Jan/Feb 05 Babies chat!

[Daniel's mummy]

Hi Joanne,
I only recently joined in this chat, but love it already. 

Did you plan to give birth in your kitchen?!  I don't think there'd be room in my kitchen!

I don't tend to tell people that I'm a 'baby whisperer' as such.  I have had a few people (MIL for one) tell me that I should let him cry it out.  I try to accept their offer of advice but just stick with what we do.  I tend to often say ' we find this has always worked so we'll stuck with it'.  I guess it's easier for us as he is an angel when it comes to sleeping so we never really have to struggle with getting him to sleep etc...  Crying it out is never needed anyway.  Not that I could do it I don't think.

BTW our ds was going to be a Hannah had he been a dd!  I love the name.  Maybe next time.

[StrawberryAnnie2]

Yes. We planned a homebirth. My pregnancy was very uneventful, and I was in great shape. I walked and exercised 2 hrs a day! We had an amazing midwife who came to our home. I laboured in a huge blow up pool full of warm water from 10pm until 5am when Hannah was born. I will definitely do a water birth again for the next baby- it was so calming and relaxing. The best part of the home birth was being able to climb in to my own bed shortly after the birth with Hannah and DH (Ben) for some bonding time, and eventually sleep:) It was such an amazing day.  I know home birth is not for everyone, but for our family it was a great experience.

[StrawberryAnnie2]

One more question. What are your lo's favorite toys these days? Just thought we could share products or homemade things that keep them busy and learning. Here are Hannah's faves:

-board books. She will sit still on my lap for at least 5 books - she loves to be read to.
-pots and pans
-exersaucer
-balls
-any toy with the cruncy plastic inside. She has a fabric bug with plastic in the wings. It is loud and she loves to crumple it in her hands.
-paper-when I clip coupons from the Sunday paper she plays with the scraps:)
-my cell phone, though I don't let her put it in her mouth!

Joanne

[dkjokisch]

Wake-to-sleep - Speaking from the perspective of the one who stayed in bed... I think the key is to only stir them, not wake them fully.  For Maya, that meant just laying a hand on her chest or touching her cheek until she stirred or sighed in her sleep.  If she opened her eyes at all, we'd gone too far.  And keep in mind, it's only going to work if that early AM wake-up is fairly predictable.  With Maya, it was 5am on the nose for almosta week straight.

JulieB - It's worth a try if you're running out of other options.

Welcome Joanne!  As far as BW goes, they think we're nuts.  All of our parents think we are way too rigid with naptimes and such and that we push her to sleep too much.  All I know is that for the most part, when we're home and it's just us, I have a happy baby who takes reasonably good naps and sleeps through the night.  MIL thinks I should rock her to sleep when she's fussy and my mom said she always nursed us to sleep.  It's a good thing I don't really care what they think.  We usually try to avoid the subject with the same, "Well, it works for us."

And Maya's teething, so her favorite toys right now are anything that fits in her mouth.  Speaking of which, I think we may have her first tooth.  She won't let me see it, but there's something sharp in there.

[julieb]

Deborah: The bumps do blanche.  Does that mean anything?  I just tried it on the random spots, not the bunch he got on his back because they're not there right now.  :?  I'll watch for them though.

Joanne: Welcome!  We also think BW is a lifesaver, especially with Asher being the high needs baby that he is.  I shutter to think what he might be like had I not found BW.  :shock:   But everyone (except these ladies) thinks we have a screw loose (several, in fact).   :lol:   I learned real quick about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy as well as the "smile and nod" technique.   :wink:   It kinda comes out eventually, but I keep the info I volutnteer to a minimum.  With our families (mine mainly), we got A LOT of pressure to do CIO and much criticism of Asher's high needs personality (implying we had made him that way), but I finally grew a backbone after 4 months, told them all off, and all of us have been much better/happier for it since (them included!).   :wink:   Now we just don't talk about it, minus the occassional passive aggressive comments.   :roll:
Your home birth sounds positively wonderful!  I had originally planned a natural water birth at my birthing center (wanted someone else to clean up the mess  :lol:  ), but found out Asher had turned breech 3 days before my DD.  I went 9 days overdue, trying every trick in the book to get him to turn, but ended up with an emergency c-section once I went into labor.  :?   I hope for a VBAC next time.  I plan to never see the inside of a hospital again if I have anything to say about it.  But my birthing center won't do VBACs, so it looks like I'm destined for a home birth next time around!  What laboring method did you use?  I used hypnobirthing and it was awesome!  None of the nurses believed I was actually in labor until they checked me!   :lol:
For toys, I can't let Asher have paper, though he loves it!  But he eats it!  And the crinkly toys aren't as fascinating to him anymore.  Not sure why, even though we rotate the toys.  Board books also get eaten, but he has two that he just loves and I catch him looking at by himself at times!  Tupperware is a big hit though.  He also loves wrestling with a couple stuffed animals and playing with his FP piano (LOVES music), FP walker, and FP activity gym center thingie (whatever that is).

[dkjokisch]

JulieB - That fact that they blanch is a good thing.  When I called our ped about it, that is what they said to check.  If they didn't blanch, I would have had to take her in to get checked out.  Presumably the alternative was much worse, but then again, she was only a weeks and a half old at the time, so they take everything more seriously at that age.

[herbst99]

Hi All (and we are turning out to be ALOT of moms!!)

Christie I am not sure where you will find babysense - I looked at AMAZON but only found a review. Maybe you can request it from them. If you are struggling, my cousin is in houston and is coming home for a visit. I have an extra copy I can send you if you don't find it!

ooh - seperation anxiety - I am very nervous as we have had a little taste already. We will have to be strong I think - baby will be fine!!

Hazel Yes - I DO overspend on Lise - must say I don't feel guilty as I am spending NOTHING on myself (funny how that works!!)

Julie and what is this about SENIOR :lol: We took a couple of long car trips. Just be prepared for ANYTHING. I also gave lise some "rescue remedy" to deal with the restlessness. Other than that - we stopped often (when she was awake) and I sat in the back entertaining her. I also played a CD with her favourite sing along songs ... this usually helps - this is a baby who used to calm down and SLEEP with my hairdryer on MAX POWER!!

Branwan Our "routine" is also sooooo messy at the moment. I leave for work around 8:30 (lise is tired then but if I didn't drive I could stretch her a little) - but now with her being tired she falls asleep (through my talking etc!!!) for the 20min drive to work - and then WAKES UP only to be tired again very soon. Anyway - here goes our most recent routine

6:15 Wake and in bed with us (I know - I try to get her to sleep till 7!!)
7:00 Formula and cereal (I do both in 1 - not  time for 2 sittings in the am)
8:30 SLEEP in car
9:00 Wake up and play
11:00 Bottle
11:15/30 SLEEP
1:00 Activity (she will have woken up after 45min and then resettled by myself or my mom
1:30 Some veg
3:00 Bottle
3:15/30 SLEEP - usually 30 - 45min
4:00 AWAKE and will not go down for another nap - so we are now walking etc.

on this note I will tell you about this research I am taking part in:
A weighted blankie - this is just a blankie filled with about 600g of sand - this is then used at all naptimes and also night sleep. Started today and will let you know how it works out!


US Well thank you for the nice comments on pics - must say I feel pretty in them - and well - haven't felt pretty for a while. Am still struggling with ALOT of post pregnancy weight!! I am NOT buying ANOTHER wardrope (Preggy summer wardrobe, non pregnant winter wardrope as prepregnant winter wardrobe did not fit!!! and now we are into summer again!!) Well that is life!!
Lise is doing well - I am just a little worried about some strabismus in her left eye (looks inward) I think I will have it checked out - here is where having a dr for a husband is NOT GOOD - he thinks it is fine and I should give her another 2 months. I am WORRIED and would like tests to be done NOW!!! But I guess he knows best!! (my Internet searches is getting ALOT of criticism right about now!!!)
Do any of you have any info on strabismus?

OK - bye for now
Nikki

[Leah's Mom]

6:15 Wake and in bed with us (I know - I try to get her to sleep till 7!!)

Same here!!!!!  :oops:

Will post more later, just wanted to check in quick. I have some MAJOR questions regarding nightime sleep, but my kids are soon coming into the classroom, must go!!!!!!!!!!!!

[branwen]

Eirwen is 8 months today!!!!  :shock: 

I'm sorry I haven't been responding to people- it really is one of my favorite things about coming here.

Hazel- Eirwen is also in the 9 to 12 but even that is getting small.  Even though some guy called her fatso :evil:  yesterday it is really the length.  I had to go to 12-18 in some brands because my dd is so tall.  I get so embarrassed going into the toddler section :oops:  I would feel bad about the $ but I never buy anything for myself anymore so I indulge in my child.    Daniel is lovely- I love his hat.

Oh, and I have been known to wear what I wake up in all day :roll:

Christine- I don't know what I'm going to do with the meat thing.  I don't really eat a lot of it and no red meat but my husband eats everything..so unsure.  BTW- it looks disgusting to me so thanks for the heads up!

JulieB- Do you have video up of Asher clapping?  Eirwen has just started clapping and I started the bye-bye a month ago but no go on that just yet- although I think I've caught her waving but I'm not totally convinced it was on purpose.  Also- Eirwen has stork bites above her eye lids.  her skin is so fair/translucent anyway, so they kind of just blend in.  I think this is different form what you mean?  We were told they would fade by 2 yrs but I think they've already started to.

Julie- Tarri is so right! You are not the senior mommy :wink: In fact other than this site all the women I know that have just had babies are 32 to 42!  I am the "baby with the baby" out here! :wink:

Tarri/Julie- thank you for your suggestions.  I have gone back to PU/PD after yesterday.  I took her into the city/Boston and she would not sleep in the car even though I timed the driving with her nap times.  so she ended up being awake 7 hrs and I put her to bed at 4:30.  I knew she would wake up for food because she fell asleep on the breast (only 1 side) so at 10:30 I ended up feeding her again, which I don't ever do.  So...after that today is the first day of PU/PD again.  I feel good about it, I think it is the right decision.  I mean she was so hysterically tired that one second she would laugh, then cry then scratch face, babble...it was seriously like I'd given her eight cups of coffee!!! :shock: 

Heather- yeah, she won't go down for the nap or she only naps for 45 min which puts her at 3-4 hr awake time  so I've been waiting it out, try again 15 min later, etc.  sometimes I'll do the wind down and she is so tried and making all the signs when I sing our songs but then I put her in the crib and she is hysterical holding her head.  I assume teething, so I take her out, give her some homeopathic stuff and wait again.  So it has been so hit and miss and then it is time for a feed.

Tammy- I feel better today about her face plan today.  I am still so sad about her bruised cheek but she is doing fine with that.  In fact I don't even think she cares.  Sometimes I think these thigns affect us mommies more than the babies.

Nikki- I think it is cool that your dd might be a baby model.  Those pics are so cute!

Deborah- you so hit the nail on the head about temp v. permanent.  I think I've waited long enough for the teething.  I mean they are half way up and if the worst part is the breaking through we are passed that and now we just need to move on because this is only going to continue- more teeth!  :wink:

Heather- that is great about the pulling up to knees!  YAY!

Us-Today I went back to PU/PD and although it took 40 min and then she only slept 45 it is better than 7 hrs of awake time!  We will be trying again today too. I needed to take my own advice about deciding what she needs- more proactive I guess.  Wish me luck! 

Okay that's all I can catch up on today- time to feed!

[StrawberryAnnie2]

julieb:

Q What laboring method did you use?

A I  took husband coached Bradley classes. BUT I also followed my midwifes advice to exercise like crazy to stay in great shape. She explained it this way: If you were going to run a marathon you would spend the days and weeks prior to the event training your body, you wouldn't just show up on the day and start running. That made so much sense to me so I power walked every day for an hour and then did a bunch of exercises designed to exercise all the muscles that are used during labour. I really believe that that's what helped me the most was the exercise rather than the Bradley classes. Hannah arrived 11 days before my due date so my mom didn't make it for the birth. When she watched the birth video  she said, "you're barely making a noise, why weren't you screaming your head off, you didn't have any drugs".  It was so funny. 

I also ate a little and drank lots of water during labour. My midwife said that one of the big reasons that women run into trouble during labour is that they become dehydrated and that causes complications.  She used another analogy that if you were cleaning your house or digging a ditch you'd make sure you had eaten beforehand to give yourself the strength and stamina to fuel your body.

Anyway........I'll get off my soapbox now, I get very passionate about pregnancy and labour

[julieb]

Yesterday was so weird.  He took a really short afternoon nap which is rare.  Then I tried to extend and he'd have none of it, which is even rarer.  So I did PU/PD for 20 minutes and he screamed all the way through.  Even more rare!  By that time, we were at the end of the shortest nap I will allow (~1.5 hrs), so I just got him up.  And boy, he was an emotional grouch the rest of the evening (went to bed early then).

Happy Asher News: He slept until 6:40 this morning as opposed to 6:20.      Still not 7:00 though.  :roll:  And he was quite content all morning.  Usually he notices me in the kitchen getting his breakfast together and starts beating down the gate to eat.   :shock:   Oh, and he ate his pear and banana finger foods amazingly well this morning.  Despite their sliminess, he's figured out how to pick them up.   

Nikki: What's the purpose of the weighted blanket?

Branwen:  Did you beat that guy with a large stick?!  I cannot believe the gall of some people!  Once Eirwen is moving around, she'll start thinning out like you wouldn't believe!  :shock:   Happens to all BF babies.  Sometimes Asher looks a bit scrawny to me, I miss his pudginess.  We're in the 12-18 mths as well and have been for quite a long time (for length).
I haven't managed to get the clapping or waving on video yet.  But he doesn't actually make the clapping sound yet, just imitates banging his somewhat open hands together.  How do you do bye-bye?  With the hand or arm?  We do the arm so I think it's much easier for him.
Asher has various stork bites as well (though I was calling them strawberries, but I guess those are the raised kind), but I'm not concerned about those (my whole family has them).  It's the little newborn bumps that still come and go, after all these months.  It's so weird.  :?   I'm gonna ask at his 9 mth appt again.  Last time she said they were from the heat, but I really don't think so.

[julieb]

Joanne:  Oh I totally agree!  I'm very passionate about it as well!
The food thing was one of my biggest beefs with the hospital!  When my water broke, I ate a big turkey sandwich before going to the hospital because I knew I wouldn't get anything for a good 24 hours!  :?   But I managed to convince the night shift nurse to give me some snacks.   :lol:

The excersize thing is a great tip.  I was doing yoga, but mainly for back pain.  I did the kegals and squats for the muscles, but never thought about the endurance thing.  I'll keep that in mind for next time!

[dkjokisch]

JulieB - Do the stork bites look like little broken blood vessels?  If so Maya has a bunch.  The ones between her eyebrows have faded.  she also has some more visible ones on the back of her neck, but they're in the hairline where you don't see them.  Strawberries are the raised kind.  That's what Maya has on her forehead.  It's about the size of a fingerprint.  She has another one on the top of her head, and a tiny one on her shoulder.

Branwen - I can't believe ANYONE called Eirwen a fatso.  I would have been livid.  We've dealt with alot of insensitive remarks, particularly with regard to the birthmark on Maya's forehead, and you'd think I would have gotten used to it by now, but it still es me off.

Well, we're off to the doctor again this afternoon.  Maya has been kind of fussy which I attributed to teething (it's official, there are two popping out), but this morning she started jamming her fingers in her ear and tugging on her earlobe.  Normally, I'd give it a day, but since we're flying to El Salvador on Saturday, I'd rather find out today that she's fine (and I'm a worrywart) than find out Saturday on the plane that she's really in pain.  Thank heaven for good insurance.

[Leah's Mom]

Welcome Joanne!!!

I have been checking Jusspress.com. All of the babies are so cute and the videos are awesome.

Julieb- I can't belive Asher in his videos. The things he does! Wow! I can't wait for Leah to cruise and crawl. Or maybe I can.....  :wink: Yay for Asher sleeping so long!!!!!! I wish!

Heather - Yay for Kelsey on sleeping so long! Leah also goes backwards in her walker, hasn't figured out how to go forward! No crawling here yet. How about you?

Happy 8 months Eirwen!!!! Branwen- I've given up on the meat thing for now. Someone told me they didn't serve meat till a year? People call Leah chubby all the time too. I always say she is healthy! She too is in 9-12 month clothing. Very long too!

Deborah- Let us know what happens at the docs office. Hope all is well!

Well, I have to run. Will post more later.

[dkjokisch]

Well, we're back, and she's fine.  But I am glad we went.  Her left ear (the one she was grabbing at) was so full of wax they couldn't see the ear drum.  Chances are, that's what was bothering her.

And she weighed in at a whopping 15lbs, 3oz.  Talk about scrawny.  We too, are in 9-12mos sizes for sleepers and onesies, though, because she is so long.