weekly chat oct 1-7 - Page 4 « Back to Group Discussions

[Worldshakerz]

Thanks everyone, its nice to get the reassurance - its been a while sine I've had a newborn going through a growth spurt. I can't believe he's already 3 weeks old!

Katt, yeah - gotta love the antibodies. I was thinking off adding some breastmilk to my kid's morning smoothies. :)

Judy, hope you figure out the possible congestion/cold. I do know that its normal for newborns to sneeze a lot, Benji still sneezes many times a day. He also did have one goopy eye from when he was born until just a few days ago. I start putting breastmilk in the corner of his eye and it is finally gone now. 

[nukuspot]

I just saw the ped this morning because I was sure the "cold" the baby had was lasting too long---10 days now.  It's just at night, but she's severely congested, and it wakes her up.  So the answer from the ped is that she is pretty sure it's not a cold, it's reflux causing her to get mucus/BM in her throat/nasal passages.  So now I explore the world of reflux...Cutting everything out of my diet because I am so not into the idea of baby Zantac.  And she offered to write me a prescription for one of those wedges where the baby sleeps upright but I can't imagine how I could nurse her to sleep on one so I declined.  I've been putting her on her side to sleep, propped by a pillow, and it helps a bit.  On her back I am afraid she will choke on the mucus.  And her baby acne is just getting worse and worse, ped said perhaps if I find the magic thing in my diet that triggers the reflux perhaps it will clear her skin too?  So I am cutting out dairy, wheat/gluten, peanuts, and chocolate.  I am not cutting soy at this point because I have no idea what to eat if not for my fried tofu sandwiches each day.  But I guess I will if nothing changes....

I can't remember who posted about the yellow stained bottom (can you guess I'm tired?)  But if you use a little oil or salve (we like baby carrot goo goo bum balm but you can use coconut or olive oil) the staining will not stick to the skin as much, and wipe away clean.

Oh yeah, and my baby also had diaper rash.  Fun times!

[ascher21]

i have been freaking out over my baby's belly button. he lost his stump on day 3, which is early, then maybe at 10 days it started bleeding (it was fine before). it's been bleeding ever since, and the scab keeps opening up again every time he stretches. :( i see my midwife monday, but i've been so worried.

[nukuspot]

Ascher, we have been going through a very similar thing. The ped said not to worry it can ooze and scan up to two months. But if there is red bleeding that's a concern, if it's just crusty blood it is probably fine, though they can use silver nitrate to seal it up sooner. We chose not to do the silver nitrate and now at three weeks it no longer is bloody but it does get a little yellow crust at times. I understand it is scary. We still haven't gone to our cloth diapers yet because I want to wait until the cord is 100% dry. We are using sposies with the cord cutout still...

[ilovejeff]

We were spared the fussy period for the first two weeks, but the last two nights, Cameron has had a couple of hour-long fussies twice each night. Unfortunately, I can't pass him off to dad because DH is in the middle of his last quarter of school and needs as much sleep as he can get so that he can concentrate on studying. And big sister is still waking up at least once a night, too...fun times.

Cameron has the worst case of baby acne. Katie had it too, and it lasted weeks, until I cut out dairy...so as of yesterday, I am dairy free. Only problem is that when I went to go grocery shopping yesterday, Cameron was not a happy guy and I had to leave without buying any food, so I've been having a hard time finding non-dairy things that I can snack on...I seem to have an over abundance of dairy in my house at the moment.

[ascher21]

nukospot: yes, it's so frustrating! I haven't been able to continue using my cloth diapers because the covers rub up against his belly button. And if I don't use covers he's wet like every 20 minutes! So I've been using sposies (ugh) for the past week. I hope this doesn't take months to clear up, because I don't want to be using sposies for that long! It's basically a scab and underneath it there is a wet patch that oozes a little blood whenever he arches his back and breaks the seal. 

dmpkmom: yay congrats!

[MotoMom]

Congratulations, dmpkmom!!

I just have to say that you mamas with older kids are awesome I feel overwhelmed every couple of days with just the newborn. You guys are truly amazing and I hope you're very appreciated.

Jend - I tried the BioGaia and I'm not sure how much it helped. I also eat Paleo which already eliminates all of the usual dietary culprits. I burp him often and do lots of tummy time, try to keep his stimulation to a minimum, and still deal with nights of gas pain and/or reflux. I must walk a mile each night back and forth across the room.

Help007 - I don't remember feeling any afterpains immediately after the birth (which I guess first time moms usually don't) but about ten days postpartum I had two bouts after feedings that had me writhing in pain for about fifteen minutes! So wierd,

Miranda - Ugh. Sorry about the in-laws! Clearly, from everyone's posts here, most babies have some kind of 'indigestion.' They just have these poor little immature digestive systems and I really don't think there's any magic fix for it. All we can really do is be there for them to hold them and comfort them and try to get a few burps out of them. I actually don't do the pacifier thing at all. Hank is really pretty easy to soothe. If it isn't necessary, then it isn't necessary. DH will give him a pinky if he needs to buy me some extra time in the shower or out shopping or something. And the dish thing would make me SO crazy! Sometimes people being helpful can be worse than people not doing anything.

Mole - Hank had a pretty bad bout of diaper rash and I used desitin and disposables for a day before I could get to the store to get some cloth diaper safe cream. California Baby seems to work well for us. They have it at Target. I've also been using coconut oil on his skin and that seems to create a good barrier.

Worldshakerz - I was dealing with this too, but I thought maybe it was a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance? I read that too much foremilk can cause gas and frequent feedings because it's not very filling?

Judybean - Hank has the goopy eye, too! I thought maybe it was pink eye or something. I've been squirting him in the eye with breastmilk and it seems to be helping.

Nukuspot - I've been using coconut oil on Hank's baby acne and it seems to help a lot!

Ascher - Hank lost his cord at 5 days old - which seemed way too soon to me - he had bleeding, too for a while that started up at about 10 days old but now it's healed up just fine. So I wouldn't worry too much.

Anyone else's letdown hurt? Mine is pretty intense and happens at the most random times! Also, I'm 4 weeks postpartum and still bleeding pretty bright red? It never actually changed color; it's always been red. I feel really good and its not that much at all. Maybe a tablespoon every few hours? 

[WindyCityMom]

Originally Posted by MotoMom 

Anyone else's letdown hurt? 

Me!  I have a ridiculous overactive letdown and milk literally sprays with each one- it's really forceful, and I suspect that's where the pain/burning/tingling comes from.  Not so much tingling, actually, lol.

Mole- that sounds like yeast to me.. went through that with DD2.  Could be your diet also.

Cloth diapering- What are you guys using?  We've been sposie-ing at night with DD2's leftover sposies (she's potty-trained and we bought a box just in case but never used it!).  They're size 4 though, so I have to do a great deal of folding and tucking!  

During the day we use Imagine fitteds from Nicki's diapers, though I find they're not really that absorbant (I have a heavy wetter) yet they're bulky.  I have a few WAHM fitteds that are nicer and absorb more.  We also use the bamboo prefolds from Nicki's diapers- Imagine brand as well.  They are comparable to GMD but my heavy wetting baby just soaks through them so quickly!  As much as I hate the culture of them I really love Goodmamas.  I can't wait until Nova fits in them,  I sold my entire stash from DD, so I have none.  I did order a cheap used one on Hyenacart yesterday... $8!

Anyone else have a baby who's getting rolls already?  Little Nova has leg rolls now, and she has a triple chin depending on position!  So nice to see my milk hard at work ;)

[help007]

We've been able to use our prefolds from the start. I was happy to see the meconium cleaned up just as well as regular poo. The covers we used before the cord fell off were wool wraps where I could fold down the front. We're now using those wraps as well as regular elastic waste band wool soakers. I have to say- this girl doesn't mind a wet diaper nearly as much as my boys did! They would scream and cry as soon as they wet. I have to check her often because she doesn't let me know when she needs a change.

[Princessjules]

Originally Posted by WindyCityMom 

Anyone else have a baby who's getting rolls already?  Little Nova has leg rolls now, and she has a triple chin depending on position!  So nice to see my milk hard at work ;)

Can't wait for leg rolls!! DS2 is still skinny (only 8 days old) but I have been letting DS1 nurse several times a day and it really helps with my engorgement. I was looking at his hands this morning and he looks so much fatter although that could be because now he is compared to a NB but I do think he's growing.

Good for the mamas CDing! I am taking a break from clothe until things settle down over here. I ordered a case of sposies for DS1 and was given a ton of NB sposies for DS2 so I am using those since DS2 won't fit in my CDs until he gets some more chubs.

[nukuspot]

Ilovejeff--how long did you go off dairy with your DD before you saw her acne clear? I've been off 6 days now. Conventional wisdom says at least 2 weeks to try elimination of a food, but I'd hope to see a difference with acne (or reflux) by now at least a little if dairy was a culprit. But as of now no change.

I don't feel bad using sposies right now until the cord heals. I can't believe how easy they are too. We used bum genius from the start with DD1, I kind of like sposies right now at this age when they are peeing every 5 seconds. But yes, the environmental consequences are horrible. We will switch over as soon as this pesky belly button stops crusting. Also the NB sposies are only until 10lb, she's 9#11 now, hope we can get our money's worth from the few packs we bought!

[nukuspot]

Ps whoever posted about the k'tan awhile ago, thanks! I got one and it's awesome to put baby to sleep with. She's in it right now. I can't really wear it out on walks though because she ends up sliding down too far eventually, anyone else have that issue? So I've been using my Mei tai for walks and k'tan around the house, it soothes her quickly and I walk her to sleep then take her out once she starts sliding down (or maybe the fabric is stretching?). Either way, she gets too low to safely "kiss the top of her head" after a while in it.

[WindyCityMom]

nak

Nuku- Re: the ktan- is it the right size?  cotton knit tends to "give" after wearing awhile, so ideally it should be really snug when you put it on since it will loosen.  I love Moby wraps at this age- same  premise but far more adjustable, so it can always be tightened if it starts to sag.

I nursed handsfree in our ring sling today! I've always had trouble w/ that.

[AnyaRose]

I'm using "sposies" too... (new word for me... feels totally foreign on my tongue. haha) the hospital gave me about a zillion of them- I think the nurses liked me... haha- so I'll use them until they are gone and his umbi falls off. Then on to the world of cloth! I'm looking forward to it. Do they generally let you know sooner that they are dirty with cloth? Or does it take longer for them to feel uncomfortable? I'm a first timer in this realm. (:

As for Nico... he's been crazy amazing. He's been the perfect baby. He slept 6 hours straight last night. I mean, what 4 day old does that?! He is BFing really well too. He stumbled a bit when my milk came in, but now he's got it down really well. 

AFM, I feel great too. I was feeling all good about being skinny again when I glanced to the tape measure and thought, "why not?"... I totally shouldn't have measured. lol........ I definitely am nowhere close to pre baby circumference... I was feeling soooo good hahaha. Oh well. It'll come back (maybe) with a few weeks (I guess). Otherwise though, I dont feel like I just ripped half my body open getting another person into the world just a few days ago. I feel really normal. Nothing hurts. I am bleeding a bit though (more or less than average I have no clue), so that's a little reminder to keep resting for a bit. 

[WindyCityMom]

Originally Posted by AnyaRose 
I dont feel like I just ripped half my body open getting another person into the world just a few days ago. I feel really normal. Nothing hurts.

Isn't it great?  A blessing and a curse, I think!  I'm so ready to get going and doing things, but I have to keep reminding myself that there's still a wound in my body where my placenta was and that I should probably take it easy.  

How are you all eating?  I've been eating terribly.  Way too much Nutella, indulging in way too many sweets, way too heavy on the carbs with no real balance.  I feel like I should stop eating like I'm still pregnant before I begin to look like I'm still pregnant.  So much for getting back down to pre-pregnancy weight immediately, huh?  And for gloating about it.  This is karma at its best!

[judybean]

re: eating .... I've been eating terribly too :/  Gah.  And just like you, WCM, I don't want to look like I'm preggo again after having gotten down to pre-preggo weight pretty much immediately (still bloated belly, but it's going to fill out more if I keep this up).

feeling awesome -- Yes.  I feel it.  Really, I feel just about 'normal'.  Other than leaky boobs and a jigglier belly, my butt feels fine (the hemorroids that made my life HELL for three days postpartum magically disappeared!  THANK THE LORD!), my vagina feel normal (other than leaky... no soreness at all, but I also had no tears/skid marks/etc)... I feel good enough to go running... but there's no way I'm going to.  In the past, I've done too much, too fast and it made recovery a Loooooooooong process and was NOT worth it at all.  This time I'm reeeeeeally trying to take it easier longer and hope that recovery is swift and over soon.

diapers -- Leo has only been in cloth.  If that sounds kind of braggy ... well... it probably is ;)  I just like cloth and I'm way too cheap to buy anything else... especially after I invested all that time making so many diapers!!  And it's a good thing I'm using them now... Leo was so big that some of the ones I made (a certain pattern I knew ran a bit smaller than another pattern I used) will be outgrown in NO TIME!  Eek!  I need to make more diapers.. you know... in my free time ;)  I use a variety of fitted and semi-fitteds with PUL covers usually (some wool.... but I need to get the rest of my covers lanolized... totally slacking...).  Leo does have a weepy belly button as his cord stump fell off at just five days (way earlier than my girls' ever did).

I dont' want to get braggy again... but.. Leo is a dream baby.  He sleeps SOOOOOO WELL (almost TOO well!  I have to wake him to nurse!  I want LAM to work, so he WILL nurse during the night, dangit!).  And today, I took all five kids (alone! dh had to work!) to a town two hours to the south for mass (a big thing with starting out the Year Of Faith) and Leo slept the whole way down there, I nursed him when we got there and during mass when he woke up, but then even slept all the way back home!!  His first big car trip and he was AMAZING!  .... For those who are jealous, I've totally put in my time with Difficult Babies In Various Situations over the years.  Mostly dd4.  Oh, I love her to pieces, but she was a very trying baby.  Nursing did not come easy.  She H.A.T.E.D. every single moment in her car seat.  She did not sleep through the night EVER until she was 2.5 years old... a 'normal' night for her consisted of waking a minimum of six times.  "only" waking up four times was a Very Good Night.  And when she woke up, it was never easy to get her back to sleep... it was a huge process that took a lot of time.    .... All that to say, Leo is a breath of fresh air and I'm *so* thankful.  I was VERY worried he'd be as trying as dd4 was... and dealing with TWO littles like that scared the poop out of me ;)

I've taken Leo in the shower with me twice now and he LOVES IT!  It's so sweet to watch him just so calm, so relaxed, and just taking it all in while he's in there.  He just soaks it all up... but... when it's time to get out he *does not* like when the water turns off!  Smart little boy.  I hate getting out of the shower too!

[Jend1002]

Oh all this dream baby talk is making me so sad. I want to be happy for everyone...I really do. I don't have a dream going on here and this is my second Challenging Baby. DS1 still doesn't sleep through the night, never took to breast feeding, is incredibly serious and intense. I so hoped for a chill baby #2 but here I am, up all night, struggling with many breast feeding challenges, and he also HATES to be in the car, won't let DH hold him for more than 5 minutes without crying, etc. I want to enjoy this time so bad- it's my last but I just cry I feel like all I do is troubleshoot- why is he so uncomfortable ALL night, why will he only nurse for 5 minutes, pulling away and unlatching over and over? I am already tired of lactation consultants and trying this, that, and every other thing with no change. Propping up, lying down, pumping before, pumping one side, colic clam, gripe water...still no sleep from 9 pm until 5 am. I'm just so frustrated and it makes me sad. DH does terribly on no sleep and we are at each other a bit and he is being hard on DS1 too. Ugh. Vent over. I need to get over myself.

[Jend1002]

Ok, sorry...that was really whiny! I just never got more than 30 minutes of sleep in a row last night and do I feel like I will never get out if this phase. I know that logically this is not true but right now I am in a low place. I so didn't want a repeat of DS1's early days and everyone convinced me I would get an easy baby this time...I set myself up for disappointment for sure. I LOVE my baby James, sleep or not

[Worldshakerz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MotoMom 

Worldshakerz - I was dealing with this too, but I thought maybe it was a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance? I read that too much foremilk can cause gas and frequent feedings because it's not very filling?

I've heard of that, and I did read up on it. Apparently if you are getting sufficient yellow mustard seedy like diapers you are getting enough hind milk. I read a few good articles on this, I will find them and post its pretty cool, its my third baby and its stuff I didn't know :) He definitely was going through a growth spurt, and he is settling down and back to being more chilled out and taking nice naps again. Yay! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Princessjules 

Good for the mamas CDing! I am taking a break from clothe until things settle down over here. I ordered a case of sposies for DS1 and was given a ton of NB sposies for DS2 so I am using those since DS2 won't fit in my CDs until he gets some more chubs.

I have yet to get my cloth diapering supplies. I need to start working on it soon though! But we also were given about 2 cases of newborn diapers. I'm not sure we will be able to use all of them, he is starting to chunk up a bit and I don't know how much longer they will fit, lol since they are only for up to 10 pounds. 

Originally Posted by WindyCityMom 

How are you all eating?  I've been eating terribly.  Way too much Nutella, indulging in way too many sweets, way too heavy on the carbs with no real balance.  I feel like I should stop eating like I'm still pregnant before I begin to look like I'm still pregnant.  So much for getting back down to pre-pregnancy weight immediately, huh?  And for gloating about it.  This is karma at its best!

LOL, well its been such an adjustment for the whole family. We have been grabbing convenience foods a bit too much. I'm over it though, I need to get back to paleo to have enough energy each day. If I don't eat paleo I am in a fog.

Originally Posted by Jend1002 

Ok, sorry...that was really whiny! I just never got more than 30 minutes of sleep in a row last night and do I feel like I will never get out if this phase. I know that logically this is not true but right now I am in a low place. I so didn't want a repeat of DS1's early days and everyone convinced me I would get an easy baby this time...I set myself up for disappointment for sure. I LOVE my baby James, sleep or not

You are totally allowed to vent! It is so hard when you can't get the sleep you need. I hope he settles into a better schedule for you. My little guy has been sort of sporadic with his eating and sleeping. In the beginning his schedule was completely reversed and he'd nurse all night and sleep most of the day. It's kind of getting better now at 3 weeks though. Hang in there!

AFM, I am sick with a cold. Noooooo! I so don't need to be sick right now. The whole family has it, I'm pretty sure Benji does too. I'm loading up on extra vitamin C though, and a little extra cod liver oil and drinking tons and tons of water. And even though I just want to nap with the baby  all day I am going to go do the big grocery shopping we've been needing to do for the past two weeks so we have a fridge full of paleo food choices. I'm pretty sure our food choices are a big part of why we are sick. Blah. 

[MIrandaM]

Jend, vent away! One of the best things about this ddc is the chance to vent knowing that everyone knows where you're coming from, knows that you love you kids, new baby, husband - whatever, even if you're frustrated and that people might offer advice but no one is judging. It's so freeing to vent it all out! I hope things settle down with you LO and I'm sending you easy baby vibes!

Regarding growth spurts, I think we're there! LO is 4 weeks and has suddenly decided that he NEEDS milk and mommy all day today (6pm here) and is napping for 20-30 minutes but only if he's on my chest. We've logged probably six or hours of nursing today with hysterical crying if I try to hand him off to DH or my in-laws. Luckily it's cold and rainy and we have nothing to do today besides cuddle and nurse

Re cloth diapering, we've been on cloth since day five. It's going well and we haven't had a single poo blow-out despite many big big poos, but we have a small pee leak about daily. The diapers just don't fit him well enough and I don't want to close them any tighter because they're squeezing his legs too hard. I'm being stubborn and cheap though - so I refuse to buy 'sposies. We'll deal with tiny pee leaks until he grows!!

Re let down, I'm not sure if it's let down but my breasts do periodically tingle/burn for a few seconds.

Re recovery, I feel mostly myself except my poor bum. TMI ahead! I'm battling with bad constipation and have had to use those glycerin suppositories for the last three days because I got to the point where it was so painful that I was getting sweaty and almost crying just to go! I think I got some small tears because there was fresh red blood after going (not lochia) and everything looks and feels normal on the outside besides being sore. I have tried all of my usual tricks: magnesium, lots of fresh fruit & veg, Epsom salts, a senna laxative, light exercise, tons of water, nothing is working I had no problems at all before or during pregnancy but it's awful now. Help! Also my bladder is not totally recovered, I'm peeing a little if I jump in the air or move too fast.

Re baby growth, we'll weigh him tomorrow at the doctor, but he's outgrown his nb clothes and is wearing a few 3-6 month sleepers! It hurts to see him getting big so fast!