Bi weekly chat July 16-30 « Back to Group Discussions

[flavorfull1]

Wohoo, life is feeling fun right now. Ok seriously, am I the only one that seems to go through mood swings from who knows where? It is more like several days of being so sad and just annoyed that I cannot get out of a funk and then several days of feeling pulled together and just content.  I know a lot of it is hormones and a lot of it is perspective.  I really hate it because I REALLY have nothing to complain about ever.  I have a wonderful relationship with my partner, healthy kiddos and a place to live.  Seriously, what is it?  I feel like I could chart FAM through my moods this past month and totally get it right.  I have always just been kind of even keeled and this is just odd.  Anyway, at least today is a happy day :)  It makes a big difference for me to be able to get outside and with it cooling off a bit I have been walking a lot and going to the playground so that helps.  I do get a little discouraged about how much of a pooch I still have with my belly but I started a postpartum pilates dvd that will hopefully help.  Even just a few exercises and I could feel it.  Slow and steady wins the race....

So, in trying to combat some of the blues I was having I decided I needed to do something other than just child care.  Currently, I cannot put DD down to sleep anywhere.  She has to be touching me for all of her asleep times.  I am not kidding and yes I try periodically to put her down and I get 15 min of baby free time and then she takes 30-45 min to be settled back to sleep.  That just doesn't work for me so currently she is strapped on the moby and I can type :)  Anyway, hello pinterest and drooling over a million crafty things that I want to do and probably won't but do get to dream about for now. I want to challenge myself to do at least one pinterest craft a week but it might be more like one or two a month.  Anyone else?  What I really have a craving for is to make another quilt but that just cannot happen until life is a little less parenting intense.

In other news, I am trying to feel DS out on potty learning.  He is 2.5 and definitely knows when he pees and poops in his diaper and usually really wants to be in private to poo.  He will sit on the potty and pee but definitely will not poop on the potty.  He has one of the little bjorn potties.  He doesn't really want to stop and go potty because he is so into playing and asserting his opinion right now but he does really love the attention when he does pee.  So, I ordered some kid underwear in case he wants to try it. we went diaperless one afternoon and DS was sad when he went into the bathroom and peed on the floor.  I feel like what doesn't help him is that I am distracted with caring for his sister (um that is not going to change) and that he doesn't really care.  Any tips from anybody that has figured it out would be great!

Ok enough rambling on this one thread, how is everyone?

[chiromama01]

NAK-- flav I wish I had advice for you on potting. I got pg when dd was 2 1/2, so I completely avoided the situation. That said, dd came home one day and said, "mommy, I want big girl panties" and she hasn't looked back since... At least for peepee. We're still working on poopoo, but she's trying. so I guess, if all else fails, wait him out and one day he'll decide he's ready!

Also, I may have to get a Tula based in your last post. Can I do a back carry in it? I'm so ready for a back carry so I can cook and generally be productive.

I totally sympathize with having a LO who needs constant contact for sleeping. DD was that way, and it does get better, though I don't remember exactly when the transition happened. She was sooooo *intense* as an infant. Just remember that it's nothing that u are or are not doing, she just needs her mama

As for mood swing, I think I've been ok. For the past 2 days I haven't needed any meds for the endless headache. YAY! I hope it's finally gone. I think any extra crankiness has likely been due to the headache, and now with the Mirena, I don't know if I can attribute mood changes to it or just normal pst partum stuff.

Question... My cousin just ended her 8 year marriage and I want to be there for her but I've never been thru anything like that? Suggestions?

Ok fussy baby b back soon

[NicMom]

Ugh, still trying to get the green mucusy poop figured out. It got better, less green but still mucusy, for a few days then I gave him a bottle of old expressed milk and he cried for half a day and the poop got worse. I am still thinking food sensitivity though i have cut out all the common allergens weeks ago. I definitely don't have over supply which could indicate a hindmilk foremilk imbalance. I am three days into an elimination diet and his poop was less green, almost orange, and had a few seeds yesterday. Yippee! Hopefully the trend continues. I am eating nothing but oats, apples, sweet potatoes and elk. I am starting to get a little bored but it s definitely doable. He is 10 weeks now and hasnt gained weight since 5 weeks which is when the poop started. The feelings of failure were pretty bad then I went to a breastfeeding group and met another mom who went through the same thing.

It is alo official. DS istwo months and teething. The drool started pouring two weeks ago and has started fussing where the boob doesn't fix it. The boob always fixes it. I try to get him to nurse and he cries more. He prefers to be held on my shoulder and chew on his hands. Tummy time is all about hand chewing as well. They are so much more accessible when on his stomach. Poor guy. At two months he was the length of the average 5 month old so I guess all his bones are ahead of schedule!

[saudade]

That's how Lennon's poop was when she wasn't gaining weight at all. It was positively low milk supply for us...are you sure your supply isn't low...which would explain no weight gain? Unfortunately, my supply is still super low but I started domperidone today.

Originally Posted by NicMom 

Ugh, still trying to get the green mucusy poop figured out. It got better, less green but still mucusy, for a few days then I gave him a bottle of old expressed milk and he cried for half a day and the poop got worse. I am still thinking food sensitivity though i have cut out all the common allergens weeks ago. I definitely don't have over supply which could indicate a hindmilk foremilk imbalance. I am three days into an elimination diet and his poop was less green, almost orange, and had a few seeds yesterday. Yippee! Hopefully the trend continues. I am eating nothing but oats, apples, sweet potatoes and elk. I am starting to get a little bored but it s definitely doable. He is 10 weeks now and hasnt gained weight since 5 weeks which is when the poop started. The feelings of failure were pretty bad then I went to a breastfeeding group and met another mom who went through the same thing.
It is alo official. DS istwo months and teething. The drool started pouring two weeks ago and has started fussing where the boob doesn't fix it. The boob always fixes it. I try to get him to nurse and he cries more. He prefers to be held on my shoulder and chew on his hands. Tummy time is all about hand chewing as well. They are so much more accessible when on his stomach. Poor guy. At two months he was the length of the average 5 month old so I guess all his bones are ahead of schedule!

[flavorfull1]

Ok, I am a little hesitant to fully state this but looks like DS is totally potty learning.  So far we are on day 3 of him wanting and choosing to wear real underwear and no accidents.  He wears a diaper over night and at nap time.  We have had several outings where he has peed on an adult potty and he has also pooped on his little potty like it was just what he has always done.  Um, so no tricks really.  One day he didn't want to pee on his potty and the next I asked and he said yes. I stayed home that morning and had him sit on the potty every 15ish (let's be real, I have a 3.5 month old).  Then the rest of the day after his nap I would ask but let him decide. Every now and then I know it has been a long time so I have him sit on the potty even if he doesn't want to but I am learning to trust him too.  The learning part is not just for him :)  I have to say (eek this is early to say this and I hope I will not be kicking myself later) but so far, so much better than I had anticipated.  Everyone always makes it this huge thing and I am wondering if it is a huge thing if you try when they aren't ready?  Seems like it is smooth bc DS is totally on board and likes having this independence.  I am liking it too, so many less diapers.  At the moment, it is a little nerve wracking when going out bc I don't want an accident for him.  I just think he would be so sad and I would like to build his confidence up so it isn't a big deal when it does happen.  Anyway, that is what is happening over here :)

[flavorfull1]

oh and chiro, many hugs to your cousin. I don't have any experience or tips.  My cousin ended a shorter marriage and it seemed like she needed people who were her deep work out feelings people but also some people who were just normal fun people who didn't always ask how she was doing etc.  I left it up to her to decide who I was and how she needed me.  we had the type of relationship that she really would be honest about it so it worked.  Hope you can get some good advice!

[NicMom]

saudade - what are his poops like now?  3 days into supplementing they are looking more like formula poops (only 4 oz/day) but still mucusy. 

[saudade]

Hers are all over the place now...but they are not mucusy anymore at all. Sometimes hers are seedy and runny and sometimes they are like peanut butter. Colors from green to orange to yellow to brown. It's always a surprise these days! She is supplemented a lot and I nurse her at the breast as much as possible and during the night, then pump throughout the day and nurse and feed her EBM as well. So, it depends on what she has had most of more recently. I think I can chill out a bit now that she jumped from 9 lbs to 13.5 lbs in about a month! She went from FTT to CHUNKY quick!

[NicMom]

Back to green and mucusy so looks like the color is changing depending on what it is, breast milk or formula, but still always mucusy.  He gets weighed tomorrow.  I have been supplementing after every questionable feeding but he is still only taking about 3 oz of formula per day plus the 3 oz that I pump.  My supply has picked up a lot in the past couple days since I have been eating, drinking and pumping more.  I have rarely felt hungry since giving birth but have lost 34 or the 40 lbs I gained during the pregnancy.  It is like my body cuts the milk supply before it tells me to eat more.  I think I need to find a good lactation consultant because I am at a total loss as to why his stools are still mucusy.

[chiromama01]

so it seems like many of our member are busy this week! We've been super busy with family visiting us, but haven't gotten to sneak off somewhere yet.  we're hoping to get out of town soon!  

flavorful, thanks for hugs to my cousin.  she seems to be coping as well as can be expected.  I hope potty learning for your ds is going well!  we are still struggling with needing a diaper at sleep times, and she still wants to poop in a diaper.  i'm starting to get concerned, because they dont make diapers bigger than a 6, so we need to get cracking on this soon.  

Collin is doing well, getting bigger by the minute (literally, he eats almost every 30 minutes) he's already in 12 month outifts, so i can't imagine what size he'll be for Christmas!!

i'm still feeling HUGE... for whatever reason the weight just is not coming off very quickly this time.  ugh.  i'm consistently exercising 3x/week and generally eating well, but NO CHANGE in the size of my a**.  sigh.  oh well, i guess it'll come off eventually ;)

hope everyone is well!!

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

We've been crazy busy here. I had a big fight with DH last night but it resolved well today. i'm hoping we finally start getting somewhere with our communication issues.

In other news, the postpartum hair loss has started. I has a sad.

[prettyisa]

Hi everyone! I’m back at work now so will try to check in more regularly! We spent a month in Florida with my in-laws, which was great, so coming back to less help has been a hard adjustment. We also realized that we need to give our dogs away—they’re dachshunds and not comfortable with kids. We want them to get into a home where they’ll be safe from children and not pushed into snapping at little hands before anything happens. E is already reaching for them, so it’s the right time. It’s been a very sad week, though, between that and going back to work. Luckily my DP is home with her for the next two months, so at least we don't have to deal with daycare stress on top of it all. I miss her a lot during the day, though.

Chiro--I'm sorry to hear about your cousin. I think it's one of those things that just being there for her can be the best you can do. It's like any breakup, in some ways--nothing you say can really make it better, but she'll probably need to talk about it a lot even though she knows that she'll still hurt. The only real way to get over it is time, unfortunately.

Sorry to hear about the poo issues! E has been fine on that front, but now I'm worrying that I'm not pumping enough for her--I've gotten about 7oz the last two days (pumping twice) and it sounds like she's eating 9 during the day, and might be interested in more. I'm hoping I can get more out of each session, because the way my job is set up adding in a third is going to be really, really difficult.

[flavorfull1]

isa- so sorry about your dogs :(  that is hard. We had to give our cats away before we moved to NY and it was so hard :(

sunflwer- sorry about the fight with your DH and the hair loss, blah.

chiro- I cannot believe your LO is in 12 mo clothes? crazy!

Sorry about all of the poo issues for everyone. DD had weird poos until she was on probiotics regularly. I cannot recommend them enough.

This week has had a ton of highs and a some lows.  Highs- first LLL meeting today back in NC. wohoo! It was nice to be able to just be around other mamas.  DS is potty learning so I spent a lot of the time making sure he was playing nicely and taking him to the bathroom but I have so missed just even seeing people!  DD did well in the car on the way there, the way back was a lot of crying but she was ok as soon as we stopped and got out.  DS is doing pretty well with potty learning. Some accidents that usually happen if I am not paying attention to him for a while and he is really engrossed in playing.  I got to run yesterday!  add on top of this that I got a SHOWER! I get like two showers a week and it really depends on how DD is and if DH is home.  Well, DD sat in her bouncey seat and DS sat on a chair to read books while I showerd...and shaved.....wonderful!

Lows- potty accidents with DS seem to be somewhat related to me needing to pay better attention.  Also, DS has had a harder time obeying.  Like he has been acting out with yelling at me and physically responding in anger.  I get frustrated and so angry inside that I know he can sense it.  I don't yell at him and we do not spank.  We try to communicate and discipline in ways that address the problem and really talk about it with him.  I am at a loss though and it is just sad to have my sweet boy be so angry.  I want him to feel valid in his feelings but it is also important to set up parameters. He definitely wants and needs boundaries. So we are figuring it out.

All in all, quite the good week. Hope everyone else is doing well?  And....yay the olympics are starting tomorrow!!!!!

[lalazap]

Anyone else remembering early early pregnancy at this time last year?? One year ago this week I got a positive pregnancy test at 12 dpo after TTC for 9 cycles ... it was 4am and I slipped back into bed and told myself I'd wait till morning to tell DP, lay there buzzing for all of 90 seconds and woke him up to show him the stick. It was a day before my 33rd birthday and we joked about the cake he was making me the next day and the cake/bun in my oven ... we ended up calling the baby Cake until 10 days after she was born. I could not have asked for a better birthday present than that pee stick last year and I couldn't ask for a better gift this year than to have this healthy, happy, beautiful 3 month old girl sleeping on my chest as I wait for friends to show up to my annual birthday picnic.

Tell me about a year ago for you!!

PS - this year DP baked me a pie

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

So I found out about Tavian 1 year and 2 days ago. I'd been telling myself I wouldn't test until 19DPO, and that it was unlikely we were pregnant anyways as DD was really sick at ovulation. Come 15DPO I was showing obvious symptoms and told DH I thought I was pregnant. He said it was all in my head so I ran out, bought a test, and it showed positive immediately. 

[chiromama01]

This time last year I was peeing on sticks like crazy. For whatever reason it always takes forever for me to get a positive test, so I was 14+ DPO and still no positive. I waited another few days and finally got a barely + test. I was so excited, and completely relieved, because I didn't want to know what else could be responsible for my symptoms!

[flavorfull1]

One year ago today I got my positive!  two days before we flew into NC for my brother's wedding.  That night, rehearsal dinner night, I took the test and was 10DPO....ehem not so patient over here. I had some implantation spotting around day7 or 8 and I was nervous that it meant I wasn't pg and was about to start my period.  It was the slightest positive ever and only outside of the timing window so I told myself to be patient and just wait until the morning after the wedding. We didn't want to do anything to even detract a little bit from my brother's wedding.  At the wedding the next day I could not get enough green beans! They were soooo good.  Then, the next morning, my DS woke up to nurse, I got him back to sleep and couldn't wait any longer to take the test. I told DH I was going to go test and it was positive pretty quickly. I was 12 DPO.  I was sooo excited and told DH. He just smiled really big and said I told you so.  I tried to sleep some more but couldn't and just rested for a bit beside DS.  Once DS was up, we wrote a note that said "I am going to be a big brother" on it and had him take it to my dad and mom.  It was sweet. My dad nearly fell over and got very teary from excitement about his fourth grandchild. I loved it.  I also got to tell my sister right away and she squealed loud and hugged me tight.  The week after my brother's honeymoon, we had our family vacation so it was fun to be able to tell all of my siblings.  I didn't start with the full on morning sickness until the flight back home so it was nice to have a real vacation!  I remember my positive anniversaries for both kids.  Those were very emotional and big days too. Love it.

[daylicious]

Oh! I missed my test anniversary! It was on the 15th. Such a nerve wracking time. I had a couple chemical pg's in the past, and was nervous that it was going to go the same route. Alas, little tiny Holden stuck around! I'm so happy he's here.

Probiotics: Started Holden on them this week. He has thrush :( They seem to be slowly clearing it up. His poos are MUCH better too. Back to yellow and curdy after weeks of green and spinachy.

I've been battling an oversupply pretty much since the beginning, and finally tried this method:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2075483/

It seems to have really worked! Holden is finally having nice long feeds, less gas and fussiness. This along with the probiotics are awesome. 

[arbybee]

Day, the similarities continue. What kind of probiotics are you using?

I remember being convinced that I wasn't pregnant after months of BFNs, and thinking, well at least I can drink lots of gin and tonics on vacation! Then, surprise surprise, I was. I had to pretend I was on antibiotics to evade any suspicions from my in-laws (when I was turning down those gin and tonics, haha)

[daylicious]

We're using the Sisu brand Baby Bifido capsules. One capsule a day to start. I just open them and drop the power into his mouth, and quickly latch him on to wash it down with milk. He doesn't seem to mind it.