Life with a Babe- Share the Love

[mamajody]

So how is it going new mamas? Any updates? The twins are doing great. They are gaining weight like the nursing champs they are, and the ped. couldn't be more wonderfful and dupportive of our non-circing (they called it BARBARIC!) delayed/selective vaxing, and EBF plans for the boys. They even offered to let us drop in to use their scale if we were in the neighborhood and felt the need before our next check up. I guess normally they see twins more often, but ours are doing so well, we don't need to do that.

Both boys are working our their latch issues. We are doing baby chiro care and I noticed improvement immediately. we still have more work to do, but they were really smooshed up in there. Kieran is getting extra TLC to unwind the tension in his legs, which is common in breech babies, especially twins. They just melt in the docs hands they enjoy it so much.

I am beginning to get around the house more, and taking much less pain medication. The boys still go for 3-4 hour stretches after nursing, and they sleep well. I am forever grateful for this. DD didn't sleep for about 3 months after birth unless she was in the sling. Speaking of, Kieran LOVES when daddy wears him in the pouch, but Owen only likes the ring sling so far.

On the down side, these boys are NOT comfort nursers. They will only take the breast when they are hungry. This can be really frustrating. I found myself sitting on the sofa with my fingers in their mouth for more than an hour the other night. I had to pee soooooo bad, and desperately wanted to NOT wakes them up, but DH was busy putting DD to bed and couldn't help out. I decided to try pacifiers this time because I cannot soothe both simultaneously and do anything else. DD wouldn't have anything to do with the darn things, but these boys take them when they want to unwind and go to sleep. We are using them very sparingly, and I hope to lose them very soon, but I would rather the paci's than needless crying.

How is everyone else doing?

[sleepypeanutsmom]

Hi Jody~
Loved reading your post to hear how your family is doing. We are doing well. Nights are a little hard from time to time when both babies need new diapers. They both really dislike being cold so we are getting quicker and quicker at the diaper and clothing changes.

Dh is home this week and will have to go back go work next Tuesday. I'm curious how it will go. My mom was here last week and dh's mom is here this week to help out and entertain dd. Eventhough I love having the help, I think it will be nice to have our home back to ourselves.

Our 5 year old dd, Ainsley, is having some difficult moments. Last night when we were all getting into bed she started crying and said, "now the babies are the cutest in the family and I'll never be the cutest again." It broke my heart!! She said she isn't getting the attention she used to which of course is true, but it is only Day 8 so we are still getting used to our new family. The last few days things have settled down a bit and we are getting more and more time with her. I'd love to hear how other older siblings are doing with the adjustments.

Well, I am off to nurse a few babies! I'll be back later to post more. Thanks for starting the thread, Jody.

[jule924]

Well . . . things aren't quite as busy in this single baby household Little Quentin was 9lb 11 oz on his due date of 10/10 - up from his birth weight of 5lb, 12 oz!!! And he is now 22" (and was 19" when he was born). He's 6 1/2 weeks old now. I wonder if he would have been that big if he had gone to term!! He loves to nurse and be held and worn. Now that he's awake more now it's harder to give my older son as much attention. I'm doing my best, but I can tell he gets bothered sometimes. Leaving the house with both of them is a bit of a challenge still, but I have to get out sometimes!!

[AppleOrangePear]

Things are going very well. I cant believe Sage is ALREADY one week old.

Kai is a wonderful brother however at times of course he does have his wanting Kai attention moments. He will help with diapers and doesnt even minid if the 'mustard poop' as he says gets on him while putting the CD in the pail.

Sage is begining to wake when we do in the morning and is doing great at night. He nurses a bunch however we easily fall back to sleep and he LOOOOVES to sleep right on top of my chest.

During the day I wear him in the sling from miss citzenfong (TRACY) which he looooves the best. However, the happy hangup up comes in sooooo handy especially with the really cozy lambskin inside. I use it when i cook at the stove, bathroom and when Kai goes to bed before us so DH and I spend some time. We have it hanging near our kitchen living room area.

He is a great nurser which is the BEST i loooooove nursing him and Kai also will tandem at times My milk is coming under control Already which is nice this time around.

We already have had several outings First was the local park so Kai could play with friends, evening walk to the beach, Local herb festival and THEN TARGET ( was NOT planning on going yet and having to put that in the baby book LOL) However we needed some odds and ends and it was nice to get out a little the weekend.

TOday was MY first outing with both boys. I took them to the park however it was soooo windy so when i realized Sage was awake inside the sling all covered I was ready to leave ( i felt bad he was awake and hidden sure he didnt mind though) it work out great because kai was also ready to go.

The house is staying pretty organized and DH is wonderful about having dinners prepared we also had friends last week bring us meals and still want to bring us more this week .

Oh yeah, the kissaluvs fit Sage perfect. I end up doing the fitteds with out a cover at night with a little hemp insert even though i change him oh about 7 TIMES!!!!!!!! YIKES I rather know as soon as he is wet especially since i plan on doing ECing. I do plan on ordering though 6 more kissaluvs and i would like to try some of the microfleece doublers. I also have the contours however they are still a little big.

IM WASHING DIAPERS EVERYDAY!!!!!! Right now he just wears the kissaluvs and full moon baby gear which means we go through about 17 diapers a day..... AND THATS including having him diaper free through out the day too.


MY boy looooves to poop


Well while i type this looong post i had put Sage in the HH while he sleeps however it is starting to gently bounce a bit so im going to pick em up and nurse that boy............


Michele

[mamasthree]

We are also doing well...getting the hang of having a newborn again. Lizzie K will be 1 week old tomorrow--where does the time go?!! Our whole family is falling right in love with her. Our older daughters are 8 and 6 1/2 and they are great with her--they are a huge help to me, too! They have been a little wound up lately though. We are taking a few more days off schoolwork--when we get back into the swing of things they will be better! My in laws were here over the weekend--nice that they got to see her while she is so little. She had slept so much until today...it seems like she's been awake or nursing all day. She is definitely a comfort nurser (I like that term mamajody!)--she is my first that won't take a pacifier! That's been an adjustment for me--but I am trying to enjoy it while it lasts. She is a really sweet baby, fusses when she needs something, but generally content--so far!She does like to be held a lot--but what baby doesn't? I will be trying out the moby wrap tomorrow...I never could get the hang of wearing my other two--I had a sling from the big box baby store. It always seemed so big and bulky. I'm hoping the wrap works for me.

I am feeling great--after 2 days of very mild baby blues. My body feels almost normal again (with the exception of my boobs )and my feet are back!! Cloth diapering is going well--although I was so intimidated at first. I even snappied a prefold today.

Glad to hear how mamas and babes are doing--here's wishing all the oct expecting mamas well !

[OMama]

Great idea to start this thread! Guess I have been feeling a little lost -- not being pregnant anymore, but still not totally used to the idea that I have a newborn.

For the most part things are going very well. I am still high from the great birth, but part of me is mourning it as well. I was so miserable when I was pregnant but now I kind of miss it too. It was definitely my last pregnancy so it all feels very final. I know I will never be pregnant and give birth again. I've cried about this a couple of times but I know that a lot of it is just the baby blues and I'll feel better soon. We did some placenta prints today too and planted the placenta in the yard. This was some nice closure for me too.

Finn is just three days old. He had us a little worried during the first 24 hours because he just wanted to sleep so darn much! He only nursed a couple of times and then went for a stretch of 7 hours without nursing! I was pretty worried and upset. We kept trying and trying to wake him to nurse (even using a wet washcloth on him that seemed so cruel!) but he just wanted to sleep. Anyway, now things have changed in terms of frequency of nursing. He is still asleep most of the time, but now he really loves nursing and will readily participate. My nipples are already very sore but I'm hoping this will just go away soon. I had a lot of trouble for the first 7 weeks with DD and I was hoping to avoid it this time. I am much more confident now but it will still be hard if it continues to be painful. It looks like he has a good latch, I feel like he's in good positions (either cradle hold or side-lying), I've got milk, etc. but it is still sore. So far no cracks or bleeding, just a couple of blisters that go away. I've got my fingers crossed that in the next couple of days the pain will be gone too. My milk is still in the process of coming in. My breasts feel very fully but I haven't been totally engorged (kind of nice!). And when Finn spits up the milk is still yellow so I know there is still some colostrum there.

DD has been wonderful with her little brother. She really loves him and is very gentle. She tells him when she arrives at home, where she is going, what she is doing, and so on. She's cried her very sad cry a couple of times at night however so I think she is definitely adjusting too. We are just doing our best to juggle giving them both attention. My mom is here right now so that is a big help but we are trying to make sure it isn't just my mom that helps DD with everything. We don't want her to feel abandoned in anyway.

DH is fine. He's definitely tired too and a little stressed, but he's hanging in there. He has this week off and then he'll be back at work next Monday. I'm well except for the baby blues I mentioned earlier and the lack of sleep. I'm a little worried too because when I have the opportunity to sleep I haven't been able to relax enough to sleep. Literally, I have probably gotten at the most about 5 hours of sleep in the last three days. It is scary when I think about it because I'm not sure how I'm functioning. I think I'm still running on some kind of adrenaline or something from the birth and becoming a parent again. And while Finn is still sleepy in the night, he is awake MOST of the night. His first "longest" stretch of the night was 20 minutes at 2 AM. I just nodded off and then he was awake again. I didn't sleep at all until 3:30 and then just for about an hour. DD then came into our room at 5:45 and that was it for sleeping. Anyway, I know it is these first few weeks that are the hardest. We just have to hang in there.

Beyond that, I love my little guy so very much and am so happy he is here! I am just really trying to be in the moment and enjoy it while I can. I know how incredibly fast it goes.

Best wishes to all the mother new mamas too!

[unitytree]

Things are going pretty good around here. Noah will be 2 weeks tomorrow which shocks me!! Its funny because he is supposed to be our last, DH is scheduling his vasectomy after much deliberation, but for some reason I keep thinking we'll have one more. This pregnancy, while hard at times, was so great. Even though his birth was the most painful yet it was wonderful!! Its odd!! I haven't mentioned anything to DH yet, although he's said a few times how he can see us having more. The kids are just so darned amazing!!!

Anyway, we are all settling in to our new rhythm. The kids are loving Noah and wanting to kiss/hold and sing to him all day. The younger 2 are deffinantly more emotional then usual so we are being sure to spend extra time reading/playing/going to the park etc. so that everyone feels fulfilled. We even got out the crafting stuff today and made toys!!
Our van has been broken for almost a month now so I've been stuck at home. Dh has taken the kids to town (he has a 3 seater truck) so they've still gotten the library n'such. My eldest and I haven't gone out since the weekend before Noah was born so we've both got a wee touch of cabin fever!! We go for a walk every day which helps! Hopefully the van will be fixed soon and we can take Noah out into our community.

Noah is getting huge!!! He is a champ nurser and sleeps A LOT!! so he's packin' on the pounds. I'm going to weigh him tomorrow but I'm pretty sure he's gained a pound so far. (his lowest weight was 6.15) He's been waking once or twice in the night to nurse and have a bum change. He loves his sheepskin, which we use to lay him on in bed/bum changes/in his hammock. He loves to snuggle it after bath time while he's having his massage...so cute!!
We are loving CD~ing with wool soakers! We've never used wool before but we are completly converted!! I've been rotating 3 that a freind made during the day and using a disana organic soaker at night. Haven't had a leak yet. I can't wait till he fits his longies. I'm still working on knitting a wrap style soaker. I started a week before Noah was born (first project!) its going great. I should be done by the time he'll fit it.

We are loving having the frezer full of meals. We're about half way through them now. I'm so thankful that I actually did them this time!!! What a time saver....

okay..gonna go have a shower while the moment presents it self!! Glad to hear all is going well with you all!!! Blessings to you and your babes!

[Evergreen]

nak


Ava is 8 days old. I can't beleive how time flies. We are mainly ECing.She nurses really well and is 7lbs 4 oz up from 6 lbs 12 oz at birth. More later.

[jule924]

I forgot to include the link for some pictures we took last Sunday.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...d=8Dbs27Vq4Yjo

[mamasthree]

Julie--just had to say that those pics are AWESOME!! I look forward to my little one being big enough to go out and get some fall pics with her big sisters.

[unitytree]

love the pic's julie!!!

I just weighed Noah....WOW!!! He gained 2 lbs in less then 2 weeks!!!!! He was 6 lb 15oz at 3 days old and today, 2 weeks old, he weighs 8lbs 14oz!!! No wonder he looks so huge to me now.

[jule924]

Thanks!

Grow babies, grow!!

[littleteapot]

Xan is two weeks old today!!

I took him for a newborn exam and he was almost 10lbs at 1.5 weeks. I know he lost a tich of weight in the beginning so that confirms what we thought: he was 9lbs+ instead of high eight at birth. That makes me very happy.

He nurses probably 1-2 times an hour during the day and has longer stretches at night: he actually sleeps!! I'm so not used to a baby who sleeps, I Don't know what to do with him.

He's so chubby, i just love it. He's all pinchable and my daughter didn't get this way for two months or more.

[BCmamaof6]

Anna was 5 weeks yesterday! It really has gone in fast.

So far she is our most "high needs" baby. I actually bought "The Fussy Baby Book" by Dr.Sears. (I just don't have any time to read it...I'm still on the first chapter)
Anna is content (mostly) if in arms, on my chest, upright, tummy-to-tummy...or in a pouch/sling/wrap. She cries if put down, cries in her carseat, etc. She does sleep fairly well as long as I don't put her down.

She is a sweet baby, though. Everybody just loves her.

She is an awesome little nurser & weighed 10 lb 1 oz @ her apt yesterday.
We are going through at least 2 dozen diapers per day (24h period) inc usually 6 a night. She has outgrown all of her NB dipes & much of her NB clothes. It's nice to have a big fat baby already. All of our other babies have taken longer to bulk up.

I've been seriously thinking that maybe she will be our last baby. We always planned on having 7 kids...but I'm finding that a fussy baby REALLY sucks up a lot of time...and although I know this will only be a short time I feel massive guilt about all the things that I'm not getting done...like reading stories to the kids, getting my house clean (right now it's bare minimum...dishes & laundry) etc. I'm not kidding when I say that if I'm bathed & dressed by noon I'm having a good day. I also feel a lot of anxiety...worried about the baby being sick (she has a cold)...worried about her birth defect, etc. I actually think I may be suffering from PPD.

My midwife is trying to get us an apt with the ped right away. Anna still has thrush & we're hoping the ped might have another suggestion...plus I think her foot/toes have grown a lot since birth...and I'd like it checked out asap.
She also has REALLY bad baby acne...the worst our kids have ever had. And really dry skin. She seems to be reacting to a lot of what I'm eating...so we'll be really careful about introducing solids later on. (we usually don't introduce solids until close to a year anyway)

I'm planning to take Anna (& myself) for chiropractic adjustments this week...I just have to find a block of time to do it. (He's almost an hour each way from us) I'm hoping that might help with her fussiness.

Anyway...she's fussing...gotta go...

[leurMaman]

Julie - those pics turned out so great! I love the fall colors. It is helpful for me to read what you new mommies are going through - especially the balancing of more than one. I'll be there soon! Add advice if you figure out any tricks along the way - hehehe.

[littleteapot]

I forgot to add a picture link. :-X

http://babyslime.livejournal.com/361008.html
These are some pictures my friend took of him between 6-9 days old.

I also wanted to show off how BIG he is. My friend took this picture when he was just a few days old. I can't believe all of that fit in me!! I'm only five foot.
Although a bunch of people reminded me how big I got. this was taken just two days before I had him.

[unitytree]

I love the pic's Babs!!! He is so bright eyed and looks so much like you!!

[jule924]

Xan is precious!!

[starlein26]

Subbing. I'll be back to post later...

[happiestmomma]

All is quite well here. I'm sure now that I've said that, all heck will break loose!!!
Brady's 6 days old now (I sooooooo can't believe that it's almost been a week). So far, he's such a breastfeeding champ and a really good sleeper. Last night, we went to bed at midnight and he didn't wake up to eat until 5 am. YAHOO!!! He nurses a ton during the day.
Aside from two visits to the pediatrician, and walk across the cul de sac to visit a friend's newborn a week older (and, of course, a trip to Target...but whose life is complete without a trip to Target, ), we haven't really left the house. We had to go for a day after discharge appointment with the ped on Monday and noticed that Brady was a little bit jaundiced, which was tested and was borderline...then he was more yellow the next day, so we had to go for another check. Dr's rec, of course, was some formula supplementation until my milk was totally in (and it came in with a vengeance LAST night for sure!!). So, we try...but not too hard, to give him a little bottle. Much to my devilish delight, Brady can't stand the bottle and we can hardly get him to take an ounce...but we've also noticed his yellowing is rapidly diminishing, which makes me feel better anyway.
Big brother is truly enjoying his new role, which was a HUGE worry of mine since he's been the center of attention in this house for nearly 4 years. He lavishes baby brother with tons of kisses, pats his head, reads him stories and even offered him his prized possession: blankie!! Wow!
I'm getting rather spoiled having DH home on paternity leave for the next three weeks...I'm sure I'm going to get a huge reality smack when he goes back to work and it's just me with my TWO (which I'm still reeling that I've got TWO children!!!) kiddos. DH has taken DS a few times this week to do special "Daddy and Me" activities, leaving me precious time to spend at home getting to know the baby and helping DS to know that he's still someone special in our family, too.
So glad to hear everyone's doing well at home with their sweet angels.