*Baby Corner*

[Staashi 371]

Staashi-I agree, bfing is awesome (though quite challenging at times). So far so good, as I've been doing it for 2 months or so (since my baby was born). If you don't mind me asking, why is it that you couldn't bf before? Sorry that it didn't work out for you, but nevertheless, if you did try, that's good anyways. Yeah, I agree about covering up too, as over-exposure anywhere is not very comfortable for everyone. Lol..funny story about the woman bfing at mass...Lol..at least one can say that her milk is "blessed" (just kidding)...Hmm..wonder if someone should have pointed that out to her, about being somewhat over-exposed? Good luck and all the best to you and your little ones too!

Breastfeeding is awesome if you can do it. (You all know my situation) The only time I can't stand seeing a bfing mommy (who doesn't cover) is during Mass - just my own pet peeve. That's the moment when I just shutdown right there.

I am a diabetic with hypothyroidism - two conditions that make it extremely difficult to breastfeed - actually, it's more about producing milk. One's body just won't give it up that easily. I pumped religiously every 2-3 hours and would only get about an ounce or two and that was from both breasts together. It was ridiculous. Plus, my son spent 5 days in the NICU and he had absolutely no interest in latching on to me. It was a very tough situation all around.

[tnh9479 1]

We are on the verge of having a crawler! It has taken them some time, but Zak is up on all fours and going backwards. Once he figures out forwards, we are in trouble. I know Hana will pick it up soon if she sees how easy it is for brother.

We go for the 9 month wellcheck in about two weeks. Hana and Zak were both around 16 pounds (Hana 2 oz under and Zak 4 oz above) at 6 months. Zak has put on some weight since then, so it will be interesting to see where he is now. They both were also 28.25 in then. (Nessa - they grew 10 inches in 6 months! I have had a hard time keeping them in clothes that fit.) I am sure they are both around 30 in + now. Hicham and I are both around 5'9" and my grandfather and two uncles are over 6 ft. So...tall genes run in the families.

@Jenn - You are doing awesome! I can't believe you have made it this far. You are in the final countdown. I know how exciting that is. I can't wait to see pics.

As for the c-section scar, a lot of that has to do with how your body naturally heals. I am not a good case in point because I got an infection in the incision and spent 2.5 months in wound care. So...my scar is a little weird. I wish you the best, though!

Twila

[Anna C. 4]

@ Vi: We will do Kindermusik and Music Together. When he's over 2, we will do once or maybe twice a week Montessori preschool. Otherwise, we have BBQs and meetings all the time from the military, plenty of other kids and so far, Jona has played with lots of little runny noses and coughers and hasn't caught anything. I guess preschool will be the place to catch stuff then.

[Eveline 9]

Anna: I envy you for your immune system. I don't know what to do with my kids anymore. I feed them fruits and veggies galore, we eat healthy, unprocessed foods and still my kids are sick ALL THE TIME..It is so annoying. Their noses are always runny and they have a cough that never seems to stop unless it's summer or winter break from school. I hope this stops soon but I doubt it. It's been like that since september LAST year when Adam started with school.

[Eveline 9]

Adam has hit the "mine mine mine' stage...anybody else on board? It is SO annoying. I can do crying, I can do whining but I can't do those two with the constant 'mine mine mine' OMG...he is driving me nuts with that. Allie can play with a blade of grass or a handful of dirt and Adam will come running and rip it out of her hand. I cannot wait for Allie to hit that 'milestone' (if you wanna call it that) next year...ahhhh. I know that he needs to learn about possessing first before he can share and I know that it is only a phase in finding out who he is and where he belongs in this world but I hope he'll figure it out soon because otherwise he'll be driving his mother bonkers. My husband doesn't know how to handle the situation either and it frustrates me that he gets mean with Adam, making fun of him and kinda bullying him about it. I told him it was just a phase and I read him some Dr. SEars on that matte yesterday so I'm hoping for improvement gg. I can't stand when he goes "Adam..give that back to Allie..she's just a baby, she doesn't know yet"...argh After all, Adam is only 2 and he doesn't know it any better either. I talked to Eric about that matter and he was very understanding. I told him that it will probably work out better if Adam can play with his toys and when Allie takes them FROM Adam (out of his hand or from wherever he 's playing) then she should give it back to Adam because he was actually actively playing with something. I have a feeling that this will work best for both instead of expecting Adam to be the 'older and wiser' one and share or push him into sharing while he doesn't understand.

Do you know what I mean? Is anybody else dealing with this? Chrissy??? How is that going with Dylan and Molly, are you at that point yet?

Edited September 28, 2009 by Eveline

[Nessa 23]

@vi: i'm not an outdoor person and i know plenty of moms, but i'm not friends with any. no gym, and now it's too late cuz he'll start crawling soon and he'll want be crawling around, not in a gym.

[antda 13]

Hi VJ Mommies,

Eveline-You're right in saying that I have to transport my baby in some way or other. So I hope that they understand that I need the stroller to get inside the USCIS building. Either that, or I use the carseat, or I carry him in my arms (lol...though I don't think carrying my baby for several city blocks in the cold weather is a good idea.). Hmm...haven't thought about a sling, and I don't have such..I'll have to look into that the next time I go shopping for baby stuff (maybe after my bio appt.)...Likewise, my baby likes sleeping in the car too (though not as long as 5 hrs like yours). I think it's the moving/rocking motion that calms them. Lucky that your baby can sleep for most of the night now that she is older. Lol...mine is still keeping me up at night for several feedings. Nevertheless, babies sure do grow quickly, like you said. And before you know it, they will be children and then adults. Meanwhile, enjoy nursing you baby while she is young enough to do such....

@ant: I wouldn't worry about the stroller. You have to transport your baby in some way right? A baby carrier (sling, MeiTai, Ergo etc) would be good but then again, you might not want baby on your the whole time.

As for the sleeping. She slept 5hrs in the car...it was moving. Now she's almost 14 months old and still wakes up about 2 or 3 times at night to nurse. I don't know if i'm just used to it but it doesn't bother me at all anymore to get up at night, comfort a toddler (oh my...I don't have a baby anymore, they're both toddlers now..bohoooo) and go back to bed to sleep. I guess only one part of my brain is working then hehe.

Staashi-Sorry to hear about your medical conditions and how it affects bfing. Despite that, I'm glad that you at least tried and didn't give up at first there. And wow, you were determined to pump it out for such a long time (lol..I remember when I was in the hospital and the milk hadn't come in yet...pumped for that long too...almost gave up there...)! Sorry too, that your son spent days in the NICU and didnt want to latch. Nevertheless, despite the challenges you had before with him, glad that it worked out well for you and your son in the end, and that he is happy and healthy now...

I am a diabetic with hypothyroidism - two conditions that make it extremely difficult to breastfeed - actually, it's more about producing milk. One's body just won't give it up that easily. I pumped religiously every 2-3 hours and would only get about an ounce or two and that was from both breasts together. It was ridiculous. Plus, my son spent 5 days in the NICU and he had absolutely no interest in latching on to me. It was a very tough situation all around.

Ant

[antda 13]

JvKn'CVO'-Likewise, I had a c-section with the same type of incistion too (it was an unplanned last-minute emergency c-section...). I had a scar too (but it was closed with staples...had to get those removed after...ouchie...), and I didn't use anything for covering that scar up. In fact, the scar is barely even noticable at all, and the dr. even said to me "if it is noticable, then you're wearing your clothes too low"...lol... So I just let that scar be...kind of a reminder of the childbirth experience, I suppose...

Actually what bothered me more so what the pain and the recovery from the c-section....which took about 6 weeks or so for recovering from that...

Lol..and now that I'm recovered...I have pain from dealing with the USCIS again...lol..Life is never pain-free, isn't it?

Nevertheless, whatever you use, I hope it works for you. In the meantime, don't wear your clothes too low, and stay away from bikinis..lol...

For the mommies that had a csection:

*Did you use anything to minimize the scar (mederma, bio oil, sylicone strips, etc). If so, what?

*What was the result?

*How soon after the procedure did you start treatment, and for how long did you use the product?

I'm trying to figure out what to use on my scar. I have a low transverse (bikini) incision, closed with stitches. I know I will have a scar, I just hope to make it as least noticeable as possible

Saludos,

Caro

On another somewhat related note: Anyone else have any suggestions as to how to remove stretch marks?....

Ant

[Anna C. 4]

@ Evi: Dh never or barely gets sick. I wasn't sick as a child apart from minor colds (lasting like 2 days) and mumps... So I guess he inherited those traits.

The only time I have seen DH sick is when we caught Noro virus in Munich and last year when he had to get Flumist from the military. This year, we are smarter and he is getting a regular flu shot at Safeway instead of Flumist on base. On base they refuse to give him the shot, so we have to pay out of pocket. They got really mean about it and claim it is not contagious, even though the package insert states it. Heck, it is a live vaccine! It's pretty relentless as guys who have newborns at home had to take it too and were not offered the safer alternative. I actually know of a family who contracted the flu from the husband getting the mist.

Cannot wait to get out of the military, we are so annoyed dealing with uneducated health "professionals" who don't even know their drugs!!! Sorry for the rant, but that was really annoying. It is not the first time they lied to us and covered up alternatives or outright lied actually.

Edited September 28, 2009 by Anna C.

[chnst 6]

Anna: I'm pretty sure the flu shots are inactivated= killed virus and that you cannot get the flu from them. The flu mist may be live I don't know much about that though. I wonder why he had to get the flu mist instead of the regular vaccine.

@Ant: about stretchmarks: I have 2 really ugly ones where my belly button piercing used to be (shame shame), so far nothing has helped, the skin will not go back to normal because it is an elasticity problem. However, you can pretty much make them "vanish" by tanning. I spent a lot of time by the pool this summer and even with sunscreen got a nice tan and they faded a little.

about bf: hopeless case with my in-laws, they say you should stop when the baby is teething (that's what I used to think too, but then I realized it wasn't a big problem). It is very hard when the environment is unsupportive, but I don't really care much. It only drives me crazy when she tells me that all her friends and her doctor think that Ben is getting constipated because I breastfeed. I can't believe she would even discuss that with her doctor and friends. oh well. I tried to tell them about the benefits but they are just very old-fashioned. I tried to tell them that the longer you bf the smaller the risk of getting breast/ovarian cancer, all that stuff, but it's almost like with politics, its something you don't discuss.

@Vi: do you go to Gymboree classes in NYC? I am thinking about signing Ben up, he loves music and singing and dancing.

[Anna C. 4]

Nope, FluMist intranasal spray is a life virus. See link below. All the shots are dead, but not the Flumist which is used by the military exclusively.

FluMist® Influenza Vaccine Live, Intranasal

Intranasal Spray

2009-2010 Formula

http://www.medimmune.com/pdf/products/flumist_pi.pdf

[Eveline 9]

Yeah, I second the flumist in the military. They only give them the mist unless they have some sort of disease but I guess they'd be retired then anyways. DH got the flumist when Adam was still little. Fortunately, I didn't know anything about shedding. I guess "ignorance is bliss' and makes you sleep better at night. I'm glad I didn't know about the shedding cause otherwise I would have gone crazy, wondering who's the first one of us to get sick. No side effects though.

[Nessa 23]

@caro i didn't use anything. it'll be under the bikini so i don't care.

[Vi Mazzella 4]

Sofia is watching baby Einstein - Baby's first sounds- and she is in love with it, we tried it about a month ago and she wasn't into it, but now she is talking to the tv and laughing,she looks so cute.

Chnst@ I haven't tried Gymboree yet but I tried Little Maestros, so cool, they play music with a live band, lots of mommies and babies, bubbles, puppets. About you in law's and the bf you should print something from the internet and handle it to them to read. Sofia has to teeth already and to be honest doesn't bother me at all. She have never been sick, no running noses, no constipation no nothing a real blessing, I don't want to jinx it.

Caro@ My IL'S are so annoying, I have so many stories about them I can write a book!

[JVKn'CVO 11]

Thanks for the responses about csection scar

Saludos,

Caro