The island is deserted and the golden birth stool has been awarded. Weekly thread, May 16 - 22

[rhiOrion]

It's Sunday and no one has started a new weekly thread, so I shall.

Not too much to update here. 5.5 weeks, she's starting to have more alert time. I'm suspecting reflux more and more though, because she's gotten hoarse. Also, I've cut out the excess dairy (as in, not worrying about small amounts, but not dumping tons of cheese on things or drinking milk) and she's had some better days. I'll talk to the birth center about it on Thursday when I take her for her 6 week appt.

All from me.

Who thinks Silverspook is in labor?

[Peace+Hope]

did silverspook win the award? is she the last one? just wondering why you invited her over. i never read that thread... if you're in labor, to you!

rhi, it would be great if you could have a "reason" for the crying that you can address. how do you think you might treat L? charlie does cough and reflux, but only when he's extra gassy and pushing/working on getting the gas out. and he doesn't cry and cry.

i feel like i read somewhere that 11 weeks is a milestone for babies' guts. like they mature more or something. just wondering if the gassiness that charlie is experiencing might get better gradually, or if i can expect a marked improvement at 11 weeks. hahahah, expect? i guess i shouldn't expect anything, other than less sleep

doing well here. charlie turned 7 weeks thursday, and i think he's approaching 8 lbs. 0-3 month stuff is sort of fitting. he's having fussy early evenings SOME evenings. the biggest change i've noticed is that he has these long periods of being awake most days now, and then gets fussy at the end of them. instead of just falling asleep, he needs help now. i guess that's more characteristic of an older (eek!) baby. also, he is starting to protest and wake when we move him more, not just grunt and keep sleeping. i hope he stays flexible!

GTG, thinking of you guys tonight, hoping you get a new place very soon. is there a silver lining? i was thinking maybe your old place might be less rent?

MPP, hellloooo out there.... hope you are well!

[rhiOrion]

Yep! Silverspook has won the stool! We gave other people 24 hours to chime in if they were still waiting, and nobody did. It's been another day or two and nobody has mentioned still being on the island, so she's the definite winner. I figured she didn't want to start a whole thread and talk to herself!

[ivymae]

Remember how last week I was all "yeah, I have a drowsy baby, she's never awake"? Becky wanted to make a LIAR out of me, and has been wide awake for days. And nights. I'll admit I'm not sure what to do with an awake baby all day, since I was so spoiled by her sleeping so much. And lordy the nights. Maybe the ultra awake period will just be a phase and we can find the middle ground between drowsy and caffeinated, hmm?

Spent all weekend outside turning the yard into a farm. Poor DH, he had no idea what he was getting into when he met me. Figuring out what to do with Becky when we're doing yard work is tricky. I wish I felt confident doing a back carry with her, but until she has better head control I just don't. So if I carry her in the front, leaning over and working is uncomfortable, but the limit of our bouncy seat is about 5 minutes right now. I feel like I spent all weekend working for two minutes and then taking a hlaf hour break.

I realized today that I think Becky knows her name, and can't remember when that is normal. She'l turn and look for you when you say "Beckerooni" which cracks me up.
(Edit: I'm finding everything from 2 to 10 months as "normal" so who knows. Maybe I should actually call her by her name sometimes though. )

[silverspook]

Hola!

I saw the thread title and just

No active labor yet. Since Thursday I have: had lots of bloody show, had mild to moderately painful contrax anywhere from 5-20 mins apart, and lots of pressure. Baby is coming, she's just taking her sweet time! I think I'm about 75-90% effaced, and probably 2 cm dialated, so all this prodomal stuff is doing something, and hopefully it will pay off with a shorter active labor. Can't wait til I can flood the pics thread with my little one!!!

Oh and incase anyone is wondering whyy midwives aren't concerned about me being like 43 weeks, I had a bio physical
profile last Monday, and baby scored 8/8 with a healthy placenta, so they think my EDD was just calculated 1-2 weeks early.

[snoopy5386]

We had our first "fussy" night last night, nothing compared to some of the rest of you, but it was the 1st time she wouldn't be soothed just by nursing, it really made me realize how easy we have it the rest of the time. I had a great day today - DH took care of DD2 for most of the afternoon so I could get some chores done, how about that for exciting! It was some stuff that had really been bugging me though so it felt great to get it done and nice to have a break from baby as well. I also got an hour baby free nap this morning, also awesome. DD2 is currently sleeping peacefully on my chest and I can even use 2 hands to type!

I pumped for the 1st time this morning and we intro'ed the bottle today. Big thumbs down to the breastflow bottle, it leaked and she wouldn't take it. I ended up trying a nuk nipple that came with a formula sample thingy I got and she took that so I've got to get some more of those nipples.

P+H -DD2 is 5 weeks and outgrowing some 0-3 month stuff, I think she is around 11.5 lbs now? I was really hoping for a smaller baby this time around, so I could enjoy a tiny one, but it is not meant to be I guess. People keep giving us all these 0-3 month outfits, I'm like "thanks" but seriously people, you know she was 9 lb 15 oz when she was born, what are you thinking?

We're getting more awake time here, up to maybe 4 hours a day now, which is interesting. I'm at a loss with what to do with her though, she hates to be put down and doesn't even seem to like being held all that much when she is awake, she ends up fussing a lot. I don't think she knows what to do with herself either....

Can I vent about family for a minute? My mom, aunt and grandmother came to see DD2 for the 1st time yesterday - they drove 3.5 hours to see her, stayed for about 4 hours and then drove 3.5 hours back. At one point during the visit, DD2 fell asleep after nursing and I asked my mom if she wanted to hold her. She asked me if I was sure I didn't want to go put her down in the crib....Seriously? You don't want to hold your newborn granddaughter when you'll only be here for 4 hours to visit with her??? I thought being a 2nd time mom I wouldn't get tons of dumb advice from my family but I was wrong, I still got crap about holding her all the time, spoiling her, sleeping with her, etc. I did all that stuff with DD1 and you all love her to death and think she is the best kid ever so I must have done something right....

We go for her newborn hearing screen tomorrow afternoon, I'm hoping it goes well.

[jenfl]

Thanks for the new thread, Rhi! Hey, how's the chiro working?

Chalk up another one who's having more awake time but isn't happy doing anything during it. Sprout usually wants to be carried (upright, facing over your shoulder ONLY) but I can't do that for hours a day, dude! He's let me put him on the floor a few times recently, but only if I'm right there with him and only for 5 minutes at a time. He doesn't tolerate carriers if he's awake, he hates the swing, etc.

DH and I had both had dreams of plopping the new little one into a carrier and going about our business around the house, taking care of DD, etc. Instead, we're constantly passing little fuss-pots back and forth when we're both home so that one person has hands to do housework, wrangle DD, things like that. When DH is at work and it's just me holding DS and trying to do DD's bath and bedtime routine, things usually degenerate into screaming and crying one at a time -- Sprout, then Nugget, then nearly me.

I just keep running through my head, "6 weeks is the peak of fussiness". I even made up a song about that that I sing to Sprout, just to remind him.

6 weeks is the peak of fussiness
6 weeks is the peak of fussiness
6 weeks is the peak of fussiness
It's better from here on out

DH tried to make fun of my song stylings. I pointed out that the crying had stopped, so obviously my audience liked it. And I also noted that his songs weren't gems, either:

Soup and toast
Soup and toast
That's what Sprout likes the most
Toast and soup
Toast and soup
Watch him eat it all up

[finn'smama]

Almost 6 weeks here and another one with more awake time and a fussy baby since he seems not to know what to do with himself when he is awake. I wish he would take a soother!! He is pretty much always happy in a carrier though, so that's alright.
I put all our 0-3 month clothes away a couple of weeks ago. He had outgrown the length really quickly, so if they had feet we couldn't do it.
Sleep was getting better most nights, but now we're dealing with another cold which means more waking. We're definitely coming out of the newborn foggy stage, life is back to (our new!) normal for sure.

Originally Posted by ivymae

Spent all weekend outside turning the yard into a farm. Poor DH, he had no idea what he was getting into when he met me. Figuring out what to do with Becky when we're doing yard work is tricky. I wish I felt confident doing a back carry with her, but until she has better head control I just don't. So if I carry her in the front, leaning over and working is uncomfortable, but the limit of our bouncy seat is about 5 minutes right now. I feel like I spent all weekend working for two minutes and then taking a hlaf hour break.

I got Henry on my back yesterday so I could work outside. It's the only way, he is the same and will not tolerate the bouncy chair for too long. It took me awhile to get him on (back wrap cross carry) I did it on my bed in front of the mirror, but he was very secure and happy once there. The only problem is I only have a stretchy wrap, so it won't work for too long. I don't know whether to invest in something woven or just wait it out till I can use the Ergo for back carries. It was nice and worth the struggle to get him up there though!

[laughingfox]

I'm a couple days behind.. busy weekend.

GTG, holy crap, I'm so glad you an your family are okay!
I don't know what tenants' rights are like in your area, but here, if your landlord neglects to fix a broken door, I'm pretty sure he's responsible for your hotel bill until he does. Even if he refuses to pay it, holding that info over his head might at least help you get out of your lease.

Originally Posted by dhinderliter

welcome back laughingfox. glad you've figured out how to shove your boob into the baby

So funny you said that- the first time DD1 saw me nursing after I saw the LC, she said "I didn't know you were supposed to shove your boob at her like that."

jen- I hope your little guy's latch improves. I caught up on the other thread, so glad they eventually figured out that you were right all along!

afm, my baby is so young compared to some of you folks, not even 3 weeks old yet.
She had a bit of latch regression over the weekend, and we had a few rough times with my right nipple. It's bigger and not totally symmetrical, so sometimes she just refuses to latch onto it without a fight. :/

[rhiOrion]

I'm with you guys on the more awake time thing. I guess all we needed was for P&H to start a thread where we all talked about how they sleep all the time. It's especially interesting for me, since it used to be she screamed any time she was awake. Now she's having WAY more periods of quiet alert time. And she's usually okay with it in the swing for a little while. This morning, though, she tried to cry and she was so hoarse that she just started coughing instead. I'm going to wait until the next time she cries, and if it's still like that I'm going to call the birth center. I was planning to wait until the appt on Thursday, but I just can't stand seeing her like this.

Jen- the chiro seems to have worked. Or maybe she's just getting bigger. It's difficult to tell. But either way I noticed a couple of days ago that it no longer hurts to breastfeed. Except occasionally in the middle of the night when we're both tired and lazy.

[krismarie]

Originally Posted by Peace+Hope

i feel like i read somewhere that 11 weeks is a milestone for babies' guts. like they mature more or something. just wondering if the gassiness that charlie is experiencing might get better gradually, or if i can expect a marked improvement at 11 weeks. hahahah, expect? i guess i shouldn't expect anything, other than less sleep

i agree with this... i have overactive letdown and have had issues with gassy babies crying ALL.DAY.LONG. b/c of it... ( not micah yet!) but i find that 10-12 weeks is HUGE improvement with both my milk supply and babies gassiness/digestion!

Originally Posted by silverspook

No active labor yet. Since Thursday I have: had lots of bloody show, had mild to moderately painful contrax anywhere from 5-20 mins apart, and lots of pressure. Baby is coming, she's just taking her sweet time! I think I'm about 75-90% effaced, and probably 2 cm dialated, so all this prodomal stuff is doing something, and hopefully it will pay off with a shorter active labor. Can't wait til I can flood the pics thread with my little one!!!

Oh and incase anyone is wondering whyy midwives aren't concerned about me being like 43 weeks, I had a bio physical
profile last Monday, and baby scored 8/8 with a healthy placenta, so they think my EDD was just calculated 1-2 weeks early.

sounds like lots of stuff is happening... i have had prodomal labor like that with both ds2 and ds3 and then short (less than 3 hours) active labor! hope that happens for you too! glad you mws are so great--sounds like you and babe are super healthy!

well, i'm feeling MUCH better (for the mamas who read my posts in the ppd thread). who knows if it's the lexapro or hormones or both but i'm actually get some comfortable sleep and am feeling much more like myself. thanks for all the kind words on that thread.

micah is doing great--he's a mellow guy so far. he seems to be getting picky about who is holding him already--when he's fussy he seems to just want me to hold him...a bit early for that

[silverspook]

So I've been in pretty bad pain since last night. Labor? Oh no, not
labor. I talked to my mw this morning, and I'm pretty sure I
have a bladder infection! And the prodomal contractions make the pain radiate across my
hips and down my thighs! Ouch! On my way to the birth center to confirm it, and then to buy some cranberry. WHY ME!!!

[crazyeight]

silver~ sounds like you have an ann going on (sick before AND after the baby!) I hope its labor though! but if not then get well soon!

kris~ micah is a name that i really liked for a boy but i just wasn't sure that it was the right one. i used to know one micah and he was sooooo smart! your micah looks smart too!

R has been holding his head and back up for a long time now. he was trying (and nearly succeding) at holding his head up at BIRTH. he has very good control over almost all the way to his shoulders and with me holding onto one of his arms he can sit for about a 1 min pretty straight. he also has had awake time starting back around 3 weeks so that's not new for us. i have a playmat for him that seems to help. i kept wondering if he was BORED just laying on the floor. he usually found stuff to look at but at least with the mat he can accidently touch stuff and i think that helps him realize what those appendages are. also he is more successful at getting his hand to do what he wants in terms of sucking on it. he likes to suck on his fist for chill time when he's on me but not tired and just needs cuddles. he'll pull the paci out and try to get his hand in but sometimes will chase it around for a bit. starting to get more smiles out of him and i got a real honest smile at me this morning. good thing too cause i'm just tired of being the boring mom! no smiles, poops, farts, spit ups, up 203993 times a night, feeding till my nipples hurt, screaming....gahhhhhh!!

finn~ i have a 3-6 mo on R right now. it's a bit big but the fluffy butt makes the difference! but we outgrew the FEET portion of outfits first. long fingers, long toes, long feet, long legs....i think i see a pattern here.

ok baby's asleep...am i supposed to do something productive?

[smeisnotapirate]

finn'smama - buy the woven wrap! Honestly, since buying mine I haven't touched my stretchy. I find wearing a newborn or wearing a toddler, the carries just feel so much more secure. My DH was even confident enough to wear little bitty DD in a back carry for our walk the other day.

krismarie - OMG, the hair on Micah is to DIE for!! My 2 year old has about the same amount.

Originally Posted by silverspook

So I've been in pretty bad pain since last night. Labor? Oh no, not
labor. I talked to my mw this morning, and I'm pretty sure I
have a bladder infection! And the prodomal contractions make the pain radiate across my
hips and down my thighs! Ouch! On my way to the birth center to confirm it, and then to buy some cranberry. WHY ME!!!

UGH! That happened to me with DS! Knock that out good, and try to do two doses of uva ursi tea. My MW said she wouldn't let me do more than 2 cups during pregnancy, but that close to labor, we needed something really strong to knock it out. Two doses did the trick.

[krismarie]

Originally Posted by silverspook

So I've been in pretty bad pain since last night. Labor? Oh no, not
labor. I talked to my mw this morning, and I'm pretty sure I
have a bladder infection! And the prodomal contractions make the pain radiate across my
hips and down my thighs! Ouch! On my way to the birth center to confirm it, and then to buy some cranberry. WHY ME!!!

oh no! that's awful! hope you can treat it quick!

Originally Posted by dhinderliter

R has been holding his head and back up for a long time now. he was trying (and nearly succeding) at holding his head up at BIRTH. he has very good control over almost all the way to his shoulders and with me holding onto one of his arms he can sit for about a 1 min pretty straight.

i'm looking forward to that-- ds1 wants to hold him all the time...i can't wait until his neck is a bit stronger and i don't have to worry as much about how the boys are holding micah.

Originally Posted by smeisnotapirate

krismarie - OMG, the hair on Micah is to DIE for!! My 2 year old has about the same amount.

yea-i love it! i hope he doesn't lose it all like his brothers did.

[Carita]

wrapping - i wouldn't backwrap in a stretchy wrap much longer - he'll find a way to wggle out. i def invest in a woven!

silver - KUP! who knows - maybe it is labor! or maybe the UTI will bring on labor?

I've had to put away some 0-3 mo & NB stuff. Maybe I could put away several onsies, but I have onsie extenders so they could fit over a cloth diaper. I just pulled out a bunch of 3 mo onsies so I may just put away the 0-3 onsies IDK. If I don't need them, why hold onto them? I just feel guilty I haven't worn them!

baby girl didn't nurse well at all last night - she nursed and i guess had a burp behind it so she threw it up, then hardly nursed at night, woke up almost dry. i was starting ot get really worried, but she just nursed and emptied booth boobs! holy canoli! I am just hoping that doesn't come up. She is 1 month and 2 days old! eeek! how fast time passes!

[jsh7809]

Originally Posted by krismarie

i agree with this... i have overactive letdown and have had issues with gassy babies crying ALL.DAY.LONG. b/c of it... ( not micah yet!) but i find that 10-12 weeks is HUGE improvement with both my milk supply and babies gassiness/digestion!

Me too! I have started not only block feeding (switching boobs only every 3-4 hours - I wear a ring that I switch too to help me remember) but started taking a sage tincture 3 times a day and it has made a BIG difference already. Nursing seems like a different animal suddenly, where, miracle of miracles, she waits till she's hungry, then cries and roots to eat, then gets a big gush of foremilk (still pretty intense but not quite as bad or as long, and I can pop her off to let a lot of it dribble into a diaper or cup), then sucks some more, then gets a bunch of yummy filling hindmilk, then - get this - stops because she's full! Not because she's throwing up, or because she's mad and frustrated, or because she's coughing and choking!!
It's crazy, but it made me realize what nursing can and should be has been very different from what we've been doing for the last few weeks with this firehose let down
She still gets gassy and it's far from perfect - sometimes we fall back into the cluster feeding - gas - more cluster feeding cycle and it's frustrating, but it has led to a lot more happy alert baby time... and sleeping seems a little better too. She also started taking a pacifier!
So it could be coincidence but I think it's the sage.

Gotta go but 2 quick questions about boobies:
-I have a tiny lump under one areola that feels like a pea. It moves around , doesn't hurt. Could it be a milk duct? Don't want to go back to the midwife.
-Really weird, but I think my right breast has glands that kind of smell. I've noticed a subtle b.o. ish smell that's not coming from my armpits, only when she drinks from there. Not infectiony, just weird. Any ideas?

[sew_crafty_girl]

Anna is up to 10lbs 1oz now. She's gaining really well. 600g in 2 wks! I think the Chiro is helping the clicky hip. The midwife and chiro couldn't even feel it today.

Instead of thrush the midwife thinks I may have Raynauds that's causing the pain. It makes sense. Either that or latch issues I think, after reading kellymom. She does have a shallow latch and sometimes my nipples are misshapend when she comes off. I also have the white nipples and shooting pain/burning.

Miss Anna is getting harder to get to nap too. It takes work to actually get her to sleep now and often times her fussiness is related to tiredness.

[silverspook]

Called the midwife, she is coming over to check me. Contrax all day long, now they are about 4 mins apart, about 1 min long. Checked my cervix earlier & felt *something*, MW says it's probably bag of water! Will update later, if I can!!!

[rhiOrion]

Go silverspook! Get yourself off the island! We're sending the helicopters!!!