The 2009 MOMS & MOMS-to-Be Club

[DisneyBabies]

Hi all!

For those having pumping trouble, hopefully it wil get better soon. I wasn't able to feed DS at all. DD took to breast feeding like she'd done it for months. But pumping was another story.

I had a really hard time getting more than an ounce or two at first. In the end, it took me several months to start getting enough to make it worth it. I had to go into a dark room, sit in a rocker with blankets and pillows, get the pump ready, put my DD's baby blanket over my face and take deep breaths and rock until I relaxed enough to almost doze off, then turn on the pump and sit until I "woke" up. At least I'd get 6 or 8 ounces at a time, but it was a very time consuming process for me. It got to the point where I could only pump if DH was home because DD was a very "high maintenence (sp?)" baby and had to be held almost 24/7 the first five months .

I just hope the next (hoped for) baby takes to it as easily as DD did and at least I have a system I can try for pumping from the very beginning.

Hope you get some relief soon Mommies!

[IloveJack]

Hey guys! Sorry I've been MIA for a while. It took this long to dawn on me that the reason I wasn't getting any more (subscription) emails was that the threads changed at New Years. I guess it's true that pregnancy brain doesn't end with pregnancy!

Laura - I'm so sorry to hear about the pictures. Call me paranoid, but I worry about the computer frying, or our house burning, or something like that. That's why I carry a 4GB flash drive in the diaper bag. Every few weeks, I back up the picture files from the computer to the flash drive. That way, if something happens to the files on the computer or my scrapbooks, I still have the pictures. (The sad thing is, my pictures of Samantha have just about filled the drive already!)

Lacy - Good for you for asking off! We were out last Friday due to the cold (negative temps don't happen often in middle TN) and this Monday for MLK day. It was so nice to be with Samantha for 4 days straight again!

Kristin - I fortunately only have to pump once during the day. Samantha only eats every 4 hours, so I feed her at 8am and then take her to the sitter's. She gets a bottle at noon. Then, since I teach, I am done and have her back by the 4pm feeding. I have noticed that I forget to drink as much at school (highschoolers will do that to you!), and sometimes am stressed out. It's then that I have to pump again at bedtime to get a full bottlle for the next day. I am stockpiling my milk, though (from before I went back to work, and what I can get on weekends). My goal is to have enough so that I don't have to pump at all next school year, but can still give her breast milk until she's a year old.

Kairi - We still swaddle Samantha at night, and she's almost 4 months. She sleeps soundly for naps without it, but she has to have it at night. She's too long for the velcro swaddlers now, so we just wrap them around her arms. She's an arm swinger if there ever was one!

Sam got her first cold this weekend, so I took off work yesterday to take her to the doctor. It's just sinus, but she's running a low-grade fever, so I wanted to be sure nothing else was wrong. Her cough is so pitiful, and I hate that I can't do anything for her. I've just been giving her tylenol to keep her comfortable, and holding her more than normal.
She rolled over (back to front) for the first time a couple of days ago, but still really fights being on her tummy, so it may be a while before she rolls front to back. She loves to stand, though, and often refuses to sit. She's fairly good at it, and makes me wonder if she'll ever bother to crawl.
She's so petite that she won't have much weight to carry when she does walk. I had to go through her closet and get rid of every 0-3 month footed sleeper, because she's so long and her feet are so big. But she's still wearing 0-3's because her waist isn't big enough to hold the pants up, nor her shoulders wide enough to fill out the collars. She's gained 5 lbs since birth, and just about that many inches. Crazy kid!

[EpcotChic23]

I just put 2 and 2 together and noticed I can now be part of this discussion. I am expecting my first baby July 14th 2009. Wooo Hoooo!!!

[DisneyBabies]

Congratulations EpcotChic23! And welcome to the club . If you ever need any advice, we are all here for the asking.

[Lacy]

Susan ~ Great to have you back in the discussion I hope Sam is feeling better. I feel so very fortunate that Elias hasn't been sick yet. I bet it is very hard to see her in pain. I enjoy reading about your Sam updates and think a lot of it sounds familiar. Elias loves it when we help him stand up and rolled over a week or so ago as well.

EpcotChic ~ CONGRATS! and welcome to the 'club'. I got a lot of helpful advice from my Intercot friends and just found it nice to have somewhere to discuss my pregnancy.

We have Elias' 4 month check-up this week. It really is amazing how fast the times goes already! He is getting to be so 'talkative' and is starting to like playing with toys.

[Georgesgirl1]

Hey y'all!

I wanted to check in because it has been awhile since I have posted.

Myers has his 1 month check-up on Monday. I can't believe he is a month old. It does not seem like it has been that long!

An update on the breastfeeding thing...everytime we went back to completely breastfeeding, Myers would begin to lose weight because he was such a slow eater. The pediatrician thought that he was probably burning as many calories as he was bringing in! So I have resorted to just pumping and feeding him from a bottle. I really don't care how he gets the breast milk, just as long as he gets it! It's a little harder b/c I have to carry the pump anytime we go anywhere like to my parents house, but it is worth it.

My dad gave us 180 DVC points to use this summer for Myers's 1st trip to the world. I think we are going to go mid July and get a 2 bedroom at Old Key West of Saratoga Springs. I know July is terribly hot, but we are going then so that my brother can come with us. It has been almost 3 years since he last went and he will be home in July. Hopefully Florida will have some cool days while we are there! If not we live in Georgia, so we can handle the heat. Disney is always magical, I can't wait to go with Myers. I know he won't really be old enough to take a lot of stuff in, but I can't wait for all the photo ops. We listen to Disney music all the time, especially as he goes to sleep, so he is already well versed in Dinsey music. I am reading the Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh right now, and I can't wait to take him on the Pooh ride.

[Lacy]

We had a bit of a rough weekend starting with our 4 month check-up on Friday. In general, Elias is doing good especially developmentally but he fell off of his growth curve so they said he wasn't gaining enough weight. After a discussion with the pediatrician we decided that I'd have to start supplementing with formula or spend time with lactation trying to get the pump to work better for me. I just was never able to get the pump to work very well and couldn't pump enough to make up for what Elias was eating during the day. Plus, Elias decided that he liked the bottle and didn't really like all the work that went into nursing so my supply really started to drop. So we've decided to supplement and start to ween. The pediatrician said that he considers 4 months to be fully breastfed and that I should be proud that we were able to go 4 months. However, I had a hard time accepting it as it is not at all what I had planned. So I spent the weekend trying to adjust to the fact that we won't be breastfeeding much longer. I'm coming to terms with it and have decided it is what is best as the nursing and pumping was never easy.

On a positive note, I've started going to a Stroller Stride work-out group here in my neighborhood. It is a lot of fun to see babies/toddlers of all different ages and to meet other moms. Plus, it is a great workout!

Kristin ~ How did the 1 month check-up go? Very excited that you have a WDW trip planned and that your brother will get to go too. I just get on Intercot and pretend that I have a trip to plan I guess I can start planning for 2010, right?

I hope everything is going well for all you other moms and babies!

[IloveJack]

I'm sorry. Lacy. I know I'd cry for sure if I had to quit nursing Sam. We go Friday for her 4-month, so we'll see how she's doing then. She's a skinny girl, but really long, too. (I constantly hear "She's so petite!" or "Look at those long legs!") I've been lucky in that she only gets one bottle a day, and only on weekdays. She'd still much rather nurse. My pumping has slowed though. I think it's because I'm in too big of a hurry at lunch. I'm burning through my stock-piled milk!

Well, I've come to terms with the fact that we can't afford to go to So Cal for my friend's wedding, which also means no trip to DL. We're just too far in the hole after mat. leave, to be putting plane tickets, hotel, etc. on the credit card. I'm still holding out hope that we can do an overnighter trip to WDW for Sam's first birthday, though, I know she'll never remember, but I will. Plus, it'll be 4 months longer to save. We live about 12 hours away, so we could drive through the night, spend a day at MK, get a cheap room (Ha!) for the night, spend a day at EPCOT, and drive home that night. If we went on her actual b-day, it backs up to a weekend, so we could sleep for a while before returning to work. I know it's a stretch, but it never hurts to dream, right?

[meldan98]

Lacy - I'm so sorry. I went through that with my ODD. I just couldn't figure out the pumping thing, I could only pump once a day and between the colic and not getting enough to eat and the fact that she rejected me for the middle of the night feedings, I was a wreck. I finally ditched feeding and started supplementing. I cried everytime I fed her a bottle and I felt like a failure. In the grand scheme of things though, looking back, I did the best I could for her and supplementing her feedings was what she really needed. She fed for almost 3 months and she did great when she was on formula. She is a happy, smart and very independant 5 year old. You would never know that she was only bf for 3 months. Good luck and

Susan - I'm sorry to hear about your trip to DL. Hopefully things will get better for all of us soon so that we can return the magical places that we love so much. I will be crushed if we can't take our little one to DL for her first birthday in Oct.

Things have been awful for us the last couple of weeks, and I'm just hoping that things get better soon. My job can't make payroll on time and my dh's hours just got cut. I'm just so sad and disapointed with everything right now. I really want to be home with my dd and it kills me every morning to leave her. I'm so lucky that my dh gets to stay home with her and work from home and I should be very, very thankful that he still has a job...it just doesn't make things any easier....sorry for being a downer today...

[Georgesgirl1]

Myers's 1 month check-up went really well. He is 7lbs 7oz and 20 1/2 inches. The ped is happy with his growth although he is still in newborn clothes and probably will be for another week or so. He told me that I no longer have to wake him up at night to feed him, but I get to let him wake me up when he is hungry. The past two nights he has let me sleep for 4 1/2 hours one night and almost 6 hours the other

Lacy- I'm sorry that you won't be able to nurse for much longer. It's always hard when things don't go as you planned. It's almost like you have to mourn that loss. I know I had to do that with the c-section and when I had to start pumping and feeding. But it is great that you made it to 4 months. You gave Elias and awesome start, and you should be proud of yourself for that! Plus, these days formula has so much good stuff in it that it is really close to breastmilk quality. Not like back in the day when my mom was little...her "formula" recipe from her ped. consisted of condensed milk, Karo syryp and water and she is a completely healthy adult!! The most important thing is that he is healthy and happy, however that happens!

Susan- It's too bad that you won't be able to make it to DL this summer. We want to visit my husband's best friend in California, but we too realize that with airfare, hotel, and the trip to DL that I would insist upon if we were that close would be way too expensive right now. Amazingly, I don't think your idea for Sam's birthday is crazy at all! It doesn't matter if she doesn't remember because you will!

Melissa- I'm sorry that things are tough financially right now. I hope things get better soon.

[IloveJack]

Melissa - I'm sorry to hear that times are tough. My mom called last night to tell me that my brother arrived at work yesterday to find out that his company is closing its doors on Feb. 21. That wouldn't be such a blow (he still lives with my parents) if he hadn't just put all his savings into an engagement ring.
We seem to get a nightly call from bill collectors. My husband's work was cut back to 32 hours 3 weeks into my maternity leave. I probably should've gone back to work earlier, but I just couldn't give up my time with Sam, you know? So I just keep explaining the situation and promising to pay as soon as we get it. Thank God for my little tax break!
Just know that we I'cot girls are here if you need to vent!

Kristin - Sam was born Oct. 1 and she wore newborn clothes until T'giving. In fact, except for footed sleepers, she's still in 0-3's now. So don't worry.
Isn't it nice when they let you sleep? Did you and George jump out of bed scared the first time he slept 6 hours? The first time Sam did that, my DH vaulted over me and out of bed to make sure she was okay! Of course, he still touches her lips when she's really still. He waits til she makes her pouty face, so he'll know she's okay, and goes on.


I mentioned the WDW idea to my DH last night and he was all for it, so hopefully we can find the money for it somewhere in the next 8 months. Now if only TSM was at MK or EPCOT, cause we definitely can't afford 3-day tickets!

[meldan98]

Thanks Ladies for the support. I know we are all feeling the $$$ stress right now. I know we will get through this somehow.

Have any of you tried the Mother's Milk tea. My OB recommended it for me to help increase my production.

[Georgesgirl1]

A herb called Fenugeek helps with milk production too. I was taking that for awhile and it really helped, but be forewarned, it makes you smell like Maple Syrup! Good if you like pancakes, bad if you don't...

My husband and I met 9 years ago on Wednesday which got me thinking that it might be cool to share our stories of how we met our husbands and how they proposed. Here's mine...

My husband's younger sister was my roommate my freshman year of college. She invited a bunch of us to come to her house one weekend to meet her family and friends and to go out to eat in Atlanta. It was a bunch of girls and one guy so she invited her brother and his best friend to go with us as well. Well, I met George when he came home from work that Friday and immediately thought he was cute. He apparently thought the same b/c when his best friend arrived he told him, "The blonde is mine." (A very bold statement from my normally reserved husband!) Well, we really hit it off and went on our first "real" date the next weekend. From then on there wasn't a weekend we didn't spend together until we got married when I graduated from college. (We lived about an hour away from each other the whole time we dated.) And here we are 9 years later!

I'll have to get back with my engagement story because my little man calls!

[meldan98]

My OB also recommended that I drink more water. I've been doing that it's been better. I've also needed to eat more calories I think. I'm not complaining, but I'm actually about 30lbs less than when I got pregnant and I only gained 11 pounds with the baby, so I guess I've lost 41 pounds in about 3 months.

So, my story is kind of long...sorry!!!

I've actually known my husband since he was 13 and I was 15...gasp...I know...a younger man. We bowled in a junior league together and we were really good friends for a number of years. He actually tried to kiss me when he was 18 and I was 20, but I told him no. After, that, we both got into long term relationships with other people which didn't work out. About 4 years later, a friend of ours graduated from college and invited us both to the party. I guess he wasn't going to come to the party, but our friend called him and told him that I was there and he came rushing over so he could see me. We talked for a couple of hours and I gave him my phone number. He called for about a month, but I never returned his calls. He finally called me at work one day to give it one last try. I agreed to go out with him. We went out for about a month as friends, when I told him that I had committed to go out on a blind date with someone else several weeks earlier. While on the blind date with this other guy, I thought about him the entire time. I knew then that he was it for me. I called him the next day and asked him to dinner and a movie. That night was our first kiss. He moved in a month and a half later. A year after our first date, on July 17, 1999 (Disneyland's Anniversary) we went to Disneyland and he proposed to me at the Snow White Grotto Wishing Well.

[Emme&TeddysMommy]

My husband I met fishing off a dock where my brother keeps his boat. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I was fishing off the dock with some friends when this guy come up and starts talking to my friends. I remember thinking to myself wow he’s cute! Eventually my friends introduced us. We actually hit it off well and became great friends. Because we were at my brother boat my whole family was also at the marina so Mike met my entire family right away. Mike is really shy and it took him about a year from the time we met for him to ask me out. He actually had even asked my dad if he could take me out on our first date and we have been inseparable from that time on.

We dated for about four months before we got engaged. I know that seems quick, but over the year we were friends we were together all the time and I already knew he was the one for me. He actually took me back to the very place we met to ask me to marry him. We stood on the dock watching the sun set and just as the sun touched the water he popped the question (down on one knee). Mike had not only grown close with me over the year it took him to ask me out, he had also become close with my family. So of course he asked my fathers permission to marry my. My father was of course overjoyed and said yes. We were married July 9, 2004.

That’s the story of how I meet and married my husband! Hope you enjoyed.

[Lacy]

Hi ladies, thanks for all the kind words. It really did help and make me feel better.

Melissa & Susan ~ Sorry to hear about your financial troubles. It is a difficult time especially with a new little one. We're always here to "listen"!

Susan ~ great idea on the Facebook group!

Kristin ~ fun idea for a discussion.

DH and I met my freshman year of college. We were in the same chemistry lab group. Insert corny chemistry in chemistry class joke here. We never hung out outside of class that semester but DH called me out of the blue 4 months later to ask me to his fraternity formal. I was not into the greek scene but agreed to go because it was the engineering fraternity. We had a good time but I didn't think anything would come of it because I was leaving for the WDW college program in a month. I was very surprised that he came to visit for a weekend. We had a great weekend at WDW and Busch Gardens and called each other a lot more after his visit. My family jokes that if it weren't for DH I would have never left the college program. We learned a lot about each other over the phone and by the time I went back to school 7 months later there was no question that we were together.

DH asked me to marry him about a year after I got back with a very low key proposal. We were just hanging out at his fraternity and he told me he wrote me a poem and had a question for me. We went ring shopping the next day. It was the perfect proposal for me!

[Dakota Rose]

Hi everyone,

I can't believe it's been 7 months since I posted. All is well here. Gracey is 7 months old and growing too quickly. She's a super easy baby which really helps. Other than that not much new here.

How are all of you?

[IloveJack]

What a great discussion right before Val's day!
Melissa - don't worry, my man's even younger... 4yrs 9mos younger than me to be exact!

I met David when I was 16 and he was 12, when we both started working at the same cub scout camp, although it was many years later before we were more than fellow counselors. We slowly became friends, but the fact that I was the only teen girl with 20 or so boys kept us apart often. We hung out together a little more each year, but I was 22 and he was 17 before we started "flirting". I was still really put off by the age difference, but I left my email address with the adult that brought him to camp, before heading back to college (250 miles away). A month later, he emailed me, and I danced around my apartment. But I struggled for almost a year trying to decide if he was just too young. (I was graduating with my 2nd degree, and he was graduating highschool). We talked for that year by email, but never broached the subject of attraction. At camp the next summer, he finally got up the courage to ask me out, on June 16, 2004, and I said yes, after a night of me deliberating, and him not sleeping. Before the week was over, we'd said our first "love you's" and had our first kiss (and my first-first kiss... really, at 23!). I don't remember the exact date, but he'd asked me to marry him before the end of the first month, and I agreed (still don't know how I knew so quickly). He later proposed with a ring, on Feb. 4. We were married 13 months to the day after our first date, in the big field at "our camp," on July 16, 2005. We still work that camp every year, but now as a couple.

[Georgesgirl1]

Okay, I am back with the story of our engagement. George proposed on my 21st birthday. We were looking at the stars in a field at midnight when he got up on one knee (we were laying on a blanket). I, of course, said yes.

Funny story though...when George called to ask my Dad's permission, my Dad asked when? George thought he meant when was he going to ask me. My dad meant when would the wedding be. When George said that it would the coming weekend my dad just about had a fit. But of course George clarified that he was going to ask me that weekend and then wait to marry me when I graduated from college and my dad was more than happy to give us his blessing!

I called and made the reservations for Myers's first trip to the World- only 157 days to go!

[January-2007]

I finally get to join the club! I am due in November.