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Oh, and I am eternally jealous of those of you who say you've only heard your babies really cry a few times. D goes from 0- 60 faster than a Ferrari, so if I miss a hunger cue or have to pee before feeding him, it's scream city.
ETA: I really hope this is not indicative of his patience. If it is,we are in store for some MAJOR tantrums. Oy!
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@littlebug: haha I'm with ya on that one!
We tried a dream feed last night. It was pointless. He still woke up 2.5 hrs later!
We do a loose routine at bedtime. Bath, bottle (or boob), bed. After bath I do baby massage and we keep the lights dim. Then we swaddle and feed him in the dim nursery with the sound machine. 9 times out of 10 he goes down easily by 8 or 8:30. The only thing that sucks is he usually sleeps until 12 or so. I would love to get 3.5 or 4 hrs but I'm not tired at 8:30. But I also don't wanna stay up until 12. So normally an he after I go to sleep he is ready to eat
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@birdofafeather: i am very impressed with the macgyvered cloth diapers!
E also seems to get riled up by a bath, so we don't do it every night. he seems to be okay with the bath, but his eyes pop wide open and he just stares really intensely.
we're on the loosey goosey side. "bedtime" is anywhere between 7pm and 10pm, depending on his schedule that day. if we do a bath, i'm trying to do it soon after the feeding in order not to get him during his sleepy time. otherwise, i lotion him a little, swaddle, sing a lullaby, pop the pacifier in, put him in the crib, and basically wait for him to start fussing
i'm only now changing him into pj's--before that he only got changed once a day! i know, i'm gross. i'm still not confident trying to enforce a set schedule because i feel like almost every day he has a "surprise! it's only been 1 hour since my last feeding but let's have another go!" moment.
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@littlebug: let us know how it goes with trying to get him on a schedule! i feel like our "schedule" consists of 2-hour windows (i.e. eats anywhere from 8-10), so it isn't much of a schedule.
i've heard that one advantage of daycare is that the providers can help enforce a schedule!
i wouldn't worry too much about him falling asleep while he's upright--you have to make him comfortable with the reflux! you could try thinking of it this way--if you opted for drowsy but awake, he may not be able to fall asleep because of the acid! i've definitely had to make choices where no option is perfect.
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@coacheswife123: just curious because i've heard about dream feeds but don't totally understand them--what is your LO's last feeding/night feeding schedule like? will the dream feed hopefully help push off night feedings?
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@edelweiss: he usually has bottle around 6 and nurses around 8 and goes in the crib after that - asleep and in crib around 9. Then we usually nurse again around 2 and 4 and 6 - sometimes a little before sometimes a little after. Last night he went down at 8 or so and I came in and fed him at 10. He stayed asleep the whole time so I was hopeful that would push his next wake up to a little later but he woke up at 12 ?!?! Total fail !
That was the only time I've ever done one. They may work better once he is a bit older ?
Also, drowsy but awake does not work for us at allllll
he has to be in a coma when we put him down Blah. In pp news: my mini pill is making me spot I think. It was heavy enough today that I actually tried a tampon (regular size) and had to immediately remove it. It was really uncomfortable and hurt so bad to pull out.
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@littlebug: oh, one option to consider for reflux is a crib wedge like this one:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2401848&searchURL=truei bought two and stacked them on top of each other, put them in a king size pillowcase and in the crib. that way i am not too concerned about how long he has been upright since a feeding. i have to put two rolled up muslin blankets on each side of him to prevent rolling diagonally, but it's worked out so far.
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@littlebug: I feel like Abi is a very unhappy baby, she cries all the time and gets worked up really quick. She is a snorter too, so I feel like she can never catch her breath.
On days that we both work , LO was doing pretty well with a schedule but when either of us have a day off she is back to no schedule.
We dont do bath time before bed anymore cause it seemed to stimulate her way too much. So I give her baths during the day now. Hope this will change when she is a bit older.
Yesterday felt like a total mom fail day. She would not nap at all, cried everytime I put her down. And she ate at 8:30pm and was in bed by 9:30 but kept crying. We tried a bit of CIO and she finally fell asleep by 10:30. I have been trying everything to get her to go to sleep. she is usually really good about going down for the night but last night not so much. I tried to swaddle her really tight and she did fall asleep but she woke up pissed with in 5 minutes of me putting her down. (we have not been swaddleing for over a month) I have tried the velcro swaddle sacks but she just screams. She will go down drowsy (but awake) but will start crying within 10 minutes. Far cry from the sleepy baby I had last week
The other issue is she has stopped eating as much as she was, and as much as th Dr recommended. She was up to 4oz every 4 hours but now we are lucky if she takes 2 ounces every 3 to 4 hours...?? She will take 3.5oz for maybe 2 of her bottles but other than that it is between 1 and 3. I am so afarid they are gonna say she isnt gaining enough, she is only in the 5th percentile as it is.I hope thta all the LO's that have been put on Zantac feel better soon. I think it has really helped Abi. Our Dr. said it was ok to hold her for the 20 minutes after eating but not longer, to put her down to sleep. We totally fail at this.
@coacheswife123: I have done that before with a tampon, ouch!
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@edelweiss: It'll probably be a while before I actually have him on s schedule... right now I'm just trying to see if there is any rhyme or reason. So far from the spreadsheet I've made, there isn't - it's simply nap when we nap, eat when we eat. But who knows, maybe a pattern will emerge that I'm not seeing yet.
Well, add us to the Zantac-users. D spit up blood this afternoon, so I called the ped. She's starting him on a dose based on his 1-month weight plus one pound. We have his 2-month appt next week so we'll follow up then. But if he spits up blood again, we're off to see a GI specialist.
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@littlebug: Aww I hope he feels better soon. That would have scared to crap out of me.
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@pinkb: that isn't a mom fail day, it was just a hard day. that sounded really rough--we've all been there, you're not alone. E fights almost every single nap and bedtime. i'm always on edge wondering whether this will be the nap that he fusses for 10 minutes or over an hour. last weekend was a mess, and really tough emotionally/psychologically on me.
you did everything you could to try and make abi comfortable, so don't be hard on yourself. is it a wonder week, maybe?
about the eating--it's so hard when there are numbers involved because they are black and white measures that make us feel like we're doing something wrong if they aren't met. but maybe while abi is having a few days of not eating as much, the next few days will be filled with tremendous eating! still, i know it's so hard not to worry!
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@littlebug: aw, poor little guy! zantac is fast-acting so hopefully he'll be feeling better in no time. that must be really stressful for you, though.
our schedule changes every day. today i started thinking about what we're going to do next month when he starts daycare, and how we have to get some kind of schedule eventually so that the logistics work out (husband and me leaving at different times, feeding E before we leave, etc.). but i find it hard to think about too much because his schedule is everywhere, so i might wait until two weeks before my maternity leave ends. before obsessing (and i guarantee that i will obsess and in a totally useless manner).
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@edelweiss: Her adjusted age (she is 10 weeks today but was 4 weeks early) put her at the 5 week wonder week for last week, hoping that is it and it just lasted the whole week and a little extra. She seemed to be happier today, but still issues getting her to nap and eat. I had to put wear her to be able to get ready for work with out her screaming.
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@coacheswife123: "drowsy but awake" was driving me absolutely insane for weeks, because getting there was like torture. and even when we did, he would start fussing immediately or 10 minutes after being put in the crib. these days, i'm doing our routine of swaddling, holding him, singing a lullaby (and if he's really antsy, giving him a little milk), and putting the pacifier in. i then put him in the crib, awake or not (usually awake). i realize i'm probably committing some kind of sin, but we get the same result whether we spend 30 minutes getting him to "drowsy but awake" or just plain awake.
when he starts fussing/crying, i put the pacifier back in and hold it there until he has calmed down, and leave (again, whether he's drowsy/asleep or not, usually the latter). it usually takes a few times before he falls asleep for good, but i'm trying not to worry about it anymore.
that damn drowsy but awake stage can kiss my ass.
ETA: that all makes me sound kind of cruel, but part of this was borne out of the fact that we have found no surefire way to get him to fall and stay asleep. carseat? forget it. carrier? hit and miss. falling asleep on us? too stimulating. so we just go with what we have, which is to put an awake baby in a crib and do the check-and-replace-paci routine until he's down for the count. and, of course, wakes up after a sleep cycle is over. argh!
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@pinkb: oh i'm so glad she was happier today! it's weird how things change so much from day to day, and how one day things seem hopeless and then the next day things are so much better.
good call on putting her in the carrier (even though it's an extra burden on you)--sounds like she's going through an adjustment right now so just doing what we can to get them through those times is the best decision!
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@edelweiss: I dont think it sounds cruel, we had to start CIO last night and it really felt like the right decision. We check on her and dont let ker get too worked up. She goes from an angry upset to a calm whimper and then just reapeats with a few crazy cries mixed. Yes whatever I have to do to make it thur the day is still what I do!
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I hope everyone's LOs are responding nicely to the reflux drugs. Poor babies!
L has been pretty fussy the past few days - he works himself up past the point where I know he's hungry but he won't eat- we figured out what I refer to as Ye Olde Nipple Swap. Get him to take the pacifier, ease him on down to the boob and once he's settled, swap the paci for the real thing.
Now if only I could get him to burp regularly once he's sleeping..
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I think Eli has some reflux issues too, but it doesn't seem to bother him, so I'm not going to worry about it yet. He's also started only taking one boob at a feeding (except for right before bed). So interesting how he's made these decisions himself! I'm a little worried about getting more plugged ducts (the side he doesn't take definitely gets more full than it did before), but so far so good.
He's been sleeping really well at night, but I get sooo full that by like 5am I can hardly stand it. I've been hand expressing into the sink, but that only helps a little. By 7 (when he usually gets up), I'm full again! Not sure what I can do about it though. Supposedly if you just tough it out everything regulates?
We've been out to eat two times so far! He's just slept in his carseat the whole time, and it's been really great to get out of the house and be a part of society again.
Fingers crossed for husband -- he had a job interview today and might have another soon. We're trying to move away from this current job/town/situation. Hopefully things are looking up!
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Also, re: sleep, I feel really strongly that the reason E sleeps so well at night is because we co-bed. Every time I try to let him nap in his crib or in the RnP during the day, he does really poorly unless I'm right there next to him. I know those of you that have baby in their own room are probably doing so because you need to, but I just thought I'd offer that info.
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@allison: I don't know if you're pumping at all, but I find pumping right before bed helps with engorgement overnight. I pump both sides, regardless of whether he just ate. If I don't pump ( like last night even I was just too darn tired), I am painfully engorged by 5am. And that's great that E is sleeping so well for you! D pretty consistently sleeps 9-5, now, then goes back down 5:30-8, and he's been in his crib in his room since he was 5 days old. I think every baby is different, so I'm glad you guys find what works for you!
Oh, and good luck to your husband!
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@littlebug: I just haven't gotten the hang of the pump yet. I've tried, but it just never goes well. I think I might have the wrong size flanges? I'm probably just over-thinking it.
Yeah, every baby is definitely different. I've known a lot of babies that slept well in their own rooms from the beginning, now that I think about it. I think mine may just be a little on the clingy side
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@allison: I had to get bigger flanges - it made s world of difference!
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L only slept 11.5 hours TOTAL yesterday and was super clingy/fussy...wondering if its ww 8 even though he's 7 w3d today. He's shown a bunch of the signs already. At least if that's what it is I know it will end eventually...
If you guys are really engorged and in pain, Maybe try a cold compress after feedings- I froze a wet washcloth in the freezer then wrapped a dry one around it and stuffed the whole thing in my bra.
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@edelweiss: it was all DH! if it were me by myself, i would have been freaking out! we were 2 miles from home with only our legs to carry us back!
i've been trying to do a dream feed, but R doesn't suck when i shove my boob in her mouth. i usually end up waking her with a diaper change around 10-10:30 to get her up enough to feed. then i go to bed and pray for a long sleep time!
@coacheswife123: i've totally had that happen with the night feeds! i feel like, well, i should have just gone to bed then! but i like to do that 10-10:30 feed either way because then i'm banking her sleep for when i'm sleeping too!
@pinkb: sorry for the cruddy day. hopefully she'll even out here soon! it stinks when you have a routine going and then they throw a wrench in it! i feel like that's the hardest thing for me!
@dagret: ye olde nipple swap is hilarious! and genius.
@allison: i just toughed it out (hand expressed if i woke up super full and couldn't go back to bed) and it's evened out for sure!
right now i'm watching R just fuss around swaddled with no nap earlier today either. i put her down almost fully asleep and she's up within minutes. might be a "rock her during all naps" kinda day.
she's usually a good little napper, but today she's keeping me on my toes!
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@littlebug: i was wondering how you got your LO to have a bedtime of 9pm? did he fall into it naturally, or do you wake him up from his last nap to do a feeding/bedtime routine/etc.? we've been kind of going with the flow, but i'd like to start establishing a bedtime if possible since we're going to have a pretty tight schedule when i go back to work. any advice would be appreciated--thank you!
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@edelweiss: @littlebug: yes, another vote from me wondering about bedtimes!
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@edelweiss: @birdofafeather: He just fell into it naturally. His last nap is usually over right around 6. Hubs gives him his bottle around 6-6:30, then we keep him up till about 8, then start the routine - diaper, massage/singing, nurse/rock, bed. It takes him almost an hour to take the bottle, so Hubs can never believe he's ready to eat by 8, but he definitely is - he will still nurse for like 30 minutes!
ETA: He is usually pretty fussy between the bottle and bedtime and I'm starting to wonder if maybe we are keeping him up too late. But he doesn't really fall asleep with the bottle like he does with the boob, so that makes me think he's not ready for bed yet? It also makes me wonder if maybe we need to try a different bottle, cuz maybe he's gassy? Or give him a bigger bottle, cuz maybe he's still hungry? Ugh it's so hard!
@birdofafeather: We had the same kind of day today. He only took a couple cat naps, only on me. The second I would put him down, he'd start fussing.
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I was active in the January mommas thread pre-birth, but I got lost after the birth. I didn't have easy access to my lap-top at first and also baby was constantly nursing and I needed both hands to keep my huge boobs from smothering her. Then I just felt too behind. Over the last two days I finally read the whole thread. I'm hoping to keep up with the thread now.
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@kayakgirl73: I still need to read the entire thing! I get overwhelmed. : ) Welcome back. How are things?
Sleep is going pretty well for us but we do not have a schedule. D eats around 10 or 11, then 2-3, then 5 or so. During the day we are going every 2 to 2 1/2 hours. He would probably STTN, but we have to wake him after 4 hours. He goes down easily and sleeps well. The hardest part is the early morning because he is almost always constipated and groans and cries even though he's still sleepy. Frustrating.
His weight gain is a bit slow, but ok. He's 9lbs now which is 9th percentile. He's 30th for head and 10th for height. He threw up large amounts 3 times this week which really stressed me out. (He doesn't throw up often.) And he's volumes are not great. He's been taking around 16 oz the last few days. His best is a little over 20. I added 1/4 breastmilk to the formula which doesn't seem to help, but I really want to try to have him take it.
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@littlebug: thanks for sharing! it is so hard to know what to do. on a side note, i'm glad we're not the only ones taking an hour to give LO a bottle! also, he has this habit of sometimes stopping eating after a bit and throwing a fit if we try to give him more, and then right as we're about to put him to bed, he's like oh no wait I'M HUNGRY FEED ME NOW YOU BITCHES.
today's been one of the 1.5 to 2 hour days as opposed to 3 to 3.5. i'm tired, and having a bowl of chocolate chips and peanut butter for dinner. yes, i breastfeed. i'm an awful person.
@kayakgirl73: yay! so glad to see you! give us an update when you have a chance. totally understandable that you tuned out for a while, we all do that from time to time.
@Mrs Green Grass: i didn't even try to catch up when i joined the board, or when i miss a day or few, so no worries! that's great that sleep is going so well (even with the wake-ups for feedings)--that's very impressive. i totally know what you mean about the early morning constipation/gas--i get completely stressed out if he doesn't poop right before his sleep/night wakings because i know he won't poop until morning, and at that point it will be a real struggle! sometimes our LO wakes up early struggling to poop even though i know he's not hungry yet. very frustrating (because i want that extra hour of sleep!).
that's great that he is steadily gaining weight, even if it's slowly.
we've been low on pics lately! i'm attaching one of my fav pics of LO and my other babies. feel free to share your latest and greatest pics (or just whatever you have on hand)!
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@dagret: aw that's rough when you know they're not getting enough sleep. LO has been taking really short naps today, and extremely fussy. you're probably right that it's a wonder week, maybe that's why our guy is acting so funny as well.
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@edelweiss: I think tomorrow we're going to go get an anti-colic bottle and see if that helps with the post-bottle fussiness. I would really like to try putting him down after his bottle but Hubs is hesitant since he's been sleeping so well - he's afraid to mess with a good thing (like he gets up with him). I told him Wed see how the Zantac and the anti-colic bottles work and I'm going to talk to the ped about it next week.
Here's my latest favorite of D, smiling at our cat, Padfoot...
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We're at the end of a fussy period as well. And she's been feeding like a piranha every two hours....and then yells into my boobs when they're empty. Nine week growth spurt? Wonder week eight a week late? I feel badly when I know that she is still hungry, but it's pretty funny. She is growing (like a weed) so I know it's not a problem but hopefully my supply increases to meet demand soon.
We were doing really well with her bedtime and this week, since daylight savings actually, she has decided that 9-11 is party time and is WIDE awake. How do you make a wide awake baby go to sleep?
@edelweiss: FEED ME NOW YOU BITCHES had me laughing out loud.
I met up with some other HB mamas today. It was so nice to hang out with other people during the day. I'm realizing how isolated I've been in the past two months. I spend the day talking to myself/baby. I went to the grocery store without L the other day and realized that I was talking to myself. "And now we're going to get the milk...." I definitely need to get out more!
How is it possible that our babies are two months old?!
My most recent fave babe and pup pic....
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@kayakgirl73: yay welcome back !!
@Mrs Green Grass: I hope things continue to improve with Dylan ! I hate when J fusses and I know he is in pain (gas!) and I can't help
@edelweiss: awe look how cute !! Haha I think we are gonna have a "feed me now" episode tonight. He only ate 1.5 from his bottle and usually takes 4. Greaaaatttt.
@littlebug: I love that little smile ! Does he hate the Zantac ? It's so nasty !
@oliviaoblivia: I'm with you on getting out! I had lunch with two friends yesterday and felt like I had to re learn how to hold a conversation haha. I felt distracted the whole time ! I wish our pup took to J ! She pretty much ignores him!
Those of you who follow me on IG have already seen this, but I love this picture his face is so funny !
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Dying laughing at @edelweiss feeding...
Everyone's LOs are sooo cute! We make a good looking batch of babies!Here's L doing his best Dr Evil impression.
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@dagret: hahahaha best dr evil ever!
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@coacheswife123: I LOVE his smirks!!
@dagret: his furrowed brow is hilarious! What is he thinking!
@littlebug: OMG! Such a great smile!
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@littlebug: oh my word D is a cutie! i love how he's smiling at padfoot, absolutely love it!
@oliviaoblivia: aw, is there anything sweeter than dogs and babies together?? how is your dog adjusting? look at how happy your LO is! makes me smile. how fun that you went to an HB meetup--i know what you mean about getting out and having some fun time for yourself. i went to brunch with a small meetup group of new mamas and it was a breath of fresh air.
@coacheswife123: haha love the facial expression! we have some funny ones like that also. what a cutie.
@dagret: totally contemplating how to take over the world and get his one meeellliion dollars!
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@coacheswife123: HAAAATES the Zantac. Makes the worst face when I give it to him and looks at me like, "WTF, Mom? Why are you being so mean?"
@kayakgirl73: Welcome back!
@Mrs Green Grass: I'm glad D is getting decent sleep - I guess that you have to wake him up is a good sign that he'll be s good sleeper once you no longer have to feed do frequently. I hope he continues to make progress!
We are definitely in WW territory. It took me 2 hours to put D down last night. I spent all of an hour with Hubs, during which we ate (in shifts) and then he cleaned up dinner while I entertained D. I miss my husband, you guys. Anyway, all of the refusing to nap for more than 50 minutes anywhere other than on me, and then this sudden memory loss regarding how to fall asleep on mommy and stay sleep in the crib...I hope this WW passes quickly! His nursing is atrocious, too. He lays there, nipple right in front of him and just roots - violently, I might add - it's so frustrating. I used to try to kind of guide him back on and sort of force him to latch (like the nurses in the hospital) but I'm so tired of the battle I just let him flail around and figure it out. Meanwhile, I'm taking the beating off my life from an 8- week old child. Eventually he gets tired of it and starts to whine (as if I'm withholding the boob juice), then I'm able to latch him back on and he stays attached. One of these times I'm going to take video, cuz if it wasn't so damn frustrating it would probably be funny.... you know, in about 25 years!
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@littlebug: that's EXACTLY how L is acting right now too. Did you see my comment up higher about the nipple swap? It's the only way I can get him to keep eating right now. This am he quit after 4 min! I did the nipple swap and he ate for another 8.
*i* had a meltdown last night. After he was up from 1245-2 am, I was so keyed up I came back to bed and had a really loud sobfest, and was up until his next wake up at 3.
i'm only now changing him into pj's--before that he only got changed once a day! i know, i'm gross. 
he has to be in a coma when we put him down Blah. 
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