sammysam
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Post by sammysam on Oct 23, 2018 7:19:39 GMT -6
For STM+ is there anything you're planning on doing differently this time around? Or things that worked and you're planning on trying again?
For FTM anything you really want to try with baby or things you definitely do not?
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sammysam
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Post by sammysam on Oct 23, 2018 7:29:45 GMT -6
I nursed to sleep with DD. I found it to be magical and I'm definitely going to do it again...even thoigh I kept having people tell me it was a bad idea.
I said I would never bed share. Ever. But DD stopped sleeping in her crib at 6 month sooo we started bedsharing at that point. And it worked for us. I'm going to try to keep this one in a crib as long as possible but I have a feeling I will end up in bed with both kids at some point.
We didn't swaddle or use pacifiers so I'm going to try to do the same this time. And I had a terrible bed time routine the first time around. I'm thinking because DD has such a good routine now and we'll all be sharing a room that this time around will be better. At least I'm hoping.
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bonzo
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Post by bonzo on Oct 23, 2018 7:31:06 GMT -6
I know I want to try cloth diapering. Mostly from an environmental perspective, and wanting my baby products to be as natural as possible. But also since we plan to have another kid, it will save some money in the long run.
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sammysam
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Post by sammysam on Oct 23, 2018 7:34:24 GMT -6
bonzo I heard it helps with potty training later on too because it's easier for baby to be able to tell when their diaper is wet.
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bonzo
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Post by bonzo on Oct 23, 2018 7:50:02 GMT -6
bonzo I heard it helps with potty training later on too because it's easier for baby to be able to tell when their diaper is wet. I’ve heard that too! And I know a couple of little boys who have been very reluctant to potty train, so anything I can start early to help later is a bonus! |
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Post by courtniko on Oct 23, 2018 8:00:08 GMT -6
sammysam, I am with you, I loved nursing to sleep, it was so comforting for both of us. Both my kids were horrible sleepers, and fought going to sleep, but would nurse to sleep happily. And it did not affect either in the long run at all. I also bed shared/breast slept with both, and have no regrets. Both are out of our room now, and it makes me sad, but the younger one moves a lot in his sleep. Honestly, most stuff I did was for survival at the time, and worked out in the long run. I will follow babys lead again, and do what works best for baby and me. A better night time routine would be a smart thing for us though.
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Post by mamabear02 on Oct 23, 2018 8:17:36 GMT -6
I had pretty bad ppd/ppa last time and just really didn't have a good local support system to help me through it. Because of that I didn't end up sticking with breastfeeding which gave me a lot of guilt for a long time (but DS is perfectly healthy and we have a great bond so I'm thankful it didn't seem to negatively effect him). This time I plan on asking for help. Someone will have to come to help take care of DS anyway so I think it will be easier for me to admit I need help. I also have a better local support system now too. So, I'm planning to be successful with breastfeeding this time.
DS also slept in something similar to a rock and play or on me -- whatever worked. I'd like to have a flat sleeping option in our room for early on bc that rocker was such a hard habit to break.
I'm mostly keeping an open mind that all babies are different and we'll likely do whatever works and helps us get through the early days and adjust accordingly.
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sunny75
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Post by sunny75 on Oct 23, 2018 8:18:31 GMT -6
bonzo, If you have any questions about cloth diapers let me know! I've been cloth diapering for almost two years now and I love it. I have a pretty minimalist stash so there's a few I haven't tried out, but I think the way I'm doing it is one of the cheapest ways.
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Post by lolacachia on Oct 23, 2018 8:49:19 GMT -6
F was a unicorn baby. Rarely cried, put himself to sleep on a schedule from like day 5, etc. I only ever had like 1 week when he learned to roll over that he gave me trouble at night. Our biggest issue was that he got lazy nursing around 5 months and I had to see an IBCLC to get my supply back up.
So I'm basically scared shitless to have a baby who actually acts like a baby. I plan to breastfeed again. F just weaned at almost 3.5. But I have already decided I don't want to put as much pressure on myself for it to go perfectly like I did last time. I basically lived on the couch for about 6 weeks during the day just holding F. I don't regret it, but I'm worried about how to do that with a new baby while balancing Francesco's needs.
Nurses to sleep, will do that again. I'm just going to try and go with the flow and take the baby's lead. I think trying to plan for anything is just going to cause stress for everyone when it doesn't go as planned lol.
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bonzo
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Post by bonzo on Oct 23, 2018 9:30:52 GMT -6
bonzo , If you have any questions about cloth diapers let me know! I've been cloth diapering for almost two years now and I love it. I have a pretty minimalist stash so there's a few I haven't tried out, but I think the way I'm doing it is one of the cheapest ways. What do you use? My one friend who has cloth diapered uses mostly prefolds and covers, and she loves it. I’m thinking a combination of prefolds+covers and AIOs since we’ll be needing to figure out childcare when I go back to work in the fall. We also have pretty hard water, which I’ve heard can make washing a little more difficult. We have an HE front loader too. On the plus side, it’s so dry in CO I’m not worried about diapers taking forever to air dry! |
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sammysam
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Post by sammysam on Oct 23, 2018 9:31:42 GMT -6
Yes to survival! I had so many idealistic views of what life would be like with an infant. Hahaha. Of course this time I'm imagining everything according to what DD was like...but in reality it will likely be the exact opposite.
I'm glad at least that DD will be back to school starting in September so I'll have the majority of the day to give alone time to baby.
I am dreading the summer though. DD and I are usually on a boat up North for 2 months and taking all kinds of day trips places. We are rarely in the city and when we are we are rarely at home. If all goes well I'll be recovering from a CS for the first 6 weeks...so it will be an adjustment for DD (who will be 5.5 at that point). I will have to try to get SO to take some time off those first few weeks so that he can take DD some of the places I normally do. Once September hits I can just take baby to all of DD's activities so it might not be too bad.
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sunny75
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Post by sunny75 on Oct 23, 2018 11:47:06 GMT -6
bonzo, That sounds like a good plan! I use prefolds and covers and I highly recommend those. Super inexpensive (I only have like 4 covers) and I've never really had any problem with them leaking.
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sunny75
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Post by sunny75 on Oct 23, 2018 11:55:03 GMT -6
I was a crazy FTM with DD and stuck to strict schedules. It worked well; people kind of laughed at me because I was so strict with her routines. But she is a great sleeper now and still follows a good schedule. I think I'm going to have to be more easy going with 2 kids so I may have some adjusting to do!
With DD I breast fed for three months and then exclusively pumped for 9 months. It worked well for us but I'm just not sure if I will be able to pump so much this time around. So I'm hoping for an easier time breastfeeding but if not I may have to explore other options.
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sunny75
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Post by sunny75 on Oct 23, 2018 11:58:55 GMT -6
lolacachia, I'm jealous of your unicorn baby! You seem to have a pretty laid back approach so maybe you'll end up with another chill baby!
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sammysam
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Post by sammysam on Oct 23, 2018 12:25:42 GMT -6
sunny75 I was way too chill with DD. I wish I would have been able to get a set schedule down. I'll be trying with #2. I breastfed DD until she was almost 4. My milk dried up when I was in hospital after the hemorrhage but I think we were nearing the end anyways. It took 3 months after DD was born for my milk to come in. I used assisted lactation (basically a tube attached to my nipple so DD would still nurse but she was getting formula and not milk for the first while. She started spitting out the tube once my milk came in), pumping and medication. I wanted to give up but my mom guilted me in to continuing. It was literally hell. But I'm glad I stuck with it in the long run. I'm hoping BFing will start out easier next time around but I'm prepared to power through again if needed. I still supplemented with formula the whole time (my supply was always low) so I'm ok if it doesn't work out too.
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Post by mamabear02 on Oct 23, 2018 12:34:58 GMT -6
bonzo, I cloth diapered as well. I did prefolds with covers for the first bit. Pockets were a lot easier once he got squirmier though. I really liked thirsties covers and I ended up with some cheap offbrand pockets from Amazon that worked well. We didn't really have issues with leaks except overnight (we ended up doing disposables overnight and he still leaks overnight at least once a week even after being daytime trained).
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Post by lolacachia on Oct 23, 2018 13:05:45 GMT -6
lolacachia, I'm jealous of your unicorn baby! You seem to have a pretty laid back approach so maybe you'll end up with another chill baby! Your lips to gods ears lol |
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Post by quinstar on Oct 23, 2018 15:37:32 GMT -6
I BF DS until 6 months, then bottle fed until 12 months. It worked for both of us, and I plan to do that again. We didn't really offer a paci to DS, and even when we did he wouldn't use it so we probably won't offer again.
Ah, feed to sleep worked fine, I always woke DS just a little before putting him down so he soothed himself to sleep. Dream feeds, awesome. DS 'sttn' at 4 months, until 5 AM, I'd grab him and feed him in bed, then we'd wake up at 7. That was nice. The last wakeup moved into his morning nap eventually.
Lets see, bassinet for the first 3 ish months, then crib. This time we might keep the baby in our room until it's sttn because we only have the one other room with DS.
Flat surfaces. The swing after one month caused a flat spot so bad it took until he was 15 months to go away. It was a miserable week getting him out of it too. DS slept on only flat surfaces after that, and slept fine, so we won't even break out anything else unless necessary.
DS was pretty easy through transitions, slept well, BF well, etc. (Easy aside from the colic...). I figure the next won't be the same, and expect to be thrown a curve ball or two.
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Post by elephantastic on Oct 24, 2018 4:38:50 GMT -6
bonzo , If you have any questions about cloth diapers let me know! I've been cloth diapering for almost two years now and I love it. I have a pretty minimalist stash so there's a few I haven't tried out, but I think the way I'm doing it is one of the cheapest ways. What do you use? My one friend who has cloth diapered uses mostly prefolds and covers, and she loves it. I’m thinking a combination of prefolds+covers and AIOs since we’ll be needing to figure out childcare when I go back to work in the fall. We also have pretty hard water, which I’ve heard can make washing a little more difficult. We have an HE front loader too. On the plus side, it’s so dry in CO I’m not worried about diapers taking forever to air dry! Prefolds or inserts with covers worked well for us until E became stronger and harder to control- I would say around 9 mo to 1 year. Then all-in-one and/or pocket diapers worked the best because it was only one piece so to speak to get on her quickly. The nice thing about inserts + covers initially is that you change them so often because they pee so much you can reuse covers occasionally thru the day if they didn’t soak through. |
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Post by elephantastic on Oct 24, 2018 4:42:27 GMT -6
bonzo, I cloth diapered as well. I did prefolds with covers for the first bit. Pockets were a lot easier once he got squirmier though. I really liked thirsties covers and I ended up with some cheap offbrand pockets from Amazon that worked well. We didn't really have issues with leaks except overnight (we ended up doing disposables overnight and he still leaks overnight at least once a week even after being daytime trained). My favorite and only diapers I used for overnights once E got to be like 1 yr-18 mo (can’t remember exactly) were workhorse fitteds with a cover. They hardly ever leaked. www.greenmountaindiapers.com/pages/workhorseI only used them for overnights and I did laundry every other day so I think I had 3 total. |
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Post by elephantastic on Oct 24, 2018 4:51:08 GMT -6
I had a really really difficult baby. Very high needs. I would say colicky but she didn’t really meet the definition because she cried/needed to be held and walked all the time not just at night. Somehow I made it but I’m well trained. I hope this baby has more chill but I know I can make it if he/she doesn’t.
What I will do again:
+Whatever to cloth diapering. I loved it. I have a good stash. I don’t think I will need to buy anything diaper related. I will probably make new clothwipes because E’s cloth wipes turned into rags we were done with them.
Sleep schedule. This was so important for E because she was already so easily overstimulated. There was no car napping. There was no going out after bedtime. This was one of her only good points early on- she has always been a pretty good sleeper and napper.
What I won’t do again:
Probably even attempt to BF beyond first couple days. I have hypoplastic breast syndrome and I knew BF would be difficult. I never could get E to latch without me wanting to die and I pumped for 9 weeks but my supply was not good in spite of all the supplements. I was miserable. I was also alone because H wanted me to BF and my mom easily BF all her kids so I had a lot of pressure. Finally I was able to come out of my haze and say screw this it’s not worth it. I will try to have this baby latch and get the first couple days of colostrum in him/her but I’m not putting in the major stress that I did the first time and I anticipate we will go straight to formula.
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Post by elephantastic on Oct 24, 2018 4:54:00 GMT -6
I have a better idea what to pack for the hospital Will tell more people to mind their own business. I think things went well with my really hard baby. Hope the next one isn’t even harder. I’m hoping with a second baby people won’t be trying to give so much advice. And if they do tell them btdt, LoL |
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