Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Thank YOU

Thank you so much for all the wonderful advice about getting Jarrett to sleep. Last night was his first night in his room. We swaddled him up tight & I laid his Sleep Sheep right next to him. (I left it on the Ocean sound)I only got up twice last night! I fed him, changed him, swaddled him again & put him back to sleep. He did pretty good. The second time he woke up, I did have to get back up about 5 minutes after I had laid him down. I just fed him a little more & then he went back to sleep after about 10-15 minutes. He woke again at 8:00 AM & I handed him over to Jason & told him it was his turn. I slept until NOON!

He hasn't thrown up any of his food today. A lot of you asked if I was breastfeeding or doing formula. I really tried to breast feed, but he wouldn't latch on after he was given a bottle at the hospital. I've been pumping as much as I can to try & keep up. We usually will feed him my breast milk in the morning through mid-afternoon & then switch over to formula at night. The pediatrician said this might help him sleep longer b/c the formula takes longer to digest. I wish I were producing more breastmilk to keep up with him, but I'm doing the best I can. I read a comment on a website & a woman said she was advised to take some herbal supplements to help increase her milk supply. They were Blessed Thistle & Fenugreek Seed. If you read through all the user reviews, a lot of women said it really helped increase their milk supply. Have any of you ever tried these?

Also, have any of you ever used the Snuggle Nest? My husband had read something about it & I looked it up. They actually sell them on Target.com. It is something you can put in your bed between you & your husband so the baby can sleep with you. I wonder if these are any good or if it would just make things harder to transition later on?


On another note, I was looking through old pictures a while back & found some Glamour Shots that me, my sister & our friend Sara went & took our Senior year of High School. It is kinda depressing to see how skinny my waste line was 10 years ago! Right now I feel like my body is so disgusting with the stretch marks & the way my stomach hangs over the incision from my c-section. I hope it will get better & maybe these pictures will be motivation to into better shape, HA! I used to workout like a mad woman, but I just have no motivation anymore. I wish I had a workout partner to help push me, but I really haven't met a lot of people since moving here & it is hard for me. Oh well, maybe someday...





I put up all our picture proofs by Angela Mildon Photography on my FACEBOOK account. If you would like to check them out, click THIS LINK. Your also more than welcome to add me to your friends on Facebook. Just send me a request. I think Angela did a beautiful job with our pictures & we love them so much! Here is also a LINK to her photography blog :)
Photobucket

12 comments:

  1. omg..i love the snuggle nest! i put it in bed with me because i just have so much anxiety if she's too far away from me..lol!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I never had to take Fenugreek, but I've heard it works. I drank some Mothers Milk tea from Traditional Medicinals, and it helped when I needed it. Eating oatmeal is beneficial, as is pumping. The more you nurse/pump the more milk you'll be apt to produce. Drink LOTS of fluids.

    Yay for little man sleeping better! I say if he's doing that well in his own room and YOU are comfortable, keep it up! Getting up 2-3 times a night sure beats getting up every 2 hours! Soon he'll be able to make more 4 hour sleep stretches. It's amazing what a solid 4 hours of sleep can do for you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I took Fenugreek tablets when I went back to work b/c I wasn't pumping enough. It helped increase my supply enough that we didn't have to supplement. I got them at the natural foods store, but I think GNC has them. I didn't really have any side effects but if I forgot to take them for a day or two, I could tell a difference. Hope that helps. Hooray for sleep!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. So happy you got some sleep! Love the Glamour Shots... an the baby pics you posted of you & your sis. I've always wanted twins, but I was thinking yesterday that I'd probably be half crazy by now if I had two newborns.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We only used the Snuggle Nest if we were taveling. I tried to avoid using it at the house because our little girl was pretty clingy as is. Plus, we really did not want to get her into the habit of sleeping in our bed. My nephew slept in his parents room until he was 2, so we were majorly avoiding that! We also had to swaddle and let her cry. Eventually she got over her "issues" and learned how to go back to sleep on her own. I say you are doing pretty well if the first time you tried it he only woke up twice. Persistance, and consistancy in whatever you decide to do. Good Luck!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Just came across your blog! :) Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello! Glad things are a little better. When you said he had diaper rash I assumed you were not breast feeding. If you are nursing (must be for those that are only nursing no formula) a baby is not suppose to be able to get diaper rash. Now I know with Logan he never got a diaper rash until I stopped nursing. I stopped when he was about 9 months because he had a mouth full of teeth (got his first one at 4 months) He only had 1 diaper rash and it was a bad one. Now as far as latching on my husband helped me in the beginning. It seems like it takes two to get it going at first. Also I can't remember what they are called but the women that help you with it. Perhaps you could call the hospital and they could send someone over to help. Also they say if you drink a beer your milk will really come in. Call your doctor and ask him if you could do that.
    One more thing. Are you turning on lights at night when he wakes up or just using a night light? They say not to turn on a very bright light or stimulate them too much. I know those p.j.s that are a sack are best so you can change them quickly. Good Luck

    ReplyDelete
  8. You are still beautiful and over time your body will get back to "normal."

    I wish I had some Mommy advise to give you, but I haven't been down that road yet. But from the sound of it you are doing a GREAT job!!! Keep up all the hard work.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi, I read your sister's blog and she linked to yours today. My baby girl is 3 months old today so I know right where you are at right now with being a mommy. I thought I was never going to survive at first. Just a few things: I was adamant about breastfeeding. I had horrible latching problems though after the nurses gave Reagan a bottle in the hospital so that I could get some sleep. Huge mistake and I will definitely not let that happen with my next child. I tried my hardest to breastfeed but couldn't keep up with her needs. I took fenugreek (3 pills 3 times a day), ate oatmeal, pumped, etc. I managed to breastfeed her for about two and a half months. I finally realized she was hungry and that was causing her to be super fussy. Keep trying your best, but don't beat yourself up if you have to formula feed. Your baby will be fine. As far as the snuggle nest goes...I tried it and wasn't thrilled. The only way I could get any sleep at night was to have Reagan sleep with us. Everyone says I am crazy and that we'll never get her out of our bed. That may be the case, but she's been sleeping through the night since about 4 weeks. As a result, I can sleep. Plus, now that I am back at work it is great snuggle time for us. I tried the snuggle nest, but we only nave a queen size bed and it just didn't leave enough room for my husband and me. Plus, my sweet girl wanted to be snuggled right next to me. If I have learned one thing since becoming a mom, it's that everyone has an opinion on how you should raise your children. Do what feels right for you and your baby. I hope all goes well for you! I just thought of one other thing. Reagan wanted to be held all the time to and I couldn't get anything done. I ended up getting a maya wrap to carry her around in all day. It is such a life saver. She is secure and close to me and I have use of my hands again! Beware of the black pouch style slings from Infantino. I've heard of babies suffocating in those. Congrats on your sweet boy. Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  10. Honey, We ALL looked different 10 years ago. 30 is coming to fast!! It will get better. It just takes time.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hottie!!! Those pictures inspire me to get motivated to workout. Someone told me it takes six months before your tummy looks remotely normal after having a baby. I can promise you that it will start looking better soon. I'm three months in and its still saggy, but it's getting flatter. One day I seriously just stood in front of the mirror and cried because of my tummy. It will get better, promise. These next few weeks are the toughest.

    ReplyDelete
  12. You still look fantastic!!!

    Love your blog!!

    follow me on from blogger:
    thelifeandtimesofkatiescott.blogspot.com

    I know you are following me from Facebook, but I don't know how all that works :)...Not very technology smart :)

    ReplyDelete