week of 6/24, Life w/Babe check in - Page 4

[mamacatsbaby]

Originally Posted by mom2nat&will

nak...

thanx erin ive been offering him mastitis side all day in hopes to drain it...as far as rest goes, i am trying to get some but its hard having a 2.2 year old and the babe oh well i guess ill try the compress diaper out, i've been using a washcloth but that sounds like an excellent idea....thanx again

Ack! Not more mastitis! I hope you get to feeling better ASAP mama!

[Sydnee]

Erika- I had mastitis with DD#2 and what worked great for me was taking really hot baths, laying belly down, and massaging the heck out of my breast. Hope it get's better fast!!

[*andiflipping*]

to the mama dealing with mastitis...I have had it twice already...Again..lots of rest,heat, and nursing...

[mom2nat&will]

thanx to all of you for your advice, I've been trying to wake ds up for over an hour and he's just not having it so I gave in and pumped, it hurts me a lot worse to pump the mastitis side than to have him nurse on it so I really wanted to get him up...its only 9 pm here and he's been down since about 630, I have a feeling I'm gonna have a long night....but we shall see....I just took the hottest bath and that felt really good....again thank you all for the advice, I really just hope it goes away sooner rather than later

[KatSG]

mom2nat&will - This only works for some people, but would your dh consider helping you out with that lump in your breast (and yes, I mean sucking it out)? That can work really well.

NYCVeg...Oh, honey. I think about you a lot and wow, you really are getting the motherhood baptism by fire. Or by poop? And puke? Not sure if you're ready to joke about this yet. Do know that it does get easier.

And here's when I start to feel kinda guilty...I think I haven't been posting here much because we're having a pretty easy time of it. We've still got low grade yeast, but I'm just keeping it at bay with Candidase, low sugar, and lots of garlic. I figure that's how I should be eating anyway. Iris sleeps well and is sweet and smily and cuddly. But I stop feeling guilty when I remember what dd1 was like at this stage (not so easy!) then I think that I totally deserve this baby!

What I really need help with is dd1. I think I'm going to go book shopping this weekend because I'm at a loss for how to deal with her.

[momatheart]

mom2-the one suggestion I haven't seen posted yet (and I reccommend all of them) is skin to skin contact with the baby.

My lactation specialist training manual suggests it. It's been about 4 years since I took the course, so I'm a little foggy, but I think it's to help you and the babe's body to culture (and build immunity to) whatever nasty bac is causing the infection.

Yeah, I was luuuuvvvin' the antibiotics with a 102 degree temp, and I generally try to avoid them: I looked at my mom at one point and said, "what did people do without antibiotics?". "They died." she replied.

Hope you feel better soon.

[~*max*~]

nak

katsg, what's going on w/dd1? maybe we can offer some help, and definately some support.

[NYCVeg]

Erika...hope you're feeling better!

Is everyone sitting down?
Dd slept through the night.
That's right--10 pm to 5am.
Unfortunately, I didn't get quite as much sleep as she did, but I definitely feel more rested than when I get up at 2 am for an hour and a half feeding!

[LuckyMommaToo]

What I really need help with is dd1. I think I'm going to go book shopping this weekend because I'm at a loss for how to deal with her.

nak...just popping in to say I'm totally with you here. I think our DCs are about the same age. it's challenging! My baby is easy in comparison to my almost-three! I'm glad I'm not the only one...LMK if any of the books are worthwhile (I've really only read Playful Parenting; it's fantastic).

-Erin

[Peppamint]

Oh the irony, I need a whole library of discipline/parenting books these days.

I have a copy of Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking on my computer desk. ds tried to run off with it the other day (he's been rough and rowdy lately so I knew he'd tear it up)... so what do I do? I yell at him to give it back and bite my tongue in time to refrain from threatening to spank (that old, I'll never sound like my mother thing rising up to bite me in the butt). :

I figured out yesterday why Dobson style parenting worked on me, I was a people pleaser. Now I've almost gone the other way completely.

[Momto1and1ontheway]

OMG! You mean I don't have a devil child or do we ALL have devil children!! LOL

My dd is really trying to see how far she can push. Ever since I was about 5 months pregnant, my tolerance and patience level is lower than it's ever been.

Glad it's not just us. I'm curious to find other methods of dealing with a spirited 3-year old. Keep the information coming if you find something that might work for us all!

Hugs to all you other mamas in the same situation!

[Peppamint]

I know my tolerance level was down AND the fact that it was sometimes painful and always difficult to get up and down to "help" them. It's still hard to follow through sometimes when I'm carrying a newborn.

Sometimes I get lazy and just things slide and that's when things go downhill so I'm working on my follow-through. Okay, back to paying bills before the munchkins demand lunch.

[~*max*~]

Originally Posted by NYCVeg

Erika...hope you're feeling better!

Is everyone sitting down?
Dd slept through the night.
That's right--10 pm to 5am.
Unfortunately, I didn't get quite as much sleep as she did, but I definitely feel more rested than when I get up at 2 am for an hour and a half feeding!

Yay! If anyone deserves a full nights rest it's you. I hope she continues to sleep well for you.

[~*max*~]

For the mamas who are dealing w/young ones in addition to the new babe, I have four young children, ages 6, 4, 2, and my newborn. Some of the things that worked for us when introducing a new baby into the family are:
* having a routine. This seems to make the kids feel more comfortable, bc they know what to expect most of the time & they can then feel more in control of their environment. It also helps me a great deal to get things done.
* lots of fresh air & exercise for the kids. This definately makes a difference w/my crew. When the natives start getting restless, we move outdoors - our backyard, a walk, the playground, etc. The change of scenery plus the fresh air & physical outlet can really make a big difference.
* lots of healthy food and minimal sweets. We struggle w/food allergies, so this is especially important w/my family. When my ds is feeling unwell due to his allergies, his behavior is so much worse. And when my dd eats too many sweets she is definately a handful. Pair those up w/the stressors of having a new baby and life is not fun.
* And of course individual attention whenever you can find the time to fit it in. Even if it is just reading a favorite book, bringing one child on an errand w/you, a quick snuggle.

I know they are nothing earth shattering, but I just thought I'd share.
to all the mamas. Mothering is a lot of work!

[NYCVeg]

Originally Posted by ~*max*~

For the mamas who are dealing w/young ones in addition to the new babe, I have four young children, ages 6, 4, 2, and my newborn.

Max, you're my hero. Right now, dh and I can't imagine how anyone could have a second kid after having the first. In fact, often we're not really sure why anyone has the first!

So...is it just that amnesia sets in after they get a little bigger?

[~*max*~]

Originally Posted by NYCVeg

Max, you're my hero. Right now, dh and I can't imagine how anyone could have a second kid after having the first. In fact, often we're not really sure why anyone has the first!

So...is it just that amnesia sets in after they get a little bigger?

It's kinda like how you forget the pain of birth after a while... either that or you just get numb...

Honestly, I wouldn't trade my big family for anything. We are lovin' life right now. But I do remember that I had the most difficult time w/my firstborn. It's so stressful when you are just learning all this baby/mama stuff. It definately gets easier. Hang in there! You are doing great.

[JayGee]

Originally Posted by ~*max*~

For the mamas who are dealing w/young ones in addition to the new babe, I have four young children, ages 6, 4, 2, and my newborn. Some of the things that worked for us when introducing a new baby into the family are:
* having a routine. This seems to make the kids feel more comfortable, bc they know what to expect most of the time & they can then feel more in control of their environment. It also helps me a great deal to get things done.
* lots of fresh air & exercise for the kids. This definately makes a difference w/my crew. When the natives start getting restless, we move outdoors - our backyard, a walk, the playground, etc. The change of scenery plus the fresh air & physical outlet can really make a big difference.
* lots of healthy food and minimal sweets. We struggle w/food allergies, so this is especially important w/my family. When my ds is feeling unwell due to his allergies, his behavior is so much worse. And when my dd eats too many sweets she is definately a handful. Pair those up w/the stressors of having a new baby and life is not fun.
* And of course individual attention whenever you can find the time to fit it in. Even if it is just reading a favorite book, bringing one child on an errand w/you, a quick snuggle.

I know they are nothing earth shattering, but I just thought I'd share.
to all the mamas. Mothering is a lot of work!

Great advice, Max! I have 3 (4 yo, 2yo, and the babe) and I second all your advice. It's hard sometimes to keep to a schedule or to get oustide. Nursing time has become book time in our house. As soon as I sit in my chair to nurse, my older two come running ove with books and climb onto either side of my chair .

[mom2nat&will]

it was as if my ds really knew how much i needed the rest as he slept from 10pm until 4 am woo hoo, 1 hr short of your night nycveg, but much more than I've gotten lately...as far as the mastitis goes, I seem to be getting better, there is still some pain but its much better than yesterday! My 2 year old has been pushing me to the extreme lately 2, but I keep telling myself to think of how far her world has been thrown off as to no longer being momies only little one! She is a great big sis and loves little W with all her heart, but sometimes its rough on all of us!

[ecoteat]

Just when I think we are falling into an even better sleep pattern, we have an off night. Although Phoebe probably woke up several times last night because of the crazy storm we were having, so I guess I can't blame her for the really fragmented sleep I got and how exhausted I am today!

Yesterday she went to the ped for the first time and everything was great. We talked about vax a lot, and I was surprised that the Dr. was as vax-friendly as she was. She's a pretty crunchy DO that I respect a lot who has HBs with her own kids, so I wasn't expecting to hear her explain why she thinks vaxing is important. Now I'm all mixed up! She also noticed that when Phoebe is in the fencer's position she tends to look to the right much more than the left and said we should encourage her to turn both ways to help her be more "balanced." I've never heard anyone talk about this before; have any of you? What exactly was she talking about?

[momatheart]

The only thing I can think of is maybe for eye development??? I remember hearing an AP-friendly presenter at a training I went to for my old job talking about having your co-sleeping babe alternate where their head was in relationship to mom to facilitate better vision...sounds weird that she didn't elaborate, though.