I can't believe how quickly we are approaching my daughter's 1st birthday! This year has passed by so fast. Although I wrote about many of these experiences and the feelings that I had when I started this blog over 8 months ago, I wanted to take some time to refelct on them again a year later...
Due Date Approaching (Dec. 15th, 2009)...
A year ago today I was 10 days away from my due date. I remember feeling huge and tired of being pregnant, but anxious and excited to meet our baby (and find out the gender). I was definitely apprehensive about my upcoming labour and delivery (because I had no idea what it was going to be like...no books can prepare you) and I was looking forward to, but a little worried about breast-feeding. It was a very emotional time.
Due Date Passed...
As I passed my due date, all of these feelings grew more intense. Waiting was really hard. Then we had a decision to make. It was a couple of days before Christmas and I was almost a week overdue. We had the option of continuing to wait, which meant that we would have to make regular trips to the hospital on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and so on to check the baby's vitals and make sure everything was fine. Or, we could go in and try Cervidil (a cervical ripening agent in the form of a tampon-like insert) and hope that labour would start on its own. This was a really hard decision to make because I was adamant about having a natural birth and if we decided to go with the Cervidil and it didn't work, we would be headed down a potentially unnatural path with no option of going back. My husband and I talked at length about our options and I shed more than a few tears. In the end we opted to go with the Cervidil and luckily, my water broke the next morning and I was able to have my all-natural birth!
Baby's First Christmas...
Last Christmas is a complete blur. I really wanted to be home for Christmas so we left the hospital in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, exactly 24 hours after Lilah was born. It was a nerve-racking drive home. I don't remember much about Christmas Day because I was so exhausted! Those first few days were definitely rough and I am so thankful that we were staying with my parents and that I had my mom there to help me out and provide support. My husband was AMAZING too! I made it through the early days of breastfeeding and the engorgement, the labour recovery and the sleeplessness and I have nothing but positive, happy memories about all of those early experiences. I feel incredibly lucky that I made it through labour and delivery and the first few weeks post-partum without any problems.
Sleeplessness...
We didn't get a lot sleep in those early days and I haven't had a full night's sleep to this day. Yes, my daughter is still waking twice in the night to nurse. I won't say that it wouldn't be nice to sleep through the night, but I made the choice to breastfeed knowing full well that it is completely normal for breastfed babies to continue to nurse in the night for several years (if one was to choose to breastfeed for that long) unless they are trained otherwise. I was never really keen on the idea of using sleep training to get her to give up the night feeds although there were a couple of nights several months ago when I did let her cry it out in an effort to get her to drop a couple of her night feedings (she was averaging 3-4 night feedings well into the second half of her first year which I no longer felt was necessary). I was hoping that she would be sleeping though the night by her 1st birthday, but without implementing more sleep training, that just isn't going to happen. I am currently debating trying to get her to drop one more feeding before her birthday so that I am only nursing her once a night, but have yet to find the right time to do that given that I am still working a couple of days a week and we will soon be travelling for the holidays and she will be sleeping in a strange room for several weeks. People ask me how I do it, but it is so normal now that it really doesn't bother me. I get enough sleep, I am able to go to work, I have energy and I am able to function like a relatively normal person so I guess I don't really have a lot of motivation to train her to sleep thorough the night and I could care less about the social pressures that say babies should be sleeping through the night by a certain age. I am doing what is right and works for Lilah and I and that is all that matters. I have a happy, healthy, thriving baby girl...what more could I ask for.
To be continued...
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Funny Video (Why I Can't Make Mom Friends)
I wanted to share this funny video I watched a couple a days ago on another parenting blog that I follow. It made me laugh really hard! This video represents the extreme version of what it really feels like sometimes when talking to other moms (and it made me wonder if I sound like one of these women sometimes too...LOL!) I did see glimpses of myself in each of them at different point in the video, but overall, I would like to think that I fall somewhere in the middle regarding most of the issues that are discussed. Check it out for a good laugh!
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7148143/?ref=nf
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7148143/?ref=nf
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Puree to Chunky to Finger Food: Making the Transition
It wasn't difficult to make the transition from smooth, pureed foods to chunkier purees because I tried from the very beginning when making Lilah's baby food, to make it thicker and chunkier than what you would find in the store. We did have our fair share of gagging and even a couple of puking episodes, but for the most part it was a pretty smooth transition.
Making the transition from chunky purees to finger foods and non-pureed foods has been a little more challenging for us because Lilah only has 2 bottom teeth. This made biting and chewing a little more difficult. I stuck with foods that were easy to mash for quite some time which limited the kinds of foods Lilah could eat on her own. However, as soon as I started to introduce finger foods, I made it a goal to give her something that she could feed herself at every meal. At first, very little of it ended up in her mouth, but now she has it mastered! Although it started as a way of getting her used to feeding herself and eating finger foods, it has become a great tool to keep her calm when I am preparing her meals (especially when she is particularly hungry) and it keeps her distracted while I am feeding her which can make the feeding process a lot easier.
Lilah's top 2 teeth are finally coming in and even though they have just come through the gum, I have noticed a big change in her ability to bite and chew and have been able to introduce more variety into her finger food diet. We are now starting to work on holding a spoon and using it to scoop food out of a bowl. I realize this is a very difficult skill to master and that it won't happen for some time, but the more practice she gets the better. We try to give her a spoon to hold onto/play with at each meal and occasionally give her a bowl as well (although it is usually empty aside from a few Cheerios). I have been letting her scoop out the last few bites of the food that I feed to her so she gets some practice at actually feeding herself (even though most of it ends up smeared on her face!)
Below I have listed some Lilah Tested and Approved Finger Food Ideas (most of which are fast and easy)...
-toast with a little butter
-french toast
-scrambled eggs/pieces of omelet filled with cheese
-grilled cheese sandwich fingers
-grapes
-banana
-rice crackers
-teething biscuits
-Gerber puffs
-shredded cheese/thinly sliced cheese
-cheerios
-pancakes
-small pasta shells
-kiwi fruit
Making the transition from chunky purees to finger foods and non-pureed foods has been a little more challenging for us because Lilah only has 2 bottom teeth. This made biting and chewing a little more difficult. I stuck with foods that were easy to mash for quite some time which limited the kinds of foods Lilah could eat on her own. However, as soon as I started to introduce finger foods, I made it a goal to give her something that she could feed herself at every meal. At first, very little of it ended up in her mouth, but now she has it mastered! Although it started as a way of getting her used to feeding herself and eating finger foods, it has become a great tool to keep her calm when I am preparing her meals (especially when she is particularly hungry) and it keeps her distracted while I am feeding her which can make the feeding process a lot easier.
Lilah's top 2 teeth are finally coming in and even though they have just come through the gum, I have noticed a big change in her ability to bite and chew and have been able to introduce more variety into her finger food diet. We are now starting to work on holding a spoon and using it to scoop food out of a bowl. I realize this is a very difficult skill to master and that it won't happen for some time, but the more practice she gets the better. We try to give her a spoon to hold onto/play with at each meal and occasionally give her a bowl as well (although it is usually empty aside from a few Cheerios). I have been letting her scoop out the last few bites of the food that I feed to her so she gets some practice at actually feeding herself (even though most of it ends up smeared on her face!)
Below I have listed some Lilah Tested and Approved Finger Food Ideas (most of which are fast and easy)...
-toast with a little butter
-french toast
-scrambled eggs/pieces of omelet filled with cheese
-grilled cheese sandwich fingers
-grapes
-banana
-rice crackers
-teething biscuits
-Gerber puffs
-shredded cheese/thinly sliced cheese
-cheerios
-pancakes
-small pasta shells
-kiwi fruit
Monday, November 22, 2010
Why are you here?
Be forewarned, this is a rant...
Lilah and I are taking a music class together which we both LOVE! It is so much fun. I have watched Lilah learn how to play a variety of instruments, recognize songs, dance and interact with other children. It has been a wonderful experience.
Except...
For the group of mothers that rarely participate, use class as a social gathering rather than an experience for their child, ridicule parents that do participate and generally look like they would rather be anywhere else in the world each and every class. I really don't get it. Why are you here?
Sadly, it is the one aspect of the class that I don't enjoy. Some might say "just ignore them", but we sit together in one big group and sing songs, dance and play instruments together so it is hard to just ignore them. As parents, our role is to participate and act as models for our children and the other children in the class. My daughter doesn't only watch me, she watches what the other children and adults in the group are doing and learns from all of them. I am singing and dancing and generally acting silly for my daughter, but for their children too. Would it be too much to ask for them to do the same?
Of course, we have not allowed this to ruin our experience. We have met a lot of wonderful people in the class and have even become good friends with some. We have signed up to take the class again and may run into the same situation which may prompt me to rant on my blog again, but that is what a blog is for right?
Lilah and I are taking a music class together which we both LOVE! It is so much fun. I have watched Lilah learn how to play a variety of instruments, recognize songs, dance and interact with other children. It has been a wonderful experience.
Except...
For the group of mothers that rarely participate, use class as a social gathering rather than an experience for their child, ridicule parents that do participate and generally look like they would rather be anywhere else in the world each and every class. I really don't get it. Why are you here?
Sadly, it is the one aspect of the class that I don't enjoy. Some might say "just ignore them", but we sit together in one big group and sing songs, dance and play instruments together so it is hard to just ignore them. As parents, our role is to participate and act as models for our children and the other children in the class. My daughter doesn't only watch me, she watches what the other children and adults in the group are doing and learns from all of them. I am singing and dancing and generally acting silly for my daughter, but for their children too. Would it be too much to ask for them to do the same?
Of course, we have not allowed this to ruin our experience. We have met a lot of wonderful people in the class and have even become good friends with some. We have signed up to take the class again and may run into the same situation which may prompt me to rant on my blog again, but that is what a blog is for right?
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Mommy Wars
As a parent, you want to believe that you are making the best choices for your child. Who wouldn't? Many of you have probably interacted with parents that vehemently stand by these decisions. I definitely have my own opinions on particular topics and I would stand by them if confronted about them. That being said, I know I don't have all or even most of the answers and I am willing to listen to the conversations that are going on in the world around me in an effort to make sure I am making the most informed decisions that I can for my daughter. Sadly, there are some parents that are so sure of their decisions that they ignore factual evidence to the contrary. The belief that vaccinations cause autism is one case that I have recently encountered. I am not going to go into detail on this particular issue as I posted some time ago about it. The only point I would like to emphasize is that there is no scientific evidence linking autism to vaccinations and this has been shown over and over again in studies looking at the causes of autism.
Of course, as a parent you want to make the best choices for your child and it is difficult given the amount of information, and more importantly, misinformation out there to wade through. Everyone has the right to make their own decisions and I totally support that, but if I can ask one thing it is that every parent does their own research before making any kind of major decision for their child. Don't listen to the rumors, here say, speculation and conjecture that is out there. Research reputable sources (ie. not the first hit you get from Google). Search Google Scholar instead of Google to find scholarly information. Read the information posted on reputable websites such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Center for Disease Control or websites for your local health unit. I know that it is hard to trust science sometimes given that we later find out that some scientists are willing to fabricate data and pop science sometimes leaves out important details when presenting data to the general public. But if we can't put some trust in science to tell us what is right and wrong, I think we are in big trouble.
I titled this blog post mommy wars because I sometimes feel like rather than working together to make the right decisions for our children, we mothers are fighting against each other in an effort to defend our own positions (whether they be right or wrong). Everyone has something to contribute to the conversation and we can help each other immensely, but we have to be willing to listen to one another and keep an open mind if any of us are going to be good parents.
Of course, as a parent you want to make the best choices for your child and it is difficult given the amount of information, and more importantly, misinformation out there to wade through. Everyone has the right to make their own decisions and I totally support that, but if I can ask one thing it is that every parent does their own research before making any kind of major decision for their child. Don't listen to the rumors, here say, speculation and conjecture that is out there. Research reputable sources (ie. not the first hit you get from Google). Search Google Scholar instead of Google to find scholarly information. Read the information posted on reputable websites such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Center for Disease Control or websites for your local health unit. I know that it is hard to trust science sometimes given that we later find out that some scientists are willing to fabricate data and pop science sometimes leaves out important details when presenting data to the general public. But if we can't put some trust in science to tell us what is right and wrong, I think we are in big trouble.
I titled this blog post mommy wars because I sometimes feel like rather than working together to make the right decisions for our children, we mothers are fighting against each other in an effort to defend our own positions (whether they be right or wrong). Everyone has something to contribute to the conversation and we can help each other immensely, but we have to be willing to listen to one another and keep an open mind if any of us are going to be good parents.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Early Puberty: What you can do to protect your daughter(s)
If you have a daughter, the trend of girls developing breasts and pubic hair earlier is something you should be concerned about. This issue of early puberty has been in the news more frequently and the National Institute of Health is now funding several major longitudinal research projects to determine why it is happening.
On average, Caucasian girls are developing breasts and pubic hair one year earlier than is considered normal and African American girls are developing an average of two years earlier. This may not seem like a big deal, but this earlier development has major social, psychological and biological consequences (ie. higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer and low self-esteem to name just a few).
There is no definitive answer as to what is causing girls to develop earlier, but several factors are being investigated. Until an answer is found, researchers are urging parents with daughters to do the following:
1) Feed your children organic/hormone free meat and dairy products. Animals are fed hormones to make then grow faster and bigger and hit puberty themselves earlier. It makes sense that by eating these animals, we could potentially be doing the same to our children.
2) Limit the amount of sugar your children eat. It is suspected that obesity may play a role in early puberty. Eat from the farm not the factory...fresh fruits and vegetables and organic/hormone free meats and dairy products is the way to go.
3) Limit the use of personal care products, particularly sunscreen. These products contain all kinds of chemicals any one of which could be contributing to the problem.
4) Use stainless steel water bottles instead of plastic and NEVER microwave food in plastic containers. When plastic is heated or cooled beyond certain temperature, chemicals leech out and it is not known what effects these chemicals are having on our bodies.
This issue is very alarming to me as it should be to anyone raising a girl. Despite the fact that it is becoming more common, it is NOT NORMAL for children to develop breasts and pubic hair at the young ages of 7 or 8. If taking these small steps could potentially help my daughter in the long run, I am totally willing to take them even if it does turn out that one or all of them are not the cause. It is just not a risk I am willing to take. Sadly, an answer to this problem may not be found in our lifetime, but my daughter is not going to be part of the experiment.
On average, Caucasian girls are developing breasts and pubic hair one year earlier than is considered normal and African American girls are developing an average of two years earlier. This may not seem like a big deal, but this earlier development has major social, psychological and biological consequences (ie. higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer and low self-esteem to name just a few).
There is no definitive answer as to what is causing girls to develop earlier, but several factors are being investigated. Until an answer is found, researchers are urging parents with daughters to do the following:
1) Feed your children organic/hormone free meat and dairy products. Animals are fed hormones to make then grow faster and bigger and hit puberty themselves earlier. It makes sense that by eating these animals, we could potentially be doing the same to our children.
2) Limit the amount of sugar your children eat. It is suspected that obesity may play a role in early puberty. Eat from the farm not the factory...fresh fruits and vegetables and organic/hormone free meats and dairy products is the way to go.
3) Limit the use of personal care products, particularly sunscreen. These products contain all kinds of chemicals any one of which could be contributing to the problem.
4) Use stainless steel water bottles instead of plastic and NEVER microwave food in plastic containers. When plastic is heated or cooled beyond certain temperature, chemicals leech out and it is not known what effects these chemicals are having on our bodies.
This issue is very alarming to me as it should be to anyone raising a girl. Despite the fact that it is becoming more common, it is NOT NORMAL for children to develop breasts and pubic hair at the young ages of 7 or 8. If taking these small steps could potentially help my daughter in the long run, I am totally willing to take them even if it does turn out that one or all of them are not the cause. It is just not a risk I am willing to take. Sadly, an answer to this problem may not be found in our lifetime, but my daughter is not going to be part of the experiment.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Band-Aids and 9-Month Olds Don't Mix
My daughter is a left-thumb sucker. She absolutely refuses to suck her right one. This recently became a major problem when she sliced open the top of her left thumb with her two bottom teeth. At first, it was just a tiny cut and we hoped it would heal on its own, but because she is an avid left-thumb sucker, it continued to get bigger and deeper. After the ordeal we have been through over the last few days, I regret not taking action earlier.
At first we tried to bandage it up with a little Vaseline while she was awake. I didn't want her to have a band-aid on her thumb while she slept in case she managed to suck it off and choke on it. Anyway, because she was still able to suck it when she slept, it was just not healing. We tried several different types of band-aids and tape in an attempt to get something that would stick and that we would feel comfortable leaving on while she slept, but she is would just keep pulling off whatever we put on.
Finally, drastic measures were necessary and I had a brainwave! I decided to sew a sock to the sleeve of a onesie. This way, I could put a band aid on her finger and she wouldn't be able to get it off while she slept. The finger would be off-limits and would start to heal. I knew that this scenario was going to cause major problems in the falling-to-sleep department, but we had to do what we had to do.
Lilah SCREAMED the first night we put the 'torture oneie' on her. She was just so upset that she could not suck her thumb to put herself to sleep. It took 40 minutes to get her to sleep that first night (she normally falls asleep on her own). The next day, she refused to take a morning nap altogether and getting her to sleep in the afternoon was really tough. I decided at this point, to go out and buy a soother. She has never had a soother before (other than on the plane) and I certainly didn't want her to get in the habit of needing one, but she needed to sleep. Post-soother, it has been much easier to get her to sleep at night, but naps are still a major challenge (today she refused to take a morning nap again).
This finger is taking longer to heal that I hoped, but we are optimistic she will be able to have her thumb back tomorrow. I fear that we have totally screwed up her ability to fall asleep on her own though and are going to have a few rough days and nights getting that back.
The moral of the story...try to teach your baby not to rely on only one method of self-soothing, just in case and get on even the smallest of injury as soon as possible rather than waiting until drastic measures are necessary because band-aids and 9-moths olds don't mix.
At first we tried to bandage it up with a little Vaseline while she was awake. I didn't want her to have a band-aid on her thumb while she slept in case she managed to suck it off and choke on it. Anyway, because she was still able to suck it when she slept, it was just not healing. We tried several different types of band-aids and tape in an attempt to get something that would stick and that we would feel comfortable leaving on while she slept, but she is would just keep pulling off whatever we put on.
Finally, drastic measures were necessary and I had a brainwave! I decided to sew a sock to the sleeve of a onesie. This way, I could put a band aid on her finger and she wouldn't be able to get it off while she slept. The finger would be off-limits and would start to heal. I knew that this scenario was going to cause major problems in the falling-to-sleep department, but we had to do what we had to do.
Lilah SCREAMED the first night we put the 'torture oneie' on her. She was just so upset that she could not suck her thumb to put herself to sleep. It took 40 minutes to get her to sleep that first night (she normally falls asleep on her own). The next day, she refused to take a morning nap altogether and getting her to sleep in the afternoon was really tough. I decided at this point, to go out and buy a soother. She has never had a soother before (other than on the plane) and I certainly didn't want her to get in the habit of needing one, but she needed to sleep. Post-soother, it has been much easier to get her to sleep at night, but naps are still a major challenge (today she refused to take a morning nap again).
This finger is taking longer to heal that I hoped, but we are optimistic she will be able to have her thumb back tomorrow. I fear that we have totally screwed up her ability to fall asleep on her own though and are going to have a few rough days and nights getting that back.
The moral of the story...try to teach your baby not to rely on only one method of self-soothing, just in case and get on even the smallest of injury as soon as possible rather than waiting until drastic measures are necessary because band-aids and 9-moths olds don't mix.
Monday, September 27, 2010
It's Challenging Being a Stay-at-Home Mom
Being a stay-at-home mom is hard work. It can be physically, mentally and emotionally draining. That is not to say there aren't a million amazing things about being a stay-at-home mom, but sometimes one just needs to talk about the tough parts of the job.
My daughter is 9-months old now and she never stops! Hence, the physically exhausting part of the job (never mind the never ending list of household chores that need to be done on a regular basis). Lilah is always on the go and getting into everything. It has definitely become more challenging to keep her occupied during the day which contributes to the mental exhaustion.
The reason I decided to write this blog post, however, is that I have been feeling a little (for lack of a better word), 'down' lately. I wanted to spend some time writing about the emotionally draining part of being a stay-at-home mom. Perhaps it will be therapeutic for me and maybe it will let other moms out there know that they are not alone if they are not feeling super happy all day every day.
I think there are several things contributing to the 'down' feeling I am currently experiencing. For starters, the weather is shitty and given that fall has just begun, it is only going to get worse. Add to that the fact that my hormones are out of whack again this week (if you know what I am saying). That being said, those factors don't completely explain my current emotional state.
I am feeling a little isolated. Sadly, we do not live in a family-friendly neighbourhood at the present time so there are no other young children around. I venture into a nearby family-friendly neighbourhood every single day in hopes of running into other moms and their kids, but it never happens. I take my daughter to the library every week with the same hope...nothing. We recently started taking a music class which is proving to be a positive experience, but getting out once a week to interact with other parents and children for an hour doesn't feel like much. At the current moment, I am trying to remain optimistic that we may walk away from the music class with a few new friends that we can get together with for play-dates.
Being a stay-at-home mom can also be a lonely job. Sure, you have someone else with you 24/7, but it is not the same as having another adult around that you can converse with. Living 9 1/2 hours away from both of our families and our friends that have children does not help with this feeling either.
I suppose I am a little bored as well. I know boredom is self-inflicted, but that doesn't mean I can't feel that way. It is hard not having time to do things for yourself that you enjoy. Yes, I do enjoy playing and interacting with my daughter more than anything else in the world, but I also like a little mental stimulation once in awhile and miss being able to sit down for a couple of hours and paint, read or scrapbook.
Let me just say, I don't feel like this everyday or even very often, but I know I am not alone in experiencing these feelings. I imagine there are plenty of other stay-at-home moms out there feeling much the same way. When I am overcome with these feelings, I suppose the best I can do is try to follow my mother's advice and "enjoy every minute of every day" and hope that this too shall pass...right? (I am sure a little sunshine would help too).
My daughter is 9-months old now and she never stops! Hence, the physically exhausting part of the job (never mind the never ending list of household chores that need to be done on a regular basis). Lilah is always on the go and getting into everything. It has definitely become more challenging to keep her occupied during the day which contributes to the mental exhaustion.
The reason I decided to write this blog post, however, is that I have been feeling a little (for lack of a better word), 'down' lately. I wanted to spend some time writing about the emotionally draining part of being a stay-at-home mom. Perhaps it will be therapeutic for me and maybe it will let other moms out there know that they are not alone if they are not feeling super happy all day every day.
I think there are several things contributing to the 'down' feeling I am currently experiencing. For starters, the weather is shitty and given that fall has just begun, it is only going to get worse. Add to that the fact that my hormones are out of whack again this week (if you know what I am saying). That being said, those factors don't completely explain my current emotional state.
I am feeling a little isolated. Sadly, we do not live in a family-friendly neighbourhood at the present time so there are no other young children around. I venture into a nearby family-friendly neighbourhood every single day in hopes of running into other moms and their kids, but it never happens. I take my daughter to the library every week with the same hope...nothing. We recently started taking a music class which is proving to be a positive experience, but getting out once a week to interact with other parents and children for an hour doesn't feel like much. At the current moment, I am trying to remain optimistic that we may walk away from the music class with a few new friends that we can get together with for play-dates.
Being a stay-at-home mom can also be a lonely job. Sure, you have someone else with you 24/7, but it is not the same as having another adult around that you can converse with. Living 9 1/2 hours away from both of our families and our friends that have children does not help with this feeling either.
I suppose I am a little bored as well. I know boredom is self-inflicted, but that doesn't mean I can't feel that way. It is hard not having time to do things for yourself that you enjoy. Yes, I do enjoy playing and interacting with my daughter more than anything else in the world, but I also like a little mental stimulation once in awhile and miss being able to sit down for a couple of hours and paint, read or scrapbook.
Let me just say, I don't feel like this everyday or even very often, but I know I am not alone in experiencing these feelings. I imagine there are plenty of other stay-at-home moms out there feeling much the same way. When I am overcome with these feelings, I suppose the best I can do is try to follow my mother's advice and "enjoy every minute of every day" and hope that this too shall pass...right? (I am sure a little sunshine would help too).
Friday, September 17, 2010
First Illness
How lucky are we! The first time I take my daughter into a situation where there are other kids around and they are touching the same things, she gets sick! Don't get me wrong, I think that is is a good thing that she has finally contracted something because her immune system needs to start building up a resistance to the more than 100 cold and flu strains that are out there. That being said, it still sucks and has resulted in a few very rough days and nights.
We attended the class on Monday and by Wednesday afternoon, she started to show symptoms. First, she threw up her lunch which I didn't think much of because it has happened before after she gags on a bit of food that is a little bigger than she is used to (I am trying to slowly feed her more textured foods). By that evening, she was very noticeably congested and her nose was running like a faucet. Poor girl! If you have ever tried to wipe an infants nose, you will understand how challenging and unpleasant it is for both you and baby. She was also getting increasingly fussy and tired. At that point, my husband and I knew it was going to be a rough night.
I don't actually think any of us got any sleep that first night. Lilah was miserable and understandably so. Her nose was running all over the place and she couldn't breathe very well. She wasn't interested in nursing at all at bedtime (I usually feed her lying down at bedtime). The only way I could get her to nurse was to stand and rock her in my arms while letting her nurse. A challenge, yes, but definitely do-able. She slept for a short time and then was awake again and very upset. She threw up once again, but this time judging by the look of the vomit, it was because of all of the mucus she had been swallowing. Our first experience cleaning up vomit in the middle of the night! Yahoo, what fun!
After that episode, we decided to prop her mattress at one end to help her breathe. I simply placed two thick books under the head of her mattress and we made sure she was good and asleep when we lied her down so that she stayed in the propped position rather than upside down with the blood rushing to her head (no worries, the mattress was not that angled)! This seemed to help quite a bit because she slept a little better after that (but still woke very frequently). Of course, her typical nursing schedule was thrown off, but I did manage to get her to nurse around midnight. I really wanted to get some fluid into her given that she had recently vomited.
The next day was a rough, sad day. Lilah would play happily for a short time and then realize she was sick and start crying. We had to torture her by wiping her nose all day, but I tried to ease the uncomfortableness of it all by switching between tissue and a warm cloth. I also mostly dabbed because I didn't want her to end up with a raw, sore nose on top of everything else. She wasn't interested in nursing in the morning so we ended up giving her a bottle. Due to her congestion, it was just easier for her to drink from a bottle. Later that day, I was able to get her to nurse. We managed to get some solid food into her, but she puked up her dinner which probably contributed to the need to nurse more than usual in the night. It was another rough night. Lilah woke very frequently once again (even more than the night before).
Today has been a much better day. Her symptoms seemed to have almost disappeared. She is no longer congested and her nose isn't running at all. At this point, she has yet to develop a cough which I am thankful for (and I hope it stays that way).
We went to music class again this morning so just my luck, she will be sick again in a couple of days! They say that once children start interacting with one another, they are always sick! It does make sense when you think about the fact that there are more than 100 different strains of the cold and flu out there and they have yet to be exposed to any of them.
We can't isolate them forever and they need to get sick once in awhile to build up their immunity. I am not one of those crazy parents who won't allow my child to put anything in her mouth that hasn't been sanitized (although I will wipe toys down after Lilah has played with them, especially if she is sick). I really don't think we do our children any justice by being too freaky when it comes to germs. In fact, there are studies now showing that germs help children. It has been suggested that the rise in things like allergies are a result of growing up in too clean of an environment. Of course, we need to use common sense when it comes to what we will let our children touch and put into their mouths, but there is no need to be a freak about germs. Regular hand washing and basic hygiene can go a long way!
Just to note, I didn't give Lilah any kind of medication. I did buy some saline spray for her nose, but didn't end up using it. I did apply a small amount of Vaseline under her nose at one point because it was looking a little raw and sore. It is important to check with your doctor before giving any kind of medication at this age as cough medicines and decongestants are not generally recommended.
We attended the class on Monday and by Wednesday afternoon, she started to show symptoms. First, she threw up her lunch which I didn't think much of because it has happened before after she gags on a bit of food that is a little bigger than she is used to (I am trying to slowly feed her more textured foods). By that evening, she was very noticeably congested and her nose was running like a faucet. Poor girl! If you have ever tried to wipe an infants nose, you will understand how challenging and unpleasant it is for both you and baby. She was also getting increasingly fussy and tired. At that point, my husband and I knew it was going to be a rough night.
I don't actually think any of us got any sleep that first night. Lilah was miserable and understandably so. Her nose was running all over the place and she couldn't breathe very well. She wasn't interested in nursing at all at bedtime (I usually feed her lying down at bedtime). The only way I could get her to nurse was to stand and rock her in my arms while letting her nurse. A challenge, yes, but definitely do-able. She slept for a short time and then was awake again and very upset. She threw up once again, but this time judging by the look of the vomit, it was because of all of the mucus she had been swallowing. Our first experience cleaning up vomit in the middle of the night! Yahoo, what fun!
After that episode, we decided to prop her mattress at one end to help her breathe. I simply placed two thick books under the head of her mattress and we made sure she was good and asleep when we lied her down so that she stayed in the propped position rather than upside down with the blood rushing to her head (no worries, the mattress was not that angled)! This seemed to help quite a bit because she slept a little better after that (but still woke very frequently). Of course, her typical nursing schedule was thrown off, but I did manage to get her to nurse around midnight. I really wanted to get some fluid into her given that she had recently vomited.
The next day was a rough, sad day. Lilah would play happily for a short time and then realize she was sick and start crying. We had to torture her by wiping her nose all day, but I tried to ease the uncomfortableness of it all by switching between tissue and a warm cloth. I also mostly dabbed because I didn't want her to end up with a raw, sore nose on top of everything else. She wasn't interested in nursing in the morning so we ended up giving her a bottle. Due to her congestion, it was just easier for her to drink from a bottle. Later that day, I was able to get her to nurse. We managed to get some solid food into her, but she puked up her dinner which probably contributed to the need to nurse more than usual in the night. It was another rough night. Lilah woke very frequently once again (even more than the night before).
Today has been a much better day. Her symptoms seemed to have almost disappeared. She is no longer congested and her nose isn't running at all. At this point, she has yet to develop a cough which I am thankful for (and I hope it stays that way).
We went to music class again this morning so just my luck, she will be sick again in a couple of days! They say that once children start interacting with one another, they are always sick! It does make sense when you think about the fact that there are more than 100 different strains of the cold and flu out there and they have yet to be exposed to any of them.
We can't isolate them forever and they need to get sick once in awhile to build up their immunity. I am not one of those crazy parents who won't allow my child to put anything in her mouth that hasn't been sanitized (although I will wipe toys down after Lilah has played with them, especially if she is sick). I really don't think we do our children any justice by being too freaky when it comes to germs. In fact, there are studies now showing that germs help children. It has been suggested that the rise in things like allergies are a result of growing up in too clean of an environment. Of course, we need to use common sense when it comes to what we will let our children touch and put into their mouths, but there is no need to be a freak about germs. Regular hand washing and basic hygiene can go a long way!
Just to note, I didn't give Lilah any kind of medication. I did buy some saline spray for her nose, but didn't end up using it. I did apply a small amount of Vaseline under her nose at one point because it was looking a little raw and sore. It is important to check with your doctor before giving any kind of medication at this age as cough medicines and decongestants are not generally recommended.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Dropping a Night Feed
My daughter hit the 8 month mark. I can't believe it! Time is flying by so quickly! The lack of sleep is also finally catching up with me. I have been tired ever since I started having to get up to pee several times a night when I was pregnant...if we do the math that means I have been tired for the past 17 months! However, it was only recently that I started to feel truly exhausted! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have never been a napper and have rarely taken naps since Lilah was born. Over the last few weeks, naps have been essential.
It is the case that nursing mothers tend to find they are more exhausted during their baby's second half of the first year. There are a number of reasons for this:
1) Our baby's become more active and, therefore, we become more active, but we don't make up for it by resting any more than we had been resting.
2) Menstruation returns for many women in the second half of the first year when baby becomes more reliant on solid foods and is nursing less. I was lucky to have 8 period-free months, but alas this is now contributing to my lack of energy!
3) Many mothers pay less attention to what they are eating as time goes on and/or decide it is time to lose some weight and eat less. However, because we are still nursing, we need to continue to fuel our bodies properly so that milk production does not drop off.
As an aside...in a recent post I talked about the common drop in milk production many women experience around the 7 month mark. Shortly after writing that post, I started menstruating again which helped explain why I was having trouble producing enough milk. I failed to mention in that post that the return of menses is a very common cause of low milk production. It tends to be the case that your milk supply will drop most drastically before your first cycle and for some women it many continue to drop before each cycle.
Anyway, back to the main reason for my exhaustion...My daughter was still waking 3 times a night to nurse. She goes to bed at 7:00pm and would wake to nurse around 10:00pm, 1:00am, and 4:00am and then wake for the day between 6:00am and 7:00am. I was fine continuing with this schedule up until a few weeks ago when the extreme exhaustion set in.
As I mentioned in a previous post, it is completely normal for a breastfed baby to wake 1-3 times per night well into the second year of life if they continue to breastfeed. Now that my daughter has been eating 3 solid meals a day, however, I decided that I would like to attempt to get her to drop one of her night feedings. I am happy to continue nursing her 1-2 times a night for the time being, but I no longer feel 3 feedings is necessary given that she is a good eater during the day (nursing 4-5 times and eating 3 solids meals and occasionally a small snack).
As I am not a fan of any kind of cry-it-out sleep approach, my husband and I decided that we would simply try to gradually stretch the time between feedings by comforting Lilah in other ways (ie. rocking her). I was prepared for this to take some time, but after only a few rough nights we have now had 2 nights in a row during which she only woke to nurse at 10:00pm and 2:30am! This is still a work in progress because she is still waking in the night at other times, but she is getting better at putting herself back to sleep (we are now trying to eliminate the rocking and letting her try to fall back asleep on her own which has been successful).
I think that after a few weeks of nursing only twice a night, I would like to attempt to get Lilah to drop yet another feeding so that she is nursing only once each night ideally right before I head off to bed (10:00pm). As she consumes more and more solid foods, I will feel more comfortable doing this.
My ultimate goal is to continue to breastfeed until she is a year old. I may continue for longer, but at that point, I would only like to be nursing once in the morning and once before bed. This gives us a few months to gradually wean her off of night feedings altogether. Wish me luck and good luck to all of the parents out there that are feeling as exhausted as I am!
It is the case that nursing mothers tend to find they are more exhausted during their baby's second half of the first year. There are a number of reasons for this:
1) Our baby's become more active and, therefore, we become more active, but we don't make up for it by resting any more than we had been resting.
2) Menstruation returns for many women in the second half of the first year when baby becomes more reliant on solid foods and is nursing less. I was lucky to have 8 period-free months, but alas this is now contributing to my lack of energy!
3) Many mothers pay less attention to what they are eating as time goes on and/or decide it is time to lose some weight and eat less. However, because we are still nursing, we need to continue to fuel our bodies properly so that milk production does not drop off.
As an aside...in a recent post I talked about the common drop in milk production many women experience around the 7 month mark. Shortly after writing that post, I started menstruating again which helped explain why I was having trouble producing enough milk. I failed to mention in that post that the return of menses is a very common cause of low milk production. It tends to be the case that your milk supply will drop most drastically before your first cycle and for some women it many continue to drop before each cycle.
Anyway, back to the main reason for my exhaustion...My daughter was still waking 3 times a night to nurse. She goes to bed at 7:00pm and would wake to nurse around 10:00pm, 1:00am, and 4:00am and then wake for the day between 6:00am and 7:00am. I was fine continuing with this schedule up until a few weeks ago when the extreme exhaustion set in.
As I mentioned in a previous post, it is completely normal for a breastfed baby to wake 1-3 times per night well into the second year of life if they continue to breastfeed. Now that my daughter has been eating 3 solid meals a day, however, I decided that I would like to attempt to get her to drop one of her night feedings. I am happy to continue nursing her 1-2 times a night for the time being, but I no longer feel 3 feedings is necessary given that she is a good eater during the day (nursing 4-5 times and eating 3 solids meals and occasionally a small snack).
As I am not a fan of any kind of cry-it-out sleep approach, my husband and I decided that we would simply try to gradually stretch the time between feedings by comforting Lilah in other ways (ie. rocking her). I was prepared for this to take some time, but after only a few rough nights we have now had 2 nights in a row during which she only woke to nurse at 10:00pm and 2:30am! This is still a work in progress because she is still waking in the night at other times, but she is getting better at putting herself back to sleep (we are now trying to eliminate the rocking and letting her try to fall back asleep on her own which has been successful).
I think that after a few weeks of nursing only twice a night, I would like to attempt to get Lilah to drop yet another feeding so that she is nursing only once each night ideally right before I head off to bed (10:00pm). As she consumes more and more solid foods, I will feel more comfortable doing this.
My ultimate goal is to continue to breastfeed until she is a year old. I may continue for longer, but at that point, I would only like to be nursing once in the morning and once before bed. This gives us a few months to gradually wean her off of night feedings altogether. Wish me luck and good luck to all of the parents out there that are feeling as exhausted as I am!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Joys of Teething
Teething...the wonderful 2 year ordeal that all children must unfortunately go though (it is no walk in the park for parents either).
My daughter started getting her first bottom tooth several weeks ago. Shortly thereafter, her second bottom tooth started to come through. They are ever so SLOWLY making their way through, but it seems to be taking forever!
Pain Medication
I really don't like the idea of giving my daughter pain medication. I never have. When she had her immunizations, I would only give her one dose afterwards if she was in pain. On those occasions, it was pretty obvious that she was in pain and giving her pain medication to settle her down seemed like a no-brainer. When it comes to knowing when to give medication for teething pain, it is a different story.
How do you know?
Unfortunately, babies can't talk. If they could, our job would be SO much easier. When it comes to figuring out what is wrong, it seems like a complete guessing game at times. Throughout the teething process, Lilah has never seemed distressed during the day and usually doesn't want to have anything to do with a teething ring. At night, it is a different story...I think.
It is so hard to know whether she is just really fussy because she does not want to go to sleep, if she is going through a little bit of separation anxiety or if she is truly in pain. Some of the signs that seem to indicate teething pain are when she is chewing on her blanket and/or fingers in a way that is not typical or when her cry is a little more distressed. Another sign is that it feels a little different when she is nursing. By 'feels a little different', I mean it can hurt. She tends to suck more aggressively and it almost feels as though she is mashing my nipple which I am sure simply makes her gums feel better. If she is exhibiting these signs, I will consider medication if it is preventing her from falling asleep.
I bought an all-natural teething gel because I would rather give that a try than drug her up every time I think she might be in pain. Given that the teething process takes roughly 2 years, one could potentially go through a lot of pain medication if it was given when it wasn't completely necessary. I have also given her Infant Tempra on a couple of occasions after first trying the teething gel alone. The pain does seems to come and go. She will seem very unhappy for a few nights and things get a little rough and then she will be fine for a week or so (which just makes it that much harder to figure out).
Sadly, there really isn't anything we can do to speed up this process. As parents our job is to love and comfort our children at these times and be VERY patient. Just when you think you have things figured out and you have established a good routine, something else comes along, like teething, to blow it out of the water!
My daughter started getting her first bottom tooth several weeks ago. Shortly thereafter, her second bottom tooth started to come through. They are ever so SLOWLY making their way through, but it seems to be taking forever!
Pain Medication
I really don't like the idea of giving my daughter pain medication. I never have. When she had her immunizations, I would only give her one dose afterwards if she was in pain. On those occasions, it was pretty obvious that she was in pain and giving her pain medication to settle her down seemed like a no-brainer. When it comes to knowing when to give medication for teething pain, it is a different story.
How do you know?
Unfortunately, babies can't talk. If they could, our job would be SO much easier. When it comes to figuring out what is wrong, it seems like a complete guessing game at times. Throughout the teething process, Lilah has never seemed distressed during the day and usually doesn't want to have anything to do with a teething ring. At night, it is a different story...I think.
It is so hard to know whether she is just really fussy because she does not want to go to sleep, if she is going through a little bit of separation anxiety or if she is truly in pain. Some of the signs that seem to indicate teething pain are when she is chewing on her blanket and/or fingers in a way that is not typical or when her cry is a little more distressed. Another sign is that it feels a little different when she is nursing. By 'feels a little different', I mean it can hurt. She tends to suck more aggressively and it almost feels as though she is mashing my nipple which I am sure simply makes her gums feel better. If she is exhibiting these signs, I will consider medication if it is preventing her from falling asleep.
I bought an all-natural teething gel because I would rather give that a try than drug her up every time I think she might be in pain. Given that the teething process takes roughly 2 years, one could potentially go through a lot of pain medication if it was given when it wasn't completely necessary. I have also given her Infant Tempra on a couple of occasions after first trying the teething gel alone. The pain does seems to come and go. She will seem very unhappy for a few nights and things get a little rough and then she will be fine for a week or so (which just makes it that much harder to figure out).
Sadly, there really isn't anything we can do to speed up this process. As parents our job is to love and comfort our children at these times and be VERY patient. Just when you think you have things figured out and you have established a good routine, something else comes along, like teething, to blow it out of the water!
The Process of Dropping a Nap
I think it is safe to say that Lilah has officially dropped her 3rd nap. Over the past several weeks, it became increasingly more difficult to get her to go down for her later afternoon nap and on many occasions it didn't happen at all. On the days that she refused to nap, she would be exhausted by the time bedtime rolled around because she had been awake since the early afternoon. Keeping her up until bedtime and getting her to go to sleep at night was becoming very challenging because she was so overtired by that time (FYI - 7:00pm is our bedtime and has been for several months). At this point, we realized we needed to step in and 'manipulate' the situation in order to shorten the long afternoon period.
Let's rewind...For several months, Lilah consistently took 3 naps each day. Her first nap would be 1 1/2 -2 hours after she woke in the morning for about an hour and then she would take 2 more hour long naps after being awake for about 2 hours in between each. When the process of dropping a nap started (yes, it very much was a process because it didn't just happen one day), Lilah was still taking her first 2 naps early in the day which meant there was a very long stretch between waking from the 2nd nap and bedtime.
I started to slowly try to keep her up a little later in the morning and between her naps. At first I was only able to keep her up for about 2 1/2 hours in the morning and between naps, but now we have worked our way up to about 2 1/2 - 3 hours of awake time. Three hours seems to be her limit which makes sense because it is actually common for children of her age (8 months) to be able to stay awake for only 2 1/2 - 3 hours at a time. Her naps are now becoming slightly longer which means she is still sleeping for the same amount of time as she was before, but in 2 spurts instead of 3 (Generally speaking, it does not matter how many naps your child takes, but that they are getting about 14 hours of sleep each day on average. There are, however, huge variations when it comes to amount of sleep).
Our new schedule is working out much better. The longer awake periods between naps means she is now napping well into the afternoon and there is a shorter period of awake time between the last nap and bedtime. Bedtime has become easier and we don't have to work to keep her awake until 7:00pm.
An added bonus is that our nursing and eating schedule has also become a little more predictable as there is more time to fit in a nursing and breakfast and/or nursing and lunch (and sometimes even a snack) before it is time to go back to sleep. Prior to the change, it was often very challenging to get her to nurse and eat breakfast/lunch in the span of 1 1/2 - 2 hours during which she was awake. Getting out of the house is now a little easier too!
I am not looking forward to the day when Lilah decides to drop her morning nap. It is inevitable and will happen sooner than later. I guess I will just have to fully enjoy the time I now have in the morning for as long as I have it!
Happy napping!
Let's rewind...For several months, Lilah consistently took 3 naps each day. Her first nap would be 1 1/2 -2 hours after she woke in the morning for about an hour and then she would take 2 more hour long naps after being awake for about 2 hours in between each. When the process of dropping a nap started (yes, it very much was a process because it didn't just happen one day), Lilah was still taking her first 2 naps early in the day which meant there was a very long stretch between waking from the 2nd nap and bedtime.
I started to slowly try to keep her up a little later in the morning and between her naps. At first I was only able to keep her up for about 2 1/2 hours in the morning and between naps, but now we have worked our way up to about 2 1/2 - 3 hours of awake time. Three hours seems to be her limit which makes sense because it is actually common for children of her age (8 months) to be able to stay awake for only 2 1/2 - 3 hours at a time. Her naps are now becoming slightly longer which means she is still sleeping for the same amount of time as she was before, but in 2 spurts instead of 3 (Generally speaking, it does not matter how many naps your child takes, but that they are getting about 14 hours of sleep each day on average. There are, however, huge variations when it comes to amount of sleep).
Our new schedule is working out much better. The longer awake periods between naps means she is now napping well into the afternoon and there is a shorter period of awake time between the last nap and bedtime. Bedtime has become easier and we don't have to work to keep her awake until 7:00pm.
An added bonus is that our nursing and eating schedule has also become a little more predictable as there is more time to fit in a nursing and breakfast and/or nursing and lunch (and sometimes even a snack) before it is time to go back to sleep. Prior to the change, it was often very challenging to get her to nurse and eat breakfast/lunch in the span of 1 1/2 - 2 hours during which she was awake. Getting out of the house is now a little easier too!
I am not looking forward to the day when Lilah decides to drop her morning nap. It is inevitable and will happen sooner than later. I guess I will just have to fully enjoy the time I now have in the morning for as long as I have it!
Happy napping!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Adventures in Breastfeeding
It has been some time since I posted on the topic of breastfeeding. In my last breastfeeding post, I focused on the period of time during which your milk comes in and the pain that can come along with that in the form of engorgement. In this post, I would like to discuss some of the other breastfeeding issues that I have had over the last several months.
Luckily, breastfeeding has come very easy for me and, therefore, I have not experienced many of the problems facing other nursing mothers out there. However, I do want to share a couple of experiences I have had in the hopes that it may help other mothers out there that may be experiencing the same or similar things.
Raynauld's Phenomenon
After several months of successful nursing, I started to experience a burning sensation in my nipples after nursing and they became very sore and blanched. After a few days, I started to wonder if I possibly had some kind of an infection or some other serious problem and debated going to the doctor. I pulled out my The Nursing Mother's Companion book to see if I could find some answers and low and behold I discovered Raynauld's Phenomenon.
Raynauld's Phenomenon occurs when a vasospasm in the nipple prevents blood from getting to that area of the body. It is often brought on by the drop in temperature when the baby's mouth leaves the nipple (the ambient air is cooler than the baby's mouth). Coincidentally, I was experiencing this during the coldest winter months when the air inside my home was fairly cool. Once I stared to wrap myself in a blanket and take more care to keep myself warm during our nursing sessions, the pain and blanching went away.
Biting
This is a new one and luckily, it has only happened once. My daughter now has two bottom teeth and the other day, she bit me during a nursing session. It is actually my fault because I was trying to nurse her when she wasn't really hungry. Anyway, I yelped because it really hurt! Her tooth actually broke through the skin on my nipple and drew blood! It has been a few days and the wound is healing, but nursing has been somewhat painful since (it almost reminds me of the early days...although the pain is less intense).
Generally speaking, babies are more likely to bite at the end of a nursing session or when they are allowed to snack or play at the breast and it usually occurs when their first teeth are coming in. There are a few steps that you can take to prevent biting and/or put an end to it:
1) Don't let baby snack or play at the end of the nursing session. End the session as soon as baby has stopped actively sucking and swallowing.
2) Soothe baby's gums before nursing with a cold teething ring or washcloth.
3) Have your finger ready during the nursing session to end the feeding if necessary.
4) If baby does get your nipple between his or her teeth pull him or her closer to the breast such that the nose is partially blocked which will usually cause baby to release in order to breathe.
Slow Let-Down and Diminished Milk Supply
At around the 7 month mark, I started to notice that my milk was taking longer and longer to let-down and my daughter was getting increasingly frustrated by the situation. A slow let-down can often be a sign of a low milk supply. I was also noticing that I was unable to pump very much milk while I was at work.
It is not uncommon for a nursing mother to notice a decrease in her milk supply after about 6 months post-partum. It is critically important to take steps to build up your milk supply if this occurs if you plan to continue nursing. Getting plenty of rest, drinking plenty of fluids and eating right are key. It may also be necessary to pump after or between feedings for a few days to build up the supply. After a few days, you should notice that your breasts feel fuller and that baby is drinking for a longer period of time.
I am currently in the process of trying to increase my supply. My daughter currently nurses 4 times during the day (and 2 times at night) so I have been pumping one additional time during the day to stimulate milk production. I have started to notice a fuller feeling and I am hoping my milk will start letting down a little more quickly over the next few days.
The breastfeeding relationship continues to change as your baby grows and your body adjusts to his or her current needs. Some of these changes are welcome (like when your baby begins to nurse less frequently and you begin to feel like you can devote more time to other endeavours) and some of the changes can be scary (like when you think there may be a problem). Have a good book on hand that you can refer to even during the second half of your baby's first year. I highly recommend The Nursing Mother's Companion as it takes you through the 6-12 month period and beyond into toddler hood. It has eased my mind more times than I can count!
Luckily, breastfeeding has come very easy for me and, therefore, I have not experienced many of the problems facing other nursing mothers out there. However, I do want to share a couple of experiences I have had in the hopes that it may help other mothers out there that may be experiencing the same or similar things.
Raynauld's Phenomenon
After several months of successful nursing, I started to experience a burning sensation in my nipples after nursing and they became very sore and blanched. After a few days, I started to wonder if I possibly had some kind of an infection or some other serious problem and debated going to the doctor. I pulled out my The Nursing Mother's Companion book to see if I could find some answers and low and behold I discovered Raynauld's Phenomenon.
Raynauld's Phenomenon occurs when a vasospasm in the nipple prevents blood from getting to that area of the body. It is often brought on by the drop in temperature when the baby's mouth leaves the nipple (the ambient air is cooler than the baby's mouth). Coincidentally, I was experiencing this during the coldest winter months when the air inside my home was fairly cool. Once I stared to wrap myself in a blanket and take more care to keep myself warm during our nursing sessions, the pain and blanching went away.
Biting
This is a new one and luckily, it has only happened once. My daughter now has two bottom teeth and the other day, she bit me during a nursing session. It is actually my fault because I was trying to nurse her when she wasn't really hungry. Anyway, I yelped because it really hurt! Her tooth actually broke through the skin on my nipple and drew blood! It has been a few days and the wound is healing, but nursing has been somewhat painful since (it almost reminds me of the early days...although the pain is less intense).
Generally speaking, babies are more likely to bite at the end of a nursing session or when they are allowed to snack or play at the breast and it usually occurs when their first teeth are coming in. There are a few steps that you can take to prevent biting and/or put an end to it:
1) Don't let baby snack or play at the end of the nursing session. End the session as soon as baby has stopped actively sucking and swallowing.
2) Soothe baby's gums before nursing with a cold teething ring or washcloth.
3) Have your finger ready during the nursing session to end the feeding if necessary.
4) If baby does get your nipple between his or her teeth pull him or her closer to the breast such that the nose is partially blocked which will usually cause baby to release in order to breathe.
Slow Let-Down and Diminished Milk Supply
At around the 7 month mark, I started to notice that my milk was taking longer and longer to let-down and my daughter was getting increasingly frustrated by the situation. A slow let-down can often be a sign of a low milk supply. I was also noticing that I was unable to pump very much milk while I was at work.
It is not uncommon for a nursing mother to notice a decrease in her milk supply after about 6 months post-partum. It is critically important to take steps to build up your milk supply if this occurs if you plan to continue nursing. Getting plenty of rest, drinking plenty of fluids and eating right are key. It may also be necessary to pump after or between feedings for a few days to build up the supply. After a few days, you should notice that your breasts feel fuller and that baby is drinking for a longer period of time.
I am currently in the process of trying to increase my supply. My daughter currently nurses 4 times during the day (and 2 times at night) so I have been pumping one additional time during the day to stimulate milk production. I have started to notice a fuller feeling and I am hoping my milk will start letting down a little more quickly over the next few days.
The breastfeeding relationship continues to change as your baby grows and your body adjusts to his or her current needs. Some of these changes are welcome (like when your baby begins to nurse less frequently and you begin to feel like you can devote more time to other endeavours) and some of the changes can be scary (like when you think there may be a problem). Have a good book on hand that you can refer to even during the second half of your baby's first year. I highly recommend The Nursing Mother's Companion as it takes you through the 6-12 month period and beyond into toddler hood. It has eased my mind more times than I can count!
Monday, July 5, 2010
The Sleeping Through the Night Myth
Yes, there are babies out there that sleep through the night. This, however, is not the norm.
At some point in time, Western society adopted this idea that babies and toddlers should sleep through the night despite the scientific fact that they are not supposed to.
In fact, this belief is so prevalent in today's society that many mothers are made to feel like there is something wrong with their baby if he or she does not sleep through the night. Even health care professionals will tell you that your baby should be sleeping for 6 hour stretches at night (the actual definition of "sleeping through the night"). A million things are suggested as the cause of night waking from teething to digestive problems to separation anxiety. In addition, suggestions as to how you can get your baby to sleep through the night are abound and range from stuffing them with solids right before bed to letting them cry it out.
The Fact is that Babies Sleep Differently
Babies have shorter sleep cycles and twice as much light sleep as adults. In the early months, their sleep cycles are about an hour long and the period of light sleep in which they are vulnerable to waking is longer. As they get older, their sleep cycles get longer and the length of time they are in the stage of light sleep gets shorter. Why do babies have such short cycles and spend so much time in light sleep? Imagine your baby was unable to wake when he or she was cold, hungry, or when his/her nose was plugged and breathing compromised. Babies are designed to awaken easily in the early months for exactly these reasons. It is also believed that this light sleep is good for babies' development because it provides mental exercise in the form of dreaming (which happens during the light sleep phase).
In general, a baby's sleep habits will reflect their eating habits. In the early months (0-3 months) when babies are feeding frequently, you can expect them to also sleep frequently and for short periods. Older infants (3-6 months) are generally awake for longer periods of time and may also sleep for longer periods as well, but you can expect at least one or two night wakings. As your baby gets older, his or her sleep habits will mature and begin to resemble a more adult-like sleep pattern. Here is the kicker...once a baby starts to sleep better, developmental milestones, teething, illness, and separation anxiety begin to interrupt sleep. Night wakings should lessen over time, but you will never truly be off the hook at night!
Breastfed Babies Sleep Differently than Formula Fed Babies
The simple fact is that night waking is normal for breastfed babies. Babies that do not wake in the night are atypical (and usually formula fed). It is completely normal for a breastfed baby to continue waking two or more times a night until the age of 2 years. Stretches of sleep for the breastfed baby typically last between 4 and 6 hours. Research has shown that babies that are formula fed from birth have what is called "poor vagal tone". This basically means that their nervous system is disordered and they tend to be sleepier and less alert than breastfed newborns. Babies that are weaned after several months also tend to sleep for longer periods, but the jury is still out on the reason for this. It has been suggested that it is probably the case that weaned babies that sleep for longer periods have learned to go back to sleep using their thumb, a pacifier or bottle, some method whereby feedings are scheduled and slowly eliminated or some sleep technique like 'cry it out'. Whatever the reason, it is rarely a naturally occurring phenomenon.
Sleep Techniques
Sleep problems have reached epidemic proportions in our society and the amount of time parents spend trying to end night waking by forcing their children to sleep is quite alarming. Additionally, many of these efforts do not work. Using comfort objects (pacifier, bottle) usually means you are still getting up in the night to help baby find the object. The 'cry it out' technique does work for some parents, although this method is seen as quite harsh by many. The kinder "No Cry Sleep Solution" is also an option by which you gradually shorten the amount of time baby is at the breast with the aim of ending nursing. If you are desperate for your baby to sleep through the night, you could try one of these techniques as they have worked for many families.
A better alternative in my opinion, is to:
1) Provide baby with a variety of healthy sleep associations (ie. people, objects, events) that help baby to get to sleep/back to sleep when awakened until baby is old enough to do so without these associations.
2) Parent baby to sleep until they are ready to put themselves to sleep. Too often, babies are forced to become self-soothers before they are ready which can lead to a fear of sleeping in addition to more severe sleeping problems down the road.
3) If baby has begun to 'enjoy' the attention he or she receives at night rather than 'needing' the attention (ie. they are waking to nurse more than once or twice each night), steps may need to be taken to rectify the situation. If you are going to try out a 'technique', make sure you thoroughly research the benefits and consequences of the technique before hand and remember to be flexible.
*The information in this posting comes from:
The Nursing Mother's Companion - Kathleen Huggins
What To Expect the The First Year - Heidi Murkoff
The Baby Book - Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby From Birth to Age Two -William Sears & Martha Sears
At some point in time, Western society adopted this idea that babies and toddlers should sleep through the night despite the scientific fact that they are not supposed to.
In fact, this belief is so prevalent in today's society that many mothers are made to feel like there is something wrong with their baby if he or she does not sleep through the night. Even health care professionals will tell you that your baby should be sleeping for 6 hour stretches at night (the actual definition of "sleeping through the night"). A million things are suggested as the cause of night waking from teething to digestive problems to separation anxiety. In addition, suggestions as to how you can get your baby to sleep through the night are abound and range from stuffing them with solids right before bed to letting them cry it out.
The Fact is that Babies Sleep Differently
Babies have shorter sleep cycles and twice as much light sleep as adults. In the early months, their sleep cycles are about an hour long and the period of light sleep in which they are vulnerable to waking is longer. As they get older, their sleep cycles get longer and the length of time they are in the stage of light sleep gets shorter. Why do babies have such short cycles and spend so much time in light sleep? Imagine your baby was unable to wake when he or she was cold, hungry, or when his/her nose was plugged and breathing compromised. Babies are designed to awaken easily in the early months for exactly these reasons. It is also believed that this light sleep is good for babies' development because it provides mental exercise in the form of dreaming (which happens during the light sleep phase).
In general, a baby's sleep habits will reflect their eating habits. In the early months (0-3 months) when babies are feeding frequently, you can expect them to also sleep frequently and for short periods. Older infants (3-6 months) are generally awake for longer periods of time and may also sleep for longer periods as well, but you can expect at least one or two night wakings. As your baby gets older, his or her sleep habits will mature and begin to resemble a more adult-like sleep pattern. Here is the kicker...once a baby starts to sleep better, developmental milestones, teething, illness, and separation anxiety begin to interrupt sleep. Night wakings should lessen over time, but you will never truly be off the hook at night!
Breastfed Babies Sleep Differently than Formula Fed Babies
The simple fact is that night waking is normal for breastfed babies. Babies that do not wake in the night are atypical (and usually formula fed). It is completely normal for a breastfed baby to continue waking two or more times a night until the age of 2 years. Stretches of sleep for the breastfed baby typically last between 4 and 6 hours. Research has shown that babies that are formula fed from birth have what is called "poor vagal tone". This basically means that their nervous system is disordered and they tend to be sleepier and less alert than breastfed newborns. Babies that are weaned after several months also tend to sleep for longer periods, but the jury is still out on the reason for this. It has been suggested that it is probably the case that weaned babies that sleep for longer periods have learned to go back to sleep using their thumb, a pacifier or bottle, some method whereby feedings are scheduled and slowly eliminated or some sleep technique like 'cry it out'. Whatever the reason, it is rarely a naturally occurring phenomenon.
Sleep Techniques
Sleep problems have reached epidemic proportions in our society and the amount of time parents spend trying to end night waking by forcing their children to sleep is quite alarming. Additionally, many of these efforts do not work. Using comfort objects (pacifier, bottle) usually means you are still getting up in the night to help baby find the object. The 'cry it out' technique does work for some parents, although this method is seen as quite harsh by many. The kinder "No Cry Sleep Solution" is also an option by which you gradually shorten the amount of time baby is at the breast with the aim of ending nursing. If you are desperate for your baby to sleep through the night, you could try one of these techniques as they have worked for many families.
A better alternative in my opinion, is to:
1) Provide baby with a variety of healthy sleep associations (ie. people, objects, events) that help baby to get to sleep/back to sleep when awakened until baby is old enough to do so without these associations.
2) Parent baby to sleep until they are ready to put themselves to sleep. Too often, babies are forced to become self-soothers before they are ready which can lead to a fear of sleeping in addition to more severe sleeping problems down the road.
3) If baby has begun to 'enjoy' the attention he or she receives at night rather than 'needing' the attention (ie. they are waking to nurse more than once or twice each night), steps may need to be taken to rectify the situation. If you are going to try out a 'technique', make sure you thoroughly research the benefits and consequences of the technique before hand and remember to be flexible.
*The information in this posting comes from:
The Nursing Mother's Companion - Kathleen Huggins
What To Expect the The First Year - Heidi Murkoff
The Baby Book - Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby From Birth to Age Two -William Sears & Martha Sears
Immunizations...A Necessary Discomfort
Next week, Lilah will be getting her 6 month immunizations. It seems like so long ago that I was stressing out about her first round of immunizations at 2 months. I was terrified that they would hurt her, she would cry, she would have some kind of reaction, she would develop a fever, she wouldn't sleep, she wouldn't eat. You name it, I was worried about it.
Luckily, none of the aforementioned events happened. She was a trooper. She did cry a little a few seconds after the needles went in, but the tears didn't last long. Even though she didn't cry for long, I still nursed her right after her 2 and 4 month shots just to comfort her.
Several people had told us that we should give her infant pain medication before hand to head off any pain and/or fever that might develop. We did this for her 2 month immunizations, however, one of the first things our doctor asked us at her appointment was whether we had given her anything.
Why?
Well, recent research suggests that the immune response that infants have to a vaccine is decreased by pain medication. Our doctor noted that infants should not be given pain medication unless they absolutely need it. We did end up giving her another dose about 4 hours after she received the immunizations because she was truly in pain. We avoided giving her pain medication before her next appointment, but we did give her a dose about 4 hours afterward again when she started to exhibit signs that she was in pain. One dose afterward was all she needed on both occasions.
It is pretty difficult to stand there and watch needles being stuck into your tiny little baby (especially when you have to help hold them still). It gets a little easier as they get older, but they also become more aware of what is going on which is equally hard to deal with. Up to this point, nursing right after has seemed to do the trick and your doctor should be more than accommodating about letting you stay in the room afterward for a few minutes if you would like to nurse.
As we currently live in the U.S., we have been following the immunization schedule here (which is fairly similar to the one in Canada). This requires that Lilah be given 3 injections and one oral vaccine at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. We decided that we didn't want her to be given 3 needles at the same time so we opted to request a follow-up visit about a week later for her to receive 1 of the vaccines. I am not sure if this has contributed to the fact that she has had very little trouble with her immunizations, but it certainly makes me feel better. We have also never had to give her pain medication after these follow-up visits (when she only received one injection) which is a bonus as I would rather not give her medication of any kind unless it is absolutely necessary. Your doctor should be more than happy to accommodate any special requests you may have regarding immunizations (as long as they are within reason). Opting not to have your child vaccinated, for example, does not fall under the "reasonable request" category.
The idea that vaccinations cause autism spectrum disorders was the driving force behind a large group of parents deciding not to immunize their children (which in turn led to outbreaks of measles and mumps). This claim was made in a 1998 paper in The Lancet (a British medical journal). It was later discovered that the author of the paper manipulated evidence and had broken ethical codes. This paper has since been retracted and the author found guilty of professional misconduct (May 2010).
Needless to say, going for the third round of immunizations is old hat. I must say though, I am very happy we don't have to have any more needles until Lilah is a year old!
Luckily, none of the aforementioned events happened. She was a trooper. She did cry a little a few seconds after the needles went in, but the tears didn't last long. Even though she didn't cry for long, I still nursed her right after her 2 and 4 month shots just to comfort her.
Several people had told us that we should give her infant pain medication before hand to head off any pain and/or fever that might develop. We did this for her 2 month immunizations, however, one of the first things our doctor asked us at her appointment was whether we had given her anything.
Why?
Well, recent research suggests that the immune response that infants have to a vaccine is decreased by pain medication. Our doctor noted that infants should not be given pain medication unless they absolutely need it. We did end up giving her another dose about 4 hours after she received the immunizations because she was truly in pain. We avoided giving her pain medication before her next appointment, but we did give her a dose about 4 hours afterward again when she started to exhibit signs that she was in pain. One dose afterward was all she needed on both occasions.
It is pretty difficult to stand there and watch needles being stuck into your tiny little baby (especially when you have to help hold them still). It gets a little easier as they get older, but they also become more aware of what is going on which is equally hard to deal with. Up to this point, nursing right after has seemed to do the trick and your doctor should be more than accommodating about letting you stay in the room afterward for a few minutes if you would like to nurse.
As we currently live in the U.S., we have been following the immunization schedule here (which is fairly similar to the one in Canada). This requires that Lilah be given 3 injections and one oral vaccine at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. We decided that we didn't want her to be given 3 needles at the same time so we opted to request a follow-up visit about a week later for her to receive 1 of the vaccines. I am not sure if this has contributed to the fact that she has had very little trouble with her immunizations, but it certainly makes me feel better. We have also never had to give her pain medication after these follow-up visits (when she only received one injection) which is a bonus as I would rather not give her medication of any kind unless it is absolutely necessary. Your doctor should be more than happy to accommodate any special requests you may have regarding immunizations (as long as they are within reason). Opting not to have your child vaccinated, for example, does not fall under the "reasonable request" category.
The idea that vaccinations cause autism spectrum disorders was the driving force behind a large group of parents deciding not to immunize their children (which in turn led to outbreaks of measles and mumps). This claim was made in a 1998 paper in The Lancet (a British medical journal). It was later discovered that the author of the paper manipulated evidence and had broken ethical codes. This paper has since been retracted and the author found guilty of professional misconduct (May 2010).
Needless to say, going for the third round of immunizations is old hat. I must say though, I am very happy we don't have to have any more needles until Lilah is a year old!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Our First Play Date!
We had our first play date this week! Our new friend is an older boy (8 months)...ooo la la! It was less of a 'play with each other' date and more of a 'play with each other's toys' date. But then again, I didn't expect there would be a lot of social interaction happening at such a young age. Our new friend was a little more interested in Lilah than she was in him, but I think that can be attributed to the fact that he is a little older. He would reach out and try to touch her and was quite excited to have her around. They did make eye contact with each other frequently, but that was the extent of Lilah's interactions. I am sure over time they will become more social.
The concept of the 'play date' is relatively new (20th century). The idea behind it is to schedule a time for children to get together to play in an unstructured environment that is different from what they would experience in more organized activities. The concept of the play date arose because in today's society, play opportunities are more limited than in the past due to increased safety concerns. In addition, hectic schedules (it is more often the case that both parents are working outside of the home) make it necessary for play time with other children to be 'scheduled'.
Before the play date, (ie. when I was growing up), parents were more likely to casually get together with relatives and neighbours and have the kids play together. It wasn't the case that play dates needed to be 'scheduled' necessarily. (I also grew up in a rural area and, therefore, my experience may have been very different from a child growing up in a city). Case in point, we now live in a city. We don't have any relatives living nearby nor do we have any neighbours with children. Hence, I have started to seek out opportunities for Lilah to play with other children.
Play date or no play date, it is incredibly important for children to bond with other children (even at a very young age). Recent research suggests that children have better relationships with their siblings when they have an opportunity to learn social skills with a peer ahead of time. It was previously believed that children take the social skills they learn from their siblings and apply them to their friendships. However, this new research suggests the opposite. The theory goes something like this...
Peer relationships are more fragile than sibling relationships. If you refuse to share with a peer, you risk losing that person as a friend. Siblings on the other hand are always there. If you refuse to share with your sibling, they are still going to be your sibling. If children learn appropriate social skills through play with their peers, they are more likely to apply what they have learned to their sibling relationships. The opposite is not the case. Children have very little incentive to learn these skills with a sibling because your sibling will always be there no matter what. The take home message from this research is that children need to develop more friend-like relationships with their siblings such that there is the cost of losing your sibling as a friend rather than just a time out if you are not treating them appropriately.
Let's not forget one of the more straight forward benefits of the play date...children get to play in an unstructured environment with other children. Many children today are simply over-scheduled and are given few opportunities to just play with others. We should never underestimate the power of play and the kinds of cognitive advances children can make by engaging in it.
The concept of the 'play date' is relatively new (20th century). The idea behind it is to schedule a time for children to get together to play in an unstructured environment that is different from what they would experience in more organized activities. The concept of the play date arose because in today's society, play opportunities are more limited than in the past due to increased safety concerns. In addition, hectic schedules (it is more often the case that both parents are working outside of the home) make it necessary for play time with other children to be 'scheduled'.
Before the play date, (ie. when I was growing up), parents were more likely to casually get together with relatives and neighbours and have the kids play together. It wasn't the case that play dates needed to be 'scheduled' necessarily. (I also grew up in a rural area and, therefore, my experience may have been very different from a child growing up in a city). Case in point, we now live in a city. We don't have any relatives living nearby nor do we have any neighbours with children. Hence, I have started to seek out opportunities for Lilah to play with other children.
Play date or no play date, it is incredibly important for children to bond with other children (even at a very young age). Recent research suggests that children have better relationships with their siblings when they have an opportunity to learn social skills with a peer ahead of time. It was previously believed that children take the social skills they learn from their siblings and apply them to their friendships. However, this new research suggests the opposite. The theory goes something like this...
Peer relationships are more fragile than sibling relationships. If you refuse to share with a peer, you risk losing that person as a friend. Siblings on the other hand are always there. If you refuse to share with your sibling, they are still going to be your sibling. If children learn appropriate social skills through play with their peers, they are more likely to apply what they have learned to their sibling relationships. The opposite is not the case. Children have very little incentive to learn these skills with a sibling because your sibling will always be there no matter what. The take home message from this research is that children need to develop more friend-like relationships with their siblings such that there is the cost of losing your sibling as a friend rather than just a time out if you are not treating them appropriately.
Let's not forget one of the more straight forward benefits of the play date...children get to play in an unstructured environment with other children. Many children today are simply over-scheduled and are given few opportunities to just play with others. We should never underestimate the power of play and the kinds of cognitive advances children can make by engaging in it.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Travelling with Baby
My daughter has been on more flights in the first six months of her life than I was on in the first 20 years of mine! How crazy is that!
We live in Baltimore, Maryland, but call Ontario, Canada home. Before Lilah was born, my husband and I would drive the roughly 10 hours back and forth. Lilah was born in Ontario so we drove when we came back to Baltimore when she was just a month old, but at that time she was still sleeping more than she was awake and slept most of the way (we also stayed the night in a hotel and did the drive over two days). Since then, we have yet to brave the trip in the car because Lilah is older and more active and would need more frequent stops making the 10 hour drive significantly longer. Instead, we have been flying back and forth when we travel home.
Lilah and I flew alone for the first trip back when she was about 4.5 months old. I was a little stressed out about travelling alone with an infant. I was worried about whether or not she would sleep, if and when she would eat and where I was going to feed her, if she would have trouble with her ears on the plane, if she would cry on the plane...and the list went on. Looking back, I really didn't need to worry so much (which is the way it usually plays out).
It was an exhausting day...30 minute drive to the airport, 1.5 hours waiting for our flight, 1.5 hour flight, 30 minutes waiting for baggage, 2 hour drive home. Despite the fact that it was a long day for both of us, Lilah was FANTASTIC! She stuck fairly closely to her normal eating and sleeping schedule which was great. On our first flight, I was lucky enough to find a seat between two very nice women who were helpful and accommodating. I wanted to breastfeed as the plane was taking off to make sure Lilah didn't have any problems with her ears. The woman to my left was more than happy to have Lilah's feet dangling over her lap and the woman to my right was great about trying to shield me a little so I didn't expose myself to the other passengers.
I started to feed Lilah a little too early and she was actually finished nursing before the plane took off. Even though she has never had a pacifier before, I gave one to her just as added assurance. She sucked on it a little, but was soon fast asleep. She slept for just over half of the flight and when she woke up, she was perfectly content to play on my lap for the duration. She did start to get a little antsy toward the end of the flight because it is pretty tight quarters when you are travelling with a lap baby (as a side note, make sure you do a diaper change before you board because there is NO space to do it once you are on the plane unless you are travelling with another person that can help).
On the way back, I wasn't as lucky in my seat choice. I ended up sitting beside a rather antisocial man who seemed slightly annoyed that he was seated next to a baby. I attempted to nurse as the plane was taking off, but again, Lilah was finished before lift-off. She took the pacifier a little more eagerly the second time and again didn't seem to have any problems with her ears. She did cry more during this flight because she was a little overtired and was having trouble falling asleep. She did eventually sleep and the rest of the trip was a breeze.
We recently took the same trip as a family which was much more relaxing! Having a second pair of hands was great! I had the same game plan for this trip (to nurse during take-off, then offer a pacifier) which worked about the same as the last time. Lilah slept during both flights, but had a lot of trouble falling asleep during the flight back to Baltimore which was a little stressful for my husband and I. I was trying not to be stressed out and kept telling myself that it didn't matter what anyone else thought, but it was a challenge never the less (I am not sure which was more stressful for my husband...the crying or having to watch Lilah as she stood on my lap with her hands on either side of the window looking like she was going to jump out of the plane. It was really quite amusing to see my husband squirm in his seat as if she could actually fall out of the plane).
Funny story...
As we were sitting on the plane waiting to take off on our way to Detroit, we noticed a beeping noise. We didn't think much of it until other people on the plane started to ask "What is that beeping?" Everyone started checking their phones and other electronic devices. We don't have a cell phone so didn't think it could possibly be us, but my husband picked up his carry on bag just to check. Sure enough, the beeping was coming from our carry on bag! We had packed Lilah's baby monitor in our carry on bag so that it wouldn't get broken in our checked luggage. It is set to sense her movements when she is sleeping and alarm us when there is none. The switch had accidentally been flipped when we boarded the plane and because it was not hooked up to the sensor pad, the alarm was going off. It was quite funny, but a little alarming to the other passengers on the plane, especially because in the midst of the searching for the mysterious beeping noise, my husband blurts out "It sounds like it is coming from the wing!" Nice one dear!
We live in Baltimore, Maryland, but call Ontario, Canada home. Before Lilah was born, my husband and I would drive the roughly 10 hours back and forth. Lilah was born in Ontario so we drove when we came back to Baltimore when she was just a month old, but at that time she was still sleeping more than she was awake and slept most of the way (we also stayed the night in a hotel and did the drive over two days). Since then, we have yet to brave the trip in the car because Lilah is older and more active and would need more frequent stops making the 10 hour drive significantly longer. Instead, we have been flying back and forth when we travel home.
Lilah and I flew alone for the first trip back when she was about 4.5 months old. I was a little stressed out about travelling alone with an infant. I was worried about whether or not she would sleep, if and when she would eat and where I was going to feed her, if she would have trouble with her ears on the plane, if she would cry on the plane...and the list went on. Looking back, I really didn't need to worry so much (which is the way it usually plays out).
It was an exhausting day...30 minute drive to the airport, 1.5 hours waiting for our flight, 1.5 hour flight, 30 minutes waiting for baggage, 2 hour drive home. Despite the fact that it was a long day for both of us, Lilah was FANTASTIC! She stuck fairly closely to her normal eating and sleeping schedule which was great. On our first flight, I was lucky enough to find a seat between two very nice women who were helpful and accommodating. I wanted to breastfeed as the plane was taking off to make sure Lilah didn't have any problems with her ears. The woman to my left was more than happy to have Lilah's feet dangling over her lap and the woman to my right was great about trying to shield me a little so I didn't expose myself to the other passengers.
I started to feed Lilah a little too early and she was actually finished nursing before the plane took off. Even though she has never had a pacifier before, I gave one to her just as added assurance. She sucked on it a little, but was soon fast asleep. She slept for just over half of the flight and when she woke up, she was perfectly content to play on my lap for the duration. She did start to get a little antsy toward the end of the flight because it is pretty tight quarters when you are travelling with a lap baby (as a side note, make sure you do a diaper change before you board because there is NO space to do it once you are on the plane unless you are travelling with another person that can help).
On the way back, I wasn't as lucky in my seat choice. I ended up sitting beside a rather antisocial man who seemed slightly annoyed that he was seated next to a baby. I attempted to nurse as the plane was taking off, but again, Lilah was finished before lift-off. She took the pacifier a little more eagerly the second time and again didn't seem to have any problems with her ears. She did cry more during this flight because she was a little overtired and was having trouble falling asleep. She did eventually sleep and the rest of the trip was a breeze.
We recently took the same trip as a family which was much more relaxing! Having a second pair of hands was great! I had the same game plan for this trip (to nurse during take-off, then offer a pacifier) which worked about the same as the last time. Lilah slept during both flights, but had a lot of trouble falling asleep during the flight back to Baltimore which was a little stressful for my husband and I. I was trying not to be stressed out and kept telling myself that it didn't matter what anyone else thought, but it was a challenge never the less (I am not sure which was more stressful for my husband...the crying or having to watch Lilah as she stood on my lap with her hands on either side of the window looking like she was going to jump out of the plane. It was really quite amusing to see my husband squirm in his seat as if she could actually fall out of the plane).
Funny story...
As we were sitting on the plane waiting to take off on our way to Detroit, we noticed a beeping noise. We didn't think much of it until other people on the plane started to ask "What is that beeping?" Everyone started checking their phones and other electronic devices. We don't have a cell phone so didn't think it could possibly be us, but my husband picked up his carry on bag just to check. Sure enough, the beeping was coming from our carry on bag! We had packed Lilah's baby monitor in our carry on bag so that it wouldn't get broken in our checked luggage. It is set to sense her movements when she is sleeping and alarm us when there is none. The switch had accidentally been flipped when we boarded the plane and because it was not hooked up to the sensor pad, the alarm was going off. It was quite funny, but a little alarming to the other passengers on the plane, especially because in the midst of the searching for the mysterious beeping noise, my husband blurts out "It sounds like it is coming from the wing!" Nice one dear!
Leaving Baby for the First Time
I recently left my baby with someone other than her father for the first time to attend my sister's wedding. It was one of the hardest things I have done as a parent to date. She was with my husband's parents so she was in good hands, but I thought about her all afternoon and evening and checked in more times than was necessary to see how she was doing. After all, it was the first time that she was being given a bottle by someone other than my husband, that she was being put to sleep by someone other than us, that she was being driven around by someone else and that she was apart from us! That is a lot of 'firsts' for one afternoon/evening.
I am sure it will come as no surprise that she was just fine. Her nap schedule was a little screwed up and she went to bed later than usual, but that is just par for the course. She was happy and that is all that really matters. Luckily, she was just around the corner and I was able to slip away from the wedding between dinner and the first dance to nurse her. The last time I had nursed her was in the early afternoon so I was starting to feel a little 'full'. I didn't have a chance to pump at all while I was away from her so I was worried about being engorged, leaking, and screwing up my milk supply (I know, I do seem to worry a lot). In the end, there were no adverse affects on my milk supply nor did I leak, but my breasts were full (although not painfully or uncomfortable so).
We picked her up at about midnight and transported her back to my parent's house. She must have been wondering what the heck was going on; it is not everyday we rouse her from a deep sleep and pack her up in her car seat. When we arrived home, I nursed her and she went right back to sleep. Everything seemed to be back to normal the next day and the anxiety I had been experiencing about leaving her had disappeared. Mind you, I am no hurry to leave her again and don't plan on doing so unless it is absolutely necessary (at least until she is a little older).
I am sure it will come as no surprise that she was just fine. Her nap schedule was a little screwed up and she went to bed later than usual, but that is just par for the course. She was happy and that is all that really matters. Luckily, she was just around the corner and I was able to slip away from the wedding between dinner and the first dance to nurse her. The last time I had nursed her was in the early afternoon so I was starting to feel a little 'full'. I didn't have a chance to pump at all while I was away from her so I was worried about being engorged, leaking, and screwing up my milk supply (I know, I do seem to worry a lot). In the end, there were no adverse affects on my milk supply nor did I leak, but my breasts were full (although not painfully or uncomfortable so).
We picked her up at about midnight and transported her back to my parent's house. She must have been wondering what the heck was going on; it is not everyday we rouse her from a deep sleep and pack her up in her car seat. When we arrived home, I nursed her and she went right back to sleep. Everything seemed to be back to normal the next day and the anxiety I had been experiencing about leaving her had disappeared. Mind you, I am no hurry to leave her again and don't plan on doing so unless it is absolutely necessary (at least until she is a little older).
We Started Solids!
Last night was the big night...we started solid foods! We started with the recommended rice cereal mixed with warmed breast milk. In the beginning, it is suggested that you serve up smooth and fairly runny foods so I am not sure whether my daughter realized there was rice cereal in there or if she thought I was just feeding her breast milk with a spoon! Anyway, Lilah gobbled it right up (about a tablespoon) while her daddy caught it all on video. I had a hunch she was going to be an eager eater...she didn't even make any strange faces!
I had originally planned on lunchtime feedings for the first week (it is suggested you offer solids once a day for the first week), but because both my husband and I wanted to be there, we decided to start out with dinnertime feedings. The literature out there is somewhat confusing when it comes to the timing of starting solid foods. Some books note that you should wait until after a milk feeding so as not to reduce the amount of milk baby is eating. Others suggest feeding before milk so baby is hungry (but not too hungry). I didn't do either. I breastfed Lilah and served up the rice cereal about 45 minutes later. The rice cereal must have kicked her metabolism into high gear because she wanted a top-up of milk shortly after the cereal. Introducing the cereal certainly did reduce the amount of milk she had because she then fed again at bedtime as usual.
We are going to stick with rice cereal for the next couple of days and then move on to carrots, sweet potato, rutabaga, pears, and applesauce. I plan on making all of my own baby food and can't wait to get cooking!
I had originally planned on lunchtime feedings for the first week (it is suggested you offer solids once a day for the first week), but because both my husband and I wanted to be there, we decided to start out with dinnertime feedings. The literature out there is somewhat confusing when it comes to the timing of starting solid foods. Some books note that you should wait until after a milk feeding so as not to reduce the amount of milk baby is eating. Others suggest feeding before milk so baby is hungry (but not too hungry). I didn't do either. I breastfed Lilah and served up the rice cereal about 45 minutes later. The rice cereal must have kicked her metabolism into high gear because she wanted a top-up of milk shortly after the cereal. Introducing the cereal certainly did reduce the amount of milk she had because she then fed again at bedtime as usual.
We are going to stick with rice cereal for the next couple of days and then move on to carrots, sweet potato, rutabaga, pears, and applesauce. I plan on making all of my own baby food and can't wait to get cooking!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Introducing the Bottle
A few people have asked me to blog on how I went about introducing my daughter to a bottle. This was something I was very worried about before she was born! I knew I had to return to work only 6 short weeks after giving birth so getting Lilah to successfully take a bottle early on was essential. Every book I consulted (and the nurses in my prenatal breastfeeding class) suggested introducing the bottle at the 6 week mark after breastfeeding had been well established. This strategy was clearly not going to work for me and made me even more stressed out. My husband and I decided that we would start trying to get Lilah to take a bottle at the 4 week mark because that way we had two weeks to get it right before I returned to work. Luckily, breastfeeding came relatively easy for me and by the 4 week mark, I was feeling pretty confident. It took a few trys to get Lilah to take a bottle, but in the end we were successful. Here are some tips based on my own experience:
Tip # 1: Have a variety of nipple and bottle types on hand.
We initially tried Playtex VentAire bottles and nipples, but Lilah refused them. The only bottle and nipple we were able to get her to take (and the only one she takes to this day) were the Medela bottles and nipples.
Tip # 2: Make sure someone other than you gives baby the bottle, but have them simulate the nursing experience as much as possible.
The first few times my husband gave my daughter a bottle, he sat in the same chair that I had been feeding her in for several weeks and he tried to hold her in much the same way as I did when I was nursing her.
Tip #3: Take it slow.
Give the bottle only a few times during the first week and then slowly increase the number of bottle feedings in later weeks.
Tip #4: Be consistent.
We lived with my parents for the first 5 weeks of my daughter's life. In the process of moving back to our own place, we went about a week without giving Lilah a bottle. When my husband tried it again, she refused. He then found that by walking around with her in his arms, he was able to get her to eat. This lasted for a few days and then he was able to sit down and feed her again.
Introducing the bottle can be a frustrating experience for everyone. If you are not successful on the first try, wait a day or two and try again with a different bottle and/or nipple. And remember, don't persist if baby is upset as this will only make things more difficult. Good luck!
Tip # 1: Have a variety of nipple and bottle types on hand.
We initially tried Playtex VentAire bottles and nipples, but Lilah refused them. The only bottle and nipple we were able to get her to take (and the only one she takes to this day) were the Medela bottles and nipples.
Tip # 2: Make sure someone other than you gives baby the bottle, but have them simulate the nursing experience as much as possible.
The first few times my husband gave my daughter a bottle, he sat in the same chair that I had been feeding her in for several weeks and he tried to hold her in much the same way as I did when I was nursing her.
Tip #3: Take it slow.
Give the bottle only a few times during the first week and then slowly increase the number of bottle feedings in later weeks.
Tip #4: Be consistent.
We lived with my parents for the first 5 weeks of my daughter's life. In the process of moving back to our own place, we went about a week without giving Lilah a bottle. When my husband tried it again, she refused. He then found that by walking around with her in his arms, he was able to get her to eat. This lasted for a few days and then he was able to sit down and feed her again.
Introducing the bottle can be a frustrating experience for everyone. If you are not successful on the first try, wait a day or two and try again with a different bottle and/or nipple. And remember, don't persist if baby is upset as this will only make things more difficult. Good luck!
When the milk comes in...
In my last post on breastfeeding I talked about the early days of breastfeeding. I left off on the topic of ENGORGEMENT; the wonderfully painful experience you will have when your milk comes in!
As I mentioned in my last post, your milk will come in 2-4 days postpartum. This can be a very painful 24-48 hours, but push through because, just like labor, the pain of engorgement won't last and the reward is huge!
Engorgement is best described as a period of time in which your breasts feel very full and tender and your nipples are very sensitive. If fact, when you baby latches on, it will literally make your toes curl and you will want to scream. Don't worry, this sensation does go away after a few minutes of nursing! The absolute best treatment for engorgement is to nurse. Letting your nipples air dry and applying a nipple cream after nursing will also help. There are many old wives tales regarding things you can do to relieve engorgement, but nursing every 2-3 hours is the best and recommended solution. (It is actually the case that hot packs, warm showers and many other suggested treatments actually make engorgement worse rather than better.) I can't stress enough how important it is to make sure you are feeding baby frequently during this time. Milk production works by supply and demand and if you are not feeding baby (or pumping) every 2-3 hours during this time, your body will not produce enough milk.
During this time, your areola may be hard which makes it difficult for baby to latch on properly. If baby does not latch on properly, you will end up with traumatized nipples. If you need to express a little milk to soften the areola before feeding to make latching on easier for baby, do so! If you are experiencing pain in your nipples after the first few minutes of nursing and/or are experiencing any kind of pain in your breasts make sure you consult your doctor because there are a number of things that could be wrong (plugged milk ducts, breast infection).
Make sure you buy some breast pads before you deliver. Chances are pretty good that you are going to need them although some lucky women never d0. I used them day and night for the first few months. I was eventually able to stop using them because I no longer leaked during the day. I still occasionally leak at night, but not often enough to wear breast pads to bed. There have been nights when I have woken up and had to change my shirt, but that usually corresponded with times when my daughter went longer than normal between feedings.
I would love to be able to tell you that you are in the clear after the engorgement period is over, but that most likely will not be the case. Breastfeeding is hard work and it requires dedication on your part. I had been breastfeeding for 4 months or so before my body and daughter finally "figured it out". Mind you, I have never experienced anything like the pain of engorgement and things have definitely gotten MUCH easier, but there have still been a few bumps in the road which I will talk about in my next post.
As I mentioned in my last post, your milk will come in 2-4 days postpartum. This can be a very painful 24-48 hours, but push through because, just like labor, the pain of engorgement won't last and the reward is huge!
Engorgement is best described as a period of time in which your breasts feel very full and tender and your nipples are very sensitive. If fact, when you baby latches on, it will literally make your toes curl and you will want to scream. Don't worry, this sensation does go away after a few minutes of nursing! The absolute best treatment for engorgement is to nurse. Letting your nipples air dry and applying a nipple cream after nursing will also help. There are many old wives tales regarding things you can do to relieve engorgement, but nursing every 2-3 hours is the best and recommended solution. (It is actually the case that hot packs, warm showers and many other suggested treatments actually make engorgement worse rather than better.) I can't stress enough how important it is to make sure you are feeding baby frequently during this time. Milk production works by supply and demand and if you are not feeding baby (or pumping) every 2-3 hours during this time, your body will not produce enough milk.
During this time, your areola may be hard which makes it difficult for baby to latch on properly. If baby does not latch on properly, you will end up with traumatized nipples. If you need to express a little milk to soften the areola before feeding to make latching on easier for baby, do so! If you are experiencing pain in your nipples after the first few minutes of nursing and/or are experiencing any kind of pain in your breasts make sure you consult your doctor because there are a number of things that could be wrong (plugged milk ducts, breast infection).
Make sure you buy some breast pads before you deliver. Chances are pretty good that you are going to need them although some lucky women never d0. I used them day and night for the first few months. I was eventually able to stop using them because I no longer leaked during the day. I still occasionally leak at night, but not often enough to wear breast pads to bed. There have been nights when I have woken up and had to change my shirt, but that usually corresponded with times when my daughter went longer than normal between feedings.
I would love to be able to tell you that you are in the clear after the engorgement period is over, but that most likely will not be the case. Breastfeeding is hard work and it requires dedication on your part. I had been breastfeeding for 4 months or so before my body and daughter finally "figured it out". Mind you, I have never experienced anything like the pain of engorgement and things have definitely gotten MUCH easier, but there have still been a few bumps in the road which I will talk about in my next post.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Leaving My Baby for the First Time
I am only a couple of weeks away from having to leave my baby with someone other than her father for the first time. My sister is getting married, I am the matron of honor and my husband is the Master of Ceremonies which is going to leave little time for parenting. We are planning on bringing Lilah to the ceremony, but just before the dinner starts my husband is going to be taking her to her grandparent's place for the rest of the night.
I completely trust that her grandparents will take excellent care of her (after all, they did successfully raise 6 babies of their own, my husband included), but despite this, I am having a lot of trouble with the idea. Is this a struggle that every new parent goes through?
I don't know that I would be so stressed out about it if it was only going to be for a couple of hours during the day, but bedtime is a complete different story. For 5 months now, she has been getting used to our bedtime routine. I always feed her in the same place, sing her the same songs and put her down the same way. I keep wondering, is she going to fall asleep after being fed from a bottle by someone other than her father (which has also never happened before)? Will she fall asleep without her songs and in a strange place? All of these questions are floating around in my head and causing me to loose sleep.
I know that in the end, everything is going to be just fine. This is most likely going to be much harder on me than it will be on her. I expect that she will take a bottle from her Papa just fine and that she will fall soundly asleep in her playpen as if it were any other night. When she wakes up for her first night-feeding, her daddy will be there to give her a bottle and for subsequent feedings, I will be there to nurse her.
I am sure that after we have done this once, it will get easier. I don't fault myself for wanting to be there to take care of my baby and I expect that all of this is a perfectly normal stage that all loving, attached parents go through. I just wish the rational part of my brain would communicate all of this to the worry-wart mother part of my brain so I could stop stressing out about it so much!
I completely trust that her grandparents will take excellent care of her (after all, they did successfully raise 6 babies of their own, my husband included), but despite this, I am having a lot of trouble with the idea. Is this a struggle that every new parent goes through?
I don't know that I would be so stressed out about it if it was only going to be for a couple of hours during the day, but bedtime is a complete different story. For 5 months now, she has been getting used to our bedtime routine. I always feed her in the same place, sing her the same songs and put her down the same way. I keep wondering, is she going to fall asleep after being fed from a bottle by someone other than her father (which has also never happened before)? Will she fall asleep without her songs and in a strange place? All of these questions are floating around in my head and causing me to loose sleep.
I know that in the end, everything is going to be just fine. This is most likely going to be much harder on me than it will be on her. I expect that she will take a bottle from her Papa just fine and that she will fall soundly asleep in her playpen as if it were any other night. When she wakes up for her first night-feeding, her daddy will be there to give her a bottle and for subsequent feedings, I will be there to nurse her.
I am sure that after we have done this once, it will get easier. I don't fault myself for wanting to be there to take care of my baby and I expect that all of this is a perfectly normal stage that all loving, attached parents go through. I just wish the rational part of my brain would communicate all of this to the worry-wart mother part of my brain so I could stop stressing out about it so much!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Poor Bumper Pads
As many people know, bumper pads are not recommended. The main reason is that they are thought to increase the risk of SIDS. They can also lead to entanglement, entrapment, strangulation, and suffocation. Historically bumper pads were used because the slats on cribs were wide enough for infants to stick their heads through. Crib design standards have changed dramatically since then, but the traditional bumper pads have stuck around.
Clearly the risks of bumper pads outweigh the benefits and, therefore, I do not have bumper pads in my daughter's crib even though her bedding set did come with them. The biggest problem I am currently having due to the absence of bumper pads, however, is my daughter very regularly sticks her arms and legs through the slats and gets stuck. She is still too young to be able to get out on her own so she screams until we come and rescue her. I can't tell you how scary it is to be woken in the night by a baby who is screaming because there is genuinely something wrong! My heart practically leaps out of my chest and one of these days I am going to seriously injure myself dashing to her room in the dark!
Health Canada reports that "serious injury is not likely when a child puts his or her arms and legs through the crib slats. The baby will either remove their arm or leg from the slats if possible, or make enough noise to alert a parent for help."
This is good to know, but does nothing to solve the problem. Apparently there are new mesh bumper pads on the market that are much safer. They are not nearly as nice looking, but they are safe. Had I known this arm/leg getting stuck thing was going to be an issue and of the existence of such a product, I may have considered purchasing mesh bumper pads in the first place. If you are in the process of setting up a nursery, this might be something to consider.
By the way, I am still searching for a creative way to make use of the bumper pads that came with my daughter's bedding. One cute idea that I came across was to cut the sections apart and sew them together into a soft book. I might give this a try and I will post pictures if it is a success.
Clearly the risks of bumper pads outweigh the benefits and, therefore, I do not have bumper pads in my daughter's crib even though her bedding set did come with them. The biggest problem I am currently having due to the absence of bumper pads, however, is my daughter very regularly sticks her arms and legs through the slats and gets stuck. She is still too young to be able to get out on her own so she screams until we come and rescue her. I can't tell you how scary it is to be woken in the night by a baby who is screaming because there is genuinely something wrong! My heart practically leaps out of my chest and one of these days I am going to seriously injure myself dashing to her room in the dark!
Health Canada reports that "serious injury is not likely when a child puts his or her arms and legs through the crib slats. The baby will either remove their arm or leg from the slats if possible, or make enough noise to alert a parent for help."
This is good to know, but does nothing to solve the problem. Apparently there are new mesh bumper pads on the market that are much safer. They are not nearly as nice looking, but they are safe. Had I known this arm/leg getting stuck thing was going to be an issue and of the existence of such a product, I may have considered purchasing mesh bumper pads in the first place. If you are in the process of setting up a nursery, this might be something to consider.
By the way, I am still searching for a creative way to make use of the bumper pads that came with my daughter's bedding. One cute idea that I came across was to cut the sections apart and sew them together into a soft book. I might give this a try and I will post pictures if it is a success.
Pacifier Use vs. Thumb Sucking
There are several very hotly debated parenting issues out there, one of them being the thumb-sucking vs. pacifier use debate. I personally chose to go the thumb-sucking route and, therefore, this post will come across as biased toward thumb-sucking. That being said, if you have decided to go the pacifier route, I don't think that you made the wrong decision and by posting on this topic I am by no means trying to suggest that.
The Research
Both the World Health Organization and the United Nation's Children's Fund are but two organizations that strongly discourage the use of pacifiers because it is perceived that their use leads to early weaning in breastfed babies. There are numerous studies that support this perception which suggest that pacifier use is associated with fewer and shorter feeds and a shorter duration of breastfeeding, but that the same correlations are not found for thumb-sucking.
More recently, research has begun to suggest that rather than pacifier use being the cause of early weaning, it is a marker for breastfeeding problems or a reduced motivation to breastfeed. Generally speaking, mothers who introduce pacifiers tended to be those that breastfeed less often and experienced breastfeeding problems rather than pacifier use being the cause.
Although research now suggests that pacifier use does not cause early weaning, there are a number of other factors to consider when making the decision of which to use.
Which is easier to give up?
There are those that believe getting rid of the pacifier is easier because you are in control and can simply throw the pacifier away whereas the same can not be done with a thumb which is in the baby's control.
There are others (like myself) that believe giving up the thumb will naturally occur as long as a baby's sucking needs are appropriately met during early infancy.
Being a new mom, I have no experience with either situation. It will be interesting to see if and when my daughter naturally gives up her thumb.
The Pros and Cons (Okay, so there are only cons for the pacifier...LOL!)
Pacifiers
Pacifiers can be beneficial for getting through the period of time when babies experience an intense need to suck. Around the 2 month mark, my daughter had a week where she seemed to want to suck around the clock. I tried to nurse her as often as she wanted, but I started to feel like a human pacifier. It was pretty intense and my husband and I debated giving her a pacifier at this time. It was tough to get though the week without it, but when the week was over, the intense need to suck seemed to disappear.
Pacifiers can also be a sanity saver with very colicky babies when you need a break from the crying or when flying to help baby's ears to pop.
But...
Pacifiers used at bedtime to put baby to sleep can interfere with baby learning to fall asleep on his/her own. In addition, sleep could be interrupted if the pacifier falls out in the night and baby can't fall back asleep without it (unless you are planning on getting up to put it back in).
It has been found that infants that use a pacifier long-term (into toddler hood) are more likely to have ear infections and develop misaligned teeth than those that are not given one.
I also personally dislike the way a pacifier looks in a baby's mouth. When we do give my daughter a pacifier when we fly, she doesn't even look like my baby.
The Thumb
The thumb is always there when baby needs it and can easily be taken out when baby wants to communicate. Enough said, I honestly can't think of any disadvantages.
I don't think using a pacifier occasionally is a bad thing. If you do go the pacifier route, make sure you use it in moderation, only when baby really seems to need it and don't offer it past the 6 month mark to prevent dependence. Please don't become one of those parents that puts in the pacifier at the slightest hint of fussiness rather than consoling and trying to figure out what is actually wrong with baby and don't use it to put baby to sleep instead of cuddling. Your baby needs you, not a substitute.
The Research
Both the World Health Organization and the United Nation's Children's Fund are but two organizations that strongly discourage the use of pacifiers because it is perceived that their use leads to early weaning in breastfed babies. There are numerous studies that support this perception which suggest that pacifier use is associated with fewer and shorter feeds and a shorter duration of breastfeeding, but that the same correlations are not found for thumb-sucking.
More recently, research has begun to suggest that rather than pacifier use being the cause of early weaning, it is a marker for breastfeeding problems or a reduced motivation to breastfeed. Generally speaking, mothers who introduce pacifiers tended to be those that breastfeed less often and experienced breastfeeding problems rather than pacifier use being the cause.
Although research now suggests that pacifier use does not cause early weaning, there are a number of other factors to consider when making the decision of which to use.
Which is easier to give up?
There are those that believe getting rid of the pacifier is easier because you are in control and can simply throw the pacifier away whereas the same can not be done with a thumb which is in the baby's control.
There are others (like myself) that believe giving up the thumb will naturally occur as long as a baby's sucking needs are appropriately met during early infancy.
Being a new mom, I have no experience with either situation. It will be interesting to see if and when my daughter naturally gives up her thumb.
The Pros and Cons (Okay, so there are only cons for the pacifier...LOL!)
Pacifiers
Pacifiers can be beneficial for getting through the period of time when babies experience an intense need to suck. Around the 2 month mark, my daughter had a week where she seemed to want to suck around the clock. I tried to nurse her as often as she wanted, but I started to feel like a human pacifier. It was pretty intense and my husband and I debated giving her a pacifier at this time. It was tough to get though the week without it, but when the week was over, the intense need to suck seemed to disappear.
Pacifiers can also be a sanity saver with very colicky babies when you need a break from the crying or when flying to help baby's ears to pop.
But...
Pacifiers used at bedtime to put baby to sleep can interfere with baby learning to fall asleep on his/her own. In addition, sleep could be interrupted if the pacifier falls out in the night and baby can't fall back asleep without it (unless you are planning on getting up to put it back in).
It has been found that infants that use a pacifier long-term (into toddler hood) are more likely to have ear infections and develop misaligned teeth than those that are not given one.
I also personally dislike the way a pacifier looks in a baby's mouth. When we do give my daughter a pacifier when we fly, she doesn't even look like my baby.
The Thumb
The thumb is always there when baby needs it and can easily be taken out when baby wants to communicate. Enough said, I honestly can't think of any disadvantages.
I don't think using a pacifier occasionally is a bad thing. If you do go the pacifier route, make sure you use it in moderation, only when baby really seems to need it and don't offer it past the 6 month mark to prevent dependence. Please don't become one of those parents that puts in the pacifier at the slightest hint of fussiness rather than consoling and trying to figure out what is actually wrong with baby and don't use it to put baby to sleep instead of cuddling. Your baby needs you, not a substitute.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The Early Days of Breastfeeding
There a several myths out there regarding things you can do to get your nipples ready for breastfeeding. Myths are exactly what they are. There is nothing you can or need to do to get your nipples ready for breastfeeding. The only recommended steps are:
1) Wear a supportive bra (nursing or otherwise) without underwire. Bras with underwire have been known to lead to plugged milk ducts and breast infections. I personally found any bra with underwire to be very uncomfortable in the last months of pregnancy anyway and could not imagine having worn one in the early weeks of breastfeeding. I found cotton nursing bras without any bells and whistles to be the most comfortable. As I mentioned in an earlier post, you may want to buy at least one nursing bra ahead of time. It is generally safe to buy one towards the end of your pregnancy because your breast size will not significantly change any more. You will eventually need more than one, but you can hold off buying more until you decided which ones you like.
2) Avoid washing your nipples with soap when you are in the shower as this can dry them out.
That's it! There isn't anything else you can/should do.
One of the most important things you can do to get ready for breastfeeding is educate yourself about what to expect and what is normal and abnormal. The more educated you are, the more enjoyable your breastfeeding experience will be. I highly recommend the book The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins.
It is also a good idea to attend a prenatal breastfeeding class. I did a lot of reading beforehand so I didn't really learn anything new from the class, but they provide you will a ton of resources in your community that you can access of you have any questions or problems.
Breastfeeding can be one the most amazing experiences of your life. The bond that it creates between you and your baby is incredibly rewarding. I have had a wonderful experience and absolutely love it. That being said, breastfeeding is by no means easy and it requires a huge commitment on your part.
The first few days are particularly hard. Initially, just getting baby to latch on properly is a big challenge. Although babies are born with the rooting reflex, both you and your baby have to learn how to breastfeed. The nurses in the hospital should help you with this because it is really difficult to manage holding your newborn baby and getting him or her to latch on to your nipple all at the same time (I would recommend a Boppy pillow). Don't get frustrated because after only a few nursing, things start to get easier.
As a side note, make sure you let the nurses know that you want to breastfeed for the first time as soon as possible after giving birth. Infants are usually incredibly eager to suck within the first two hours after birth and this is a perfect time to get the learning ball rolling. Studies have shown that the longer you wait, the less successful breastfeeding will be. Also be sure to avoid giving your baby a pacifier in the early days of nursing. This can lead to all kinds of nursing problems such as latching problems and early weaning and ear infections down the road (more on pacifier use later).
Until your milk comes in (generally 3-4 days postpartum), your baby will be drinking colostrum. This is thick and yellow and it is the most important substance you will ever feed your baby. It provides your newborn with all kinds of antibodies, prevents bacteria from entering baby's intestines, stimulates baby's bowels and can reduce jaundice just to name a few of the benefits. It may not seem like your newborn is eating very much, but know that a newborn's stomach is very small and they are getting what they need.
Newborn babies need anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes to complete a feeding. There is a lot of misinformation out there about this topic. Do not restrict your nursing time. Many people believe this helps to reduce nipple soreness, but that is not the case. Sore nipples are caused by improper positioning. There is no truth to the myth that it takes the a certain amount of time for the breast to empty either. You should let your baby nurse for as long as he/she wants. Not doing so will frustrate your baby and can lead to more engorgement down the road. When your baby is finished, he or she will let you know by letting go of your nipple. This is the absolute best way to end a feeding. If you do need to break the suction for some reason, make sure you do it properly by sliding your baby finger into the corner of your baby's mouth until you hear the release. You will be amazed at how strong the latch can be and if you don't break suction properly it will hurt!
Until your milk comes, your newborn will be nursing very frequently. At a minimum you should make sure you are nursing at least 8 times in a 24 hour period. The general rule of thumb is don't let your baby go more than 3 hours between feedings during the day and more than 4 hours during the night. This means you may have to wake your baby if he or she is very sleepy which newborns tend to be in the early days. When your milk comes in it is very important to make sure you are nursing every couple of hours to ensure a good milk supply. When your milk comes in, be prepared. This can be an rough 24-48 hour period. More on that in my next post!
1) Wear a supportive bra (nursing or otherwise) without underwire. Bras with underwire have been known to lead to plugged milk ducts and breast infections. I personally found any bra with underwire to be very uncomfortable in the last months of pregnancy anyway and could not imagine having worn one in the early weeks of breastfeeding. I found cotton nursing bras without any bells and whistles to be the most comfortable. As I mentioned in an earlier post, you may want to buy at least one nursing bra ahead of time. It is generally safe to buy one towards the end of your pregnancy because your breast size will not significantly change any more. You will eventually need more than one, but you can hold off buying more until you decided which ones you like.
2) Avoid washing your nipples with soap when you are in the shower as this can dry them out.
That's it! There isn't anything else you can/should do.
One of the most important things you can do to get ready for breastfeeding is educate yourself about what to expect and what is normal and abnormal. The more educated you are, the more enjoyable your breastfeeding experience will be. I highly recommend the book The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins.
It is also a good idea to attend a prenatal breastfeeding class. I did a lot of reading beforehand so I didn't really learn anything new from the class, but they provide you will a ton of resources in your community that you can access of you have any questions or problems.
Breastfeeding can be one the most amazing experiences of your life. The bond that it creates between you and your baby is incredibly rewarding. I have had a wonderful experience and absolutely love it. That being said, breastfeeding is by no means easy and it requires a huge commitment on your part.
The first few days are particularly hard. Initially, just getting baby to latch on properly is a big challenge. Although babies are born with the rooting reflex, both you and your baby have to learn how to breastfeed. The nurses in the hospital should help you with this because it is really difficult to manage holding your newborn baby and getting him or her to latch on to your nipple all at the same time (I would recommend a Boppy pillow). Don't get frustrated because after only a few nursing, things start to get easier.
As a side note, make sure you let the nurses know that you want to breastfeed for the first time as soon as possible after giving birth. Infants are usually incredibly eager to suck within the first two hours after birth and this is a perfect time to get the learning ball rolling. Studies have shown that the longer you wait, the less successful breastfeeding will be. Also be sure to avoid giving your baby a pacifier in the early days of nursing. This can lead to all kinds of nursing problems such as latching problems and early weaning and ear infections down the road (more on pacifier use later).
Until your milk comes in (generally 3-4 days postpartum), your baby will be drinking colostrum. This is thick and yellow and it is the most important substance you will ever feed your baby. It provides your newborn with all kinds of antibodies, prevents bacteria from entering baby's intestines, stimulates baby's bowels and can reduce jaundice just to name a few of the benefits. It may not seem like your newborn is eating very much, but know that a newborn's stomach is very small and they are getting what they need.
Newborn babies need anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes to complete a feeding. There is a lot of misinformation out there about this topic. Do not restrict your nursing time. Many people believe this helps to reduce nipple soreness, but that is not the case. Sore nipples are caused by improper positioning. There is no truth to the myth that it takes the a certain amount of time for the breast to empty either. You should let your baby nurse for as long as he/she wants. Not doing so will frustrate your baby and can lead to more engorgement down the road. When your baby is finished, he or she will let you know by letting go of your nipple. This is the absolute best way to end a feeding. If you do need to break the suction for some reason, make sure you do it properly by sliding your baby finger into the corner of your baby's mouth until you hear the release. You will be amazed at how strong the latch can be and if you don't break suction properly it will hurt!
Until your milk comes, your newborn will be nursing very frequently. At a minimum you should make sure you are nursing at least 8 times in a 24 hour period. The general rule of thumb is don't let your baby go more than 3 hours between feedings during the day and more than 4 hours during the night. This means you may have to wake your baby if he or she is very sleepy which newborns tend to be in the early days. When your milk comes in it is very important to make sure you are nursing every couple of hours to ensure a good milk supply. When your milk comes in, be prepared. This can be an rough 24-48 hour period. More on that in my next post!
Friday, May 28, 2010
The Challenge: Finding time to have a shower!
I am sure that all new moms will agree that finding time to have a shower is a challenge.
In the early months, I didn't feel comfortable jumping in the shower while my daughter was sleeping because I never really knew how long she was going to sleep for and I didn't want her lying there crying until I got out. Our bathroom is right beside my daughter's nursery and I was also worried that the noise would wake her up after I had finally got her to sleep.
When I asked for advice, almost every single mom that I talked to told me to just put her in her bouncy chair outside of the bathroom door where I could still see her. What a great idea! Now my advice to every new mom is - invest in a bouncy chair and turn shower time into a fun game of Peek-A-Boo.
BUT...
The bouncy chair worked great until recently because now my 5 month old daughter is too big and strong for her bouncy chair. Now what?
She can't crawl yet so my new plan is to put her on her playmat within sight while I take a shower. This might work for a few months, but when she starts to crawl I have no idea what I am going to do with her!
She is a much more consistent napper and I know roughly how long she is going to sleep for so I suppose I could start to take showers while she is sleeping. I am also far less worried about her lying there crying because she doesn't usually wake up that way anymore. For the most part, she is perfectly content lying in her crib awake for a short time.
I guess this is where a playpen or pack-and-play comes in handy. We never invested in one because they are incredibly expensive and I didn't think we would get enough use out of it to make it worth the money. I don't think having it just for the purpose of taking a shower justifies the expense.
Anyway, I guess I will just have to continue to come up with creative ideas for taking a shower!
Happy Showering!
In the early months, I didn't feel comfortable jumping in the shower while my daughter was sleeping because I never really knew how long she was going to sleep for and I didn't want her lying there crying until I got out. Our bathroom is right beside my daughter's nursery and I was also worried that the noise would wake her up after I had finally got her to sleep.
When I asked for advice, almost every single mom that I talked to told me to just put her in her bouncy chair outside of the bathroom door where I could still see her. What a great idea! Now my advice to every new mom is - invest in a bouncy chair and turn shower time into a fun game of Peek-A-Boo.
BUT...
The bouncy chair worked great until recently because now my 5 month old daughter is too big and strong for her bouncy chair. Now what?
She can't crawl yet so my new plan is to put her on her playmat within sight while I take a shower. This might work for a few months, but when she starts to crawl I have no idea what I am going to do with her!
She is a much more consistent napper and I know roughly how long she is going to sleep for so I suppose I could start to take showers while she is sleeping. I am also far less worried about her lying there crying because she doesn't usually wake up that way anymore. For the most part, she is perfectly content lying in her crib awake for a short time.
I guess this is where a playpen or pack-and-play comes in handy. We never invested in one because they are incredibly expensive and I didn't think we would get enough use out of it to make it worth the money. I don't think having it just for the purpose of taking a shower justifies the expense.
Anyway, I guess I will just have to continue to come up with creative ideas for taking a shower!
Happy Showering!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Getting ready to start solid food!
The countdown is on! We are only a few short weeks away from the big day...the day Lilah starts solid food! I am very excited about the big event.
This past weekend, I did some on-line shopping for the supplies that we are going to need. Any day now, infant spoons, bowls, sippy cups, ice cube trays with lids, and snack containers will be arriving at my door! Yes, I do get excited about the little things in life.
I plan on making all of Lilah's baby food and I can't wait to get started. My mom gave me a great book, The Healthy Baby Meal Planner - Mom-Tested, Child-Approved Recipes for Your Baby and Toddler. It was written by a woman named Annabel Karmel. She is a mother of 3 and has written 16 bestselling books on cooking for babies so she knows what she is talking about (www.annabelkarmel.com). The book has a very thorough introduction that talks about the best first foods, nutritional requirements, allergies, and preparing baby foods. Chapters on first-stage weaning (the 6th month), second-stage weaning (7-9 months), feeding your 9-12 month old, and feeding your toddler follow. There are over 200 recipes in the book as well. The thing I love about the book the most is that it includes meal planners (The First Tastes Meal Planner and The First Tastes Accepted Meal Planner). Our debut foods are going to include rice cereal, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, and butternut squash! SO EXCITING!
Now, if only Lilah could be as excited about this as I am!
This past weekend, I did some on-line shopping for the supplies that we are going to need. Any day now, infant spoons, bowls, sippy cups, ice cube trays with lids, and snack containers will be arriving at my door! Yes, I do get excited about the little things in life.
I plan on making all of Lilah's baby food and I can't wait to get started. My mom gave me a great book, The Healthy Baby Meal Planner - Mom-Tested, Child-Approved Recipes for Your Baby and Toddler. It was written by a woman named Annabel Karmel. She is a mother of 3 and has written 16 bestselling books on cooking for babies so she knows what she is talking about (www.annabelkarmel.com). The book has a very thorough introduction that talks about the best first foods, nutritional requirements, allergies, and preparing baby foods. Chapters on first-stage weaning (the 6th month), second-stage weaning (7-9 months), feeding your 9-12 month old, and feeding your toddler follow. There are over 200 recipes in the book as well. The thing I love about the book the most is that it includes meal planners (The First Tastes Meal Planner and The First Tastes Accepted Meal Planner). Our debut foods are going to include rice cereal, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, and butternut squash! SO EXCITING!
Now, if only Lilah could be as excited about this as I am!
Mastering the Art of Mommyhood - Revamped
When I started this blog just over a month ago, my plan was to share my experiences as a new mom in chronological order starting with my pregnancy. However, it seems like my daughter is doing something different everyday and I am learning new things about being a mom daily (and about being a Blogger). Although I would like to think I will be able to remember everything that happens until the time comes to write about it a few months down the road, the reality is I can barely remember what day of the week it is never mind the little things that happen everyday. Therefore, I have decided to revamp my blog both in looks and content. I will continue to talk about my past experiences, but I would like my blog to track my day-to-day experiences as well. Several people have expressed an interest in hearing more about breastfeeding and I have a lot to share on the topic so don't fret, I will be returning to the subject! And, if there are any other topics that you would like me to talk about, just let me know!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Breastfeeding: Books & Breastpumps
Here we go...BREASTFEEDING! I am going to start out talking about books and breastpumps!
Books
I would highly recommend getting a copy of The Nursing Mother's Companion. I love this book! It is not preachy about breastfeeding the way books written by hard-core advocates can be. Rather, it recognizes that everyone's situation is different and that some mother's go back to work and some father's want to play a role in feeding. This book has answered every single question about breastfeeding that I have had to this day. It is very comprehensive and talks about everything from preparing for breastfeeding through to breastfeeding into the toddler years. I can't say enough good things about this book!
Breastpumps
Due to the nature of my job, I was only able to stay home with my daughter for 6 weeks before I had to return to work part-time. Therefore, a breastpump was absolutely necessary for me. I bought the Medela Pump in Style Advanced ($280.00 US). This is a daily use breastpump designed for mothers who pump several times a day. I really like this breastpump and would highly recommend it if you are going to be pumping regularly.
If you are only going to be pumping occasionally, I would recommend looking into a less expensive occasional use breastpump (manual, $35.00 US or electric, $150.00 US) to save yourself some money.
Even if you don't plan on pumping at all, I would consider buying an occasional use breastpump because there are situations in which you may want it.
For example, I used it on many occasions when my breasts were particularly engorged and my daughter was just not eating enough to give me relief. If you want your partner to be able to play a role in feeding, you are going to need a pump. Although I have not had this problem, I know some mothers need to pump in advance of feeding to get their milk flowing if it takes a long time to let down and/or baby is having trouble.
If you do decide to buy a breastpump, you will need storage bags if you plan of freezing your milk for later use. Everything else that I needed came with my breastpump (tubes, breastsheilds, cooler bag with ice pack, 4 - 5 oz bottles, lids, and wide-base slow flow nipples). Check the model you are considering to see of there are any additional supplies you might need.
A side note - the wide-based slow flow nipples and Medela bottles where the only nipples and bottles we could get my daughter to accept. We tried Playtex Ventaire and Gerber bottles and she refused both. Make sure you have a variety of nipple and bottle types on hand if you are going to try to get your baby to take a bottle because this can make a big difference in whether you are successful or not.
Stay tuned for more on breastfeeding and let me know if you have any questions!
Books
I would highly recommend getting a copy of The Nursing Mother's Companion. I love this book! It is not preachy about breastfeeding the way books written by hard-core advocates can be. Rather, it recognizes that everyone's situation is different and that some mother's go back to work and some father's want to play a role in feeding. This book has answered every single question about breastfeeding that I have had to this day. It is very comprehensive and talks about everything from preparing for breastfeeding through to breastfeeding into the toddler years. I can't say enough good things about this book!
Breastpumps
Due to the nature of my job, I was only able to stay home with my daughter for 6 weeks before I had to return to work part-time. Therefore, a breastpump was absolutely necessary for me. I bought the Medela Pump in Style Advanced ($280.00 US). This is a daily use breastpump designed for mothers who pump several times a day. I really like this breastpump and would highly recommend it if you are going to be pumping regularly.
If you are only going to be pumping occasionally, I would recommend looking into a less expensive occasional use breastpump (manual, $35.00 US or electric, $150.00 US) to save yourself some money.
Even if you don't plan on pumping at all, I would consider buying an occasional use breastpump because there are situations in which you may want it.
For example, I used it on many occasions when my breasts were particularly engorged and my daughter was just not eating enough to give me relief. If you want your partner to be able to play a role in feeding, you are going to need a pump. Although I have not had this problem, I know some mothers need to pump in advance of feeding to get their milk flowing if it takes a long time to let down and/or baby is having trouble.
If you do decide to buy a breastpump, you will need storage bags if you plan of freezing your milk for later use. Everything else that I needed came with my breastpump (tubes, breastsheilds, cooler bag with ice pack, 4 - 5 oz bottles, lids, and wide-base slow flow nipples). Check the model you are considering to see of there are any additional supplies you might need.
A side note - the wide-based slow flow nipples and Medela bottles where the only nipples and bottles we could get my daughter to accept. We tried Playtex Ventaire and Gerber bottles and she refused both. Make sure you have a variety of nipple and bottle types on hand if you are going to try to get your baby to take a bottle because this can make a big difference in whether you are successful or not.
Stay tuned for more on breastfeeding and let me know if you have any questions!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Getting Ready for Baby...The Little Things, Part 2
A note on diapers...In my last post, I talked a little bit about my experience with diapers. After posting, I was given some feedback from a few friends about their experiences. I had questioned whether Huggies diapers might be better for boys and in fact a friend of mine told me that she has found this to be the case. She passed along a cute little quote "Hug a boy, pamper a girl." Another mom noted that she has always used Huggies with her girls (3) and hasn't had any problems. I would definitely recommend when buying diapers for your new baby, to get a package of each until you decide which you prefer.
Now, on to more about getting ready for baby! Again, these are my personal preferences. There are so many options out there and you need to choose what is best for you and your baby! I am sure there are things that I am forgetting to mention so if you have questions about anything, feel free to comment!
Clothes
If you are going to buy clothes ahead of time, don't get a lot of newborn stuff. Babies grow incredibly fast! My daughter was 7.12 pounds when she was born and she had outgrown her newborn clothes within 3 weeks.
Don't spend a lot of money on "outfits" either. As you can imagine, it is a challenge dressing a tiny little baby and the less fuss you have to deal with, the better. Socks, shoes, booties, hats and bibs are cute, but not necessary. I have a million bibs and have not used a single one to this day. I will start using them when my daughter starts teething and eating, but up to now there really has been no need. She didn't start wearing socks or shoes until she started wearing pants around the 1 month mark. She did wear booties and a hat on a couple of occasions, but you really don't need more than one of each. When they are in sleepers, they don't need any of that extra stuff.
Sleepers are the way to go! My daughter lived exclusively in sleepers for the first month or so. Make sure you get sleepers with snaps (down both legs) rather than zippers. Zippers may seem like they would be easier, but they only unzip down one leg which can make getting the other leg out rather difficult. There is the risk of getting baby's delicate skin pinched in the zipper and you have to unzip the whole sleeper to change a diaper rather than just the snaps around the legs which means more cold air can get at baby.
I started dressing my daughter in pants and onsies when she got a little bigger and that is now our standard outfit for everyday. Cute outfits are nice for special occasions, but if you are going to be chumming around the house most of the time, you want baby to be comfortable.
If you have a girl, you might be tempted to buy some cute little dresses, but let me tell you, dresses are a pain in the ass! You have to constantly pull them down. We wear dresses on special occasions, but that is it! When she can walk, dresses will be much easier to manage!
You are also going to need clothing for outdoors. My daughter was born in the winter so we had to buy a one piece snowsuit for her to wear. A hat and mittens are also essential for winter babies! A few light sweaters or sweatshirts (with hoods) are all that you really need once the weather starts to warm up.
I would also highly recommend a few pairs of the little mittens that can be worn to prevent scratching. I recently read that these are no longer recommended because babies need to be able to 'feel' their world. These people have obviously forgotten how difficult it is to cut a newborn baby's fingernails! My daughter wore mittens every time she slept for the first few months until it became easier for me to cut her nails and she does not seem to have suffered any adverse consequences. Of course, it is important to take them off when baby is awake when baby will actually be 'feeling' their world, but putting them on for sleeping is essential unless you want a baby with a scratched up little face!
Bedding
Start with a crib mattress pad that has a plastic backing to protect your mattress and to provide a little more cushioning to the bed. You will need at least a couple of fitted cotton crib sheets so that you have one to swap out in case of spit-up or diaper leaks (you will also need these items for the bassinet). Be sure to get a few soft cotton blankets and at least one good sized cotton blanket that can be used for swaddling. We used a hand-knit blanket for swaddling for the first couple of months and then transitioned to a sleep-sac and soft blanket. A sleep-sac is great because you don't have to worry about baby getting cold if they happen to kick of their blanket. I didn't use receiving blankets at all for swaddling rather I used them for burp cloths, but regardless of what you use them for your should get half a dozen or so.
Getting the crib ready is really exciting (even though baby won't be using to for a few months if you are going the bassinet route). Everyone wants to get a cute crib set that includes a comforter, bed skirt, fitted sheet and bumper pads. The truth is that bumper pads are not recommended because they put baby at risk of suffocation and you won't use the comforter while baby is actually in the crib (it ends up being more for looks). The crib skirt and sheet, however, are nice to have. If you do buy a set (or someone buys it for you), you can use the comforter as a play blanket so that you get use out of it and there are alternative ways to make use of the bumper pads (I am in the process of trying to find a creative way to use the bumper pads that came with my daughter's crib bedding...there are several suggestions online, I will keep you posted on this.)
Toys
My daughter didn't really get into her toys until she was about 4 months of age and even then, there were only a few that she preferred to grab and hold on to. Soft toys that make noise and have color contrast are good for the early months. Chewable toys are good as they get a little older and want to put everything into their mouths. Board books and a few baby CDs are great to have as well!
We have a playmat that she has really enjoyed, but now that she is 5 months old, she has become less interested in it. She started using her activity jumper as soon as she was strong enough and could touch the ground in it and she loves it now! We don't have a Jolly Jumper, but I know a lot of people like them. We have a Bumbo chair, but my daughter is not a fan of sitting in it. It actually forces them to sit quite awkwardly and I recently heard mumblings about them not being good for their posture. We used a swing for the few few weeks, but then my daughter decided that she did not like the cradled position that it forced her to lie in. We also have a bouncy chair which is awesome to have so that you can take a shower once in awhile! A Boppy pillow is great for sitting baby in before he/she can sit up an his/her own (as well as for breastfeeding in the early days).
It is recommended regardless of what jumper/activity center you have, that babies are put in them for only short periods of time. The best way for a baby to develop is to just play on a regular blanket. Lots of tummy time is really important!
A few other things you might want to consider...
For the nursery...
*A diaper pail of some kind. We have a Diaper Genie II and it is great! I was originally just going to use a garbage can in the nursery, but I am super glad I went the diaper pail route. It keeps the odor contained and you can put a lot of diapers in it before it needs to be changed (many more than in a small garbage pail).
*Get some baby hangers for items that are better hung than folded.
*A rocking chair in the nursery is wonderful! It is great for rocking baby to sleep when they are really young and for story time as they get older.
For travel...
*Sun shields for your car windows are really great for keeping the sun out of baby's eyes when you are travelling.
*A mirror that can be mounted on the back seat so you can glance at baby while you are driving is also essential.
*A diaper bag for travelling is a no-brainer. My diaper bag goes with me wherever I go. It doubles as my purse now with a section devoted to my things.
*Little pads to cover the car seat straps are nice so that the straps are not against baby's delicate skin. I also use these on the straps in the stroller.
*We do not have a pack-and-play, but if you are going to be doing a lot of travelling with baby and baby is going to need a place to sleep, you might want to invest in one. They are very expensive so spend the cash only if you are going to get a lot of use out if it.
*A carrier is a great investment. You are not always going to want or be able to take a stroller wherever you go. It is also nice to just be able to take a walk with baby in the carrier rather than the stroller. I currently use a Fisher Price carrier that we were given, but if I was to invest in one, I would get the Baby Bjorn Sport carrier.
For everyday...
*You absolutely need some baby nail clippers. I had both the regular clippers that are similar to adult clippers and the ones with a larger handle. After using both, I have found the regular clippers to be much easier to use and handle.
*You will also need to have on hand a soft brush (and comb for longer hair), a digital thermometer (for the armpit is easiest), a nasal aspirator, baby oil (for cleaning little nooks and crannies and for cradle cap), infant Tylenol (for after those nasty immunizations), Vitamin D drops (babies should be given these every day while they are exclusively breastfed unless they are exposed to at least 5-10 minutes of sunshine everyday), and Gripe Water (to soothe a colicky baby or just to soothe cramps or hiccups).
In my next post, I am going to start talking about the topic that everyone has been waiting for...BREASTFEEDING! Stay tuned!
Now, on to more about getting ready for baby! Again, these are my personal preferences. There are so many options out there and you need to choose what is best for you and your baby! I am sure there are things that I am forgetting to mention so if you have questions about anything, feel free to comment!
Clothes
If you are going to buy clothes ahead of time, don't get a lot of newborn stuff. Babies grow incredibly fast! My daughter was 7.12 pounds when she was born and she had outgrown her newborn clothes within 3 weeks.
Don't spend a lot of money on "outfits" either. As you can imagine, it is a challenge dressing a tiny little baby and the less fuss you have to deal with, the better. Socks, shoes, booties, hats and bibs are cute, but not necessary. I have a million bibs and have not used a single one to this day. I will start using them when my daughter starts teething and eating, but up to now there really has been no need. She didn't start wearing socks or shoes until she started wearing pants around the 1 month mark. She did wear booties and a hat on a couple of occasions, but you really don't need more than one of each. When they are in sleepers, they don't need any of that extra stuff.
Sleepers are the way to go! My daughter lived exclusively in sleepers for the first month or so. Make sure you get sleepers with snaps (down both legs) rather than zippers. Zippers may seem like they would be easier, but they only unzip down one leg which can make getting the other leg out rather difficult. There is the risk of getting baby's delicate skin pinched in the zipper and you have to unzip the whole sleeper to change a diaper rather than just the snaps around the legs which means more cold air can get at baby.
I started dressing my daughter in pants and onsies when she got a little bigger and that is now our standard outfit for everyday. Cute outfits are nice for special occasions, but if you are going to be chumming around the house most of the time, you want baby to be comfortable.
If you have a girl, you might be tempted to buy some cute little dresses, but let me tell you, dresses are a pain in the ass! You have to constantly pull them down. We wear dresses on special occasions, but that is it! When she can walk, dresses will be much easier to manage!
You are also going to need clothing for outdoors. My daughter was born in the winter so we had to buy a one piece snowsuit for her to wear. A hat and mittens are also essential for winter babies! A few light sweaters or sweatshirts (with hoods) are all that you really need once the weather starts to warm up.
I would also highly recommend a few pairs of the little mittens that can be worn to prevent scratching. I recently read that these are no longer recommended because babies need to be able to 'feel' their world. These people have obviously forgotten how difficult it is to cut a newborn baby's fingernails! My daughter wore mittens every time she slept for the first few months until it became easier for me to cut her nails and she does not seem to have suffered any adverse consequences. Of course, it is important to take them off when baby is awake when baby will actually be 'feeling' their world, but putting them on for sleeping is essential unless you want a baby with a scratched up little face!
Bedding
Start with a crib mattress pad that has a plastic backing to protect your mattress and to provide a little more cushioning to the bed. You will need at least a couple of fitted cotton crib sheets so that you have one to swap out in case of spit-up or diaper leaks (you will also need these items for the bassinet). Be sure to get a few soft cotton blankets and at least one good sized cotton blanket that can be used for swaddling. We used a hand-knit blanket for swaddling for the first couple of months and then transitioned to a sleep-sac and soft blanket. A sleep-sac is great because you don't have to worry about baby getting cold if they happen to kick of their blanket. I didn't use receiving blankets at all for swaddling rather I used them for burp cloths, but regardless of what you use them for your should get half a dozen or so.
Getting the crib ready is really exciting (even though baby won't be using to for a few months if you are going the bassinet route). Everyone wants to get a cute crib set that includes a comforter, bed skirt, fitted sheet and bumper pads. The truth is that bumper pads are not recommended because they put baby at risk of suffocation and you won't use the comforter while baby is actually in the crib (it ends up being more for looks). The crib skirt and sheet, however, are nice to have. If you do buy a set (or someone buys it for you), you can use the comforter as a play blanket so that you get use out of it and there are alternative ways to make use of the bumper pads (I am in the process of trying to find a creative way to use the bumper pads that came with my daughter's crib bedding...there are several suggestions online, I will keep you posted on this.)
Toys
My daughter didn't really get into her toys until she was about 4 months of age and even then, there were only a few that she preferred to grab and hold on to. Soft toys that make noise and have color contrast are good for the early months. Chewable toys are good as they get a little older and want to put everything into their mouths. Board books and a few baby CDs are great to have as well!
We have a playmat that she has really enjoyed, but now that she is 5 months old, she has become less interested in it. She started using her activity jumper as soon as she was strong enough and could touch the ground in it and she loves it now! We don't have a Jolly Jumper, but I know a lot of people like them. We have a Bumbo chair, but my daughter is not a fan of sitting in it. It actually forces them to sit quite awkwardly and I recently heard mumblings about them not being good for their posture. We used a swing for the few few weeks, but then my daughter decided that she did not like the cradled position that it forced her to lie in. We also have a bouncy chair which is awesome to have so that you can take a shower once in awhile! A Boppy pillow is great for sitting baby in before he/she can sit up an his/her own (as well as for breastfeeding in the early days).
It is recommended regardless of what jumper/activity center you have, that babies are put in them for only short periods of time. The best way for a baby to develop is to just play on a regular blanket. Lots of tummy time is really important!
A few other things you might want to consider...
For the nursery...
*A diaper pail of some kind. We have a Diaper Genie II and it is great! I was originally just going to use a garbage can in the nursery, but I am super glad I went the diaper pail route. It keeps the odor contained and you can put a lot of diapers in it before it needs to be changed (many more than in a small garbage pail).
*Get some baby hangers for items that are better hung than folded.
*A rocking chair in the nursery is wonderful! It is great for rocking baby to sleep when they are really young and for story time as they get older.
For travel...
*Sun shields for your car windows are really great for keeping the sun out of baby's eyes when you are travelling.
*A mirror that can be mounted on the back seat so you can glance at baby while you are driving is also essential.
*A diaper bag for travelling is a no-brainer. My diaper bag goes with me wherever I go. It doubles as my purse now with a section devoted to my things.
*Little pads to cover the car seat straps are nice so that the straps are not against baby's delicate skin. I also use these on the straps in the stroller.
*We do not have a pack-and-play, but if you are going to be doing a lot of travelling with baby and baby is going to need a place to sleep, you might want to invest in one. They are very expensive so spend the cash only if you are going to get a lot of use out if it.
*A carrier is a great investment. You are not always going to want or be able to take a stroller wherever you go. It is also nice to just be able to take a walk with baby in the carrier rather than the stroller. I currently use a Fisher Price carrier that we were given, but if I was to invest in one, I would get the Baby Bjorn Sport carrier.
For everyday...
*You absolutely need some baby nail clippers. I had both the regular clippers that are similar to adult clippers and the ones with a larger handle. After using both, I have found the regular clippers to be much easier to use and handle.
*You will also need to have on hand a soft brush (and comb for longer hair), a digital thermometer (for the armpit is easiest), a nasal aspirator, baby oil (for cleaning little nooks and crannies and for cradle cap), infant Tylenol (for after those nasty immunizations), Vitamin D drops (babies should be given these every day while they are exclusively breastfed unless they are exposed to at least 5-10 minutes of sunshine everyday), and Gripe Water (to soothe a colicky baby or just to soothe cramps or hiccups).
In my next post, I am going to start talking about the topic that everyone has been waiting for...BREASTFEEDING! Stay tuned!
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