any april/may 05 moms want to chat?

[teresamac]

Hi am new to this thread...I have read thru to catch up, but there was a lot to read!!!

Andrea, I am the same way with my little one...During naps, he sleeps on his side/tummy at an angle, but not willing to try it for night time sleep.

I do have two questions:

1.  After receiving their shots does their appetite decrease?
2.  My son seems to be eating less at each feeding time, we are on 3 hour EASY, should I consider lengthening the time between each feed?  If I did that it would mean he would sleep longer and he already naps for 1 1/2 to 2 hours at each nap.

Thanks and I look forward to chatting more,  Teresa

[sfmama]

hey there, I am another May mom -- goog to read what others are doing. Seems you are lucky to have your nights back -- ds wakes up around 2 am and 5 am. During the day I feed him every 3 hours or so. He has his good nap days when I actually have to wake him up after 2 hours, and his bad ones when he only lasts 30 mins and then can't fall back asleep. He hates patting, so I stopped doimg it. He entrtains himself for 15 min stretches -- enough for me to take a shower, or have breakfast.

Did you do anything in particular to make your babies sleep longer at night?

[marlowho]

Ditto on the no swaddling while on the tummy thing.  -When I was swaddling, though, we did use the cushions to keep her on her side.  But Noel's startle reflex is crazy, too.  I can't believe how many times she'll startle during a diaper change.  Madeline's was not that strong.  (Though she fought sleep like crazy as well- and I never let her sleep on her tummy.)
About the monitor- I have realized that unless I have the monitor near me, I cannot hear Noel when she does wake up and start crying.  So, someone else on this site mentioned putting the monitor far enough away from you that you don't hear every single noise.  So that's been working for us.  When she's older, I'll get rid of it, but for now I need to be able to hear when she starts crying!
As for getting them to sleep better at night, I think it mainly comes from them 1) getting enough to eat during the day, 2) having enough awake time during the day and 3) having proper sleep during the day.   That's just what I've noticed.  The days the EASY goes pretty well we have a better night. 
We might have to start a new thread soon since this one is getting so long, huh?

[krice]

Aneta - the 2am and 5am times sound familiar.  I got rid of my 2am waking with the 'wake-to-sleep' method.  My LO was a habitual waker and it took me 4 nights of getting up at 1am and waking him up.  After the fourth night, no more waking up.  I had to be certain he wasn't waking up from hunger but out of habit - he would wake at 2:43 - 2:46am each night.  I honestly thought it wasn't going to work, especially when I got to night 3 but DH and I stuck with it. 

As far as the 5am time is concerned, I found it difficult.  If I gave my LO a full feed then he wouldn't be hungry at 7.  Just this past week DH or I have gone in there and patted/sh'd (or placed him on his tummy) at 5am.  He has been able to make it to 6:30ish which works much better for me.

Byt the way Aneta . . . I love the hair!!!!

Teresa - my LO has decreased the amount he is taking - it didn't correspond with the shots . . . happened about 4 or 5 days later.  Be sure to get your LO weighed regularly.  Then you'll be able to keep your mind at ease.  As long as they are gaining all is well.

I'm also tinkering with 3hr EASY.  I'm trying to feed anywhere from 3hr 15min to 4 hr (depending on how long my LO can go).  I have dropped a bottle, but the overall oz in a day haven't decreased.  I noticed my LO could stay alert and awake for much longer so I thought I'd begin to transition.  His nap length hasn't changed all that much - just noticed a difference in the activity time.

I think I'll try turning the monitor off tonight (or at least putting it on DH's side of the bed).

[teresamac]

so maybe I need to do some tinkering of my own with my LO however he is not very good at extending his wake time...he is awake for about an 1 to 1 1/2 including feeding time...Does that seem about right for his age?

As for weight gain, I have no worries there.  He was born at 9 lbs .09 oz and at two months he weighs 14 lbs 10 oz.

As for monitors, we don't use ours except at naptime so i am not going in there a million and one times to make sure he is okay

Teresa

[Taylor's Mommy]

Aneta-something about your dd reminds me of Taylor.  dh thought so too as soon as he saw him!  weird?

going back to a topic from many days ago...I think Kate mentioned Baby Wise?  That book is the pits!  It was the first one I got from a friend when I was pregnant and I thougt it sounded so great.  then I get the baby home and find it is no help at all!  I remember looking at the section on 45 minute naps and it said, it could be hunger from a growth spurt (true), or it could be she was startled by the cat jumping into the crib (WTH?) or if it is not those things, it is a sleep disturbance that you need to check into.  well duh!?!?!?  totally useless!  okay, off my soap box now 

[Katet]

kathy Aiden doubled his birht weight by 3 months & then went on to be 10kg (22lb) at 6 months... he was still 10kg at 10 months & I was told that it was all fine... just some babies grow outside the "averages" Hey they don't get to read the books! It looks like Liam will be doing the same, he gets measured & weighted next week & I think he is going to be the longest 2 month old around, he is growing out (length wise) of 3-6 month clothes... I measured him at 65cm (I think that is about 26inches)

re monitors, I have only ever used ours so we canbe outside in the garden, I think mother's instinct cuts in, I can even hear my babies when they whinge if I am in the shower with the exhaust fan on, which shocks my dh as he says how can I when he hardly did from the next room!!!

teresa the awake time sounds about right, Liam is about the same age & he does no more than about 1 1/4 hours.

All is going well for us, Liam has a cold unfortunately, but as it is winter here & all of us have had it he was bound to and has woken a few extra times at night, I have offered an extra feed as he can't feed well with a  blocked nose but he really hasn't taken much, but hey I went through all that with Laim & know I can get things back on track, it is just frustrating as I want the extra sleep to get over my cold & I am up with him & his big brother as they aren't well... such is life hey

I have been neglecting Liam a bit this week in my efforts to deal with some issues with Aiden & it seems that Liam has pushed himself into a 3.5 hour EASY, I'm interested to see how the nights go once he is over his cold.

The one thing I have noticed (TMI warning) is Liam is a 1-2/week poopy boy (Aiden was every feed) & hey I got the big one tonight at bath time... we went through 2 baths & it went for about 10 mins... in stops & starts... glad it didn't happen 1/2 hour later.

Question for you all... how often do you bath your lo's & what time. I do Liam just befor bed time (7pm) & then I do Aiden straight afterwards & I do it everynight. suits us to have the routine. With Aiden I used to do him every few days in the afternoon, so just I'm interested to hear what others do.

[teresamac]

I, too, am interested in other's thoughts on baths.  I give Ethan a bath twice a week and the other times I sponge him down.  He loves his bathtime...he does NOT like getting out.  Any suggestions how to make the transition time better??  We thought maybe he was cold so we warmed up his towel in the dryer that seemed to help some.  Do you lotion your children up after bathtime?  What's your routine?

Teresa

[krice]

Let me just begin by saying . . . that was the best darn sleep ever!  I turned the sound right off on the baby monitor and had a glorious sleep.  My LO woke at the same time (6:00am) and had such a happy face - I guess he's no worse for wear.  Why hadn't I done that earlier??

Bath time - we do it every night.  It is a part of our bedtime routine.  I don't normally use any lotion afterwards.  If I give him a massage (which I occassionally do), I use Calendula Baby Oil.  Sometimes the order of things changes in the evening for us - sometimes we do the activity (bath) first and then the eat, and vice versa.  It all depends on when my DS previously ate.  With him switching from a 3 hr. EASY to one that goes 3hr 15min - 4hrs I find the last feed of the evening to be the most challenging.  I really try to keep his bedtime consistant - a bit of a challenge when the EASY routine is being extended.  I wake my LO up at 6:30/6:45 to begin the last cycle of EASY - depending on how long the whole process takes my LO is usually asleep between 7:25-8:00.

Kate - re: BM's.  I'm afraid/concerned if my LO doesn't have a movement in 24-48 hours.  Should I relax more?  I had DH do the 'soap suppository trick' on my LO the other day.  Worked like a charm.  Should I just let him be on his own???  The thought of 1-2 weeks scares me.

[Mom2X&F&V]

My baby was born May 30th... and still having lot of problems with naps and night sleep...

[krice]

Ximena - give us an idea of what your typical day is like.  Perhaps we can begin there.  What times do you feed?  How long/ how many oz?  Nap times?  If you've had a routine established already and are noticing a strange difference in the way things are going it could always be a growth spurt.  Just need a little more info.

----

Well if you leave good enought alone, you get POOP!  Always happy to see it.

[cambeladamom]

well, it has been awhile since i have posted anything. i have enjoyed reading everyone's posts...glad to see we have recruited some more people:)
kathy-i was wondering about how you got your lo to sleep better at night. right now cambel can go without a feeding for about 9 hours, but he is waking up a few times before then. i am about to go crazy because i can't seem to get him to sleep through. i know i read about the wake up thing, but i can't remember where. could you give me some advice?
i'll add my two cents about monitors. i never use mine at night or i wouldn't get any sleep. but i do for naps becuase i am around the house and i wouldn't be able to hear him if he woke up during his nap and needed help getting back to sleep.
we are also switching from 3 to 4 hour easy...but it is not easy:) i would almost rather keep him on 3 for now until we start solids and have to change again. plus i like consistency, and i drive myself crazy trying to get him to bed at the same time each night. so i guess we will just muddle through. anyone else thinking of starting solids at 4 months?
re:baths-we give cambel a bath every night as part of his bedtime routine. he loves it and he is really programmed to expect a feed and then bed afterwards. it is my favorite time of the day with him. we do lotion and massage afterwards-he is really cute during this time-cooing and smiling.
hope liam's cold is getting better. it is hot here-90 degrees, so it is hard to imagine winter:)
have a good day everyone.

[gambaro]

count me in too. My ds was born May 24th. I started 3hr EASY yesterday. Well.. It's not going well. probably it's too early for him to take 3hr EASY.
Good thing is he sleeps well at night. 8pm feed and wake up 3am and 7.I like to keep that but wants to go 3hr schedul for day time. I was feeding him every two hours for three weeks! It got too hard for me. Hope I can go at least 2.5hr EASY. Wish me luck^^
anyway, good to hear from all of you May Moms!!

Michelle

[hopper116]

My ds has one big bm per day, and I was very worried that that wasn't enough.  Ped said as long as they have one bm in 3 days, that was fine and completely normal at this age.  Sounded pretty odd to me, but that's what the doc says. 

We've had NO monitor this week, at night, and ds has been sleeping through until 6:40-7:00 am.  Not too bad for 11 1/2 weeks!  He's been a great sleeper from the beginning, but this has been great. 

Just a thought, I had posted on another board about switching ds to 3.5 "ish" EASY as he doesn't seem hungry at three hours.  It's been taking him a REALLY long time to eat, sometimes as long as 45 mins.  Anyway, I switched his nippile today, up to a level 2, which is for 3 months+ (Dr. Brown's bottle) in the middle of his feed, and he downed 2 1/2 ounces in 4 minutes.  I couln'r believe it!  The first 2 1/2 oz took 25 minutes!  Instead of not being hungry, do you think it's possible he has just been getting tired from sucking too long?  I feel like a terrible Mommy!  Anyway, any thoughts on this?
Thanks everyone,
Stephanie
New Mommy to Ian Patrick
Angel/Textbook
05/04/05

[teresamac]

Isn't it crazy how you start to rejoice in things you never thought possible....dirty diapers and burps!!