2/25: Thoughts from the week
-The Jewel lullaby CD is AMAZING. It was a gift to Livi from her nana, and we made it part of the bedtime ritual. Meal time, bath, lotion, brush her hair, read a story, then put Jewel on to sway, bounce or rock her to sleep. By the yodel song (which I think is #6?) she usually has her eyes shut, mouth wide open, and is cooing/snoring softly. Even though I miss her while she’s sleeping, the bedtime rituals are some of my many favorite parts of the day. Tom and I will be in the nursery together, while one of us helps her relax and fall asleep, the other one there to keep us company. There is nothing in the world like listening to gorgeous, sweet lullabies and watching your husband rock your baby to sleep.
–Bravado nursing bras rock my world. The thought of wearing underwire ever again makes me cringe…
The style I have feels like a dream, but the downside is that it looks like a band-aid. Mama wants some pink… or lace.
-WE’RE SLEEPING! <—I had to yell it. I have energy again 😉 She goes to bed now by 8, we feed her at 11, and she’ll wake up between 3-4:30 and again at 7ish. Sometimes she’ll even go back to sleep with me after eating until 8 or so. It feels so good to get some zzzz’s again, and she seems even more content during the day now that she’s getting quality sleep.
-We think Liv kinda looks like the Monsters, Inc. girl, who is pretty stinkin’ adorable.
-She’s starting to babble, coo and smile like crazy. It’s so much fun to have *conversations* with her, and every day, she does something new to amaze me.
-Her two-month shots are the week after this week, and I’ve been dreading them for quite a while. I cry when I get a shot, so I have a feeling that we’ll both shed some tears. (If you’re not down with vaccinating, that’s cool, but we’ve researched and made the decision to vaccinate quite a while ago.) If you have any tips or advice on how to make the two-month shots a little easier on her, please let me know <3
-I hadn’t counted them all up yet, but my mom told me tonight that Livi has 15 grandparents, since there are quite a few divorced and remarried couples in the fam, great grandparents and her great-great grandmother. She is a very lucky lady to be surrounded by so much love.
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Give her some Tylenol before the appointment for the shots and that will help. Other than that, just look away when the doctor or nurse is giving the shots. I used to make my husband come with me for those appointments so I wouldn’t have to help hold her down for the shots, so maybe I’m not the best person to give advice. 🙂
Yep!!! A little Tylenol before the shots & a little a few hours later. We did this for my daughter’s 4 month shots & it made a WORLD of difference from her 2 month ones where we just gave her Tylenol before bed later that night.
Last night I was baby-sitting (8 kids!) and while the older ones were watching a movie I was trying to get an unhappy 1 year old to sleep. Pandora Lullaby station to the rescue! The best part was, the lullabies weren’t nursery rhymes like I imagined; they were actually well-known songs that I liked a lot, they were just soft and mellow. So glad to hear that you and Livi are getting some sleep 😀
The shot appointments are hard! 🙁 I used to make my husband go with me. That first shot appointment is the hardest. I cried and couldn’t watch. I recommend calling the office to see if you can give her some Tylenol before hand to help with the discomfort. They will give you the dosage. Also you might consider bringing some sugar water (not sure how you feel about that.. My doc told me the little sugar has a soothing effect and is good for those types of “traumatic” situations to calm the baby.) I’ve found that worked when she was really upset and very young. Just an ounce or even a half. I tsp per 4 oz warm water.
If the pilot can’t come be sure to bring a loved one! 🙂
Be ready to nurse as soon as shots are done and prepare for lotssss of cuddle time for the rest of the day <3 she'll do fine! you will cry lol I definitely cried harder than my son….actually I still do and he's 18 months 🙂 it's normal 🙂
Cute!! Haha when Monsters Inc came out, my mum said it reminded her of me when I was a kid too. Very cute. And you know what Gina, it just keeps getting better. I remember 9 months was when I noticeably LOVED being a mama as I felt like I had found my groove and my little man, started to really have such a big personality. Now he is 2 weeks off his 1st birthday, every day just gets better and better. Of course the sleep helps with this too. xx
i’m excited to feel like we have a “groove”- even though we have routines, i have no idea how the day is going to go, or if we’ll both be in jammies all day 😉
Jammies all day is perfectly fine! I remember a friend of mine was ahead of me like I am you and she was incredibly jealous of my Jammie time because she missed that bonding period as its over do quickly.. I never understood till now, I’m looking back a little envious of your snuggle time. Now I’ve got a kid who wants to walk everywhere and touch everything! It’s all fun though xxx
Sounds like little miss Livi is loved so much by so many!! So happy you’re getting some more sleep!
Hi Gina,
I noticed that a few people have advised you to give Olivia some tylenol before her immunizations. I’m currently a Doctor of Pharmacy candidate at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and I wanted to clarify that it is not recommended to give children antipyretics (fever reducers such as acetaminophen (tylenol) or ibuprofen (advil, motrin)) before receiving their immunizations. Doing this could actually reduce the immunizations’ efficacy. Here is a bulletin from the American Pharmacists Association website: http://www.pharmacist.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home2&CONTENTID=26981&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm
While I think it is great that everyone is so willing to give you helpful advice, I would urge people not to offer up advice if they aren’t completely sure of the repercussions. When in doubt, be sure to ask a credible source such as your family doctor or local pharmacist! 🙂
Best of luck to you & Olivia both with the upcoming immunizations!
My first thought about the shots was to have Tom go with you, and have you leave the room!! You can usually hold her while they give the shots, so you are there to comfort her right away! And Don’t watch!!!
i love that idea
When did you notice q difference in her sleeping? We have a 3 week old and it’s pretty rough :-). Also, what do you think about sleeping while they sleep? I can’t seem to do this.
congratulations!
hang in there, and know you’re doing an amazing job. it’s HARD work, especially those first few weeks.
we noticed a big difference in her sleeping habits around weeks 4-5, and she really started sleeping about a handful of days ago (only waking up once!)
the biggest things that helped me were rocking and nursing her to sleep for plenty of daytime naps, and wearing her in the moby, so she wasn’t so overtired at night.
I’m so sorry! I hate vaccination time too! You might want to check with your doctor about the Tylenol suggestions… our doctor says not to give a fever reducer before or after vaccinations… apparently it affects the process. Nursing is suppose to be helpful during or right after the shots. My kids always cry when it happens, but are happy and fine shortly after.
Also, I love the song! Maybe if I ever have a girl, I’ll have to invest in a new lullaby cd 🙂
Definately give her some tylenol or motrin about a half hour before your appointment (dr. recommends it). Just hold her tight and have her look at you, sing to her and brink a pacifier. It really only lasts a second and most of the time the babies don’t even cry. Mine never did until they were older and understood… and even then it was only for a minute, then they get their lollipop or sticker. I think if you are calm, she will be calm. It is always harder on the parents to watch.
Sorry I didn’t read the above advice about not giving her tylenol or motrin before…our doctors always tell us to. I guess you should ask your own for advice beforehand.
Dont give Tylenol before!!! Only give after. Of you give it before it would mask a fever of she has a reaction. Look away and nurse right after then she’ll be fine. Do Tylenol at bedtime and massage her legs in the bath and with lotion after. It’s so hard and it doesn’t get easier but it’s better than having a super sick kiddo !
The best advice for shots is to keep her close. I wrap my son on my chest in a hugging position. This leaves the legs free for the shots and with baby close there is no painful transition from table to carseat. I’ve done it twice now and the immediate comfort has always eased the baby cries. This position also helps with the liquid vaccine, just lean forward and then after she takes it shes there close to comfort.
We gave our little buddy a little acetaminophen after his shots since he was REALLY upset and his leggy hurt for a few hours. It helped him sleep it off and by evening, he was back to his usual awesome self. Just make sure to get the dosage right, with multiple products it’s pretty confusing.
If you’re not down with that, nursing and cuddling a lot will help her!
PS, we have our 4-month shots coming up this Friday and I’m already dreading it! This was our bubba at his 2-month shots:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdPDOla48AQ
Later on a great keepsake to have. Poor babies. But we get to show him he was a trooper. 😀
Echoing the advice above – no meds. It can mask a reaction and reduce the efficacy of the shots. However, I nursed while they were giving shots after the first time and my little man hardly cried. It might seem odd, but your doctor has probably seen it before and it really does help.
This may sound silly, but when Hailey is about to get shot, I step out of her view, so after they stick her I can sweep in and pick her up. It probably is ridiculous, but I don’t want to be associated with the pain of the shot, but rather the hero that sweeps in to snuggle and comfort her after it’s done with 🙂 Good luck!
Also, don’t be afraid to ask about spacing out the shots. We did it so the kids never got more than 2 shots per visit. If another was due at the same time, we waited 6-8 weeks then went in for a shot-only appt for the other(s). The kids still got all their immunizations and stayed in the schedule window, but didn’t have such a large cocktail of drugs entering their system all at once. Our ped was very receptive to this and said a lot of his families did that.
i was definitely going to talk to our pediatrician about that
that’s worked awesome around here…my only other suggestion would be to talk with your acupuncturist *not about needles for the little one* but about a technique called gua sha which is like a very light massage and can be done on kiddos and babies for many reasons, and can be especially helpful at releasing heat which can enter the system from the nature of vaccinations. If whoever you see there doesn’t do it, there’s a girl named jamie szybala who’s opening up an ac. studio in tucson soon if not already and I know she does it. If you have any questions I’m open to email 🙂
I was just typing up a big comment about not giving Tylenol before/after vaccines, but then I see that of COURSE some other smart ladies ahead of me already covered that! The office where I work (and take my kids) advises against it now due to the decreased immune response. Just nurse her right after and give her lots of snuggles! That is usually better than meds anyway.
Research has shown that breast feeding and skin to skin contact help. Here’s a source:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19335527/
Our daughter was born 5 weeks early, weighing only 4 lbs. 6 oz. Because of her small size we decided to have just 2 shots at a time, instead of the usual 4. Our doctor was fine with it and we continued this with our other kids as well.
Oh, and I am so glad your research led you to decide to vaccinate. I’m actually NOT cool with people who don’t (having a son with a compromised immune system-since immunizations don’t provide 100% protection, and the more people who ARE vaccinated, the better protected those like him, or those that have a medical reason for not vaccinating, are). BUT! I am not looking to start a debate-I know neither side will ever convince the other. I just wanted to say THANK YOU from parents like me. 🙂
Girl I lived in Bravado’s for about 3 years!! And then, I graduated to 16.99 Target Champion sports bras. I seriously wear underwire like…once a year! Nursing did me in and I got too spoiled from not having to wear wires and hate them now! 🙂
Your so right! She does look like that adorable little munchkin! So stinkin cute.
my husband use to stay with our kids when they got their shots and i came back into the room and saved the day!
My hubby always went to every vaccination appt. (He actually has been to almost EVERY dr appt for both of our kids) I second the poster who said to try nursing during the shot. Our dr suggested this, and my baby barely flinched. I only nursed until my kids were both 6 months though. Aftet that daddy held them and I looked away…pure torture those shots but necessary in our family’s opinion:)
I bought some nursing bras today in preparation for little baby’s arrival in a few weeks and they are very similar to those. They feel so good! I hate wearing underwire right now because it digs into my stomach! 🙂 Is it wrong to wear nursing bras before you start nursing? LOL
not at all! i did it 🙂
Phew! They are miiiiighty comfy. 🙂
My girls 2 month shots are March 6th and Im DREADING the appointment. I am bringing a friend since my husband is at work. I may bawl worse than her… =(
I am going to say (along with others), do not give tylenol before the vaccinations. You have no idea how she will react, so why medicate her if she just cries for 10 seconds? But have some on hand in case she has a fever later on, which is becoming more rare as they changed the DTP (DTaP??) one which used to cause many problems (even I had a fever). Max just had his 2 month shots two weeks ago and he only cried for about 10 seconds, then he was off smiling at the lights and nurses again. Try to be calm yourself. My nurse did it so fast that I didn’t even notice it. Try to do something that she thinks is funny. I blew raspberries just before and after. I think vaccinations get harder once they are older and more aware (then the need for tylenol might be more justified imho).
Bravado Bras are the best! They are the only kind I wear. If you want more selection, try Milkface. They are based on Ottawa, Canada, but deliver to the States.
oh!! forgot one thing
If you are using cloth diapers—-> Put Levi in disposables for the day. The cloth diaper covers tend to go right where the shot is given. It took me a bit to realize that Max was pissy because his diaper was right on his owwie.
What we do with shots depends on which nurse is giving the shots. Some of them are fine with me nursing while they give the shots, some aren’t comfortable with it. Either way there is nursing involved and there is only a few seconds of crying.
I was supervising teeth brushing a few days ago with Jasmine (niece/foster daughter) and her little friend (6 and 7). Between them they have four original parents (one of which was never married to mum), two step parents (both parents re-married) that they call ‘dad’ and seven half-siblings, by three fathers, and one uncle that was surrogate dad for a few years. Also, one Grandmother has been married three times and is on friendly terms with her exes (so that is more Grandads than a girl really needs). I was fielding a veeery tricky conversation that started with ‘I’ve got a new sister from my other dad’ and then become ‘I’ve got two dad’s too, how come we have two dads, Aunty Sara?’. I could hear my sister in the next room trying to shush the baby so she could hear how I was doing and trying not to giggle.
I think I need to draw up a family tree with pictures for just such a conversation. .. It is quite tricky to explain ‘real’ dad / ‘biological’ dad to kids that don’t understand the ..er.. mechanics of baby making. That’s one conversation that I’m not having any time soon. *blushes*
And per vaccinations. We did them all. It was necessary as travel was on the cards and you are not allowed to take an unvaccinated child on most airlines. There were a couple of really bad days after each shot (fussiness, crying, off her food, slight fever) but no big issues. When she was older, it was easier because we could explain about the ‘invisible heroes’ in the injection and sticker it afterward with a spiderman plaster. It is kind of heinous watching someone stick your helpless baby with a needle. I hated it, but it’s over in a second.
Loooove that Jewel cd! I listened to it when my daughter was in my belly. Our song is Sweet Dreams. Number 3 I think? Love it!
love that one, too!
Hi Gina!
I have a rather odd question, but it’s something I’m curious about. 🙂 I noticed in the photo over to the left that you have a body type like mine with narrow hips. I always thought that an added benefit of having a baby would be finally(!) having womanly hips. I know you had a lot of hip pain when you first got pregnant…. did your hips widen much, and have they stayed that way after birth?
Thanks!
All I know is that I can’t get my jeans on anymore and it is not because of my tummy! I literally can’t get them past my hips anymore 🙁
my hips are definitely wider than they were pre-pregnancy, but i’m also not back to my pre-preg weight or body fat %. when i am, i’ll be able to make a better assessment of if they’re much wider or not. my jeans fit, though, so i’m glad i didn’t have to buy new ones 🙂
I always stayed in the room and and breastfed for 1/2 hour afterwards!
I always breastfed right after too, which seemed to help tremendously! Our usual shot routine is that both my husband and I go, I stay in the room (and usually end up crying too!) and he does the holding while the nurse gives her the shots, then he’ll hand off to me right after and I’ll nurse her until she’s calm/falls asleep. Then, we get her dressed, and off we go. It worked really well for us. Good luck!
I LOVE JEWEL. I totally fall asleep to her first CD from like, 1995, all the time. She’s such an amazing singer/songwriter. Lullabies for adults, too 🙂
I also agree with the no Tylenol. My pediatrician said definitely not before. I was terrified, but my son never cried for any of his shots till he was much older. He just looked VERY annoyed, but never cried. He was fine a few mins later! My doctor says many babies SCREAM but it only lasts a couple mins and then they are fine! Good luck to you… I dreaded it too!
Mason just had his 4 month shots and they were worse than the 2 month. I would ask your pediatrician about the Tylenol. We were told only to give Tylenol after the shots, so I’d make sure. She’ll do fine, it’s probably harder on us than them.
I just listened to some of those Jewel lullabys and they are beautiful! I don’t have any children but may have to get some songs for myself 🙂
So glad to hear that you’re getting some more sleep!
I am currently 32 weeks pregnant and I hear ya about underwire. I am only able to wear sports bras or nursing bras, and I prefer the sports bras. I bought the bravado stella ones from target but they are so thin. I ordered one of their body silk seamless but it seems to run so small! Did you find this to be true? Did nursing bras fit you better after you delivered? I am just hoping my rib cage size will return to normal! And what do you do about nipple coverage? It seems like the nursing bras have none! lol! Do nursing pads take care of that? What were you wearing in your last trimester?
Don’t buy too many nursing bras prior to delivery….you will change afterwards!
I always have nursing pads on….as I agree with you about the lack of nipple coverage 🙂
What I did was buy the large size Pea in the Pod bras. The mediums actually fit perfectly, but I was concerned that they would stop fitting post-birth. They don’t have underwire and fit more like a sports bra honestly. They are a little loose fitting right now, but if I put them on the tightest “setting,” they work really well. I can just let them out by adjusting the size/straps after I deliver. I think I will have plenty of room to grow and still be comfy. Of course, I did go from an A cup to a D cup the past 33 weeks, so who knows what will happen in the next 7 weeks! I will be seriously bummed if they grow significantly after this… never thought I’d miss my pre-pregnancy size. 🙂
The shots are hard to watch at any month but she may surprise you. Maybe she will cry a lot less than expected. But I was advised to give a dose of Tylenol before she gets the shots. Then I kept her on it for 24 hours to help keep any fever down. And during the shots, I wasn’t allowed to hold her so I kept my head close to hers and talked to her the whole time so she heard my voice and got as much skin to skin contact with my hands as I could. Good luck!
I love the Jewel lullaby. Soooo beautiful. I also love Alison Krauss’s rendition of “Baby Mine” from Dumbo.
LOVED that Bra. So comfy. Medela makes some pretty nursing bras that are lacy. This is the one I had and it’s a nice one: http://www.isisparenting.com/product/BRAVV_SNB/nursingbrascamis
My advice for the shots is something you probably already know. Just be there ready to nurse her. It’s worse on you than it is on her!
I expected our daughter to cry nonstop after her shots at the 2 month appt. We did them all at once and she cried for maybe 15 seconds until we were able to pick her up. Luckily, she had no reactions and no fever or anything. I bought Tylenol on the way home just in case she had a reaction.
Don’t give Tylenol, it is not recommended. I selectively and delayed vax’d my son, and did a lot of research consulting with a natural minded pediatrician before. Both after and before he had them, I have him the homeopathic thuja and have made sure I ate plenty of an organic plant-rich, nutrient rich diet, with plenty of essential oils, no processed foods, minimal to no wheat/gluten and plenty vitamin D. I also gave him Vit D drops before and after. When he was eating & getting vax, I just made the nutritional protocol applied to his diet.
Oh! And, you can nurse through shots (if you feel comfy doing so). I did it, and the boys hardly noticed the prick. Easier on us both.
Definitely be ready to nurse after the shots. It will totally calm her down. Personally, I would wait to give her Tylenol until its necessary, but with anything medical take your docs advice. Good luck!
Hey Gina! I don’t have any advice on the shots thing but we discovered something fun that keeps Ayla occupied and entertained! We bought a helium balloon and attached it to her foot or arm. She loves staring up at it and she’s figured out that when she moves, it moves. Now, she grabs the string and tries to pull it down to her. It great for her hand dexterity and her hand/eye coordination. I just wanted to pass along this tip…
Thanks for the Jewel tip – I love Jewel!
Our doctor gave us a perscription for a cream before she had to get shots. We bring the cream with us to each appointment and the nurse puts its on about 20 minutes before she gets the shots. I think it numbs the area a little bit. I’m not sure how much it helps because my daughter still cries. The crying doesnt last that long though…she usually stops shortly after I pick her up off the table. Our doctor said we could give her tylenol before the shots but I never have. It will be over with before you know it…don’t stress out too much! Good luck!
This has nothing to do with anything you posted, but I just had to share this when I saw it:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2106678/Lena-Fokina-Babies-left-screaming-swung-round-head-baby-yoga-guru.html
That’s just.. I don’t even know what to say. I felt sick to my stomach as I watched the video – I mean.. How can ANYONE think that’s okay? Or actually GOOD for the baby!
For the shots, I’ve heard that some offices have a pain spray that you can put on the site and it should dull the pain. Or you can give them some sweet immediately after the shot to distract them from the feeling of the pain. I think the most important part is for you to be calm and not focus on the shot or going to get the shot because babies feed on their parents emotions more then you realize. Good Luck
I’m jealous of your huge family! I started off with just 3 grandparents total. And within one year, I lost 2 of them. The only one who is still alive, well her heart died with the other two. You can knock all you want, but no one is ever home 🙁
I’m only 24 & I don’t want to try for kids until I’m much closer to 30 but I have PCOS so that could be a little challenging and mean I don’t have kids for a handful more years after that. In that many years my parents will be in their mid to late 60’s! I’m going to go out and start collecting grandparents so my future kids will have a big, big family.
that breaks my heart for you 🙁
come to tucson! we’ll adopt you <3