Infant check in 9/2

[muscari]

Sept 6, 2017 15:59:22 GMT -6 jt2378 said:

Yes I always used the storage bags because I could write the # of ounces, date and store them nice and flat in the freezer muscari

Aye that just is the most convenient! I may look into those this week so I have them ready to use when I want to start freezing some.

[muscari]

jt2378 Ran into this and had to think of our talk on freezing BM yesterday. Figured I'd share!

livingwithlowmilksupply.com/how-to-store-frozen-breast-milk

[elliecat17]

U's witching hour is 6 until 11 or midnight. It's like a constant need for boob and H still expects me to cook dinner. Add to that he wants to be asleep by 10 since he has to get up at 5 and is been a little miserable in the household. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, and I hate it because I've wanted this baby for 3 long years. So I spend a lot of time disappointed in myself for feeling frustrated. But my house is a mess my dryer is broken and I'm cloth diapering so it's been fun trying to dry everything inside since it's been non stop rain for almost 2 weeks.

Sorry I complained a lot.
U is doing amazing. She sleeps from midnight or earlier until 5am. Then she naps again from 6 until 8. She hates tummy time but will do it for short spurts on her mat. She's a little over 2 weeks old and is so precious!

[addymac]

elliecat17 I'm sorry things are a but rough with her witching hour schedule. I'd make it very clear to your H that you making dinner right now just isn't going to happen and he needs to figure dinner out.


You're not alone in feeling overwhelmed. *hugs*
And complain away! That's what we are here for!!

[happyfeet9]

Sorry I've been MIA this week, DH went back to work so I've had the 3 kids most days and it's been insane most of the time.

Age: 3 weeks and 6 days

Milestones: E and D can both lift their heads well and track. They handle tummy time well and D can roll from tummy to back.

Good/Bad from the week:
Good- For the most part, they're great babies. We realize that when we load them up before bed they can give us 4-5 stretches so we've been doing that, but man all this pumping is killing me.
We also are having a trial run with a nanny starting today!
They also had their one month appointment this week and are doing great with weight gain which is a huge relief.


Bad- I'm super sleep deprived although DH is still doing short sessions at night. It's just hard to nap or sleep during the day with my pumping schedule.

Questions:
PICS!! Will post in private board.

[thinkchocolate05]

OMG elliecat17 I can't believe your dryer is broken. That is the worst! I hope they can fix it soon. Dh asked me what was for dinner the other day, and I felt like crying until I remembered there was a frozen pizza at the bottom of the freezer. Maybe you can do something super easy if he insists you cook.

[happyfeet9]

buggirl my MIL I had to take my MIL off feeds for the same reason. She also stuck mostly to cleaning bc of the fall risk as well. Hope she can be helpful to you in other ways so you can rest!

Also - would love the footed sleepers for E&D. Where are they from?

[kristyw]

muscari RE: expressed milk, I was told 5 hours at room temp, 5 days in the fridge, 5 months in the freezer, and up to 1 year in a deep freezer (not your fridge freezer).

With DS, I used a lot of freezer bags. I also did some milk in ice cube trays so if he had his 4oz and just needed a little more, a cube was about as oz vs thawing another 4oz bag. I'd freeze a tray full and then put them in a bag with the date and only freeze more when those were gone.

[muscari]

kristyw so odd how everybody gets different advice when it comes to keeping milk! I was told 1h at room temp by the PP nurse but the hospital they were fine with 3-4h. Then 3 days in the fridge and up to a year in the deep freezer (we dont have a freezer compartment in the fridge just the deep freezer).

Did you mean the special freezer bags or just regular ones?

[muscari]

What exactly is baby's witching hour? When they are the most fussy? Or?
Y'all must think I ask the most silly questions but sometimes I am just so confused hah.

[muscari]

elliecat17 don't feel bad or disappointed in yourself sweetie. It IS hard, this newborn stagea and just because you feel frustrated doesnt mean you wanted U any less bad nor does having wanted and waited for your baby so long make it to where you arent allowed to feel frustrated. I get it as at times I feel exactly the same as you do. But we shouldn't feel guilty - we are only just human. Be gentle on yourself *hugs*

How incredibly sucky that your dryer is broken esp since you cloth diaper.. and then having to dry all inside cause of the weather urgh! Will you be getting a new dryer??
And I am sorry things are a little miserable at times with YH. I hope you two can talk about it and YH will step up some more. 💛

[muscari]

happyfeet9 i bet it has been intense for you with YH back to work! I have 4 more days with MH home and am dreading him going back to work and I just have the one baby to take care of 😊 I hope the nanny will be a great help!

[jexxa]

Sept 8, 2017 0:29:49 GMT -6 muscari said:

What exactly is baby's witching hour? When they are the most fussy? Or?
Y'all must think I ask the most silly questions but sometimes I am just so confused hah.

Yes. Typically it refers to the period of time (almost always NOT just an hour) where baby is fussy/crying and nothing seems to calm them down.

I think I may have jinxed myself earlier when I said DD didn't seem to have one...the past few nights she's been super fussy from about 8:30 til about 12:30 😒

[Deleted]

Sept 8, 2017 7:11:07 GMT -6 jexxa said:

Sept 8, 2017 0:29:49 GMT -6 muscari said:

What exactly is baby's witching hour? When they are the most fussy? Or?
Y'all must think I ask the most silly questions but sometimes I am just so confused hah.

Yes. Typically it refers to the period of time (almost always NOT just an hour) where baby is fussy/crying and nothing seems to calm them down.

I think I may have jinxed myself earlier when I said DD didn't seem to have one...the past few nights she's been super fussy from about 8:30 til about 12:30 😒

Oh no! Hopefully it's just a fluke.

[Deleted]

elliecat17, YH needs to adjust his expectations with life with a newborn. I'm sorry your feeling overwhelmed, it took me a long time to get pregnant and I've definitely had moments of why did I do this?

But it'll get better. You'll find a rhythm and the baby will eventually become more independent. Hang in there, you're doing great!

[muscari]

Question: are you using a pacifier sometimes and of so what kind do you have? Are you BFing or bottlefeeding?

[Deleted]

Sept 8, 2017 15:30:30 GMT -6 muscari said:

Question: are you using a pacifier sometimes and of so what kind do you have? Are you BFing or bottlefeeding?

Yes, using a pacifier. Not sure what kind? We are mostly breastfeeding, but have had to use a bottle for certain circumstances. So not daily.

Edited to add that he still prefers to nurse above all others.

[jt2378]

Sept 8, 2017 15:30:30 GMT -6 muscari said:

Question: are you using a pacifier sometimes and of so what kind do you have? Are you BFing or bottlefeeding?

M could care less so far, same as my first

I keep trying though and I'm BF

[addymac]

Sept 8, 2017 15:30:30 GMT -6 muscari said:

Question: are you using a pacifier sometimes and of so what kind do you have? Are you BFing or bottlefeeding?

Yep! So far he only will accept "mam" pacifiers. We got a wubbanub and he haaaates it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It helps soothe him and helps us know if he's fussy bc he's hungry (he won't settle down with the paci if he's hungry) or just being fussy and needs soothing via sucking. We are mostly BFing and for awhile he was getting about 3 bottles per day but now it's maybe one. He seems to have no issues going back and forth 🤞🏼 I did buy preemie nipples for the Dr browns bottles though, bc with the level 1 he would guzzle 3oz in about 5min! So I got preemie bc they are slower flow to make the bottle last 7-10min 😂

[cali]

Sept 8, 2017 15:30:30 GMT -6 muscari said:

Question: are you using a pacifier sometimes and of so what kind do you have? Are you BFing or bottlefeeding?

Thanks for asking this. I've been wondering this myself. We haven't given her one because we were told to wait 3 weeks but I have been wanting to try it because sometimes she will calm down sucking on my finger and also seems to want to use my boob as a pacifier a lot. She'll be 3 weeks on Sunday so I was thinking of trying one but was worried it would impact BFing. Glad to see it doesn't seem to be a problem.

[happyfeet9]

Sept 8, 2017 15:30:30 GMT -6 muscari said:

Question: are you using a pacifier sometimes and of so what kind do you have? Are you BFing or bottlefeeding?

D uses the avent pacifiers; E rarely takes one but prefers mam when she does. Both are being bottlefed.

[king26]

Sept 9, 2017 0:53:55 GMT -6 happyfeet9 said:

Sept 8, 2017 15:30:30 GMT -6 muscari said:

Question: are you using a pacifier sometimes and of so what kind do you have? Are you BFing or bottlefeeding?

D uses the avent pacifiers; E rarely takes one but prefers mam when she does. Both are being bottlefed.

J likes the avent pacifier too

[thinkchocolate05]

Sept 9, 2017 2:18:07 GMT -6 king26 said:

Sept 9, 2017 0:53:55 GMT -6 happyfeet9 said:

D uses the avent pacifiers; E rarely takes one but prefers mam when she does. Both are being bottlefed.

J likes the avent pacifier too

I'm trying to get my little guy to take the Avent soothie without much success. We are breastfeeding but supplementing with bottle as needed.

[jexxa]

With DS he wouldn't take a paci until he was a few months old, and he would only take the Avent ones. I haven't tried with DD yet and don't plan to for a while because i'm paranoid of messing up my supply. Both kids are/were breastfed.

[muscari]

I said so in the other thread but also wanted to say it here.. Thanks for all your input and shared experience all! Will respond lateron/tomorrow- been having a nasty migraine since late yesterday which is limiting my time on here. I read your replies in the MOTN while D was having her witching hour and it helped me feel a lot better and give me an idea of how others are dealing with these things. She had a pretty day but has been superfussy these past couple of hours. Guess e will see what the night grunts!

Eta: what the night grunts ?? Brings doh!

[king26]

@starzia, My H will do that too and I want to say do I do that when it's my turn? I cant complain too much though, he takes the morning shift 5-730 everyday so i can get a few hours of sleep.

thinkchocolate05, J will take it but then when it falls out while he is sleeping he gets so mad! Hows supplementing going? It;s been better for me since I decided a fed baby is better then a BF and hungry baby.

[thinkchocolate05]

king26 Thanks for asking. It's going better, meaning I'm being slightly less neurotic about it. He usually gets about 3-4 oz formula per day, and DH feeds it to him in a bottle right after I breastfeed so I can get a solid 2-3 hrs sleep. I try to pump instead of the formula but don't usually make enough. I had supply issues with my first too, and we unknowingly didn't feed him enough the first month. Comparing old photos of him looking skinny with DS2 starting to look chubbier is helping too. Fed is definitely best!!

[muscari]

Sept 8, 2017 18:51:20 GMT -6 cali said:

Sept 8, 2017 15:30:30 GMT -6 muscari said:

Question: are you using a pacifier sometimes and of so what kind do you have? Are you BFing or bottlefeeding?

Thanks for asking this. I've been wondering this myself. We haven't given her one because we were told to wait 3 weeks but I have been wanting to try it because sometimes she will calm down sucking on my finger and also seems to want to use my boob as a pacifier a lot. She'll be 3 weeks on Sunday so I was thinking of trying one but was worried it would impact BFing. Glad to see it doesn't seem to be a problem.

Yeah, in all the resources on BFing that I've been reading they say NOT to use pacifiers cause it'd give baby nipple confusion. But the pedi nurse we spoke to Friday said it was okay to use a pacifier on occasion once BFing was going well (as in, baby knows how to latch well etc). So now I'm debating giving it a try after all, even though I was in the "no paci'-camp originally. We've been giving D. a bottle (with the medela calma slow flow nipple) since a few days and she switches between that and my boob no problem as far as I can tell, so I assume/hope adding in a paci won't be an issue either. We will only use it to help her settle down if she's really fussy, and ideally I'd like to wait some longer, but we'll see? I'm debating ordering a dr. brown and a Soothie (seems to be the brand? tis the one used in NICUs here) and see which one she likes best (though they seem to be rather similar)..

[elliecat17]

I've been so worried about switching between the bottle and boob. But I've had to pump a few times because U will go so long without eating. And if I don't it starts leaking. However she also had periods of long feeds so it's nice to have the bottle for H to take over. But she's only had 2 bottles so far. And I'm going to keep it low. So not an everyday thing.

[buggirl]

Sept 7, 2017 6:22:24 GMT -6 happyfeet9 said:

buggirl my MIL I had to take my MIL off feeds for the same reason. She also stuck mostly to cleaning bc of the fall risk as well. Hope she can be helpful to you in other ways so you can rest!

Also - would love the footed sleepers for E&D. Where are they from?

The ones in the picture are Gerber brand. MIL got them so I'm not sure if she ordered them off of Amazon or from Walmart. Target carries Gerber preemie also. Most of what they have are from Carter's are a Carter's store brand. I've noticed that Gerber and Garanimals seem to run about a pound smaller than Carters FWIW.