Penelope’s 4-month update
4 months ago today, I was home from the hospital snuggling this sweet little lovebug. During my entire pregnancy, I had no idea what she was going to look like, or how her little personality would evolve. I knew her so well, and at the same time, knew nothing about her.
4 months later, this funny goose is constantly smiling, singing pterodactyl songs, and already showing her distinct personality. Itโs amazing how much can happen in 4 short months, and I canโt believe sheโs a third of a year old already!!
Hereโs whatโs going on this month:
-As I mentioned before, we hit a major regression with the reflux. It finally felt like it was manageable and we got the hang of minimizing her symptoms, and BAM. The painful screams and constant spit up were back. We went back to the ped, as we need constant appointments to adjust her Prilosec dosage and also make sure sheโs still gaining, and she gave us a higher dose. Fingers crossed that it helps her out. Iโve heard from quite a few people that the reflux will peak before it goes away entirely, so I keep praying that maybe this means weโre towards the end? Itโs really hard to see her in pain, especially since sheโs like this 98% of the time.
(FULL of smiles!)
-Miss P is a rolling master, and she has finally realized how great it feels to sleep on her stomach. We always place her on her back to go to sleep, but within 10 seconds, she rolls over onto her stomach, sticks her booty in the air, and crashes out. itโs pretty adorable. Also, it only took a few days for her to drop the swaddle with some growing pains. Now weโre totally swaddle free, and she can inch and flip all around the crib.
-After venturing to Disneyland, I think weโre finally ready for a Tucson trip. Weโre going to start to plan one this spring so we can see the fam and hang out with everyone. She hasnโt met most of her family! We need to change that now that sheโs ready to travel. (Even though we could drive, it will be easier to fly. With the constant stops and having to hold her until she digests, it would easily turn a 7-hour drive to a 10-hour drive.)
-Sheโs wearing 6-month clothes, and itโs so much fun to see her in the little outfits that Liv used to wear.
-Even though she may be allergic to some foods, Iโm still excited to venture into the world of solids in a couple of months. You can definitely tell sheโs interested, since sheโll watch me eat with intense curiosity. Like โWhat is that and what are you not giving it to me?โ Iโve done some research on introducing solids to MSPI babies, and have heard that itโs best to start with low-allergen foods and wait 5 days before introducing anything else. If you have any resources or ideas to share, Iโd love to hear them!
Likes:
-Snuggles before nap time.
-Listening to her big sis.
-Any goofy song that Iโll sing to her. I jokingly channeled Sam Smith with โLay Me Downโ before nap time today, and she got a kick out of it.
-Her Wubbanub.
-When daddy comes home from work.
-Bathtime
-Olivia. Itโs already apparent that she thinks Liv is the coolest.
Dislikes:
-Being cold.
-Having her hair shampooed.
-Long car rides
Today, she fell asleep in my arms, and I spent at least 20 minutes before setting her down to stare into her little face, and take in how truly amazing she is. From her already insanely long eyelashes, to her balding little forehead and perfect little bow mouth. It was definitely one of the moments time stands still, and I felt so thankful to me the mama of two incredible little humans.
Keep on growing, little lovebug. <3
P is such a doll!!! Would you mind sharing what her Prilosec dosage is? My daughter is 3 months and also on Prilosec and our ped said not to worry about changing the dose ( like with Zantac being so reliant on weight). She is on 2.5ML once a day. We have seen huge improvements and the fact that P does so well in the crib with no swaddle gives me hope!! That is going to be our next hurdle as my little is still in the rock n play. Thank you so much for sharing your reflux journey with P. It has helped me feel not so alone in this with my little girl. xoxo
thank you! it was 2.5 twice a day, but they gave us a new max of 3.5 twice a day. i’ve been giving her 2.5-3 depending on how she’s doing.
she LOVES sleeping without the swaddle and seems so much more comfortable! hopefully your little one will feel the same way ๐
Thanks Gina! I’m going to ask about going to twice a day or increasing the dose. We’ve left her arms out of the swaddle for naps the last 2 days and she’s done well! Have a great rest of your day!
She is such a little sweetie!!
She is absolutely precious! Fingers crossed for you that the reflux has hit it’s peak and will soon be getting better ๐
Love the update! Hoping the reflux goes away soon, man 4 months is a long time to deal with that . Looking forward to my 1 month old to hit some of those milestones too!! Curious, what sleep method do you use to put her down and keep her asleep?
Adorable! Enjoy every minute!
She’s so gorgeous. Really hoping the worst is over for her!
thank you <3
She is so beautiful, and those smiles!!! Hoping that the reflux is on it’s way out, poor babe…
thank you! i hope so, too
Amazing! We keep going back and forth on trying to start pureed solids, because they keep making M gassy. She’s almost 25 weeks so we’re going to talk the ped about it in 2 weeks, but her digestion has always been an issue. I’m hoping if we just wait a little longer that things will sort themselves out.
She is adorable!! My baby is 5 weeks and we are dealing with colic or possibly reflux. My doc wants us to try probiotics for a few weeks before we go to Zantac. It’s so hard seeing him so sad for so much of the day!!
thank you! we used the klaire lab probiotics and really liked them. hopefully they’ll help you! if you do have to do meds, it takes a little while for them to kick in. there are also a few (zantac, then prilosec, then prevacid) so hopefully you’ll find the one that works the best for your baby! xoxo
OMG! The girls are truly beautiful!!!! OX – Gina (from Mass)
thank you, friend!
That must have been HUGELY disappointing to have hope that finally something was working on the reflux & then to have it come back w/ a vengeance. So sorry to hear she’s struggling w/ it again. Praying that this next dosage adjustment does the trick!
What a sweet pea! Hoping she grows out of this quickly bc it’s not fun at all.
She’s a doll ๐
Happy 4 months baby P! ๐ She is just getting cuter by the day!
I’ve never seen a baby with such an adorable, gummy, open mouthed smile. I get a tickle every time I see it (along w/the waft of hair that sticks up). Hopefully, the reflux will ease on out and things will get better quickly.
Oh…and it’s nice that Liv is so lovely with her. I’m 2 years older than my sister and my mom tells me I was incredibly mean to her when she was born…we’re all good now!
Seeing this little one’s smile just makes my day. I think she looks a lot like you! What a happy and healthy cutie! ๐
She is such a cutie! What is that chair she is sitting in (the pic with Livi)?
My LO is reflux and my Ped mentioned that orange solids tend to aggravate it. Not sure why. So far we have been ok and I haven’t seen a difference between carrots/sweet potatoes vs spinach.
Is there a happier baby in the world than Miss P? I really don’t think so!
Gina, you have BEAUTIFUL GIRLS. Seriously.
thank you <3 they are the best
Sorry I’m late to this post, but I have a 3 month old who we still swaddle for all sleep, but I want to try and transition her out of it soon. I’m thinking of just going to the sleep sack cold turkey, but wanted to see what you did with Penelope. Mine can’t roll from back to tummy quite yet.
we just swaddled her body and left her arms out. we had like 2 rough days, and after that, she was totally fine
So after that did you stop swaddling her body or use a sleep sack or nothing? Thank you for replying!
we swaddled her body (no arms) for about a week, and then ditched the swaddle entirely.
xo