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@maybebaby: Glad things are healing but sorry about the sciatica
I had it for a while during pregnancy and it pretty much sucks. I am going to attend a new moms group soon, too. I might start the week after next. Jack looks so cute!!@tinypiglet: Congratultions-she is beautiful and sounds like you did awesome, even with the epidural issues. Hope you are all settling in well.
We took Avery out to dinner for the first time tonight and it was a big success. We found a place with outdoor seating and I fed him right before we left. He slept the whole time, which I am grateful for because I'm not quite ready to breast feed at a table with my in-laws
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@bisous: I usually hold A on my chest for one nap a day, but at night I always have dreams that DH turns over in bed and knocks him over. I think I would be way too nervous for overnight cosleeping! I've tried side lying a couple times when I was really tired and I liked it too.
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@tlcbaby: my husband has an acquaintance who *actually* rolled over and smothered his infant. Omg. No co sleeping/napping for us.
In happier news I am super jealous of your restaurant experience . My kid screams in public. Nap? Who needs it? "I am awake and MAD!"
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@LazyLightning: Oh my gosh that is horrible!
You should have seen how nervous I was when we were looking for a parking space. It took about 15 minutes and I said "We are wasting precious time!"
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@tlcbaby: I'm jealous of eating out too! Although, I had to laugh at the must! hurry! My little ticking time bomb is better in the mornings.
Maybe I could convince DH into a brunch...
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@Espion: same here. She is much better in the morning.
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@Espion: I would def. try for brunch first then!
My magic trick was to feed him and immediately get him in the car. That usually works for a while. -
@Espion: @tlcbaby: We have taken our little time bomb out for a couple of patio lunches, and so far so good! The carseat apparently has magical powers that make him pass out.
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Is anyone else dealing with reflux in their LO? I was hesitant to try Zantac but our pedi said C's reflux is pretty severe. I'm also doing an elimination diet and have thus far identified caffeine as a trigger. Goodbye, beloved coffee. Next up to go is dairy!
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@tinypiglet--congratulations! she is beautiful, you are a rockstar!
@tlcbaby: Thanks--so frustrating to have had it go away just to come back! Ugh.I second the camp of feed the baby and then head out stat! We've been to brunch, two dinners and a baby shower and that formula seems to work pretty well!
I nursed for the first time in public today--DH was playing basketball with some friends and Jack and I went along to watch/for a walk. I am still using a nipple shield and it was hot out esp with the nursing cover, but I did it! Woo hoo!!
@grizz: No reflux that we know of but I am so sorry about the caffeine
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@grizz: I have a happy spitter, likely. He doesn't fuss, but it breaks my heart to see him barf up an ounce... I'm not sure what the trigger is to warrant anti-reflux meds.
We go back to the pediatrician tomorrow to see how E is doing on his weight.
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@grizz: RE reflux---while it doesn't seem we have refulx we HAVE had two very scary bouts of projectile vomiting (ahhh there goes my liquid gold!) that seemed like TONS and it came shooting out of his nose. I think those two times were from overeating (he'd had a bottle and then still seemed hungry so we nursed and it just went everywhere). Poor guy
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@grizz: No reflux issues, but I do think A might be sensitive to caffeine. I had coffee two days in a row and he seemed to not nap as well those days. So I haven't had any either and I was so excited to drink coffee again.
@maybebaby: Congrats on nursing in public! I haven't had to yet, but we've been venturing out more and more so I am sure my day is coming.
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@grizz: Baby S spits up a lot, but I don't think it's reflux. I did cut out garlic when I noticed she had some stomach pain/gas on the days when I ate it. Poor C, I hope it gets better!
I made it out for Father's Day dinner last weekend and S slept the whole time. I don't know if we'll be so lucky every time though! She has been getting more fussy. I'm fairly sure she's in a growth spurt today. I feed on demand and she has fed just about every hour and fifteen mins since she woke up at 7.
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Is everyone laying their LOs down for naps in a crib/co-sleeper, something moveable like a RNP or swing, or is your LO napping on you the entire day?
E seems to alternate good/bad nights and I haven't figured out what makes him sleep a 3 hour stretch and what keeps him up every 20 minutes. But I cannot put this kid down! If I put him in the co-sleeper, he'll scream bloody murder from a dead sleep.
I said nothing about all this to the pediatrician today, yet she felt the need to lecture on the certain death of co-sleeping, sleeping in swings, or generally sleeping anywhere but in a crib with a firm mattress. It was a little much for me, considering I probably managed two hours last night, and not all in a row.
I think I'm just looking for a teensy bit of reassurance. He's still 4 ounces behind his birth weight. My mom has been here for a week and she's basically either played games on her ipad or held E while I pack like a madwoman for our moving trucks on Saturday. (I asked her if she'd give E a bottle last night from what I had pumped. She said sure! then she went to bed. My mom isn't a terrible person, but she is beyond clueless and lacks basic social graces. So, NOT a great help, basically stressing me out and forcing me to imprison myself in my bedroom to nurse in my own dadgum house.) (DH is away until Saturday morning.)
I feel like E hasn't caught up in his weight because I'm trying to pack, clean, nurse, and get E to sleep somewhere that is not in someone's arms. Too much all at once. I can't wait for DH to be home, but he'll be a bigger stressball than me because of the move.
/stress vent
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@Espion: Oh no! I am so sorry you are so stressed. Do you have any good friends nearby you can be honest with and tell them how they can help you?
Our LO naps either in the RnP or the crib and rarely on me--simply because it is too hot. Sometimes I nurse him in our bed and we both fall asleep, but I always make sure there are no pillows/blankets that would get in the way. Your ped sounds like a fear-monger!
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@maybebaby: Unfortunately, we live several states away from friends and family. I've only lived here for 2 years, and we've always known that we'd be leaving, so no friends that I'd feel comfortable asking favors.
Yeah, I definitely took the Peds "advice" with a grain of salt. I had E in bed with me from 3 am on, because I was getting delirious.
Oh well, the stress will at least be short lived...the moving truck comes Saturday (and my mom goes home) whether we are ready or not!
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@Espion: Good luck with the move! Hope mom becomes a better help
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@Espion: Sorry you are so stressed!
The ped sounds kind of alarmist if you ask me. Go with your intuition! If you have done your research, do what you feel most comfortable with, taking you and your baby's unique circumstances into consideration.We place S in a rock 'n' play for daytime naps, although sometimes she naps on me.
I hope your mom becomes somewhat of a help. I know I had to have a heart to heart with my sis and DH after being home from the hospital for a few days--basically just to clarify what help I needed and why (and to admit that i hate asking people to do things for me, but that there wasn't much of a choice if I wanted to heal and take care of S as best I could!). After that, things got a lot easier. With that said, I know talking through your stress is often easier said than done! Good luck with your move!
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@bisous: Thanks.
Sorry about the vent, but somehow it's a little easier without the verbal diarrhea clouding my brain. I also found this thread: http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/newborn-sleep#post-375833 which was reassuring about newborn sleep habits (or lack thereof).
E finally let me put him down. My mom is taking a nap (must be NICE). So I'm speed packing. Feels good to get something done, at least.
HB to the rescue! Thank you both.
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@Espion: My kid is HARD to get to nap. She is a screamer. Are you swaddling for naps? Some friends reassured me that this is OK to do - I was worried it would hinder her development and was only swaddling at night. Currently she's been sleeping for an hour and that's a long time for her during the day. And she sleeps wherever I can get her to sleep. I was lectured by the neonatal doc about the dangers of sleeping in an RnP or swing, and rushed out the day she came home and bought a pack n play for her to sleep in in our room (I was going to use the RnP as a bassinet). So she sleeps in the pack n play at night. She has also slept in her crib when my mom was here and watched her a few nights. During the day, she sleeps wherever I can get her to. I've pretty much cast off the neonatologist's recs at this point - I need her to sleep and a lot of times, she won't on a flat surface. We have a 3 story house (including basement) so I prefer her to nap on the main floor rather than up in the bedrooms. So she'll sleep in her swing, the rock n play, and once or twice in her boppy lounger. Sometimes she sleeps on me but she stirs too easily and gets unsettled if I so much as clear my throat. My husband's grandma watched her last week because he had a medical procedure i had to take him to - she put LO to sleep on the couch with a pillow propped behind her and a blanket on her. Whatever, she napped! I'll take it.
I personally cannot/do not nap, so she does not sleep with me. Also I think I mentioned my husband's acquaintance suffered a tragedy, rolling over on his baby while sleeping, and the worst happened. So my husband is very much against any kind of co-sleeping. I never get in bed with her. She doesn't like me to sit down anyway, she likes me to walk around and sway her all the time. I feel like a zombie doing this in the middle of the night but oh well. If I sit, even in a rocking chair, she gets really upset.
She also, gasp, sleeps on her side. Currently she is swaddled, on her side, in her swing, with white noise blaring from the swing.
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@Espion: @LazyLightning: I've also got a tough napper. She sleeps the best on a pillow on my lap, after nursing. Not great for me to sleep or get anything done! Rarely I get a long nap out of her but it's usually like 20 mins up to maybe an hour. Occasionally I can transfer her to the RnP but it's a crap shoot. She sleeps decently most nights, in the PnP newborn insert thing. I'm actually currently getting ready to try to pop her in there for a nap. I've also napped in bed with her and brought her in bed with us at night a handful of times when I was super exhausted. I'm just trying to survive these early days!
We swaddle for night sleep because it keeps her asleep longer but she hates getting swaddled and fights it, so I haven't been doing it for naps. Maybe I should give it a shot.
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@Espion: A sleeps in the napper in his pack n play for naps and in the Rock n Play at night. He sleeps really well swaddled up in the RnP, I guess he is all warm and cozy. He doesn't sleep as long in the PnP, but it is bright and noisy down here and I don't swaddle. I bring him in bed sometimes if he wakes up at 5:00am and I am not quite ready to wake up.
I sometimes hold him for a nap or DH or a visitor will, but usually not more than once a day. He hasn't touched his crib yet-I am still unsure when I'll be ready for that.
Sorry about your mother-I guess she should know better since she is a mother herself, but I honestly didn't realize until I had A which things were helpful for new parents. From now on, I will definitely be bringing meals or doing the dishes or something when I visit new parents. Or just letting them get a nap!
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@Revel: I think our babies have been talking. That sounds a lot like E. His favorite place to sleep is in my arms on the nursing pillow.
He has officially been nursing for the last 2 hours straight. My back is killing me, but every time I de-latch him, he acts like he's starving.
I wish he could tolerate the sling. Would be so nice if he could nap and I could walk at the same time!
@LazyLightning: I swaddle occasionally, but try to save it for nighttime. He basically acts like I'm putting him in a straight jacket, so it's been hit or miss.
@tlcbaby: Oh yes, when I have a friend with a newborn, I will do whatever in my power to help them get a nap!!
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@Espion: sounds just like my LO, especially the reaction to the swaddling!
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Echoing all the other PPs re: swaddling. C acts like he's being tortured when I swaddle him. He is NOTa sleeper. I honestly don't know when he sleeps because he just catnaps night and day without ever giving me a long stretch. He only wants to sleep on the boob, which is proving to be problematic for my sleep haha... Going to try the co-sleeper again tonight, but he's convinced he's sleeping alone when I put him in it and wants to be closer to me.
He just got a bath and is all snuggly and yummy smelling right now... I can't be mad at him for the lack of sleep. I am so wrapped around his little finger!
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Oh and if you are my friend on IG you already saw this, but after my husband and I both got our faces peed on, we bought pee-pee tee-pees. Greatest invention ever. Boy diapers require a certain skill set to change
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How was everyone's night? We got three two hour stretches and one one hour, starting at 7:30 pm and ending at 6:45 am. DH is back to work and I feel terrible for getting him up to help in the middle of the night, but I am still sore from the tear and definitely need his help bringing J into bed to nurse and getting him back down. I hope to cut out some of the waking him so he is t a zombie at work!!
Has anyone gotten to the point where they can clean/cook on top of baby care? I feel like the apartment should be spotless, but it is always a mess and I've only been making freezer meals!
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@maybebaby: We had a good night! Slept 11-2 and 3:30- 6:30. And then got another hour. Yesterday the ped told me I could let LO sleep as long as she wants to during the night. That took the edge off a bit since i have been trying to feed her at least every 3 hours at night and sometimes that meant spending 15 mins just to wake her up. Our biggest problem has been putting her back to sleep after she wakes, but that went okay last night, too.
I haven't gotten to cooking yet (I hate to cook so that will take some serious motivation), but I have been getting better with getting some household chores done here and there. The house is still pretty messy, but at least S has clean burp cloths and clothes.
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@grizz: E is a boob addict too. I gave up on the swing and the co-sleeper last night. While I'm just as paranoid about him sleeping in my arms as him sleeping in my bed, I was starting to get a little delirious. So I strapped the boppy to myself, swaddled him as best as I could, and propped myself up so he would be secure. So we made it from 2 AM to 5:30 AM (with NO sleep at night before that...it was a long night...)
@maybebaby: I've been using E's every sleeping minute to pack and clean. Unfortunately, he will generally only tolerate the swing in the mornings. It at least makes me super productive in the time I have!
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I am so glad @maybebaby mentioned sleep, because we in the tinypiglet household aren't getting any. (Or maybe I should clarify: baby and I aren't getting any; hubby is sleeping juuuusst fiiinne.)
CJ has her days and nights mixed up, I think. She actually slept for a huge stretch from 9:30 to 1:15 last night, but then wanted to be awake for hours and feeding intermittently. I finally got her to sleep and brought her upstairs to our room to put her in the RNP, which she seems to not like that much based on a few days of use. I have wound up with her in the bed with us for the past couple of nights just to be able to get some sleep myself. Hubby is worried he's going to roll over on her, which is making me nervous, even though I'm not necessarily nervous myself about her being in the bed. Plus I'm just not able to think straight so I'm sure I am slightly irrational.
@bisous: My ped said the same thing - let them sleep. Guess I need to figure out how to use the breast pump, then, cause I would imagine waiting on her to wait up is not going to be pleasant!
I trust that this will all get better! CJ is a great baby, eating like a champ, and sleeping great when she does sleep. These rough nights are no fun, though.
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@grizz: I have definitely been taking my chances with some of these diaper changes! We haven't had our faces peed on, but pretty much everything else.
I try to put a washcloth over him, but I usually forget. I do like it when he pees before we get him out of the bath, though, because it doesn't waste a diaper!@maybebaby: We have been having pretty good nights with only one wake up around 2:00am or 3:00am, but last night I was up at 1:00am, 5:00am and then I finally had to hold him on my chest and sleep because he wouldn't fall back asleep. I got him to sleep a bit longer and got up about 7:00am and took a shower.
I have been able to stay on top of dishes and keeping the kitchen counters clean and watering the garden, but that is about it. I might try to tackle a real cleaning schedule next week. And luckily we had a ton of freezer meals that I made when I was pregnant that we are starting to dig into.
I am glad you all said that about letting them sleep at night - I wasn't sure if I should be waking him up to eat or not because sometimes he can go 4 or 4.5 hours and I really don't want to disturb that!
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@tinypiglet: The nights will get better! Hang in there!
@tlcbaby: wow, lady, sounds like you have it together! i am so impressed. i can't get anything household wise done while DH is at work besides feed myself and get a shower (which I decided early on I would do every day, need to for my sanity!) Today I didn't have lunch until 4! I am also glad we made so many freezer meals, I have enchiladas in the over right now.So we've had a rough start with BFing--I think I mentioned--due to my rough recovery in the hospital and then dealing with cracked, bleeding nipples. I got a script for All Purpose Nipple Ointment (APNO) which worked wonders. Nips are still a bit sore, but I have always (sorry, TMI) had sensitive nips, so they just need to toughen up! We have had to supplement with pumped milk and formula and I've been using the nipple shield. Today we had a great lactation consultant appointment and J was able to latch on both sides for a good long feed (switching twice) without the shield! I think my biggest problem besides sensitive (and small!) nips has been my desperation to make him stop crying and give him food, that I have always accepted a sub-par latch. Today I learned the value of patience and persistence which in the end makes for a much happier baby and mama.
You may have seen my despairing post last night where I felt like a horrible mother--like I really wasn't cut out for this. Today was 100 times better. We had so much fun, he ate like a champ, took good naps and was just a total sweetheart. Funny what a good (ok, not good, but passable) night's sleep can do for you!
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@maybebaby: Somedays I feel like I have it together and other days I feel like I don't know how I am ever going to be able to handle starting school back and actually trying to maintain this household for the time being. I can keep up with the day to day stuff, but that is about it so far (as in...our shower is disgusting right now!)
Glad to hear you had a better day today! I think there will be a mix of hard and easy days, but the easy days will get to be more and more as time goes on.
In other news...I quit my job today! I actually already knew I wasn't going back, but I hadn't been in to give my notice yet so I went in to show off the baby and deliver my bad news. They were really understanding and so nice about it. I was glad it went so well. Now I just have to line up a part time job that I can start sometime later in the summer.
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@tlcbaby: Congrats on quitting the job! I think a lot of things like that are the anxiety of the lead up--and then when it is over it feels sooo good!
What are you in school for? Many, many props to you. I graduated in May with my masters in art history and I cannot imagine having done my coursework with a little one! Are you doing day care when you go back?
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@maybebaby: I am taking online courses for a Masters in Holistic Nutrition. Luckily I only have to take one class at a time , but I am not sure when I will feel things are settled enough around here to start back.
Depending on my work schedule my mom can watch him a couple days a week while I either work or study.
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@tlcbaby: Wow, that is awesome! Sounds like such an interesting degree and it is wonderful that you can do it online. AND that your mom can watch him--that sounds perfect!
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@maybebaby: Your post the other night rang so true!! Since DH has been away, the solo parenting at night has been the toughest. Even if I don't have him get up with me or tend to the baby, just having him back here will be enough. (Can't wait for Saturday!)
Today was good enough that I enjoyed every little nap and nursing. These newborn moments are tough, but they really are fleeting. I'm going to miss his goofy rooting face and his ridiculous kicks to break out of a swaddle.
I can do without that dadgum Moro reflex, though. Every time I try to lay him down, he Moro's and freaks himself out.
This was right on, and I'll definitely remember the next time I see a mom with a new baby! http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/04/before-i-forget-what-nobody-remembers-about-new-motherhood/274981/
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@tlcbaby: Holistic nutrition sounds awesome. I would be interested in the historical and cultural influences!
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@espion: That AM article is amazing. I am saving it for later for sure.
@tlcbaby: Congrats on delivering the news to work! Sounds like your next pursuit is going to be pretty neat.
@maybebaby: Thanks for the reassurance that nights will get better. I'm so grateful I don't really have to think about anything except the baby right now; it sure would be hard to be relied upon for anything else! I'm also glad your breastfeeding challenges are getting better. So nice when you have a good day, no?
I am finding that each day can be totally different from the last, which is a bit of a challenge. Just when you think you have a bit of rhythm, bang! The tempo changes. Suddenly this evening (5 days after delivery) my stitches and/or hemorrhoids, not sure which, or maybe both, have started really acting up. I would say before today my pain was generally level 1. My in-laws visited us today and I had to excuse myself from the dinner table to go into the bathroom and cry after a random cough shot a course of level 5 pain through my nether regions. Not fun. I'm still taking 600 mg of Motrin every 6 hours, which is what they had me on at the hospital, but even that, the tucks wipes, dermoplast, and preparation H seem to be weak defense. Colace is my best, best friend - going to the bathroom scares me out of my mind but thankfully that has made it tolerable.
I haven't tried my Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Spray yet so that's next on the list. Here's hoping it helps a bit, and tomorrow things are feeling a little better.
I had it for a while during pregnancy and it pretty much sucks. I am going to attend a new moms group soon, too. I might start the week after next. Jack looks so cute!!
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