The Official New Mom Thread Part 2

[vettechick99]

I just can't get over how many cute babies we have! Especially from the gals that were on the TTC thread with me - I feel like I'm their aunt or something!

Amazing how big they get - and so quickly!

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Don't know if anyone else is looking for formula coupons or not.... If you shop at BJs, you can print out coupons for $4 off of Similac formula. Thank gosh - Christopher's eating like I haven't fed him in a year!

Jen

 

[TiggerStac]

Don't know if anyone else is looking for formula coupons or not.... If you shop at BJs, you can print out coupons for $4 off of Similac formula. Thank gosh - Christopher's eating like I haven't fed him in a year!

Jen

Do you just go to the BJ's.com website?? I got my magazine in the mail w/my coupon and had my mom and aunt clip theirs for me...I usually go when I have coupons and stock up (6-8 cans).

Thanks

 

[DMickey28]

Don't know if anyone else is looking for formula coupons or not.... If you shop at BJs, you can print out coupons for $4 off of Similac formula. Thank gosh - Christopher's eating like I haven't fed him in a year!

Jen

3 months must be a growth spurt. Alexander drank, no joke, 48oz the last two days. I mean 48 oz a DAY ... Yikes. We use Enfamil and I can't find any coupons. No one sends those checks to me, I signed up again on the website!!! I figured out that the container at BJ's for 29.99 and the container at walmart for 20.83 are about the same price ounce per ounce. It's like 3/10 of a penny cheaper per ounce at BJ's.

Brennan is adorable!! So big...

I can't believe that Alex is 5 months old already, Pollito!! I LOVE his hair!!

Hucifer - I was due April 20th!!

We have the rainforest Swing too. Alexander loves it. He slept in it sometimes when we first got home. We rotated between the swing and the bouncer. Now he is in his crib and does well. We just got the Rainforest Jumperoo this weekend. I prop him up with a pillow in front of the tummy. As long as he is not tired he loves it. He smiles at the animals and he has learned that jumping causes the lights to go off. It's cool.

Here's a pic I took yesterday with my new camera!!! My old one took too long to focus and I was missing all these shots!!!

 

[mrs.explorer1977]

3 months must be a growth spurt.

The public health nurse that visits with us said that growth spurts happen at the 3's and 6s -- 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. I'm glad we're through the 3 week one, but I'm dreading the 6 week one!

We have the rainforest Swing too. Alexander loves it. He slept in it sometimes when we first got home. We rotated between the swing and the bouncer. Now he is in his crib and does well. We just got the Rainforest Jumperoo this weekend. I prop him up with a pillow in front of the tummy. As long as he is not tired he loves it. He smiles at the animals and he has learned that jumping causes the lights to go off. It's cool.

I love the swing!! I love that it plugs into the wall! My SIL went through dozens and dozens of batteries and like 4 swings because my niece would only nap in the swing, not in her crib (but would sleep the night in her crib -- go figure!)

We got the Jumperoo at the shower that my mom threw on the weekend. I put it together already, even though it'll be months before Colin's old enough to go in it!


We went to see the lactation consultant today and got a successful latch! So successful, that he wasn't screaming and looking for more at the end of it -- he actually slept afterwards and I was able to go grocery shopping with him! And, the little piggy has gained 10 oz since last Monday! I think he's getting enough expressed BM!! He's up to nearly 10 lb, 11 oz -- and he was 9lb 10oz when he was born.

Hope everyone else is having a great week! I'm hoping that the 6 1/2 - 7 hour stretches of sleep that we've had the last 3 nights keeps up for a fourth night tonight!! *fingers crossed*

 

[Syrreal]

OMG! Brennan fell asleep by himself tonight!!!!!!!!
He has done this in the middle of the night a few times this past week or so but had never done it just being put to bed. Tonight he just wasn't into going to bed even after he ate (and even though he was super tired, rubbing his eyes and everything) so I just laid him down. I could hear him moving around and "talking" in the monitor. Then, after about 10 minutes, silence. He's already been asleep for an hour and a half!

ETA- he slept all the wau till 7:20am! I heard him talking around 5 but he fell back to sleep

 

[Syrreal]

Something completely different....

Took Brennan out to the park this morning for a walk. It's supposed to get to 94 today so we went at 9 am to try and beat the heat some. After about 20 minutes or so he started crying (not unusual) but he hadn't stopped 10 minutes later so I decided to head home. When I went to put him in the carseat I noticed a puffy mottled rash on his arms. By the time I got home he had some also on his legs and his face (although nowhere near as much as on his arms). I took off his onesie and put him in his crib with the fan on high and called the ped for a nurse to call us back. By the time they called back 15 minutes later the rash was almost gone. Yup, heat rash. It came back when he fell asleep on me a little later in the day. Even with the a/c on 70, it's hot in the house and he was sweating. Then the rash went away again.

I swear that on his file there is a note that says I worry about everything!

**UPDATE***
Turns out that Brennan doesn't have a heat rash after all. He got a bad rash again when I nursed him tonight so I am thinking that I may have eaten something that is giving him allergies. Last night I had some red curry and I also had some nuts. Those are the only 2 things that I can think of that were different than I'd eaten in the past. All three times he got a rash today have been a little while after nursing. We were told to give him benadryl every 4 hours and if his face swells or if he has trouble breathing to take him to the ER. If it doesn't get better on the benadryl to call the pediatrician again (but it's already going back down)

Anyone know how long something you eat stays in your system?

I think I am going to go ahead and wean him. I was going to wait until he hit 6 months but if I am causing the allergy then I can't nurse him and to pump and dump for 3 or 4 days and then give him the breast again for a week and then to take it away again just seems mean to me. So cold turkey it is.

Anyone have any advice?


***2nd UPDATE****
I'm still not positive that it isn't a mixture of heat rash with some sort of allergy. All 3 times he has gotten a rash today it may have been caused by heat. The first time was at the park where it was very hot. He had nursed about an hour before I noticed the rash. The second time he nursed and fell asleep on me. I saw the rash again when he woke up and it was only on the side where he was touching me. The 3rd time I nursed him while I was lying in bed and he mainly got the rash (the worst of the 3 today) on the side of his body that was touching the bed.
The thing is that eveything I have read about heat rash is that it's tiny red bumps. Brennan has had hives that join to make a huge mottled hive. So I'm thinking it's a mix. I did nurse him some tonight but he was already on the benadryl so I am thinking that if it's something in the milk, it shouldn't affect him tonight.

I think that I am going to go ahead and start the weaning process, though. That way I can do it slowly instead of cold turkey. The mere thought of just outright stopping and knowing that he wouldn't understand why mommy won't give him any breast, made me cry! Between limiting the breast and giving him the benadryl, I may be able to make things easier for him and me.

 

[Pollito916]

3 months must be a growth spurt. Alexander drank, no joke, 48oz the last two days. I mean 48 oz a DAY

Now I feel better about Alex eating 42 oz the last couple days! He normally eats 30-35, and so many of the guidelines say babies shouldn't eat more than 40/day, but I can't ignore him when he's hungry.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Do you just go to the BJ's.com website?? I got my magazine in the mail w/my coupon and had my mom and aunt clip theirs for me...I usually go when I have coupons and stock up (6-8 cans).

Thanks

I was on the website, and it let me print off 5 coupons. It did ask for the member number first.


Poor Christopher was practically melting from the heat today. We don't have AC, so I've been keeping him near the fan. I finally decided I was going to take him to the lake and put him in the water for a while. He splashed around for about 45 minutes, and was laughing the whole time. It was so much fun!

Syrreal - hives aren't usually from a heat rash. That's usually small, red bumps (like tiny pimples). I have no idea how long food stays in your system, particularly breast milk. Good luck

Good night mommies!

Jen

 

[TiggerStac]

Now I feel better about Alex eating 42 oz the last couple days! He normally eats 30-35, and so many of the guidelines say babies shouldn't eat more than 40/day, but I can't ignore him when he's hungry.

Brady is taking 5-6 8 oz bottles as well as food 3x day and his pedi said that's fine. He is very big for his age, still. They had me start him on food at 4 months due to his size. He usually will have some fruit and rice or oatmeal cereal for breakfast (usually 1/2 - 1 whole stage 1) then he'll take and entire stage 1 or sometimes entire stage 2 for lunch. Dinner he has been taking an entire of whatever we give him stage one or 2. I am trying out something new tonight.....not sure what we are trying, yet.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Hi Moms!

How are you all doing? Christopher is growing like a weed. He has his 4 month appointment the end of this month. Do the shots bother them more the second time around than the first?

Another question - did anyone else's baby change their sleep schedule really drastically? He's been sleeping from about 8:30 pm to 6:30 am, and then cat-napping during the day. This week, he started taking a 3 hour nap around noon time. It hasn't affected how much he eats, or sleeps at night.

Hope everyone's having fun with the babies!

Jen

 

[Syrreal]

The 4 month shots weren't very good to Brennan, but I think it was because he was also popping out 2 teeth at the same time. He got a fever of 100.5 for the whole day after his shots.

He got his 6 month ones yesterday but they didn't seem to bother him at all. We also found out yesterday that he is just under 16lbs (15 lbs 15 oz to be exact). The weaning is going pretty well too. I've got him to somewhere between 2 or 3 times a day. He also started pulling himself up to standing last week

Here are some new pics

 

[mrs.explorer1977]

Syrreal -- he's just precious! I can't wait until Colin is doing fun stuff like that too -- although, I'm absolutely loving all the smiles and new noises that he's making now!!

I'm worried about his 2 month shots -- they're on the 10th. I don't know who will take it worst -- him or me!! Certainly not looking forward to it though. Are there any side effects that I can expect afterwards?

Things here are going well. I've decided to completely take the pressure off of BFing and exclusively pump for now. We may try to BF every once in a while, but I'm totally okay with not doing it -- just don't want to close any doors that I'll regret later.

We're getting fabulous amounts of sleep at night (touch wood!) right now -- last night was nearly 7 hours, and last weekend, we got 8 hours two nights in a row! It's been wonderful! He usually wakes between 4 - 5:30 to eat and then back down until about 9.

Hope everyone is doing well. Just waiting to do a dream feed and then off to bed for all of us I think!

 

[Pollito916]

Alex has not done too well with his shots. The 2 month wasn't too bad, low fever, and woke up once in the middle of the night after he had already been sleeping through the nights. At 4 months, he had a high fever, but he also came down with Roseola at the exact same time, so it was hard to differentiate. He just had his 6 month shots yesterday, and he started having a fever last night, and woke up at 1 am, ate at 2 am, which he hasn't done since he was sick, and then went back to sleep at 2:30, but woke up again every hour after that. It was not fun.

He was still pretty cranky this morning, so I let him take his morning nap in the swing. He's doing a little better now, sitting on the floor playing with some new blocks we got at Target yesterday that he can squish and chew on - they are so cute!

He also figured out how to actually crawl last weekend, instead of just pulling himself along like a soldier in the trenches. He hasn't pulled himself to standing yet (Good job Brennan!), but will stand holding on to things when we stand him up. He was up to 17lbs 14 oz and 27.25 inches, and the doctor was actually a little concerned that he hadn't gained enough weight. He normally eats 35-40 oz of formula and baby food/day, and that is 20 oz more than his cousin that is 2 weeks older, but their doctor said he is fine. I don't get it.

 

[Syrreal]

I think that it just depends on the baby's history. Like, for Brennan, while overall his weight is low, he's gained from when we started having the big trouble so the ped isn't worried. Maybe Alex is just more active than his cousin

As for Brenna's shots- he was super needy after his 2 month ones. He wouldn't take the bottle or anything, just wanted mommy. After his 4 month ones he got a fever and woke up all the time at night (not fun after I had been getting great sleep for months). His 6 month didn't really affect him. He woke up more than usual at night (twice on Wednesday night and twice last night) but his mood has been pretty good.

 

[Pollito916]

Well, baby Alex has his first cold. His nose has been running all the time since yesterday, and he's been sneezing a lot and coughing a little. He sometimes gets a low fever, but he's still playing and eating, so he seems pretty good. Unfortunately, he's getting up at night again, since he can't breath. One side of his nose was completely crusted over (so gross!) twice last night when he got up, and he screams bloody murder when I try to clean it up or wipe his nose. We have a townhouse, and I'm afraid the neighbors will think I'm beating him!

Syrreal - I think you're right about the cousin - he doesn't even attempt to crawl yet, and mostly just lays around on his back or sits in a bumbo seat all day. He doesn't even really try to roll over much. Their pediatrician said it's partially b/c he has such a big head, so it's hard to hold it up, but he'll probably grow into it. His mom gets kind of upset when she sees them together since Alex is so much more active, but then she hopes it may rub off on her baby and he'll try to imitate his cousin!

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Syrreal - Brennan is so cute!!! I can't believe he can pull himself up already!

Mel - good luck with the first shots. Christopher didn't do too badly with his first ones. I gave him some Tylenol beforehand, and he took a nap right afterwards. When he woke up, he was cranky for about 2 hours (aka - screaming bloody murder). I gave him some more Tylenol, and he was out for the night. Congrats on the sleeping - doesn't it feel great?!

Pollito - Hope Alex is feeling better.

Christopher just discovered his toes last night! He grabbed his feet while he was laying down yesterday, and just stared at them. He hasn't tried to get them in his mouth, but keeps holding them and watching them. It's pretty funny to watch

Take care!

Jen

 

[FlyingBelle]

Hi all!

I haven't been posting in a while - so I hope you don't mind me joining you all...

I just delivered a tiny princess on Tuesday - Isabella Rose 6lbs 1 oz 19-1/2 in.

She's just perfect!

We went for several months of fertility treatments, had a miscarriage - and then got our little miracle.

I'm exhausted,but daddy is a huge help!

 

[tinkerbellmom51]

Wow! I had no idea there was such a great thread like this!! I just joined and I need something/someone to complain to. My DD is now 3 weeks and I am exhausted!! Any comments for a new mother?? My husband and I are going in pretty blind (besides the help of my parents and my husband's parents!) Thanks!

 

[Pollito916]

Welcome FlyingBelle and Tinkerbellmom51! We're all new moms here, I think mostly first-timers, too, so we're learning as we go! Come join us anytime to vent or brag or whatever. I would love to see pics of your little angels!

FlyingBelle - I think I remember you from the ttc thread. It's amazing how many of us have made it over here already!

Tinkerbellmom51 - all I can say is it got a lot better for me when DS started sleeping through the night. Luckily it was the week before I had to go back to work. And I did try to nap when the baby napped whenever possible, including today!