Re spit up: With my DD she spit up a TON! i was so worried about it. Brought her to osteopath, nursed in different positions etc. In the end once she was sitting up at 6 months the spitting up stopped. DS is the same way, I don't really know what causes it, I think some kids are just pukers! But he is totally happy (not uncomfortable) and has plenty of poops, so I am not worried, it is just a laundry nightmare!
Oh, so much I want to reply to! Stealing a minute to post, I'm going to do my best to remember all the different things.
Mole--so happy for you and S! I'm glad you were able to work with someone who could really support you instead of freaking you out, and that breastfeeding is going better.
Jend--hope things are okay with your husband this week. Which is to say- I hope he's realizing that it's not a great idea to actually say that kind of crap, whether it crosses his mind or not. (Did I ever share with you all my husband's comment from week two, when I was asking him to do xyz because I'd been up all night and was at the end of my rope? He actually told me that for him it was worse because he woke up with the baby's crying but couldn't do anything. "You can wake up in the morning and say, hey, I didn't get any sleep, but I was helping the baby get the nutrition she needs to grow!" Uh, yeah. That's great and all, sweetheart, but let me tell you how very lucky you are that we don't keep frying pans in the bedroom.. 
)
Motomom, that picture of you and Hank on the bike was beyond precious. Thank you for sharing it!
Birth control--no plans for anything besides pulling out (or, as my old gyno called it, "nothing") and/or condoms. That was our plan for years and it worked perfectly.. I gotta say, though, I would be totally freaked out to get pregnant again anytime soon, so I think we might need to do both until I have regular cycles again.
weight--no idea. :) I think I'm close to where I started, but not quite there, though clothes might not be a great indicator. I think once all my visitors are gone we'll try to get back to more paleoish eating.. Since the baby's been here our approach has been "by any means necessary", which still has meant surprisingly little outside food, but we're getting closer to being sane enough to put more energy into meal planning.
swaddling--it's hit or miss over here. Sometimes R. is fine with it and it's soothing, sometimes she hates it. Sometimes it contains her crazies, sometimes it doesn't. Last night, for example, was like a nonstop grunt-and-wiggle rave- full tummy, clean diaper, not upset, swaddled and then unswaddled, the spirit just moved her, and move she did.. right next to my head.. for hours..
napping--R. naps mostly in the sling or in the swing. First morning nap sometimes happens on my chest, and yesterday we had a great afternoon nap that started out that way.. she fell asleep on me after a feed and after a bit we moved to the bed and had a nice cuddly sleep there. I don't think there's real regularity in her napping patterns yet, which is just as well since we've been out and about more this week.
AFM--I've been dealing with physical discomfort in the last week or so.. some nipple trauma from our foray into side-lying nursing (gravity is not on our side; when successful, this is more like me-propped-up-on-my-elbow-holding-my-boob-in-place nursing for us, at least for now, ugh) and some kind of pinched nerve or something similar. Since Thursday night my right side, from my foot to my armpit, has felt cold--not numb, just cold--and I've had a burning sensation when anything touches the affected areas, plus some joint pain when walking. I went to the chiro on Friday but it didn't stick, so I went back yesterday and will go again Friday. I think there's some mild improvement, or at least it's different? But this has not been fun. It doesn't sound like any specific condition I've heard of, so I'm going with 'messed up nerve'.. my posture has been awful and my pelvis and back needed major adjustments- the culprit has to be in there somewhere.
R. is one month old today! She had a checkup with the midwife and she is up 2.5 pounds from birth, from 5lbs8oz to 7lbs15oz! I'm happy about that (though there is something bittersweet about her looking like a totally different baby now that she's chubbing out). After that appointment I figured I might as well set her up with our family doc just to establish the relationship, but when the receptionist heard that she'd already had her PKU she told me to just call back in a month, unless there was an illness. Like there's anything special about 2 months aside from the vaccination schedule.. kind of a turnoff.
My dad and his wife were here for a visit this weekend and it went surprisingly well. They were pretty well-behaved and helpful, as was my brother, who spent time with all of us and kept his mouth shut although he dislikes the wife. Perhaps the most surprising thing of all is that none of them showed any sign of being uncomfortable with me breastfeeding. The first day my brother was in town I tried being discreet (nursed in sling, turned my back for the latch, etc.) but by the second day I figured, to hell with it, this is my house.. and you know, I didn't hear a word or see a negative facial expression from any of them. Makes me proud of them. :)
Not often that you get to say that! )
Also, I'm pretty much homebound because it feels so much like CIO when he screams DS2 is up to 10.5 pounds and DS1 is really chunking up again which I was really hoping for (I really think he should be bigger but isn't because of my pregnancy)
SLeep - He sleeps great when he is swaddled but naps are all over the place, which is hard when I have to get DS1 to sleep. I usually end up lying on my back with a kid on either side and just try to keep DS2 from crying and hang on to DS1 while he cries, and just sing... It's slightly stressful but I can't leave DS1 alone to CIO
Carseats - so far DS2 likes the car seat as long as he is full... hoping that sticks.. DS1 was fie with the carseat until 1mo and then he hated it until 4mo. I would like to avoid that. I also don't think crying in the car seat is equal to CIO... SOmetimes you just have to get somewhere.. I try to sing or hold hands also but it's hard...I dont think it's the same thing though
Birth Control - I really want a break. I am so scared that I will get pregnant again as quickly as I did last time, but my libido hasn't come back like last time... I think DH and I are both kind of hoping that we will e too busy to DTD.. I think we will use condoms and I will probably get fitted for a diaphragm, but idk if i will use it... I've heard they are uncomfortable... An IUD eeks me out for several reasons and I don't want to take pills or anything hormonal... I was thinking about charting but I've never done it before and don't really know how smart it is to start charting at a complicated time...
I have also been having crampy period-like feelings but haven't stopped bleeding... MW said it could be my body starting to prepare to cycle again, but I hope to God that she is wrong... that just makes me want to cry...
You don't even KNOW how exciting it is right now to type on a REAL computer and not just start typing from my phone where it takes FOR.EH.VER. only to be interrupted by somebody and then I lose everything anyway. Funtimes, I tell you. So... now I'm going to type like the wind before somebody wakes up. (yes... ALL FIVE KIDS ARE SLEEPING).
Birth control -- LAM/NFP here (what? I can hear the shock). I have no idea what to expect this time around. My cycles returned at 17 months after dd3 and 14 months after dd4. After dd3 though there's a 4 year 3 month gap between dd3 and dd4. No clue why. Just happened that way. Not for lack of sex or any prevention of any sort. We frolicked and nothing happened. It was okay. There would have been a 2y1m gap between dd4 and our loss.. then got pregnant again and there's 2.5 year gap between dd4 and ds. *I* think I'd like a three year gap between ds and Whatever The Future May Hold... but we'll see. SIX kids seems *far* nuttier than five, which seems to be on the crazy end of the spectrum. We'll see. I would like to get the Suburban paid off before we have to get a new vehicle (we have just one vehicle and it only seats the seven of us... we're at max capacity!!). Then of course there are the more selfish goals of wanting to train for a 10K and a half marathon maybe.
The previous topic leads to two more: Libido and weight/exercise.
Libido -- I surprisingly am feeling far more amorous lately than I have after any birth. I don't know if it's because I was in MUCH better shape before/during this pregnancy and have 'bounced back' that much quicker or what. But I feel pretty great, I'm wearing normal clothes (though my midsection is definitely more squishy/floppy right now), I had no tearing... I really feel good. But... I told dh six weeks. I like having a bit of a break and time to get my head in the game mentally. No way am I ready for ANYTHING going near where my nearly 10-lb baby just popped out of ;)
weight/exercise -- I'd be running right now if I'd just stop bleeding already. It's ridiculous. For about a week, I had just enough to *barely* justify having a pad on (think skidmarks or something), but... then today there was a bit more bleeding (more like the last half day of my period... very little, but still there). It's like, just stop already. I feel good and I'm tired of wearing pads (even if they are super nice and squishy homemade, super soft pads.... I'm kind of over this weeks-on-end thing).
ds is up. we'll see if i can type later.
lets see how well i can type one handed during this nurse fest...
i, too, have wanted to join in the convo for a while but too busy/stressed.
things with baby annabelle have been going better. figured out our problem is more oversupply/OALD/GERD than my diet but im still strictly watching my diet as well. i am pumping before almost every feed to take off the foremilk which has improved things a bit but still only watery darkyellow/green seedless poo's. she is gaining VERY well but i still worry.I have figured out the only way to calm her on rough night is to walk around the block... for hours... stopping every hour to nurse/attempt to nurse and get up and go again. But at least it isnt EVERY night now, only about every 2-3 nights. Most nights I can get away with wearing her around the house while I clean the kitchen/do laundry/ basically anything to keep moving. We have even had a few rare and blissful nights where she has been perfectly content to relax in my lap if I keep bouncing her. I am tired! We are doing lots of block feeding and due to all the pumping, I have been able to get my 13 months old down to maybe only needing to supplement with formula 1-2 times a day (in addition to his solids). I am probably getting about 16-20+ ounces pumping a day. Mostly as night and in the morning.
weight- I still have about 10-12 lbs to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy size, even though everyone tells me it doesnt look like I had a baby 5 weeks ago and down to a size 6 which is now getting too big. But I am stubborn and want to get back to my original weight so I can get into my old clothes.I dont have the money to get a new wardrobe right now. I am running with the double jogging stroller almost every day. Its the only way I can DS who is 13 months and DD at 5 weeks to nap during the day... or else each others crying disturbs the other and we get no where. Both get hysterical if I try to put them down for naps separately as both are difficult sleepers and HAVE to be out cold before placed in pack'n'play in our bedroom or in crib or else you get the breakdown of all breakdowns and we dont do CIO. Im also back to doing stroller bootcamp (mostly social, but there is a workout!) 3-5 times a week, and last week I started riding my horses again (who are being total brats because they have had the last 2 years off of any regular work and also starting off riding now in their new barn in a new state since we moved). This is in addition to my nightly walks. Physical exhaustion is a major factor but I dont really realize how tired I am until I stop, which doesnt happen often.
sleeping- all four of us sleep in our master bedroom. DH and I each have our own queen sized beds. DH sleeps spread eagle and gets pushy in his sleep and sleeps in a sleeping bag on a rock hard mattress. I sleep on a super plush. Both of us are finicky sleepers so the separate beds thing just works. We searched for a REALLY long time for a home when we were looking to buy that had a big enough master and got SUPER lucky to find one. DS (13.5 months) sleeps in his pack'n'play right between our beds so he can see both of us if he wakes up at night. DD (5 weeks ) sleeps in a leachco lounger (http://www.amazon.com/Leachco-Podster-Sling-Style-Infant-Lounger/dp/B003HIXOTQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1350532379&sr=1-1&keywords=leachco+lounger
carseat- totally happy... as long as its moving... stop lights, etc usually lead to meltdown. If I put the car seat in the double bob jogger I have to power walk or jog to get the moving/bumping feeling strong enough to make her happy. My son loved his car seat but usually did well even when we stopped. We could take him from the car and put the seat in the swing thing and he would sleep the best there. We didnt wean him off the swing for daytime/post car trip naps until 2-3 weeks before DD was born.. right before his first b-day.
birth control- I hate it when people write in all caps, but I feel this needs to be read. PULL OUT AND BREAST FEEDING ARE NOT GOOD FORMS OF BIRTH CONTROL. If they were, my DD would not be here today. I got pregnant with her when my son was 3 months old. We were using pull out and I had not yet got my period back and even with pull out we caught the first darn egg and here I am with a 13.5 month old and 5 week old. If you really cant handle another baby, I would suggest another method. If you are open to the possibilty of an accident happening, then its not such a big deal. I am not sure what we are going to do yet, other than our current method of abstinence. DH is scared of the vascetomy and Im not 100% sure im done yet. Im considering paraguard still but I dont really like the concept. I dont do well with condoms... they irritate me no matter how much lube you use. I dont want to do anything hormonal. Going to find local OB here in town and discuss options.
sleep- once we get past the terribly fussy times between 6-10pm she tend to do pretty well most nights sleeping around 2 hours, waking up to feed, and going back to sleep. Some nights she is fussy and hard to get back down before its time to eat again and end up both exhausted by the morning. even with the best of night, I still only average around 3-4 hours of sleep at night between my son waking up and dd getting up. I always get up and leave the bedroom for feeding so as not to wake the others but it always seem to happen that my son wakes up for a bottle right when I FINALLY get the baby down. At least now he has been just getting up for a bottle and going back to sleep where as 2 weeks ago he was still unable to sleep the whole night and would have to get up and play for a while (or else he would scream bloody murder if you tried to get him back to sleep...)
bottles- I usually try to time my trips to the barn to ride until DS is sleeping and after a cluster feeding. Luckily, it usually happens at the same time. I will pump dry before I leave and leave the milk with our nanny. I had some tommee tippee bottles my son never did well with (he uses dr browns) and annabelle with "snack" from a tommee tippee with our nanny. I have been too scared to attempt a full feeding, so im not sure if she would or would not drink to full from a bottle but its the only ones she didnt instantly freak out with.
swaddling- DD doesnt like the miracle swaddlers, but loves the woombie. http://www.amazon.com/The-Original-Woombie-Swaddle-Blanket/dp/B003OQTPFS/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1350534158&sr=1-1&keywords=woombie
miranda- we get the same problem with overtiredness. If she goes longer than 3-4 hours its all out purple crying that no boob or cuddling will fix. Only front carrying in the stretchy moby-like wrap and walks around the block. I am usually solo, and too tired to deal with our hyper jack russel/daschund mix at night (but runs with me during the day with the stroller for up to 4-5 miles at a time.. and goes on family walks with us almost every afternoon) but at least its a safe neighborhood, even if its poorly lit. Tonight I had a dog lunge at me down the driveway and the people swore the dog wouldnt come all the way to the sidewalk and refused to grab the dog. I just stood there quietly until they finally grabbed the barking, lunging, growling dogs collar and held onto her while I passed. So, your not the only one!
motomom- yay for getting back into what you love! my first ride back on my horse was an amazing feeling as well, even if she was poorly behaved.
amysue- I EPed for 6 months with my son and its soo hard. Best of luck to you. You probably already have this but a hands free bra is a lifesaver. I could work on my computer or hold a baby in a lap while I pump. I am somewhat tandem nursing/pumping for DS and DD. I am BFing my DD and pumping off my oversupply for my son. I swear I am going to burn this pump when I am finally done with it!
Ok, well, Im impressed I was finally able to post something without someone crying but my time is up. Looks like Ill be heading around the block for mile number 3 tonight.
Crystal - I gave my DD a bottle for the first time at 4 months and she refused it and never, ever took one. It could be just her preference but logic tells me that introducing it earlier and a few times per week makes more sense for a smooth transition.
Three weeks and two days in around here. DH's brother was married this past weekend, and Thomas was awesome - slept through rehearsal, dinner, ceremony, reception, and all of the other little events. Everyone was amazed at how well he behaved.
Of course, beyond that, there's been fussing and refusing to get off the boob and crankiness in the evenings (i.e. right when DH gets home and wants to spend time with him.
He's fine in the car seat 75% of the time. The other 25%, he cries. I really haven't figured out what makes the difference yet, but fortunately all of the longer trips (more than 5-10 minutes) have been calm ones.
We've switched over to cloth diapers. DH has been remarkably open-minded about learning prefolds, snappis, and covers. I did have one blowout yesterday - I was standing in the living room, nursing, and I heard him pooping. Then I heard dripping. Ouch. But it's breastfed baby poop, so it cleaned out of our very cheap couch and off the wood floor and out of his longies and diaper. His patterns tends to be: I change a very wet diaper, then he poops and I change it, then he poops and I change it. Three dirty diapers in (usually) under half an hour. Then a long stretch before the next 'batch.'
He ALWAYS has his arms up at his head or out - he always had at least one up in utero and had one by his head at birth, so swaddling above the waist just means he'll fuss and fidget until his arms are free. Then he'll sprawl out and sleep, swaddled or not. After we wake up in the morning, I feed him & change him, get dressed, make my breakfast & coffee, and then we usually have a mid-morning stretch (i.e. right now) where he'll sleep for a couple of hours. Afternoons & evenings have no pattern at all (that I've noticed). They're definitely the most awake part of the day.
He's sleeping in 2-3 hour stretches at night. Most nights, we can side nurse and go back to sleep all but one time - that one time usually needs an hour or so of fussing and burping and walking or rocking. DH says most nights he gets enough sleep even with Thomas and me in the bed - and when he doesn't there's always the leftover coffee in the fridge. He actually had a fellow groomsman this weekend tell him that he "needed" to just start sleeping in a separate room from us or we'd be miserable, but we can't imagine that, especially now that I've just gotten comfortable sleeping in the middle, DH spooning me, me spooning around the space Thomas is in, a pillow keeping Thomas blocked in on the other side.
Which brings us to... libido! Emotionally and hormonally, I'm totally ready to start back to 'recreational activity,' but there's a spot that's recently started to hurt (I think a bowel movement must have stretched something in the wrong way and reopened a little tear or something), which is frustrating. Still just the fact that we both want to get back to it, that we're not too tired or stressed and that we're still attracted to each other, is encouraging!
I've always been a condom user. The hormones of birth control freak me out, and DH doesn't mind. We also definitely want more kids, so we won't need the protection for too long and a mistake wouldn't be the end of the world. Later on, after we have two or three, DH has agreed to a vasectomy.
As far as my weight - I've been eating terribly. The wedding festivities were bad enough, but my SIL is living at home for the first time since before college (she's 27), applying for jobs. She works with children in crisis situations in Africa; she's worked in DC for years, then got her Masters so she could get other jobs in the field, but because of the wedding, she's between positions while her boyfriend is in the South Sudan working with little internet time. Long story short, she's going stir crazy and therefore making for us casseroles, scones, loaves of bread - comfort food.
So I lost 12 lbs at the birth and have been holding steady 28 lbs above where I want to be. Everyone tells me I look great, and if photos are any indication, I do look pretty good all things considering. But everything is squishy, and I'm happy to finally be getting out walking more and not worrying about stairs and all. Yoga will start once the last piddly bit of bleeding stops.
Do I actually have a moment to type????
Right now, DD1 just changed DD3's diaper and DD2 is trying to put a sleeper on her. It's interesting :)
Let's see....
Weight--At 5 days pp, I had lost everything I'd gained. I haven't been on a scale since. I'm feeding H and pumping to provide 100% BM for my friend's 3mo. So I am RAVENOUS and essentially feeding twins which is about 1000kcal extra daily, which I know I am not getting. Not sure if I am losing still or not, but I figure right now it's more important that I don't tank my supply. I'm pumping 25-30oz a day. I have been in my own jeans since the first week, albeit the larger size to accommodate the middle fluff.
Carseat--H joins the seat-hater club. We get quite the purple crying when she is in the seat, particularly when the car is not moving. And nothing soothes her. My mom lives 4+ hours away, and I need to make a trip to see my extended family there. But thinking about H in the car makes me want to cry. She starts screaming pretty much as soon as her back hits the seat. I hope it's a phase!
Sleeping--H has let us know that she has a very set bedtime. Right around 9PM, she freaks out and the only thing that settles her is a swaddle and nursing, and she promptly conks out. She sleeps usually till around 3 (SIX HOURS!!), wakes to nurse, and is back out again for another 3 hours or so. She was up a bit earlier last night (just before 2), but we also had gone out to dinner, so she didn't get to tank up like she usually does in the evening. She sleeps in the co-sleeper the first long stretch and then in bed with me after the first nursing.
Birth control--I've felt mostly physically ready for s-e-x for about a week now (no tearing at all, very little soreness or swelling), but I am STILL bleeding. I know it's partly because I'm not resting, but DUDE I have FOUR KIDS 6 AND UNDER! There is not such thing as rest ;) I am following the "1 week after your bleeding stops" advice. As for prevention, we haven't used anything other than LAM/NFP/condoms since before DD1 was born, and we've never gotten pg unintentionally. But I've gotten my cycle back anywhere from 6m-12m post partum, so the unpredictability worries me a bit. DH will be getting a vasectomy at some point. I'm just not ready to go there yet.
Bottles--DD1 had a bottle on her 5th day of life with no issue whatsoever. DD2 was taking a bottle by the time she was 8w because I went back to work. DS never took more than an oz or two, and he did that begrudgingly. He wouldn't even take BM out of a sippy cup; he was a from the tap only guy, and that wasn't for lack of trying. I have no compelling reason to offer a bottle this time. If that changes, then we'll try it then.
Swaddling--I forget who is was that mentioned their LO wanting hands by the face, but DD3 and DS both have been like that (DS is a thumb sucker). We swaddle up to the armpits which I think helps with the gas/tummy upset issues and at least eliminates the leg thrashing.
Wooo, H is an opinionated little lady! She goes from zero to SCREAMING--and I mean purple crying--in no time at all. It's exhausting. My son was SO easygoing. Ha! Not this one. She does LOVE to be worn and is generally totally content when slung or wrapped unless she is hungry. But if she wants to eat, look out! I also feel like the last 2 weeks has been a solid growth spurt. She nurses a ton. I haven't had her weighed for a week, and at 2 weeks old, she wasn't even quite a lb over her birthweight which is so crazy to me as all my other kids were over birthweight at 5 days! I just think I have so much less time to just sit and nurse. And she's sleeping well. I think I will take her for a weight check at 1mo just to have it for record keeping! I'm always curious. Her 3m sleeper was short in the legs today. Still baggy around the belly but short :)
just waiting on my 6w checkup, and deciding about the birth control issue. At least we can walk to the movies!
At least we can walk to the movies!
one handed here and its my non-dominante hand so things may be wonky.
bottles: or LLL suggests waiting until about 6-8 weeks to introduce them. due to 1. nipple cojnfusion 2. establishing supply and 3. bonding
We don't really do bottles here. We have some, they came w/ the pump, but they are in the cupboard somewhere.
pumping: i pump about once every other day. I have a small stash going for a friend. i manage to get at least 3oz at a time and sometimes 6+. go me! lol i should pump more often to give her a bigger stash. my oldest is pretty intrigued and can set up and adjust the pump to my specs. lol
Baby T: he's doing well, he's 3weeks 4d right now. i had to put away the newborn clothes a few days ago. Which is strange to me as DS1 wasn't this size for like another month. We are milking the newborn CDs for all they're worth though.
CDs: DH is still doing the wash... sweet! I lanolized all his woolies today. can't wait for them to dry. I also cast on another soaker, he only has one atm. i want to knit him more longies and soakers, but i've got a lot of other craft things to do: mei tai order, bday gifts, xmas gifts etc...oh, don't forget the baptism outfit.
afm: no libido so much, things still don't feel right, but better everyday, so i'm fine w/ that. started back to work (nanny 2 kids) i bring my kiddos w/ so we all have fun.
nuku--have you stripped your inserts lately? Could be they need a good cleaning. My DD needs double stuffed FBs--she pees a ridiculous amount :)
Jend, sounds like a growth spurt! It happened at around 3 weeks for us, and then again the past two days (at 5 weeks also).
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