Beautiful Babies Due in 2011 (Combined Group)

[HopeIsAllIHave]

THANKS, everyone!!!

Here is a quick pic of my beautiful little baby girl! AAAH, SO IN LOVE!!!

[BlissfulCS]

Oh Ashley! She is beautiful and she looks a lot like her Mommy!

[smoon0021]

Ashley- Congrats on the birth of your lovely daughter! She looks so precious! Two hands down for you for delivering this beautiful baby naturally hope I can do as what you did! Again Congratulations and enjoy every minute with her! Take care always,,,,,

[Sdtryingagain]

Ashley--Athena Is too cute ! I wanna see those eyes, they look so big closed I bet they're even more striking when open!! Try to get us another good one once you get yourself recovered! Awesome you were successful with your plans for a natural delivery, I'm sure it was a beautiful experience. (I'm still practicing my techniques, but my confidence is low. Any advice?)

Crissy- congrats!!!

Bliss- I'm pecking away on my iPad and agree it is annoying! Glad you were able to switch places, I'm sure the change will be worth it!

[kjm1824]

Ashley. Athena is just so precious. Good job mommy!

[Sweetpea614]

Ashley she's so adorable!! She looks just like you

Kat

[margi26]

Ashley: She is simple gorgeous!!!! Congratulations, mama!! Enjoy every minute and post more photos when you have the chance.

Levi is home....we (um, me and Levi) got little to no sleep last night as we are adjusting to being out of the hospital and being in his own crib. I am using Avent bottles and I don't know if it is the bottles or him, but it took him FOREVER to finish a bottle. In the hospital he would finish in 20 minutes...sometimes 30 if he was really tired. All night it took him an hour each and he didn't even finish them all the way. With me having to pump every 3 hours in addition to feeding him, that didn't leave me much opportunity to sleep. They say the size 1 nipple (newborn) is the one I should use, but I am really tempted to try size 2 (1 month) because it was so slow going. Or do you think it will just take him some time to adjust to the new type of bottle. In the hospital he had graduated up to what they told me was the "regular" nipple. Not the slow flow anymore. Any suggestions?

While I was typing this I just got a call from the hospital social worker. If we are willing to get trained on a monitor today, my little Sofia can come home tomorrow!!! I am elated!! Yesterday they were telling me it might not be until Halloween or after and I was in tears. Her apnea induced bradys (someone asked me, Kat? What a brady is---it is a bradycardia episode. It is when her HR drops below 80. When it happens frequently, in their sleep, or when the baby requires stimulation to recover, they worry even though it is very common in preemies. But my Sofia only has them with "feeding induced apnea". When she is eating she gets too excited and forgets to breathe for a second. Literally. Her HR drops for a second or two at most and then jumps back up on its own. If it were the scary kind, I wouldn't want her home to take any risks.)

Oh, I am so happy!!! My mom arrives today to "help" which is a stressor for me, but unavoidable. SD--hope all is well with you and your mom. And you should be next mamma!!! Can't wait to hear.....funny, I thought we would be going into labor about the same time. Sorry I "jumped" the line.

I gotta go...feed the baby, pump and then take him to his first pediatrician appt. Then take him home, repeat--leave him with daddy then head to hospital so I can see my gorgeous little girl and get trained on her monitor. Whew, again, I am utterly exhausted and sore (I went to feed her at 11pm last night and didn't leave until after midnight. Then had to pump and feed Levi at 1 am) but it is all so worth it.

[annashope]

Margi
I am so happy to hear that Levi is home and that Sofia is coming home shortly. On the bottles I tried many different kinds for me personally it seemed like Paul struggled getting the milk out of all of them except for the Dr Brown bottles not to mention they really help with the gassiness. At first I didn't have any colic issues but by week 3 or 4 I switched to the Dr Brown bottles and it fixed the issue. I would not suggest switching to a faster nipple just because he can swallow a lot more air as he eats from a faster flow bottle and have a belly ache...that's just me though you have to do what is right. Paul is also a very slow eater and at 2 months it still takes him a while to finish his food.

I totally understand you on the pumping and feeding non-stop. There were days I thought that's all I was doing but as the milk supply fully establishes it will become so much easier. I now pump every 3-4 hours and it takes me 10-15 mins to get all 4-5 oz out and the best part is that the nipple soreness is gone. At night though Paul only nurses so no pumping and it's a lot more frequent so I guess that is why I am still not sleeping much. So hang in there I promise as you get more and more used to things they get so much easier and faster.

I would highly recommend the the Dr Brown's bottles

[kjm1824]

Margi. I used the same nipples from the nicu and the bottles- medela. My twins do fine with those. I had the nicu give me a supply. I totally understand the lack of sleep. For me it is feed one then the other then pump. Hope to get two hours of sleep and repeat. The last couple of nights is finaaly getting better and they are sleeping up to four to five hours. I still pump over night and bottle feed. Then i know they have got enough and they eat faster. My babies are still too comfortable nursing and fall asleep. During day i nurse only. It does get better. Take all the help you can get. Try and get a two to three hour nap in when someone else can feed and watch them. Pump then nap and wake up to pump. I esp like to do that around seven to nine at night so i get a good rest to make it through the over night.I never thought three hours of sleep would be so great! That is wonderful that sofia gets to come home. It would be so hard going along time with them seperated. If it is them same monitor we have for ella it is super easy to use. Nothing to worry about. Good luck!

[baby_blu73]

Ashley - Congrats on your little girl's arrival!!! She's a doll! An absolute angel! I'll be stalking the board to read your birth story.

Crissy - Congrats to you and your family, as well on little Sage's arrival!!! I LOVE her name! Can't wait to hear her birth story and see some pics!

Leora - So glad to hear from you! Tons of prayers being sent for your FET!

Blair - Keep up the great work! Sorry this is so stressful and difficult, but it's going to be more than worth it!

Anna - So great to hear from you! You have to post updated pics of Paul, I just know he's growing so fast.

Margi - How wonderful to have Levi at home already! It's gonna feel amazing to have Sofia join you finally. The sleepless nights that become sleepless days that become sleepless weeks (LOL) will get easier. I promise. Vibrating bouncers were our boys' beds for awhile and their swings are definitely a major staple in our daily nap times even now. Just remember to stock up on batteries! Keep us posted the best you can. Oh, and we use Playtex Drop-In bottles. Really similar to breast for baby and the liners collapse to reduce the amount of air they swallow. Clean up is super simple which was really important since we went through a lot of bottles especially in the beginning.

Sorry if I missed anyone...

Just got back from the boys' 4 month well baby check up. Brady's 14 lb 14 oz and Jaxon's 14 lb 13 oz... I can't believe how big these boys are already! They've both started rolling from their backs to their tummies. Jaxy loves to sleep on his tummy, we can't keep him on his back anymore! Doc said to start feeding them cereal about an hour before their bedtime bottles. It's a bittersweet milestone. I'm so proud of them, but it makes me want to cry that they're growing up so fast...

Hoping everyone is doing wonderfully!

[rypell1985]

Ashley-Athena is gorgeous!

Margi-Isabella had bradys when she ate too, but the didn't "count" them unless they lasted over 10seconds. Weird that if she was at a different hospital she could have been sent home on a monitor! Im so excited you'll have your babies home! On the bottle/nipple topic...I switched D and Izzy to a Dr. Brown's level 2 (3-6 month) at about 6 weeks and wish I would have done it sooner. It certainly can't hurt to try. You'll know if it's too fast immediately. I tried bumping D to a level 3 when he seemed to be getting bored while eating and I could tell it was too fast within 5 seconds and switched him back.

Stephanie-wow! Big boys! Mine started cereal last night and it's so darn cute!

AFM...things are going well. Work and twins is beyond exhausting, but I'm getting by. They aren't sleepng so well anymore, eating all night, so the doc had them start cereal. We will see if it works. They are getting big-I'm guessing 12-14lbs or so. My nephew, who is 4 months just weighed in at 23 POUNDS and 30 iNCHES!!!! Makes mine look itty bitty!

Glad to hear everyone seems to be doing well!

[DALLAS]

Does it seem like Im on the right track?..... 28 wks with twins, measured at 32, gained 30 pounds (orig wt 125). They didnt mention my wt being too much, thought I would pull from some of the other twin moms.

[rypell1985]

Dallas-sounds pretty on track to me. I was measuring 32 weeks around 28 weeks. I gained a total of 30lbs, but I was really sick in the first trimester and lost an initial 20lbs. Keep up the good work!!

[blairwh58]

Dallas- I agree with Ryann. Sounds like your right on track to me. Even though they haven't measured my belly, I know I measure a few weeks ahead too. As for the weight my MDs haven't asked my weight since I was admitted to the hospital, but since there is a scale in the hall I usually try to see what it says once a wk on the way back from my wheelchair rides. I think I am up to 28lbs and will be 32wks tomorrow. I know that my OB had originally said I should gain 37-40lbs and I started at 120lbs. I wouldn't worry about your weight as long as those little ones are doing well.

[Sweetpea614]

Quick post. I just got back from MFM doctor and didnt get the best of news. The MRI they did showed that my uterus where my old scar is and where the pain is coming from is thinning. If I wasn't in pain still she wouldn't be too concerned. But since I am and the pain is on the side where its thinning her fear is that my uterus may be on the verge of rupturing. She gave me 2 choices. First is be at home on bedrest and come in weekly and go into hopsital for steroids shots. Also if pain gets bad again go into hopsital immediately. Second is go into the hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy to be monitored closely and get my steroid shots. She even said as a patient talking she would want to do the first. The doctor in her and being concerned would prefer the 2nd.

I dont know what to do. I am only a few minutes from the hospital and really dont want to stay in the hospital, but the fear of my uterus rupturing as it grows is scaring me since if I'm home I'll be home alone most of the time since Chris works so much.

In the meantime she has switched me to heparin so I could possibly be awake during my csection rather than put to sleep.

Kat