A "Germfree" Outing

Every new mom is a germaphobe, especially once your baby starts to touch everything and then put it into his mouth.  A simple outing can turn into a buffet of germs.   But you can't exactly keep everything away from baby, but can try to keep him somewhat clean without being obsessive.  

At the supermarket I used to carry my son in the baby bjorn, but now that he can sit up it was time to look for a shopping cart cover.   Some are just plain ugly, some too expensive, so after a little research I found one that seems to do the trick and it's also a high chair cover.  I like because it's big, plays music, and easy to use.  


Check it out.    So it will keep your baby's  hands clean.

Learning to Drink From A Cup

I just had to share this photo.   Now that my son is on solids, I give him some water (no more than 4oz a day) after his meals.   Well at first he couldn't figure out how to get the water out, but once he did there was no stopping him.  Good thing it was leak proof cup.  I'd love to see your photos.  Feel free to share and I will post them.

On the Move

It's what moms like to be proud of, yet the day they dread.  The moment your baby is mobile and won't stay where you leave them.   Days of watching them lay or play peacefully by themselves is over once they realize they have the ability to go where they want.

My son went from sudo crawling....doing the inch worm, the battle crawl on his knees and elbows and rolling in every which direction to get around for about a month to full on speed crawling and pulling himself up to standing in a week at 7 1/2 months.  Yikes.  Its so fun to what him develop, but I definitely need to keep my eye on him.  While I babyproofed the house last month  I still had things lying around...remote controls, plastic bags, some loose cords, magazines.  Now it's time to get serious and take a good look at the house.

Here's a link to Home Safety Tips from my babyproofer.

Brush Your Teeth!

Helping your toothless child brush his teeth

Is it too early to start brushing your teeth, if you don't have any?   No.  But moms have enough to do and if wiping your baby's gums after each meal doesn't seem practical?  or if your little one won't stop moving long enough for you to stick a washcloth in his mouth-here's a solution.  

Baby's First Toothbrush

My 6 month old son loves it.  He likes to grab it and put it in his own mouth.  It's good for teething. It soothes his gums.  Its also a great distraction after his evening bath when he has a meltdown on the changing table before bed.  Now it's part of his routine after his meals and before bed. 

Homemade Baby Food

You may be thinking don't I have enough to do as a mom? who has time to make baby food? Well now that I've done it, its actually not that bad.   Plus, what could be better than fresh organic fruits and vegetables.   I'm not knocking food from the jar...that's what I grew up on, but if you have the time and interest you should give homemade a try.   You could buy all the recipe books out there, but I think for first foods there's really not much to it.  As they get older the books will help with variety.

Here's what you need:

-a food processor (I bought a cuisinart mini)  saves space

-a steamer/oven

-ice cube trays  (Kid co. with lids, but I like the plain ones too, but they don't have lids)

-freezer bags

Here's what you need to think about:

-Fruits or veggies first? (apples, pears, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas are good 1st foods)  Some say start veggies  first because they are less sweet. 

-Pick one and stick with it for 4 or more days before introducing another food to test for allergies.

I started with butternut squash and my son loves it.  5 days later I gave him pears.   He made faces like it was tart, but still ate it and it helped with constipation.  It really moved things along which was great. The rice cereal was filling him up and he would only get a bm every 5 days.  Recently I also added oatmeal cereal which has more fiber.

Recipes 

Butternut squash Puree

Wash, cut in half, bake 400 degrees for 40 minutes with water, scoop out, add water from pan or fresh and puree in food processor, cool, save 3 servings in fridge to eat immediately and freeze the rest in ice cube trays, then pop out and store in freezer bags with date and labels, use within a month. (For a $3 squash it made about 25 2oz cubes)

Pear Puree

Wash, cut pears into quarters, de seed, steam for few minutes, cool, puree a few slices to eat immediately and keep in fridge for next 2 days, freeze the rest and defrost, mash or puree when ready to eat.(pears don't freeze as well pureed)

    If you need more recipes, Click here.

Prune Juice Anyone?

So tonight was girls night out!  I was celebrating my birthday-martini, dinner, cheesecake yum.  But I must say the highlight at the end of my evening was going to Ralphs to buy something my baby needed for the morning...PRUNE JUICE.  There I am all dressed up in the 10 items or less lane...with just a bottle of Prune Juice....I wonder what the young man at check out thought oh well.

That's right my baby is constipated or so I think.  He hasn't poo'ed in 7 days yikes.  I called the pediatrician and the nurse told me to give him 1 oz of juice diluted with 1 oz of water.  Also to stick a rectal thermometer or q-tip with petroleum jelly in his bottom to stimulate a bowel movement.  I know graphic, but if your baby has the same problem..you understand.  For more tips. Click here.

He started solids 2 weeks ago- rice cereal and had one bowel movement, so I thought everything was fine, but that was last week.  I also gave him his first bottle of formula to supplement my breastmilk  yesterday which is diminishing.  So for now no more rice or formula till my baby is free!!!

Ahh the joys of motherhood.

A Different Kind of Soccer Mom?

Is it bad that I'm cheering for my son as he sleeps in his crib and I watch on the video monitor? Well at 4 months old he's too young to play sports, so I'm sort of rooting for him on the sidelines in another way.  Insane I know, what did they do before there were any monitors? 

Anyways the reason for this insanity is today my son broke the 45 minute nap mark. You go  Baby!  This is a major milestone for him considering just 2 weeks ago he couldn't go to sleep on his own and I had to carry him in a sling for naps.  Everytime he woke up usually at 20 min and 45 min, I would have walk and jiggle to get him back to sleep until he had a full nap.

  Now he's sleeping in his crib, but naps have been tough.  45 minutes was not enough for him and he would wake up fussy and we would start the process all over again..all day long.  Eat, Play, Sleep, Eat, Play, Sleep.   I stopped swaddling once we started sleep training and he was able to go to sleep.  They say developmentally its good to stop swaddling around 4 months so they get to use thier arms and legs.  But he still has some of his startle reflex, his overactive legs wake him up at each sleep cycle, but at night he is able to resettle, but not in the day.  So I started swaddling just his legs today.  Seems to have worked. Longer naps mean more rest for him, less fussiness, and some downtime for me to finally get some work done.  Will this trend continue?  I hope.  We'll see...as you know with babies each day is different.

The Short Napper

It's been more than a week of sleep training and we have the overnight sleep worked out.  He goes down between 5-6pm after a bath and a feeding and sleeps until 6 or 7 am with a 3 or 4 am feeding.  What a miracle! But naps that's a different story.  

How long should naps last?

All the books say if it's under 1 hour its not really nap you should leave them in the crib and see if they will fall asleep again.  Sleeping on his tummy my baby slept for 1 to 3 hours, but now that he has learned how to flip over-naps only last 30-45 minutes. It's like clockwork at the 45 minute mark...his eyes open and he can't go back to sleep.  It's not a problem, except that his window of awake time is so short.  About an hour or hour and 10 minutes and then he starts to yawn, get tired and fussy.  So back into the crib he goes.  I miss him.

How many naps should a baby take?

At 4 months, babies should nap 3-4 hours total. So ideally 2 naps of 1 1/2 to 2 hours and then late afternoon nap at

for about 45 minutes. Right now my baby is taking like 5 naps because they are so short. But I don't let him last nap go past 4:45 so it doesn't interfere with his night sleep. It's been hard because now that I'm sleep training him in the crib he's not as portable and all day long

I'm monitoring his naps, but it's complete shift from when I had to carry him all day. He is now able to self-soothe. I know all this scheduling and monitoring will allow my baby to well-rested, happy and healthy.

I'm not pumping enough milk?

I remember the days when I was learning to breastfeed and my biggest problem was an overactive letdown.  This made my baby gassy, he would choke and cry after every feeding, and I literally had to lay on my back and contort my body to feed him.  It was a nightmare. By  5 weeks my supply leveled out, but now that he is 4 months old his needs are changing.

Now my concern is I'm not pumping enough milk.  I used to pump about 4 oz-5oz per session. I'm still getting that amount now, but when I give him the bottle he no longer just needs 4oz he needs about 7oz per feeding.  I talked to a lactation consultant and she suggested I eat more protein, make sure I drink enough water, try Milk Plus tea.  If you have had similar issues here are some links that helped me.

Overactive Letdown Solutions

Tips to Increase Your Supply

Sleep Training Day 3

So Aaron went to sleep at 5:45 pm and by 6:08 he was asleep.  So far so good.  Sleep Training has been going very well, but at 2:00 am we hit a roadblock.  Aaron has learned how to roll over and everytime he ends up on his back can't get back to sleep.  I went in his room several times to help him, but now it's starting a new habit.  So now we may have start sleep training again. 

 He's such a fast learner.  In one week in a half he went from us rocking him to sleep, in his pack and play, swaddled, with no way to self-soothe waking up every 2-4 hours, to sleeping in his crib with no rocking,  learning to suck his fingers, roll over, and sleep straight through from 6 pm to 3 am.

Sleep Training Day 2

Its 6:38pm and my son is asleep.  OMG.  I put him down at 5:50pm and he was asleep by 6:15pm. 

Here's how the rest of the night went:

 -He slept through until 1:05am, cried a little, but was able to put himself back to sleep at 1:17am.  -Then he woke up again at 3:40am he didn't seem able to get back to sleep as quickly as he had been so I went into feed him and he was back asleep by 4:10am.

 -He woke up at 5:50am...but was still cranky.  I waited until 6 am and got him up for the day, but knew he would probably have to take a nap soon because he didn't seem ready to be up yet.

Day 2 Naps:

-He slept from 6:50am-9:40 am and it only took him 10 minutes to settle. It was a long sleep because it was a continuation of his night sleep.

-He slept from 11:00-12:30 and it he fell asleep almost immediately.

-By 1:57 he was ready for another nap and slept 50 minutes and took about 15 minutes to settle.

-Here's where it got confusing.  He needed to take a 4th nap because it was so early in the day. 

-He was tired by 3:19, but couldn't fall asleep until 4:00 and was on and off trying to sleep until I had to wake him at 4:45pm because you don't want his nap too close to bedtime at 6 pm.

Sleep Training Day 1

Feeling Guilty:What I thought would be one of the hardest things to do as a new mom was actually quite easy.  Well not exactly stress free, but less stressful than what I had been doing for the past 4 months. Believe me the day of sleep training I had a pit in my stomach, I was nervous and felt guilty. Would it work? How could I leave my son crying? Would he think I was abandoning him?  How could I be so selfish, just because I didn't want to rock him to sleep or get up several times in the middle of the night.  But it wasn't just about me, it was about him, and it was about my marriage.  I saw him struggling everyday to sleep, I had to carry him in sling so he would stay asleep.  If I stopped walking he would wake up. He would scream for hours at night  I would start at 6 pm and rock him to sleep and then trick him into his crib, sometimes he would wake up immediately others after 20 minutes and this would continue on and off until about 8-8:30pm when he would finally conk out.  I was tired, sweaty, hungry because I didn't eat dinner and mad at my husband if I was by myself.  Or if we were tag teaming we were both exhausted and had no energy for each other. The longest he ever slept was 4 hours then waking up sometimes every hour.  Fine for newborn, but he is almost 4 months..12lbs physically able to sleep through the night. 

 The 3 Day Sleep Solution-Crying It Out-Extinction:While there are other methods...my son didn't respond well to them.  He is a strong spirited personality.  He seemed more agitated if I would go back in or if I tried to pat and shush him.

The 1st night: After a bath and a feeding he started his evening crying. I kissed him goodnight and we put him down at 5:40pm and left the room.  As I watched from the video monitor I could see him struggling.  He cried and cried, but not more than usual.  It was just heartwrenching because this time I wasn't doing anything to soothe him.  I was so sad. But I was committed to seeing it through because if you stop what is the point of putting your baby through that and they learn nothing.   They say the most important thing is consistency and with CIO you see a difference in 3 days.   After about 40 minutes we went into burp him because of all his crying and put him back down.  He was asleep by 6:50pm which is still about 1 hour and 10 minutes, but its about the same time it would take for me to rock him to sleep and he would usually wake up.  He didn't wake up until 9:45pm then he started to flip on his belly and fell asleep at 10:30 and stayed asleep until 4:45pm.  That was the longest he ever slept.  We fed him at 4:50am and he was back down at 5:06am, by 5:11 he was asleep and slept until 8 am.  Wow!

1st Naps:  They say naps are the hardest.  So his first nap was at 9:15am .  It only took 17 minutes for him to settle and he slept for 2 hours and 10 minutes.  That's longer than when I would carry him in the sling.  His second nap at 1:35pm and he didn't cry at all and it took him 3 minutes to fall asleep and napped for 1 hr. 25 minutes.  I actually had to wake him so it wouldn't cut into his feed time or third nap.  I can't believe it -I have never woken my baby up- ever! His third nap was at 4:17pm  and lasted about 30 minutes-which I also woke him up so he would be tired enough to go to bed for the night at 6 pm.  I'm still in shock, but this was only Day 1.

When to Sleep Train a Baby?

I never knew that the number one most difficult challenge of motherhood was getting my child to sleep.  I don't just mean sleep through the night, I mean sleep period so he didn't wake up cranky.  So when is the right time to sleep train your baby and when should you start thinking about it? Well, if your into attachment parenting-the answer is never.  Some books say 5 months...some say by 4 months all their habits are set.  Now that I have gone through the challenges of a son that didn't sleep well and would cry hysterically every night for hours because he was overtired. I say it's never too early to teach a baby good sleep habits and if they don't have good habits, then 3-4 months would be ideal to sleep train to make sure they get enough good quality sleep.

Here's what led me to my revelation:

I read all the books...they say put them down drowsy, but awake.  That never worked for me.  I tried it, but he would just cry and not sleep so I gave up.  

 After almost 4 months of doing whatever I could to protect my baby's sleep from carrying him for all his naps to rocking, shushing,  bouncing on an exercise ball for hours every night for hours and everytime he would wake usually every 4 hours, then 3 hours, then 2 then 1-I am physically and mentally exhausted.  It's been taking a toll on my attitude, my work and my marriage.  

 I never really let my son cry. As a first time mom, you feel like you need to do whatever you can to make sure they are loved, healthy and happy.  So I thought that meant if they cried I wasn't doing my job.  Well when it came to falling asleep, my son cried all the time no matter what I did-so it was time to help him learn healthy sleep habits and self-soothe.  I had never really tested any methods, because everytime I put him down he would cry. The Pat-shush didn't work for him -it made him more agitated.

It was time to Cry-It-Out.  My son needed it.  He was overtired and would cry for hours before crashing out for the night-even my soothing didn't work anymore.  I felt guilty, yet I knew it is what my son needed to learn how to go to sleep and stay asleep.

Self-Sacrafice

Surgery Set-back

Sometimes Moms Just Need to Vent

I know it's not very zen to say I'm losing it, but I am.  It is now 10:00pm.  I started putting my baby to sleep at 7:00.  When he had colic I would rock and hold him and he would cry himself to sleep, now he just won't go to sleep.  I rock and rock wait til he is out and then put him down.  He woke up every 10-15 minutes.  I must of put him to sleep 10 times. I'm exhausted.  Every good intention I had of doing anything around the house just went out the window.  What is making things worse is my son is still healing from surgery, so I can't sleep train him, let him cry, I'm trying my best to soothe him, but his sleep habits are getting worse everyday.  He's old enough now, but my hands are tied.  I feel so helpless.  I want to show him the way to self-soothe, but for now I just have to wait.  I'm tired and frustrated. I don't feel like talking to my husband when he gets home, I haven't been able to get any work done, I don't feel like calling my friends back.  All day long I feel like I just spend my day putting him to sleep.  I love my son, and now he won't be baby for long, but I need this to end.  My back is killing me from carrying him in a sling all day and my body is sore from rocking and bouncing and contorting my body to breastfeed.  I need a break.  All moms do.  Most of the time the key is to stay positive, but sometimes staying sane is giving yourself a chance to vent.  That's what I'm doing-it's ok to say I've had it.   As long as it gives me some relief so I have the energy to start over tomorrow.  Who am I kidding...enough energy to get through the night.

Putting Your Baby to Sleep

Whoever came up with the expression "sleep like a baby" was obviously not a mom.  Who wants to sleep like a baby? Wake up every 2- 3 hours hungry-doesn't sound like fun to me and not fun for all the moms that have to put thier babies to sleep.  I love my baby, he is alert, playful, and smart, but sleeping is not his strong suit. 

 For the last 3 months I have been rocking, jiggling, bouncing to get my baby to take naps and go to sleep for the night.  Since newborns need like 16-18 hours of sleep a day-1/2 of those  hours are naps so that's a lot of putting to sleep.  If you've read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy  Child you know about the "window" that most babies need to be put back to sleep after 2 hours of wakefulness and for many babies, like mine the window is even shorter-more like an hour.  Wake, feed, play, yawn, back to sleep.  I guess you could say I've become a "sleep enforcer". After about 3 weeks-my sweet baby became very fussy and wouldn't fall asleep, not in the swing, the car, the stroller, and when I rocked him to sleep and put him in his crib he would wake up.  Over and over I tried...I'm sorry but putting your baby down drowsy, but awake didn't work for me.

   I realized the only way to keep him rested and happy was to protect his sleep.  At first I spent my days holding him on the couch, but I was going stir crazy, so I started wearing him in sling and he loved it. I didn't mind it at first that's part of being a new mom-holding and soothing your newborn, but now my back is killing me. Every mom has different techniques for getting thier baby to go to sleep and most importantly stay asleep.

Here are a few:

• The sling-they love the motion and being curled up in a ball.  (I tried a few, some were uncomfortable or hard to use or I felt like my baby would fall out. I love the Sling-ezee because it has a shoulder pad, its very comfortable and has a rail to keep baby secure.)
  
• My friend swears by an exercise ball.  Hold your baby sit on it and bounce.  Less working than jiggling around the house and strengthens your abs.
• The Amby Baby Bed-it's like a hammock. ( I just started using it today and he fell asleep after about 20 minutes of rocking, which is probably the same time I would have had to walk around the neighborhood with him in a sling to get him to fall asleep.  I only use it for naps because he will sleep in his crib and pack and play at night.  I plan to start sleep training my son soon so this will just hopefully give me a chance to put him down for naps. I'll write a full review later and let you know if it really works.

Cleft Lip Recovery

It's been 3 days since Aaron's surgery and so far so good.  In fact, he's slept more than he ever has since he was born.  He taken 2- 3 hour naps, slept for 5 hour stretches overnight and hasn't cried much.   I'm sure the drugs are making him drowsy.  He was on Tylenol with codine, but we switched him to regular Tylenol yesterday afternoon.  The doctors say it's important to stay ahead of the pain curve, but I think he's doing well.  We don't want to overmedicate him.  Today has been tougher he's back to his old self where he struggles to fall asleep and cries.  Since we are trying to reduce his crying-I'm doing everything I can to soothe him, which means using my breast as a pacifier-which isn't a good habit to form, but he needs a pacifier to fall asleep and he not allowed to use a pacifier or touch his mouth with his fingers.  Even this has been a problem, since he doesn't always want milk I have to pump out one breast.   We are almost there, but I feel like I have a newborn again, all my energy is devoted to him.  I look forward to the day when he is healed and I can just enjoy being with my little baby.  (While he had some of  his stitches removed after 7 days, the actually healing process took about a month and it was probably the hardest part because I had to keep this active baby arms restrained and keep him from touching his mouth. It was definitely a very trying period.)

Cleft Lip Surgery

It's amazing to think that my baby's cleft lip has been the least of my worries compared to (breastfeeding, lack of sleep, colic) these past 3 months as a new mom.  Since he didn't have a cleft palate or any other health problems and breastfeeding was normal from the start, his little cleft was just part of him.  Of course I wasn't always so zen about it. My husband and I found out he had a cleft when I was in my 3rd trimester during a 3D ultrasound-it was quite a shock since my doctor never noticed it in the earlier ultrasounds.  We didn't know much about it, turns out one in 700 children are born with cleft lip and/or palate and doctors don't really know what causes it.

We were devastated. It's hard to admit, but all parents want their babies to be "perfect" right?, but I soon realized I needed to get over the "ego" thing and focus on loving my child no matter what.  We found help at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego where surgeries are usually performed at 3 months or 10 1bs.  

Well 3 months is now here and while we have been waiting for this day and the surgery is relatively minor compared to all the miracles they perform, it is still very difficult to know your newborn will be going under general anesthesia and you will have leave your baby in the hands of someone else.  

The morning started with me timing his feeding.  He couldn't have anything 4 hours prior to surgery and check in was two hours prior.  So we tried to keep him asleep for as long as possible before the surgery.   He started to get hungry and cry, but we were able to get him back asleep so he was peaceful as we handed him to the nurse.  Then the door to the operating room closed and all we could do is wait. As I sat in the waiting room with other concerned parents I couldn't help, but get emotional.  We were all going through the same thing, but for different reasons.  

Good news is the surgery only took 1 hour, but then we had to wait for him to wake up. Only one parent at a time was allowed into the recovery room.  My little Aaron looked like an angel even as he was hooked up to an IV all sorts of wires and swaddled and propped up on a hospital bed.  I didn't know quite what do. I just stared at him and told him I loved him.  His swollen lip was covered with tape and you could see the stitches.  Then he opened his eyes.  Alert as ever he started kicking and staring at everything around him-back to his personality-even drugs can't keep my alert baby down. We stayed overnight at the hospital-which was hard.  We were in small noisy shared room.  You could hear the monitors beeping, patients next to us, and the sound of the emergency helicopters. Every few hours nurses would come to check his vitals, my baby was on morphine, but still didn't sleep well, either did we.  We sat in chairs and took turns holding him, fortunately he was able to nurse, but because he couldn't use a pacifier, he needed my breast to fall asleep.

He did very well and now we are at home-7 days of recovery before he can get his stitches out. 

Baby's First Trip

The first year of your baby's life is filled with firsts, but when is the best time to go on your first trip?  Doctors say newborns can fly anytime after two weeks, but many moms prefer to wait, unless they are going to see family. It's a lot of work, but if you're prepared it can go more smoothly.  We just returned from Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  It was part of my husband's work incentive trip.  We had a great time, but it was stressful at times traveling with a newborn. It takes a little more planning than when we were single. Here's a what I learned from Aarons' first plane trip-Baby Travel Tips.

1. Make sure to pack extras for emergencies, but not more than you can carry along with carrying your baby. 
2. If you bring a stroller and or car seat check it once you get to the gate. (I took a Graco SnugRide Car Seat and a Snap n go Stroller.  They will tag it at the gate put it on last and you will have it when you get off the plane.  Also if you end up with an empty seat next to you, you can use the carseat. Or bring a large trashbag to put your carseat in so it doesn't get dented.  Not all airports have large bags. We ended up using more as cart for our carry-on items since I was carrying Aaron in a sling most of the time.)
3. If your baby likes sleeping in a sling like mine put your baby to sleep before you get on the plane and he will sleep most of the flight.  (TSA may make you take your baby out of the sling to get through security although no one made me, because of course who wants to be responsible for waking a sleeping baby.  As for take-off and landing-I didn't have a problem keeping my baby in the sling on my 3 of my Delta flights, but on my last flight from Salt Lake to San Diego the flight attendant insisted I take my baby out for take-off, which of course woke him up and made him fussy so I ended up with a screaming baby on my lap.  Really made me mad, but I guess it was following the rules according to her.)
4. Make sure your baby is sucking on take-off and landing to help with the pressure.              (I used a pacifier, but you can also breastfeed or give your baby a bottle.)
5. You can bring Breastmilk or Formula. Check FAA Guidelines.
6. Pack your diaper bag with familiar toys, extra outfits in case of accidents, hand sanitizer, extra burp cloths, plastic bags to store dirty diapers or trash.
7. Look for special needs bathrooms at the airport                                                                           (At our lay-over in Salt Lake City it had a diaper changing station, individual bathroom, a chair and room for a stroller.  Perfect place to breastfeed, pump and diaper change.) 
8.  Since it was a short trip, 4 days I tried to keep my baby on the same time schedule.
9. Also as veteran moms have told me, you always think your baby screams louder than they do, other parents will understand, and you will probably never see any of the other passengers again.

Getting My Zen Back!

So today was one of those days where something different happened, but I'm not sure what it means yet.  My bb is now 10 weeks.  Today he grabbed a toy for the first time and has found his hands to suck.  Two milestones, but this evening instead of crying himself to sleep after his colic episode or conking out after last feeding around 8:30.  He was calm and alert after feeding.  Now what do I do?  I was so used to soothing him for hours then just putting him down at night.  Tonight I actually sat with him and read him Goodnight Moon.  Imagine that, but he was still awake.  Then I started the putting to sleep process.  Rocking, swaddling.  At first I left his arms out, but as he started to fall asleep he started flinching...so maybe he's not ready for that yet. so back they go.  He also had a 3 hour nap right before going to sleep so I'm not sure how that will affect his sleep patterns tonight.  His first sleep is usually the longest so I better get to bed.  Today was also the day I got my Zen back.  For the last few weeks I have been second guessing everything that I have been doing.  I'm exhausted from carrying my baby in a sling all day and rocking him and waking up  every hour after 2 am. The books have been driving me crazy.  If I use a pacifier will I be putting it back in all night long.  He will only nap in a sling-so does that mean I will be carrying him everyday for months?  All the things that soothe him, I was focusing on the effects down the road instead of just mothering.  I don't know I may have to fix a few habits later, but for now they are the only things that calm my high need baby. Hanging out with two fellow new moms for lunch watching thier babies cry and watching them soothe their babies with what know best made me realize you have to do what works for you. By 10 weeks you know your baby and what he needs and what his cries mean most of the time so time to follow my gut rather than a book.

Does a Colic Episode Make Your Baby Sleep Better?

Last night my baby had his evening colic episode for 45 minutes and then fed and went right to sleep.  Tonight he fussed for several hours, but only had the intense crying for about 5 minutes, but it took me and extra hour to put him to sleep in the end I was still rocking and soothing for hours.  It is now 9:09 and all is quiet..like nothing ever happened, unfortunately it the only down time in my day-do I use it to catch up on things or go to sleep since this is probably his longest stretch of sleep for the night about 4 hours and then after that he will be up every 2 hours then 1 hour until about 7:00 which he usually smiles and wants to play, but then gets fussy because he didn't get enough sleep and the rocking begins.  I've been getting really frustrated and second guessing everything I do.  Yes, I'm keeping him from crying and soothing him, but what habits am I forming.  I 'm  driving myself crazy with the books, and the advice on the internet.  What is right?  There is no right way, but what can I sustain.  I said I would wait out at least 3 months...you can't spoil a newborn right.   So to stay Zen...I have to go back to my original plan.  Take care of my baby and give him what ever he needs until the colic is done and then see if he is mature enough to handle things on his own.  I have to trust that I know what he needs and doing what is best for both of us.

The Vaccine Debate

As a mom of a 2 month old, I'm just trying to get the hang of breastfeeding, diapering, burping and getting him to sleep which is an all day thing considering my baby won't nap in the day without being held.  But today something else is on my mind.  Vaccines.  

Yes the debate has been going on and I probably should have started my research earlier, but with all the controversy I thought the main concern for parents is the MMR which isn't given until they are 1 year old, I thought I had time to research and decide for myself...but it's not just this vaccine that has many concerned.  It's the way they are given-so many shots all at once starting at 2 months.  

CDC Schedule

According to my pediatrician's schedule he will get a combo(Polio, DTap, HepB), HIB, PCV, and Rotovirus.  That's 5 vaccines in 3 shots with an oral live vaccine.  I'm traditional in the senxe I definitely want my son to get vaccinated, but if there is a way to eliminate some the the risk and still get the necessary shots, why wouldn't you? Most stand by the recommended vaccine schedule.

Dr. Sears and The Vaccine Book

He has suggested an alternative schedule that may help reduce the chance of side effects and relieve parents concerns.

Does it help?  No one knows for sure, but I can't help but feel like a bad mom if I don't try to eliminate some of the adverse effects.  I plan to split up the shots.  DTP and Rotovirus at month 2 and HIB and PCV and Hep B at Month 3.  The thought process behind this is to not give so many shots at once, reducing the amount of aluminum (DTP, HepB, and PCV all have aluminum and depending on which brand of HIB-it does as well.  I also only giving 1 live virus at a time so his system can handle it.

Why do pediatricians stand by the recommended schedule?

My pediatrician will honor the alternative schedule, but says the reason they stick with the recommended schedule is there is no evidence that splitting them up is actually safer and that there were more chemicals in the one DTaP shot I had as a child than all the vaccines given together now.  Also it's a matter of public health that all children are vaccinated.

What is a Zen Mom?

What is Zen?  Enlightenment, mindful acceptance of the present moment. As a mom, its hard to be Zen.  Just when you think you have it down, each day brings a new challenge or new experience.  Sometimes I feel all alone, other times empowered.   Each stage brings new joys, but also questions and concerns.  I have a 10 week old and feel like I have been through a crash course on motherhood and I know it's just the beginning. Motherhood isn't easy, but I want to share this journey with you and hope you will learn from my experiences and my endless quest for information.  With so much on the internet these days it's easy to over think things and second guess yourself.  I know I have, but it's also nice to feel informed and supported.  I was planning to start this blog sooner, but as you know the first few months with a newborn can be tough.  In fact to make this work I am carrying my baby in sling right now, since it's the only place he'll sleep for his naps....for now!  So the journey continues.  The ZenMom.com is here for you to help you be enlightened, inspired and find a little laughter and peace.