April/May 2008 MOMS (all others are welcomed too)

[Cocoa]

Hey Ladies -

Sorry this is late! I was so sick over the weekend that I couldn't even lift my head off the pillow for 3 days. I feel better today (even did a little vacuuming).

So let's go with it girls!!! We're here now and sure happy to be PARENTS AFTER TREATMENT!!!! WhaaaaaaWhoooooo!!!

Love you all,

oxoxCocoa

[woodcliff]

Hi!! Thank you for starting the thread, Cocoa...
I hope you feel better...your poor body needed the rest

Out the door to get some baby photos processed..
anyone have any "formal" shots done?
We have not done that, I just keep taking photos...
but it would be nice to have something really nice, I just can't imagine organizing it

We also did not send out announcements...seems like everyone and their brother knows already we had the babies, and I have written 52 Thankyou notes so far (I have told people to quit sending gifts...it is mostly my husband's patients, and damn it, I have to write the notes...and he rarely remembers who gave us the gift then gets mad at me for not writing it down...duh. I'm a little busy)

Am so happy...let go of all of the help save my fantastic student who has a flexible schedule, which I need more than a 9 to 5'er...these are my babies and I was feeling too well to leave their care to others
I'm so happy I don't have an office job...can work from home...I have NO IDEA how you ladies are pulling it together for the office...HATS OFF TO YOU.
xxoo
Oh, my babies still have their 2 or 3 am feeding, then again at 6 or 7...
drats...I Had high hopes, as the other day they had a 9:30 pm feeding then a 4:30 am feeding...no such luck. LIttle teasers
2 months old today!
THey are smiling like mad and very active...this is so fun.
xxoo

[Vlada]

Cocoa,
Thank you for starting the thread!!!
Woodcliff, do you still have your night help?
Vlada

[woodcliff]

Vlada...how is your little girl???? You??

I just let the night people go and I'm on night duty now...it's not so bad, but I can't wait for the babies to sleep long stretches!

...Mary Freakin' Poppins (who got paid a high hourly and complained about not getting her sleep!) is history and the Jamaicans are 'on tap' for me...these wonderful women who are great with my twins...so the plan is to use them if I need a weekend break or a full night's sleep.

Ie: My hubby wants me to use one Sat night so we can have time together to go to a party I don't want to go to...I don't like the people and don't want to spend the $$$ on a night nanny, but my regular sitter (the student) is busy.
I'm searching for another twin sitter as a back up.
Anyone hire an au pair? I feel guilty, my hubby put together a fabulous au pair suite in the basement...I mean, he worked like hell at it, wiring for cable and high speed, working with the guys to replace the small kitchen...etc etc.
Now? I don't want an au pair yet...am so not in the mood to play mom to a young girl, but that could all change at any time...
The student is fantastic and has flexible hours...but again, she is young and could 'disappear' on me...
oy.
love to all..

[robinsonpr]

Nice one Cocoa - good to be over on this thread!

My 2 are keeping me very busy. It's been a bit difficult as they are both a bit constipated. I spoke to the doctor about it and she said it's normal because of the switch from breastmilk to formula. But that was like 3 weeks ago! She said it can take time and it's quite normal for babies to go 4 days with a poo. Not nice when I can see him straining but unable to do one. I've read about maybe giving some cooled boiled water, or maybe even mixing in a little apple juice with it. Anyone else experience this after changing formulas?

I'm still having regular 4 hourly feeds, including the 3am one. No sign of them sleeping longer yet.

I've had a few smiles. Well, not convinced they're smiles actually, could just be wind!

Right...back to the little monsters!

Love, Hayley xx

[Cocoa]

HAYLEY!!!!

DON'T USE APPLE JUICE!!! Their systems are too immature!!! Use dark kayro syrup (which is just sugar syrup) - that helps loosen the bowels. My poor little boy had such constipation when I started using the powder form of the formula of the SAME brand. It was a couple of weeks from what I remember. Anyway, I had to switch to same brand but gentle formula and they are pooping great with much less fuss.

I feel better but still have body aches and pains, some dizziness and just an overall feeling of malaise. I have no appetite either. Have dropped more weight but only because I so busy with two that I have no time to eat ALL DAY! I am sweating up a storm too...

Anyone find that this is harder than we anticipated? I am but I love them so much I wouldn't trade it for a second.

So WC - I am going to sue my OB for what she did AND didn't do that she SHOULD have in civil court! I had a right to be treated with and spoken to with respect and at a time where emotions play a big role in how you handle life she intimidated me into not asking questions until I swelled up and could keep quiet no longer! I need a civil rights attorney - anyone know one? Also, girls if you have any thoughts to add please do...

love you all -

Cocoa

[rebeccaj]

hello everyone! sorry i haven't been posting - i have no time these days! having said that i have just mastered tandam feeding using my EZ2 pillow and it's great! it cuts down my feeding time by half, don't run into the issue of one baby having to wait and feeling guilty as she cries and also they snuggle up together after the feed and fall asleep. it means i can't move for a while so the tv is my friend but overall it means less tears and happier babies (and mum!).

it sounds like everyone is doing great! my girls are really coming into their own, are now 7 weeks and have both put on over 4lb's since leaving the hospital. still BF'ing in the day (every 2 - 4 hours) and expressing at night but also giving one bottle of formula in the night to give me and my boobs a break! one of the girls is sleeping for 5 hours at night but the other only 3.

my dh went away this week fir two days and so i had to do it by myself - was exhausting but i impressed myself by just getting on with it and it wasn't nearly as tough as i'd thought. cabin fever did set in a bit as i need a second person to get the buggy up and down the stairs so we were house bound for 48 hours

is anyone having success with tummy time? my girls either cry or fall asleep.

cocoa, thanks for setting up this new thread!

love to all xxx

[robinsonpr]

Cocoa, thanks for the tip about apple juice! I did go to my pharmacist in the end and she recommended a small dose of lactose syrup - sounds similar to what you suggested. I gave some to both boys and Jack did manage to go yesterday afternoon! It was quite hard to start but then it exploded so hopefully he's unclogged now (tmi!).

However I had a bit of a horrendous night... Charlie just started screaming really bad for no apparent reason, and this went on and off all night. I suspect it was probably the dreaded colic from the way my sister in law describes it when her little boy had it. I've read that colic is caused by undigested lactose, so maybe it was the syrup that caused it. I tried giving him some gripe water but that didn't seem to help. We got some sleep, but not very much...

Anyway, back to pooping... (SORRY). OK so Jack was definitely constipated, probably caused by the Gaviscon which I've now stopped giving him. However, I don't think Charlie was constipated as such, his are still quite runny and explosive. BUT not very frequent. So the question is...how often should a 7 week old poop? It was pretty much every nappy change in the early weeks, but now it seems like maybe once every 24 hours. Does anybody know if this is normal?

And YES, this is definitely harder than I expected. I mean I knew it was going to be hard but it's really hitting me now. My DH has gone back to work and I find there is simply not enough time to do anything around the house. By the time I've fed, burped, washed bottles, washed clothes, put clothes out, prepared next bottle it's time for the next feed!! I'm trying to get out of the house a bit but it's a real struggle getting out and by the time everything is sorted it's time to come home to feed again!

My DH is a singer in a band and he's got quite a few gigs booked over the next few weeks, many of them far away so needing an overnight stay. I couldn't cope on my own. I've done some feeds alone but I don't think I could handle a whole night without help. Rebecca hats off to you for coping on your own for 2 days!!! Maybe when they start sleeping better it will get easier but they are still a bit hit and miss as to whether they sleep soundly at night. My DH's mother comes round to help me with feeds during the day, plus a few friends, and she also stays overnight if DH is out all night at a gig. I just feel really bad, like I'm taking advantage of her. DH says she loves being involved but I can't help feeling bad. If it was my own mother I'm sure I'd have her round all the time but she died when I was young.

Oh hearing Rebecca talk about the EZ2 Nurse pillow... I found it an excellent bfeeding aid, and used it religiously while I was bfeeding during the first 4 weeks. But now we're bottle feeding I don't need it, so am going to sell it. If anybody would like first dibs before I put it on ebay let me know!

Phew...I've actually had 20 minutes to myself for a change...lucky me!!!

Speak soon,

Hayley xx

[Mandy J]

Well done for starting this thread, so happy to join you over here.

Hope you are feeling a bit better now Cocoa!

Well, obviously the 'twin' thing is what makes the difference in coping through all this change!

I can't believe how easy I am finding this, which I realise must really grate on some peoples nerves, but Ellie is such an easy baby! I know at some point this is all going to come back and haunt me, but so far.....

I feed at 11.30pm and then Ellie wakes up at 6am for her next feed, occasionally she will wake around 4.30am for a 'munch' She only cries when she wants fed or sometimes when she is getting her nappy changed. I do get a bit tired every now and then, but not utter exhaustion like the rest of you. She does have the habit of demanding her feed, just as I sit down to eat mine though, so I am eating lots of cold dinners at the moment, maybe I should change to Salad!

Anyway, next week.....BIG TEST.....I'm having a 1/2 day at work to see how things go, Ellie is coming with me, so hopefully she will be the little angel she is right now and not turn into some devil child! I was meant to go back at the beginning of July, but I've delayed going back properly until the end of July when DH will go part time at work, to help look after Ellie, we decided that we did not want any outside help (which is obviously a bit easier to cope with only one baby!)

I went to mother & baby group on Tuesday, but I'm not sure it was for me, just a small group of women sitting chatting with their babies...I kept thinking of all things I could be doing! Anyway, when I left, I forgot my handbag, so I got the receptionist at work to keep an eye on Ellie while I rushed back to get my bag, when I got there they asked where my baby was, and I told them I'd tied her to a lampost...oops, don't think they were impressed with my humour!!!

We had a photoshoot done of Ellie, and they are lovely but truthfully I think some of the photos we have taken are far nicer, I took one of Ellie sitting in my handbag...well Paris Hilton has her Yorshire Terrier...I know how terrible to compare Ellie to a little puppy....but hey it gets worse than that, we had our dog put to sleep about 6 weeks ago, and several times I have called Ellie 'Mitzi', this poor child will be so emotionally damaged as a teenager!!!!!

I have developed cravings for chocolate...BIG STYLE...I can't stop eating, we are meant to lose weight easily at the moment and I think I am putting it on, Oh well, I can join weightwatchers again in 3 weeks, so I don't think I'll worry about it and just enjoy the cravings as I didn't have any during pregnancy.

Now a bit of a personal question.....I am still bleeding slightly after 3.5 weeks, can someone tell me how long this goes on for, should it have stopped by now?

Mandy
x

[Mandy J]

Are any of you using the washable nappies

I had bought some for Ellie, but they were huge, with Ellie being so tiny!

The district council here, gives a voucher for anyone using reusable nappies, so I found some more which were just small enough for Ellie, but they only had 3 nappies in stock, so I thought it a good opportunity to try them alongside disposables.

The brand I bought are Totsbots, bamboozles - made from bamboo...oooer!

Verdict:

1. They are great if you are not going far from home, I would not want to carry a bag with dirty nappies around all day.
2. When they are wet, they are very wet, so need changed straight away, so have also decided not to use them overnight, as I think it would be uncomfortablefor Ellie.
3. They are a bit bulky, but I actually think it makes them cute....Ellie looks in the mirror and asks 'does my bum look big in these?'

Overall though, they are no hassle to clean, are lovely and soft and obviously landfill in the UK is a big issue, so we will continue to use them, but not exclusively like I first thought!

Anyone else got any views on these?

Mandy
x

[woodcliff]

Oh my god...Mandy, I am laughing too hard to type...Mitzi! Tied her to a lamp post! Wish you lived on my block, I love that sense of humor...so real. Some of the moms around here are so darn driven and organized I fear I'll never make a friend I click with...
And, as you noted, who has time?
I would kill for the twins to sleep from 11:30 to 6:30! You are so lucky...I fear it's at least another month before I see anything CLOSE to that...
My babies are 9 weeks old today
Where does the time fly to?
sigh.

OK...It is ALL about the Poop (according to humorist Dave Barry in his funny 'baby' book..., isn't it? "Babies and Other Hazards of Sex" ... hilarious. buy it.

I think if your pediatrician isn't worried about it, don't worry about it...I call the nurse at the ped's office from time to time just to ask questions...and she's very helpful. I hope your ped's office does the same...so sorry the boys are having trouble!

Gotta dash...time for more personals later.
xxoo

[Vlada]

OMG, Mandy, I am sooooo jealous that your baby is quiet!!!!
I don't know what to do with mine, i started using pacifier and it does help, but i just can't seem to figure out how to make her go to bed at 8 or 8 30 pm. I try every single day and she screams untill 11 or midnight, she just doesn't want to sleep at night. It is very frustrating. She wakes up 7 or 8 am, so i don't understand why she won't go to bed at night. i swaddle her, giver bath, feed her, do everything, i don't know what else to do.
How do you guys manage to get your babies to go to sleep at 8 pm? Also, Tesa still wakes up every 2 to 3 hours at night, i am very very tired, that is why i have not been posting lately
Vlada

[woodcliff]

Just curious, Vlada:
Why the 8:00 pm time? Why is that so specific?

My babies are on a 3 hr feed, sometimes at night they'll go 4, once went 4.5 hrs (yay)...

Nothing is set in stone...today, for example, their morning feeds were 3 hrs apart, then in the afternoon, they were 4 hrs apart, with higher feeds... (AKA ounces)

But their last feeding was a 3 hr span...
and at 8:30....meaning, they'll be up at 11:30 (unless they decide to go 4 hrs) for another feed...
They'll then repeat the cycle till I"m froggy tired...
Eventually, as they get larger and older (9 weeks today) they'll go longer stretches...
I think it's all about the babies just getting older, and their tummies larger...that's what the Ped said.
Now, as to the crying, ouch. That's tough...maybe she'll outgrow it...my son sometimes does that, at night, and I take him into the bathroom or kitchen and run the water and stand and rock him...
Swaddled, pacifiered 'up'...and yes, I have a white noise machine (don't think it makes a diff. though)...and constantly whisper loud SHHHHHS in his ear...eventually he nods off...
With him, it's more about his being too tired to sleep ...
oh well
best to you...
xxoo

[Vlada]

Well,
It doesn't have to be exactly 8 pm, i would be happy with 9 pm as well. She just doesn't want to go to bed at night time period. I mean she cries , screams and fusses around untill 11 pm , or last night it was untill almost 1 am. I just don't know what to do

[woodcliff]

Oh, Vlada, I so feel for you...that is so difficult...
I know it sounds extreme, but have you packed her in the car and driven around? That is supposed to calm babies..I don't know if she is colicky or not...BUT I do know that time frame is the Witching Hour...
My friends, and my pediatrician, say it's the worst...baby meltdown...

My son from time to time melts down anywhere between 5 to 9 ... for at least 1 or 1.5 hrs...He seemed to do it for a few nights straight at one point...BUT now that he is older, it is rare he does this...SO age might play into this ???
--Running water calmed him
--"jiggling" him..(holding him in one arm, near the elbow, and jiggling my elbow.
--walking and patting his backside
--swaddling, always swaddling...
pacifier

Oh my god..then playing hot potato with my hubby while one of us held our 'calm' baby (girl)...
sigh..I soooooo feel for you! Does it only happen at night? If it were all the time I'd worry about ear infections...
If it is colic, I've read that passes by 2 months...hang in there...!!!!!