounds though. He's definitely finding his voice and it is so cute.
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@katsupgirl: so cute! My DH especially loves it, because he feels like they get to interact more now
️
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@MrsSCB: Naps are for babies......oh, wait. We're having trouble with naps over here at 11w. She just doesn't get good ones. And she's fussy because of it! Yay for rolling over. Baby girl has also rolled repeatedly front to back, and it surprises her every time. Hehe. And hooray for your husband'a job offers. That's wonderful news!
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@MrsSCB: I think once he becomes more interactive my DD will chill out with him. She should get a kick out of making him laugh and then maybe (one can dream) they will entertain each other.
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@MrsSCB: how long do you do tummy time for? I've been doing it maybe for a minute or two only.
We broke down and accepted a like-new full size swing in the house. Baby girl now has basically all of the floor space in our house. But I think she likes it. Praying she does. I'm hoping to put her in it this morning so I can pump since she doesn't take morning naps at home easily anymore lately.
So I'm a tad sad today... my husband has been on night shifts consistently for the past few years. Today he started day shifts. We thought it would be best now that baby is here. But o think he will see her less than when he was on night shifts. I'm so sad. He left today before me or baby were even awake. When he was on nights, he would come home around the time she woke up. He take her and I would shower. Now he will get home around 630 pm but I start to put her to bed around 730. Ugh. How is it even possible for nights to be better?? This shift will last four months so I'm hoping we end up liking it!
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@pregnantbee: these silly babies don't know how good they have it! I'd love to nap all day
@katsupgirl: aww, that will be so sweet (and maybe get you a break!) when they can entertain each other.
@agold: I basically do it for as long as he tolerates it, so I don't think it's more than a few min at a time. And I really want a swing, you'll have to let me know how you like it! We're moving into a bigger place next month, so I'm thinking we'll be picking up some more baby items
good luck with the new schedule! We have one last week with my husband home and then he'll be working again. I'm nervous already!
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@MrsSCB: OMG!!! the swing is a game changer!!!! My baby has been asleep in it for 2.5 hours already. Sound asleep still!!! I have gotten so much stuff done - pumped, cleaned pump parts; made myself a legit breakfast, cleaned kitchen; worked on baby book, showered and got dressed!!! She's still asleep. Husband told me not to go to grocery store, but I was otherwise going to try to shop and make dinner! How did I ever live without the swing? It's totally worth blocking the sliding door for. Ha! Don't wait for a bigger house to get one.
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Ok, all you less lazy and more discipline parents....advice needed
We borrowed a swing from a friend, and my son (nearly 10 weeks) will fall asleep in it by himself (usually just for the first nap of the day- I put him in it about 45 minutes after he wakes up and he is asleep after about 15-20 minutes). However, probably 2/3 of the time he wakes up twenty minutes later. His fussing turns into crying (I wait until it's full on crying). If I go in and wear him he will then sleep for another 2 (at least) hours- so he's obviously still tired.
I'm mostly just trying to increase his independence right now- anytime he isn't sleeping next to me or in the carrier is a win. But it seems like I'm probably missing something obvious here.If I put him in the swing for other naps or at bedtime he won't fall asleep on his own - so far only the first nap (i assume when he isn't over tired?). But maybe half the time if I nurse and rock him to sleep I can transfer him there.
He still won't take a damn pacifier. And right now I've picked him up and am nursing/rocking trying to get him back to sleep after a short nap and he's just staring at me.
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@Silva: it might be the age. My former swing loving baby is just about to hit 9 weeks and I'm having huge issues getting her to nap independently now. I used to be able to set her down in the swing drowsy and she'd be out for 1.5+ hours. Now I get nothing more than a few minutes unless she's attached to me or I put her in the car seat/stroller.
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@ShootingStar: that makes me feel better, thanks
I always assume the problem is me- good old fashioned mom guilt I guess
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@Silva: I'm glad it helped
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@ShootingStar: I wear him for at least six hours a day sometimes. It's crazy!
Am so grateful and slightly less zombie-face.
. I think we made a few mistakes with them - we fed formula because I didn't want to waste pumped milk, and we didn't keep up with feeding her bottles. So we got some other bottles in the hope that she wouldn't immediately reject them and we could get her used to taking a bottle and then get her to take the Avent. 
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