Mums/Moms after Recurrent Losses (MARL) - Come join us!

[3xscharmer]

Viet- they all sttn, they actually came home from the NICU trying to sttn and we had to set alarms to feed them lol! They go to sleep at 7:15 and dd goes at about 8:15 and then everyone is up between 7-8am. We got lucky! I pumped until they were 4 months, after that it was just too much, two of my babies were in NICU for 2months and the 3rd was in almost 3 months, so by the fourth month they were all home and I was trying to adjust to feeding 3babies every 3 hours, they took an hour to eat and I had to take care of my 3 year old too...pumping was just too exhausting!

 

[3xscharmer]

Dairy - I felt like a failure when I has to stop Bf'ing the boys, but at the end of the day I could only do what I could do. I gave them 4 months and the switched to formula, DH reminded me during that time that both he and I were formula fed babies and look how awesome we are lol! Now I don't even think about it, they are still on formula and they are thriving! I think a combo approach sounds great though, as long as you're consistent with pumping/nursing them your supply shouldn't suffer much!

 

[Starry Night]

Even while I was BF'ing I was technically combi-feeding. When I had to get hospitalized for my anemia the nurses gave me a bit of a hard time when I said I was doing that so I had to explain I was nursing at each feed and topping off with formula as DD was still hungry even after sucking me dry.

My appointment is tomorrow so hope to get the iron issue sorted. I hate getting breathless after doing normal things like vacuuming or sorting the dishwasher, etc. And now I have a cold so that doesn't help. I know my anxiety is making things feel worse than they are and my being a hypochondriac makes me question whether my symptoms are real or not. But my anti-anxiety meds (separate from my anti-depressants) don't remove the symptoms entirely

I'm also a little nervous as this is the last appointment with my doctor before she goes on mat leave. I finally find an awesome doctor and she is going on mat leave and I have no clue if she is coming back or not. Mat leave here is a year long so a lot can happen in that time. I will be seeing another doctor in the meantime but I don't have that rapport or trust built up which seems necessary when dealing with something as sensitive as PPD.

 

[petitpas]

3xcharmer, you managed to bf all three for four months?! That's just incredible! You really must have been pumping for hours and hours every day

Starry night, getting a new doctor is bad enough (I have a new obstetrician as mine is off sick) but as you said this kind of doctor is even more intimate. I hope your new doctor is a pleasant surprise for you

 

[hopeful23456]

3x, i'm just in awe of triplet moms after knowing how hard twins are. just sayin thank god they sttn so early!

 

[3xscharmer]

Pet- I'm an overproducer, I pumped every 2 hours during the day and not at all during the night and was able to get about 52ounces a day. But in the end there just wasn't enough time to be attached to a pump for 30 minutes, but I am proud of what I was able to do!

Hopeful- I'm in awe of those who have quads or more lol. Seriously though, compared to what some women with singletons go through, I know I am so blessed to have easy babies and hope I never make those with singletons or twins feel as though they aren't all superwoman too, because motherhood is hard period! How are your duo?

 

[petitpas]

Well, I thought I produced well but I just fed one and had a bit spare
You must be rivalling that lady who just beat the world record for milk donation!

I also count myself lucky for having such an easy child to look after. Today I met with a twin mum and although her children aren't exactly difficult they are both more adventurous than mine. They kept running off, one at a time
So I suppose it really depends on each individual child...?
The lady I saw today was taking it all in her stride, btw. Very calm and organised

 

[3xscharmer]

Easy babies do not equate to easy children, they're not walking yet, I imagine that's when it'll get really hard lol!

 

[vietmamsie]

wow 3x! Thats amazing! sttn so early and such good babies! That is so great that you were able to BF for 4 months - breastmilk is such a good foundation that you were able to give.

As for the whole breast vs formula - I feel very lucky that I have been able to exclusively bf. I was hoping to EBF mostly because of the cost of formula. Here in Vietnam you also have to be wary of fake formula and everything costs at least twice as much as the states. Also, I know it is so good for the baby, but formula is also good for the baby - I always think it is so crazy when people act like it is sooo bad - it's been made to imitate mothers milk and does a perfectly good job feeding a baby. But man, EBFing isn't for everyone! I can't imagine doing this if I had to go back to work - pumping sucks and worrying about pumping times and my supply would just stress me out too much.

Long story short - all that matters is that you feed your baby! Formula or breastmilk, whatever makes you and your baby happy and keeps you healthy and sane!

 

[dairymomma]

3x-I have twin brothers and I do remember how busy busy they were. We had barricades in front of bookcases, stairs, and the fish tanks because of all the mischief my brothers got into once they were walking. But to have a third of the same age? Ooof.

Viet-I feel the same way about breastfeeding/formula feeding. I'd love to nurse my kids longer but my body just doesn't cooperate so my kids get formula. And yes, I feel a bit judged for this because my sis-in-laws are all boob machines and have no troubles nursing their kids til 12 months (or longer). But the other day, I realized the judgement is more on my part than theirs though and I need to stop measuring myself by their yardsticks. I've made 4 months with all three kids now and that's 4 months longer than it could have been so I'm pretty proud.

AFM-crabby. It's partly due to restless sleeping and late nights/early mornings but I'm also dealing with a slight tummy bug (DD1 also has it) so I'm not feeling very good. The kids all know Mommy isn't feeling good so I've heard nothing but whining for the last week. All this leads to one cranky mom. Hopefully next week will be better.

 

[Starry Night]

3x - I'm glad your babies are STTN for you. A good night's rest helps with the challenges of the day. There are always new challenges for each stage but sometimes easy babies do make for easy (ish) children. My son is 3 now and there are tantrums but it really is not at the level a lot of my friends are facing. He is extremely busy but because he's almost always happy, I will take it! I just have to let the mess slide. He's really like a tornado. ha ha

viet - I'm glad that BF'ing is working well for you. Sounds like you've found a system that works for you and baby.

dairy - I hope you're feeling better soon and that your kids wise up a bit and stop taking advantage of your being off your "A" game. I hope they realize the "A" game is coming back.

afm - got some bloodwork done to check out my iron levels but don't have the results yet. In the meantime, the doctor has given me some iron tablets to take. She was really nice and gave me about 80 days' worth for free. She said they were the expensive kind too. If my levels come back normalish and/or I'm still having breathing and chest issues she will probably order up a stress test.

And my oldest finally got in for a speech therapy assessment. The specialist said he definitely has signs of comprehension problems. I've been worrying that something was there but EVERYONE has been telling me that I was being paranoid and that my doctor was stupid for even referring him but now I feel rather vindicated too. He wasn't just being lazy and stubborn. But I'm also kind of sad. I want my son to have everything. No official special needs' diagnosis. We're still waiting for his child development assessment. And no word on how long we have to wait for speech therapy to begin. I heard it could be YEARS before we get in.

 

[wookie130]

Starry...how frustrating, and I'm sorry you have to go through it.

Those of you who have made your way around various threads and forums on BnB probably have seen me around, and are familiar with my strong stance on the issues surrounding the infant feeding debate. I'll just say that I'm not the crunchiest mother on the block, nor am I entirely traditional. And that's all I will say in here! LOL!!! I am passionate about the breastfeeding and formula debate, to put it mildly, and believe in choice and feeding without guilt.

 

[petitpas]

Starry, how old is your oldest?
It's so good that you have persevered with getting the assessment! Sometimes people around us are just too nice and don't want to see any problems but that can make things worse. If there is a problem that needs addressing, I think the sooner your son gets the right help the better. Just keep pushing and pushing as hard as you can

Wookie, I haven't seen your other posts, but my thoughts are that there are so many unfortunate children out there whose parents don't care. So for those who make sure their babies are well fed and loved there should be no guilt. Love, cuddles and milk is what a baby needs. Yes, breast milk has health benefits but formula is pretty good, too No need to beat yourself up either way. Hey, vitamins go out the window for toddlers anyway! Mine just wants chips and nuggets nowadays. Vegetables are the devil

 

[wookie130]

Petit, your toddler eats meat, at least! My daughter loves fruit, breads (anything starchy...most pastas and bready items), and some veggies. She does like dairy too...just NO MEAT. She's refused it for the past 6 months. Ugh.

 

[petitpas]

Wookie, he went through a big phase of no meat, too Then we had some steak and he decided he liked that He also likes salami and similar. It's like a treat for him. Obviously not as much of a treat as chocolate Oh my goodness, he is obsessed with the brown stuff. He goes foraging!

 

[melfy77]

How is everyone doing?

Life is just sooo busy, I barely have the time to read, yet alone reply

Wookie: Yep! As long as baby is fed and seems happy, and mother is ok, formula and/or breastfeeding, who cares!! I really don't believe in this whole ''formula will make your child sick, obese and allergic to everything''. Seriously they blame it for EVERYTHING!!!

Alexa finally got her first tooth...at 10 months lol. Funny thing is it's a top one, so she looks like Nanny McPhee

Someone posted this video on my wall and I laughed so hard I thought I had to share it with you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uiTtt8JFZo

 

[dairymomma]

Melfy- How true. How very very true. In fact, I just said some of those things this morning...And yesterday...and the day before...and...well, you get the picture.


I took a major tumble yesterday and my back is all knotted up. I've got a major tension headache now because of it and I've got a bazillion things to get done today. At least LO is happy. In fact, she's over there giving me her happy shriek (I swear she's increased her decibel level with every inch she's grown).

 

[Starry Night]

petipas - my son is 3 1/2. His vocabulary is fairly extensive. He simply doesn't always know what word or phrase to use when. He often falls back on phrases he knows even if they don't make sense. You know he is confused when he answers something with "Why not?" So right now we're working on getting him to memorize more phrases so we have to speak to him in two and three word sentences. He is babbling all the time and his personality is the sort that I would love to know what he is saying. He is a random child and his face is so expressive so I'm sure it's funny as heck. (he is running around and babbling to himself or some imaginary friend right now)

dairy - ouch! I hope you're feeling better soon. Back pain is no fun.

melfy - I've seen that video around and I think it's quite funny. My kids are generally good sleepers but sometimes my 3 year old goes through phases where he thinks 4am is a great time to use his room as a bouncy house.

And comparing your LO to Nanny McPhee. Too funny. I'm sure your baby is cuter than that! ha ha My son was 9 months when his first tooth appeared but then they came one right after the other. So you may be in for a long swath of teething episodes (just a bit of warning, LOL)

And my son is a PICKY PICKY PICKY eater. The list of what he will eat gets shorter all the time! It's at the point where I no longer consider him when I make supper. I make sure to fill him up at breakfast and lunch and at supper he eats what he eats. The inlaws were over this weekend so got to hear all about how he needs to eat more etc (and then my MiL started talking about how she starves herself because she's "too fat"....she's actually quite skinny....the hypocrosy was rather amusing and concerning at the same time...)

My son doesn't eat meat, pasta, rice or vegetables. He likes cheese, bread and will eat most fruits. So I work with that. He will eat burgers and hot dogs so that's the only way I can get "meat" into him.

 

[vietmamsie]

We are doing the whole Baby Led Weaning thing with Lucy. She is pretty funny - 90% goes straight to the floor, she only likes raw or lightly steamed fruit and veg (mango, watermelon, papaya, banana, bok choy, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, tomato are favorites), pretty much anything 'cooked' goes to the floor without even a taste (breads, pasta, oatmeal, egg etc) and her cup of water is the main event of the meal - she takes huge gulps until she is coughing and choking, then pours it all over herself!

 

[Starry Night]

I'm considering doing baby-led weaning with DD. So far I've made 3 attempts to introduce solids the traditional, spoon-fed way but she's rejected it each time. Sometimes she will grab at the spoon and pull it into her mouth but her independence makes me think baby-led is the way to go. She holds her bottle herself now and gets upset when I try to do it. She also tries to shake my hands loose when I'm holding her in a standing position. She's not quite 6 months' old yet! Mommy is going to keep holding her.

I have a friend who said her oldest was weaned the traditional way and the second would only do baby-led. Each kid is different. DD seems happy with just bottles right now so I'm going to give the traditional way one more try in a week before her next checkup. Then I may have to look into baby-led some more. I've always been paranoid about choking and I've been even more paranoid with my PPD so I do want to avoid it, if I can.

I did let her suck on mashed potatoes off my finger once but she looked at me like I betrayed her. She had this horrified, disgusted look on her face.