any april/may 05 moms want to chat?

[Jamom]

Ok, really quick post since i am working from home after Jake went to bed.   :?

Andrea-- hugs to you. It'll be hard and I'll think of you.  It's actually getting harder for me since i am getting busier, which means, less time with Jake and way more fatigue for me.  Also, I like your settling routine because Jake loves to stare at the light when it is dimmed (we have a dimmer) it puts him in a trance!! 

Jill-- just had to say what a cute pic.

Everyone else-- so fun to read your info.  Hope everyone and their lo's are doing well.  This is our week with the MIL taking care of Jake.  When I tried to explain to her that I don't rock or feed him to sleep, she didn't seem to quite get it.  I just cross my fingers that all of my hard work won't go to waste and she'll try to read his cues and put him to bed so he can settle himself.  The daycare provider has been doing such a good job and I think she is even "stricter" about it than me because I've seen such a difference in him.  (And i know she doesn't believe in CIO).  So, anyway, just hope the MIL doesn't take some liberties with getting him to sleep this week.

[Taylor's Mommy]

Jill-I use the Brookstone machine specifically for babies.  It has 6 sounds (white noise, a lullaby, dolphins, neonatal, a car ride and heartbeat-kind of creepy).  Anyhow, it was $60 but it's great because it will stay on all night or you can put it on a timer and it has a volume switch.

Erin-thanks for the hugs.  I know it will be hard, but I feel like I owe it to myself to give it a try.  DH says if I'm miserable we can figure something out.  But there is such a part of me that wants to have it all you know?  I mean I love my job and the people I work with...and I want Taylor to be proud of me.  I just don't know how I can do it w/o the guilt, eventhough everyone says not to feel guilty.  Life can really stink being a woman! :x

Kate-I so hope all this lately with Taylor is developmental!  I keep thinking back if there is something I hvae done to make her turn this corner.   :roll:   I hope it passes soon.  Even in my book from the American Academy of Pediatrics it says to expect disruptions when it comes to developmental stuff, but I just can't believe it.  I guess just the result of being a first timer.  I actually found a lot of similar stories in the March/April chat.  Lots of babies right around Taylor's age or just a little older.

Have a great night everyone!

[Taylor's Mommy]

Hi Carrie,

Didn't mean to ignore your post.  Tomorrow when I get home from work I will try to reply.  I am kind of going through some stuff right now with Taylor, so not sure how much help I can be.  But maybe we can figure it out together, or at least offer eachother support!

Andrea

[krice]

Carrie - my LO is doing the same . . . night wakings.  He has slept through the night since 7 weeks so this is out of the ordinary for him too.  Actually I'm up right now (but he hasn't woken up yet).  go figure . . . .  It has been about 10 days of 'unsettled' night time sleep for my DS.  I think I'd have to agree with Kate about milestones.  My LO would cry when he 'scootched' up to the top of his crib and get his head stuck, he has also started turning over in his sleep.  (I place him on his back and he turns to his tummy)  I'm hoping the wakings don't last much longer, but really have no clue.  I've often wondered about teething, but now believe it is the 'rolling' that is waking him up.

Matthew has been having good/bad times with PU/PD.  I'd I can place him in his crib and 'walk away' (I stay and watch until he is asleep), but we do have episodes where we can go 30/40 minutes.  My mom was able to put him down and walk away yesterday for the first time!

I've also introduced a 'lovey' (a very small blanket - about 12inches by 12 inches of extremely soft fabric) at wind down times.  Matthew holds it while I swaddle, and also rubs his face and sucks it when he is in his crib.  It seems to soothe him which is nice.

[Katet]

Carrie, how much does your lo sleep in the day & how long is his last wakeup before bedtime... reason I ask is Aiden use used to wake up 45mins after bedtime when he was overtired

My latest thing is Liam was waking earlier in the night for a feed, I went??? have started double side feeding & back to 8-9 hour sleeps.

By the way girls, I am now a comoderator on the night waking boards... have suggested 2 of the mums (babies our lo's age)  look at some of the stories from those of you who have been doing PU/PD... as I have never done it with a baby under 12mo... so they might join us too.

Must go, once again having toddler troubles, great first week in his bed, but now he is bedtime stalling & midnight visits, so I need to get to bed early

[krice]

I've got a question for you . . .

We are on bath tub #4.  The first was the customary bowl when DS outgrew that we moved onto a 'convertable model'.  He rapidly grew out of the newborn setting (but we haven't yet tried out the convertable setting for the bath tub).  Bath tub #3 was a cheapy model that didn't have any support and was difficult to use.  Bath tub #4 is a 'slick' model purchased by MIL that fits over/in the kitchen sink with newborn reclining, infant seating, and a drain.  I've enjoyed this one thouroughly!

DS is now into leg kicking mode when in the tub - my floor, windows, countertops and ME end up being soaked from the whole experience.  Have any of you moved into the 'big' tub?  if so, do you have any tips, experiences, suggestions?  I'm thinking I will have a play session in the tub (no water, just a towel in the bottom with some toys).  Before I try using the 'convertable model' that helps support DS in a sitting position, I was thinking of putting tub #4 in the big tub and bathing that way.  Then procede to the actual tub with the convertable model.  Make sense??? :shock:  :shock:  :shock:

Or do you think I'm a nut and should stick to the kitchen sink and forget about the wet windows?

[Jamom]

Kathy-- I have always used the "convertible" tub in the big tub.  I just put it in tub and bathe away.  So, you're not nuts.

[jjstar]

Well it looks like Jameson's night wakings aren't that uncommon. I'm afraid to not feed him because I don't want him to keep crying the whole night. I do try to hold him out for about the first 10 minutes to see if he will go back to sleep. If he doesn't then I feed. At least I feel like I make sure he really is hungry.

Well the in-laws are coming to visit for the week...just hoping that they don't undo what we've been working on. I did ask her to read the book before coming and she said that she did. We'll see.

Do any of you use sling carriers? I have one and I used it when he was really little all the time. I just used it today to go grocery shopping...it cracks me up how people look at me so funny. I figure would you rather hear him cry? He actually fell asleep half way through the trip. So sweet to actually get to hold him while he was sleeping. I don't feel back doing it when we're not at home. I'm not sure if he realizes the overall difference or not.

Rolling question for you ladies...when they go from back to tummy do they roll their legs up almost like they are straight up from their hips or do they push more with their feet? I'm trying to 'teach' Jameson how to do it but wasn't sure which way to show.

[s_olano00]

Sorry for the delay in my answers, but I've had a loooong weekend facin bfeeding issues...

Andrea – How did your 1st day at work go?

Jill – When we were left without our stroller at Rome, I had to use the sling to carry DD around, and sometimes when I need to go to a shop around the corner, I use it too. I guess since everybody knows I am a foreigner, they are used to me doing unusual things. I don’tuse it at home though because I don’t want her to get used to be carried around all the time.

Maria – I moved to a new home last August, and I can imaine how you feel. I was extremely worried about the moving, how it was going to be done ( I mean, with my LO, I didn’t have time at all to pack and stuff), but thank God, my DH took care of it and everything went fine, although it took me about 1 month to put everything in place at the new flat.

Kathy – Anna Krisztina is also starting to like the splashing thing… she has a rather big bath tub with a base that brins her up to my height and inside the tub she has a recliner that helps her stay „in place” but not fully seated yet. My bathroom has white floor and white tiles, so anyway I have to clean it everyday..  :?

Carry – Have there been any changes in your household that could’ve affected your LO? I am sorry I cannot give you advise, since AK is my 1st child and I just started PU/PD one week ago…

On my side… something really surreal happened today…. Since I told you about my sore nipples, I’ve been struggling to have them healed, which meant to offer less times my breasts to DD. So since last Saturday, I’ve been suffering a horrible pain in my left breast (yesterday I couldn’t even bend down) and the worst thin was that I was trying to pump out milk, but nothing would come! So I called the lady that takes care of this issues assigned to my district and she came to literally squeeze the milk out of my breast (very, very painful matter) At the end, she told I have two options: either I let it dry out my breast or I start working on restoring my milk flow.  Since I’ve had so many problems whith bfeeding, I asked if she would recommend just giving her formula from now on, and she told that it was fine, as long as I start introducing solids   :shock:   :shock:   :shock:  I asked her what about the allergies and stuff? and she replied that giving her only formula would make her more sensitive to allergies, that's why she recommended that if I decide to give her formula, I should give her solids so her intake of formula would be lower, and therefore, lower the risk of the allergies... She told me that if I prepare the meals with Bio fruts/veggies I wouldn't have any issues with allergies. Does anybody have heard about this approach?? Kate, per one of your previous posts, I could see that you have done a lot of research on the matter... have you read anything like this?

I am still in shock.... Anna Krisztina is only 4 months and I wasn't planning to start her on solids so soon!! So I have decided to keep up the battle with my breasts for at least one more month...

About the questions....

Baby: Anna Krisztina, will be 4 months tomorrow. She was born on the 42nd week via c-section.
EASY: 4 hour
Feeding: Since having trouble with sore nipples, a mix of breastfeed and formula
Settling Routine: Around 30 mins before nap, listen to music that goes from happy music to soft one. By the time the soft music arrives, she’s sucking her thumb. I take her to her room, put down shutters, close curtains and if she needs some more time to settle, we cuddle up in the rocking chair. After that, I put her on her crib. She doesn't sleep swaddled anyore.
Baby: Spirited
Me: A salvadoran married to a hungarian living in Hungary. Used to work for GE, got fed up and decided to become a freelance worker. With my husband founded an enterprise and was getting things started when I got pregnant. Right now I am a SAHM since Hungary supports up to 2 years of maternity leave. Still, I am planning to pick up where I left sometime next year.
Hobbies: Doing projects for the house, sewing (it’s a love-hate relationship with my sewing machine), knitting and being up to date with what’s going on in the world (my TV in turned on with CNN International all the time)

Sorry for the long post, but I had so many thins to say this time

Have a good day/night everyone!!

[krice]

Erin (Jamom) Glad I'm not nuts! Perhaps we will try - once I figure out how that darn tub converts!!!

Jill (jjstar) Re: sling carriers.  I use a "Baby Bjorn" where I can carry DS either facing my chest or looking out front.  Don't get any strange looks here . . . they are quite common. 

Rolling from back to tummy: DS keeps doing this in his crib, but I have yet to see him do it in action.  When we are playing on the floor he swings his legs and uses his arm to get to his side, then he plays quite contently.  He sometimes does this head turn and I can see that he is almost ready to go over.  So I guess in my opinion, it is an arms, hips, legs and head thing!  Good luck.  I will let him hold onto my hand and pull him over.

Silvia (s_olano00) I can relate to the sore boobs/nipples.  Yet, I've never heard of starting formula AND solids at the same time to reduce the chance of allergies.  I stopped BF at 3 months, my doctor knew this and NEVER made any mention of starting solids.  In fact, I was told to wait until DS was older.  So I'm not sure where that lady is getting her info from.

[mommytsa]

Jill- I use a sling with Aaron all the time.  I love it.  I bought a "ring sling" by Taylormade slings for like $50, but once I got it, I made two more for $4 and an hour at the sewing machine.  So I felt pretty ripped off, even though I really like the sling I bought.  I get funny looks too, since the norm here is to leave babies in their carseats/carriers.  But I figure since DS HATES the carrier and pretty much screams the whole time he's in it, what other choice do I have?

I am also having some night wakings, but since there's usually only one, I feed him, because he doesn't seem to eat much during the day (5 oz ebm every 3.5-4 hours -- does anyone know if that's a normal amount of ebm?  All the info I can find is for formula, but he ate about that same amount when he was a month old.)  Things are just now starting to get back on a predictable schedule after our pu/pd saga, and he does seem like he's going through some developmental stuff.  He's been cranky like it's a growth spurt but not seeming overly hungry.

I'm not seeing a lot of rolling, all the way from back to tummy although he does go from back to side.  Maybe it's just going to be a few days before he starts really moving.

Have a great night ladies!

[Katet]

Theresa,
- it can take ages for a proper roll, but even just back to side is a big development when you think about it.
- Aiden used to take about 180mls (6oz) at 4months old, but he (like Liam) was a big boy & he was taking about that amount at 1mo too

Kathy
I used to bath Liam in the small bath in our bath (warmer as it was winter here) now we bath them both together (Aiden & Liam), I have a wire frame that is a slope & a toweling thing slips over, so I don't need to hold him all the time. works well for us & Liam can splash Aiden & vv

Jill
does Jameson roll from tummy to back, because that is usually the first step...then back to tummy comes later, Aiden never really rolled, he was sitting up at 5.5mo & they told me in theory he must be able to roll to sit, but "chose", he learnt to crawl from a sitting position, which is aparently what "non rollers" do.

Silvia
Have they checked you for thrush? as that caused problems with me healing with Aiden. Also have you tried pumping & feeding expressed milk, rather than formula... I found when I had a 1cm gash (still have the scar) from feeding Aiden, I could cope with the pump, but not his mouth & for a while I used to express one feed & give the breast the other.
I know they say bf is better in terms of allergy risk... but for the most part that relates to evidence based on never bf vs some breast feeding... I totally agree about if you give solids early, before 6mo, then use bio/organic Fruit & veg. I'm not a mother who gives tinned/jar stuff, as I want to see the food I give, so I would support that. The thing is that formula contains a mix of vits &minerals, that can only be replaced when all 5 food groups are offered, so you would still need to give a decent amount of formula (600mls) & I can't see the difference between offering 600mls & 900mls. I know one of the Drs at my work, has a lo 2.5 yo & she only bf to 6mo (switched to formula when started solids) I have emailed her to ask her spin & will post when I get a response.

[Katet]

double posted the above

[s_olano00]

Kate - What I am doing right now is pumping out milk and giving it to her in a bottle. The problem is that DD has turned into a lazy baby: she prefers the bottle to my breast, because bfeeding means way more effort from her side (chewing, sucking and swallowing) compared to the bottle, which only takes sucking and swallowing, so it seems that I will keep on pumping if I want to keep her on milk. When I cannot pump out milk (or I don't have more milk), I compliment with formula, but I try to give her more breast milk than formula (usually, I only give formula for the 3am feed and the 7 am feed).

I keep on asking whether is thrush what I have and in the 2 places I've been to they have said no... the creams that they've prescribed are working quite OK as long as I don't bf, when I start again, they become sore.

Also, please tell your DH I am sorry about the ashes series...

Kathy - Anna Krisztina was introduced to formula when she was about 2.5 months old. The explanation I got now is that if she would only be taking formula now that she's 4 months, she would be taking +1 liter/day, and that is not good, so I would need her to start her on solids to decrease her daily intake of formula. The strangest thing is that she didn't recommend rice cereal, but fruits (apple / peach) and veggies (pumkin and something else I don't remember). Still, I will try to keep her on a mix of formula and my milk as long as I can.

Jill - About a month ago, Anna Krisztina used to roll from tummy to back, but now she only rolls from back to tummy... it's so funny, because we can be playing at her mat, she'll do it and then she gets pretty angry (yelling and crying)  because she doesn't know what to do. I put her on her back, and she'll inmediately roll again on her tummy. She can do this like 5 times in a row..

Gotta go. I need to get prepared because today I am taking Anna Krisztina to buy her more toys to keep her entertained throughout her 2 hours of activity time. It seems that she's getting bored with her old toys and she needs more complex stuff now.

PD. After 1+ week, we recieved last night our lost suitcase!!!! And the most surprising thing, is that its contents are intact - nothing stolen 

Have a good day / night

[maggieruth]

Silvia-I had thrush on just one nipple.  that nipple was very tender and latching on was hell!  no one thought it was thrush however because Ethan didn't have white thrush marks in his mouth.  a midwife on a visit home to Canada finally gave me a nystatin (sp?) prescription and i give Ethan 1 ml just before i feed him which he transfers to my breast.  after a few days i can quit using it again and am back to normal.

Kathy-we have always used our baby bath in the bathtub as if the temperature isn't quite right it is easy to fix and it uses less water.  we also have one of those wire frames that the towel goes over to help with support.

Jill-i have a ring sling (the maya wrap) which i love.  i can stick Ethan in it so many different ways (though i haven't mastered the bf in it yet!).  people certainly think its unusual but very cute.