The new "New Moms" thread!

[HollyJoy]

Thanks

Been meaning to ask everyone.. how is your little one sleeping at night? I strongly believe that the 3rd one is the charm!! Amanda Joy pretty much sleeps all night! She'll go down around 10pm, and sleeps until 6:30am! The nights that she doesn't sleep all the way through, she's only up once. I can deal with that!!!

 

[helenabear]

OMG, what wonderful pictures!!! I admit we didn't do anything for Dom for Easter, but since he is just starting to grab at things and we still have lots of toys he hasn't played with yet, we didn't see the point. I already had cute kakhis and a polo for him, so he just wore that.

Becky, that is wonderful to help out with! I actually looked up HELLP and can't find a lot of support for people who go through/went through it I'd love to help out women who go through such a scary thing.

As for sleeping. Dom is off and on. He was doing so much better for a while, but now we get him to go at least 6 hours. Last night he ate at 9 and woke up at 4. Not bad, but we've had better. Part of why we think we are going to start him on solids. We'll have that appt on April 1st though.

 

[Marshmelo]

Holly - how lucky you are! Nicolas has been pretty good lately. He will eat at 9:00 or 9:30 and then sleep until at least about 4 usually, if not 5, and has even gone to 6 a couple times. But, he didn't do that at 2 months! We started him on rice cereal last Thursday. He doesn't eat much, but it's fun. At least he is getting used to eating something solid. I know someone mentioned that they didn't know the right age to start cereal. Our pediatrician told us that between 4 and 6 mos is the general rule. She said that there are studies that show if solids are given before 4 mos, it increases the risk of diabetes There are also some signs you are supposed to look for to see if your baby is ready (from whattoexpect.com):
* Head held high. While your baby doesn't need to be able to sit independently in order to expand her culinary repertoire, she does need to be able to hold her head up well on her own, and sit — supported — without slumping over.
* Tongue untied. See if she'll accept a spoon. In young babies, the tongue-thrust reflex helps keep foreign objects out of their mouths, and if she's not ready to be spoon-fed, she might push out that spoon coming her way — even one that's laden with yummy bananas or tasty rice cereal. Once she outgrows the tongue-thrust reflex, she'll be able to eat solids more successfully.
* Eager eyes. A baby who's ready for solids may show great interest in grown-ups' meals — she may even try to grab herself a bite right off your plate!

 

[Marshmelo]

Have any of you tried any of the Baby Einstein dvd's? I bought Nicolas the "Baby's First Moves" one yesterday. We played it for him last night, but he didn't seem to care much about it. He babbled and laughed for a few minutes but then didn't seem interested. It is supposed to be a 3+ month one and he is 4 mos. I got it because if the TV is on, he is enthralled by it. We try to keep it off around him since I read an article about letting kids younger than 2 yrs watch TV delays their Math skills, etc. Surely that study was based on kids whose parents just put them in front of a TV as a babysitter and have little other interaction with them...not just letting them occasionally look at the TV. I can see how watching all the color and movement would mesmerize a baby. It's hard to believe that it would have such an effect. Anyway....since he seemed so amazed by the TV, I thought letting him watch something educational would be good. I wasn't all that impressed by Baby Einstein though. Any of you have any experience with those videos?

 

[HollyJoy]

Have any of you tried any of the Baby Einstein dvd's? I bought Nicolas the "Baby's First Moves" one yesterday. We played it for him last night, but he didn't seem to care much about it. He babbled and laughed for a few minutes but then didn't seem interested. It is supposed to be a 3+ month one and he is 4 mos. I got it because if the TV is on, he is enthralled by it. We try to keep it off around him since I read an article about letting kids younger than 2 yrs watch TV delays their Math skills, etc. Surely that study was based on kids whose parents just put them in front of a TV as a babysitter and have little other interaction with them...not just letting them occasionally look at the TV. I can see how watching all the color and movement would mesmerize a baby. It's hard to believe that it would have such an effect. Anyway....since he seemed so amazed by the TV, I thought letting him watch something educational would be good. I wasn't all that impressed by Baby Einstein though. Any of you have any experience with those videos?

We have a couple of them, but I haven't really used them too much yet. However, the times that I have, Amanda is totally amazed! LOL

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

I love everyone's Easter photos! So cute!! I forgot my camera, so DMIL took pictures of Owen. We'll see if I can get some copies from her. Owen's first laugh was on Easter when DH was playing with him! It was so cute and fun! My dad was on the phone with me when Owen first laughed, and he got to hear it. I was so glad he got to be part of that, even if it was long distance!

DSIL gave Owen the board book "Owen's Marshmallow Chick" - very cute! Owen is really into having stories read to him lately. I can also leave him on a quilt on the floor with a board book propped open next to him and he'll happily stare at the picture for a few minutes while I do something else. Then I come back and turn the page, and he's happy for another couple minutes!

As for sleeping, we're still on a "eating every 3 hours" cycle, and lately Owen has been sticking to that or even wanting to eat every 2.5 hours. We think he's hit another growth spurt, because he'll guzzle an 8oz bottle of either pumped milk or formula when it's DH's turn to take him. We used to just give him 5oz in the bottle, but he'd get mad when it was done so we started offering him an extra oz at a time until he was content. 7 to 8 oz is now pretty standard for the bottle, but the stinker still is a tiny guy. His Dr. now thinks Owen just has a super fast metabolism, so it's unlikely he's going to sleep through the night any time soon. Yikes! Mommy wants sleep NOW!!! Seriously, I can't even imagine how wonderful it would be to get more than 2.5 hours of sleep in a single stretch!

The little girl I nannied for used to watch all the Baby Einstein videos and she loved them. She started watching them when she was about 5 months old, and outgrew them around 15-18 months old. We used them for her "transition time" to my house and back to her house each day. She'd arrive in the morning and I'd have one playing during her drop-off time, and then after it ended we'd go on with the day. Her parents would put one in right when they got home with her in the evening, and have snuggle time during it, and then when it ended they went on with dinner, etc. They are cute, and some babies really get into them, but others don't seem to care about it at all. We don't have any, so I'm not sure yet if Owen would be interested or not.

 

[beckmrk04]

Hey ladies- cute pics! I'll have to upload mine. I'm lazy!

And Vaylie loves her Baby Einstein DVDs. LOVES them. Actually, one of the first times she watched one, she laughed and laughed- it was hysterical.

I was worried about letting her watch them at first (you know- bad mom lets kid watch tv for a milisecond), but then I figured- it's 20 minutes, I can get something done, and it's not like I let her watch tv all day and she never gets any human interaction. She's fine.

 

[Pollito916]

Becky, that is wonderful to help out with! I actually looked up HELLP and can't find a lot of support for people who go through/went through it I'd love to help out women who go through such a scary thing.

Maybe you could contact your hospital and see about starting a support group? It's always helpful to have the support of someone who has already been through it.

As for the Baby Einstein videos, Alex could care less. He almost never watches TV, even though it is on at our house almost all the time (I know, we're terrible parents ). The only thing he gets interested in on TV is the theme songs for TV shows and commercials (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Family Guy are his favorites). Any time he hears any kind of music, he stops what he is doing and starts dancing. It is so cute!

Love everyone's easter pictures - such a handsome bunch of boys and adorable little girls! I'll add a few of our own:

 

[helenabear]

Maybe you could contact your hospital and see about starting a support group? It's always helpful to have the support of someone who has already been through it.

Oh good idea! I was lucky and was only hospitalized one extra day and only had to receive 2 units of blood after my experience. I know many are hospitalized longer and have health issues with their children due to pre-mature births.
Oh and very cute pictures!!!!!

Bethany, if Owen is going that short of time with so much formula, I am shocked the doctors haven't suggested solid foods. We get about 3-4 hours between feedings on around 8 ounces here. More at night though.

I admit we have a "no TV" rule here. If he accidentally catches a little of it, that is fine with me, but we won't intentionally let him watch TV yet. We want to wait until 2 years old or so, but we'll see. I know he likes it when he watches, but I just am not convinced it is wise to have such bright lights and massive changes for long periods of time.
Of course I am no better, I have Rosetta Stone on my laptop, and I have been going through the lessons for Dom so he can learn Spanish that way. It's easier for me to do that and speak English the whole time. Hopefully this will lead to less confusion as he learns. I do a tiny bit of Spanish with my voice, but not a lot. I'm sure him watching my laptop isn't any better

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Bethany, if Owen is going that short of time with so much formula, I am shocked the doctors haven't suggested solid foods. We get about 3-4 hours between feedings on around 8 ounces here. More at night though.

We're going to evaluate his eating and growth at his 4 month check up and decide then if we need to supplement with a high-calorie formula and/or start Owen on solids. It's another HMO thing...there's certain steps you go through to get to the next stage, and they don't like to take you off the programed track unless there's really strong evidence that they need to do so. Since it doesn't seem that Owen is nursing 8oz, and he seems very content when he's finished nursing, the dr. is waiting to evaluate at the 4 month mark in a couple weeks.

Sounds like we'll do a nurse & weigh evaluation, and I've been charting how long he nurses, then I pump and record how much I get, and when he gets a bottle we record how much he eats and how long he takes. And of course we also have to keep track of how many wet and dirty diapers. I'm really hoping we can get off this close monitoring at the 4 month appointment, and I'd like to start moving him onto a more normal schedule.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

So I finally got all of the pics from the other day. Here's a few of my faves

 

[HollyJoy]

Too cute Jen!!!

 

[HollyJoy]

I know I just posted Easter pics of Amanda, but I couldn't resist posting this one! A friend of mine took it just the other day, and well, I'll let the picture speak for itself!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

I love Amanda's grin! That's so fun!

Well, we're buying an Amby baby bed off craigslist. I couldn't bring myself to buy one at full price, but someone in a San Jose suburb is selling one at half price. They used it for about 3 months, and it's still in excellent condition, so we're taking the risk and hoping this helps Owen sleep without being held!

The other big news is that we bought a 2006 Mazda5 yesterday! Owen's stroller takes up the entire trunk of the '89 Volvo sedan we've been driving, so we needed more room but Dh did NOT want to drive a mini-van or an suv. He likes the Mazda5 because it's got more of the profile of a station wagon. We've been calling it the "micro mini van". I'm just excited that it's a newer car than the '89, and I'll have a cupholder again!

 

[ashjohnson80]

I love the Easter pictures! I need to download mine, I haven't even seen them yet. I don't have a computer at home anymore and I forgot to bring the memory stick over here.

Ellery has been sleeping through the night for a couple of months now. She goes to bed around 10pm and sleeps until about 7:30, eats a bottle and then sleeps again until about 8:30.

We have some of the baby einstein dvds and I sit on the floor and watch them with her. She really likes to see the other little kids and animals.

She weighs 17 lbs 11 oz now. She's huge.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Oooo...crossing my fingers, but I think the Amby bed might work!!! This is the first nap we've tried it out, and I got Owen to fall asleep in the bed without me holding him at all, and so far he has stirred several times in his sleep but he hasn't woken up!!!!! Plus he's already past the 30 minute mark, which beats out the longest he ever slept in the cradle. I am soooo hoping this works, but I'm also trying to not get too hopeful in case this nap is a random fluke due to novelty and he won't nap in there again.

Good heavens, I won't know what to do with myself if he starts taking his naps in the Amby bed! Just think of all I could get done if I'm not constantly holding a baby!!! And what if he starts sleeping in this at night, too...no more sore arms, shoulders, and neck from holding him in the same position all night! But I'm getting ahead of myself here. One nap at a time, Bethany...one nap at a time....

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Good job Bethany!!! Hopefully this works!!!!

 

[kellyf2626]

I love all the pics of your LO's!! They are just sooooo cute!!!

Bethany - glad to hear the Amby bed is working. I have heard good things about it!!

Oh I am soooooo sick of this snow!! We got more yesterday - hopefully it won't last long. The weather is supposed to even get up to the 60s this Tuesday, so that is good! Here are some pics of what it looked like out my front door yesterday, and some of Brady in his sled. He wasn't having too much fun....I think he is sick of the snow too!!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Well, so far the Amby isn't a miracle bed, but it's definitely better than the cradle. Owen is napping for about 40 min in the Amby instead of 20 min in the cradle, and he doesn't get into big screaming fits in it - he just fusses and does his "complaining" cry. Sometimes he's even content to just lay in there awake and look at toys I've put on the crossbar. It still can be difficult to get him to fall asleep in the Amby or to stay asleep when we lay him down in there, but once he's asleep he usually goes for 40 min. I think sometimes Owen is startled by the motion of it when he's falling asleep. Plus it doesn't help that our 9 month old kitten, Alton, likes to make the hammock move so if he manages to sneak into the room when I'm putting Owen to sleep he will push on the bed and startle Owen.

So we'll see...I've heard that there is often a transition period when you start a baby in the bed after they're a month or two old, so there's a chance this will get better.

Hey, does anyone use a Moby wrap or similar style baby carrier? Or try one and not like it? I'm looking for various opinions on it and trying to find a friend around here who has one I could try out. I've been using a Maya wrap ring sling that I borrowed from a friend and it's okay, but it doesn't feel as secure as I'd like. The snuggli feels more secure and balanced, but isn't as flexible and I'd like a few more options for carrying Owen as he gets bigger. I'm also wondering if the Moby wrap would really fit my "Pooh-sized" DH. The ring sling is a medium and it's a little too small for him, and he can't wear the snuggli at all. Anyone have any experiences with a Moby, good, bad, or indifferent?

 

[Jen_in_NH]

I didn't have a Moby, and had no luck with slings in general. But I do have an Ergo that I love. It fits both my DH and I (neither of us are tiny little things). I can't recommend it enough.

Jen