Cow's Milk and Weaning

So my little one will be turning one (gasp!) on Saturday, and I'm hoping to wean her shortly after that. I know that breastmilk is excellent for her and all, but I've been struggling to keep weight on and she doesn't take a bottle (I got lazy when she was about 6 months old and didn't pump for a couple of weeks, and when I tried to give her one she'd forgotten how to take it), so I can only leave home in certain "windows." My husband and I are looking forward to going out on dates that don't have to start after her bedtime feeding. =)

So here's my question: for those of you who have done this before, how long did it take (days, weeks, months), and did you have to get our kiddies settled on cow's milk first? I know you're technically supposed to wait until they're 1 to even try cow's milk, but I cheated and tried it last week from her sippy and she was very uninterested! She did have a little though, and didn't seem to have problems with it (she doesn't have any other allergies, so I figured it would be fine). Any suggestions for introducing cow's milk or for weaning in general?

Pumping at night

Thanks to Richard Ferber, NJ is sleeping through the night. He was since 6 months but then went through a regression and now he's back. He'll usually sleep a 10 hr stretch, wake up for a mini breakfast (1/2 a boob's worth), then go back to sleep for another 2 hours. Then he'll wake up and have the other boob.

I've been pumping before I go to sleep at night, usually around 10/11. Is this advisable? I know that my boobs need to be "trained" that they don't need to produce as much milk at night and the pumping might be throwing things off. But I think they're transitioning anyway b/c when I first used to do it, I'd still be really engorged around 2/3am and even be woken by the discomfort. Now, when I nurse NJ at 5/6am, they don't even feel full.

Thoughts?

My baby has ADD while nursing

NJ is exclusively breastfed and he is having a harder and harder time nursing. He is way too distracted! He will latch off to any little noise he hears. And nursing while we're out and about? Forget it! He is the same way when I try to give him a bottle. All of my old tricks aren't working. the only time he will nurse a decent amount is right after he wakes up. That is the ideal time to nurse him but it doesn't always turn out that way. When he is sleepy, he will nurse anywhere from 10-15 minutes. When he's awake, I'm lucky if I can get 3 minutes out of him. I don't think he is nursing more efficiently while he is alert either. Anyone else? Any suggestions?

oh baby legs...

I posted this on my own blog but thought it'd be nice to share here. I got a pair of BabyLegs for my almost 8 months old and thought it'd be good to DIY using scrap from home. I had a pair of cotton dress socks and a pair of thick stockings that my 2 yo daughter never used. Didn't take long to snip away the ends and Hayden loves it!
(btw The BabyLegs we got was cute but it's very tight around Hayden's thighs and calfs. I ended up using the DIY more often).

toy recall

Fisher Price has recalled over 80 toys that hit stores AFTER MAY 1st, 2007. go to this website to see if you have any of these toys. they were recalled b/c of high lead content.

http://service.mattel.com/us/recall/39054_IVR.asp?prod

Milk Intake

Ok. Ladies....question for ya'll. At what point did you switch to nursing or giving formula only 3x/day. I'm still at 4x/day, but the last feeding is a struggle.....whether I nurse her or give her a bottle of expressed milk - same result. The other night, I gave her a bottle, and she refused it after 2 oz. At most, I got her to take in 2.5 oz. Then I pumped and only squeaked out 3.5 oz, so it tells me she's taking in less at night. Which to me, is interesting.......she eats kinda like we're supposed to eat: King for breakfast, prince for lunch and pauper for supper....I can sense that she staggers her intake like that.

So, I've started the phase towards 3 meals a day differently. I used to give her solids at 7, 11, and 3 - her first 3 nursings of the day. But the other day, I switched it to giving her solids at 7, 11, and 7, and only breastmilk at 3. And, she seems to nurse a little better at 7PM now.....she's calmer, a little hungrier and not crying like she used to. I guess being tired and forced to eat when you're not that hungry make for an unhappy baby. Couple that w/ teething and possible gas bubbles, I now have a baby that's crying hysterically. And that of course, makes me more tense, which in turn, makes her more upset....it's a vicious cycle.

Anywho, it seems like in the next month or so, something will have to give. I'd like to continue to line up her meals w/ ours....promote the family mealtime and whatnot, so I'm wondering how ya'll did that and if you transitioned to 3 nursing or formula sessions, etc. I try not to hyper-schedule, but sometimes it's hard not to....even though it stresses me out to be too scheduled. Vacation really taught me to go w/ the flow, and I'm more than happy to do so (w/ some basic structure in place), but I cannot keep up w/ nightly pre-bedtime meltdowns.

The solid schedule switch that I've done actually seems to work at night. The only downside is that she's woken up a little cranky in the morning and is eager to nurse - but I don't feel like she's draining me like she was previously. Hmmm. So, I wonder if it's like it is for us - ever notice when you eat a lot at night, you're more hungry in the morning? I have to wait first for her constipation issues to clear up, as that might be the issue right now. I've also added some yogury these past two weeks.....I thought that was supposed to help w/ digestion, so I don't know. Her belly is making her quite uncomfortable lately, so hopefully, once that clears up, I can see if her 7PM intake of solids is making her cranky in the AM or if it's really her bubbly belly that's bothering her.

Thanks for your input ladies:)

Ask Moxie

Ladies - I found a pretty good blog that seems to provide information on all sorts of things - breastfeeding, solids, books, sleep issues, etc, etc, etc. I was searching for some scheduling answers.....just b/c we're dealing w/ daily pre-bedtime all-out meltdowns. For the few who know Rachel, she's very laid back, but some switch is flipped at bedtime. So, I'll probably post on that later when I have some more time, but I stumbled on this website in my searches last night, and I found that it's a wealth of information. There's a few life viewpoints that I found I wasn't in agreement with; however, the information there on the physical caring for your child was pretty good - from what I read. It's seems like it's based on a Q&A format. I searched by the topics on the side, and found it to be a lot of information.

Here's the link:

http://moxie.blogs.com/askmoxie/

Training to Sit Still

So I almost called this "Church Training," but it applies to more than church and I didn't want to narrow my responses to those of you who go to church. This could also apply to something like storytime or watching a program at an older sibling's school...any situation where you want your little one to sit calmly and quietly on your lap and...well...he or she wants to do otherwise.

So the official question...how are each of you going about training your kids to sit still and quietly when appropriate? What has worked? What hasn't worked, and why hasn't it worked?

I ask because I really, really want to train my daughter (10.5 months old) to sit through our church service on my lap. Yesterday was one of the worst days yet...she was loud and all over the place. We've been working a lot on "don't touch" at home, and she normally obeys very well, but she was even disobedient in that regard yesterday. I add this because I do think she's "old enough" to learn to listen. I was really frustrated that she was loud and wouldn't sit still, but when I got home I realized something: I haven't taught her to. She doesn't know how I want her to behave, so it's not fair for me to expect her to act accordingly. I do need to teach her, I'm just not sure how. Any thoughts?

Keeping little faces and hands clean

This is so fundamental but I just want to see what you all are doing. Now that NJ is on solids, his face and hands get very messy after meals. I wash his face and hands with water after each meal. Is that enough? Should I be using soap or something else to clean him better? Sometimes the foods are "greasy" (like avocados, or cereal mixed with breastmilk) and I don't feel like those rinse off as well.

How about throughout the day? How do you keep your babies' hands clean?

Anyone else use AIM?

I don't normally chat online (not enough time), but would anyone else be interested in doing so? Maybe we could set up a time to meet as a group.

If you're intersted, post your AIM IDs!

Bloggers?

Share your blogs w/ other mommies here! (If you're comfortable doing so) I know some of us visit each others' blogs regularly, but not all. I personally love visiting your blogs and look forward to reading your posts! You all are great writers and crack me up! Most of you have mine, but here it is anyway- http://lindseyfam.blogspot.com.

Plugged Ducts

I know that plugged ducts are common in the first few months or so postpartum due to engorgement but I've been getting them quite often even now. (About once a week) NJ will be 7 months old next week. He is eating regularly and nursing just as much as he was before solids. It usually happens on the left side, but occasionally on the right. I never skip feedings or anything and if I have to be out during a feed, I use a hand pump around the time that NJ would nurse. It has never turned into mastitis but it is painful and a drag to take care of. I usually have to apply wet hot compresses on the area and massage it and/or pump in addition to offering that side to NJ first each time. Is it normal to get plugged ducts even at 7 monts post partum, and as often as once a week? I am thinking about contacting a LC as well but just wanted to know what you all thought first.

Breastfeeding Woes

So, I'll tell ya'll my woes. I'm happy that I've chosen to BF Rachel, but it has had its challenges. I never had any of the mastisis (SP?) and stuff - thankfully, but I've dealt w/ a 2 month long struggle of nursing strikes. We got through that, and then for the past 3 1/2 months, we've settled into a nice routine....until the past 2 weeks. I've been having some troubles here and there w/ pumping. I used to pump all the time b/c I had to so much extra milk (I realize that's a continuous cycle w/ pumping), but I was nervous about losing my supply w/ working part time, I go into the office for 2-4 hours at a time, and need to be able to readily pump for any given week. So, for the past 3-4 weeks, I've boycotted pumping b/c I just don't have the time, and it's a pain in the tushy (setup, long time pumping, cleanup, etc). Plus, Rachel then suddenly was rejecting the bottle....not sure if it was teeth, nipple confusion (had just introed a sippy cup and she nurses and uses a pacifier), but at any rate, she wasn't thrilled w/ the bottle. So, I thought, that's a nice change for once:)

Sorry for the babbling (I feel that's what I'm doing but it's been a long day:( ). So, she still struggles w/ her last feeding....often she half cries while feeding. I can't seem to figure out if it's her teeth, gas bubble, over-tired, not enough milk coming out, etc. Now, I'm starting to worry that I don't have enough milk....b/c when I try to pump (here's where it ties into the 1st paragraph), I really don't get that much. Little background, Rachel is 7.5 months, and she is almost 23 lb and almost 30 in long. She's doing solids really well, and I nurse her 4 times a day. This has gone well up until this point (well except for the 2 mo nursing strike struggles). I'd like to nurse her until she's one year old b/c I'm cheap and don't want to buy formula, but I'm pretty worn out from nursing. I want to enjoy it, but she pulls back on my nipple, which hurts, and then she's been biting me these past 2 days. I always thought I'd use the remedy my mom did on my brothers and I (flick our cheek to get our attention and say no - she says it worked), but dang, it hurts when she bites and I've tried flicking her cheek - only to have her smile back at me a few times:) I'd like to smile back but I'm in too much pain....b/c that's a pain that keeps on giving.

I realize that in time all this will not only pass and will seem minute and petty, but I'll also probably miss these woes:) And in the grand scheme of eternity, it's not a big deal at all. But, I thought I'd blog it to the sympathetic ears (readers) here, and if any of you have any words of advice, they're greatly appreciated. I really want to stick this out until she's a year, so any words of encouragement or suggestions are great. Also, do you think it's too late to go to a lactation consultant? Not sure how much it costs.....might be a wash between going to an LC and just switching to formula......

Evening dilemma

NJ isn't an early bird anymore. I guess it was a phase? He usually goes to bed around 7:30/8:00pm and wakes up at 7:30/8:00am now. He usually is able to stay up for 2.5 hrs at a time, except first thing in the morning. So his routine goes something like this:

7:30- up, breastfed
8:15- solids
9:30- nap#1
11:00- up, breastfed
11:45- solids
1:30- nap#2 (this nap tends to be longer than nap#1)
3:00- up, breastfed
3:45-solids
5:30- nap#3
6:00- up
7:00- breastfed
7:30/8:00- bedtime
(He still wakes up once in the night to eat, usually anytime between 2-5 am. If it's closer to 5, I feed him 1/2 a boob and top him off when he wakes up.)

My question is about his final nap. I try to keep this a catnap. It is usually a struggle to wake him up from this nap. I can tell that he wants to keep sleeping. 5:30 also seems a bit late for a naptime. But if I try to keep him up even to 6:00, he is a wreck. And 6:00 to me is a bit early for a bedtime. What should I do? I try to keep him up longer during the day (to 3 hrs) to stretch out his day and phase out his 3rd nap, but he ends up getting overtired and not napping well at all. Thoughts?

Pampers, Anyone?

Does anyone use Pampers crusiers? I somehow got on their mailing list and have coupons that add up to $8 off of crusiers. I'm cheap when it comes to diapers...we use the Costco brand. I'll happily mail these coupons to someone who will use them! I'll even throw in the $1.50 off of pampers wipes coupon, since we use Costco wipes too. =)

When to see the pediatrician?

My sister called me that her son (6 months) is running a fever of 102.6, and of course it would be a Saturday night. She was asking me when she should take him to the pediatrican, and this has always been something that I'm not entirely certain. My general rule of thumb has always been to call the doctor's office if Chloe's temp goes to 103 and take her in if she starts to act lethargic or out of her norm. (I think this is what the nurse told me, but it's been a few months. *knock on wood*)

When do you take your little ones to see the doctor if he/she is sick?

Convertible carseats

We are finally getting around to switching the infant carrier to a convertible carseat for NJ. We have a Graco Comfortsport that I got off of my registry but it seems that everyone else is getting a Britax Marathon/Boulevard. Should I be concerned? The B is way more expensive, but I wonder if I'm sacrificing quality by going with the Graco. What convertible carseats do you have? Any recommendations? If need be, I will look into returning the Graco and getting another one.

Late Night Feedings

Ok, so I've been having some issues w/ feeding Rachel before she goes down for the night. Originally, I thought it was b/c I was spacing her breastfeeding and solid food sessions out too far so that it was like she was constantly eating and wasn't hungry at night. Although changing her solid food sessions to be closer to her nursing sessions has helped out tremendously, I still run into the issue of her being really tired at the end of the day and sometimes unable to take in a full feeding. This morning she woke up at 4:30AM (and she was crying); she ate from both sides rather vigorously, and then I laid her back down and she slept until 7:15. So, obviously, she's hungry. Yesterday, she woke up at 5:30. I was able to hold her off until 6/6:30 to eat, but she wasn't interested in sleeping anymore pre-feeding or post-feeding. She was wide awake. She was doing well for about a week after I had reorganized her feeding schedule, but it seems like we're falling back in the same pattern. She can't stay awake any longer than 1PM usually in the afternoon, and yesterday, she wound up going for her afternoon nap pretty late (2PM), since the sitter didn't realize what time it was, and then she didn't fall asleep until 2:30. She then slept until almost 4:30. I fed her then, and then fed her again at 7PM before bedtime, but she still fought me at 7PM. I know teething rears its ugle head, but I hate to always assume that and give her more Tylenol. I do give her Tylenol, but I just don't want to do it every night. Sure, sometimes it makes a difference, but other times it doesn't, so I'm thinking either that may not be her issue or it varies from night to night what the issue is.

So, if anyone has any thoughts/advice on this or has run into similar situations, I'm all ears. Generally, Rachel has been a good sleeper and slept through the night (11-12 hours) from about 7 weeks on. But, since 5 1/2 to 6 months, it's been a little hit and miss at times. So, I'm a bit baffled as to why she seems to be more hungry but isn't taking in enough during the day......

Early bird

NJ has turned into quite the early bird. He used to wake up 6:30/7:00am but these days, he is waking up for the day at 5:00/5:30. He used to wake up at 4/5 and I'd nurse him on one side, and he'd sleep until 6:30 or so and I'd top him off and start the day. These days, even if I nurse him on one side at 4/5, he wakes up at 5/5:30 still. The only thing different these days is that he is on solids 2x a day and his bedtime has gradually shifted little by little from 7:30 to 8:00. There is a biiiig difference between the 6:30 and 5:30! Any suggestions to keep him asleep a little longer?

Neoprene swim suits

In case any of you ever run into the same problem as we did of cold child in swimming pool, dress your little one in a neoprene swim suit. I bought one for my daughter off of iSnorkel.com. It was expensive but so worth it. My little one used to turn blue when she was in an unheated pool, and we had great success with a regular bathing suit worn underneath the neoprene suit.