ha my nephew used to wake up at 5am on the dot go into my sister and bro in law's room and just start going "mock, mock, mock, mock, mock" and would say it until my sister or her husband went downstairs to get him a cup.

my bro in law was very VERY tempted to buy a minifridge for next to their bed

9/26/2011 6:43:15 PM

I was that way with apple juice as a kid

9/26/2011 7:44:11 PM

i'm still that way with [cow's] milk. i probably drank an equal amount of apple juice as a kid too. so much for arsenic poisoning

9/26/2011 7:55:58 PM

With 5 weeks left I'm begining to panic a little bit. I feel really behind at work, and unprepared for the little one (even though I've read and done all I can to prepare). Is it normal to start freaking out at this point?

9/26/2011 7:58:11 PM

absolutely! and work will be there when you get back

9/26/2011 9:09:44 PM

Yuppers. I was so overwhelmed at the end of my last pregnancy that I just cried multiple times a day. My grandmother would tell me to get over myself because the baby was coming whether I was ready or not. Personally, I think you're never really ready.

9/26/2011 9:19:17 PM

Quote :

"Going to the store just to buy milk NEVER stops, btw. If you have a kid who drinks milk, they're like little milk zombies. "Milk cup." *tap*tap* "Mommy, milk cup." *tap*tap* "MILK PWEEZE." *TAP*TAP* "CUUUUUUUUUP." Silas aggravates the heck out of me every morning for that first cup of milk. It's like toddler coffee."

haha this made me laugh! When I was a toddler my parents gave me my very own milk cup, I still have it. it's a little mug(i never had a sippy cup) with a clown and balloons saying "time for milk!" and this is the best part: on top of the handle was a whistle!! I would blow and blow until I got my milk!!

What were my parents thinking giving me that cup! I took it every where! milk milk milk!

9/26/2011 9:45:52 PM

Quote :

"Personally, I think you're never really ready."

Just remember that billions of people have done it and they somehow survived. I mean, it's a lot of work, but you have instincts built-in thanks to millions of years of evolution. If there's one thing your species has selected for, it's successfully raising young-ins.

9/27/2011 9:54:25 AM

Also remember, you're not going to drop your baby. That was always my biggest fear was that I might drop a baby but there is absolutely no way you'll be holding a newborn loosely enough to let go.

And babies are tough. They can take a lot of self-inflicted bumps. Just get a good handle on concussion checking and they'll mostly take care of themselves.

9/27/2011 10:09:41 AM

Speaking of transitioning to Cow's milk...

I'm there now....she drinks it no problem if it has been warmed and is in her bottle. She won't drink it out of a sippy cup though (she drinks water from a sippy cup easily). Any tips??? I'm so ready to get rid of the bottles, I want my counter top back!

Also, any tips for traveling at this (cow's milk) stage? Pack a cooler? Individual UHT milk in a box??

She just turned one yesterday

9/27/2011 12:36:40 PM

Happy Birthday!!!!

9/27/2011 12:46:59 PM

Quote :

"Individual UHT milk in a box??"

For traveling, I always kept a few Gerber Graduate Smart Sips or Pediasures around to toss in my bag. It was the easiest thing to do. If that failed and we were really on the go, we'd swing through a drive thru and order a milk.

If you're trying to get your kid to drink milk out of a sippy cup, there are a lot of different things you could do. Some parents toss out all the bottles and go to war with their kid. We didn't see any point in it. Since our kid needed the extra calories anyway, we added Carnation Instant Breakfast to his milk to make it tasty and only gave it to him like that in the cup. Then we slowly reduced the amount of Carnation in his milk.

9/27/2011 1:24:14 PM

Regarding trouble getting kids to drink milk...

You are starting with Whole Milk right? Even if you've been buying Skim for yourselves, you should be using whole until they're 2 and that stuff taste like cream already. (Keep buying skim for yourselves, tho. )

[Edited on September 27, 2011 at 2:26 PM. Reason : .]

9/27/2011 2:08:57 PM

these are yummy & are ultra-pasteurized. no refrigeration.

9/27/2011 2:29:04 PM

Do kids really need to drink milk though? I hated milk as a kid so my parents never made me drink it and I turned out okay

9/27/2011 2:43:38 PM

Have you tried different types of sippy cups? The tyke might have an easier time getting milk through one of the Nuby soft straws or maybe adding or subtracting handles could help.

No, babies don't NEED to drink milk if you can provide an equivalent source of calcium and vitamin D (although try different kinds if taste is an issue, like Silk or Rice Milk)

[Edited on September 27, 2011 at 2:57 PM. Reason : .]

9/27/2011 2:54:20 PM

Our pediatrician said breastmilk/formula for the first year, Whole Milk for the second, then a normal diet including skim milk after she turned 2.

9/27/2011 6:15:30 PM

Skim milk is normal? It's like water with some food dye

9/27/2011 6:18:14 PM

Regarding pumping and pumps...

What type of pump are you all using? Should I purchase now (before he's born) or wait and see how much supply I'm going to have after?

9/27/2011 6:26:45 PM

You don't even necessarily have to purchase. You could always go to a lactation consultant and rent one (you'll have to buy your own pump tubes and trumpets).

We rented a Medela Symphony from Triangle Lactation Consultants (dunno why it's plural, it's run out of a home office off of Falls of the Neuse http://www.trianglelactation.com/ )

9/27/2011 6:32:20 PM

I don't recommend renting a breast pump if you're going to pump for any length of time or have more than one child. It's much cheaper in the long run to just purchase your own pump.

The folks renting you a breast pump are going to push you towards renting (of course) and tell you that you need a 'hospital grade' breast pump. The truth is that you don't. Once upon a time, a hospital grade pump was far superior at emptying the breast than any of the consumer pumps available. That is no longer the case. Now you can buy your own pump that does the same job as a hospital grade pump, but is compact and travels better than the hospital grade pump. Hospital grade pumps now only differ in that they're safe and durable enough for more than a single user.

That's my 2 cents. I used the Medela Pump in Style Advanced for both kids. It's just as good, if not better than a hospital grade pump. When I had supply issues, I asked if I needed a hospital grade pump and was told that what I had was far better than any pump that I could rent. I didn't buy my pump until right before I was leaving the hospital with baby one.

9/27/2011 7:02:01 PM

I have the Medela Pump in style Advanced, too. Before Maya was born, I was patient and searched for a couple of months to find the best deal. I used the hospital pump while I was in hospital when Maya was first born because I forgot to bring mine with me ( a great thing to put on the bag list, along with a brest friend!!). Anyway, I pumped the same amount (colostrum at the beginning, of course) but I also think that is what helped my milk come in much quicker.

I would NOT recommend a manual. Sucks ass.

9/27/2011 7:06:48 PM

Yeah, it's an expensive breast pump ($280), but renting is just as expensive if you're going to have more than one kid or pump for a long time. It's like $50 or so bucks for your own parts and then $100 or so for 3 months of rental, so you're just as well off buying one.

9/27/2011 7:15:32 PM

We needed the industrial strength version. My wife burned out one Medela pump and completely overtaxed another which was used at the same time as the Symphony we were renting.

Frankly, being able to rent one was a Godsend. Normal pumps cannot yank out enough milk for two babies on a regular basis, and that's with my wife's somewhat ample production capacity. Granted, our situation is the minority (twins who won't latch so direct breastfeeding wasn't going to happen). Most women won't have to produce for two. But for us, not renting a Symphony (buying wasn't a possibility, those things are expensive) would have meant continually buying new pumps every few months.

^ Renting is way more expensive. The Symphony (incidentally, they HAVE to rent out the hospital grade pumps, because you can't have multiple people using non-hospital grade pumps) we rented was something on the order of 60 bucks a month. Of course, considering we burned out the first breast pump within two months of the boys getting out of the NICU we probably would have spent more replacing them continually

[Edited on September 27, 2011 at 8:17 PM. Reason : /]

9/27/2011 8:12:22 PM

Not only are twins in the minority, but so are Cat's magnificent knockers.

I've heard of folks burning out regular pumps, but never actually met or talked to anyone who actually managed it. For reference, I've used my 3 year old pump 6-8 times a day for 3 months with regular "power pumping" and it's just as good as the day I bought it.

9/27/2011 8:27:04 PM

Regular power was insufficient to get enough milk out before the soreness set in. Higher power had to be used. That's part of why we burned out the first one and came close with the second, they just didn't have the raw power needed.

[Edited on September 27, 2011 at 8:28 PM. Reason : It's like hoverboarding over water. You need POWER!]

9/27/2011 8:28:04 PM

I also have the Medela Pump in Style (backpack version). Great pump. I didn't use it in the hospital, but started pumping as soon as my milk came in.

9/27/2011 8:30:50 PM

I have the Medela Pump in Style (in the cute bag). I also have the Medela Symphony from the hospital in my house. Nobody in Columbus Co. breast feeds and they only have 4 pumps available for women to use in the hospital. Those 4 pumps never get used so my lactation consultant sent me home with the Symphony when I was having supply issues.

9/27/2011 8:42:12 PM

Quote :

"You are starting with Whole Milk right?"

yep

Quote :

"Have you tried different types of sippy cups?"

All of them! She drinks water, even cold water just fine. When I put milk in them, she looks at me like "WTF, MOM!?" Haha. I'll keep trying. She's getting really good at mimicking us, as evidenced by the photo below. So maybe we'll just start drinking from sippy cups at dinner.



[Edited on September 27, 2011 at 9:53 PM. Reason : more clear]

[Edited on September 27, 2011 at 9:55 PM. Reason : huh]

9/27/2011 9:51:53 PM

bwahahahaahahaahaha

9/27/2011 10:04:05 PM

Just don't put the beer in a sippy cup. You'll inevitably mix them up

Seriously, try a different type of milk. Maybe she just wants a new flavor!!

9/27/2011 10:10:13 PM

HA! hilarious photo


speaking of the medela pump...as much as i love it and would recommend it, i think mine is crapping out. i just sat here and hand expressed and got really good streams going. couldn't get the pump to do jack squat while massaging. perhaps this is why my supply is "low"...it's just my pump. good thing i got the warranty! gonna take it in tomorrow and find out as i'll definitely need a working and efficient pump this weekend.

9/27/2011 10:56:19 PM

I've reached the point of no return on the battle with sleep. I am seriously up 5-10x a night and in the meantime tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. Then when I get comfortable, BAM, Hot Flash and I start sweating. I give up.

Everyone keeps saying sleep as much as you can now - and I am really trying, just not having any luck.

9/28/2011 6:30:07 AM

Have you tried body pillows? Some claim they help drastically.

9/28/2011 6:42:09 AM

I tried a body pillow and a wedge. But the best sleep for some reason was the sleep that I got in the middle of the day on the sofa. Night time sleep was awful. I was positively haggard by the last month of my pregnancy because of the lack of sleep, kidney problems, and constant vomiting. My OB told me that there was just no sense in it and that I could safely take Benedryl or Ambien to get good rest in the last trimester.

9/28/2011 8:41:37 AM

Quote :

"Everyone keeps saying sleep as much as you can now - and I am really trying, just not having any luck."

This is some horseshit too. You can sleep 12 hours a night for 6 months but after a week of getting no sleep you'll still feel horrible. You can't bank sleep.

I'd say get as much sex and travel and spend as much money as you can on yourself now.

9/28/2011 8:43:09 AM

YES!!!! My wife and I took a trip to Germany during the pregnancy. It was scheduled before we found out she was pregnant but not canceling it was a great decision.

A: Because it's not likely to happen again for a while.
B: We were able to get a few interesting little things for the boys (although the wife made the mistake of buying something girl-specific before we knew the sexes)
C: It broke up the pregnancy routine and really got us settled in for parenthood.

Even if it's just going up to DC or down to Florida for a few days I'd definitely recommend some kind of vacation during the pregnancy.

9/28/2011 3:59:11 PM

so...sleep

as you all know, i've got a babe with reflux. the zantac definitely helps for during the day--he's a much happier baby and we can actually play, do tummy time, etc without the random fits of pain. night time however is still much of a nightmare. the mattress is elevated and we swaddle. i know i can't expect him to sleep through the night just yet...and i'm okay with that. it's all the waking up in between the night feedings that have me exhausted, delirious, and so frustrated. i'm also exclusively breastfeeding except when i'm away.

so i've got the baby whisperer now, and in reading that according to her we've gotten ourselves in to a bad case of "accidental parenting." b/c we've used every method imaginable to get him calm and to sleep when his reflux is acting up (which it does despite the zantac sometimes), they've become some of the only ways he'll sleep. carseat & swing being the big two. swing for naps and car seat for bed. i can usually transition him from the carseat to the crib after his first night feeding...however he'll wake up about every hour and a half from then on out.

my question is...has anyone with a reflux baby been able to "sleep train" their kid using the baby whisperer or any other method? at this point i am not open to Ferberizing him as I think he's too young...although based on recent long car trips knowing all his needs have been met (fed & clean diaper; also trying methods like music, putting the window down, pacifier [which he won't take]) we do know he can CIO successfully.

part of me thinks we'll be able to "sleep train" him when he's a bit older...part of me is like "who cares if he sleeps in the swing...he's SLEEPING!"

i think i'm just so tired already that trying to do these things now and it not working is just adding to my frustration and desperation.

babies need an easy button.

9/30/2011 11:21:58 AM

In my opinion if you think he's too young to sleep train then he's too young for you to care about how he gets sleep. Let him sleep in the swing if that's what gives him and you a restful night's sleep.

I'm not a pediatrician however, this has worked generally well for my children. My youngest (6 months in a few days) sleeps every night in his crib, unless he has a bad cough and really needs to sleep in his swing. We just put him in the crib as much as we can tolerate and it's been enough for him to get the idea of sleeping there.

Quote :

"babies need an easy button. "

They have one, it just takes like a year to push.

[Edited on September 30, 2011 at 3:05 PM. Reason : .]

9/30/2011 3:05:08 PM

IMO let the baby sleep in whatever it takes to get'm to sleep. During out recent move my boys were sleeping in carseats for two weeks. It wasn't bad, they're good at sleeping in carseats.

Of course, the stress of the move and their grandmother's inability to let them fuss themselves to sleep has caused my former overnight sleepers to start waking up in the middle of the night. Oh, and a newly developed diaper rash hasn't helped.

/also doesn't help that their cribs are basically next to the elevators. I'm thinking about getting something for white noise to try and drown it out.

9/30/2011 3:58:30 PM

ya'll are definitely helping me feel better about this whole thing

9/30/2011 4:31:38 PM

Wait until you get to start having fights over nap time. My problem now is that one baby is solidly in the "two naps a day" camp and the other is in the "I wil fight and scream in your ear and wake up my brother if you put me down for a nap" camp.

9/30/2011 4:53:18 PM

I'm biting my tongue so as not to offend any parents who are into regimented parenting (sleep training, controlled crying, etc.) because I have some very strong opinions of that type of parenting style. Many of us were either raised that way or have parents who were raised that way. As parents, we get all of these messages from the previous generation(s) about what we should and should not be doing with our children. The best decision that I ever made was to just stop listening to everyone else and start doing what came naturally -- listening to my baby. If your baby needs to sleep sitting up in a swing, let him. It's easier on you and your baby. It's the kind, natural, and responsive thing to do. Do what feels right and listen to the cues that your baby gives you and you won't go wrong.

9/30/2011 6:22:30 PM

I'm with bottombaby. Well sort of.

My husband and I started out this deal with no plans for our parenting style. We just do what works right then. Currently my LO sleeps in a Fisher Price Rock and Play next to the bed. She had been sleeping in the bouncey chair but grew out of it. Because of this I get to hear all about how my cousins kids sleep in their cribs and I just ignore it.

Bailey has TERRIBLE reflux. We're on Nexium b/c zantac wouldn't even touch it. She coughs during the night and gets choked on her refulx. It is so much easier on me to be able to reach over a few inches and give her a reassuring touch that calms her back into sleep instead of putting her in her crib and having to get out of bed to deal with it.

Do what is natural. I'm sure 1000's of years ago people didn't worry about schedules and structure and the human race survived just fine. And in all honesty the time that I like my baby the most is when she is asleep in my arms and everyone says this cuddle stage will fly by.


[Edited on September 30, 2011 at 7:13 PM. Reason : grammar]

9/30/2011 7:09:43 PM

Doing what feels right involves bringing an upset baby into bed with me at 5/6am so we can all sleep I create a barrier of pillows and hold him in the crook of my arm between me and my husband.

ok...I'm gonna stop listening to others and (try to) stop comparing my baby to other babies and just continue to do what's right for us which involves napping in the swing, occasionally sleeping in the carseat, but usually sleeping at night in his crib unless he's constantly getting upset in the wee hours of the morn when he comes to bed with us

all of you have reassured me that what I'm doing right now at this young age, as long as it's keeping all of us sane and sleeping (as much as we can) then it is THE RIGHT THING. sometimes i just need some reassurance...especially on days like today

most days i read stuff and want to chunk them in a fire. some days it gets to me like "oh god i'm doing this wrong!"
i get the ideas behind em...i just don't think it's for us right now (if at all)

Quote :

"I'm sure 1000's of years ago people didn't worry about schedules and structure and the human race survived just fine. And in all honesty the time that I like my baby the most is when she is asleep in my arms and everyone says this cuddle stage will fly by."

similar to that thought, The Baby Whisperer acknowledges that in other cultures this "need for sleep" just isn't there. they wear their babies 24/7 at this age, nurse whenever, and no one worries about a baby not sleeping through the night. we just have this "i got stuff to do!/i got business to take care of tomorrow!" mentality that we treasure our sleep...so for a baby to catch on to that quickly is a must.

i also need to remember the laundry will be there later

[Edited on September 30, 2011 at 8:22 PM. Reason : ]

9/30/2011 8:19:40 PM

Quote :

"Currently my LO sleeps in a Fisher Price Rock and Play next to the bed."

Our best investment.

9/30/2011 9:00:28 PM

You are right about the need for sleep. I am exhausted. I would kill to have one full 8 hour night of sleep and I want to strangle the people who tell me how their babies slept through the night at this point. If your some damn baby whisperer then come to my house and deal with her!!

Bailey has learned that sleeping is evil and screams bloody murder when she realizes sleep is creeping up on her. We wrap her up tight, pop the paci in, and rock like crazy. She bucks like a wild animal until she finally gives up in exhaustion.

You never know tired until you have a baby.

9/30/2011 10:04:49 PM

what about the "whisky in the bottle" trick?

9/30/2011 10:11:41 PM

Can I recommend reading the books by Dr. William Sears, attachment parenting guru? You'll feel so much better about yourself as a parent. He is a pediatrician and has raised 8 children with his wife. They are firm believers in listening to your child and doing what comes naturally as a parent. He and his wife write books that are filled with reassuring and encouraging information on a range of topics -- even how to safely sleep with your baby.

Personally, I think that it's a good idea to break away from the western way of child rearing. Rather than going with the flow, we try to force our babies to fit a preconceived notion. I have to tell you that sleeping with my babies and wearing my babies are two of the best things that I have ever done.

9/30/2011 11:04:48 PM

I haven't 'worn' my baby yet but my petunia picklebottom sling is in the mail!

9/30/2011 11:10:59 PM