Monday, August 31, 2009

Distracted Baby Breastfeeding

Many of my friends have seen how difficult it is for me to get Brett to breast feed. She sucks for a minute and then unlatches to look around, re-latches on for a few sucks, looks around, etc. This will go on and on for as long as I let it. Now that she is really good at rolling over she will let go, roll over and start to crawl away.

I had the idea to put on a necklace to distract her while she was nursing. I put on a long necklace that is just a bunch of gold rings and long enough to slip over my head. It worked! She played with it while she was nursing and she stayed latched on for 8 whole minutes! This is a record lately (except for bedtime, but that is another story).

I have used this necklace four times now and it works each time. If anyone else is having a problem with a distracted baby give this a try- it just might help you out!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

The Wonderful Journey of Teething

About a week ago, our Pediatrician confirmed Molly is indeed teething! Initially I was excited because I was envisioning our baby girl having the cutest pictures with only those first little teeth present. This past Friday I was brought back to reality...the journey through teething can be a tough road!

I had taken the day off work to have a girls day with Molly. We were going to lounge at home, have a lunch playdate with one of Molly's friends and then have a leisure afternoon of endless playtime. 

The morning started off rocky. Molly decided to wake up at 4am...those are always promising days =). She also decided naps were just out of the question...another promising sign of a good day =).

We survived the morning and I had hoped she would fall asleep in the car on the way to lunch so we left early. As we drove to our destination, she proceeded to SCREAM the entire way. This was very unlike her, so I pulled into a random parking lot that had some shade (remember, this is one of the 100+ degree weather days) and I parked the car so I could calm her down. First, I tried shushing her (like that ever works, but I still always try it), then I took her out of the car seat to nurse her. Normally this works, but today she was too worked up for nursing to calm her down. Finally I got her to sleep by bouncing her in my arms (yes, this was very tricky and probably amusing to watch). I managed to slip her back into her car seat without waking her up...success!

Now I was dreading lunch because I knew this probably wouldn't go well. The restaurant was packed so we settled for a table on the patio (looking back, this wasn't a smart decision because again it was 100+ degrees outside). Molly woke up pretty quickly and started to fuss. I held her as she sucked on a corner of her blanket soaked in ice cold water. I, again, bounced her to sleep in my arms (another amusing sight as I am the only one standing up at the table). When we leave I try to transfer her to the car seat still asleep but this time she woke up.

On the ride home she cried herself to sleep. I felt so bad for her. I knew this day was VERY out of character for her, so her pesky teeth had to be causing her a lot of pain. The evening wasn't much better. I was happy to have my husband home so he could assist....gotta love teamwork (& Motrin)! 

For all those parents out there who have teething babies, hang in there! We have to continue focusing on soothing our babies and how adorable they'll look when those teeth finally show up!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Teething Foods

After 7 months we are just starting to show signs of teething (I think). There is much more chewing on fingers and an increased amount of drooling.

Besides the raspberry teether (which we love) and the Born Free teething products (also wonderful) we have been told to try freezing bagels and waffles and letting Brett chew on them.

We were trying to get through dinner tonight with a fussy baby so we decided to go ahead and try giving Brett a frozen Eggo waffle. After all, it was in our freezer and more than one person recommended it.

She was so excited to have 'food!' She knew exactly what to do with it. She grabbed it with both hands and put it right into her mouth. She was gnawing away at it and we were all enjoying our time at the table. We noticed that she was getting small pieces off of it, but they were so small, and she was chewing them, that we thought we'd let her have it. Soon after we noticed she had quite a bit in her mouth so I put my finger in and began scooping some out. I obviously didn't get all of it because she swallowed and started gagging!

I jumped up and pulled her tray off of the high chair! My husband remained calm (he says he was assessing the situation). She quickly cleared the food on her own and all was well. It was probably good that my husband was the yin to my yang and that we both didn't panic.

So, moral of the story, frozen waffles don't stay frozen or hard long enough to allow your baby to chew on them as a teething toy.

Baby Activities

I have always been a person to keep myself busy. I guess it isn't surprising that I have enrolled my daughter in more than one activity. I have had Brett enrolled in Gymboree since she was about 3 1/2 months old. She was a VERY fussy baby, but every time we were at Gymboree she was so happy! We now attend a place called Sunshine Music (more on that later) and Mommy-and-Me swim lessons.

Starting with the best, Gymboree. The bell gets her attention as class starts and the combination of singing, dancing and movements has been like a 'happy button' for her. If she falls asleep on the way to class I even wake her up to attend. I know, I know, you are never supposed to wake a sleeping baby, BUT Gymboree isn't cheap (especially in Orange County), and I try to attend as many classes as possible. She is never cranky at Gymboree.

For those that attend the Aliso Viejo location, you know that there is one exceptional instructor. On Saturdays she teaches in the Rancho Santa Margarita location so today, my husband and I decided to drive a bit further to that class. To our surprise, she had been called to the Aliso facility today! We debated leaving, but decided to stay. The instructor was very good and we had an enjoyable time.

This is in great contrast to our experience earlier this morning. I signed up for Sunshine Music for children. The theme for this round of classes is called Magical Musicals. Being a theatre geek, I was so excited and signed Brett up. While the instructor is a wonderful girl with an amazing voice, the class really isn't very structured and isn't appropriate for babies (even though it says the age appropriateness begins at 6 months). Brett ends up watching the other little girls jump and dance around, which is slightly entertaining, but hardly gets me through the full 45 minutes. I don't like to be negative about things, but I wouldn't recommend this class for your children.

Gymboree is much more structured and seems to focus more on your baby's development.

The Pill Can Affect Your Milk Supply

A couple months ago I really struggled with keeping up my milk supply for little Molly. I even went to a Lactation Consultant at Milkalicious (love them!) to help me figure out how to increase my milk supply. When I did a pre/post weigh with them, Molly was only taking in about an ounce...she should have been getting 3-4 ounces! 

After the consultation I started diligently working on some of the things we had discussed, such as feeding Molly more frequently, pumping after every feed for 15 minutes (yuck!) and even taking some medication that is suppose to help. Part way through my quest to ramp up my milk supply, I realized that I had started taking the pill (the mini-pill) right around the same time my milk supply had dropped. I had also remembered my OB saying that any pill could potentially affect my milk, but the mini-pill had the best results overall. This led me to stop taking the pill to see what would happen...to my milk, not reproducing baby #2 =).

Along with the things the Lactation Consultant recommended and discontinuing the pill, my milk supply increased from 1 ounce to 4 ounces!!! More than tripled!

If you notice a drop in your milk supply, the pill could be the cause, so make sure you contact your Doctor or a Lactation Consultant to help you sort through any other potential causes.

Happy breastfeeding!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Girls Night Out

Tonight, as I sat with a bunch of other new mommies around the dinner table, I realized how important it is to take time for yourself. I noticed that some, not all, were checking phones to see if any texts or calls were coming in from the daddies at home. I didn't check my phone once. I felt confident that my husband could handle Brett (especially since he was with my parents for most of the night). All daddies, except one, seemed to manage through the dinner and we had an enjoyable night.

I got home to a sleeping baby and a tired daddy and I feel completely refreshed. It was so nice to get out and talk with other women (though we did talk mostly about our labors and our babies) and have an uninterrupted dinner.

Here's to more Moms Nights Out!!!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

First Week Back to Work

On my first day back to work, I cried when I dropped Molly off at school (I couldn't even make it to the car!) and twice throughout the day at work. Even though I had a dry-run of taking Molly to school, it was still one of the hardest days of my life! I think knowing that I would be gone from her for 10 hours straight with no opportunity to cave in and pick her up was heart wrenching! When my husband picked Molly up, the teachers had felt bad seeing me cry in the morning so they had taken pictures of Molly smiling throughout the day to show me that she was happy...warmed my heart that they cared enough to do something so thoughtful!

Day 2 was easier. I cried, just a little, when my mother-in-law came to watch her. Molly tends to put up more a fight when taking her bottles for grandma, but I knew she would be okay. I am proud to say that I made it the day without crying at work!

Day 3 was a little bit easier than the last two...no crying!

Day 4...I reverted back to how I felt on Day 1...no one tells you that you can go back on the emotion scale!!! I didn't cry, but I felt like I was in a funk. To make matters worse, my mother-in-law called me to ask if I could come home during lunch to nurse Molly because Molly had been crying all morning...she thought Molly was sick. Ugh! So I now had to think like a mommy AND a professional. I talked to my manager and cleared me taking the rest of the day off if needed. I went home and assessed the situation...Molly needed her mommy! I actually felt good about staying home and not going back to work for the day. If you knew me prior to having a baby I would have stewed all day about the impression it would have left on people at work that I had suddenly left my first week back.

Day 5 was probably the easiest day back because my husband stayed with Molly all day. They dropped me off and picked me up from work (my car is the only baby friendly car) so I had more time with both my husband & Molly than I had all week! 

The things that helped me survive each day...
1) Seeing Molly happy to see me when I got home from work...she didn't forget me!
2) Surprisingly, the time I had to pump, 3 times a day at work...it gave me time to just sit & think about Molly (ok, and a little Facebook/email time).
3) Having my husband support me throughout the week by giving me a solid 1.5-2 hours before Molly went to bed to soley focus on Molly. He would wash all my pump items and get the house ready for the next day.
4) Finding a moment I shared with Molly each morning to focus on for the rest of the day.

This week was by far one of the hardest weeks of my life, but I need to continue being strong for my daughter. Until I find something else that will provide me more time at home, I need to continue being a professional and give my job 110% when I'm there, but still remember how important work/life balance is now that I have a daughter!

To all those working moms out there....hang in there! 

Friday, August 21, 2009

Date Night

My husband and I went on a date night last night! It was the first time we left Brett to fall asleep at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Usually they come to our house but we were going to have a late night so we took her there.

This was our fourth date night since Brett was born. We went for dinner at Downtown Disney and then went into Disneyland to watch the Electrical Parade and the Firework show.

We made a few rules for our date nights. It helps us focus on each other and all of the things we used to talk about before we had a baby and became a one-income family....
#1- We can't talk about Brett (ok, we break this one usually, but we try to just talk about her at the beginning of the dinner)
#2- No talking about money

We had such a nice dinner. We ate at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen. I highly recommend it. Anyways, it was a great time. I texted my mom during dinner and she had already put Brett to sleep. However, Brett hadn't eaten much- she only ate about 2 ounces of her bottle. This was a bit unnerving, but she was already sleeping so I decided that I would continue to enjoy myself and the cocktail that I was drinking.

When we went to pick her up, around 10:30pm (we didn't stay out as late as we had planned to- we were so tired) it was sweet seeing her sleeping in her pack n' play but I was glad to get her home. She woke up for the ride home and then I nursed her to sleep.

My point in all of this is that Brett was fine while we were gone and we got a chance to have some much needed one-on-one time. I think it is SO important for everyone to have a date night at least once a month. Last week my husband and I ordered in Chinese, put Brett to bed, and we sat on the couch (tv off) and talked for a couple of hours. It gave a chance to reconnect with each other and cuddle together on the couch.

I just think that although our babies are now the focus of our life we have to remember that our husbands still need our love and attention and affection and we still need that from them.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Baby Food


I left my husband at home tonight with Brett so that I could run to Babies R Us. You see, they are having a special on Gerber baby food. The two packs are 10 for $10. This is a savings of up to $.59 per pack! I bought the usual items- sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, peaches, peas and green beans (although Brett has yet to taster the last three). I bought 20 packs (so 40 small containers) to add to my already stuffed cabinets. I figure I have enough to last about a month. I was feeling good about the money I saved as I loaded it all up into my car!

Next stop, Bed Bath and Beyond. If you've never been to the one next to Babies R Us in Tustin it is worth the trip! They have everything there! As I was wandering through the aisles I discovered all of the grinders, mixers, freezers, etc. for making your own baby food. I suddenly felt guilty! Should I be making Brett's food?

I recall being out with one of the moms from New Moms of South Orange County and she was feeding her son something that looked quite yummy. When I asked her what it was she told me a mixture of pumpkin, avocado and something else (sorry, can't remember). I asked her if she had made it and she said, with a big smile, "I make all of his food!" I thought that was so cool that she made his food but I also wondered how she had the time. Besides, I can barely carve a pumpkin let alone cook one!

Well, I haven't solved this dilemma in my head yet but it is now in the forefront of my mind and, as I try to look for ways to cut household costs, I think this could be a good way to save money. I guess I could cook instead of blog but blogging seems so much more fun.

More to come on this one...

Saturday, August 15, 2009

On the Move

Well, Brett did her official first crawl today! She moved about three feet. We were at a music class and she was on a mat and just started going! Bummer, too, my husband is out of town and he missed it!

We knew it was coming, but it seems so crazy that she is big enough for this already. I, honestly, started to cry. I was so happy, but also a bit sad that she is growing so quickly. I guess she doesn't seem like quite such a baby if she is crawling.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Explosion


From the time we brought little Brett home we realized that poop was going to be a big part of our daily lives, and conversation. I remember the first time we were truly 'exposed.' We were getting ready to put Brett in her bath on the countertop. My husband was holding her and she started pooping! He had his hands on both sides of her bottom and it was squirting out! He held her over the sink (it was the closest thing to us) until she was finished. We just looked at each other and then immediately burst into laughter! Who thought poop would ever be so funny?

I guess I am remembering this moment as I took Brett out of her car seat tonight to find that there was poop under my fingernails. Yes, another blowout... I have spent some time this evening disassembling the car seat and placing all cloth components into the laundry. I am still pondering how to scrub the seatbelt, because it managed to get on there as well. I am not looking forward to this.

And, why do these things happen when my husband is out of town? Oh well, I wonder at what age the blowouts will end...? At least the poop is getting to be less runny as more baby food is introduced. I guess I can be grateful for that.

Besides how could I ever be upset with that face...?

=)

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

My Baby Can Read?

A few of you have asked how I like the Your Baby Can Read program. I have to say, it was not my idea to purchase it. It showed up on our doorstep one day! My husband had made the executive decision to purchase the program for our daughter because it's never too early to read. =)

First, lets talk about cost. The television infomercial advertises it for $14.99. However, that is the 30-day trial price. The true price is $199.99!

You receive a nice size box in the mail. There is a small booklet giving instructions to the parent on how to use the system. And, let me tell you, it is quite some work for the parent.

First is the Starter set. This set has a DVD, a book and a set of flashcards. For one month you are supposed to do the following: show the video twice a day (it is 22 minutes long), read the book once a day, and go through a few of the flashcards "several" times a day.

After a month of the Starter set you move on to Level 1. This one you have the similar instructions. For two months you are to play the DVD once or twice a day, put in the starter DVD a few times a week, read the book once a day and go through a few of the flashcards "several" times a day.

I will say that the DVD is a nice distraction when you are trying to get something done. And, the videos definitely hold my daughters attention. In fact, she flaps her arms and giggles with little Eleka introduces the video.

We have been showing our daughter the videos, reading the books, and doing the flashcards for two and half months. She maybe recognizes some of the words. The parent manual does say it can take up to 7 months for your baby to read, though it can be longer or shorter depending on your child.

There are a few other moms using the Your Baby Can Read system and I would love to hear their thoughts on it, especially the ones that have babies approaching a year old.

All in all, I don't really have a strong opinion of this one way or the other. I will be sure to provide another update in a few months.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Very Hungry Girl

As I embarked on feeding my daughter baby food (purchased, not homemade) I have already had so many questions-
Do I wait 3, 4, 6, 7 days inbetween introducing new food?
Should I stick to vegetables (no fruit until she's a year old as recommended by our pediatrician)?
Do I feed her an entire stage 1 container or just half?

I will say that I have been waiting 6-7 days inbetween introducing new food to make sure there is no allergic reaction.

We are three weeks in and we have only fed her vegetables so far (I want to give her fruits but my hubby is siding with the pediatrician).

So, the big question for now is how much is enough? Unfortunately, I learned the hard way when I was attending a little birthday party last night. I brought a stage 1 container, a breastmilk bottle, and, of course, my own milk machines.

First I tried to breastfeed her, but she was much too distracted at everything going on around her. Next, I fed her the 4 ounce bottle I had brought with me. She drank it down, all gone, but she was still hungry! Next, I gave her an entire stage 1 container of carrots, but she was still hungry! She actually cried when there was no more to eat! I put her back on my breast and she ate a bit and seemed to be done.

Her appetite is obviously growing and now I know to carry around more food with me. I guess I learn something new everday.

Some of you may have recognized my reference to the awesome children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. It is a great board book for babies. It allows you to count with your baby, discuss colors, and point out different types of food. It is a quick read that is sure to capture your babies attention.

Monday, August 3, 2009

A Night Apart

My girlfriends and I planned our annual girls weekend way back in November when I was seven months pregnant. As I agreed to the date I calculated that my baby would be about 6 months old at the time and that I would leave him/her (we didn't know the sex of the baby) with my husband and I would go live it up with the girls.

As the weekend approached I decided that I would take her with me. Another girlfriend, who's son is 10 months old, was bringing her baby. She was going to get a sitter. I was going to have my husband come drive to watch the baby when we went out (we were having our weekend about 60 miles from my house).

The more I thought about it the more I realized that I needed to take the step and stay a night away from the baby.

As the day approached I kept changing my mind. "I'll stay home and not go out that night," "I'll have my husband watch her while I go to dinner and then keep her overnight with me," "I'll just skip the dinner out and go home with her..." My husband was very understanding and basically said he would support whatever decision I made...

On Saturday morning I called him and said, "Ok, come down and get her." He came and picked her up around 3pm. We hung out for about 30 minutes and then I help load my daughter in the car. As I did, I started crying! I couldn't believe that I was so emotional about it! I kissed my daughter, hugged my husband, kissed again, hugged again, more crying... Finally, my husband says he's leaving. He closes the door and they drive off.

I cried for about 5 minutes as I walked to rejoin my friends at the beach. Then, I was fine! Fine? Yes. Happy? Yes! I enjoyed frozen yogurt, an un-rushed shower, a glass of wine.

We went out to dinner and I enjoyed the conversation and laughter with my girlfriends. I had a great evening. It ended sooner than I had hoped it would because I had to go home and pump my breasts (which, by 10:30 looked like implants). I fell asleep with no worries about my daughter and husband at home.

I woke up in the middle of the night due to the discomfort of my engorged breasts. I realized that I felt really OK being away. Then, I started feeling guilty that I wasn't thinking about them more. Well, obviously not too guilty, because I fell back to sleep after a few minutes.

I woke up the next morning, took another un-rushed shower, and had coffee and breakfast. I spoke to my husband and couldn't wait any longer to get back to him and my daughter. While the other girls were going to enjoy the morning together I bid them all adieu and headed home.

We all survived the night apart and I feel comfortable doing it again, though not too soon... =)