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"September moms" reunion - updates please!



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 4th 03, 10:40 PM
Cheryl S.
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Default "September moms" reunion - updates please!

OK, all you in the huge September 2003 due date crowd, let's hear from
you. How are you and the little one(s) doing?

Zeldabee - how are you doing with the PPD? Linda/GoofeeGyrl - are your
bf issues working out OK? I've been thinking about you two.

I had my postpartum check up two weeks ago and I'm fine. I'm relieved
to report that I've got no hint of PPD, which I'm even more sure now
that I had after Julie's birth, by the contrast to how much calmer and
happier I am now. Also, so far I'm *very* relieved that I've got no
sign of the bizarre, insanely itchy rash that developed a couple months
after Julie's birth and lasted 6 months. For the most part, I'm
functioning. I'm getting out and seeing people and taking care of
things like grocery shopping and laundry. We've been going to playgroup
and now Julie has an "intro to preschool" class twice a week for 1 hr,
15 min. She was upset at drop-off a couple times but calmed down in a
reasonable period of time and then had a great time. I haven't cooked
dinner more than twice since Jaden was born, I don't think, but we've
survived somehow. Bless the frozen food industry. Julie has seemed to
cope extremely well with having a sibling. She's let me know she misses
my full attention but is very patient about waiting until I can finish
whatever I'm in the middle of doing before getting her something she
wants.

Jaden is doing *fantastic*. He smiles whenever he's talked to and says,
"coo" and "gaaa". His whole face lights up and he wiggles all over when
you sing to him. He's getting very good head control too. His two
month check up was yesterday and he's 13#, 9 oz, up 6 pounds over his
lowest weight at two days old. He eats like a horse. My day, roughly,
goes:

Jaden gets up between 7:00-7:30
Feed Jaden
Shower
Feed Jaden while supervising Julie dressing herself
Wash and dress Jaden
Feed Jaden
Get Julie's breakfast, and mine, if I'm lucky
Feed Jaden
Go out - Julie's class/errand/playgroup/etc.
Feed Jaden
Get Julie's lunch
Feed Jaden
Supervise Julie getting ready for nap
Feed Jaden
Eat my "lunch" (by this point it's usually 3:30)
Feed Jaden
Feed Jaden
Feed Jaden (afternoon cluster feed)
Put Jaden in swing so I can eat dinner
Feed Jaden
Feed Jaden
Feed Jaden. (evening cluster feed)
Jaden finally falls asleep, around 10:00.
Collapse in bed around 10:30. Up approx. every 2 1/2 hours all night
until 7:00 am.

Oh, yeah, and throw in several diaper changes scattered in there
somewhere. :-)
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 7 mo.
And Jaden, 2 months

Cleaning the house while your children are small is like
shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing.


  #2  
Old November 4th 03, 11:21 PM
Kari
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Default "September moms" reunion - updates please!

Sounds like you're doing great! Thanks for the update.

BTW, your day (and night) looks a lot like mine, lol

Kari
mom to Kaylie (7) Noah (4) and Xander (5 weeks)


  #3  
Old November 5th 03, 01:57 AM
Lissie
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Default "September moms" reunion - updates please!

We're doing great too! DS has his 2 month visit next monday, and I am
really excited to see where he's at with weight and length - he seems like
he's growing so quickly to me!

The first few weeks were really rough - LOTS of ups and downs, insecurities
and anxieties, and a lot of pain from bf. All of that is much easier - I
feel more confident, and feel like I am learning more about who DS is, which
is so neat. He's been smiling since week 4, and has this wonderful grin
that just lights up his face. He definitely has his fussy times, but they
don't freak me out anywhere near as much as they did.

I get out of the house every day, and go to two different moms groups and a
bf support group, and I'm starting to make friends with some of the women in
the groups, which is nice. We're starting to get together outside of the
groups, which is fun.

I am really really enjoying the time I get with DS, I really do love being
with him, even when it's hard, and I can't even describe the love I feel for
him, the joy he brings, or just how completely darn cool he is!

- Lissie (first time mom!)


  #4  
Old November 5th 03, 02:10 AM
GoofeeGyrl
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Default "September moms" reunion - updates please!

OK, all you in the huge September 2003 due date crowd, let's hear from
you. How are you and the little one(s) doing?

I'm glad that you did this, I have been thinking it would be a good idea since
there were so many of us!
This will be long!

Motherhood the second time around is absolutely wonderful, so much easier for
me than the first time around. Not only am I much happier, but I also feel
that I bonded with Eva a lot sooner, there is a very close bond between us
already, which I did not feel with Sophie for several months.

I never posted a birth story, but in a nutshell, my water broke and since I was
GBS+ this time, I went into the hospital just a couple hours later just because
I was really paranoid about that. After some time with just cramps (as I had
for several days before that day) I was put on pitocin. One hour after that I
was in so much pain with what the nurse said as "just cramps" but actually the
only way I every felt contractions with both babies, I got the epidural. 30
min later Eva was born, after 5 pushes during 2 contractions; less than 7 hours
after my water broke.

Linda/GoofeeGyrl - are your
bf issues working out OK? I've been thinking about you two.

We breastfed immediately after she was born for about 2 hours, it was a great
experience, this is when I felt that immediate bond. She did fabulously at the
hospital, latch was perfect from the start. I went home feeling like a champ,
I was finally breastfeeding and it was going well, I felt so powerful! (BF with
Sophie was a horrible mess from the beginning, I was all bloody and sore and
she cried constantly, I only ended up doing it for 10 days or so). After a
week of fewer and fewer diaper changes, an increasingly sleepier baby, and my
gut feeling that things were not right, I went to see an IBLCC who put us on a
regimine of breast, supplement, pump. Turns out I have Insufficient glandular
tissue and all the pumping and fenugreek, etc would produce nothing more than
1/2 ounce each pump for all that time. I did this for a few weeks, with a lot
of comfort nursing. I cried every time I nursed her, I felt horrible that she
was such an anxious and happy nurser and I could do nothing for her. She
started to get fussy at the breast, thanks to her getting what she wanted
immediately from the bottle and not from me. The whole SNS thing seemed just
as awful to me. I decided it was just better for my mental health to not do it
at all. In the end it was the right decision for us. I continue to mourn our
nursing relationship, but then I think of those who have worse problems, like
not getting pregnant at all, etc. On that depressing note...

Eva is a fabulous baby! She is barely fussy, except a little in the evening
hours, and very easy to calm, all I have to do is pick her up and cuddle her
and she's fine. We had one day where she cried for a few hours on and off, but
that is it--so far! She's getting big too. She does not go in for her 2
month WBV until next Thursday so I don't know the stats, but she has grown out
of most of her 0-3 month clothes length wise.

Sophie is making the adjustment better than expected. She loves to "pet" the
baby, like she's a dog. She also likes to hold her (but it gets old fast) and
make her smile. She's a great little helper, fetching things for me when I
ask. She does wake more at night and is much more frustating during the day.

I could not get an appt for my post partum appt until next week, 9 weeks after
the fact. Par for the course with this practice. I am feeling great
physically, it was a super quick recovery thanks to such a super quick labor.
I'm trying to get the weight back off, it took about a year with Soph, but I
think just taking care of two kids might help it all come off sooner. We are
back at playgroup every week, and Sophie only took two weeks off her gymnastics
class. I try to get out once a day, but some days, like today, it does not
happen at all.

In the end, all is well and I am very content. Once we get on the ball and
find a house to buy, things should be just about perfect, in my eyes. Although
I must say, I am already thinking about the possibility of a third, we'll see
how our financial future shapes up in the next few years.

Thanks for posting this, Cheryl, I look forward to all the other stories.

Linda
Mommy to Sohpie, 2.5 years
and Eva, 8 weeks


  #5  
Old November 5th 03, 06:27 PM
Karen
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Default "September moms" reunion - updates please!

"Cheryl S." wrote in message ...
OK, all you in the huge September 2003 due date crowd, let's hear from
you. How are you and the little one(s) doing?


Cheryl-

It's great to hear that you and you family are doing so well! I
haven't been on the newsgroups much, gee I wonder why?!

Ben is great!

We have good nights and bad nights. A good night is sleeping from 10
until 3 or 4 then up again around 6 then up for the day at 9. A bad
night may go something like last night. Awake until 1 then up every
half an hour fussing until 4 or 5 then up for the day at 7.
The other children adore him, he is never for want of arms to hold
him. He has lost all his hair on the tops and sides and only has a
fringe on the back and a funny little combover like area at the crown.
The children (and I) have literally rubbed the hair off the top of his
head, my two year old will sit next to me while I nurse, suck her
thumb and absentmindedly rub his head. My 9 and 10 year olds are a big
help-they love holding him and he really likes them-at least for a
little while. Nursing is going fine-he is a bit of a snacker and seems
to be on all the time but that's what 7 week olds do. He is a little
guy though. Only about 11 pounds at 7 weeks. His 2 month WBV is the
20th, I doubt he'll be over 12. He is SUPER smiley and we all live for
those big toothless grins.
He spends a LOT of time in the sling. I vacuum, do laundry, load and
unload the dishwasher, teach, shop all with him in the sling. He went
to Ringling Bros, Barnum and Bailey last week and slept the whole show
in the sling (yes, I took 6 kids from 10-6 weeks to the circus by
myself). I don't know what I'd do if he didn't like it. He also has a
high need to suck and we finally found a pacifier he likes and can
hold in his mouth by himself.
I'm doing well. There aren't enough hours in the day and I could
certainly use more sleep but no signs of PPD. My 6 wk PP visit was
unremarkable. All the parts are where they should be and I'm below my
prepregnancy weight. Now only 50-60 lbs more to go:-p

A few pics of Ben and one with the whole crew from Halloween:

http://www.growthspurts.com/view.asp?s=95774

(((HUGS TO ALL))))))))

I really MISS being pregnant with you guys, it was so much fun to be
belly buddies!

Karen
  #6  
Old November 13th 03, 02:01 PM
Tiina Kartovaara
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Default "September moms" reunion - updates please!



Cheryl S. wrote:
OK, all you in the huge September 2003 due date crowd, let's hear from
you. How are you and the little one(s) doing?



I'm really late in responding to this thread, but here goes.

I can't believe it's been over 9 weeks now! To make a long story short,
we are doing great. Joel is huge - he weighs just about 7 kilos now,
which is over 15 lbs, and is 63,5 cm long (25,5 inches). He is eating a
lot, obviously, and bf is going really well.

I had my 6-week checkup 3 weeks ago, and everything was fine. My
episiotomy had healed well, my bp was normal, and my hemoglobin was 131
(or 13.1) even without iron supplements. I still have maybe 6-7 lbs left
of my pg weight, and that is fine. In addition to walking 4 miles 5 days
a week, I do a long run on Sundays - I'm up to 75 minutes now, which
feels *so* good.

I have had some PPD issues and Zoloft has helped me tremendously. I have
felt quite energetic and even started volunteering at the local family
cafe/meeting place for kids and parents. Still, I notice these cyclical
shifts in moods depending on my hormones, and have occasional days when
I'm pathologically cranky. Grrr!! :-)

Big sis Emilia is still entranced but sometimes also annoyed by her
little brother, which I think is quite healthy. Joel smiles at her and
tolerates her games with supreme patience. He's still pretty mellow,
although I do have to watch what I eat - cow's milk doesn't seem to
agree with him. I plan to bf exclusively for at least 6 months, which
I'm sure will cause amazement, because in Finland it's quite common to
start solids at 3-4 months. I think my SIL started her twins on mashed
potatoes at 2 months.

I don't have a big problem with fatigue. Joel usually sleeps about 4 hrs
at a stretch at night, nursing once around 3 or so and then once early
in the morning, after which we take a nap before we actually get up
around 8.30 or so. Oh, and I tandem nurse - it's so cute to have a
4-year-old and a 9-week old nursing at the same time. Emilia isn't
always very polite about waiting, but fortunately I have plenty of milk.

What else? Joel was somewhat jaundiced, not at birth but later on, at 6
weeks or so. It was normal "breastmilk jaundice", but of course the
well-baby clinic wanted to have it checked out and it was a bit of a
hassle. I mean, it was good to rule out some problem with his liver,
kidneys, or blood, but even after that had been done, one pediatrician
suggested stopping bf for a few days and putting Joel on formula, just
to make a diagnosis. I mean, if the "condition" is harmless and we'd
just go on bf afterwards anyway, why risk a good start to nursing? I had
no intention of giving him formula, but had these horrible images of
shutting myself in a closet with him, screaming "over my dead body!"
with the healthcare professionals beating on the door. I looked the
thing up and was armed with printouts from Dr. Newman ("It is *not*
necessary to stop bf even for a short time!"), but luckily, it was never
mentioned again. Joel's bilirubin went down anyway.

We are having a welcoming/naming party for him on Sunday, with 35-40
guests coming over. Looking forward to that. I guess I should do
something to prepare - is it possible to be too mellow?? :-)


Tiina
SAHM to Emilia,4
and Joel, b. 09/06/03


  #7  
Old November 25th 03, 06:27 PM
sher
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Default "September moms" reunion - updates please!

Tiina Kartovaara wrote in message ...
Cheryl S. wrote:
OK, all you in the huge September 2003 due date crowd, let's hear from
you. How are you and the little one(s) doing?


Here's another late one chiming in. I finally finished Aamon's birth
story and posted it in another thread.

We're all doing wonderful. It has been quite a change to get used to
a baby in the house again, but his brothers are so wonderful with him.
Caleb (7yrs) will come home from school and the first thing he does
is beg to hold him. Even if Aamon starts to get fussy, Caleb wants to
keep holding him and rejoices so much when he's able to calm him down.
Ethan (5yrs) isn't as enamored, but does have to slather on a kiss
each time he walks by him. Now that he's smiling and cooing a lot,
Ethan is getting more interested in him. We could all listen to his
"ah-oos" all day.

Aamon's starting to sleep for 5 and 6 hour stretches at night which is
so wonderful. My older boys were both such horrible sleepers that I
prayed every night of my pregnancy for a good sleeper this time. He's
also not sleeping in our bed anymore, which was another cause for
rejoicing. It took a lot longer to move the other boys out and I've
never slept well with an infant in bed. He is sleeping in his carseat
instead of the crib, but we'll tackle that once he develops a more
regular schedule. All this sleep has been great, especially since I
went back to work last week. I'm only working half days until after
Thanksgiving so we've been able to ease into things slowly.

Yesterday was Aamon's 8 week appointment. He's 16 1/2 pounds, 24 3/4
inches long, and his head is 16 inches around. I was actually
starting to wonder if it was healthy for him to be so big, but the
doctor said that there's no such thing as being overweight when you're
two months old and breastfed. He just thinks I have extra rich milk.

Aamon is a great traveler and has already been on a plane for a trip
to San Diego. We have a 4 hour drive tomorrow to go to my parents for
Thanksgiving, but we've done it twice already and he's done wonderful
each time.

Hope all the other September babies are doing great!

~ Sher and Aamon (8 weeks tomorrow)
 




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