December 2012 buns

[Coconuts]

Oh my goodness, Ebelle you've totally left us hanging here!!! Hope all is well, looking forward to the update hun. I think you might have got the wrong idea about my organizedness though. I feel rather disorganized about getting ready for her and feel that while I'm fiddling about with making baby wraps and cloth wipes and knitting I should be buying essentials like stuff for cord stump care, nipple creams, thinking about breast pads and bottle teats and all that itty bitty crappy stuff that you need and don't think of.
The only thing that's kind of ready is diapering but I need to finish off the wipes, order the Rockin Green detergents, wash them all half a dozen times, get the stuff to make the cloth wipe solution and buy the dresser to change her on, the shelves and baskets to put the diapers on, the bottle to put the spray solution in, coconut oil to use as rash cream, an actual diaper pale and a pail liner to boot. Looking at it like that, there's more to do than is done on the one thing that I thought was nearly done

I cut out a wrap from my jersey interlock. It's great!!! but doesn't have much give. I know this might be better for a toddler but I really wanted it to have a bit more stretch so I can pop her in and out with it pre tied. I have a feeling this is going to one of the 'woven' wraps that you kind of half do, put her in, tighten it around her then finish doing it up. Gah.
Might bite the bullet and see if I can find some regular cotton jersey (not interlock) on sale and try again, keeping these ones for when she's bigger and the jersey bags too much????

 

[sadie]

Coco, while you are organizing what you need, add to the list a cuocipappa by chicco! It is amazing at making baby food! I made O her pappa today and it came out delicious! She loved it and the texture was perfect!

Ingredients: potato, carrot, broth, cream of rice, olive oil and parmigiano cheese.

 

[Coconuts]

Ooooooh will have to remember that! It's not a newborn essential so will have to go on the back burner since we're on a bit of a budget but just looked it up on amazon and it's looks great, cooks / steams the food then whizzes it without putting in too many air bubbles! Will keep that in mind.

So you changed your mind again and decided to try solids earlier rather than later?

 

[LoloShells]

My best friend wants to get the baby bullet and swears she will make this boy fresh food, lol. More power to her. She loves tv shopping!

 

[artsiekat]

Ebelle - Exciting!!

Coco - In the beginning they advise to just use water on baby's bum. I actually still just use water. I just keep an empty bowl next to the changing table to fill with warm water every change. Every now and then I'll use a disposable wipe just to wipe him down with between bath days. Eventually I'll get around to making my own wipe solution, maybe when his poo gets super stinky!

I had bought some cloth breastpads, but I rarely leak I've never had cause to use them! I also have very large breasts, so I wonder if that's why I don't leak much. When I do I only leak out of one breast(my smaller one!). I've also been lucky enough to only need lanolin cream for my nipples in the very beginning. I haven't used the stuff in a couple of months. One perk about Quinten feeding constantly is the lack of leaking and never having plugged ducts. He doesn't go long enough between feeds for that to ever happen!

I hope you don't have to use the pads or cream much, either! *crosses fingers*



Sadie - I want to get a small food processor to use at the table for Quinn. Just mix it up fresh! I'm pretty excited to start him on solids soon. I will probably do it the minute his Dr. gives me the okay because I need feeding help! He eats soooo much!

 

[citymouse]

Coco, I liked nipple butters better than creams. There are organic ones on Amazon, at least here in the US. Also, I loved my gel pads that you can use for the first couple of weeks. They really helped with the rawness. I do leak and I use disposable nursing pads... Cloth ones don't hold it in well enough.

 

[LoloShells]

If my math is correct Ebelle should be having her scan right now! Can't wait!

Coco, have you started a nursery yet? I want to see what everyone else is doing. A good friend just bought me the crib bedding I wanted off of EBay, I'm so excited!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/350637940397?redirect=mobile

 

[LoloShells]

I need an education from you boob feeders. Is it possible to pump, and feed from the breast? How do you do both? For instance I'm concerned about when I go back to work. How do I pump enough to have a supply for him while I'm gone, but still feed him from the breast when I get home? Is that even possible?

 

[citymouse]

Yes, Lolo! Entirely possible! You'll want a good electric pump.

Your supply will regulate to accommodate whatever you do on a regular basis. So if you start out breastfeeding exclusively on maternity leave, your supply will be high enough to handle that. Then, if you cut down a couple of feeds and pump instead, your supply will adjust.

Excited for Ebelle's gender scan results! I'm guessing .

 

[ebelle]

Well ladies, after a long 45 minute detailed scan, where the baby had to be pushed, prodded and nudged, everything is fine with baby artoo. The radiographer had a hard time getting the baby into position for the required measurements, but managed to in the end.

I am pleased to announce we are on team !!!

I am so happy as I always wanted my first born to be a girl

Will post scan pics later when I get home.

 

[LoloShells]

yay! Congrats Ebelle!!

 

[Katy78]

Congrats ebelle!!!

 

[B&LsMom]

I'm not sure if I posted nursery pics here or not, sorry if I did already----but since Lolo asked Since I took these pics, we now have curtains up, and also a nice soft rug on the floor also!!

Ashley--Love the pic--thanks so much for sharing with us!!

Ebelle--congrats on team !! Looking at Ashley's decked out pink bundle makes me slightly jealous--but blue is what I know so I'm not too sad--maybe one day I may consider trying for a 3rd with fingers crossed for a girl! Or maybe I will be like Ashley and have 3 of the same

Lolo--I almost forgot to respond to your BF/Pumping question!! I breastfeed and pumped until Blake was about 4 months old--then one day he gummed me and it was a HORRIBLE pain, so then I went to pumping only. I made it until he was 9 months old with almost exclusively giving him my pumped milk, but by then my supply had greatly decreased and I was only pumping about once a day--obviously his needs were less since he was on some solid foods, but he would have breast milk at daycare and then the evening bottle would be formula at that point. Come 11 months and I gave up the pump--I was sick of that thing by then but he was only on formula for 1 month until his first birthday and we made the switch to cows milk so I was pretty proud of myself for making it to 11 months--I know many ladies make it further but for me that felt like a big accomplishment. My plan this time around is to pump as often as I would be feeding him if I wasn't at work--so approx every 3 hours. I announced to me co-worker today that I will plan on pumping at 9:30--12:30--and 3:30 as the other girl at my office pumps at the weirdest times! But my thinking is I can do a morning feeding before work, and then feed him when I get home at night if that schedule ends up working out. sticking with pumping around the same time as you would be feeding should also give you enough "servings" for little man to have for the next day while you are working. You might recall I recommended to our other Tina to take a weekend off from the breast feeding to "get ahead" with the pumping. With Blake I had a work seminar across the state as my first "work" time back right when he was 7 weeks old. He had to do formula for the few days that I was gone, but I flew back a HUGE supply with me that I had accumulated while we were apart. I seems I will have a similar chance to get ahead again this time as we are most likely booking a work seminar out of town my first week back again for Late January...Also like City said get a good pump. I ABSOLUTELY love mine--can't imagine a better model out there--but there are tons to choose from these days. I have this one: https://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/463/freestyle-breastpump

 

[LoloShells]

Bmom the little nursery is very sweet I wasn't excited about a nursery at first, because we don't own our home. I was renting when preg with ky, and spent weeks making her a nursery, painting stripes on the walls, installing a chair rail... Only to move out when she was 4 months old. I won't do that again. But I now have a lot of ideas that won't require wall painting, so I'm excited to get started.

Thank you for the info. I think that's the part that was confusing me. Ya know, how on earth do you get ahead, when what you're pumping is what baby should be eating. Can't very well starve him to get ahead. It's all a little overwhelming but I don't want to give up on it this time around. I plan to order a few books, and I heard Kaiser has a really good breastfeeding program. I admire women that seem to have the whole system down to a science. Side note: colostrum showed up today, don't recall it this early with Ky.

 

[Coconuts]

We haven't started on her nursery yet and probably won't until after she's born. She'll be sleeping in the same room as us for the first few months, maybe 6? with her cot right next to my side of the bed in a kind of open plan co-sleeping, seperate zones, arrangement. I'm in two minds about where to put her changing station. I'm having a chest of draws to keep all her clothes with a changer on the top, the diaper pale to the side and all the cloth nappies and wipes on shelves about it. I was going to put that in our room too so the nursery would be part of our actual room but since we're cloth dipaering and I want to be close to the loo to spray off poop, wash my hands etc, it makes sense to put her changing / dressing station in our big upstairs toilet. I'm going to get a nice floor blanket to put her on while I spray her diaper and wash my hands. If it's in the bathroom them I don't have to leave her, or put her somewhere else or juggle her on my hip or move her about etc. So no nursery, just baby zones througout the house. When she's a little older and it's warmer (our house get's freezing in the winter when she'll be very small another reason to keep up all together) she'll transition into her own room which we'll decorate further down the line.

 

[Coconuts]

Argh, off on one!!! Ebelle! Congratulation on another team pink!!

 

[sadie]

Congrats Ebelle! That great news!

Pumping... I have zero advice to offer. I pump when they hurt, if O isnt hungry to help out. I never had sore/cracked nipples, but they do leak from time to time. The johnson's disposable pads were the best I have found and I have tried almost every brand. Tommee tippees are the worst and the most expensive.

I got so excited about the concept of food that I just couldnt resist. She eats about 3 big tablespoons per day.

lolo, see if chicco makes a baby food maker for sale in the US. This machine is so amazing, I am already hooked on it!

https://www.chicco.com/ProdottiChic...rt/00076006100000/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Congrats Ashley!! Your baby girl is precious!!

Artsie, serious model you have there. He is delicious. I would eat him up if I could. I bet you are constantly kissing that peanut!

Now I am going to go get my moby and give it a wrap! Atho O is sleeping atm.....

 

[ashleywalton]

Thanks ladies.

 

[artsiekat]

Ebelle - Congrats on team pink! So happy for you!

Sadie - I can't seem to find the one you have here in the US, but I've been looking at this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Chef-Ul...352394828&sr=1-3&keywords=baby+food+processor

 

[B&LsMom]

I haven't seen these "all in one" steamer/pureers before--very handy!! We have the baby bullet that DH got me for our anniversary with our miscarriage angel, so it obviously hasn't been used yet. I'm excited for it, but having something that is "all in one" seems like a better solution. I noticed there is now a "baby bullet steamer" on the market. I registered for it but don't think I will splurge and get it. Maybe someone will shop the baby registry for Christmas gifts LOL