Friday Faves
Hi friends! Happy Friday <3 What are you up to this weekend? The weather has been absolutely lovely this week, so I’m excited to spend some time outside. I feel like we have to sneak it in when we can, because thanks to Daylight Savings, it gets dark so early! As an Arizona native, Daylight Savings takes some getting used to.
We’re meeting up with friends, and also hoping to hit up the bay for some sunshine and sandy toes.
In standard Friday fashion, here are some faves from the week and around the web! I always love to hear what you’re enjoying, too, so please join in the fun in the comments section if you’d like.
Introducing Nana to Botched.
Liv and P were both sleeping, so I switched the TV over to see what interesting characters we could encounter on Botched. (Also, I love the doctors on the show. I think they’re funny and extremely talented.) Nana’s response: “¡Ay, dios mio!” haha
Not sure what fitness tracker to invest in? Here’s a review of 7 popular choices.
Livi, rocking the chambray.
How to build the perfect gift basket.
Snickerdoodle LARABARS. I’ll write more about this on the family page, but P has pretty intense reflux so the pediatrician recommended going cold turkey on the dairy. This usually wouldn’t be a big deal, since I don’t eat a ton of cow’s dairy, but it turns out, I eat a lot of goat and sheep dairy, *accidental* dairy (like a little bit of cheese on a salad or pizza, CHOCOLATE, or a couple Annie’s bunnies here and there) and a lot of butter. This is a breakfast staple lately: oats, Brewer’s Yeast, and a crumbled bar on top.
(This breakfast reminds me of the OG blog days, circa 2008)
If anyone has reflux tips, I’m all ears. We’ve already elevated the head of her bassinet 30 degrees which seems to help, and I’m also limiting eggs and gassy veggies.
Constant snuggles help, too. 🙂
Thanksgiving feast FOMO may occur.
Sephora goodies! I’ll definitely report back on this set, this concealer, and this palette.
Jessica Simpson has a new activewear line… and it looks incredible.
This shirt, courtesy of my lovely friend Julie. She sent an amazing care package with adorable onesies for P, and some fun gifts for Livi, too.
(Thank you filter for mostly covering the spit up on the bottom of the shirt haha.)
50 super smart books for everyone on your list.
Drunk girls are surprised with puppies.
Happy happy Friday!
xoxo
Gina
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That book list is SO perfect! I can think of so people who would like them as Christmas gifts (including myself!)
The drunk girls and the puppies….i can’t…..haha.
My daughter also had reflux and it seems like you are doing all the right things. We also tried to avoid diaper changes or anything that had her laying down for about 30 minutes after nursing. Have a great weekend!
that’s a great tip- i will definitely keep her upright as much as possible. it’s tough during the night to put her back to sleep :/ she seems the most uncomfortable at night
hope you have a great weekend, too!
My little one was a terrible night time sleeper because of reflux and then a cold that had her congested. A girlfriend suggested a rock ‘n play sleeper which is naturally elevated. While I’m sure it will be a pain to transition her back to the crib, it’s the only reason we’ve gotten any sleep the past 10 weeks.
My daughter had reflux-the worst was when it came out her nose. Time was the best helper and reflux meds (very low dose of Zantac-her esophagus was inflamed and the back of her throat was hot magenta). we did ask that we have the lowest dose of Zantac so she would outgrow it as she gained weight-and we could figure out if she needed more or would age out. we elevated the bassinet/arms reach sleeper-I also made a horse shoe shape out of a rolled swaddle blanket and then put her crib sheet over it-otherwise she would end up at the bottom of the sleeper and I was terrified she’d somehow flip over. the LC and a NICU OT suggested it (she was a coworker). keeping her upright for a long while after feeding, stopping to burp often (which Breastie babies shouldn’t need…& made me leak) helped. I also found that switching diapers to allow for a style that allowed tighter legs with a slightly looser belly seemed to help. and oxyclean was magic on spot up-as were CoSTCO wipes!
oh my gosh, formula came out of her nose once while she was spitting up and it was horrible. she just started zantac this morning, so i hope it helps her :/
thank you for the horse shoe tip- i’ve been worried about the same thing.
xoxo
Relux sucks!! Mothers Milk Tea and fenugreek made my daughters reflux so much worse. I stopped drinking it and taking the pills she got a lot better. Not sure if you drink that or take those supplements, but if you do might be worth stopping for a bit to see if it gets better. Hang in there it will eventually get better!
i’m so glad you posted this! i skipped the fenugreek this morning. i still took the go lacta, so hopefully my supply will be ok
xoxo
We had to give both our babies Zantac, and I definitely had to stop the fenugreek and lactation teas with my younger one because it made her feel so much worse (but I kept up the lactation cookies that didn’t have offensive ingredients, tee hee). Otherwise you are doing what you can – elevation, burping, and keeping upright for half an hour or so after feeding. You should see the zantac working within a day or two. They do outgrow it after a while, especially as they start to nibble on food here and there. Hang in there, and congratulations!
Interesting you mentioned about P’s reflux. My Mom was just telling me the other day about how I could not stomach any dairy as a baby. They had to switch me to soy and even now, I’m very sensitive to lactose and was recently diagnosed with gluten intolerance. Hopefully the reduction in dairy will help her!
no way! it seems like it’s pretty common. thank you- i hope she feels better soon 🙁
xo
Can’t wait to hear about your Sephora goodies! I somehow managed to steer clear of Sephora during the VIB sale. MAJOR self control occurred and I was shocked. Liv is seriously so stinkin’ cute with her outfits and her bun!
oh i was all over that sale haha. i admire your self control 🙂
hope you have a great weekend!
This is not Daylight Savings Time. We are actually on Standard Time. DST begins in early spring and ends at the end of October. Daylight Savings time used to be mostly a summer thing but US Congress voted a few years ago to extend DST into the fall. Not sure why. Either way, from November til March is regular time.
Haha this proves my noob status
Love that glamglow stuff!
P is getting so big already!
ahh it’s so good! 🙂
hope you have a great weekend
I love that drunk girls with puppies video! Too funny. And that shirt is great!
I’m pretty sure Liv has more style than me! She is rocking that outfit!
she definitely has more style than me
Drunk girls with puppies video makes me laugh so hard. And Liv looks so sweet. I can’t believe how grown up she is!
haha, i thought it was so good. thank you! she got big so fast, and feels especially grown up over the past couple of weeks
hope you have a great weekend!
My little guy had extremely bad reflux, and the only thing that ended up working for him was Prevacid. That’s worst case scenario though and doctors won’t even prescribe it for the little ones unless nothing else works. One thing we were told to do in addition to the medication, and the wedge, is to hold Lincoln (my little dude) upright for a full 30 minutes after every feeding. It definitely helped us! Good luck, reflux is a bummer especially when you know your little one is uncomfortable!!
that’s good to know. she started another antacid this morning, so i’m hoping it will help. poor little lady grunts all night, and it breaks my heart
Poor baby! When I was shadowing in the Emergency Room, a family came in who’s baby was having the same problem. He seemed so miserable! The doctor gave the same advice you’re already following, as well as saying to feed him in small amounts at a time.
The Fisher Price Rock ‘n Play is reaaally good for babies with reflux because of how upright they are but still comfy and snuggly and they can sleep in there.
I’m so sorry to hear your little on has reflux! Both my girls had/have it (youngest is 11 months) and it has made the baby stage SO. MUCH. HARDER. What we’ve learned through our experience, talking to others, research, etc. is that the severity, symptoms and triggers can vary so much for each child. So, biggest thing, don’t be afraid to trust your instincts! In our case, anything acidic in my diet made their reflux really flare up. Lemons, limes, tomatoes, etc. Dark chocolate was a huge trigger as well. (WAAAAAAAAAH!)
Despite a ton of modifications in my diet, both my girls needed to be on reflux meds. Know that there may need to be some trial and error to find the right medication and dosage that your little one needs. In our case, zantac did nothing…we eventually had success with Prevacid. And it may take up to two weeks of being on the meds to start seeing a big improvement.
I hope this doesn’t overwhelm you! Most babies do outgrow it pretty quickly!
Chiropractic can work wonders for reflux issues in infants.
Hi Gina-
I’ve survived two reflux, colicky babies. I’d say the fisher price rock and play for sleep is the perfect elevation as is the dex dreamer (basically the same thing as recalled nap nanny). we liked sex dreamer because less likely to cause flat head.
My first I had to cut dairy and soy to see a difference. My second went on a hypoallergenic formula because dairy and soy elimination didn’t help and I was barely eating!
Both girls needed meds to see improvement too but I understand if you are hesitant to try that. I was too. But in the end they needed it. Hang in there!
Sorry it’s Dex dreamer- auto correct keeps making it sex dreamer
I, too, had to stop bf, because I couldn’t eat ANYTHING. Our little one wasn’t sleeping at all because the reflux was constantly waking him and we were on a vicious overtired baby, sleep-deprived, mama cycle. We tried “all the things” and eventually the Zantac stopped working and I went to the Pedi in tears and told him I was ready to stop bf because I was at my wits end. Barely eating, etc. We went to Nutramigen and I had a happier, well rested baby within 48 hours. Seriously. It was a move that I struggled with, but in the end made us a much happier mama and baby. At 5 months, he’s still on Prilosec, but we are hoping to wean off soon!! Good Luck and hang in there!! Those little grunts are so pitiful.
Liv’s baby hairs are KILLING me.
My daughter had such bad reflux. It was awful. The only thing that helped was medicine plus never ever laying her down flat until things got better. We even propped her head during diaper changes. I held her straight up and down against my shoulder (90 deg) for at least 15 minutes after feelings and then she went in her rock and play. I’m not sure of the exact incline but I’d guess it’s more than 30 degrees. I personally felt more comfortable having her in the rock n play than propped that much in her crib since she slid down the mattress when we tried.
My older daughter had reflux so bad that they actually hospitalized her at 2 weeks old because they thought she was sick! She turned 4 earlier this month and is a completely healthy and normal kid now, if that gives you hope! 😉
We did Zantac, and she actually slept in a Fisher Price Rock and Play sleeper until about 5 months old. The Rock and Play was a LIFESAVER! Around that time we gradually switched her to her crib which was elevated at one end. While I liked baby wearing, it was sometimes tough if her tummy got squished in any way–that would make her spit up (usually all over me) or make her fussy and uncomfortable. Her reflux was severe enough that we had to supplement with formula because my supply couldn’t keep up with her needs (she would routinely spit up over half a feeding) so we used AR formula until she hit 9 months or so. I would also use a bath towel as a burp cloth (no joke!) if I was wearing nice clothes.
My younger daughter had it as well but not nearly as severely, and we sometimes used gripe water when she seemed to need relief…it seems to be of more use in the milder cases than in the severe ones.
Hang in there…somewhere around 7 months in, I noticed one day that she had pretty much just magically stopped spitting up! And life got much easier for all of us! 🙂
Same! Get the Rock n Play Sleeper. We were hospitalized twice with respiratory issues, one related to reflux. After the first hospitalization at 4 weeks, we moved him to the Rock N Play and there is no comparison to the crib. He finally slept like a baby.
Our guy had reflux caused by dairy and soy, so no formula for him. I had to remove all dairy and soy from my diet and then later on, gluten and eggs.
Good luck! It isn’t easy, but being a parent never is.
My daughter had tummy issues as well, and we brought her to a chiropractor (who specialized in babies) and he helped SO much! She was a happier baby in general after adjustments, and we still take her (she’s 15 mo. now) occasionally for maintenance.
But for the reflux, it may be a physiological blockage of the sphincter that’s at the bottom of the esophagus, and that’s what the chiropractor would target.
that is awesome. p went once when she was a few days old, but i’ll definitely take her back this week
I have a 15 weeks old who had bad reflux as well, so I feel for ya momma!
Eggs were a HUGE trigger for us. But I cut out all dairy (even trace in products) same with eggs. I also did not dairy, no gassy veggies, no beef, and limited soy. They eggs were the biggest change. I add one of the times in at a time to see what it is. It was a pain but now that we know it’s mainly eggs it’s gotten much better. Also, lots of bibs and burp clothes If you have any other questions feel free to email me. My husband is a MD and we really wanted to avoid prescription reflux meds if we could but I know they are helpful if nothing else works
that’s so interesting. i’ve had two eggs almost every day for the past 3+ years. i’m wondering if that could be contributing but really don’t want to cut them out since i already feel like no dairy is cutting my food groups in half
I felt the same way. I ate eggs every morning and if not in the morning I probably had them for dinner. You might just try eliminating eggs for a week and then if that is it you can add dairy back in. That’s what I ended up doing. He can handle yogurts, products with milk in them and moderate amounts of cheese with little issues. Hopefully your sweet girl gets better soon. Ours also got better with age as her tummy matured.
that’s a great idea. i’ll prob wait until after t-giving because i already feel like it’s hard to find things to eat.
thank you- i hope so too. happy to hear yours got better over time. how long did it take until you noticed a difference?
my 2nd had really bad reflux and we ended up having to put him on medicine for it. I was really resistant for a long time and tried all the more natural remedies (grip water, really limiting my food to bland things, even baby chiropractor). He was a completely different baby once he went on the Zantac. He was so much happier.
That makes me so happy to hear. We started Zantac this am
The Snickerdoodle Larabar is my ALL TIME FAVORITE FLAVOR!!! I buy boxes and boxes this time of year so I have a stash to carry me through till next season!
Ohhhh is P a big spitter? My son was for ELEVEN months! Honestly, cutting out foods didn’t help things at all for us, but our doctors said that if he’s happy and growing and soiling diapers it was no problem! So we just learned quickly how to catch the spit up, how to clean spit up off virtually every surface of our home, and how to pack multiple outfits for everyone everywhere we went! I hope the change on diet helps you, but if it doesn’t, just know you’re not alone. Marshall easily spat up 8-12 ounces of milk daily until 11 months but he’s finally done!
gahhh. i’m so sorry you went through this, too. happy to hear he grew out of it!
My best friend’s baby (born in January) had the same problem for the first couple months HORRIBLY 🙁 While I haven’t experienced it myself, I heard her stories and watched as she adjusted her diet to help him (while avoiding the super-expensive special formula). Fortunately it was something he grew out of, but she did notice that the less raw vegetables she ate, the less gassy and uncomfortable he was. Hopefully this is something baby P will grow out of soon also!
i hope so!
Ewww sooo sorry P has reflux!! My daughter has it too. But only because she has a G-tube (long story due to her birth). She was on zantac for a while which really didn’t help. Then right when she hit 1 in late sept the reflux stopped. Hopefully P’s goes away. It sucks seeing our babies go through that. I cried constantly when Bella was a baby and would throw up all the time.
i’ve been bawling my eyes off. it’s the worst. watching her cry and vomit after every feed has been terrible
I saw this comment of yours and it made my heart hurt for you. I cried, too. It’s hard, so hard. It sounds like P has that heartburn pain and not just inconvenient spit-up. That’s what we had. I actually made a list the other night at 3am while “rocking” Julia in the Tucker Sling (her Tucker sling wedge is in her crib and you can kind of bounce the edge of the wedge up & down). It says: it will be ok, things will be normal again, you are not alone, this is not forever, it is worth it. I know moms have been saying those things for centuries — but let’s keep saying them to each other! Hang in there, mama. You are doing a great job and P & Liv are blessed to have you.
i love that little note so much. i’m going to write it down and keep that in mind when it starts to feel overwhelming <3
hang in there, friend. sending love to you.
xoxo
Good afternoon!
Tried to send this on the train to work but my data connection farted and what I wrote disappeared. Bummer. I forgot to say that a crucial piece of our reflux solution was a bouncy chair. Can’t believe I forgot. We have the Snugapuppy by Fisher Price and like that we can control the bounce. While we generally don’t bounce her after she eats (for obvious reasons), she loves the position. The pediatric ENT told me the bouncy chair position is good for reflux babies (and my internet research backed this up with articles written by medical colleges and other doctors). We still find this to be a lifesaver to this day (and night). Great for when you need your hands — or a meal. You can sit and bounce or read to her while eating or even checking your phone. Julia often falls asleep in her bouncy chair. She’s not a big napper but even 10 minutes is a big win in our house.
While baby-wearing worked great when she got older, she didn’t like it much when she was real little. Same with tummy time. Now she loves being on her tummy, but it used to be very painful and she only wanted to play on her back. That coupled with sleeping in the rock and play / bouncy chair — we had issues with her getting a flat spot. We took her to an occupational therapist for suggestions on incorporating tummy time despite the reflux pain and we were able to avoid a helmet. Now her lil head is round as can be. Hopefully P’s reflux will soon be a distant memory and you guys won’t have to go down these roads. If you ever need suggestions, feel free to email me. jennlucille@gmail.com (it doesn’t sound like she’s colicky, but I’m also well-versed in colic relief LOL). Sending positive, healing vibes to P’s little tummy!!
I’m sorry she has reflux! Frequent nursing can help bc they are getting smaller meals.
she’s been eating a lot more frequently.. it’s find during the day but nights have been rough rough
Yeah, the frequent night feedings are PAINFUL. Baby occupational therapist can be helpful with reflux. Buena Suerte! Hang in there! 🙂
ahh I need that Mommin’ aint easy shirt! Ain’t it the truth!
Oh man, no dairy? Poor P? Poor you? Anyways, loving Liv in the chambray, and I will have to check out Jessica Simpson’s line — I’m a fan of a few celebrity lines, as well as her other stuff (shoes are great!), so look forward to seeing what she puts out. Happy weekend, lady!
Reflux tips-as an NICU nurse I’d say the most important thing is keeping her upright after feedings-at least for 30 minutes. Most reflux has no magic treatment and it just takes time for the littles to outgrow. I’d be careful eliminating any more foods for you-nothing is proven and in the end it just makes mommas more hangry and not properly nourished. Good luck!!
thank you- that’s good to know. i already feel like i can’t eat anything haha
fingers crossed she outgrows it soon
We are going through the same thing right now with our little one. I also went cold turkey with caffeine as well as dairy. It was the worst at night and the only way any of us would sleep more than an hour was if she was sleeping on my chest at an incline (and even then I wasn’t getting quality rest). After two weeks of severe sleep deprivation, doing tons of research and talking with her pediatrician (and my mom) I decided to put her to sleep on her stomach in her bassinet which is right next to our bed. She finally slept for 3 hours at a time. I got up a few times to check on her because we all know that’s “not the right way” but my mom said we grew up sleeping on our stomaches. I finally feel back to “normal” and functional and she’s not waking up in the middle of the night because she’s uncomfortable. I can feed her and put her to sleep and she stays that way until she’s hungry again a few hours later.
that is very interesting. we’re going back to the ped tomorrow, so i’ll see what she says
ahhh I’ve been wanting to try out glam glow!! I hear it is great!!
it’s SO good
Hi Gina,
Great job on your birth – doing what you had to do to deliver a healthy baby. I’m a first time mom & finding it’s new to leave my own comfort zone and give up my preference/vision in the best interest of my child, but I’m getting used to it. Your are a brave mama and a strong woman. A good example of how I’ve had to give up on some of my visions and preferences in the best interest of my baby is because of reflux. Our daughter is 7-months-old and if you’d told me 8 months ago that I’d be giving my child prescription medicine I know I would have responded (indignantly) “um, no.” I’m sure I would have thought there was a natural way to deal with it. Anyway, I will share our solutions and I’m sure you know by now that every family has to do what works for them. Prayers and positive vibes that your journey is as smooth as possible, and that sweet little P finds quick relief.
-Julia is still working through her reflux so while I’m a strong believer in being positive, you may hear the Dr say it will “resolve itself” by 6mo and that may not be true (but I certainly hope it is — & sooner than that!!)
-We started in Zantac at 2 wks and it didn’t help Julia. We switched to Prevacid (First Lansoprazole) & that brought some relief. Both are by baby’s weight. Each work differently – Zantac reduces acid in the stomach whereas Prevacid works to help the stomach produce less acid over time. Right now, because her reflux didn’t go away by 6mo, Julia’s actually taking both.
-when the reflux got worse at times, we worked with the pediatrician to re-adjust dosage (would often require us to bring her in for weight check).
-giving her the Prevacid twice a day made a tremendous difference for Julia. The pediatrician said it would not matter but the pediatric ENT said it would help and I’m glad we pushed for it.
-even though the pediatrician is and has been our primary point of contact and doc, we took her to a pediatric gastroenterologist. The pediatric ENT was full of suggestions. I say all of this because I think every doctor and reflux parent is a resource. Soak it up and try the things that you think will work for your baby.
-Like you said, we keep her upright for at least 30min after eating and as you know wearing her a lot helps with that
-someone else on your blog comments recommended the Rock n Play. We also got this recommendation from other acid reflux parents. There’s a reason! The angle is perfect- better than swings. Julia also had colic so we got the “auto Rock” (plugged into the wall and rocked for 6 hours). Eventually, we were concerned about a potential flat spot on her head and transitioning her to the crib environment so we switched to the Tucker Sling. This was recommended by both the pediatric ENT and the Occupational Therapist. I guess the NICUs use them for reflux babies. If Julia was done with hers I’d ship it to you! Unfortunately, she’s not done with it 🙁 We like it a lot. She doesn’t mind it a bit. Again, the angle is terrific.
-We had to bring her to a pediatric ear nose & throat dr because the reflux often (I imagine not always) causes nasal congestion (their tummies and throats are so little that acid splashes up into their noses and causes congestion). She was on Nasonex which helped a lot. (Breathing=very important for babies’ development )
-We breastfed. I eliminated dairy. And soy. (I’m already gluten free)
-We experimented with different things, like supplementing with formula to see if it was easier to digest (I pumped to keep up supply). We tried Enfamil Gentlease and Enfamil Nutramigen. I was able to keep breastfeeding her. Julia’s acid reflux got really bad at 4 months, and she went on Nutramigen for a while. It helped. When the reflux improved, the Nutramigen was too thin for her and we switched back to breastmilk. We finished weaning last week, and she’s getting Enfamil Gentlease because the organic formula isn’t broken down enough for her (again with the not consistent with my vision of how things would go haha)
-“upright” breastfeeding positions (we tried but Julia didn’t really like these until she was older)
-lots of burping – we had to hold her in the air (like airplane position) for her to burp sometimes & often switching positions or moving from sitting to standing or walking would help her to burp
-feeding her less more often (obviously with breastfeeding, the baby is more in control but we are started bottle feeding at daycare after my maternity leave ended)
-Dr. Browns bottles for reflux babies! (They make pink ones!) These are great because the “straw” in the middle greatly reduces air bubbles.
-as for the spit-up, it doesn’t seem to bother Julia. (the pain of the heartburn does). So we consider the spit-up an inconvenience. Obviously lots of bibs. We use the spasilk baby washcloths like baby paper towels to wash her mouth and hands. I think I have 40 of them or something crazy.
That’s what’s we have tried to date. I hope that helps a little. I’m sure you know a lot of it so disregard what you do — pretty much everything was new to me as a brand new mom! Hugs to you guys!
i’m so so thankful for this comment. thank you for all of the amazing info- i really appreciate it. looking at tucker slings now and ordering new bottles on amazon. did your daughter have a milk protein allergy?
Hello,
In the end, it seems like she had a dairy sensitivity as a tiny baby but not a full-blown allergy. At 7 months, she digest the Gentlease formula well and that has milk proteins.
Hahahah the drunk puppy video, CLASSIC! That is too good. Let’s be real, I’d probably be reacting like that sans alcohol hahha 🙂
You NEED to get the Fisher-Price Rock n’ Play!! Make sure to get the auto rocker model.
http://www.toysrus.com/buy/baby-bouncers/fisher-price-deluxe-auto-rock-n-play-sleeper-chn19-35354186
My son (9 mos now) was born 5 weeks premature, had terrible reflux, and would not sleep flat in his crib/bassinet. My husband and I literally had to take shifts staying awake with him around the clock. He was put on Zantac around one month, but that won’t stop the spitting up. Finally around 2 months a friend told us about the rock n play…I feel like it literally saved my life! He was still waking every 3 hours to eat (he was playing catch up due to his early arrival), but I was able to put him right back down to sleep after each feeding . And by 3 mos he was sleeping for 8hrs!!! Around 4/5 mos I started transitioning him to a traditional crib with no real issues and by 7 mos he no longer needed his Zantac.
Best of luck to you…hope you’re getting some sleep.
Kelly
Liv’s outfits are adorable!! 🙂 And that Mom shirt is great! I have several friends having babies and may throw that in their care packages 🙂
Hi! Has her mouth been checked for ties? Lip or tongue? My daughter had that same issue and once we corrected her lip tie the reflux slowly went away and so did the painful breastfeeding 🙂
SO excited that Jessica Simpson is coming out with a workout line! I am all for these celebs pumping out these cheaper workout clothes haha, win for us!