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PS for C, turning TV up super loud and her facing toward it (sort of like opposite cradle bf position) is what's working best with bottle if that is of help to anyone else trying to get LO on bottle!
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@TheFixIts: What a Cutie!!
@Beebug: C is so adoreable! I love the pictures. I want to get a jumper for N. He loves to stand and jump on our laps.
We started N on cereal in his evening bottle. However I don't think that we will continue it. He hasn't been doing well with it. The cereal seems to stop him up too much. It seems to stop him up for like 2 or 3 days and then his bowel movement is just everywhere! I think that we will just hold it off for a while. Otherwise he is doing well.
Dh , N, and I will be going up to see a good friend of ours that just got back from Japan. She is so excited to meet N. I am pretty excited to see her. She has been gone like 2 years or so. I am hoping that the weather holds so we have a safe drive north.
Hope everyone is doing well!
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@mrskc: how's work? I feel like i started off pretty strong, but it's been getting worse. This week i left early each day, and now today I'm working from home - they're totally going to fire me... and is it bad that I want that to happen?! The real problem is I'm not happy in the job I'm in, so I'm working on finding a new one!
Also - how is A doing sleeping in the PnP?? I still have J in the RnP - so bad. My friends keep telling me they think he'll do good in the crib when he can sleep on his belly, so hopefully he'll roll over more consistently to be able to do that. Otherwise, I'm going to have to move him eventually, he's getting too big for the RnP!
His sleep is pretty good though, except that he keeps waking at 3am to eat. Ugh. Shouldn't complain too much - it's just the one time, but he slept through for so long... Naps are pretty good now too, especially since we got another RnP for the babysitters house, he usually does one long stretch 1-2 hrs, then 2 more 45 min naps... he will only sleep for 1/2 hr -1 hr max in the PnP.
@MrsRcCar: were you doing rice cereal? or oatmeal? we go to the doc next week & i think they're going to suggest rice cereal but I keep hearing more & more people skip it.
@hilsy: how's L & his sleep? hoping in a few weeks all of our LO's are sleeping much better... are you doing any solids with him yet?
SO - I bought a can of Formula (Earths Best) to maybe try out, just to have as a back up (especially since there have been 2 nights that I was stuck in awful traffic getting home & J was hungry & waiting for me, so sad). We were going to try last weekend and I chickened out. I keep worrying that he might like it more than breastmilk & want that more. I also like just doing the breastfeeding for now - even though it's tough. I make just enough for him to eat each day - I was even able to get an extra bottle or two this week to freeze. Wish I produced more. I ordered smaller breastshields since I think the fit i had wasn't exactly right, so maybe that will help with the pumping? Who knows....
The initial reason for the formula was that my best girlfriends are flying down to Baltimore just for the night in a few weeks and I totally want to go (our friend opened a restaurant) ... BUT, I will need to have like 14 bottles of breastmilk for J, and that is just so daunting to even think about. I could probably do it but yikes, i'll have to add another pump into each day, and pump on the weekends... when I'm down there (just for 24 hrs) i'll pump too - my friend is also nursing & going, but she uses BM & formula.... anyway, sorry for the rant. I probably can't go, it's not the end of the world.
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@Beebug: C is SO CUTE... and I think we need one of those jolly jumpers - seems so fun!
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@hellobeeboston: ha funny you should ask...last night he was up every hour from 2-6am. Not fun! I nursed him at 2 and at 4, and the other times we did the paci. Let's hope tonight is not a repeat!
I don't want to start solids til closer to 5.5/6 months...I think we'll skip cereal/oatmeal and do a mix of purees and BLW. Need to do more research though!
In other news, I really don't know what to do about this fussiness at the breast...our last nursing session, he just screamed every time he latched on. I thought it was gas, but he would NOT burp. I tried gas drops, which did nothing. He was acting hungry but just wouldn't nurse...finally, I gave him 2.5oz in a bottle and he eventually drank that (no screaming with the bottle). I think I'm going to try spacing out his feedings a little more, like every 3.5-4 hours. It makes me a bit nervous, especially with his low weight gain, but maybe actually being hungry will help him to nurse better?
Anyway, that trip to Baltimore sounds fun! I bet if you start now you could definitely have enough milk ready for him. And if you needed to add formula, I would totally do that as well.
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@hellobeeboston: work stinks.
I'm still only working half days but I'm still hating it. I can't imagine going full time. I think part of the problem is, like you, I'm not happy with my job. I even looked around but nothing available for my level of experience. I'm seriously considering staying home. I really hate pumping too but luckily no issues so far. I can pump enough for him. I hope you can find a new job you're happier with. Re the PnP some nights are better than others. Like last night he only slept in it for 2 hours then we moved him to the bouncy chair and slept 9 more hours. But some nights he's slept up to 6 hours in it. I think it will get better when he's not swaddled anymore and can move around more freely. The first few nights putting him in it were rough. Hopefully it's easier for you.
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@hilsy85: do you think he could be teething? Hang in there. I'm sure it will pass. Maybe he's having a bit of a nursing strike.
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@hilsy85: Prior to the current fun we're in, C cut out meals down to 4 per day, so you could be right on spacing feedings more? I found that helped us!
I had lunch with my boss today, and he brought up everything I was nervous about bring up re: me going back. aka....I don't want to be the workaholic I was, lol, it's all good, and I am glad we're on the same page....except for when he thought I was coming back this summer....ummm October, lol.
I took a preg test today (lol random) the last two weeks my hormones have been so whacked and I kept feel nauseous after I ate, so I took one today just to chill myself out.....I told DH after I did it (negative, of course) and he looked so excited when I said I took it! Then said "it would be awesome if it was positive if you didn't have to get hours in at work".....loved that! haha no rushing, soon enough.
We are struggling over here with bottle fun, I am doing ok, pumping as needed to not be too engorged (really just pumping 1x a day, so not bad) C is getting worse with each bottle, only took one full one today. Singing the wheels on the bus in the front seat of the car in the grocery store parking lot worked the best today.....talk about getting creative here, bah. I think it frustrates me (and why I keep singing to stay positive and distracted myself, lol) is that she can and does take the bottle no problem once a day. The other times? It's like she's screaming bloody murder, the cries are awful, we know she can take it....she just isn't that time. *sigh* It'll come....I hope.
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PS hope everyone has a good weekend!!
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@Beebug: haha I took a preg test last weekend because I was feeling weird cramps. BFN. Then I thought AF was coming but still no sign of her. Sorry you're having a rough time getting C to take a bottle. We found my son liked to be in his bouncy seat to take one and we would also turn the vacuum on if he got into a screaming fit. Hopefully it gets easier.
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@Beebug: From memory I think my SIL's little fella went through a stage like this with the bottle at around four months, I remember her saying that she had to swaddle him and not hold him to get him to eat. She might've propped him up in a high chair or bouncer seat and just held the bottle and it passed after about two months?
@hilsy85: We're still dealing with fussiness at the breast although A has improved a whole lot and I usually only have to nurse her lying down once a day now. My other thought is that your LO might be starting to teeth, A's fussiness started about two weeks before her first teeth popped through.
Nothing too exciting happening in my part of the world this weekend, DH is away for the weekend playing golf so Miss A and I are home alone. My folks came for tea and A got some quality Grandpa time in! We finally have rollover from back to front, A usually gets stuck on her side but finally toppled over during nudey time this evening!
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@mrskc: .@Kemma: maybe it's teething? He loves chewing on things now and drools a ton, I have no idea. I'm going to try spacing the feedings today and we'll see what happens. thank goodness he doesn't do the screaming stuff during MOTN feedings.
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@hilsy85: Claire spent all of the last weekend waking every 45 min at night, with her hands in her mouth and droll all over her face by day. We took her to the pediatrician the next day for her 4 month check up (early because she starts daycare next week), and she took one look in her mouth and said "oh she's teething." It passed for a few days. SHe slept 12 glorious hours for 3 days, and now I think it's back. Last night was up every 2 hours and extremely irritable.
C's weight gain is also pretty low. Only 6 oz in a month. SHe's 12'13". I added an extra feeding and we go back for a weight check in a month. -
@mrskc: Glad I am not the only one taking random preg tests, lol! I read what you wrote to DH we were totally going to try the vacuum today, BUT!
SUCCESS!!!!
I googled "4 month old bottle rejection" last night and read pretty much everything somewhat relevant. One comment (on another forum) was that she stuck her finger in her LOs mouth beside the nipple until sucking/biting on the finger, then slide it out. Worked like a charm at 2am, it was aweeeesome. DH and I were both up with her, she woke again around 5am, and he didn't hear us! Tried it again for brekkie, and she hardly resisted. I can't even explain the relief, *sigh*
@Kemma: Nudey time, lol. Something you do often? We never have with C, but after reading your post, I want to, and maybe see then if she'll roll!
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@hilsy85: catching up on this thread and saw L hasn't rolled over yet. Neither has C! It is making me a tad nervous, but it' clear she and L are just waiting for each other!
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@Tidybee: hmm the pedi said it "could" be teething, but didn't give us any real answer on that. Did they give you any tips on why her weight gain was slow? I have no idea why L's has slowed, and that's what stresses me out.
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@hilsy85: another thing I was thinking about is wonder week 19. My book said it can start as early as 15 weeks. A common problem is eating less/distracted nursing. I've also read this is a common time for people to start supplementing because they think they aren't producing enough because of the fussiness at the breast. Hopefully is passes quickly.
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@Beebug: glad she took the bottle! That must be a huge relief!
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@mrskc: yes we are DEFINITELY experiencing that wonder week (which is really wks 15-21--not at ALL one week!). Some of the time the issue is definitely distraction--he'll pull off and look around. But the screaming is what gets to me. I was actually thinking that maybe it's my supply (even though it's never been a problem before...) so I'm going to try drinking a cup of Mother's Milk tea a day to see if that helps at all. Has A been distracted while nursing lately? Apparently things get much better after wk 21--can't wait!
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@hilsy85: yes, he is definitely more distracted. He isn't nursing as long and he'll nurse for a little bit and pop off and look around and smile. Then eat a little bit then pop off again. It's kind of annoying. Eventually I get tired of it and end the nursing session. He also just doesn't seem as hungry either. Like yesterday he only took 2 bottles while I was at work and by the time I was putting him down, he'd only eaten 5 times and its usually 7-8 times. I've noticed if I nurse him in bed, he's more likely to nurse longer and drink more. I doubt it's a supply issue. Have you checked out Kellymom? There's probably something on there.
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@Beebug: we do nudey time every night before A has her bath, it's usually about 15 minutes by the time I fluff round filling the bath, getting her pj's ready etc, she loves it!
Something interesting I read about weight gain was that when baby is born their weight, height etc is often determined by nutrition and other external factors whereas by the time they hit this age, their genetics start to come into play. For example, a small baby born to bigger parents might put weight on faster as determined by genetics, but a big baby born to smaller parents might "catch down" and have a slower weight gain.
@hilsy85: @mrskc: I so hear you both on the distracted nursing, Miss A does the pop off and smile trick too! Most of the time I'm now nursing upstairs in her room in the hope that she'll concentrate better when feeding. Luckily A is still packing on weight (almost another kg in about five weeks) and I figure that as long as she's sleeping ok and happy then we're all good.
@hilsy85: I try to eat lots of oats as well as drinking lots of water to keep my supply up, I also make a conscious effort to eat meals and snacks each day so I don't have a repeat of the dip I had at New Years.
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@Kemma: That's interesting about the genetics thing and weight. It makes sense though.
Ahhh tomorrow is Monday already! Don't want to go to work. I just want to play with my baby all day.
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@Kemma: Very interesting about genetics!
Bottle feedings Momma's in here, how much do you feed your LOs each feeding and/or total per day? I am not sure if this varies if in the bottle is breast milk, or formula! We are definitely not letting her go hungry, but just trying to settle in on how much to feed her. Right now, she gets a 4oz at 4am, 4oz 8am'ish. 6oz around 11am, 6 oz 3pm, 4oz (more if she wants) at 6:30-7pm/bedtime, so 24oz/day. I read online based on her weight/age it should be 35 oz, but I couldn't imagine her eating that much, she definitely wouldn't go for it, she is very firm on when she's done, lol.
We are going to the builders today to look at upgrades (and what they cost, eep) to choose counter, cupboard, etc! We don't actually choose today, just view, price and try to select, then go back in 2-3 weeks to make final decisions! I am so excited.....and hopeful we can do everything we want, and maybe a little more
Chels is coming with and apparently going to be "stolen" by the designer, our sales lady told her how cute she was when we were in to buy, so we're supposed to be "prepared", haha people are funny.I am trying to find more Bumgenius diapers somewhere, trying to find them on sale, or some for of discount (free shipping, no tax, something!) but no success so far. Would like another 5-7 to beef up my stash now that these are my definite faves.
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hi ladies! just got back from puerto rico. the weather was so lovely there...low 80's and sunny, not too humid, very breezy. i want to live there. we stayed at a really nice resort, DH has tons of points from traveling for work. flights there and back weren't too bad.
ok so here goes a long vent of my worrying and i'm totally just being a debbie downer and selfish here, so apologies in advance. L got really sick while we were there, both of her ears got infected and we started her on antibiotics and lots of tylenol. there were a few times she was screaming and inconsolable for an hour, and one of those times was at 4am. so we are all realllllly tired. i mean i really feel awful that she feels so terrible and we can't soothe her without meds. she is just so sad and miserable. anyway she doesn't seem to be getting any better, so i'm going to take her to the doc tomorrow to get her checked out again. her cold doesn't seem to be going away either. bottle rejection is back too. her sleep is all messed up - she used to wake up 1x or none in the middle of the night and now its 3x. ugh. she hasn't slept this poorly since she was a newborn. she's not eating well during the day and so there is some reverse cycling going on and my supply is all whacked out i think. also a lot of her naps were in the stroller while we were walking, and a lot of times we were soothing her, she'd fall asleep because we were rocking/patting. so i am afraid she's picked up some bad sleep habits. anyway. i'm a little bit stressed out because i am not sure if she'll ever get back to her normal schedule, or if she'll ever be her normal happy self ever again. i'm being dramatic, i know. but sleep deprivation and me being a worry wart by nature has me thinking these implausible scenarios. i mean, i know babies get sick and it was going to happen sooner or later, but man it has been tough!
outside of that, the trip was great though. haha.
hope everyone else is doing well.
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@SleepyMonkey: that sounds just awful!! hope she is on the upswing and feels better soon
ETA uhh time for me to get sleep - definitely thought I was in the Nov thread and was asking if you changed your avatar/name bc I didn't recognize you!!
hope you Oct mamas are thriving, I'm going to poke through now that I'm here and see what is up next for my LO
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@SleepyMonkey: so glad you had a good time! But so sorry to hear that L is sick
I hope she feels better soon...and TBH, some of the crazy sleep patterns could be due to the 4 month sleep regression (she's just about there right?) in addition to her being sick! We are also dealing with the worst sleep since LO has been a newborn--fun times. I hope the doctor is able to tell you/give you something that will help her get better fast!
@Beebug: how did meeting with the builders go?@Kemma: I am going to try the oatmeal thing...I have also been drinking mother's milk tea, so we'll see!
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@hilsy85: Eugh, it was stressful. I feel awful right now. C was well behaved, but I just couldn't focus, I feel like we walked away more confused (so many options, and prices) and I'm feeling a little discouraged. The choices are wonderful, thankfully there's no lack of choice of what we could go with, for pretty much everything.
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@SleepyMonkey: Glad you had a good trip. Sorry to hear L is so sick.
I hope she feels better soon. I'm sure once she starts feeling better, her sleep will improve. Hang in there. @scg00387: lol!
I think I'm coming down with a cold.
Runny nose today. Hopefully it doesn't get any worse. The nanny can't get A to nap longer than 30-40 minutes so I feel like when I get home, I just want to do anything to get him to take a nice nap. We've gotten in the habit of me nursing him in bed and both of us napping. While it's nice, I wish I could do more with my afternoons home with him instead of sleeping the whole time. lol But I'm tired too! So I guess the afternoon nap for the both of us is a good thing. I have to go to the dentist tomorrow.
I hope I don't have cavities from my lack of taking proper care of my teeth since the baby was born. I'm betting I'll have some cavities that will need filling.
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@scg00387: i actually did change my avatar/name a few days ago....used to be j e s s l c. so you are perceptive even on your lack of sleep
i always poke around on here and ask questions because a lot of these mamas have been there, done that!@hilsy85: omg. i hope this is the 4 mo regression, because i don't want to have to deal with this again later! sorry about leo's sleep
...are you just soothing, or are you nursing him back to sleep? or something else?@mrskc: thanks! is A really tired and cranky when he wakes up from his naps? L is a serial 40 min napper, but she wakes up happy and talking, and i think that is ok. and i skipped out on my 6 month checkup at the dentist too - i can tell something has changed about my bite...my front teeth don't completely close anymore, so i can't bite thru really thin stuff like lettuce in sandwiches!! i'm sure i have some cavities in there too.
last night we put L to bed at 8:15...woke up at 10:30 hungry, 11:30 hungry, 12:15 just crying, 4:15am hungry, 6:34 just crying and finally up for the day at 7:15. i guess the first two wake ups last night were really her bedtime nursings since she hadn't eaten since 5:30 and wasn't having it at 8:15. ugh. just going to stick to a routine today and see how it goes. my poor mom will have to deal with the bottle today/tomorrow, L is going to be so angry. i figure i go thru this now, and i'll know what to do later when she's sick. right? i mean...there has to be some good that comes out of this. going to doc at 10:30 today, L doesn't have a fever anymore. i hope the doc doesn't look at me like i'm some crazy mom that brings her baby in for the littlest sniffle.
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@Beebug: aw sorry--sometimes options are overwhelming! At least you have time to think about what you want. @mrskc: those afternoon naps sound blissful...L will only sleep in bed with me if I bring him into bed in the early early mornings. I would totally take advantage of it while you can! And I had a dentist appt a few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised that I had no cavities, so fingers crossed.
@SleepyMonkey: glad her fever is gone! It depends when L wakes up as to whether I nurse or use the paci...I'll usually nurse for the first wake up, paci for the second, and nurse for the third (and there are always at least 3 wakeups these days!). I'm hesitant to not nurse at all overnight because of his slow weight gain--gotta try to pack on the pounds We are also slowly starting to swaddle wean--he's down for a nap now with 1 arm out. I'm hoping that he'll be able to use his hand to help soothe himself when his paci falls out at night. Another issue we've been having that i'm pretty sure I can't fix is that he's been waking up at 5am because he has to poop. Then once he poops, he can't go back to sleep!
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Just popping in to say hi! Hope all you mommys and LO's are doing well
I read on my phone all the time but hardly ever have time to sign in to respond! I will try to do that soon.
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@hilsy85: Sorry for my late reply. Our pedi didn't give any reason for the slow in weight gain. She just said to make sure DD is getting 30-32 oz a day. It's so hard to know how much she is getting when I nurse her, but being back at work and giving her more bottles help me get a better idea.
Sorry to all of you for being MIA. Being back at work has been really difficult for a lot of reasons. I miss you and hope all of your LOs are doing well!
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@hilsy85: I hope swaddle weaning is going well. N swaddle weaned super early, he hated it! N just recently started self- soothing, DH and I are pretty excited about it.
Things have been rough in our family. My aunt was due Feb 8th and went past her due date. She went to the doctor to find out that the baby boy had died. This was her fifth son. The service was yesterday. I decided it would be best for me not to attend, but apparently everyone asked where I was.
N has been pretty good. He has been sleeping longer at night, but has become a pretty bad napper. He used to nap longer then 30-45 minutes.
Tuesday N goes to the ENT at Childrens hospital to discuss his lip clip. The last ENT and dentist seem to think it is fine but I want one more opinion. I am hoping it all goes well.
hope everything is going well for you ladies!
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Hey ladies, just wanted to say hi! Can't believe we are coming up on our 5th month with out little ones (LO is tomorrow, so hard to believe she's been with us so long already!)
@MrsRcCar: I'm so sorry to hear about your aunt, what a tragic thing to go through, I can't imagine what your family is going through...Hugs!
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Hi everyone, I've been MIA too, sorry! So much to catch up on. 4 months seems like an odd transitional time for babies, doesn't it! @SleepyMonkey: I'm sorry to hear that L is still sick, poor thing! I hope your doctor's appointment went well and the fever going away is the start of her recovery. I'll bet her sleep will get back to normal quickly once she feels good again.
@Beebug: I'm glad to hear that your bottle feeding is getting easier and easier. It's so exciting to hear about your house - I'm definitely living vicariously there, I can't imagine not renting!
@Hilsy85: How is the swaddle weaning going? After a couple weeks of sleeping with his arms out, J has gotten pretty good at finding his thumb and self-soothing, and it's really helped his naps especially. Yesterday his naps were good again, but today not great - one 35 minute nap and the third nap I had to scrap and try again later after loads of crying. Oh well, I guess these things take time.
@MrsKC: I hope your cold hasn't gotten any worse. I think the afternoon nap sounds wonderful too.
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@LuLu Mom: Thank you for the thoughts. The last 6 months have been rough on our family but we are strong and pushing through.
@Beebug: DH and I are pretty jealous about the house thing. I am glad that C is doing well on the bottle. I saw your other thread about being free of breast pads. I am not going to lie I wish I was! My goal is to pump to six months and then slowly introduce formula along with frozen breast milk. Hopefully it goes well...
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@MrsRcCar: oh my goodness. i am so sorry about your aunt, that is heartbreaking.
@Beehive: thanks! she is way better today... back to her smiley self. her sleep was better last night, but still not back to normal yet! how is J doing otherwise?
@hilsy85: any progress on the swaddle weaning & sleep?
we had our 4 mo checkup today, she is 14 lbs 11 oz and 26 inches long! tall n skinny with a big head. she had two shots, she only cried for a few seconds and doesn't seem to be feeling any ill effects from it yet. we'll see how tonight's sleep goes.
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@hilsy85: Options are overwhelming, just have to keep in mind we have a *good* problem, not bad! Doing better with some days passing by!
@MrsRcCar: My goodness, so sorry to hear about your Aunt, what a sad story, I don't ever want to know the answer, but how does that even happen. Oh my heart hurts for your Aunt, and your family.
@Beehive: I am working on an album that I will post the link to it here and so if you want (or whoever on here, I realize some may not be interested) can follow along! I am just trying to figure out where I can post, and what will work best, will share soon!
@MrsRcCar: TMI but I don't care, from moving to no breastpads to no bra.....I'm going for it tonight, haha 100% no clothes to sleep for the first time since before Oct 20th! haha.
@SleepyMonkey: 4 month "stats" sound similar to C! She was 14.08lbs, just under 27"! Long and lean!
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I met with a few ladies from HB today! It was great, and C was awesome, C crashed on the way home, we've done 1+ hour drives (one way, had to go back too) three times this week and she's been so good in the car, thankfully!
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@MrsRcCar: so sorry to hear about your aunt
@SleepyMonkey: @Beehive: ehh we kind of gave up on swaddle weaning...the night that I tried it, the hand outside of the swaddle was freeezing. I don't know how to fix that, as if we turn on the heat, it goes up to like 80 degrees in his room. Also, I swaddled him for a nap the next day and he slept for 3 hours!! So maybe he's just not ready yet? Sleep continues to be crappy, he was up 4 times last night. Boo!
@SleepyMonkey: how did she do after the shots?
I'm still only working half days but I'm still hating it. I can't imagine going full time. I think part of the problem is, like you, I'm not happy with my job. I even looked around but nothing available for my level of experience. I'm seriously considering staying home. I really hate pumping too but luckily no issues so far. I can pump enough for him. I hope you can find a new job you're happier with. Re the PnP some nights are better than others. Like last night he only slept in it for 2 hours then we moved him to the bouncy chair and slept 9 more hours. But some nights he's slept up to 6 hours in it. I think it will get better when he's not swaddled anymore and can move around more freely. The first few nights putting him in it were rough. Hopefully it's easier for you.
Chels is coming with and apparently going to be "stolen" by the designer, our sales lady told her how cute she was when we were in to buy, so we're supposed to be "prepared", haha people are funny.
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