35+ TTC 1st Graduates!!! Come on Over!

[MissMuffet08]

Hi Rebekah - I love the avatar photo and can't wait to see more. It is normal for babies to lose some weight the first week or so after birth. They normally regain + in the weeks coming. Are you feeding her every 3 hours or waiting for her to cue you that she is hungry? That can play a part as well, as it isn't a problem to put your baby on a schedule, some people like to do that, but typically you let the baby figure out their eating schedule and adapt to that. Also it is not a bad thing to wake her to feed. In fact most of the research I have done (and talking to Katelyn's pediatrician) have said that during the day, you shouldn't let them sleep more than 4 hours straight. So it is good to wake her.

However, just check her weight. If you find that even if you don't wake her up at night every 3 hours and she sleeps 4-5 hours and is still gaining weight, then don't worry about it. That is the most important thing. As long as she is gaining everything is ok.

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Thanks ladies, we wake her up just about every 3 hours with exception to 4 hours at night. I was just wondering how some women get 5 hours sleep and how they were feeding their baby. Okay, so we'll keep with the 3 hour schedule. She gained 2 ounces last appointment, I'm praying she gains on Fridays appointment. The sleep issue where she sleeps at the boob along with the pushing out my nipple on several occassions has me frustrated and wondering if she's getting enough milk. I have no idea what I'm doing. I thought it would be easier than this. Seeing some of you, it seems it's simple and like I'm missing something.

Thank you ladies!

 

[MissMuffet08]

You are doing fine! She is just getting used to feeding/latching. If she falls asleep, try tickling her feet or lightly rubbing her jaw or moving her arm a little to get her to keep sucking. I didn't start getting 5 hours of sleep until Katelyn was about 2 or 3 (more like 3) months old. She wanted to eat every 2 -3 hours. Sometimes it was 2 hours and other times it was 3. For a while she was waking up and eating every 2 1/2 hours at night like clockwork. I would feed her at 12am and then 2:30am, then 5am, etc. Then during day time she would take a 3-4 hour long nap. As she got older she slowly lengthened how long between feedings and would eat more frequently during the day. Now, most nights I can put her down around 8:30/9pm and she will sleep until 6:30/7am. Although, I think I am going to try and start her bed time routine an hour or so earlier. We shall see what happens.

 

[skye2010]

Angela, how's little Ethan? Is that pesky cold gone? Poor thing xxx

Viv, sweetie how are you doing? Are you still in the hospital or at home? Did you figure out what to do about the feeding? I'm sorry both you and Callum is having such a hard time. How's your DH keeping up, I hope he's helping and supporting you.

Ceedee, thank you for your prayers Hope you have a wonderful vacation now that your morning sickness is gone Watch out for the fish you eat from local restaurants though. A friend of mine had a nasty poisoning there from a fish that became poisonous only certain times of the year. The restaurant knew it was the wrong time but sold it anyway. I thought of the doppler as well since I keep obsessing if the baby is doing well. But decided not to get it in the end cause it is quite common that you may not find the heartbeat even when the baby is ok. Than it becomes a bigger and an unnecessary worry. My last dr appt the senior dr couldn't find her heartbeat on the doppler and sent me to a scan. She said the doppler is a primitive machinery. You will start feeling her at 17-20 weeks. She will be moving and making small bubbles in your belly. Than you will know that she is ok.

CJ how was the test? Hopefully all clear )

Laura did you see the faces? Don't they look cute ) Shirin's moving and kicking much stronger nowadays. I really love to stay still and watch her moves. She kicks a little when I first go to bed and lie down. Than she finds a comfy plot and goes to sleep. So cute ))

MA cute photo Pls upload more when you have time. This bf'ing book I read said it takes them a while to get to a long stretch of sleep. As everyone else suggested. I guess I need to get ready for 2-3 months of not much sleep.

Sunshine how's your little sunny Hannah doing? Is she plumping up?

Svet, how are you hon? How's Sophie? Are you taking her out and about nowadays? Did she started smiling?

Missmuffet thank you so much for all the bfing info. You actually talk about exactly the same things as that book I'm reading so I guess i'll try that 3hour loose feeding schedule.

Anna, How did Jo like her little stroll. Did she feel better after the walk? I'll be having the baby in Jan so I will have to take her out in the cold as well ) Did you get her a snow outfit or just the blanket? I bet your girl will learn to ski and hike before she would learn to walk. Hahahhahahahaha!!!!!

The weather in London is really lovely nowadays. Sunny and mild for an autumn. I need to get this bathroom done before it gets colder. I'm still getting more quotes yet. Can't wait to get it done. My driving test date is coming soon. The driving instructor keeps cancelling every 1 appt out of 3 so I'm getting more nervous with all the changes in the schedule. It's been almost a year since I started the classes. How does people manage to pass it in 20 lessons? I guess I'm a bit crap.
Have a great day girls...

 

[rottpaw]

Hey ladies!

Skye, thanks for asking about Ethan. He is on the mend now, just a rough week for all of us especially at night. Poor little guy could hardly breathe!

Rebekah, I think what you are thinking of on the feeding timing is that most docs (and ours said this too)will tell you that a normal newborn needs eat every two to three hours, with the exception of ONE period (usually overnight) where you can let them go four to six hours, if they will. I think the key is to let Amelia tell you when she wants to eat, but yes it should be at least every three hours during the day. Did the doctor warn you that if they nurse more than 30 mins total per feed, theynare burning more calories than they are taking in? That was an issue with us and caused us ton have to go in for weight checks as well. Once I started sticking to that rule (which meant we had to supplement, because I never did get to where I was producing enough milk), we stopped having weight loss issues. So just keep that in mind.

Above all, be patient with yourself as this is all new and it is a lot to take in! As Amelia grows she will start sleeping longer for you, but at least in those very first weeks, we did notbhave any five hour stretches. I think the most we went was three and a half!

Ps love the avatar!

 

[lavalux]

MA,
Love the new avatar. She is a little beautiful butterfly.

Angela,
Glad that Ethan is feeling better. Poor little guy.

How are all the other new mommie doing?

Skye,
When is your final driving test again? How is your mom?

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Thanks ladies!

Steph, how did you produce more milk? I've been feeding Amelia on one breast and pumping shortly after. I get about 3ounces at most from both boobs pumped. What am I doing wrong??

Angela, thanks so much! Can you tell me, does little Ethan have all his shots now? Amelia misses the flu shot because she's too little and doesn't get her shots until the end of December. This freaks me out a bit because it's flu season. Doug and I got our flu shots, but taking her out in public has been a fear of mine. When we DO take her out, we bundle her up, put a blanket over the car seat, put the car seat umbrella up add her to the stroller and put the stroller umbrella up going over the car seat umbrella. People have wondered why she's been bundled up as they hack. :Wacko: Wondering how we'll deal with church. Everyone's going to want to see her. I'm watching that she doesn't get sick.

 

[rottpaw]

Hey rebekah! I only got 3 oz at most when I pumped and have read that is normal once you have nursed first. Don't stress too much about that for now and just focus onthe nursing. It can be really exhausting to do both and I only pumped because we weren't having an easy time with nursing but I wanted to feed breastmilk as long as possible.

And yes Ethan has had all his shots including flu. He goes back for a booster on the flu any day now; I've just been waiting for him to get over his cold first. I'm with you on being worried about the germs early on and quite honestly we just did not take Ethan out early on very much and when we did I just didn't really pass him around to be held, just let people smile and wave at him lol! We did not take him to church at all just because our church is so big I figure he would almost certainly be in contact with one bug or another. I felt a little better once he had his first set of shots, though that did not include flu at the time.... It was not fly season then so I am not sure what they would have recommended if it had been. The good news is the flu vax this year is the same as last years plus a couple new strains, according to my doc. So a lot of people in the population have had the shot at this point and risk should be minimal this year - at least in terms of the general number of folks walking around contagious with flu, if that makes sense. But I know it's scary so just be as careful as you reasonably can!

 

[Junebug_CJ]

Hey ladies, just checking in, still at my international genetics congress in Montreal. A lot of talks on prenatal and reproductive genetics, which is all the more interesting while pregnant... My CVS is on Monday at 8:45 AM. Getting really worried there is something wrong

 

[newmarriedgal]

Morning Ladies!

been awhile for me, been either busy as a bee or in pain and unable to type....but I've been reading and love this thread!

MA - i LOVE love love the avatar! so precious!!!! I can't wait to do newborn pics myself! how is the healing process going? I hope better than you expected.

so much to catch up on.....lava - thanks for the info about the class! very informative and I shared it with charlie. Many thanks! I don't have a choice on the c-section - the cardiologist and OB say so....and I guess they have the final say! the only thing I'm worried about is the breast feeding....the hospital i'm going to is VERY pro-bf. So much so that they say if I didn't want to, I would have to bring my own formula as they only have a tiny amount to supplement with. The nurse told me on an aside they may try to push the bf so be prepared. The only reason I'm worried is because I may not be able to, due to the medication I have to go back on....I don't want to be pushed into not taking the meds so I can bf if I really need the meds. I'm just a little worried but it will all work out in the end (I keep telling myself! )

and Great news about both babies being 1lb 1oz!!!!! keep up the good work!

Jules - how's the hubby? any more episodes? Hope all is well with him and You!!!

Skye - that's ok, I'm so used to the heart condition that I forget how scary it can sound. But I'm monitored very closely and my cardiologist is speaking with the OB and together they will come up with the proper plans for the c-section. So don't you worry about me! We are not finding out the sex of poppy....we are holding out!!! and yes, poppy is definitely kicking momma hard! I actually yelped out in shock last night as it felt like poppy stomped on me! But there has been lots of martial arts/dancing/aerobics going on in there! I Love it and so does charlie. We lay down every night with his hand on my belly and feel the activity.

Viv - I'm so sorry for both you and Callum about the reflux and having to be in the hospital so much! and prayers you both find things easier very soon!

Angela - hope Ethan is over his little cold soon!

June - I'm so sorry the CVS has you worried! It's hard not to be worried, I was a wreck at the NT test.....I'm sure all will be perfect and will pray for that! Also will pray the weekend will go by in a flash and the appointment will be over soon!

How is everyone else this morning! to sunshine, svet, ceedee, missmuffet, anna, carole and anyone I missed!!!!

AFM: the joint pain is getting worse, waking me up at night. I know that pregnancy can cause joint issues, but seeing as I have had degenerative joint issues before pregnancy and I had to go off all my medication, things are just getting worse. But that's ok, my rheumatologist and OB are working on something to give me that will be safe. I just moan all the time that I can't WAIT for the medication the second I've delivered!

I am in the middle of painting the nursery - one coat down, one to go! my hand pain makes me go very slow, but I'm proud of the progress so far! originally the room was a horrid bright coral color (and I usually LOVE pink) and it's on its way to being a very soft ivory. I hope to finish this weekend and next week I will paste up a cute stuffed animal border in the middle of the wall.....then we will have the rug cleaned and setup the crib and dresser! All I need is a glider....still looking for that!

Charlie had a late work meeting last night and people were coming up to him congratulating him on being a daddy again. Many sincere toasts were made to "middle-aged dads!" and we got many offers for help, so nice!

I made my applesauce on Wednesday - both a regular sweetened pink and a brown sugar cinnamon....I froze most of it as it will last until about 2 years! I also made us a big pie which I am eating most of and a few smaller ones I froze before baking so it will be easy to pop in the oven from frozen when we want a treat. Next up to make is some apple cake and apple bread that freeze well too.....

I have an ultrasound on the 19th to check the position of the placenta (it was only slightly low, so I'm hoping it has moved back up).

Poppy's kicking up a storm and I'm getting hungry AGAIN, so I'm off to find something to eat. Much love to you all!

Beth

 

[MissMuffet08]

Hi Rebekah – That is all I got in the beginning. You are doing NOTHING wrong. That is a GREAT amount especially if you are feeding her first. You can start to store the extra 3 oz in your freezer (either in small bottles or breastmilk freezer bags -which is a bit easier cuz they don't take up as much room, you just have to make sure they are closed all the way). Also, you don’t need to pump after every feeding. You can just do it once a day for storage purposes or when you know you are going to want Doug to feed her. I am taking Fenugreek tablets to help increase my milk supply, however as Amelia gets older and starts to eat more, your milk SHOULD automatically increase. The rule of thumb (or boob in this matter) is that you pump the amount that your baby normally eats in one feeding. However, 3oz is a lot for Amelia - does she normally drink that much? If not, then you have an abundance of milk which is great and don't need to take any supplements. Just keep on doing what your doing.

As for taking Amelia around people, our Ped suggested not to have her around people (ie. Church, Mall, parties, etc) until she was 3 months. Actually he told us because she was preemie to wait until she was 4 months before we took her to Church. I always had Katelyn covered with the umbrella and a blanket over that. In fact, I still kind of do that when I go out just out of habit.

Angela – Glad to hear that Ethan is on the mends. How did you not have him sleep with you while he was sick. That must have been hard. Katelyn has had all her shots as well and has to go back next month for her booster shot as well as an shot for RSV. In fact she will have to get an RSV shot once a month until April.

CJ – I think your conference is adding to your stress. I am sending positive vibes your way and will be praying about good results for your CVS test until you get the results. HUGS honey!

NMG – Yay on painting the room. How exciting. I am STILL trying to get Katelyn’s room in order…Le Sigh…oh and please send me one of those frozen pies LOL.

AFM – Nothing much new. I am working on getting Katelyn to bed earlier. Last night instead of giving her a bath at 8:00, I have her a bath at 7pm. She was asleep by 8pm. I cleaned up the kitchen and most of the downstairs! I then gave her a “dreamfeed” at 11:30 and changed her diaper. She didn’t wake up until 6:45 this morning YAY! Tomorrow we start her on rice cereal. I am so excited. I hope she does ok with the solids. Angela and Terri – my Ped said to NOT nurse or bottle feed her prior to giving her the cereal but wait until after and top her off with breastmilk. However, all the stuff I have been reading has said to give her some milk before giving the solids…I am going to try doing it the way her pediatrician has said, but wanted to know what worked for you.

Everyone else, I know most of you are trying to get into a rhythm/routine with the baby (or in Charmaine’s case BABIES)…or just trying to catch up on some sleep. I hope you and your LO’s are doing great. To all the pregnant mommies, I hope everything is going well and that morning sickness is subsiding and kicking is getting more prominent. Your LO’s will be here soon! Have a wonderful day and if I don’t get a chance to sign back on today or this weekend, have a FANTASTIC weekend ladies!

Best,
Steph

 

[rottpaw]

Hey steph, sorry for thebsuper quick post but trying to get the house ready for a family visit this weekend. If I am not around online this weekend, you girls will know what happened to me lol!

When we started solids, my ped said to always feed formula (or nurse) first, in the usual amount, then the solids are "on top of" whatever fluids they take. At first, they are getting so little of their nutrition from the solids vs the milk that the idea appears to be to make sure thet get their milk before fillingnup on cereal etc. But just FYI, our course might be slightly different than others because we began solids at four months (probably approx Katelyn's adjusted age now I think) and I have also never fed Ethan cereals of any kind. The reason is that since two months, he has been on that enfamil a/r, which has rice cereal "built in" to it. So he has essentially been getting rice cereal since that age. My dr. Also saidnthat she would rather we feed with an emphasis on veggies over cereal, because they actually absorb much more iron from their veggies than from cereal. So I have just never really seen any reason to try the cereals much... But again, our formula has cereal in it... When you start moving onto veggies and fruits, I have REALLY loved the Sprout and Ella's lines, and Ethan loves them too they are kind of pricey though, but I am working on perfecting my own homemade versions of the ones he likes best and will be happy to share them when I get recipes worked up.

Okay not such quick post after all lol! Gotta run, but and and love to all!

 

[rottpaw]

Oh ps steph, we did move Ethan into our room for about five nights while he was sick. No way I could trust the monitors etc. I had to be able to hear him breathing!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Another question. When you feed 2 to 3 hours. Do you count from the BEGINNING of feeding or 2 to 3 hours from the END of the last feeding?? Nobody has told us.

 

[Junebug_CJ]

Beginning Rebekah! We just waited for her to wake up, but for the first 2 months it was pretty much every 2-3 hours. I did have to encourage her if she fell asleep at the breast, but I never actually woke her up from sleeping to nurse...

 

[svetayasofiya]

Beginning of feeding Rebekah.

Don't worry so much. It sounds like your a natural and producing plenty of milk.

Maybe i'm a bad mom but Sophie and I have been out about since she was ten days old. She was also born in warm weather. I don't let random people hold her and keep her hidden in the stroller most times but wear her in the snugli alot now. I think it's important to get out but do what you feel comfortable with

.Heloo to everyone and all the new moms. Hope everyone is coping and getting some sleep xo

 

[svetayasofiya]

CJ and I posted at the same time.... are you still in Mtl? We should have met up!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

CJ, we've been waking her up to feed her because she'll sleep through. Thing is, we wake her and especially now in the pm hours, she goes right to sleep on the boob.

I'm SO unsure whether to let her go back to sleep or try to get her to wake.

Todays visit didn't go so well. She lost a half ounce. She gained 2 ounces last week and then lost again. The pediatrician said most babies gain their weight back by the second week. Doug just finally got her stimulated some so I'll try to bf'd her again for 15 or so minutes without her sleeping. We're supplementing with 2 ounces of formula after bf'ing her as the Dr. wants.

Today I fed her 50ml of breastmilk from the bottle and then the 2 ounces the Dr. suggested and she threw up. Seems like a whole lot so we're taking it upon ourselves to cut it down to no more than 3 ounces total from the bottle if we're only giving her the bottle and no more than 2 ounces supplementing after bf'ing. Does this sound like it's still much for her little belly?!

I know it sounds like I'm stressing and I guess I am.....I've had Dr.'s freaking me the heck out and I'm starting to feel like I'm neglecting my daughter. One of the ladies from church who went through similar circumstances as me said it took her 3 months before she got the hang of all this and because of her c-section, the progesterone, etc., just as long to get a natural milk supply going and a child that would latch correctly. Made me feel better. She told me NOT to give up if Amelia loses again...to keep trying AT LEAST for 3 months. Her son was dangerously low and she had to supplement like me, but eventually they got it.

 

[Junebug_CJ]

Rebekah, it all goes down to 6-8 wet diapers in 24 hours! And sorry, the whole C-section making it hard to breastfeed is a load of BS! I think you're doing great! She does not need over 3 oz at this time, that is way too much. Sounds to me like her latch and suck are good, and she's getting plenty!

 

[svetayasofiya]

I agree 3oz is way too much. Sophie is two mo and only eats 4oz every two hrs during the day with a 7-8 hr stretch of no food at night. That would mean Amelia is eating more than my two month old and Sophie is well over 11lbs. Def not under weight.

How much does Amelia weigh?