0-2 Months: A's Milestones

First Two Months

• An incredibly sweet baby girl who is super easy.

2 Months

• Smiling lots.
• Very easy going.
• Enjoys the bouncer and laying under the gym.
• Never had clogged eye ducts.  Tears are precious and hearbreaking.
• Doesn't cry more than 5 minutes normally when laid down for sleep.
• Started rolling from tummy to back at the beginning of two months.

Practical Baby Stuff: Growth Spurts & Teething

GROWTH SPURTS

• Week 4 & 6: crazy eating all the time, up a lot throughout the night, get nothing done, completely exhausted and feel like going insane
• Also can happen around 3, 6 and 9 months
• Baby Growth Spurts article that was super helpful

TEETHING

• Baby will likely be miserable: unusually fussy and irritable, not sleeping as well, feverish, drooling a lot, loss of appetite (normally due to saliva in the stomach)
• Use baby acetaminophen (especially for naps and bed time)
• Banana smoothies can help as well as bread and crackers
• Frozen teething rings and little ice cubes when baby is old enough are also helpful
• Pump if doesn't seem to be nursing as much to keep supply up
• Make sure baby stays hydrated
• Helpful link about What to Expect regarding teething (especially this diagram)

Practical Baby Stuff: Diaper Rash & Diarrhea

DIAPER RASH

• Don't use baby wipes to clean as the bacteria in them can irritate the skin more.
• Rinse baby's bottom with water and pat dry.  If poopy use a little bit of mild soap to clean it off.  Can use a peri bottle to rinse bottom off.  
• Pat dry and let air dry completely.  A few times had Baby C crawl around for a few minutes on a towel on the wood floor to help with air drying.
• Use aquaphor or coconut oil to protect the skin and help it heal.  
• Note: The coconut oil draws out any bacteria in the skin so it will initially look worse but after a day it should be significantly better.
• Letting baby sit in a warm bath with a couple tablespoons of baking soda.  Do this 3x/day for 10 minutes each time. 

DIARRHEA

• Keep baby hydrated!  
• Liquids with electrolytes (like pediasure, advocare's rehydrate or diluted gatorade) can help with rehydrating.  If doesn't like flavor try mixing with applesauce, freezing into little popsicles (use ice cube tray with little sticks)/  Baby C only liked the rehydrate and frozen little ice cubes.
• Try giving fluids (breastmilk, formula, water when able) every 20-30 minutes to get a few sips in to help keep hydrated.  If baby is refusing liquids can try a large syringe, sippy cups, soft straw out of a cup, try a drink in the tub as a fun alternative.
• If eating solids use foods that tend to bind: bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, crackers, starchy foods and yogurt (must contain live or active cultures, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum)

Practical Baby Stuff: Car Seat Safety

• Installing Your Car Seat
• Fitting baby into seat section is especially important!

Source

• 11 DEADLY mistakes you didn't know you were making!
• 8 more DEADLY Car Seat Mistakes
• Car Seat Sticker (maybe include picture?)

Practical Baby Stuff: Initial Supplies & Baby Care

TAKING CARE OF BABY

• Baby Acne: Breast milk can help.  Have to wait it out.  Make sure baby doesn't get overheated.
• Bathing: Sponge bathe until umbilical cord falls off.  Use elbow to test temperature of water.  Bathe every 2-3 days.  Don't forget to scrub behind ears.
• Checking temperature: Place thermometer under baby's armpit.
• Clogged tear ducts: Use breast milk on baby's eyes when they're all gunky and gross.
• Cradle Cap: Daily scrub baby's head with warm water to keep it at bay.  Can also massage coconut oil afterwards into scalp and then comb baby's head.
• Don't Forget Socks
• First Aid: Baby Acetaminophen (Fever Reducer), Anti-Gas Medicine, Nose Drops, Nasal Aspirator, Aquaphor and/or Coconut Oil for diaper rash.  Coconut oil draws the bacteria to the surface so it will initially look worse.
• Jaundice: Get baby in sunlight to help with it.
• Stuffy Nose: Use Nosefrida carefully.  Use nose drops first.
• Swaddling: Used to comfort and soothe baby.  
• Time in Sun: Have baby out in sun 15 minutes per week for some Vitamin D.  Use the ergo once baby's neck is strong enough to hold up.
• Trimming nails: Use scissor nail clippers.

CRYING CHECKS

• Dirty diaper
• Hair wrapped around finger cutting off circulation
• Hungry
• Over tiredness
• Upset tummy (Is it rock hard from gas? Do baby tummy massage.   Does she need to be burped?)

DIAPER BAG

• Aquaphor
• Changing pad
• Couple of burp cloths
• Diapers
• Diaper bag dispenser
• Extra change of clothes for baby (don't forget socks)
• Hand sanitizer
• Nursing cover
• Plastic or waterproof bag to hold dirty diapers
• Swaddle Blanket (especially important for doctor appointments because the rooms are cold)
• Wipes

First Year Activities

BABY ACTIVITIES

• Reading Books: Start once baby starts seeing better (around five weeks) to encourage love of reading, creativity and learning.

• Nap in Pack-N-Play: Start doing once/day around two months so baby is used to it when have to use the pack-n-play at someone else's house for naps.

• Bouncer: Use shortly after baby born to prop baby up to allow simple and safe entertainment.  Great to use while making dinner.  When outgrows bouncer switch solely to the bumbo.

• Bumbo: Around three months start trying to use. Especially use when making dinner.  Encourages neck muscles to be strengthened and is useful for baby to be accustomed to not always being entertained.

• Tummy Time: Do this shortly after baby born starting with 5-10 minute increments and then increasing the time to help baby learn to hold head up and look around.

• Play Time: Under gym in pack-n-play once baby starts seeing better start with 5-10 minutes and increase time from there.  Once baby is moving around can use a small amount of toys instead of the gym.  Do this to train baby to play by herself and encourage creativity and contentment.  Baby C at ten months was capable of playing for 30-60 minutes.  

• Time Outside: 15 minutes per week for some Vitamin D.  Use the ergo once baby's neck is strong enough to hold up.  Use stroller once baby can sit up.

Tips

• Rotate books and toys every 4-6 weeks to minimize clutter.  Put reminder in calendar.  
• Toys are overrated :)
• Practicing napping in the pack-n-play is great to do at grandmama's house.

Resources

• Creative Family Times: Practical Activities for Building Character (compliments of my mom)

0-2 Months: Sleeping & Feeding

SLEEPING

• Only keep up 45 minutes to an hour from start of feeding time at the beginning.  
• Wait until baby has surpassed birth weight before letting her go as long as the can through the night. 
• Baby shouldn't sleep more than 5 hours during the night before 6 weeks old.
• 1st & 2nd Night = basically no sleep.
• Don't rush in as soon as she cries. When she wakes up she might not be hungry just rested.
• A good time to wake baby up is during the lighter sleep when her eyes are moving.
• Watch for cues of being tired: fussing, screaming (overtired), yawning, rubbing eyes, etc.
• Crying it out is hard.  Leave monitor on without sound and go in office so don't hear her crying.  Saw the time decrease even after just a couple days.  Started crying it out just for naps once past the six week growth spurt.  Only do the when confident that baby has been fed, burped and changed.
• Down to crying less than 10 minutes for each nap time. 
• C started sleeping through the night around 6 weeks.

FEEDING

• Don't let go more than 2.5-3 hours from feeding to feeding during the day.
• If baby wakes up earlier than the 2.5 hour mark and is hungry then feed the baby.
• Make sure burp after and between feedings.
• Last feeding would wake up for was around 11pm.  
• Put to bed earlier (around 8 weeks) with A.
• Around 4-6 weeks introduce bottle.
• Microwave water until boiling to put bottle into to defrost breast milk.  

Reflections

• If you establish good sleeping habits during the day the night time falls into place.
• Goal is to establish pattern of: Feed Time, Wake Time, Sleep Time
• It is normal for babies to cry (especially during 4-7pm they tend to be more fussy).
• You are doing your best to help baby adjust to a 12 hour time change since in the womb babies are most active and awake during the middle of the night :)

Round 2

• Did feeding times for A more like every 3-3.5 hours due to having to take care of C.
• A started sleeping 8-10 hour stretches during the night right before 3 months.

Resources

• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
• On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the GIFT of Nighttime Sleep
• Mom & Pediatrician

First Six Weeks: Mommy Reflections

DYING TO SELF. His mercies are new every morning. 

Exhausting!  Survival Mode.  IT GETS EASIER.

FIRST SIX WEEKS

Mommy Life

Round 1

• Submit to Geoffrey and do what is best for our family.  Everyone will have different opinions on how to care for your baby.  Make decisions WITH Geoffrey not on my own and not with my mom.  
• Favorite Article: To Moms of One or Two Children.  
• Miss husband even though see him everyday.
• It is hard to remember to eat.  Eat when you can.
• Showering is one of the biggest accomplishments.
• Everything is new and scary: breastfeeding in public, getting comfortable with a nursing cover, taking the baby to the store with your husband, being scared out of your mind to go shopping with just you and the baby, going to church, going to small group, etc.  Take baby to store right after feeding time, movement of cart can help lull her to sleep.
• Take prenatal vitamin daily.  Passes vitamins to baby through breast milk.
• Make sure spend some time in the sun some for Vitamin D.

Round 2

• Significantly less stressful because I felt like I knew what I was doing.
• Had A sleep in the bassinet by my bed until six weeks because she started being able to rotate and would get stuck angled weird in it at six weeks.
• C ended up sleeping through A crying during the night just fine.
• Put A down within 45 minutes to 1 hour after waking.
• Stay away from broccoli and spicy foods!

General Thoughts

Round 1

• Have a lot of frozen meals prepared beforehand. Meals during growth spurts (approximately week 4 & 6) is especially helpful.
• Fly through diapers and wipes. 
• Went through over 100 diapers/week during first six weeks.  
• Start using cloth diapers with the next one as soon as meconium poop is gone.  
• Luvs diapers seem to be best bang for your buck. 
• Pull gussets out!
• After six weeks the baby's nervous system will be more developed and calm down.  
• Rubbing head upsets baby.

Round 2

• Make tons of freezer meals.
• Stock up on cleaning supplies and toiletries so don't have to go out for awhile.
• Ask for help!
• Guard baby's need for sleep.

0-2 Months: C's Milestones

First Two Months

• A cute little bundle of joy that sleeps and eats.

2 Months

• 8 Weeks: Smiling in response to mommy
• 9 Weeks: Hitting at hanging pieces on bouncer and kicking in it
• 10 weeks: Actual Tears
• 12 weeks: Down to crying less than 10 minutes for each nap time

Breastfeeding: Troubleshooting

Increasing Supply

• GET ENOUGH SLEEP
• STAY HYDRATED
• Fenugreek (take slowly because don't want oversupply which can lead to clogged milk ducts)
• Be cautious with exercising. Exercising can make you more tired which can affect supply. Running especially can cause problems because it can cause milk to be frothy making it hard on baby's tummy and harder for baby to get enough milk.
• Seek to relax. Stress is not helpful.

 Round Two

• Oatmeal: 1 cup steel oats to 4 cups water or milk
• Recipe: Bring two cups milk and six cups water to a boil.  Watch it closely so it doesn't boil over.  Reduce to medium and add two cups steel oats, two apples (peeled and diced) and a carrot (shredded using a grater).  Stir frequently until the liquid is absorbed (normally takes 20-30 minutes).  Once done add two teaspoons vanilla, almonds and any other fruit that sounds good (strawberries are specially good).

Sore Nipples

• Use lanolin!  Especially the first month.
• Express a little breast milk to rub over nipples at the completion of each nursing session then allow to air dry for a few minutes.
• Make sure you are changing out your nursing pads frequently enough to breasts dry.

Engorgement

• Hot showers and/or warm compresses on boobs. 
• Use hand to express a little milk to relieve some of the pressure.  How to Hand Express Breastmilk: Has diagram and written out description with link to video.
• Don't pump because it will increase milk supply.
• Watch out for clogged ducts!
• Round Two: Way less of a problem than round one.

Clogged Ducts

• If boobs are achy and are past the initial engorgement a clogged duct could be starting.  Use a hot compress on it and massage tender area with fingers to try to push it down towards nipple.
• If feel knot/marble can do as already mentioned or try putting an ice pack on it to freeze and crack the knots.
• Pumping can be helpful to try to pull it out but be careful not to pump too much extra or it will encourage milk supply increase which will in turn exasperate the problem.
• ONLY THING THAT WORKED: If can handle the pain the strength of the baby sucking to nurse is the most effective way to pull the clog out.  Lay baby on back with face up to nurse.  Get on hands and knees straddling on top of the baby and then have baby nurse from clogged boob (gravity helps).  Super painful and you feel like an idiot but it works!

Breastfeeding: Nursing Supplies

Boppy

• Don't Buy Used
• Barely used for nursing in both round one and two.
• Per lactation consultant: the bigger chested you are the more useful it is to help prop the baby.

Breastmilk Storage Bags

• Best Deal I've Found

Burp Cloths

• Can't ever have too many :)
• Prefold cotton cloth diapers seem to work best.
• Tutorial 1 on how to make prefolds into pretty burp cloths.
• Tutorial 2 that is supposed to be best for babies with acid reflux.

Nursing Bras/Camis

• No underwire!  Underwire can encourage infection and clogs.
• Removable foam cups for lining and modesty are helpful.
• Have a minimum of two bras for the day.
• Night time bras are ok once supply figures itself out.
• Best Nursing Bra Ever :)
• DIY Nursing Cami  Liked but ends up being lower cut than I would like so can't really wear as undershirt.  Great to keep rest of me covered when out nursing.  Use camis that don't have shelf lining.

Nursing Cover

• DIY Instructions
• Super important to have the stiff neckline!
• Consider making one out of the muslin swaddle blankets to make it more breathable.

Nursing Pads

• Went through super quickly!
• Really liked these!
• If don't change out fast enough they'll start to smell bad and the smell passes onto nursing bra.
• Make sure you change out the trash frequently because rotting milk smells horrendous.
• Make cloth nursing pads next round with baby once milk supply settles in... 1) DIY Contoured Nursing Pads  2) Second Tutorial  3) Third Tutorial

Tracking All Things Nursing Related

• Baby Feeding Log App  Available to time each feeding, keep track of what side nursing on, bowel movements and sleep times.  Personally found it to be overwhelming so would just do ten seconds for breastfeeding on time so it would remind me when to next nurse at the three hour mark.
• Round Two: Used this for the first six weeks or so because you can set a timer.  Next round will probably just use my timer on my phone because the app timer silences pretty quickly.
• Used to keep track of bowel movements only and made sure diapers were regularly wet.
• Bowel movements are especially important because they prove the baby is receiving nutrients.
• Also used to keep track of baths and had reminder go off every two days but needed to bathe every three days at latest.
• LactMed App to use as a reference next baby.  Allows you to look up drug and see possible side effects with breastfeeding.
• Cute ways to remember which side you last nursed on: Mammary Minders or DIY Ribbon Reminder
• Never ended up making and using.

Breastfeeding: The Basics

ANY PROBLEMS GET A LACTATION CONSULTANT!

• Breastfeeding initially hurts, is exhausting, exasperating and rewarding.
• Nurse one side per feeding to bring in the richer milk.
• You need way more nursing pads than you ever would have thought.
• Make sure to burp between and after feedings.  Initially took 1/2 hour for Baby C to burp.
• Felt completely parched every time Baby C latched.
• Nursing Checklist: 1-2 burp cloths, water bottle, and pillow/boppy
• Skin to skin with nursing is great.
• Do your best to be rested and hydrated.

LATCHING

Tickle side of baby's mouth to encourage the baby to open it wide.  If baby latches onto tip of nipple break the latch immediately!  It will hurt like crazy.  Have baby come towards nipple from below nipple, angled up and want it to basically swallow the entire nipple.  Support breast with one hand to help scoop it upwards to angle nipple up so baby can open and swallow coming down onto it.

• Latching Diagram 1
• Latching Diagram 2
• Latching Diagram 3

Breaking the Latch

DON'T pull the baby away without breaking latch using your finger.  Insert finger into the side of baby's mouth and slide up and down to break the latch before removing baby.  Do a sort of hooking motion with finger to break the latch.

• Break the Latch Diagram

POSITIONS

• Positions Diagram

NURSING RESOURCES

• The Nursing Mother's Companion
• Baby at Your Breast: The Basics
• Breast Feeding Support Groups are available at most of the hospitals (under Events & Classes)

HOW TO STORE BREASTMILK

• Most Helpful Link