WEEKLY RAMBLE/CHAT for JAN 10th-16th - Page 4

[flapjack]

Nope. Alex loved art galleries when he was a baby. He got to watch people and snuggle up in the carrier and it was all good

Here. Not doing too well emotionally- having been snowed in for most of the last two weeks have taken their toll here. I saw the doctor today and he's prescribed prozac. Sam is cute, yummy, growing out of all of his clothes, etc, etc. We're pretty lucky with him actually- when we're all on routine, he's sleeping well at night (6-8 hours), not fussing during the day, smiling, cuddly. Depression sucks

[ithappened]

Depression sucks

I hear that. I have had a few weeks/days of majorly bad anixiety after the holidays... Its no wonder people tell you the weight 'melts off' after birth, of course it does, you're too stressed out and depressed to eat!

[Tattooed Hand]

Helen - I am so sorry to hear that. We were snowed in here for a while too (with 30 mile an hour winds and temps in the teens). It was so depressing. I hope things pick up for you.

Sara - I think (though this could be wishful thinking on my part) I know when DD is hungry - she has this weak whiney intermittant cry that she uses that is different from the more strident cry she uses for other things (stomach pain, I hate this diaper change, screw this bath, come get me I am awake). She never cries when her diaper is dirty... we wonder how long she'd sit in her own poo, but has had diaper rash for nearly 3 weeks so we're changing them pretty frequently... Also, don't feel bad about complaining about your ILs. That's what we do here, vent about stuff that cannot be voiced elsewhere. I'd be pissed if I was in your shoes too.

IH - That's really annoying about your DH. Can you get him to talk about his feelings? My DH is the original silent guy when it comes to feelings but I made him talk when he was getting snitty and resentful a couple of weeks ago and it helped him (and us because he caught himself) to talk about the anxieties and fear and difficulties he was having with the new situation. (He was afraid he'd never get anything done, never be alone again and was having a harder time with the adjustment and didn't want to voice those feelings because he felt stupid given how much worse I was getting it - of course, instead he was huffy and withdrawn, which I pointed out wasn't very considerate of me either...seems like he should totally be helping you with the passport thing... I think I lost some of that stomach fat between my elimination diet and stomach virus. Also, I took DD to a movie, brunch, dinner, friends' houses. You might have to be prepared to nurse in public though. I found it a bit uncomfortable, but I suppose I'll get used to it (I also live in puritanical New England). It was totally worth it though because I felt so good afterwards, like I was mobile and making progress with this whole integrating baby into a normal life thing.

[justmandy]

Originally Posted by Tattooed Hand

She never cries when her diaper is dirty... we wonder how long she'd sit in her own poo, but has had diaper rash for nearly 3 weeks so we're changing them pretty frequently.

Do you have a lot of acidic food in your diet? Levi has had a rash I couldn't get rid of and someone mentioned it to me on the BFing boards...I had something with tomatoes every day last week-poor guy! His bum is much better now.

[doclegs]

Originally Posted by ithappened

Any of you have any fun plans for the weekend? I was trying to get DH to take DS and I 'out' tonight but he sort of gave me a look and said he wasn't interested.. I am considering taking DS to a few galleries and the local museum Sunday.. is this a really bad idea?

We're taking DD to a college volleyball game tomorrow, and maybe the park on Sunday... getting out is good!!

[ithappened]

You might have to be prepared to nurse in public though.

yeah, I got over that when on christmas I had to sit at a table with 15 in-law relatives I've never met and whip out my boob because DS was starving the moment we got there ..

[nina_yyc]

Originally Posted by SilvanaRose

How long did it take you guys to 'get' your baby's cries? Orin starts crying and I check if he's hungry then I check for burps (that's a big one with him) and then I check his diaper. Sometimes he's good on all 3 and I just don't know what else to do. I check everything. His position, his clothes to check for irregularities and anything that could be bothering him. Sometimes it seems all he wants is for me to hold him and walk around, which I am happy to oblige. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Overall he is a really easygoing baby, mostly quiet and lets me sleep at night (finds the boob himself). I keep waiting for the next stage when he gets 'harder' lol

That sounds to me like you *do* get it. You're figuring out what he needs. When Elliot cries I hug him upright facing me. If he's hungry he will go for a boob. If he needs a burp he'll burp in that position. If it's none of the above I check other things. I can usually tell 'wet' because he hates it and sounds royally annoyed. If none of those work I put him in the sling.

I 'get' Elliot way more than I got Libby...don't know if it's a second baby thing or just a different individual.

Originally Posted by ithappened

I am considering taking DS to a few galleries and the local museum Sunday.. is this a really bad idea?

NO! Get in all the normal life you can before toddlerhood.

Originally Posted by flapjack

Here. Not doing too well emotionally- having been snowed in for most of the last two weeks have taken their toll here. I saw the doctor today and he's prescribed prozac. Sam is cute, yummy, growing out of all of his clothes, etc, etc. We're pretty lucky with him actually- when we're all on routine, he's sleeping well at night (6-8 hours), not fussing during the day, smiling, cuddly. Depression sucks

s Helen

[nina_yyc]

Name: Nina & Elliot

Baby's age: 6w

Milestones/Updates: Elliot is 10.2 lbs! +4 lbs from birth. That's some mad nursing. He's been smiling for the last week

Thoughts: Reading this thread I feel like in some ways it's easier to have a second baby than a first baby (or maybe it's just the crazy toddler makes the baby look easy.) When DD was born I went through a lot of emotional stuff that I am past this time...I have let go of my pre-kid life and relationship and am now very pragmatic about working with what I have.

I am sad reading all the posts about DHs not getting it and not helping out...my DH has come so far but in some ways still doesn't get it and I alternate between feeling vindictive about it and then guilty for asking him to do stuff or not appreciating what he does do. He puts DD to bed most nights, which is huge, but he would still never volunteer to plan or cook a meal, run a household errand, get up with the kids before me, or see that I get a break. I scheduled DD for a dance class at 9 a.m. Saturday mornings. The class is not parented but you have to be in the building. I am going to make him go every week so he can't sleep in, and I will go too...but he can hold Elliot be the 'on duty' parent outside DD's classroom while I work out at the gym. I am such a b!tch

Questions: Elliot is a crazy heavy wetter...since we switched to cloth I am changing diapers something like once an hour during the day. Is this normal? I also bought some Dream-eze fitteds which were supposed to be overnight but I'm not sure if there *is* such a thing with a newborn...doubled-up prefolds seem to work better and I still have to change him once or twice.

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by nina_yyc

Questions: Elliot is a crazy heavy wetter...since we switched to cloth I am changing diapers something like once an hour during the day. Is this normal? I also bought some Dream-eze fitteds which were supposed to be overnight but I'm not sure if there *is* such a thing with a newborn...doubled-up prefolds seem to work better and I still have to change him once or twice.

are your dream-eze the terry or the regular cotton( brain not recalling what it is called). These are my all time favorite fitteds for my toddler. They fit her so well...

I've found that hemp works really well at night. I use these as a prefold for when baby is little:
http://www.jamtots.com/JamTots-One-S...yer-P23C0.aspx

and these fleece covered hemp inserts rock:
http://www.jamtots.com/JamTots-Fleec...rs-P56C91.aspx

I use the inserts and the fleece keeps him comfortable all night.

Are you having leaks, or is baby uncomfortable? My guy doesn't seem to be bothered by being wet, and a thick coat of the motherlove diaper stuff keeps his bum happy.

Sometimes it is easier just to use 'sposies at night, though. If baby is in between covers sizes so they don't get a good fit... or you don't have any super bullet proof wool, etc.

[justmandy]

Originally Posted by nina_yyc

Questions: Elliot is a crazy heavy wetter...since we switched to cloth I am changing diapers something like once an hour during the day. Is this normal? I also bought some Dream-eze fitteds which were supposed to be overnight but I'm not sure if there *is* such a thing with a newborn...doubled-up prefolds seem to work better and I still have to change him once or twice.

When we first switched to cloth we changed a lot because Levi just didn't like the feel of being wet. He's more used to the feeling of cloth now and only complains when he's poopy or has wet through.

He also seems to wet a lot. The two best dipes for overnight I've found are bumgenious AIO and Thirsties pocket AIO work really well. I generally buy lots of differend dipes for my stash but I like these so well I'm thinking of selling off the rest of my stuff and having just these and prefolds for the day.

[nina_yyc]

Originally Posted by carmel23

are your dream-eze the terry or the regular cotton( brain not recalling what it is called). These are my all time favorite fitteds for my toddler. They fit her so well...

I've found that hemp works really well at night. I use these as a prefold for when baby is little:
http://www.jamtots.com/JamTots-One-S...yer-P23C0.aspx

and these fleece covered hemp inserts rock:
http://www.jamtots.com/JamTots-Fleec...rs-P56C91.aspx

I use the inserts and the fleece keeps him comfortable all night.

Are you having leaks, or is baby uncomfortable? My guy doesn't seem to be bothered by being wet, and a thick coat of the motherlove diaper stuff keeps his bum happy.

Sometimes it is easier just to use 'sposies at night, though. If baby is in between covers sizes so they don't get a good fit... or you don't have any super bullet proof wool, etc.

No leaks but yes uncomfortable baby. Thanks for the links on the fleece inserts - I might try those. The price is right and looks like they ship to Canada

Originally Posted by justmandy

The two best dipes for overnight I've found are bumgenious AIO and Thirsties pocket AIO work really well. I generally buy lots of differend dipes for my stash but I like these so well I'm thinking of selling off the rest of my stuff and having just these and prefolds for the day.

Everyone seems to love the bumgenius! I am totally suspicious of pockets since DD's Happy Heinys leaked but I probably should not judge all pockets by this experience.

[justmandy]

Originally Posted by nina_yyc

No leaks but yes uncomfortable baby. Thanks for the links on the fleece inserts - I might try those. The price is right and looks like they ship to Canada

Everyone seems to love the bumgenius! I am totally suspicious of pockets since DD's Happy Heinys leaked but I probably should not judge all pockets by this experience.

I wasn't sure about pockets either, I have been burned...errr...soaked by FB's. DH was not sure about prefolds so this was our comromise. I have a regular Thirsties wrap and the pocket they are the only things I have that have never leaked so far.

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by nina_yyc

No leaks but yes uncomfortable baby. Thanks for the links on the fleece inserts - I might try those. The price is right and looks like they ship to Canada

Everyone seems to love the bumgenius! I am totally suspicious of pockets since DD's Happy Heinys leaked but I probably should not judge all pockets by this experience.

I tried pockets and didn't like that they were synthetic fibers, and they leaked. I thought maybe I laundered them incorrectly, but it was just more work then the good old prefolds and covers, or fitteds and wool--which is my all time favorite.

Jamtots is an awesome company--they have super fast shipping and great customer service, too! They are a Canadian Company. The fleece inserts have held up really well though diapering my dd and now my new guy

[Katsmamajama]

Name: Angie & Grace

Baby's age: Just shy of 2 months

Milestones/Updates: She's getting better at her head control, which is good because she doesn't like facing me in her sling-- she likes facing out, and seeing the world around her! At our WIC appointment just before New Years, she was just shy of 11 pounds already. She likes her tummy time in the morning, and for her afternoon nap. If I leave her on her tummy to play for awhile, she'll eventually inch her way to the other side of the blanket! She's been working on the head thing since we came home from the hospital-- someone seemed to miss their class on milestones!!

Thoughts: I love our time together, but I still need to "read" her better. And while some days I feel like she'll be little forever and never grow up, other days I almost say, "holy cow, I missed <insert photo op/milestone here>"

Questions: She seems to want to sleep on her tummy all the time, even at night. I'm a little torn about letting her sleep how she's comfortable, because of the whole "back to sleep" thing. But then again, my little rebel doesn't seem to like following the baby "rules" at all. Does anyone else's little one want to be a stomach sleeper, too?