My little piggy boy ate 6 oz. of soy formula in one sitting yesterday!!! I couldn't ever get him to take more than 2.5 oz. of the other formula. Obviously he was having some adverse reaction to the other formula, whether it was him being fussy or if it was hurting his body somehow. I have to do a little bit more research on soy formula because it has been brought to my attention that it could be bad for him due to the levels of estrogen. I will look into it some more and I'll discuss it with his pedi on Monday.
Yesterday I went into school and had lunch with some coworkers and got to see my class! It was so great seeing the other teachers and getting an overview of how this year is going so far and it was awesome seeing my class! I taught first grade last year and looped up to second with my class. I do have about 6 students that weren't in my class last year but I know 3 of them from other homerooms last year. It was really great to go in because it makes me feel excited to go back and reassured that I'll pick things up really quickly. I'm glad I don't have to get to know the kids, I'll just have to get used to a new curriculum. The woman who is subbing for me is going to meet with me one afternoon next week to go over what they've been doing.
I go back to work in 11 days and I'm actually more excited than nervous at this point!
One more thing, Lauren over at Our Little All-American Family does a Food Friday post every week. I'm not a great cook and we're working on replacing our broken oven right now so recipes are limited but I have a great one I want to pass on today. I made this today for dinner and it took less than a half hour. I've come to really love the blog, The Girl Who Ate Everything and this is my take on one of her recipes.
Creamy Sausage and Tomato Pasta
About 1 pound of Sweet Italian Sausage
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can Italian style diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
5-6 big leaves of fresh basil, chopped
1 lb penne pasta
grated Parmesan for topping
Directions:
1) Cook the pasta in salted water al dente, according to package directions.
2) While pasta is cooking, crumble and brown the sausage.
3) Add the onions and garlic to the sausage and saute for a couple of minutes.
4) Pour in the entire can of diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce and heat through.
5) Pour in the cream and heat through. The longer you cook the sauce the thicker it will get so simmer it until it is the consistency you want.
6) Add the fresh basil and let it simmer for a few minutes.
7) Finally, mix the sausage sauce with the pasta and serve. Top each serving with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Bottle feeding update
So I gave mixing the formula in advance a try yesterday and just as I feared, it didn't fix anything. Tommy was still pulling away and crying so I nursed him and called the pedi back. I don't think I mentioned yesterday that his skin also seems sensitive to the formula. When he eats from the bottle, milk dribbles down his mouth and into his little neck rolls. I try to keep a burp cloth to catch it but Tommy's arms are ALWAYS moving so it doesn't stay put. Well his poor neck has gotten so raw unless I immediately wash his neck after he eats.
Anyway, I called the pedi back and the nurse said the neck thing is probably just sensitive skin and he probably just doesn't like the taste of the formula and suggested I try soy. My mommy's intuition tells me that it's more than a picky palate but I will try soy since that should solve either problem.
Currently, Tommy is nursing then we're off to Babies R Us armed with formula checks to buy a small can of soy formula and a baby shower present for a coworker who is pregnant. Then Tommy and I will be going to school today to meet my coworkers!
Keep your fingers crossed that the soy works!
Anyway, I called the pedi back and the nurse said the neck thing is probably just sensitive skin and he probably just doesn't like the taste of the formula and suggested I try soy. My mommy's intuition tells me that it's more than a picky palate but I will try soy since that should solve either problem.
Currently, Tommy is nursing then we're off to Babies R Us armed with formula checks to buy a small can of soy formula and a baby shower present for a coworker who is pregnant. Then Tommy and I will be going to school today to meet my coworkers!
Keep your fingers crossed that the soy works!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Bottle feeding
I go back to work on October 11. Eeek. Tommy will be going to daycare at the center for employees of my school district. I feel really good about this. We went and visited today and Bill and I just love the teachers and so did Tommy! He snuggled right into the arms of Rosa, the lead teacher! The other babies were all napping or playing quietly. Side note: the babies sleep in PNPs but there are 2 others who won't so they nap in bouncy chairs for now and they attempt the PNP everyday until they will!
Anyway, I've been pumping and have a small supply and will continue to pump as much as possible when I go back to work but I won't have enough to satisfy Tommy while at daycare so we have been forced to introduce formula. He's been taking 1-2 bottles a day of Enfamil Gentlease which was suggested by our pedi for his gassiness. Every time he takes the bottle, he drinks about an ounce before he startes moaning and pushing it out, then pulling it back in until he stops eating after 2 oz. It's like he's struggling to eat. I just thought it was the bottle itself. Until yesterday. Yesterday I pumped an extra time and fed it to Tommy in a bottle to see if he would act the same way. Nope. He calmly gulped down all 4 oz.
This morning I called the doctor to see if they thought we should switch formulas or if there was something else we should do. They suggested mixing the formula in the morning and letting it rest in the refrigerator to let the bubbles that are formed when mixing, pop. They said that's probably the problem, that it's like he's drinking a carbonated drink and his belly is getting full of bubbles.
So, we'll give it a try and see what happens. I hope that solves the problem but I have a bad feeling that it won't be that easy...
Anyway, I've been pumping and have a small supply and will continue to pump as much as possible when I go back to work but I won't have enough to satisfy Tommy while at daycare so we have been forced to introduce formula. He's been taking 1-2 bottles a day of Enfamil Gentlease which was suggested by our pedi for his gassiness. Every time he takes the bottle, he drinks about an ounce before he startes moaning and pushing it out, then pulling it back in until he stops eating after 2 oz. It's like he's struggling to eat. I just thought it was the bottle itself. Until yesterday. Yesterday I pumped an extra time and fed it to Tommy in a bottle to see if he would act the same way. Nope. He calmly gulped down all 4 oz.
This morning I called the doctor to see if they thought we should switch formulas or if there was something else we should do. They suggested mixing the formula in the morning and letting it rest in the refrigerator to let the bubbles that are formed when mixing, pop. They said that's probably the problem, that it's like he's drinking a carbonated drink and his belly is getting full of bubbles.
So, we'll give it a try and see what happens. I hope that solves the problem but I have a bad feeling that it won't be that easy...
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
6 Week Check-Up
I just got home from my 6 week postpartum doctor's visit and all is well! Everything looks great and I got my flu shot so that's one less thing I have to worry about. I spoke with my doctor about birth control options. Basically they are: mini-pill which has to be taken at the exact same time every day, shot which will probably make me gain a bunch of weight, IUD which will cost about $1,000, or condoms. Bill and I discussed it a bit and decided that the shot was out because I just don't like it. IUD is out for now until we're done having kids. I don't want to spend all that money to take it out again in a couple of years (assuming we decide to have more kids ;)) The mini-pill would be an option but I know myself enough to know I wouldn't take it at the same time every day and we'd end up using condoms anyway. So for now, we're going to just stick with condoms until I'm done breastfeeding, then I'll go back on the pill I guess. I wish my insurance would cover birth control but it doesn't :(
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sleep
Last night we went to a graduation party for my cousin Joe. He graduated from Syracuse University this past August and his parents decided that a fun way to celebrate would be to have everyone over to watch an SU football game! The game this week didn't start until 8:00 and I was a bit worried about taking Tommy to a party so late. We usually start our little bedtime routine (clean diaper, PJs, swaddle, nurse) at 9:00 and I knew we wouldn't be home by then but figured that we won't be able to be home at bedtime every night, so let's give it a whirl when Bill would be off the next day.
Tommy did great! He hung out and let lots of my aunts and cousins hold him. He ate once and my cousin's wife, who has 2 kids, kept me company in the other room and was so funny! I brought my Udder Cover and when I was putting it on, she said, "OMG don't even worry about covering up in front of me! I mean, you can if you're uncomfortable but I don't care at all!" So, I free-boobed it!
We stayed until halftime which was slightly before 10:00. Tommy had gotten grumpy and tired and I was feeling just as tired! We got home and it took almost an hour to get Tommy fed and asleep. By then it was 11:00. I put Tommy in his bouncy chair and went to sleep, bracing myself for a possible rough night. Imagine my surprise when I woke up to a hungry baby at 4:00!!! I was in such a deep sleep that I was confused. I haven't slept that deeply in, well, a long time! I fed him and got him back to sleep and slept until 8:30! I woke up feeling great! Keep it up Tommy!
Tommy did great! He hung out and let lots of my aunts and cousins hold him. He ate once and my cousin's wife, who has 2 kids, kept me company in the other room and was so funny! I brought my Udder Cover and when I was putting it on, she said, "OMG don't even worry about covering up in front of me! I mean, you can if you're uncomfortable but I don't care at all!" So, I free-boobed it!
We stayed until halftime which was slightly before 10:00. Tommy had gotten grumpy and tired and I was feeling just as tired! We got home and it took almost an hour to get Tommy fed and asleep. By then it was 11:00. I put Tommy in his bouncy chair and went to sleep, bracing myself for a possible rough night. Imagine my surprise when I woke up to a hungry baby at 4:00!!! I was in such a deep sleep that I was confused. I haven't slept that deeply in, well, a long time! I fed him and got him back to sleep and slept until 8:30! I woke up feeling great! Keep it up Tommy!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Fun stuff
I saw this little survey on the blog, Stay-at-Home {MOM}ents and thought it would be fun to do. Thanks Jen!
b {bed size} queen
c {chore you hate} folding and putting away laundry
d {dogs} a Goldendoodle named Hojo
e {essential start to your day}computer time and a shower if I want to be productive!
f {favorite color} Purple!
g {gold or silver} definitely silver...or white gold
h {height} 5'8"
i {instrument you play} I am not musically inclined at all
j {job title} I'm so happy to be able to say: Mommy! I'm also an elementary teacher :)
k {kids} Thomas Harrison
l {live} Central NY
m {maiden name} Dougherty
n {nicknames} I don't really have any...
o {overnight hospital stays} only when having Tommy
p {pet peeve} Having my neck touched...weird, I know
q {quote} A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. - Jackie Robinson
r {righty or lefty} righty
s {siblings} One sister, Joelle
t {time you wake up} When Tommy tells me it's time to get up!
u {university attended} SUNY Geneseo for undergrad and SUNY Cortland for grad
v {vegetable you hate} Asparagus
w {what makes you run late} poor time management
x {xrays you've had} I was hurt all the time as a kid so I've had many
y {yummy food} I love sweets, I could live on candy, cake, brownies, etc
z {zoo animal favorites} Penguins
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Ok, I'm feeling much better since the last post. I've decided to stop pushing the whole sleeping-in-the-Pack-N-Play thing. If Tommy will sleep in the Rock-N-Play or bouncy chair, then great.
Ok, Tommy is 5 weeks old! Let's celebrate some milestones!
1. The newborn sized diapers are too small now. We're on to size 1s!
2. Along with the diapers, newborn sized clothes are mostly too small too! On to 0-3 month size!
3. My little man is incredibly strong! He's holding his head up longer and moving it from side to side with ease while laying on our chests. He's also bearing weight on his feet. We will hold him up in front of us and he straightens his legs right out and loves when we bounce him on his feet (not too much weight though!).
4. This isn't a great milestone but we had our first "sick" visit to the doctor. Last Monday, we woke up to Tommy's eye glued shut with goop. I used a warm, wet washcloth to clean it off and checked him out. The whites of his eyes weren't pink or red so I didn't think it was pink eye but I called the pediatrician anyway. They had us come in the next day since Monday was a holiday and it turns out he has a blocked tear duct. They said to use cotton balls to keep his eye clean and to massage the tear duct several times a day. Luckily for us, it hasn't seemed to bother Tommy at all.
5. This is a big one, Tommy went from 12:30pm-6:00am last night without a feeding! Now, he did wake up twice with gas bubbles so we didn't really sleep straight through, but I have high hopes that this will come soon!
6. Tommy took a bottle of formula last night without a fight and actually seemed to like it! While Bill gave him the bottle, I pumped and got 4.5 oz! This gives me high hopes that I'll be able to get some good amounts when I go back to work and hopefully will have a big enough freezer stash that if I stop producing much milk, we'll still be able to feed him breastmilk for a while.
In other news, my maternity leave is officially up as of September 21 when I go to the doctor for my 6 week postpartum appointment. I have enough sick time accrued to get me through mid-October if the school district will approve the leave. However, this year is my tenure year and I can't get a straight answer as to whether taking more time will affect my tenure date. I've been calling, emailing, and even visiting personnel and can't get an answer. The woman who should have the answer told me she had to "research it further" and would get back to me. That was yesterday and she won't answer my calls today. So frustrating! I can't be the first teacher to go out on extended childcare leave during her tenure year.
In mommy news, I tried on a pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans today. They were the first ones I could find and are a pair of the smaller ones, but they went on and zipped! They button, but not comfortably and I have a lovely muffin top, but the fact remains that I can put them on! It gives me hope that I'll get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes soon enough!
I took this video this morning, my baby boy must have been having some sweet dreams!
Ok, Tommy is 5 weeks old! Let's celebrate some milestones!
1. The newborn sized diapers are too small now. We're on to size 1s!
2. Along with the diapers, newborn sized clothes are mostly too small too! On to 0-3 month size!
3. My little man is incredibly strong! He's holding his head up longer and moving it from side to side with ease while laying on our chests. He's also bearing weight on his feet. We will hold him up in front of us and he straightens his legs right out and loves when we bounce him on his feet (not too much weight though!).
4. This isn't a great milestone but we had our first "sick" visit to the doctor. Last Monday, we woke up to Tommy's eye glued shut with goop. I used a warm, wet washcloth to clean it off and checked him out. The whites of his eyes weren't pink or red so I didn't think it was pink eye but I called the pediatrician anyway. They had us come in the next day since Monday was a holiday and it turns out he has a blocked tear duct. They said to use cotton balls to keep his eye clean and to massage the tear duct several times a day. Luckily for us, it hasn't seemed to bother Tommy at all.
5. This is a big one, Tommy went from 12:30pm-6:00am last night without a feeding! Now, he did wake up twice with gas bubbles so we didn't really sleep straight through, but I have high hopes that this will come soon!
6. Tommy took a bottle of formula last night without a fight and actually seemed to like it! While Bill gave him the bottle, I pumped and got 4.5 oz! This gives me high hopes that I'll be able to get some good amounts when I go back to work and hopefully will have a big enough freezer stash that if I stop producing much milk, we'll still be able to feed him breastmilk for a while.
In other news, my maternity leave is officially up as of September 21 when I go to the doctor for my 6 week postpartum appointment. I have enough sick time accrued to get me through mid-October if the school district will approve the leave. However, this year is my tenure year and I can't get a straight answer as to whether taking more time will affect my tenure date. I've been calling, emailing, and even visiting personnel and can't get an answer. The woman who should have the answer told me she had to "research it further" and would get back to me. That was yesterday and she won't answer my calls today. So frustrating! I can't be the first teacher to go out on extended childcare leave during her tenure year.
In mommy news, I tried on a pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans today. They were the first ones I could find and are a pair of the smaller ones, but they went on and zipped! They button, but not comfortably and I have a lovely muffin top, but the fact remains that I can put them on! It gives me hope that I'll get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes soon enough!
I took this video this morning, my baby boy must have been having some sweet dreams!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Having a rough day
It's 9:30am and I've already cried multiple times today. First, Bill had to work today because of the massive flooding in Binghamton. They weren't able to deliver to any of their stops in that area the last couple of days so Bill and 2 of his coworkers had to work today. Luckily, Bill only had one stop but it is 2.5 hours away. He should be home by noon.
The major reason I've cried today, though, is I just feel like I suck at this whole mothering thing. First, we've started supplementing with formula. Just one bottle a day for now. The reason being, that pumping is not going well for me. I get MAYBE 2 oz every time I pump and Tommy eats more than that at a feeding. When I go back to work, I'll be lucky if I can get 2 pumping sessions in each day between my lunch and planning period. 4 oz will not be enough to get Tommy through a day of daycare. I spoke to the lactation consultants at the hospital and the pediatrician and decided to give in to formula. I'm going to keep breastfeeding at night, hopefully. So for now, one bottle a day of formula. And Tommy does not really like it. So I feel guilty that we're introducing formula at all and I feel even more guilty that my baby doesn't like it.
The second reason I feel like I suck at being a mother is because I can not get Tommy to sleep at night consistently. I had one night where I really felt like I had a clue, then we had last night. At 8:00, I nursed Tommy to sleep and got him comfortable in the Pack N Play. 15 minutes later he started squawking so I went in to check on him and he started projectile vomiting, choking, and gagging. I scooped him up and cleaned him while Bill cleaned up the Pack N Play. Then Tommy was awake. I didn't want to try to nurse him again because I was afraid he'd vomit again, and he didn't seem hungry. I finally nursed him at 11 and he fell asleep and I got him in the Pack N Play again but he spit up and woke up again. This time I couldn't get him put back down in the Pack N Play and, if I'm being honest, I was too tired to try. So I let him sleep on my chest until 2. At that point I fed him again and he was WIDE AWAKE and FUSSY. Bill eventually got up with him at 3:30 and walked around with him for an hour so I could sleep. Then I nursed him again. Bill had to get ready for work and left by 4:30 and I was alone with a baby who had spit up twice and still hadn't pooped all night (this kid poops EVERY TIME he eats normally). So I gave up. I nursed him laying down and we slept for 3 hours together in our bed. Not good. If I was a good mom I would have stayed up with him or kept trying to put him down in the Pack N Play. If I was a good mom I wouldn't have given up.
What are we going to do? I need to get him sleeping on his own. He can't sleep in bed with us and he can't sleep on my chest forever. I need to get this figured out. Until then, I'm going to keep plugging along. And wiping my tears.
The major reason I've cried today, though, is I just feel like I suck at this whole mothering thing. First, we've started supplementing with formula. Just one bottle a day for now. The reason being, that pumping is not going well for me. I get MAYBE 2 oz every time I pump and Tommy eats more than that at a feeding. When I go back to work, I'll be lucky if I can get 2 pumping sessions in each day between my lunch and planning period. 4 oz will not be enough to get Tommy through a day of daycare. I spoke to the lactation consultants at the hospital and the pediatrician and decided to give in to formula. I'm going to keep breastfeeding at night, hopefully. So for now, one bottle a day of formula. And Tommy does not really like it. So I feel guilty that we're introducing formula at all and I feel even more guilty that my baby doesn't like it.
The second reason I feel like I suck at being a mother is because I can not get Tommy to sleep at night consistently. I had one night where I really felt like I had a clue, then we had last night. At 8:00, I nursed Tommy to sleep and got him comfortable in the Pack N Play. 15 minutes later he started squawking so I went in to check on him and he started projectile vomiting, choking, and gagging. I scooped him up and cleaned him while Bill cleaned up the Pack N Play. Then Tommy was awake. I didn't want to try to nurse him again because I was afraid he'd vomit again, and he didn't seem hungry. I finally nursed him at 11 and he fell asleep and I got him in the Pack N Play again but he spit up and woke up again. This time I couldn't get him put back down in the Pack N Play and, if I'm being honest, I was too tired to try. So I let him sleep on my chest until 2. At that point I fed him again and he was WIDE AWAKE and FUSSY. Bill eventually got up with him at 3:30 and walked around with him for an hour so I could sleep. Then I nursed him again. Bill had to get ready for work and left by 4:30 and I was alone with a baby who had spit up twice and still hadn't pooped all night (this kid poops EVERY TIME he eats normally). So I gave up. I nursed him laying down and we slept for 3 hours together in our bed. Not good. If I was a good mom I would have stayed up with him or kept trying to put him down in the Pack N Play. If I was a good mom I wouldn't have given up.
What are we going to do? I need to get him sleeping on his own. He can't sleep in bed with us and he can't sleep on my chest forever. I need to get this figured out. Until then, I'm going to keep plugging along. And wiping my tears.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Lessons for Mommy
Sleeping on MommyConfession: two nights ago, after Bill left for work, I let Tommy sleep in bed with me. In my defense, I fell asleep while I was nursing laying down and it kind of just happened...but I didn't move him when I woke up and noticed. I hadn't slept more than 3 hours that night and he was quiet. This scared me though. We have a pillow-top mattress and it's really not safe for him to be sleeping there.
So after talking with my mom and grandma I decided I needed to get this figured out. I decided that I was going to break this sleeping-on-mommy habit. Last night I took my shirt that I'd worn all day off and laid it down in the pack-n-play and turned on the Sleep Sheep to rain. I then nursed Tommy to sleep. I carefully got up and laid him on his side (more about this in a minute) on my shirt. I kept my arms wrapped around him while he settled in. After about a minute I pulled my arms back slowly. AND IT WORKED!
So, I got him to sleep in the beginning of the night. Three hours later, he woke up to eat. I followed the same routine AND IT WORKED AGAIN!!! He woke up to eat every 2-3 hours all night and I was able to get him back to sleep each time! In the process though, I learned something: Tommy is a VERY loud sleeper. He grunts, and sighs, and moans, and occasionally cries but he does it in his sleep. I think I've been hearing him make these noises and immediately picking him up, subsequently waking him up. Last night I waited him out. Maybe his poor nighttime sleeping habits are my fault. I'm really hoping that we're on to something here. I'm going to try this routine again tonight and see how it goes.
One of the big problems we've had with Tommy sleeping is that he really doesn't like to be flat on his back. He'll nap in his Rock n' Play and bouncy chair but I really don't want to get him used to sleeping in them at night. I'm afraid I'd have a hard time transitioning him to his crib. So, after careful research and discussion, Bill and I decided to let him sleep on his side. He really would like to sleep on his belly but I'm not willing to do that, so side it is.
Here's the thing though, if he's making all of these noises and waking me up all night, should we move him to his crib? I don't know if I'm ready for that. His room is literally right across the hall from our room. And the hall is only 3 feet wide. He wouldn't be far away. But I don't know if I want him out of my eye sight. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
1 Month
Tommy is officially 1 month old today!
He is 9lbs 4 ozs as of yesterday's trip to the doctor (clogged tear duct)! I'm so happy he is gaining weight and growing like a weed. He celebrated by sleeping from 9pm - 2am last night! That's 5 hours! Of course, the rest of the night didn't go quite as well but hey, it's a start!
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