May 2003 Mommies - Page 2

[Janessa]

Hi all
I've been reading since last night, thank you for your words I was just waiting for the chance to write back
Maria- I will go and check out the thread you started it sounds wonderful
XM- thank you so much for these words "Janessa, I think that you are handling the stress as well as anyone could, certainly better then I would. Please take care of yourself so you can take care of your babies. This is definitely the time to get help from anyone who will give it, so you can save your energy for Ollie and Shiah. "
I have such a hard time asking for help, even though I have a wonderful support group I forget to ask kwim? So thank you for your reminder I needed it. I can't even imagine how surreal hard this last year has been for you you are an amazing women.
Anna- sounds like Iris is so much fun Neither of my babies have been able to tolerate dairy. Shiah couldn't even handle trace amounts I had to read everything it was hard but worth it. At about a year I could start eating small amounts and not worry about reading labels as much. So far with Ollie I've had to eliminate all obvious dairy but not reading labels quite yet I will be soon though if he keeps getting patches of exzema.
thank you everyone for your thoughts.

Could we do a cute things our little ones do? This thread needs some cheering up
I'll go first, if Ollie is awake and I'm not paying enough attention he will click his tongue to get me to notice him then when I look and talk to him I get the whole body grin .

Janessa

[MaggiesMom]

Quilter Mama, I always think "odd" symptoms should be discussed with peds. I had thought Maggie might have reflux, but didn't present it to her ped in that frame of reference. We just gave him (the PA, actually) the scoop on what she was doing, (mainly coughing) and he ran with it.

gotta go- Maggie is fussy. I'll respond more later!

[IslandMamma]

Well, technically I am a June mamma by 3 days, but Zane was due on May 18th, so...

Things are going well, especially now that we have the reflux figured out. At 2 weeks, after a terrific weight gain, he started losing fast, and becoming unable to nurse (rigid and screaming awful projectile vomiting, etc..), and was diagnosed with GERD. I was reluctant to put him on Zantac, but it was obvious what a difference it made, and things have really been better since. We also worked out the allergy issues-- turns out both dairy and wheat cause extra gassiness (he's a pretty gassy babe regardless) and the dread green poops. I'm glad we finally figured it out, but I am MISSING Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heathbar Crunch and fresh loaves of bread! Hopefully he'll grow out of it, but if not, I'm eating remarkably healthy.

Zane is a big boy. At 8 weeks, he weighed 13.6 and was 24 1/2" long... DH and I joke that I have given birth to a sasquatch! (He's got the huge feet to match, too.) He's very physical, and is actually rolling both front to back and back to front...actually, I learned this the day he rolled of the dresser/changing table while I leaned over for a dipe. OMG, it was terrifying! He's okay, but I have a whole new crop of gray hairs, and I will NEVER take my hand off him again while he's elevated. Anyway, he's very pleased with his new tricks, and does them frequently now and giggles...AT GROUND LEVEL, though. But between this, and holding his head steady, kind of half-sitting, and wanting to put weight on his feet, I'm a bit worried that he's going to be one of those babies that you hear about who walks at 6 months. *gulp*

Janessa, I'm so sorry to hear what your family is enduring. XM is right, TAKE THE HELP. I know it's hard, but you need to be mothered right now almost as much as your little guy.

I'm glad to hear everyone is doing so well. I hear you on the PPD roller coaster. The first 6 weeks were so intense, and I spent so much of them a wreck... but I'm seeing the light more and more every day. That, and the GERD / colic episodes are slowly getting better. Now if only I felt my desire for DH kick back in. Anyone else dealing with that? Sex is the last thing on my mind (and I'm still recovering I feel from a very intense birth), and our anniversary is coming up, and for the first time in our partnership I'm feeling "obligated"....okay, OT, sorry.

Aren't the smiles incredible? I am so in love with this little guy, and this new difficult but rewarding path as a mama...

Anyone esle struggling with vacc issues? I've chosen not to, but where I live (northwestern WA) there is a pretty big "outbreak" of Pertussis, and I'm struggling with my decision. Whooping Cough terrifies me in a babe... If this is too OT, let me know, and I'll start a new thread...

Wow, what a rambling post.... when Zane sleeps, I have diarrhea of the keyboard.

[doctorjen]

I love to hear about other May babies, especially after lurking here quite a bit in late pregnancy. My May girl was born on the 31st at 11:46 pm so is just barely a May baby. She is #4 for me, and is so much fun -- I'd forgotten how much I enjoy little babies. She's full of smiles and laughs these days. She especially likes her daddy to make faces and funny noises for her and will laugh and laugh at him as long as he does it. She holds her head well and prefers to sit up and face out most of the time. She hates being on her tummy (weird for me, as my first 3 hated being on their backs!) She also loves to bat at toys in her bouncy seat.
I also am getting grilled daily about whether she sleeps through the night. She sleeps about 3-4 hours when she first goes to sleep, then wakes every 2 hours to be fed after that. I really don't mind -- she's always just awake enough to eat and back to sleep very quickly. I sleep like a dead person myself, so am able to wake up just enough to latch her on and usually don't wake up again until she wakes to eat again. I'm still working on good comebacks for all the folks (mostly other medical folks) who think its awful that she wakes up so much. I'm also back to work full time, and I count on those night feedings to keep my supply up. Not to mention that a fourth baby doesn't get as much one-on-one time except at night, so I don't mind having her up several times.
She loves the sling, and now that she wants to look around, I put her in sort of a cross between forward facing and sideways. I put the rings low on my shoulder, then her back rests against the side of the sling and her head is supported, but she can see out. So basically, she is facing sideways, does that make sense? I've used this same sling for 8 years now, though, and have gotten pretty good at finagling different holds as the baby at the time grows.
I'm sorry so many of you are facing such difficulties. I hope life will smooth out again soon for all!

[mshollyk]

hello!!

i just got back online YAY!!!!!!!! in the last 3 mos., we had a baby, dh started a new job, and we moved. it's been pretty crazy, but very good. Lana is amazing--one of those rare babies that likes to sleep A LOT. she's been sleeping thru for a while now, THANKFULLY...my first was (and still is) fairly high-need, and i don't know if i could have coped with two high-needs kids. the transition from 1 to 2 hasn't been too bad. i have an ultimate baby wrap which i love, and now lana can hold her head up and look around at everyone. with my son, i was completely in shock and just tring to cope with it all--now i feel i can enjoy the baby more. i got some cloth diapers, and i'm gradually making the transition to cd'ing. the cradle cap is starting to go away--ds didn't have it. i'd heard of it, of course, but i didn't realize how annoying it is. it's hard to get rid of, and very noticeable--i'm always afraid people will think i don't wash her. it was in her ears and eyebrows, too, blech.

funny story...i moved to a house just outside NYC, so i've had to go out shopping to get things here and there. i had to nurse lana in a parking lot one day last week, and as she was nursing, she pooped. now, she has very runny poo, and i know i have to move quickly to change her or else...so i got up immediately to change her, and as i got to the other side of the car, i realized my leg was wet. i looked down and there was poo ALL over my shorts...if i'd been in the old apt, i'd have had to walk a quarter mile in the city street because there's no parking close to the building...thankfully now i have a driveway, so no one saw my poo'ed on shorts!!! hooray for the suburbs!!

and sex...what's that??? hehehe

[MaggiesMom]

Oh, so mad! I just typed a nice long note while DD was sleeping, and it disappeared!

Of course, now she is awake and eating, so I probably won't have much time to type.

Quilter Mama, as I was saying, we just told the ped dd's symptoms. I tried not to lead him to any conclusions. DD is wheezy, so we had to have her tested even though an upper GI isn't the best reflux test. She does have a structural abnormality in her trachea.

IslandMamma- was it you that had the Zanmtac put into a bubble gum base? Maggie's smells like peppermint schnapps. She hates it- coughs, chokes, grimaces, cries, and spits most of it out. I am giving it two more days to get better and then we are done. I can't torture her forever.

Anyone else have a too-nosey-to-eat baby? Maggie loves trees and won't eat if she can watch one.

Gotta fly- she's done eating.

[scheelimama]

Hi, all! I am new to the mothering boards. I just joined about a week ago. I have a May baby, so thought I would brag on her. She's not rolling over yet, but she is grasping onto toys now (just started that about 2 weeks ago.) She can hold her head all the way up for a few seconds when placed on her belly, though she doesn't really like tummy time. Her favorite things to do are stand with my support and sit up (almost on her own!) I just hold her hands. I think she will be an early walker. She still nurses quite frequently during the day, every hour or so. And she takes about 4 - 1 hour naps. She is sleeping through the night, anywhere from 9 - 12 hours straight. She goes to bed around 8 o'clock now, so dh and I actually get a few minutes alone now before we go to bed. She is smiling and squealing all the time now. And she talks (cooing & other baby sounds) a lot too! Sometimes she tries to talk and nurse at the same time. It is really fun to watch! She is a great eater and is now 14 1/2 lbs. We are c'ding, so some of her 3-6 mth. cloths are starting to get too small because of the extra bulk. Anyway, I am really enjoying motherhood and it's challenges (like when to take a shower ) Thanks to all for welcoming me into your community.

[IslandMamma]

MaggiesMom- Yep, it was me that had it put in a bubblegum base. The peppermint schnapps-smelling stuff is the pharmacy formula, and it's in a strong alcohol base. (Can you even BELIEVE they invented this for babes? It makes me so angry). Anyway, DS did the same thing, screaming, choking, but he really needed it. So I did some research -- the trick is to find a COMPOUNDING pharmacy-- they make their own blends there. The bubblegum base is artifical and sweet, but at least he'll take it, sometimes even with a smile. (we have a very elaborate and funny Zantac ritual...) The bummer is that most insurance companies will not cover a compound formula, so we pay out of pocket. It's not too bad-- $20-- but so worth it.

Good luck!