Forget Swaddling, Try a Sleeper

The first few weeks after my newborn came home, I would swaddle him, which, btw, is one way to help soothe a baby. Swaddling was going well until one day when he started kicking out of his blanket. Shortly after that, out came the sleeper sack his brother had used. At Christmas time Kmart had a good deal on the blanket sleepers with feet. Unfortunately, the smallest size they had was 2T. I picked one up anyways to have on hand for when he grew into it. A few weeks ago I decided to put it on him. What a good idea! The blanket sleeper with feet is big, so he has lots of room. I just roll up the sleeves. It's soft, warm and zips up, so I don't have to worry about him kicking out of it like a swaddle. With a risk of SIDS for babies under a year old, the blanket sleeper is also much safer than a blanket. A blanket sleeper with feet also makes it easier to strap him into his carseat, swing, or leap frog learning seat.
If your baby keeps kicking out of his swaddled blanket, I highly recommend trying a blanket sleeper.

Nebulizer

Last Thursday my newborn, who's almost 3 months old already, caught a cold. Stuffy nose, chest congestion, cough, lots of mucus, wheezing. Was hoping the humidifier, saline drops in the nose and Vicks BabyRub would help, but his congestion just kept getting worse, so I took him to the doctor today who gave a prescription for a nebulizer. I've never used one before, but it's a machine you add a presciption liquid medication to and it blows a fine mist/vapor out a tube which you hold over the baby's mouth and nose to help loosen the mucus. Nebulizers are also used for asthmatics. If you have a baby with congestion it's definitely a good idea to take them straight to the doctor. Apparently his chances of developing asthma are now increased due to his wheezing. Not significantly though since there is no family history of asthma. Still a chance though.
Just glad it's not RSV. RSV affects the lower respiratory system. According to Baby 411, wheezing is not usually a sign of a lower respiratory infection. A good RSV indicator is if the baby sucks in his rib cage and flares his nostrils when he breathes as if he is air hungry. RSV can be extremely serious so, if you suspect your baby may have it, call the doctor right away.
BTW, if you have a baby, reading Baby 411 is a must. It has info on just about every baby topic you can think of. It is also written by pediatricians.
They also have a Toddler 411 book which is just as good.

Child Cold and Congestion

My 3 year old got sick over the weekend. He woke up Saturday morning with a really mucousy cough. By the end of the day he had a fever and runny nose. He's had a flu shot so I'm assuming it's the cold his father had a few weeks ago. If he's not better in the next day or two, I'm going to take him to the doctor just to be safe.
To treat the fever, I'm giving him Motrin Children's Pain Reliever/Fever Reducer for Ages 2 to 11 when he gets up in the morning and before bedtime. I'm giving him Tylenol Children's Pain Reliever/fever Reducer, for Ages 2 to 11, Stage 2 before his morning snack and before his afternoon snack.
For his cold symptoms, I'm giving him Hyland's Sniffles & Sneezes 4 Kids tablets before breakfast, before lunch and before dinner. I'm not real sure yet if these are helping him much, but they have received good reviews and are supposed to cut the duration of a cold in half. Hyland's Teething Tablets work great for teething, so I guess these are worth a try. They are very small tablets. You take 2 every 15 minutes until symptoms are relieved and then 2 every 4 hours. At first I just gave him 2 and then 2 more an hour later and then 2 every 4 hours. 2 every 15 minutes seems like a lot. They are homeopathic tablets, so no ibuprofen, no acetaminophen and not allergy causing.
I also turn his humidifier up on high and rub Vicks Vaporub Ointment on his chest, back and feet and then put socks on him. According to this site, Chester's Home Remedies, putting Vicks on his feet and then socks will help with his cough.
When sick, it's important to keep hydrated, so lots of fluid. Pudding, smoothies, popsicles and making jello with double the amount of water are also good.
Here's the smoothie I made him. It was delicious:

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 tbs honey
squirt of lemon juice
scoop of vanilla ice cream
1 banana
handful frozen peaches
handful frozen strawberries
handful crushed ice

I'm also giving him a little pickled garlic, orange juice, and apple juice with a squirt of lemon juice and honey, spoonfuls of honey several times a day. Honey is a good home remedy for coughs.
Here's a good link on the common cold. Apparently a cold can be contagious for up to 3 weeks. Yikes!



Order Hylands Sniffles n Sneezes Tablets for kids, 125 Quick-Dissolving Tablets

Breastpumping information and tips

One topic new moms always have questions about is breastfeeding and pumping. I strictly pump for my newborn and also did so with my 3 year old who was a preemie, so I thought I would give some info & tips on how I do it.

First, you need a good pump. I use the backpack version of the Medela Advanced Pump in Style breastpump. I bought mine from BestBuyBaby.com for $225.00. Great pump. Shelling out a couple hundred for a good pump, in the end, is much cheaper than the few thousand you would spend on formula; and remember, breastmilk is a thousand times better for your baby than formula.

Next, you need to set up a schedule. It's very important you stick to the schedule and pump at approximately the same time every day. You should pump every 3 to 4 hours for at least 15 to 20 minutes. I pump about 25 to 30 minutes each time, except for the first pump of the day. That's closer to 45 minutes, just because I'm fuller from not pumping during the night and want to make sure they are emptied. Emptying your breasts fully at each pumping session will help you increase and maintain your milk supply.
My pumping schedule is set up as follows:

The first pump time is whenever my son wakes up. Today it was 8am.
#2 is at 11am. This session is 3 to 4 hours after the first pump, no later than 11am though.
#3 is at 3pm. This session time does not vary.
#4 is at 6pm. This session time does not vary.
#5 is at 8:30pm. This session time does not vary.
#6 is at 11pm. This session time does not vary.

Note: my son eats 6 times a day, but if your baby eats during the night, you will need to pump then too. Basically, pump every time your baby eats, which should be every 3 to 4 hours.
In order to get my son to sleep through the night, I feed him consistently every 3 to 4 hours during the day according to my schedule above and then let him go after his 11pm feeding. Each week, as he gets older, he sleeps a little bit longer. He's now 10 weeks and slept 8 hours straight last night.

I pump and feed my son at the same time, except for the 3pm session when he eats at 2pm. At that feeding, I eat lunch and feed him at the same time. When I pump and feed him at the same time, I put him in his LeapFrog Magic Moments Learning seat and sit on the floor in front of him. Works well.

The bottles I use are Dr. Brown's standard bottles. My review is here. They are supposed to reduce spit up and gas.
My son currently averages 4 - 5 ounces at each feeding.
Here's some general guidelines as to what amount to put in the bottle:

Age: avg amount per feeding:
1-2 wks: 2-3 oz
3-4 wks: 3-4 oz
1-2 mths: 4-5 oz
2-3 mths: 5-6 oz
3-4 mths: 6-7 oz
4-7 mths: 7-8 oz
7-9 mths: 7-8 oz
9-12 mths: 7-8 oz


The batch of milk he gets at each feeding is as follows:

AT THIS FEEDING : HE GETS THIS BATCH:

#1 at 8am : #1 at 8am from the previous day
#2 at 11am : #1 at 8am from today
#3 at 2pm : #2 at 11am
#4 at 6pm : #3 at 2pm
#5 at 8:30pm : #4 at 6pm
#6 at 11pm : #5 at 8:30pm

Note: My #6 at 11pm batch gets dumped so I can eat half a garlic clove at 9:30pm to keep me from getting too run down. Garlic works wonders. Unfortunately it gives my son a lot of gas.

My son is very sensitive to what I eat, so this schedule makes it a little easier to track down what foods I may need to avoid. This post gives more info on what foods to avoid when breastfeeding.
My supply has been amazing so far, so whatever is left after I fill his bottle gets frozen.

Some tips to maximize your supply:

1.The hardest is try to get plenty of rest.

2.Pump at the same time every day. If your supply starts to decrease, add another pumping session.

3.Drink plenty of water. I drink a ton : 1-2 glasses every time I pump, 1-2 glasses at each meal/snack. I probably drink about 20 glasses pf water a day. I keep my water pitcher at room temperature. It's easier to drink the water when it's not cold. Water is good for, has no calories and keeps you healthy.

4.Get plenty to eat. I eat 6 times a day and try to eat as healthy as I can despite having to temporarily cut out some vegetables, fruit and milk due to my son's sensitivity.

5.Massage your breasts while you pump. That helps make sure all the milk gets out, which prevents clogged ducts that can lead to mastitis.

2 month checkup

My newborn had his 2 month checkup today along with his first major set of vaccinations , which included a second dose of Hepatitis B, DTaP, polio (IPV), Hib and Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV). Poor guy. I think it hurts me just as much as him. Better than him getting sick though. Thank goodness for Children's Infant Tylenol, just wish it lasted l2onger than 4 hours. It starts wearing off sooner than that though. About an hour before his next dose, he woke up screaming. Let's just say it was a long hour.
He took the Tylenol well though, especially since it was the first time he's had it. It was the grape flavor and he actually seemed to like it. It was always a struggle getting it into his brother. He would always cry and try to spit it out. One time I finally got it into him and he threw it back up, along with his breakfast, all over his exersaucer, right before we had to leave for his doctor's appointment.
Other than that, he's doing well. He weighs 12 lbs and is 22 1/4 inches long.

Mamasource - Connecting Moms in Your Community

Have a parenting question, but don't know who to ask? Then you might want to check out the website Mamasource. Mamasource helps you connect with other moms in your area. By joining Mamasource, you can view questions other moms have and the responses they've received. You can also post your own questions. Every day you will receive an email from Mamasource with questions from other moms. Some of the questions and responses are very informative.
Topics include everything from the best leak proof sippy cups to breastfeeding and sleep issues. I have a toddler and a newborn, so being a part of Mamasource is very helpful. It's nice to know others have similar issues. It's also nice to connect with other moms from my area.
You can access the archives of past advice which is very useful.
Mamasource also has a list of recommended businesses in your area and their reviews.
A recently added member perks section lists discounts available to Mamasource members at various websites owned by members of the Mamasource community.
Mamasource is an invaluable resource for all moms.
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