My Review of Prima Pappa Best - Paloma

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Peg-Perego Prima Pappa Best - Paloma

The ultimate high chair with durable yet butter-soft "Prima Classe" upholstery and double tray. Peg-Perego's Prima Pappa allows the entire seat to be reclined to four positions making it more comfortable and functional fo...

Prima Pappa Best - Paloma

Best for Big Babies

First Time Mommy Laguna Niguel, CA 7/29/2009

 

3 5

Pros: Easily Stowed, Stylish, Easy To Assemble, Stable, Portable, Easy to Clean

Cons: Tray is too high

Best Uses: At Home

Describe Yourself: First Time Parent

This high chair is gorgeous! It has the fake leather that is good looking and easy to clean. The chair was easy to assemble, is easy to adjust the height of the chair (to fit up against a table), and I love that the tray can store itself on the back of the unit.

HOWEVER, the tray is much to high! My daughter is 6 months old and is in the 50th percentile for height so she is an average size baby and the tray comes right up to her chin! We cannot use the tray right now at all. Luckily, we can push the high chair up to the table but that really isn't ideal.

If you have a baby that is tall for his/her age or if you are ok with you child slamming things into your dining table then this high chair is for you. However, if style isn't as important as function I would go with another option. I hear the Chicco high chair is awesome.

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What Happened to My Sleep?

Just when I was worried that Brett was going to roll onto her belly in the middle of the night and stop breathing, quite the opposite is happening. She is rolling onto her belly, getting stuck, and wailing because she can't get herself onto her back! The problem is that she seems to have forgotten how to roll on to her back once on her tummy.

The first night this happened my husband and I went into her room at least a dozen times to roll her back to her back when she woke up (or at least started crying) because she was on her belly. There were times that we hadn't even left her room yet and she had already rolled back onto her belly again!

The third night of this was a bit better. She made it through most of the night before she rolled over and woke up. At one point I went to check on her and she was on her belly sleeping soundly so I am hoping we are making progress.

I was getting used to getting 6+ hours of sleep a night so it is painful to revert back to waking up multiple times a night... Oh well, this to will pass...

Going Back to Work

If I'm completely honest with myself, during the first 6-8 weeks of my daughter's life, I couldn't wait to go back to work. I struggled with the "baby blues" during these first weeks, so I wasn't truly myself, but I had so many mixed emotions about being a mom. All I knew was that being at work would be a whole heck of a lot easier than trying to figure out why my daughter was screaming!

Then the smiles started...

She completely stole my heart! 

Then the giggles started...

Being a mom turned into the MOST rewarding experience ever! 

After being blessed with staying home with my daughter for 4.5 life changing months, I am now faced with the challenge of going back to work...

I get anxiety thinking about someone else taking care of my little one..."Will they keep her safe?","Will they care for her like they would their own?"..."Will she forget about me?" or "Will she love someone else more than me?" So many thoughts run through my mind. I even think about how I will no longer be able to keep her safe because she is now officially being introduced to the world. I know that sounds so grandiose, but it's true! This is the only time in her life that she will ever know just me & my husband as her caregivers...the people who will keep her safe & sound. I need to trust my mother's intuition that the people we have chosen to care for her in our absence will do an amazing job and she'll be gaining the experience of making childhood friends.

Another reality sets in..."ok, I'm going back to work, but how will my performance change now that I am a different person!?" Before having my daughter I had my hands in every project at work, now I have to go back as this new person with completely different priorities. How will that affect my work life and will I still be able to continue being proud of my performance at work? Should I even be worried about this!? I guess only time will tell. 

The lesson I'm slowly learning is that my daughter will be perfectly fine even though I won't be with her all day, every day. She'll be with people who love & care about her. I need to let her experience how others can love her just like we (my husband & I) can.

Like my mom says, "your daughter won't go to college wishing you stayed home with her during her first years of life...it's what you do with the time you do have with her."

That's just what I'm going to try to do...make the most of the time I do have with her!

Back to Sleep

Last night I went in to check on Brett before I went to sleep (she usually goes to bed about two hours before I do) and, to my shock and surprise, she was sleeping on her tummy! I immediately checked to make sure that she was still breathing...

As most of the new moms know, the campaign "Back to Sleep" was initiated in 1996 to reduce the rate of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) in the United States and teaches new mommies and daddies to have their babies sleep on their backs rather than their tummies. The rate of SIDS-related deaths has dropped 56% since this was instituted! Our pediatricians pound this information into our brains and we become, rightfully so, afraid to put our babies on their bellies to sleep.

When I took Brett in for her 2-month visit I told my pediatrician that I sometimes let Brett sleep on her tummy for naps. He told me, "Don't do it! Mom's think they can put their baby on her tummy for a nap, they go put the groceries away and when they come back to check on the baby, the baby is gone." Well, after that uplifting anecdote I decided Brett would never again sleep on her belly.

So, back to me walking in on her sleeping on her belly... Breathing? Yes. I ran back into my bedroom to tell my husband. I asked him if he thought I should roll her onto her back. He said, to my surprise, yes! So, I went back to Brett's room and rolled her onto her back. I went to bed feeling much better.

I woke up a few hours later and went in to check on her. Again, she was on her tummy and, again, I rolled her back onto her back. I had a rough night of sleep as I woke up every couple of hours to check on her. She stayed on her back the rest of the night.

Luckily, we had a pediatrician appointment today. I asked the doctor if I need to roll her back to her back in the middle of the night. He assured me that now that she can roll herself over she is safe to sleep on her tummy. He recommended that I play with her on the floor and make sure she is also confident in rolling herself back onto her back as well.

I can't get what my doctor originally told me out of my mind. Now I have to reprogram myself to focus on what he told me today. With that information I hope that I have a better night of sleep tonight, although it will probably take me a few nights to get used to her sleeping on her tummy.

For more information on the Back to Sleep campaign go to http://www.nichd.nih.gov/sids/

The Big Step to Cereal

While there seems to be a debate on the best time to start giving your infant her first tastes of cereal (some say 4 months, others 6 months) there is no question that, here in the U.S., rice cereal is the first food that a baby is fed.

At our four month doctor appointment our pediatrician told me to wait until Brett was 6 months before I fed her. If you have read my previous blogs you know that Brett has a very sensitive stomach. So, at 24 weeks (technically Brett was 6 months at that point even though her actual '6-month birthday' was two weeks away) I gave Brett rice cereal.

I did the recommended amount to start and I used formula to make it with. I did this based on a recommendation from another mom so that Brett could get used to the taste of formula in case I had to start feeding it to her. I gave Brett cereal at lunchtime every day for almost two weeks. She turned into a very fussy baby during this period but I was convinced she must be teething now.

During this same time I attended a baby shower and was discussing Brett's eating and then her teething with another mom. The mom suggested that I switch from rice cereal (which apparently is very hard on babies' tummies) to oatmeal cereal. She said that rice cereal is very hard to digest and that the oatmeal cereal has 1 gram of fiber in it. So, of course, I went and bought the oatmeal cereal that same day.

Brett really likes the taste of the oatmeal cereal better than the rice cereal. She eats it sometimes faster than I can shovel it in! I still mix it with formula and she has no problem eating it.

It has been 3 days now on the oatmeal cereal. We have a doctor appointment tomorrow and I can't wait to ask what the next food is that I can give her!

I will say that Brett went from consistently pooping every morning to not pooping for 2 days! When she did - WOW! Not only was the consistency different but the smell was awful! I have been spoiled by the breast-fed baby non-smelly poop.

The non-smelly diaper is one of many things that I miss as Brett gets older. And she gets older every day... =)

Daytripping Mom

Hi ladies,

I just found this incredible online resource that has all kinds of helpful information for Moms, Dads, kids, and families! It's called Daytripping Mom: Southern California Family Destination and Event Guide. There's a whole list of FREE kid-friendly places on the home page. Plus, there are articles with more details on different locations, including: where to nurse your baby at Disneyland, discounts to the circus, an Angel game giveaway, and lots more.

http://daytrippingmom.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!
Meera

Cleaning Toys

A girlfriend came over to visit the other day and brought her youngest child. He was teething and, therefore, every toy that my daughter owned was put into his mouth at some point during the visit. As soon as they left I immediately began seeking out the best way to clean toys...

There are two different ways that you can wash a babies toys.

The first way is to clean the toy with soap (regular dish soap is fine) and warm water. This gets the drool, food, oils, etc. off of the toy. This is a good way to clean a toy when you first get it home. This does not sterilize the toy.

The second way is to sterilize the toy. This way will kill most of the germs on a toy. To do this put 1 tablespoon of bleach into 1 quart of water. Spray the toy down, then rinse it well and let it dry overnight.

If you prefer a more natural way to clean (but not sterilize) use vinegar. Put 1 cup of water with 1 cup of distilled white vinegar. Spray onto a cloth and wipe the toy down. Rinse well and let dry overnight. The smell will be gone by morning.

Toys should be cleaned every 3-4 weeks just to ensure your little one isn’t sticking last months illness (like diarrhea) back into her mouth.

I used the vinegar cleaning method and found it to work well. Plus, I felt confident that Brett wouldn't end up getting sick from any chemicals. The smell of the vinegar (though strong while rubbing the toys down) really was completely gone by the next morning.

Bouncy Chair Mishap

I consider myself to be an attentive mother. I don't leave Brett alone unless I am certain that she can do no harm to herself. You know how it is, I will put her on her play mat (with the toys dangling overhead) and take a shower or strap her into her swing while I put my make-up on.

So, when I put Brett in her bouncy chair the other day to watch "Your Baby Can Read" (yes, my husband was somehow suckered into purchasing it) I was sure she would be safe.

I was going to strap her in but my hubby insisted that Brett played with the belt the entire time rather than watching the video, so I didn't strap her in. I heard her complaining about 15 minutes into the video but I figured she was just getting bored. Can you believe that I didn't go check on her? I simply completed my make-up application...when I walked into the other room Brett was on the floor (on her tummy) next to the chair. She had fallen out! I couldn't believe it! With my heart racing I swiped her up and checked to make sure she was ok. She, at that point, was unphased. I vowed that I would strap her in next time, even if she did get distracted by the belt, and that I would check on her more often.

Just a few days later I had her strapped into the bouncy chair to watch "Your Baby Can Read" again. I was sure she would be safe and sound this time so I went back into my bathroom to get ready during the 20 minutes of the video. I got distracted with my desire to blow dry my hair that day and I didn't go check on her. About 15 minutes or so into the video I could hear Brett complaining again and, again, I thought she was just getting bored (no, I didn't learn my lesson the first time).

When I went out to get her she was DANGLING down from the chair! She had propelled her body forward but the belt had held her in and she was upside down! I pulled her up and unstrapped her, her face red from the blood rushing to it. She, again, was unfazed but that was the last time I used the bouncy chair.

Why am I admitting this to everyone? Not so I can be vilified as a mom too concerned with her appearance, but so that other new moms know that we all make mistakes and that we should learn from them so that we don't make the same mistake twice (or three times)...

Immunization Relief

The immunization discussion is very personal to each individual family and the intent of this blog is not to push my thoughts and feelings about whether or not your should immunize your child onto you.

If you have chosen to immunize your child I wanted to share ideas that have been discussed amongst our group members on how to comfort your child during and after the injections.

1. Push on the spot that the injection will be placed - this will distract from the upcoming prick of the needle
2. Try nursing during the injections to distract your baby
3. Numbing ointments are now available to rub on the injection site prior to the injection being received
4. After the immunizations are received get to a location where your baby can stretch out. Help her move her legs around so that the vaccine doesn’t sit in one spot. This will help reduce swelling and redness

Trimming Fingernails, not Fingers

I cut my babies thumb (yes, her thumb) and made her bleed her second day at home! Afraid to do it again I moved to filing her nails, but it was hard to file the edges without cutting the baby with the file...

What is the best way to trim your babies fingernails?

Many suggestions were given by other new moms, here’s a couple that seem to work best for everyone:

Purchase the curved nail scissors but instead of cutting to the curve of the finger cut away from it. This way takes three cuts.

Use the nail clippers and stroke down over the nail until you hear the ‘click’ indicating that the bottom of the clipper is under the nail, then snip away. This takes two cuts.

File the nails.

Any way you do it, most new moms suggest to do the trimming while your baby is sleeping.

Now that my baby is a bit older I can hold her hand still long enough to trim with nail clippers and then I file them to soften the edges, if necessary.

Book Recommendation

A stay-at-home-mom friend of mine recommended this book so I thought I would pass the recommendation on to everyone. I haven't read it but I just purchased it...

Sad Baby

For the newer mommies out there I wanted to retell my story of Brett's unhappiness during her first 3 1/2 months of life.

Brett cried for most of her first 3 1/2 months of life. Being a first time mommy I really didn't know that it wasn't "normal." She had to be held constantly and she would do this grunt-like cry, even if held. It was so sad, but again, I thought it was normal. That is, until I went to a baby shower when Brett was almost 2 months old. All of mom's there kept saying things like, "wow, you have your work cut out for you" and "you really have your hands full." I came home and talked to my mom about it and she said, "It's really not typical for a baby to cry this much unless she is colicky."

So, off to the doctor we went. After a series of questions he ruled out colic because she was sleeping like a normal newborn should sleep. He said it must be what I was eating since she was purely breastfed. First, he told me to eliminate dairy. I did this and it did seem to help (after a while, because dairy takes 2 weeks to clear out of your system). Still, she wasn't as happy as I thought she should be.

Next, the pediatrician put me on an elimination diet. All I was allowed to eat for four days was chicken, squash, steamed rice and peaches. I was STARVING, but I did it. There was absolutely no change to Brett's disposition. I called the doctor after four days and he said to try it for three more days... OMG! Well, I did, and still no change.

After calling the doctor again with the last bit of strength that I had (since I had eaten so little) he told me that there was one other possibility. He said, "for the heck of it, stop taking your prenatal vitamins."

I stopped taking the prenatal vitamins and that very next day Brett was a different baby! She was happy!!!

So, I'm not sure if it was that she had grown out of the problem at 3 1/2 months, if it was the removal of the vitamins, or if the stars all aligned properly but whatever it was she has been a different, happier baby and my husband and I are happier now, too. A crying baby can really put a strain on things...

Up, Up and Away

Last weekend we took Brett on her first airplane trip- a weekend jaunt to San Jose to visit our friends. I was concerned about bringing all of the right things (though I was lucky enough to have friends to borrow pack-n-plays from as well as other large essential items). However, I was most nervous about getting through security and taking her on the plane. Understand, I traveled for work for two years and I would hate to see a family ahead of me in the queue and I would be secretly thinking 'please, please don't let them be on my flight' (especially if they had a baby with them). So, you can understand my fear. Here I am: that mom bringing a baby onto a plane.

To my relief, John Wayne Airport has a line now for Families and First Time Travelers. I was so happy to see that! My husband and I made it through security with no problem. Thank goodness for some advice from a girlfriend of mine with three children (who, the superwoman that she is, travels alone with them). She told me to put Brett in the Baby Bjorn as soon as we got out of the car and that I could wear her through security. Well, that really was a lifesaver. However, lesson learned: Leave the baby in the Baby Bjorn until you get on the plane...

So, Brett fussed a bit on the tiny plane and yes, we got the stare-down from weary business travelers. I deserved it, as I had done the same thing in my previous life...

Brett decided to eat, I nursed her and she slept the entire flight to San Jose!

The return flight was just as painless. She nursed (more like 'snacked') the entire flight but I was happy about that- she didn't cry even once!

Brett has now experienced two 6+ hour road trips and a plane flight. What a little traveler for 5 months old. And, importantly, my husband and I have made it through the experiences as well. Next up, traveling with Brett alone... not sure when I'll be ready for that one!

NYT article: Scaling Back Career for Baby

Hello ladies,

Thanks, Holly, for setting up this blog! Yesterday I came across this great New York Times article online and thought other women in this group would appreciate it too. The intro is below. Click the link to read the full article as well as some interesting comments from other readers.

Enjoy!
Meera

Anna has just returned to work after a three-month-long maternity leave at home with her first child. She wrote to me during one of her early days back, surprised that what she thought would be the obvious choice — returning to a job she loved — seemed unexpectedly murky.

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/asking-a-boss-for-a-part-time-schedule/?hp

Good Books

Hi All!

I read two book recommendations in Parenting Magazine so I decided to buy the books and check them out. I LOVE both of them and wanted to pass on the information. They are both good for over 3 months old.

The first is called Good Egg, by Barney Salzberg. The book has tabs that you push, pull, etc. but the movements were unexpectedly different and really neat! They hold Brett's attention (she's 5 months old) and she, of course, grabs for everything.

The second book is called Pig-A-Boo, by Dorothea DePrisco. It has different barn animals and you can feel the texture of each. The animals have really different textures- I've never seen such a variety of textures.

Congrats on New Blog!!! & Side story on Breastmilk Supply

Great blog Holly!! Thanks for all the fun meetups you organize for all of us! Hope this becomes a great place for us to share and post ideas, stories.

Nathan is turning 10 months old in 6 days. Time flies by so fast! He's getting faster with his crawling, pulls himself up on every piece of furniture, cruises around. Not stading on his own yet, but not anxious to see that soon. He's fast already, keeping me busy enough. :-)

Reading Holly's posts, I remember when my breatmilk supply dipped down couple times before. I think it was around when Nathan was 6 months old and then 8 months. He would suck and suck and be frustrated cuz I didn't have any more milk for him. I really thought it was the end of the breastfeeding for us. We tried all kinds of stuff. Pumping, keep feeding(even though it wouldn't be sufficient, just had him keep sucking and stimulating the breast as much as possible), Fenugreek, soymilk,lots of fluid. I think Fenugreek pills and soymilk, water consumption was what worked for us. Oh, and constant nightfeedings helped too. Nathan usually sleeps through the night, until a month ago, when he started to wake up several times each night to be fed! I suppose he was going through some growth spurt or he was teething. I was bewildered at first, but then, it seemed to boost up my supply the following day.

I've heard from many mothers at LLL(La Leche League) meetings mentioning the "Mother's Milk" syrup capsules. And also worst case scenario, if you're really desperate, I've heard Dr. Sears prescribes safe meds to help relactation. There's also a prescription that can be imported from Canada which has a reputation to help lactate adopting mothers too. I didn't try either of these since my supply was already back. But some mothers were swearing by these.

Well, got a bit carried away talking about breatmilk. It's quite an important issue for us too, so I had to share what I could. Hope any part of my story helps what you're going though, Holly.

Nathan and I won't be mobile for a while, I guess. Joseph(my hubby) is going to get his flat tire fixed hopefully by tomorrow. Hope to see you ladies soon though.

Cheers,

Noel

Sweet Smells

Brett woke up in the middle of the night last night (I will blog about sleeping soon) and I brought her into my room to nurse her. I started smelling maple syrup. I thought that seemed strange. I put her back to bed and then googled 'baby smells like syrup' and to my surprise there are a couple of causes. One is the Fenugreek (which I am taking to help stimulate my milk) but it can also be a sign of diabetes or something called Maple Syrup Urine Syndrome. So... I'm going to monitor the situation today and decide if I need to call the doctor.

Drying Up

What a change... I went from having hyper-lactation after Brett was first born to now having my milk drying up. Breastfeeding has kept Brett healthy. She didn't get sick even once since she was born. I am honestly feeling like a failure and have cried to my husband a couple of times this week.

I spoke with a lactation consultant and she told me to pump once a day for three days but I still haven't seen much of an increase. One pediatrician told me to take an herb called Fenugreek and to eat as much as possible and drink as much water as possible. It seemed to be working for a few days but yesterday Brett was definitely hungry around 6pm and I wasn't making enough milk to satisfy her. I, sadly, left a 4th of July party to get some frozen milk and I added two scoops of formula to it so that she can start getting used to the taste. I only have about 60 ounces stored up in the freezer. I didn't pump and freeze enough while I was over-producing. =(

My first experience with formula is not a happy one. Just 2-oz's seemed to have constipated Brett so I gave her a sippy cup with water in it. She pooped shortly after but I don't think the water could have helped that quickly. I am going to try a different brand of formula to see if that helps.

I am happy I was able to breastfeed her for 5+ months and hope that I can feed her breast milk until she is a year old but I don't know if it is going to workout. I may introduce rice cereal to her sooner than I had planned so that she gets more food in her belly.

My Review of Bumper Jumper - Little Jungle

Diapers.com

Graco Bumper Jumper - Little Jungle

Discover Jumping Fun

Your baby will jump for joy in this fun, sturdy doorway jumper. Just attach the adjustable, spring-loaded clamp to door frame and you've got an instant, anywhere activity that will delight your baby. A pl...

Bumper Jumper - Little Jungle

Great Jumper!

First Time Mommy Laguna Niguel, CA 7/5/2009

 

5 5

Pros: Easy to assemble, Dangling toys

Once our 5-month-old got used to being in the jumper she grew to love it! It is so easy to hang from the doorway. Very portable- move it from the kitchen to hallway to bedroom or take it with you to a friends house! I love that there are toys dangling from each side plus there is a try to place other toys for her to play with. I feel confident that she is safe while playing in this jumper.

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Welcome!

Well, here it is. The 'blog' for New Moms. I am starting this blog so that I can share what it is like raising my first child. After Brett was born in January it, obviously, changed my life in more ways than I could have imagined.

To add to the changes, my husband and I decided that it would be best for me to leave my high-stress career and stay home with Brett. I made this decision after much deliberation. Here I am, 5 months after Brett was born and 2 months since I resigned, still having doubts about my decision. It has been tough for my own personal identity to go from a successful career woman to a mom. I find myself talking to other career-people and almost being embarrassed to say I don't work, rather than being proud of it. It's hard these days to live off of one income and I feel so lucky that my husband can support the three of us. We certainly are having to make some lifestyle changes, but it is worth it. I'm sure it won't be much longer until I am completely confident in the decision, right...?