smile

[drakel]

wow it's been slow on here lately-i love reading the brag threads to see if my LO is up to the same things!
curly, you asked about smiling...he always smiles when he's going to sleep, but he's done that since he was hours old. Just last week, though, he started this huge open mouthed grin when he's awake. At first it was just out of the blue, but as the week progressed, we are more able to prompt him to smile by talking funny to him, making faces, tickling him, etc. The first time he did it, it made tears come to my eyes!! Soooo sweet!
I am also excited this week that my milk is increasing (or seems to be ) increasing in supply-I was worried about not having enough for him as he got older. He was 7 wks yesterday and when he drinks EBM he drinks between 3 and 3.25 ounces. I put him "to breast" from the first AM feeding (around 5 am) until 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and then we do EBM and I pump. Yesterday afternoon I was so excited-I got 8 ounces!! Usually get 4-6 from a double pump session. Unfortunately I'm on an antiobiotic..they say it is safe for my LO but I don't want to store medicated breast milk so any extra that we don't need for the next few feedings I'm dumping....soooo sad!!! Yesterday I dumped like 16 ounces!!!! Hopefully the antibiotic will be out of my system in a few days and I can continue building up my freezer stash again!
Hope everyone's doing good...
Question for you....m LO is very clingy. If I lay him down in the day to sleep he must be WAY into dreamland or he refuses to sleep and gets fussy. I was lucky today that I laid him in his crib and he stayed 30 minutes. When he wakes up if I'm not there he fusses. How can I break this? I love love love holding him, but know after the summer when I go back to teaching the sitter will not hold him all day. Any ideas???

[Curly,]

Hi Drakel,

First off before I forget, I can imagine how sick you must have felt to throw 16oz away I bet you'll be glad when your antibiotics are over with!

In reference to the smiling my LO first smiled 4 days ago - a big open mouth smile that brought tears to my eyes and made my heart jump! And each day he's gotten a little more expressive with them, today he even chuckled!! He only seems to do it during or after a diaper change but I guess it's because he's mostly asleep at other times. Anyway that was a huge relief! I have been in tears though daily this week because I've been worried LO isn't making eye contact with me or DH, so much so that I took him to the PED yesterday. At first she was concerned and writing away in his chart and I just bawled right there with her when she said at 7 weeks he should be looking at us. Then she found out he was born 2 wks, 2days early and she said he's completely fine. She looked at his face and he followed her part of the time and did make eye contact, she said he's 7 weeks old but 5 weeks developmentally so we shouldn't worry and that's right where he needs to be. WHAT A RELIEF THAT WAS! I think she thinks I'm a little paranoid as she told me to enjoy him, he'll only be this small once and before I know it he'll be walking and talking.

I'm glad your milk has come in, isn't it amazing how excited we can get when we can pump off huge amounts? I always get a kick out of how much I can pump too. I've stopped for right now just to give myself a break as my stash is pretty good. 2 wks before I start work I'll start up again a few times a day.

I am so glad you bring up clinginess, Gabe is really fussy and I don't know what to do!!! It's driving me mental, and I don't think it's colic. The only thing that soothes him is his pacifier but he drops it every 4 seconds and I can't get anything done, I'm just sitting with him putting it back over and over. And then even with it in his mouth half the time he's fussing and screaming. I think it must just be their age and how young they are?? He gets fussy in the am, about 9 - 10 and again in evening (much worse) at about 5:30 - 7pm. Can you maybe try putting your LO in a bassinet sloe to you so when he wakes up he knows you're close by? I wish I could help you here but I'm having major sleep issues in the night that I need help with!


DH and I are so stuck onthe sleep thing - we need major help!!!!! We've read Baby 411 and it's a great book by the way. In reference to sleep it says when baby is 0 - 2 months that anything goes so if baby can/wants to sleep with parents or in car seat or wherever safe he/she can. Then it says you need to aim to have baby sleep confidently by himself by 4 months. So how do I go about that if the Ferber CIO method isn't to be done until 5/6 months???? When should I start doing this? He's 7 weeks now. LO is very stubborn and doesn't like his cradle (in our room), or even our bed. His main method of sleep these days is his bouncy chair or sleeping on us (on our chest). The sleeping on us is getting old as he weighs 9Ib and is heavy! He likes his head to be right up where our neck is so we can hardly breathe. When we pull him down he scooches back up He's such a character!!!

We've tried a few things that help other people but they don't work. Burtneysmom I tried your suggestion as another friend of mine told me about it and it didn't help us He hates to be swaddled, white noise and music doesn't work, his $200 swing irritates him for longer than 10 minutes, and if he's dead asleep (after falling asleep on us or in his seat) and we put him in the cradle he wakes up within minutes and starts crying. We try rocking the cradle, singing to him, but it all just doesn't help. The only thing that stops him crying is if I put him on my chest and let him suck on my finger or pacifier until he's asleep.

We're wondering do we a) just let him do what he wants, sleep wherever he wants and then start Ferber at 6 months? Or b) begin using another sleep intervention method that is suitable for a newborn?

Do you have any ideas?? I think I'll also post this on the general board too.

Thanks and sorry this is so long

[Jrmedic]

My girls are starting to smile this week also. They are 11 weeks old. It was such a great sight to see them do this. As for sleep they are finally sleeping for the most part through the night. Madison sleeps in a moses basket and Emerson sleeps in the crib. I have a MP3 baby player on the crib and I turn that on and they look at the lights and off to sleep they go. I know there are some times where I will let them cry (have to with twins because you can't always tend to both at the same time) and Emmy is my big cryer and I will sometimes let her cry herself to sleep. But only after changing her, feeding her, giving meds if it is time for them.

I am finding with Madison if she gets a bath she will sleep better, maybe try that.

[Curly,]

I'll try the chiropracter then, hopefully that wll help. I've spoken to my PED and both times she said let him cry She said it's best to teach him how to self sooth now rather than later. No point arguing with her, she obviously doesn't think he's too young but he is!!!!