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I couldn't imagine not being able to plan my pregnancies! That would be so stressful...I'm such a planner. I've been fortunate in that both my pregnancies happened when I wanted and right away -- no fertility problems at all. Most birth control methods seem to work, although I hate the pill and refuse to use it anymore. We've decided to use fertility awareness from here on out which I admit to not feeling confident about even though we used it for 10 months between babies and it worked great -- plus I knew when I ovulated when I did get pregnant. I think the method would be less stressful if I wanted more kids, but I think I'm done. I'm just not sure enough that I'm done to take permanent steps. I mean, I'm only 30...that's a lot of years to change my mind! Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Christine, how do you feel about IUDs? I mean, it wasn't for ME-- my body expelled one and tried to expel the next until I gave in and took it out-- but I've heard nothing but good of IUDs from most women I talk about this stuff with.
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quote:Originally posted by ketchupqueen: That sounds an awful lot like me.
And we like the same tv shows. And music tastes seem similar, too.
Sure you're not me?
Oh, wait-- you have more kids, and still have time to write. Never mind, you're definitely not me.
And it sounds like you're skinnier.
I have time to write because I steal it. The question is, can I write and still clean the house several times a day, homeschool the kids, work out, and sleep more than 4 hours?
Eh, not really.
And since other people get their stuff published, stuff eerily similar to the stuff I am writing, it's debatable whether there is even a point to me writing, since it already got published, by someone else.
I suppose it would be nice to plan pregnancies. I have no idea what it's like to TTC. I'll just be going along and all of a sudden fall asleep while doing dishes, then wake up puking. (Lovely)
And, not that you asked I have some friends who swear by the IUD.
I imagine I would only swear AT it. With my history of getting pregnant despite BC (usually more than one kind at a time),
I figured it was like the swimming pool risks vs. trampoline risks--that is, one usually gets hurt more often on a trampoline, but one dies more often in a pool.
So, chances might be lower for the IUD failing, but if they did, the consequences would be more severe--instead of just being pregnant, I'd have to be pregnant and fear miscarriage or birth defects.
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I've thought about the IUD, but it's still a hormonal method with hormones similar to those in the pill. They're more localized, so maybe they wouldn't be as bad, but the worst thing about the pill (TMI warning) is that it killed my sex drive and I'm afraid the IUD would do the same. It also made my periods heavier and more painful.
It's not off the table, but then again neither is the third child so... Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
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You're welcome. It's also good for 10 years instead of just 5 like Mirena. And IIRC it's cheaper (if you pay for it out of pocket like I did.)
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It might also depend on what type of pill you were on - many are estrogen + progesterone, while Mirena (and the Shot) are progesterone only.
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Cool (about the copper IUD)! I may have to talk to my doctor about that. I can't take traditional bc pills (because they raise my cholesterol really high) and using NuvaRing led to cervical inflammation (which would show up on my pap smears). For now I'm on the progesterone pills since I'm breastfeeding, but that will change when she weans (which will hopefully not happen until the end of the year).
Now going in a totally different direction - it looks like we'll be making a trip in late July (when she's about 7 months old). What can you all tell me about flying with a baby and traveling with one? I'm kind of overwhelmed by the whole idea at the moment... Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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7 months is a pretty easy time to travel. You aren't breastfeeding as often, but not feeding enough solid foods to make it a real hassle, either. Bring a sling or carrier, quite helpful in the airport. If you bring a stroller just use an umbrella stroller, the big ones are a hassle to get through the x-ray machine. If she's out of the infant carrier by then a travel bag for the convertible is helpful. Do definitely consider buying her her own seat on the plane, it's much safer (and half price.) If not bring the seat anyway and if they have an open seat they'll rearrange things and give you the seat to let you use it. If not, gate-check it. I'll try to think of more...
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Oh, and I flew last year with a three-year-old and a fourteen-month-old, by myself, layovers both ways, and it really wasn't that bad. I think part of it is definitely the kids' personalities-- they're good little travellers, always have been (runs in the family.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Yeah the feeding will be the easy part. To avoid food allergies, we're planning to exclusively breastfeed for at least 8 months (maybe a year, if we can swing it). I'll definitely be bringing her sling. Good point about the stroller. I'll have to see about the seat on the plane for her... it would be great if we can afford it. We'd probably have to buy one for her to have her own, since pretty much every time we've gone, the flights have been packed. Once I know for sure where we'll be staying (hotel, relatives, etc.) I'll be able to obsess about things like where she'll sleep, etc. Out of curiosity, how do you keep their ears from getting plugged during take-off and landing?
I'm reassured that the kid's personalities play a big part - she's normally a very happy, easygoing girl. I'm also glad that we won't have to do a super long flight - we'll be flying from Phoenix to (most likely) Seattle, which iirc is about 3 hours.
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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Or, if it's not a good time for a feeding or you're awkward about feeding (I still haven't gotten it down enough to do it in public), you can give the baby a pacifier or bottle. Anything to make sure she's sucking during take off and landing.
My husband and I took James on the plane when he was just over two months, and he slept most of the way. The worst part was worrying afterward that I had exposed him to so many germs. He didn't get sick, though. *relief*
Posts: 1635 | Registered: Aug 2002
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Actually, 6 weeks is a really easy time for travel. They're small enough to make diaper changes in your lap a cinch, they don't need food packed at all if you're breastfeeding, and they sleep most of the time anyway...
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Plus they're still little enough for the bulkhead-attached bassinet, if you can get a bulkhead row.
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quote:Originally posted by ludosti: Yeah the feeding will be the easy part. To avoid food allergies, we're planning to exclusively breastfeed for at least 8 months (maybe a year, if we can swing it).
That's great! Breastfeeding for as long as you can has so many benefits.
There can be problems with iron-deficiency anemia with exclusive breast- or formula-feeding after 6 months, and your wee one may be highly interested in the foods mom and dad are eating. Starting on safe finger foods seems to be part of normal development, practicing holding and mouthing, etc. -- so I'd encourage you not to hem yourself into a commitment in advance before you see how things are going at 6 months.
But I'm sure you will have regular well-child medical visits through then, and y'all will decide what is best for your baby.
Congratulations, and have a good flight. Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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I'll make sure to have a pacifier (or bottle - lately when I've tried to encourage her to drink water for fever and in preparation for water drinking during the Phoenix summer, she's had no interest at all) and myself handy (I've not had any issues breastfeeding in public, but she's a really fast eater) for take-offs and landing
quote:Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese: There can be problems with iron-deficiency anemia with exclusive breast- or formula-feeding after 6 months, and your wee one may be highly interested in the foods mom and dad are eating. Starting on safe finger foods seems to be part of normal development, practicing holding and mouthing, etc. -- so I'd encourage you not to hem yourself into a commitment in advance before you see how things are going at 6 months.
I know that when we introduce foods will largely depend on her, so I know I need to be flexible. When I talked with her doctor about the food allergy issue (I have a lot of food allergies, which is why I'm concerned about it) last month, he said that the longer we can wait to start introducing her to other foods, the less likely allergies are. I'll ask him about the anemia issue though - I was not aware of it. Do you know if increasing my iron intake would help with that? That reminds me, I should call my allergist and ask what he recommends in terms of the order in which to introduce foods. At his recommendation, I have been avoiding some of the common trigger foods while I'm breastfeeding, but I know there are a whole host of ideas about when to introduce different things to children with a family history of food allergies.
Another silly travel question - if we need to stay in a hotel, do they have anything for her to sleep in or do we need to bring/buy a pack and play type thing?
In fun, happy things, she rolled onto her belly while awake on her own last week (she's been rolling back to sides for months now, but only rolled onto her belly while sleeping at night). She still hates tummy time, but we can at least do it for about 5 minutes before she gets angry. She's also really started to use her signing. I'd been using the sign for "eat" for the couple months, and she's been using it (her version uses both hands) more and more often when she's hungry (yesterday she used it almost every time). I think we're also finally starting to make progress with sleeping at night. Last night she had two 4-hour chunks of sleep! It's been a lot of "2 steps forward, 1 step back", but if she can keep going like she did last night, I'll be very happy. Now I feel like we can start working on the "napping for only 30 mins at a time" issue. And hopefully her little lower teeth will finally pop through - they're really close.
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Not to be a damper, but our pediatrician has said that 6 weeks is the peak of the fussiness/colic cycle (we're at 4 weeks, and he's already being a pain, though YMMV, obviously). That's something to accommodate for, especially on such a long flight (AU -> US), I would think.
quote:Originally posted by ludosti: Do you know if increasing my iron intake would help with that? That reminds me, I should call my allergist and ask what he recommends in terms of the order in which to introduce foods. At his recommendation, I have been avoiding some of the common trigger foods while I'm breastfeeding, but I know there are a whole host of ideas about when to introduce different things to children with a family history of food allergies.
Oh, I'd totally defer to any licensed MDs professionally involved with the care of your family. I just wanted you to be aware of possible concerns in advance so that you could get specific advice in advance.
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((CT)) You are totally awesome! I really appreciate knowing about the anemia issue, since I'd never heard about it. I'll let you know what the various doctors (her ped and my allergist) say so you can add their knowledge and advice to yours. Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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New issue with James: Yesterday he decided it would be fun to roll onto his tummy every time we laid him down. It's funny to watch because he'll be happy for a little while and then cry when he's tired of being on his tummy. It's good because he's getting more tummy time, but he can't seem to figure out how to roll back over onto his back. The problem is, he did the same thing when I put him to bed last night. Every time I went to check on him, he'd be on his tummy. I know it's common for older babies to start sleeping on their tummies, but James isn't even four months old yet. And it worries me because he seems to be kinda stuck there once he rolls over. Is it ok for him to sleep on his tummy? Is there anything I should do to keep him from rolling over when I put him to bed? Should I just focus on trying to help him learn how to roll back over?
Posts: 1635 | Registered: Aug 2002
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ludosti: YMMV, of course, but I have always been told NOT to give the baby water, at all, before 6 months, and then only a small amount; better to breastfeed more if it's hot. I'd talk to your ped about that, for sure.
And I've always found fussiness to be much better by 6 weeks; it's peaked at 3 to 4 for us. But we've never had a colicky baby, either.
As for where to sleep, YMMV there, too. I've found several hotels to have safe and clean cribs available (ranging from free to $12/night), but found several others to have none, an inadequate supply, or the cribs were not safe when I checked them.
We often bring the pack and play, but we are thinking (since we travel so much) of getting a different type of travel bed/crib, especially since Bridey is still in a crib right now. Like the PeaPod. (They're on clearance at albeebaby.com and sale at babycenter.com right now, I haven't checked prices anywhere else...)
hansenj, my peds have always said continue to put baby on his back when he learns to roll over, but don't stress about it. You can use a positioner if you want, but at that point some babies can roll out of it, actually.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Her doctor is the one that told me about the water. Since it gets so hot here, he said that if we spend time outside she should have 4-6 oz. of water in addition to nursing.
We have one of those close and secure sleepers, but I'm not at all sure she'll still fit in it. I'll have to check her in it from time to time to see... Once I know where we'll be, I'll start making phone calls and can figure out what options we'll have for sleeping.
Good luck with the flipping baby, hansen! I'd probably focus on teaching him how to roll over. I've heard that once they can roll themselves over, it's not worth obsessing over *making* them sleep on their backs, but you may want to ask your doctor, since he is so young.
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I called our old pediatrician (don't have one yet here in Oregon), and she said to use a positioner for a month or two since he's so young still. I hope he doesn't roll out of it!
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And I've always found fussiness to be much better by 6 weeks; it's peaked at 3 to 4 for us. But we've never had a colicky baby, either.
* Sees that little-Bok is 4 weeks and 4 days old now (though he was 2 weeks before his due date) *
You give me hope.
EDIT: I don't know if it is colic either. All I know is that 3-4 times a day, he is inconsolable for 30 minutes to an hour (occasionally more) with gas that he can't seem to pass. At night it messes with his feeding/sleep schedule. He'll feed at night for about 5 minutes a side, fall asleep, and then the moment you move him he is crying again.
quote:Originally posted by Bokonon: EDIT: I don't know if it is colic either. All I know is that 3-4 times a day, he is inconsolable for 30 minutes to an hour (occasionally more) with gas that he can't seem to pass. At night it messes with his feeding/sleep schedule. He'll feed at night for about 5 minutes a side, fall asleep, and then the moment you move him he is crying again. Not fun.
We had issues for the first month or 2 like that with Beanie. We found that Mylicon really seemed to help her. We'd give it to her at almost every feeding when she was really having problems. You might want to ask your doctor about it and see what s/he would recommend.
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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quote:Her doctor is the one that told me about the water. Since it gets so hot here, he said that if we spend time outside she should have 4-6 oz. of water in addition to nursing.
posted
Our pediatrician thinks it part of the natural fussiness cycle, and while he mentioned Mylicon, he said that it doesn't usually help. We'll be trying it anyway.
The problem isn't at feedings, it's usually between, and last up to and/or into feedings. Particularly at night, he feeds weakly, falls asleep fast, and isn't easy to wake... Until you put him back in the cradle, and then 5-10 minutes later he is screaming (gas screaming, he isn't giving feeding cues for the most part, he's textbook as far as cues are normally).
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Rivka and KQ - yes, I hope that will be the case (the relative ease). We'll definitely be requesting a bulkhead bassinet.
Bok - let's hope the baby isn't too fussy!
It's a family wedding, and my husband is the best man, so there's not much option about timing unfortunately. We will make sure we get excellent travel insurance in case we can't go though.
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Gripe water is a preparation with ginger, fennel, and other herbal ingredients. It does kind of the same thing as Mylicon-- designed to break up the bubbles, you can also use corn syrup or sugar water to do the same thing-- but the herbal ingredients are designed to soothe the tummy as well. Ask your ped if it's okay, of course, but mine have all been fine with it. Drugstores, Babies R Us, and other stores carry it, or you can get it online; there are several brands, one of which at least is organic. I've never needed to use it, my kids do fine with sugar water (although strangely Mylicon doesn't seem to do much) but I've heard it's a miracle worker for really fussy tummied babies.
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(If you prefer home remedies, my peds have also okayed a home-made infusion of ginger sweetened with sugar to do the same thing.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Just wanted to pop in and say that I had my baby on Saturday!
Celeste Abigail was born at 5:50 p.m. and weighed in at 5 lb 14 oz, 18.75" long. She is perfectly healthy and soooooo tiny. Even the size NB clothes we have for her are almost too big. We actually had to go out and buy premie size diapers.
Things are going pretty smoothly -- she nurses like a pro already. I was more confident the second time around but I think it also has to do with her -- she just opened up wide the very first time and latched beautifully.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
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The water studies listed only go up to 105.8F. Isn't ludosti in Phoenix which goes up to like 120F? Posts: 2223 | Registered: Mar 2008
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Congrats Christine!! I'm so glad she's so healthy and that things are going so smoothly so far!
Thanks for the article kq! I did notice that they didn't test at Phoenix temperatures - for example, it was 109F today and during the summer it is often in the 1teens for weeks on end and doesn't get down much below 100 even at night (how can it be hotter here than in India?!). Since we're rarely out and about when it's hot (I don't want to be out in that anyway), I figure the issue is one that we won't face often. I'd thought it would probably be the best way to introduce her to drinking from a cup as she gets older, so I was glad to see that mentioned in a couple places. It is good to know that I don't *have* to give her water, but is something that I can reserve for special circumstances. Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I have occasionally given water to a child who was no longer EBF-- like taking some cereal, etc.-- no more than a few ounces, and only when out on a really hot day. What I have found is the times I need to give it are times when the baby is so hot that she gets lethargic and falls asleep every time she tries to nurse-- in those circumstances, I give water.
But since I usually start my kids on solids before 6 months, it's not like they're EBF any more, either, which can contribute-- once they start solids they are more prone to need a little extra liquid now and then, I think.
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(Oh, and yes, if I give water or half-strength juice, it is ALWAYS from a cup, not a bottle-- my kids aren't much for bottles anyway.)
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(Oh, and Phoenix is hot for sure, but at least it's a dry heat! So it sears you instead of steaming you! )
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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My baby was not good about breast feeding so when it was really hot, we would give her water (she sweats a lot). One thing that is kinda annoying now though- we would use a straw (put finger on to hold in and then let it drip on her). Since then she has learned to use a straw properly, but she still trys to drink the way we did it before she had figured straws out.
Posts: 2223 | Registered: Mar 2008
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I've wondered about the water thing when we're out and about and my mouth gets dry and sticky enough that I need water. I wonder if I should be giving something to Katababy, too. I don't nurse her until we get home, usually, because she doesn't usually ask. But I think, if I am thirsty and my mouth is dry, what about her??
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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If it's hot enough that I get thirsty and am sweating, or if I notice the baby sweating, I always offer the breast. If she doesn't want it fine, but more often than not when they're sweating the babies seem to appreciate a quick nursing break.
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Congratulations, Christine!! I was just checking in here to see if anyone had any news about your new arrival. Hooray for a healthy baby!
Posts: 834 | Registered: Jun 2005
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Congrats, Christine. My first was just about that size. You'll be amazed in a few months by how huge she has gotten!
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