[KELLIF4]

As for going back to work, It was actually a little nice to get back into some normalcy. Sad to see the babes go to daycare a couple days a week, but it's given me a little break as well. It was rough the first few weeks, constantly wondering if they were OK without me They probably did better than I did ..

I took them for their two month checks today - For being born at 36 weeks - they arent doing to shabby .. Klayton is weighing in at 11 pounds while little Carter is gaining at 8.12. They got three shots in their legs - I did the Tylenol thing and hoping it helps. We also got reflux med's - I didnt realize what they were doing at their feedings was classic signs for it - They would sometimes cry out and stiffen their backs/legs .. I just summed it up as being fussy.

[AdaRuts]

Roxy - I took Austin in at 6 weeks because I thought he wasn't gaining enough weight, I was right and he had gained just under a pound in a month so we supplement with formula. I also have had to use a nipple shield, Austin was "tongue tied", so I wonder if that has something to do with the production issues.

I breastfeed Austin in the morning, take him to daycare, where he gets formula all day, pick him up, breastfeed him, make dinner, feed him a bottle of breast milk I pumped while at work, bath, book, and then a bottle of formula if he is hungry and then bed. We co-sleep so throughout the night he will breastfeed several times. Hopefully this plan will help to keep his weight up. At the last doctors appointment, when he was 7 weeks old he was 23 1/2 inches (88%) and only 9lbs 2oz (12%). He was born at 7lbs 1.8 oz and 20 1/2 inches, so he is getting taller.... just not fatter. We go Friday for his 2 month appointment and shots, so we will see how big the munchkin is then....

Anavaz - Austin was fine yesterday and his mommy is doing a little better... no tears this morning, but I still am hating life.

[Anavaz]

It was really hard for me not seeing Iker for so many hours yesterday. He on the other hand did great. His pedi's appointment went great. His pedi said he's a healthy little boy who's doing very well, he is 12lbs and 23in. I guess my scale is not very accurate because I weighed him on Sunday and he was 13lbs. Oh well no biggie, I'll just go by his pedi's stats.

I got home last night and he was asleep. We thought he was going to wake up soon because his last feeding was @ 7pm. Turned out we were wrong, the kid slept until 5am, 10 hours straight!!!! I didn't notice at all because I was soooo beat that I didn't wake up during the night to check on him. I do that when he sleeps more than 6 hours. Oh and he woke up @ 5am because when my DH woke me up to tell me he'd been sleeping for almost 10 hours I told him, okay, we have to wake him up.

Don't get me wrong I don't mind him sleeping all night but 10 hours without eating is too much, or so I think. He was happy and smiling when we woke him up, so if he was starving he didn't show it. We gave him 5oz of milk which he downed in record time, lol, was awake for 30 minutes and I took him to bed with me for a little co-sleeping before I had to go get ready for work. He went back to sleep with me for another 45 minutes and woke up just when I finished dressing.

DH told the pedi that he sleeps during the night between 5-8 hours depending on how much he sleeps during the day. He said it was fine, so I guess I just have a lazy baby who loves to sleep, lol.

[historyteach]

well it seems the returning mamas are doing ok, that is an inspiration, i am dreading when i go back, but we just can't afford for me to stay home any longer

Roxy - as for feeding your little one, i think that as long as she is happy and is gaining weight that you should take it one day at a time, and the idea of bottle feeding expressed milk i think is your best option - what pump do you have? because i went thru two and there is a major difference between what i got

question - for those of you who are pumping, i am trying to pump once a day for right now and then feed Lyla what i had from previous days and store any extras. i am just curious is there a certain time of the day when you are going to have less and will pumping rather than nursing cause a decrease in your supply. i was pumping at that 6 pm feeding and i was only getting 3.5 oz and nothing extra and that is what she is eating and that was out of both breasts and then when i stopped pumping at 6 and pumped at the 3 i was getting more and now less again, i was just curious if this is going to happen when i will be pumping 3 feedings when i am at work, any insight would be helpful, thanks

[historyteach]

hey ladies, it has been really quiet around here, just thought i would check in on you and see how you are doing with the weather change... it seems that i have a lot of summer outfits that Lyla is never going to wear and i can't believe that she is already moving into 3-6 month clothes, she is getting so big and i want to keep her small, i just love how snuggly she is right now!

hope that you are all having a great weekend!

[KELLIF4]

Our little guys had their two month check last week, things seemed to go well. Klayton is up to 11 pounds while Carter is at 8.12. They got their first set of shots, that was fun !
We also started them on reflux meds, Im hoping that helps with some of the fussiness.

Today is DHs first day home, all day, with the boy's. Its good for him though, makes him appriciate the days I spend home alone with them

What is a typical day for you guys with your LO's ? We really dont have a big routine set yet - They sleep on and off, though out the day and when they are up, I try and do some tummy time and just hold them ? Should we be doing more along the lines of trying to "play" with them, or is it still to soon -
We have established a night routine of going to bed at 8 .. and they have been sleeping until 330ish. So thats been a blessing as far as sleep goes !!!

[RosieB]

Funny you mention this Jaime...I just went through all of Olivia's drawers and almost cried over all the clothes she won't be able to wear! So many cute outfits, mostly hand me downs...but still...so cute and she has already outgrown them or it will be too cold to wear them by next month.

I can't believe how fast she is growing.

As far as the pumping, it depends...I try to pump every morning as I seem to have more milk then. If DH is going to do a nightime feeding, I pump at night too. Sometimes I get milk, sometimes I don't. I don't really have a good rhythm worked out with the pumping yet, and it frustrates me...

Kelli - we don't have a routine either. I am not sure what we are "supposed" to be doing...LOL...I try to get her down for at least one nap per day...although she does cat nap on and off alot...15 or 10 min here and there. I do try some tummy time, but she really hates it...but I will keep trying. Now, she gets mad if I am in one room, and leave her alone...so I put the bouncy seat on the kitchen island when I am there, and in the bathroom when I take a shower and she really likes it. I read that you should talk to them alot...like when I am in the kitchen I talk to her and tell her what I am doing. Other than that...I am not sure.

Does anyone's LO's have bumpy skin? Olivia has very rough cheeks on her face, and sometimes they look red. Also this seems to have spread to her chest and a little on her arms and legs....I use dreft and Aveno for her bath, so I am not sure if this is some kind of reaction, or just normal for newborn skin.

Sleeping is still hit or miss...she broke out of the kiddopotomus swaddle blanket all night last night, then woke herself up...and cried....fun stuff. I am ordering the miracle blanket now...hopefully that helps. The only place I can get her to sleep well is in the darn swing. I am hoping tonight goes better....I need to figure something out.

Hope everyone is having a relaxing Sunday.

[historyteach]

kelli - it is funny that you bring up what exactly we are suppose to do with our LO, i have no idea. i try to do tummy time, but like Rosie's olivia she hates it but man if she could get traction on her feet, she could crawl across the house! i think just showing them love right now is key

as for a routine, we start the bed time routine around 8ish with a bath, nurse both breasts and then fuss a little when she is in her crib, but is usually sound asleep until 9 and then sleeps until 2:30ish nurse again and back to the crib within 45 minutes and then sleeps again until 7, i am very blessed but i really hope by the time that i go back to work we can get her to sleep until 4:30 - 5:00 and then i could get a full night of sleep because once i get up with her at the night feeding i can't get back to sleep for a long time and i have no idea how i am going to handle it once i go back for work

rosie - lyla's face is bumpy and gets red with more defined pimples when she gets hot and it is around her neck and chest a little - i think it is a combination of baby acne and heat rash, i am going to talk with my pedi about it next week. also, she spits up so much and her bib is wet that is what is causing it on her neck & chest so i am trying to change her bib everytime she spits up but that is hard when she is doing it when she wakes up and goes back to sleep with a wet bib and never wakes me up... but if you know something else that can help please let me know

[sarahelaine57]

Just was stalking your thread, lol, and wanted to share that I too had a baby who spit up a lot and to help with the wetness I would use the bibs that have a plasticy back, Carters sells some nice thick ones with a back that seems to be "waterproof" that worked well.

[AdaRuts]

So 2 month appointment went well, lots of shots, a little crying and even a smile or two. Austin is now up to 10.2 lbs which puts him in the 16% for weight and is 24 1/2 inches (4 inches in 2 months!!) which puts him in the 93% for height. I just can't beleive how tall he is. Right now clothes look hilarious on him because he is too tall for "little" clothes and too thin for "big" clothes, so right now he looks like a little porker in 6 month clothes or a dorky highwater wearing baby in 3 month clothes... lol.

Routine... hahahahaha!!! We don't need no stinkin' rountine! Uggghhhhh... We get up at 6:15, change clothes, diaper, nurse and then out the door to daycare by 7:00. He gets a bottle at daycare at 8, 11 & 2 (or whenever he starts to fuss) and generally sleeps in between bottles. My husband picks him up at 2:30, tries to feed him the rest of the bottle from daycare, and then off to sleep again. I get home at 4:45, nurse the baby, give him a million kisses, play around with him, hold him, he dozes on and off until around 8 when we do another bottle and then bath (everyother day), book and bed. By bed I mean we go and lay in bed together he will continue to lazy nurse until around 10:30. He normally then sleeps until around 1 or 2 and then gets fussy and wakes up every hour or so until we get up again at 6:15 to start the "routine" again.

Needless to say I'm exhausted, but there's not much I can do about it.

So I need some advice..... I'm thinking about quitting my job. I have a "career", make good money, (including a $3,500 raise I got last week) and generally enjoy what I do. The only problem is I HATE NOT BEING HOME WITH AUSTIN!!!!!!! Not like a "I could take it or leave it" situation, not a "yeah! free time!" not even a "I guess it will be ok" I mean I FREAKING HATE IT!!!! I like the lady who is watching him and I feel confident in her abilities, but I can't shake the feeling that this is "wrong". It breaks my heart everyday to leave him in the morning and breaks it again every night when I think about the next morning. What I don't know is if I should just get out now or if I need to give it some more time. The funny thing is I feel completely rational about this. I'm not upset or crying every morning, but I am more and more determined to change the situation.

I really don't know what to do. Stay or go?????

[KELLIF4]

I would say if you can afford to stay home with him and it would mean the world to you to do it - Do It !

With that being said - Now I feel like a bad mom because I enjoy going to work sometimes ... Dont get me wrong, I love the time we spend with the babies, but going to work feels good for me to. It was tough the first week or two, but I felt like I got back to life a little ... Is that horrible of me ??

[AdaRuts]

kelli- In no way does enjoying work make you a bad mom. I can imagine that having two babies is sooooo much work that going to "work" seems like a vacation sometimes.

Ironically I had always thought that the baby would be with a sitter from 6 weeks on and was completely ok with that. Now, not so much. I figure that I need to "give it time" before I make any decisions.

Practically me staying home would be difficult. I make more money then my husband and there is room for advancement in my position. Truthfully it would make more sense for my DH to stay home, but that would still not bring me peace in the situation. I am going to give it until the 1st of the year.... if I can hold out that long and re-evaluate the situation then.

[KELLIF4]

What helped me in not feeling so bad about leaving my babies with the sitter was something I learned from the therapist I had to see after the babies were born ( who would have thought I would have some PPD after trying for babies so long ! ) Was that babies are not as fragile as you think and as long as they are being feed and diapers changed, no one is going to get hurt AND that them having some time away from mom and dad is harder on US than the baby .. This was when we were talking about me letting DH do more - in the beginning I was trying to do everything myself and I wanted it perfect.

[Anavaz]

Ada - I don't like to be away from Iker either. I miss him so much during the day. It's worse because after work I have school too, so 2 days a week I don't see him at all (I get home @ 10PM). But I'm relieved because he's with my mom and I can call all day long. Plus when my cousin is home she usually has him in her room and I log in to Messenger and she puts on the camera so I can see him sleeping or eating etc. That gives me some kind of peace.

Kelli - Don't feel bad at all because you like work, I feel the same. I'll explain. Oh and I also had the PPD but it only lasted about 3 weeks, thank God, and what helped me get over it was leaving my house. I think being home for so many weeks without seeing the outside world was suffocating me. That and the change in my life with a new baby. I love him more than life itself but know one tells you how hard it is, know one tells you it's not always blissfull happiness, lol.


About work:
I think what I needed was more time with him, it would've been better if I could've been with him for longer, maybe a month or two more. But that said I've always said that while being a mom is my priority so is the part of my life that has nothing to do with being a mom. Now I've realized that working and studying is also part of being a mom because what I do I'm doing it in part for my son too. I'm doing it because I want to be able to give him all I can, good education etc. I'm working for my future which is his future too.

I'm an only child and I've always been very independant. That's why it's very important for me to have some "me" time. It's just who I am. I love being with my baby, I wish I could take him with me everywhere, but I also like some time to be just me. That's why for my 30th birthday on Sept. 25 I'm having two celebrations. My b-day I want to spend it with my family celebrate my 30th birthday with my son is a blessing. But on the 26th I'm having a girls night out with my friends. DH knows it and he's happy to stay with Iker while I go out with my friends. We all turn 30 this year with only 2 months separation and we've been planning to celebrate together for years now. I am looking forward to it.

Question:
Have you guys gotten your babies costume for Halloween? We bought Iker a lobster costume, lol. It is sooooo cute

[RosieB]

I can relate to both sides of the work issue. I do not want to leave Olivia in daycare at all, let alone at this age. I am taking a total of 6 months off of work. 3 of wich is unpaid, and that is fine with me. I may go back Feb 1 - part-time, 3 days a week to test the waters...but honestly I don't really love my job. I have been there 13 years, and the corporate world can really burn you out.

So far I have no desire to return to work...but I definetly do have a desire for ME time. I think once I get a routine down, I will feel better. I have also started going out more to visit friends or go shopping...little trips with Olivia, and that helps me too.

I am going to work on getting a babysitter one day a week so that I can run errands, and just have that me time.

Back to work...I may not return at all...BUT I am not prepared to make that decision yet. It will be a tough one to make.

I know that working will help me emotionally, but because it is all consuming, I fear it will take too much out of me where I will have nothing left for my daughter.

Oh the struggles us women face.....

Oh...I totally need to look for a costume...the Lobster sounds so cute! Are you taking Iker trick or treating?