Hellobee Boards

I don't instagram but I've considered making a private one for the grandparents, maybe I could include HB too....

Also, all you 2nd or 3rd time mamas with toddlers, you amaze me! I hope to be there in a couple years, but maybe I don't know what I'm hoping for I wish you all lots and lots of sleepy dust! I have been so thankful for DH, when he gets home from work he takes care of all baby tasks except nursing (obvi). LO lovessss being bounced on the exercise ball but I'm not doing that, not with what happened down there with labor!

As for sleeping, is this normal at all? Is there a normal for a 3-week old? I feel like it's a lot of awake time in the mornings.....

8 or 9am: Wake up
9-1: Awake regardless of what I do, sometimes fussy
2-6: Naps off and on
6-10: Solid sleeping, barely even awake to nurse
10-12: Fussy, nursing, witching hour?
12-8: Solid sleeping, wakes to nurse, goes back down

@Brady80: Baby acne over here too, hospital & ped said nothing to do, just wait it out

@littlebug: Congratulations! Love the name!

@bisous: Any update from you?

How are you all getting such big blocks of sleep time?!?! DS is 7 weeks old and he's never done more than 3 hrs. I'm EBF and it seems like he snacks a lot during the day. Should I try to get him to eat longer 'meals?' I'm totally exhausted. I have him in the RNP at night swaddled (which he hates but is getting used to). I'm desperate for any advice. DD was FF and was doing much longer stretches by now. Help?!

@Worrywart: Has the sleep improved this week? I wish I had advice to give but I don't think we're doing anything special. I hope you are get some longer stretches soon!

@mdf106: Oh no! Sorry you had to go through that but glad to hear everything ended up okay. When do you go back to work? How is your supply this week?

@DesertDreams88: Love that he's starting to recognize you guys! My DD still gives her dad a wide eyed, terrified look when he comes home from work and tries to hold her- lol!

I love the idea of highs and lows!

High: DD slept 9.5 hours on Tuesday night! Ironically, she sleeps better than my toddler and dog, who wake me up at least once a night.

Low: It getting harder and harder for her to fall asleep. At night, it's been taking us 2-3 hours of nursing and rocking and shushing and some crying before she finally gets into a deep sleep.

My parents watched the kids for 2 hours last night while I went out to dinner with DH. I was able to have a fancy cocktail for the first time since May and it was amazing! I think I guzzled it down in about thirty seconds...

I have my 6 week pp check up this afternoon. I'm curious to see if I'll be cleared for everything!

@worrywart: Oh, I didn't mean to imply DS sleeps 12-8am with no wake ups... haha no way! He wakes every 2-3 hours to nurse, which takes a total of about 45 minutes with a diaper change and soothing back to sleep. It is definitely exhausting! I have been reading this website and it's been very helpful to me as a FTM: http://www.mybabysleepguide.com/2012/12/sleep-by-age-index.html

@Queensbee: Lol on the terrified-by-Dad look! We plan to introduce a breastmilk bottle sometime next week, I'm hoping that will help connect DH and DS more and help DH feel like he can soothe DS with feeding if necessary. I here you on the 2 hours of intense soothing.... we have had a couple of nights like that recently Yesterday we finally went out and bought a used bouncer; bouncing on the exercise ball was just too exhausting! And so glad you got a date night!!! My dad is visiting for 10 days mid-March so we have our first date nights planned.

@mdf104: Glad to hear that your supply and nursing relationship has stayed strong despite the early return to work! I have been very blessed to have this mat leave covered by 6-years-worth of saved sick time and short term disability, but future mat leaves will be very difficult as they'll be totally unpaid; leaving us to actually fall below the poverty line during that time stinks that most of the time we have to choose between providing for our children or being with our children.

@travellingbee: Mastitis sucks! I had it last week, plus clogged ducts every 2-3 days. Hopefully the antibiotics are kicking in, and you can get more sleep soon, which will help as well.

@QueensBee: I can't believe it's almost been 2 months either! I feel like she is so alert and expressive these days. She smiles and coos and flails her arms & legs around when she plays. Those moments are so much fun. I'm worried about the bottle thing. She took one just fine a few weeks ago, but I better try again before going back to work to be sure.

@DesertDreams88: my first maternity leave was definitely better than this one. I had only 6ish weeks of paid leave, but we had a lot in savings so I was able to take 4 months, because of my school's break schedule. This time I only have 5 weeks of paid time, so I'm going back next week at 8 weeks. Thankfully my husbands job gives 3 paid weeks, so C gets to stay home until 11 weeks.

@travellingbee: booo to mastitis! I got it at like 4 weeks, but it must have been a mild case because the fever/clog/redness was gone in a few days and I didn't need to take the antibiotics. I hope you're doing better now.

High: seeing her smile so much, being able to figure out her natural schedule (she eats & naps like clockwork!)
Low: going back to work, the witching hour(s!), figuring out just the right amount of diary so that she doesn't have tummy trouble.

@JoyfulKiwi: Wow, I'm impressed and jealous you have a handle on daily schedule! That's great! Each day, it feels like a bit of a gamble when we leave to do something. I'm never quite sure when she's going to want to sleep, wake up, eat or poop!

@travellingbee: Good luck with it! It was so nice being able to leave at any time, knowing that her sitter could just give her a bottle. Now I have some anxiety when I'm out on an errand bc I know she might be home screaming for milk! I guess she'll have to adapt eventually. Are you going back to work before the end of the school year?

DS2 will take a bottle, but he is unenthusiastic. I am not sure about the details, because I am away when he gets bottles. He is always starving when I get home from nurse, and will nurse for at least an hour. This really interferes with spending time with DS1, because it is almost bedtime by the time I am done nursing.

@DesertDreams88: Oh man, growth spurts are hard! It's hard to realize when they've started - it's like you're baby has been broken and then you realize Duh, it's a growth spurt! Congrats on being 6 weeks and physically feeling healed. The end of the elaborate bathroom routine is so great!

I'm not 100% sure C is colicky, but she sure does cry A LOT in the evening hours and is impossible to settle. We can't get a read on why either. Sometimes it's a need to poop, sometimes it's a large spit-up, sometimes it seems to be overstimulation, sometimes it's nothing we can tell at all. She's never consistent though (some poops she cries, but others she doesn't). She also is a car seat screamer which is so unsettling. I'm wracking my brains trying to figure out how to comfort her, but the crying is so discouraging. I had a little meltdown a few nights ago and my husband wants me to go see a therapist. He thinks I have PPD, although I don't think he knows what that is really, but I told him I'd call on Monday. Blerg, I don't really want to go but I suppose it'll make him feel better.

@JoyfulKiwi: my LO wails in the car seat too unless I have my white noise app on, all the way up, and an A&A blanket over the top to block out the (blinding) sun. It took a lot of trial and error (AKA wailing) to figure this out! And it still only works about 60% of the time and if I start off wrong, forget it....
As for the colic & being upset, that's totally understandable. I hope it's "just" sleep deprivation / stress / a stage; and not PPD like your husband thinks. I think you're going back to work this week, or next week; and your husband is staying home for the next 3 weeks? Best wishes for that transition, maybe that will take the "edge" off - I know you'll miss LO for sure but getting out into the "real world" and not being at the beck and call of a newborn 24/7 could also be a bit of a relief.

@travellingbee: Great job growing a healthy baby, mama So glad for you that this one seems to be a better sleeper! I imagine you go back to work soon, too? It will be so good to have a rhythm done before having to go back. We're still fumbling around but we've got 4 more weeks so hopefully it works itself out.

You guys are stressing me out talking about work! I'm ready for the stimulation (I've been home for 14 months now) but I'm happy with my little girl posse right now...

@JoyfulKiwi: I hope your first days back at work have gone well. I have found the transition more challenging this time than last time. I hope C's colic improves, and that you feel better. Also, me being calmer has always caused my children to be less fussy, especially as babies, who seem to be really in tune with my stress level. DS2 does not seem to enjoy the car unless he is asleep, preferably already asleep when he gets in the car.

@travellingbee: DS2 is 12lb 13 oz, and a whopping 24.5 inches. He has grown 4 inches in two months.

@mdf106: thanks for the well-wishes! I did a 1/2 week (wed-fri) and it was good overall. All the kids and parents welcoming me back made me feel so loved and I'm fortunate to be able to split up my lunch break to feed C 4x a day (we're in the same building). But having no lunch break = no downtime/decompressing time for me so I'm pretty drained come 6pm!
On the bright side, C slept straight through last night from 7pm - 4am!! I had to get up and pump at 3, but I was so excited!

@travellingbee: awesome on the rolling over! DS is still only doing side to back and back to side. Lots of baby smiles though. I love baby smiles! Good luck with the crib transition, I gave up lol

LOs Age: 10 weeks
Weight: 12 lb 13 ounces at 2 months
Recent Milestones: Lots of smiling
Current Struggles: I am still struggling with being back at work. We are at one wake up, which I can't complain about at this age, but it will be much easier when he STTN. I have gotten longer stretches, so we seem to be heading in that direction. I feel like I hardly get to spend time with DS1 during the week, and most of my time with DS2 is nursing or getting him to sleep. My evening routine is not so much fun, with no downtime.

Random Tidbit: I am amazed how different my two sons are in both looks and especially personality. They are both easy babies, though.

@travellingbee: My pediatrician said to expect teeth with similar timing to older brother.

@oliviaoblivia: We actually have a similar bedtime, maybe a little later. I actually like it, because I can sleep during his long stretch. He only sleeps until around 7, though. It is an improvement over my first, who would not go down for the night until at least midnight.