I've Been Bad

I promised myself that I'd start letting baby nap in the playpen more, but the sad reality is, I think I have put him down for zero naps in that thing since I've returned to work.

I mean there's four days a week I don't get to cuddle up with him for naps....so on my days off, how can I deny this snuggly bunny? Plus, I'm tired too!!!

Screw the playpen. I'm napping with my baby.

Hair loss

It's started.  I knew it was gonna come.  I prepared myself mentally.  But nothing really prepares you for the moment when you comb your fingers through your hair and huge clump of it falls out onto the floor.  

And then you look down in the shower drain and see another clump about the size of a small hamster.  :(

Not Quite Ready Yet

Well, last night was the big night.  No swaddling.

Success?  Yes and no.

Without any form of swaddling, AJ slept from 11:30 to 4 without waking.  There was occasional stirring, but he did managing to soothe himself back to sleep (early, around 12AM).  In the grand scheme of things, I'd call this a fairly successful unswaddling attempt.  Fairly successful.

As the night progressed, he woke up at 4 AM, apparently starving for food.  This is 2.5 hours earlier than usual. I picked him up, fed him, and returned him to his crib.  Fine, no problems.  Maybe he was just randomly hungry?  Then at 5:30 AM, he started crying again, pretty loudly.  I asked M to rock him back to sleep, and he did.   Then at 6:45 AM, same cry again.  I walked over and discovered him wide awake, seemingly hungry.  I fed him and he seemed pretty satisfied, and went back to sleep.  I was frustrated though...I can't have him waking up every 1.5 hours...I NEED SLEEP!!!  Apparently going 5 weeks with him sleeping through the night has left me unable/unwilling to deal with this waking up business.  So now he's upstairs, asleep with the bat wings again.

The problem with all of this is I'm not sure what the real problem is... It could very well be:

• Missing his 8PM nap (he always gets a good nap in before bedtime, weird, I know, but getting that nap in around 8 PM really helps him sleep well when we put him down at 11).  
• He really is hungry - he doesn't eat well if he doesn't nap well, so I'm not sure if he actually ate very much at the last 2 feedings of the night
• Growth spurt - could very well be a 3 mo growth spurt causing the waking at 4 AM...but that doesn't really explain why he woke up at 5:30, unable to soothe himself back to sleep...
• Cold turkey unswaddling is just too much for him.  Maybe we need to do 1 arm at a time.

AJ's a pretty good sleeper, at least for the first stretch of the night, but he does tend to stir a lot after that first waking.  When his waking is at 6:30 though, I don't mind.  If it's gonna be like this and at 4 AM, I definitely mind.  Maybe the bat wing is really only needed at 4 AM then???

So we'll be at this again tonight.  Thank goodness I don't work weekends. We'll try unswaddling one arm out, and if that doesn't work, then I'll bat wing swaddle him again at 4 AM...I guess.

Oh yes, and I couldn't go back to sleep after his 3 wakings, so I googled weaning from swaddling.  Found this product which seems pretty cool, but I'm gonna stick to my trials first before deciding to shell out 35 dollars for this.  http://zipadeezip.com/

Stay tuned. 

Graduation from swaddling

Every book/article/internet site/Halo sleesack tag that I've read about swaddling suggests that the best time to stop swaddling is around the time that baby starts to roll over (which experts agree is sometime after the 4th month).  Makes sense.  If your baby rolls over onto his belly, he's going to need his hands to help him  get out of the face plant situation so he can breathe and continue to live.

So that was originally our plan.  Discontinue swaddling at around 4 months, or when he rolls over.

We've been using either the Halo sleepsack swaddle or the SwaddleMe swaddles to swaddle him since he was born.  Why?  1) they are SUPER easy to deal with, and considering that swaddling is often a middle-of-the-night duty, super easy is necessary.  2) I'm really not that good at achieving a tight swaddle with the traditional blankets anyway.

Recently, I realized that Halo makes sleepsack swaddles only up to the 3-6 month size (up to 26 inches in length).  SwaddleMe's large is about the same size.  About a week and a half ago, AJ's heels starting pushing on the ends of those blankets which made him...you guessed it, ANGRY.

Well if he's going to be angry anyway, might as well try unswaddling now.

Over the past week, while I've been working, I've been super hesitant to try unswaddling completely. Since you know...have a few uninterrupted hours of sleep during the workweek is sort of nice.  So we went ahead and went up to the next size in the Halo sleepsack (6-12 month) but continued to Bat Wing his arms in (see my May post about what Bat Winging is).

Well, yesterday morning, we found our Houdini like this in the morning.

You have to look hard, but basically, his right arm found its way out of the Bat Wing and out into the arm hole of the Halo sleepsack.

This morning, no arms out yet, but he basically wiggled his way out of the Bat Wing and his arms were freely doing what they want inside the sleepsack.  So after his AM feeding this morning, I just zipped him up and let his arms out.  No swaddling.

This is what is happening right now, 45 minutes after I put him down. Still sleeping!

Wish us luck.  We're gonna go 100% unswaddled all night tonight. Stay tuned!

Roomba Roomba

In the 12 short weeks of maternity leave that I now miss ever so much, I think I've watched the Roomba commercial enough times to be able to sing that stupid song backwards.  Is that in anyone else's head?  Roomba Roomba!

Anyhow, I told myself outloud many times I will NOT allow myself to give in to buying a Roomba.  It just seems like a ridiculous use of money....right?  If you don't want to read the rest of this post, I'll give you a hint on how it ends.  We have a little white dog.  Who claims to not shed.  Well, turns out, she's a liar.

1.5 weeks ago, in preparation for my mother-in-law's first day of in-home caring for AJ, I thoroughly vacuumed our main floor with our standard floor vacuum.  I mean really thoroughly.  I mean I even took out the little adapter and vacuumed the couch.  Why?  Because we have a little white Westie who does some shedding.  Mind you, Westies are generally considered non-shedding dogs, so I never really felt compelled to do much vacuuming.  Even after AJ came along.  But I did notice a few hair balls here and there on the carpet.  So I did the full vacuuming...and I yielded a fairly large dog hair ball after the task which I attributed to the fact that we hadn't vacuumed in like 3-4 weeks.  So nothing too concerning.

Day one when MIL comes over, she asks how often we vacuum, and suggests we should vacuum daily with a baby and a dog.  We told her a half-truth, which was "we vacuumed yesterday." True, but likely, we wouldn't vacuum again for maybe another 2 weeks or so.  That was the end of that conversation for that week.

Today, when I came home, MIL announced she was going to vacuum.  But before I was able to stop her and explain that we'd vacuum soon (maybe this weekend), she went ahead and vacuumed for us. I smugly thought she'd vacuum up little more than a few dog hairs and be proud at our efforts to keep the house clean.

To my dismay, after she vacuumed, we dug out another HUGE ball of dog fur.  HUGE.  Like build-your-own-Westie huge.  I came to 2 conclusions.  1) I'm either incompetent at vacuuming or 2) the dog lies, she really does shed like s***.  Well, even a serious idiot can push a vacuum around.  Therefore, the dog is a liar.

We need a Roomba.  Cause I ain't vacuuming every day.

(NOT what we got out of the vacuum....that ball was much larger) 

On a side note, I discovered the lazy woman's way of cleaning up shedded hairs in the bathroom.  I aim the blowdryer at the ground when I'm done drying my hair and blow everything into a corner on the floor so I can easily pick it up. Woohoo to laziness!

Aj's first beach trip

We hit the coast this past weekend. Our first family trip!

We left right before baby was due for his AM nap, and bless his heart, he slept the whole 80 minute ride without as much as a peep. When we got there, he was wide awake, so we bundled him up, put him in the Beco, and headed for the ocean. He loved it!!! It was actually 68 degrees (which feels more like 50's on the Oregon coast), but he seemed pretty comfy in his outfit.

After our beach walk, we ate lunch at a nearby restaurant (AJ spent the whole time staring at our food) and then hit the beach again, this time, our arms loaded with blankets. AJ napped while daddy held him under 2 big blankets and his jacket. Little guy didn't mind the cold one bit. M and I enjoyed staring at the waves, the same way we did years before our AJ arrived.

When he woke up, we played with him for a while in the back of my CRV and nursed him before heading back onto the road. The little guy slept soundly ANOTHER 80 minutes.

Family beach trip? Success!!!

BTW, the CRV? Best car ever for our little family. I love that the trunk is basically a mobile changing station and play area for a baby!!! We did a fair amount of hanging out back there to rest in between activities.

AJ is 3 months

Dear AJ,

Today, you're 3 months old!  I cannot believe that 13 weeks have flown by!

Your routine: You're sleeping through the night now (or for now at least), about 6-7 hours at a time.  You wake up at 9 AM every day.  You get put in your bouncy seat (or what dad and I call the "poop chair" and it helps you poop every morning. You eat about 6 times a day, and nap a good 4-5 times a day still.  You tolerate the bottle, but definitely prefer food straight from the source. You get a bath every night and get rocked to sleep by either your dad or I.

Your physical development: You're already a big boy and you're still growing.  I'm thinking you're somewhere around 16 pounds now, and maybe 26 inches?  Your baby hair is falling out, but your new hair is just as cute and soft.  You're getting lighter skinned now, though you're still darker than me. A couple of weeks ago, we started noticing teething symptoms...you don't have any yet, but there's no shortage of drool!

Your mental development: You're pretty good at holding your head up by yourself now.  You can do 10 minutes of tummy time by yourself!  Over the last several days, you've started to push yourself up higher on your hands, and have even rolled over several times.  You've just started to grasp things, and though you've not quite mastered this, you're gladly trying to practice.  You've also learned to blow bubbles and you think it's funny.  Speaking of funny, you smile and laugh so much now!  It was just yesterday that you learned how to smile, but it feels new to me every time I see it.

Your personality:  You're a very talkative kid, and you're not shy to share your opinion about things!  Especially when you're not happy about something.  You're generous with smiles, and you're usually the happiest after nap times.  Speaking of, you're one of the only kids I know who refuses to eat if you haven't had enough nap time.  I guess you got that from me.  You still love to cuddle with mom and dad but seem to be quite fond of just about anybody still.

Your favorite toy: For now, it's your friend, Zoey's crinkly soft book. It makes noises you're interested in and has an interesting feel.  Second runner up is the TV, only because mommy is unwilling to admit that you're super fond of it.

WHAT??!? TEETH!??!

Over the last couple of weeks, we noted that AJ's been producing a lot more spit that before.  About two weeks ago, I sort of freaked out cause I knew that drooling was a sign of teething, but I thought, it's something else cause a 2.5 month old surely cannot be teething right?

1 week passed and while no other "obvious" teething signs (fussing, actually erupting teeth), my mom reported that he's been "chewing" on the bottle nipples.  I didn't make much of this either, since he's been starting to stick things in his mouth and he does typically make this sort of gnawing motion with his whole mouth on his toys.

I've noticed over the last 2 days or so that he's been starting to bite down and suck on his lower lip.  Sounds too suspicious so I asked Kimberly, our mom's group facilitator what she thought.

Yup.  He's teething.

Isn't it early?  Yes.  But apparently it takes weeks to months after teething symptoms start before you start seeing teeth!  Here's to a few more weeks (months?) of toothlessness.  Please pray that he's easy on me :(

AJ's First Blanket Fort

AJ is no different from the average baby who gets easily distracted by stuff like light and TV.  It's probably our fault that the pack and play that he naps in is 1) under the TV and 2) facing a south-facing window.  Either way, he has trouble falling asleep unless some of the distractions are covered up.

Previously, this was pretty easy.  With one blanket, we could just create a small tent covering over the bassinet part of the pack-and-play.  About 2 weeks ago, we removed the bassinet part of the pack-and-play (the little buddy reached over 15 lbs) so this created a bigger challenge.  Even if we covered up the top of the pack-and-play, light would easily seep through all 4 walls of the mesh netting.  

Hmmmm. 

The solution we present is courtesy of 50+ years of blanket-forting between the two of us and also the myriad of blankets that we got from our baby shower.  

I present...baby blanket fort.  Made with 3 blankets and 1 bath towel.  Ok, I admit there was actually no thought or creativity that went into this.  It was just what happened to be made of stuff lying around over the last few days.  But, I'd like to document this as the start to AJ's blanket and pillow-forting career.

Back to work

I survived my first day back at work!

0500
AJ sort of knew something was happening.  He woke up 2 hours early today for a feeding.  Which promptly produced panic on my part.  I have to find enough milk for another feeding!  Brewing in anxiety over this, I couldn't go back to sleep and instead laid in bed for one hour perusing FB swap and sale pages.

0630
In my usual jump-to-turn-off-the-alarm style, I got out of bed and scurried downstairs to milk myself clean.  To my dismay, I was so stressed about this that I only pumped a dismal 2 ounces.  2 OUNCES from me, the perpetual over-supplier. I swear I've released more in one letdown attempt before.  FAIL.

0715
45 minutes later, I'm all dressed and ready to head out the door,  I'm proud that I'm put-together enough to find myself a matching outfit that's clean and not made of Spandex.  I'm sporting one of my new Maxi skirts today. I'm proud of myself, cause I actually feel pretty good about how I look.  The second I head out the door, I hear AJ crying in his crib. M basically shoves me out of the door to go to work.

0800
I walk through the doors of AWC 50% super excited to see co-workers and go back to doing something I'm really good at.  The other 50% of me is wishing that I'm at home with my little boy.  Hey, at least I managed not to cry on the 40 minute drive there and die in a fiery car wreck.  That would suck.

0810
Seconds after I discover that my e-mail password still works, I discover 1224 unread e-mails in my inbox.

0910
My co-worker Tya who is also a new mommy gives me tips on pumping at work.  "Put a sign on the door.  But remember to put it on the door knob.  Or people will come in." "Don't worry about cleaning the pump parts, just wipe them down.  There won't be 6 hours in between your pump sessions and breastmilk is good for 6 hours anyhow from its antimicrobial properties."  Sometimes, I feel guilty that I leach so much advice from her and have so little to return. haha.

0945
I have my first "meeting" of the day with my coworker Tanya.  I pump under hooter hiders while we talk business.  She marvels at all the gadgets and things I have with my pump to make life easier.  I must be turned on by work talk, because I make a respectable 6 ounces within 5 minutes.

1200
Meeting #2.  Boy, I missed a lot when I was gone for 12 weeks.  I also learn that there's a huge list of stuff for me to do when I'm ready.

1300
I realize that it's been 3+ hours since I've pumped.  It's my 30 min lunch now and I'm sure that I'll make lots. To my dismay, I pumped a lousy 2 ounces AGAIN :(  I tell myself not to fret.  There's probably a reason.  Perhaps I didn't hydrate enough?  Or likely the stress of work was already getting to me... I call my dad  to check in and find that the little man has been sleeping like a log and smiling away when he was awake.  This comforts me.

1530
With one last 15 min break, I crack at it again, and lo and behold make 4 ounces out of one!  I decide to leave the other one alone, knowing my baby will be hungry when I come home.

1800
After being stuck in traffic for nearly 1.5 HOURS I'm FINALLY home!  Little boy is happy to see me, and indeed hungry :)  I'm proud of myself for surviving day one, and celebrate it by giving baby lots and lots of kisses.

Turns out he was great for grandpa the whole day.  That's my boy.  :)

The evolution of mom

1 day left til work begins again.  I promised myself I wouldn't over think it, that I'm ready.  All the prep work has been done.  Just waiting to walk out the door in 24 hours and do what I haven't done in 12 weeks.

I promised myself I wouldn't get sad about it.

There's no reason to.  Because when I look back at what's happened in the last 12 weeks, I see an amazing transformation.  I remember my week 1 self - sleep deprived, hurting, and not a clue in the world what to do with this tiny crying infant.  And I look at myself today, a strong independent new mom who knows what it takes to get her son to laugh every morning when he wakes up.

So today, I'm remembering.  Remembering the evolution of my "mom-ness" over the last 12 weeks.

WEEK 1

AJ: I learned how to latch, cry, poop, and pee.  I slept in a pack and play in mom and dad's room.  I sleep pretty much all day long.  I nursed (or tried!) every 2 hours or more often.  I lost almost 1 pound of body weight.  I was visited by many relatives.

Me:  I learned how to diaper, breastfeed, and sleep only 2 hour increments at a time. Recovered from giving birth.  Gained enough strength to go outside (grocery shopping, sushi eating, and park going!).


WEEK 2

AJ: Opened my eyes a bit more.  Got my newborn photo session done.  Pooped on the photographer's blanket.  Regained my weight back. Learned to latch on more efficiently, but still falling asleep at mommy's boob while feeding, met a new friend (Sophie).

Me: learning how to help AJ latch, pumped for the first time, learned how to comfort baby with swaddling, dealing with horribly sensitive nips. Figured out how to use a Moby wrap.

WEEK 3

AJ: I started crying more, started to need help falling asleep, still trying to figure out this latching/nursing thing, and found out my great grandmother passed away (I'm sad I never got to meet her).

Me: ENGORGEMENT!!!! Overwhelmed with lack of sleep (still sleeping only 2 hour increments at a time), crying for no reason (sappy commercials, damn you), multiple mini-breakdowns due to husband returning to work, and ENGORGEMENT!!! I did however learn how to do chores with baby in the Moby, and learned how to feed myself when nobody is helping me hold the baby.

WEEK 4

AJ: I can't nap during the day unless mom or dad provides some sort of intervention, my naps are short and I get angry because I'm awake.  Mom showed me this magically thing called the binky. I'm gain weight well (wearing size 1 diapers now), but the milk now is starting to choke me.  I also started getting real bad gas pains and these keep me awake too, I can't seem to let them out on my own.

Me: Overwhelmed with sleep deprivation.  ENGORGEMENT!  Boobs hurt so bad, I'm sure it's thrush.  Trying anti-fungal cream to see if the pain goes away.  Figured out a "routine" for how to put baby down for a nap. Decided the binky is a man-made glimpse of God.  Attended my grandmother-in-law's funeral, and pondered how she did it - raised 5 children and 14 grandchildren.   Googled "is it normal to be afraid of your crying baby?"

WEEK 5

AJ:  This gas is getting real bad.  REAL BAD. I wake up multiple times every night screaming in pain. Feeding isn't getting better either.  Mom's basically water-boarding me with milk.  I gulp it down because I need the nutrients, but it DOES NOT make me happy at all.  They don't seem to know how to burp me either.

Me: No longer overwhelmed with sleep deprivation.  Just used to getting up every 2-3 hours and staying up 1.5 or more hours at a time for nursing, burping, changing, and getting AJ to settle due to gas.  Mastered using the Beco carrier and using it about once a day to get chores done.  Put dinner on the table for the first time since he was born. ENGORGEMENT!!!!  And on round 2 of medications for thrush.

WEEK 6

AJ: This gas isn't getting any better.  I'm real sad and I cry a lot.  I'm still being water boarded with milk.  I can't sleep without making lots of noises.  Pretty sure they're trying to kill me. I did smile for them for the first time, the day before daddy left on his trip.

Me: decided to do something about all this gas. Tried MANY different things and instituted bedtime baths.  Felt a lot more confident about my parenting despite all the crying because I HAVE A PLAN.  On round 3 of thrush medications.  Though, it really isn't working. Feeling a lot of anxiety regarding hubby leaving on business trip.  Recruited friends to stay with.  ENGORGEMENT!

WEEK 7

AJ: I'm suddenly more awake now, and have found that I'm very entertained by my changing pad.  I guess it's because I get to kick my legs free when I'm there.  It's like dancing!  I also have less gas now, maybe because I'm kicking so much.  Daddy's gone this week, but I'm having fun with my aunt Kathy and uncle Eric.  Discovered that I hate riding in the car if no one is in the back seat with me. Grew into size 2 diapers.

Me: Lots of anxiety over the fact that the hubby is gone.  But feeling confident that this is the time for me to better develop my own parenting skills.  Enjoying the company of friends, and realizing the truth to "it takes a village." Going whole days now without crying and not so fearful of AJ when he does cry, because I generally know what to do to try to fix it. Week 2 of 3rd course of thrush meds.

WEEK 8

AJ: Daddy is back, and I'm a much calmer baby now. The gas problem is behind us, and I'm slowly learning to focus on faces.  My neck strength is getting a lot better, and tummy time is a real fun time for me - I can sometimes hold myself up for an entire song! They also moved me to my own crib and room now.  I can go 5 hours sleeping in it at a time!

Me: Very thankful that hubby is back.  Feeling much more confident about parenting, though the BFing saga is still not done.  We've pretty much determined that it's not thrush (what with failing 3 different treatments).  I'm left deciding if I wanna stick the pain out or think about switching to bottle feeding. Pumping is not any less painful. I chose to stick it out (using heat and ice to help the pain), praying that it'll eventually get better. I am starting to get better at learning to "wait" when he cries.

WEEK 9

AJ: I got my shots and they really hurt!  I'm very sleepy and all I want to do is have mommy hold me to sleep.  I also got sick this week, and my sleep regressed - I'm waking up to every hour again. I'm just glad mommy and daddy are attending to me at night. I'm also going through a growth spurt this week.

Me: We all got sick this week.  I learned middle-of-the-night parenting, which is not that different from daytime parenting, except that important changes (and decisions) should not be made because no one is of sound mind.  Started reading motivational new mom memoires instead of googling what's wrong with my baby.  Helped a lot with the anxiety. Figured out more ergonomic ways to carry baby, since he's getting a lot heavier.

WEEK 10

AJ: After getting better from being sick, I decided that I did really like sleep, and started sleeping through the night for 6-7 hour stretches!  I'm also awake a lot more now, and wanting to play and talk all the time.  I especially like to sit on the couch crack now, or sit on daddy and talk the evening away.  I also discovered my fists.  My, they are wonderful snacks.

Me: After 9 weeks of being in A LOT of pain, my boobs decided that it was time that my supply evened out.  I guess it wasn't thrush after all. It's weird actually, how much easier breastfeeding is, when I don't spend all day long cringing in pain.  I spent more time out with baby this week, and learned how to soothe him in public places.  It's getting easier and easier for me to relax when he's having a meltdown, and I'm getting more confident of the skills I've honed in the past weeks.

WEEK 11

AJ: I discovered my toes this week.  Also learned to self-soothe with my fists.  I still hate my car seat.  But I've nailed the social smile.  I smile lots when I'm full and wake up from my naps. Speaking of, I've settled into a AM nap, PM nap, afternoon nap, and after dinner nap routine.  I love to sleep!  I also love sitting on the couch and sitting on daddy.  Mommy also showed me a new toy - Sophie!  I've tasted her ears and feet.

Me: This is honestly probably the first week I've gotten to really "enjoy" maternity leave.  AJ's getting a little bit easier to figure out.  We've also taken him out on multiple social outings where at first I was worried he'd make a huge fuss.  I was surprised to learn that I had actually developed quite a bit of skills when it comes to soothing my baby.  This makes me very proud.

WEEK 12

AJ: I learned how to laugh.  It's especially funny when mommy dances around in the living room and picks me up.  I'm pretty much still hate the car seat.  I finally learned how to eat from a bottle, after multiple people have fed me over the last couple of weeks.  But I still like it fresh from the source and can guzzle ounces at a time even after the bottle if mommy is nearby.  Tummy time is getting easier for me and I don't complain much anymore.  If mommy does tummy time for me on her lap, I lift myself up to watch the TV.

Me: I spent half of this week frantically preparing for my return to work, and mastering the pumping-and-cleaning-in-15-minutes routine.  I took an entire day to train my dad on the manny work and while I show him my tricks, I'm pleasantly surprised at how many tricks I had up my sleeve compared to 12 weeks ago!  I realize that I know my baby a lot better than I think, and this comforts me.  I spend the rest of the week relaxing, cuddling often with my baby on the couch, taking naps with baby, playing and holding baby, wondering how just weeks ago, I wanted nothing more than to go back to work, but somehow today, I can't seem to want to leave this little man behind.

Sunday adventures: manny training and silly faces

I'm going back to work in 3 days.  3 DAYS!!!

So we had my dad come over yesterday for his "orientation" which included showing him the stash of supplies, working the gear, milk storage guidelines, practicing feeding and diapering, and of course, sharing my secrets of how to get AJ to stop fussing.

I'm proud to report that he did really well for day 1 at work!  Of course, he brought my mom along (she's coming on day 1 and 2 also) and his trusty sidekick, the camera.

This was the reward he took home for a job well done.

Then we went to Grandma Lee's house.  And AJ found out that grandma had adulterated his baby pictures.  Which promptly produced this face. LOL.  I love his many expressions now :)

My new postpartum wardrobe staple

I'm returning to work in 8 days. 8 DAYS. Oh crap.  Need to get my act together.

Obviously, anxiety is back at the house while I prepare for work.  One of the biggest questions is, WHAT AM I GONNA WEAR?!?!?  Mind you, I didn't exactly balloon up abnormally from being preggo (total of 34 lbs gained on the day I delivered him).  I'm still about +8 or so lbs so I'm in that awkward zone where maternity wear is loose... but suddenly, I also have hips now, so none of my work pants fit anymore.  That and with the pumping-at-work ordeal, I figured most of the dresses that I normally wear to work are just too cumbersome to deal with.  Which leaves me with....nursing wear?  I don't have much of that either.  So unless I wanna stroll into clinic with my Lululemon shorts and nursing tank tops on, I gotta find myself new clothes.

Oh, did I mention that I have absolutely no fashion sense?  I had the mom look down even before pregnancy (or as a fellow schoolmate once coined it the "geriatric chic" look).  So even before I went shopping yesterday for clothes, I was pretty confused about what I was going to do.

Enter the Maxi skirt.

I can't believe I had not thought about getting more of these before?!?!  The ones I bought are made of stretchy breathable jersey material which makes the waistbands extra generous.  Maxi skirts also tend to come in S-M-L sizes so you don't exactly have to "worry" about how large you've gotten or what not (not that I have time to worry about that anyway!).  Plus, they are meant to be floor-sweeping lengths which works for me professionally (read: no need to worry about not having time to shave my legs today).

I ended up buying these guys, basic colors and patterns to mix and match with tops that I got and also what I already have at home.  Gotta love Nordy's.

Note: I opted to go for the maxi SKIRT and not maxi dresses to improve "access" concerns for pumping.

Baby gas - what worked and what didn't

A while back, I posted on how AJ had really bad gas that was keeping everyone in the house up. He wouldn't sleep well, didn't eat well, and cried ALL THE TIME.  I posted on 14 different strategies to try to help him.  I'm glad to say that the gas phase is part of our past now, and he's a much different baby.  Here's what worked and what didn't. And why.


1. Feeding when he's calm
Pretty straightforward. The less he's fretting when he's eating, the less gas he will swallow. I'm going to try to give him a pacifier right beforehand for a minute or so if he's already crying to calm him down.
verdict: so-so.  If caught in the perfect window of time, this is helpful.  The major problem here I found is that if he's not fussy, he's not very hungry either, which messes up his eating schedule (he only eats a few licks, which then lasts god knows how long).  Unfortunately, he doesn't show many hunger cues (does not root, always has hands by his mouth) so it's hard for me to tell when he's hungry unless he's fussing.  

2. Better positioning
Using gravity to make sure that milk goes down in the gullet while gas remains up.  I loathe the football hold position, so I think our best bet here is trying to elevate his head while we do our usual cross cradle position.
verdict: so-so.  After MANY attempts, I still can't get him to do football hold.  We also tried having him sit straddling my leg and eating in a sitting position, which worked well, but is very hard to manuever unless you're always in the right type of recliner, and also difficult to do when you're out and about, and much for difficult for infants who haven't mastered holding up their head yet.  The one position that did work well for us was just feeding him cross-cradle (his usual) but leaning back as far as I can (almost so he's doing tummy time as he feeds).  

3. Better burping
more frequently and immediately after feeding (which we already do), not giving up so easily, and hopefully #2 will help these burps come out more easily.
Verdict: SUCCESS.  We found that actually it wasn't about trying to burp longer or hard, but all about movement.  Any movement upward helps.  Usually, all it takes is holding him up in an upright position, a little light jiggling, and then the big monster burp comes. The more upright, the better.

4. Keeping upright x 30 minutes after eating
I honestly don't think I can commit to this at night.  But during the day, I will commit to this!  This means playing with him, or doing something to keep him upright.  If he falls asleep immediately afterward, resist the temptation to put him in the bassinet - let him sleep on me upright so gas can separate!
Verdict: so-so.  Works only if he's laying with his belly on me (see #5)

5. Baby wearing
Keeps baby upright, thus allowing gas to pass.  I will commit to wearing him at least once a day. He currently really likes the Moby vs. the Beco, so we'll go with the Moby for now.
Verdict: SUCCESS.  I don't think this has anything to do with keeping him upright though, because there was a LOT of spit up still (again, keeping this kid upright doesn't fix the physics problem apparently).  I think his just allowed him to kick gas out since his legs were free.  Plus it kept him close to me which allowed for better soothing.

6. warm bath at bedtime
The warmness, especially over his belly, is supposed to help expel gas. This is something new that we haven't done.  We've been bathing him about every 3 days or so.  But it's probably worth trying anyways.  Plus, we wanted to get this in our routine.
Verdict:  SUCCESS.  This continues to be one of the best strategies we have against gas.  The key, besides the warm bath to relax him, is giving him the time to kick his gas out in the tub. We notice even now that on nights we skip bathing him, he has a very very gassy night.

7. Simethicone drops
Helps consolidate small gas bubbles so they can be easily passed. Already doing this with AJ.  Will continue.  Seems to make enough of a difference when I forget to dose him. NEED to remember!
Verdict: FAIL.  No discernable differences before and after use.  Well, no, I take it back. At times, it seemed like it made his gas worse.

8. bicycle baby legs
This is now at "relief" vs. prevention.  Helps expel gas and/or makes him more comfortable.
Verdict: SUCCESS.  I did this after every diaper change x 3-4 sets or until I get some gas out of him.  I also did this occasionally before feedings.   It made a HUGE difference!  Though by about 7 weeks, AJ sort of "woke up" on his own, and did this on his own with all of his kicking during his active awake time.  I guess he was just a baby who really needed a lot of exercise.

9. belly-down patting
Another burp method actually (laying him across your lap and pat his back gently). Can aim his bottom upwards to promote gas leaving via that exit.
Verdict: so-so.  Worked at times.  Sometimes, it just agitated him even more.

10. flexing legs towards face
Similar to the bicycle legs.  Flex his legs and push them upwards, towards his face.
Verdict: SUCCESS - same as bicycle legs.  we always did this together.  The bicycle legs gets him going, but this is necessary to expel the actual gas.

11. tummy massage
clockwise massage to help expel gas.
Verdict: so-so.  Worked at times.  Though not sure if the gas would have come out anyway.

12. Diligently avoiding gas-causing foods (me)
cruciferous veggies and dairy are the main things, but really anything else that causes maternal gas I'm avoiding also. Hopefully this will = less gassy breast milk.
Verdict: FAIL.  I felt so guilty of "making" my baby gassy that I avoided everything under the sun that made people gassy, and you know what that is?  EVERYTHING.  That's right.  Everything particularly that is healthy for baby too, including things like kale, cabbage, peppers,  milk, EVERYTHING. And guess what? It did not help one bit.  Do yourself a favor and don't try this.  You'll just starve yourself and continue to feel bad about baby's gas. Don't try to limit your food unless you suspect baby has a real allergy to it.  Gas, is not an allergy.

13. Asking for help
when I'm too tired and have gone through this laundry list and he's still crying/fussy, it's time to wake the husband and have him help too.
Verdict: SUCCESS.  Well for me, anyway.  I got more sleep this way.  Baby?  Still gassy.  But at least mom isn't as grumpy.

14. Time
Realizing that immature bellies are also a primary reason for gas.  Knowing that this too will pass, and trying my best to keep my eyes on the prize.  Don't be too hard on myself.  Know that when I'm stressed, AJ will sense it and get stressed himself too, which is opposite of what I want.

Unfortunately, I must say this was the only thing that worked 100%. There were about 3-4 weeks of HELL.  It seemed like it'd NEVER go away, but somewhere around week 6-7, AJ sort of just "woke up" and started spending a lot more of the day being active and awake.  I think due to this, he was exercising more and therefore finding a way to expel the gas on his own. He occasionally still gets really gassy, but I've noticed that this is on days when he's been in his car seat for a really long time. The key is to vary up his positions throughout the day and always give him stretch breaks.

Other things I've tried after I wrote the last post:

• Bouncy chair: SUCCESS- vibrates and gets him to poop in the morning, which is usually why he's fussy in the morning
• Tummy time: SUCCESS - gets him to burp those extra burps.  I think he likes the pressure against his belly.  Plus, it's good for him!
• Moving him into his own crib/nursery - SUCCESS. We did this because his gassy grunts was keeping me awake.  Again, the more sleep I get, the less grumpy I am, the better care he gets.  Of note, he stopped his grunting altogether around week 9.
• Reducing my milk supply to reduce overactive letdown - so-so. My milk supply eventually evened out itself around 9 weeks, and the letdown improved.  But his gas problem actually improved even before this. I would not recommend purposely reducing your milk supply though, as you can lose it easily (unless you're me and have enough to feed triplets). 
• Holding him tummy down - FAIL.  He did NOT like this.  I am not sure why.  Worth trying though
• Gripe water - FAIL.  At first, I thought it worked but I think it may have been a placebo effect.  I always gave him a binky afterwards, and I think that's what actually calmed him down.  Again, worth trying.  Of note, I don't think he liked the taste of it.