Sorta kinda figured out how to nurse in the sling. Now, will I be able to do it again? Not sure. I wish my sling fabric wasn't so bulky....or maybe it needs to be a smoother fabric, I dunno. It's just a little difficult to adjust.



Scout and I got dressed to take a walk yesterday....got her all situated in the stroller, and it started raining. Phooey. I just had to take a picture of her cuteness before taking her hat off and getting her out of the stroller, though.

Labels: baby gear, breastfeeding

I had been toying around with the idea for a while, but yesterday I decided once and for all that I am going to cut all dairy, soy, and gluten from my diet. I am not sure that it is even necessary, but I think it will be interesting to see if Scout becomes any less fussy after I eliminate those things. It seems like she gets some gas issues in the evening and she has been spitting up more often than I would like. Besides, it certainly won't hurt me any to just eat fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, and lean meats for a while.

Scout's poo color has evolved from a neon yellow with curdy white specks to a slightly darker yellow with some darker brown specks. Yesterday, I did see a couple of tiny flecks of what appeared to be blood. At first, it freaked me out and I immediately thought about getting her in to see a pediatrician. But then I remembered reading about how infants with milk/soy protein intolerance (MSPI) get irritated bowels and can have specks of blood in their stool. I also read that the appearance of a small amount of red blood in their poo can be normal if it seems like they strain a lot while trying to go. When I did a search on Mothering.com for "blood in stool" several threads came up with mothers in the same predicament asking for advice. Almost all of the replies involved stories of babies whose poo had the same appearance, acted gassy, and spit up frequently, and when the mothers eliminated all dairy and soy (even the trace amounts found in most prepared foods) from their diets, the babies got better. I'm not saying that's necessarily what's going on here.....after all, Scout does not seem like she is in pain except for that window of "fussy time" some evenings....but I figure it can't hurt to try it and see what happens. I'm tossing out gluten as well, because that seems like a common culprit in babies' tummy issues in a lot of the stuff I've read as well.

At the same time, you'd better believe that if I see anymore specks of blood in her poo, I will be taking her to a doctor (although, most doctors don't know a lick about breastfeeding issues or the link between mommy's diet and baby's tummy....so I'm not sure if that would do any good.) I know she doesn't have a virus or anything. She has no fever or any other symptoms. Unless I see more signs of something being wrong, I'm not going to get bent out of shape about it and just look at it as an opportunity to do something healthy for both me and my daughter.

Labels: health

Scout went to church for the first time this morning. Getting ready was a little stressful because we woke up late and had to change her outfit 3 times due to spit-up.....but I'm so glad we went. The whole experience was actually a lot less nerve racking than I thought it would be. She slept in my arms almost the entire time - even through the loud music. Everyone was so happy to meet her and I didn't feel at all uneasy about people getting close to her and touching her. (I thought I would be a wreck) No one asked to hold her, but I think I would've felt fine about letting a few people hold her. I breastfed her in the nursery toward the end of the service and I felt pretty comfortable with that too. All of my silly fears were unfounded. I took a pic of her to document her 1st time at church. Camera's in the diaper bag and I'm nursing Scout - I'll post it later.

***ETA***
Here is a picture of Scout during her first trip to church:


Too bad you can't see her cute outfit, but she does have on the coolest bib in the world since she was having a particularly spitty-up kind of day.

And then we went to the church fellowship dinner this evening and I had a friend take this pic, because I don't have very many shots of momma and baby together:

Labels: firsts

Labels: breastfeeding, outings

Okay, feeling better. DH read my post yesterday and when I talked to him on the phone, he said, "So I read that you're having the worst day of your life." Hee hee hee.....um yeah, I guess I can come off as being a little over-dramatic. It actually turned out to be a pretty good day.

We had fun at our lunch date at my friend's house. Scout was a perfect angel in the car and she slept/ate during most of the visit. My friend eased my worries about holding Scout too much - her daughter would not tolerate being put down when she was a small baby either. She is now 14 months old and seems like a well-adjusted little girl to me. Sure, a bit attached to mommy, but aren't all 14 month olds? Wendy, your experience also makes me feel better. Just from what I've read about your 11 year old little sweetie, it certainly doesn't seem like she suffereed any ill affects from being held all the time as an infant - infact, she turned out to be a smart, kind, mature young lady - a testament of how a parent's nurturing can grow a mighty fine kiddo!

All you gals made me feel much better.....to know that you all have been through it before.

Annika, I bought some gripe water yesterday. Yay! I think it did help with her fussiness last night. I also bought some Seventh Generation baby detergent that is all natural and fragrance/dye free to use on her clothes.

Since I needed to stop by the natural foods store to pick up the gripe water and detergent on my way home from my friend's house, yesterday ended up being Scout's first shopping trip. I knew I'd just be in and out, so I figured it wouldn't be too scary. It was a little hard to maneuver, since I was carrying her on one arm and pushing the cart with the other....but we managed. I need to get our infant carrier car seat installed, since she is not liking the sling right now. (We tried the sling again yesterday and again, she protested loudly :)

As soon as we walked into the store, she puked all down my shirt (and inside my shirt) and then smeared her face in it. I only had my wallet and my keys with me, so I had to walk back out to the car to grab a cloth diaper. I'm sure we both looked lovely, walking through the parking lot covered in curdled breastmilk.

Those fleece diaper liners are really coming in handy - I'm using them to protect our cloth diapers from the zinc oxide ointment. I'm also trying to give her plenty of naked-butt time on the changing table to air out her bum, like Danielle suggested. It's barely a rash at all, but I just wanted to nip it in the bud.....er...the "butt", rather. Hardee-har-har :)

This pic has nothing to do with my post (and it was taken 2 weeks ago), but I think it's so cute, how she's gripping his shirt. DH has magical baby-burping powers. In this picture, his facial expression appears to say, "Please, don't let it be a wet burp!"

Labels: misc

Feeling pretty overwhelmed today. Scout has a rash on her back, neck, and shoulders. At first, I thought it was prickly heat when it was only on her neck. We have since turned the air conditioning on, so I don't think she's getting too overheated anymore. The midwife thought it could be contact dermatitis and asked what I've been washing her clothes in. Dreft. I thought that Dreft would be mild enough for baby clothes (since it is baby detergent, and all).....but maybe not.

I also had the thought that it could be a reaction to something in my diet. I have decided to eliminate dairy from my diet, and possibly wheat. It's not just the rash that makes me think it could be something in my diet - she has been extremely fussy lately. I think in the evenings she gets reflux or a tummy ache and then she wants to nurse and nurse and nurse to soothe herself. Then, her belly gets too full and she fusses more and spits up numerous times. Sometimes she gets mad and screams at my nipples, but then acts like she wants to latch on at the same time. She still won't take a pacifier. When I try to coax her into sucking on it, it makes her furious and she screams like someone's hurting her. I used to be able to put her down in her bouncy seat for a little while every now and then to have my hands free, but lately she's been protesting that as well. (She did lay in it for about 15 minutes while I took a shower before she started fussing, praise the Lord!) I just wish I knew what the problem was so I could fix it and her belly wouldn't be in pain (if that's what it is) anymore.

I'm planning on going to a friend's house for lunch today, and I'm nervous because Scout rode in the car on Saturday and she screamed and cried quite a bit. I think part of what she hated about the car ride was getting in and out of the car seat. We have one of those convertible car seats that fits baby from 8 lbs to 65 lbs, and it does not unclip to carry around like those infant bucket carriers do. I think it would be smart if we switched out the convertible seat with the used infant carrier seat we have. I'd like to do that before I drive anywhere today.....but how is that possible? How can I take care of Scout AND fumble with a stupid car seat at the same time? Uuughhhh.

She is not crazy about the concept of babywearing. She seems to dislike the sling (although I haven't tried again since our first attempt), she only tolerates the Moby Wrap for a little while, and she flat out hates the Ergo with the infant insert. I just don't think she enjoys feeling confined......which makes sense, because she was not a big fan of being swaddled either. Seems like the only place she feels content is curled up in my right arm, snuggled against my shoulder. She takes almost all of her naps there, sleeps there at night, and rides contentedly there while I do things (one-handedly) around the house. I LOVE holding her. But part of me wonders if I am shooting myself in the foot by carrying her around all the time.....but if I didn't, she would cry, and I am not fond of the "cry-it-out" philosophy or Ferberizing or whatever they call it.

On top of all that, she has a diaper rash. Sheesh.

Labels: general complaining

Scout and I just went for a walk outside. The weather is absolutely gorgeous.

I'm excited about going over to a friend's house for lunch tomorrow. Actually, she is more of an acquaintance. I met her at a coffee shop close to where DH used to work and then later ran into her at a LLL meeting. She has a baby daughter, is into cloth diapering, babywearing, etc, and she's a musician, so we have some things in common. We've been communicating through MySpace lately and she graciously offered to help me figure out my ring sling (I suspect that I'm doing it right, but that Scout is just not a fan yet, I dunno) and have me over for lunch. It will be nice to get out and interact socially.

I'm debating on whether or not I want to go back to church this Sunday. I was going to wait until Scout is 6 weeks old, and she'll only be 5 weeks at that time, but I'm really missing it and feel like we may be ready. Although, I did find myself in a social situation this past weekend and felt VERY protective and uneasy the whole time. Honestly, I was a wreck. I realize this crazy hormonal new-mommy protectiveness will fade (well, somewhat).....but for now, I almost feel sick when people other than DH and my mom hold her. Am I a freak?

Maybe I'm not ready to return to church. I just know that people will ask to hold her....and I won't want to hurt their feelings, but I'm not ready to start passing her around from person to person. One of our good friends said that his grandma always used to tell new mommas in their family, "Now don't you be fannin' that baby around! Ya hear?"

So, I'm not a freak....I'm just following some good old-fashioned granny advice.

.....I'm nursing my kiddo first thing in the morning and all of the sudden I have to go to the bathroom so bad, that it feels like I'm gonna wet myself (or worse). I have to interrupt the poor darling in the middle of her meal, run to the kitchen to grab her bouncy seat so I can take her in the bathroom with me, and then hope that I make it there before I have an accident. All the while, my boobs are leaking like a faucet all through the house.

Labels: breastfeeding, general complaining

is way too small for the 3 of us! How come adding a 10 lb little person makes such a huge difference?

Labels: general complaining

I got out of the house both yesterday and today and it felt REALLY good. Yesterday was the first time I took Scout out in the car all on my own. The other few times that she's ridden in the car, DH or my mom was driving and I was sitting in the back seat with Scout. I was pretty nervous at first, but she did really well. We went to the chiropractor's office (Remember when I reluctantly started seeing the chiro in an attempt to turn Scout when she was breech? Well, I'm still getting chiropractic care.....that we can't afford, but our chiro is insanely nice and insists on letting us go there for free - maybe I'll expound upon that later)

While we were there, Scout pooped LOUDLY while in the arms of the chiropractor like 4 or 5 times. It was hilarious. When I changed her, the poo was all up her back and all over her clothes (she was wearing a disposable). Good thing I'm neurotic and brought everything but the kitchen sink in her diaper bag. After the chiro appointment, I dropped off a book I had borrowed from the local LLL leader, and then we headed home. Scout started crying during the last 5-10 minutes of the drive. It broke my heart. I was about to pull over to pick her up and comfort her, but she settled down. I contorted my arm all funky to reach back and stroke her hair while I was shushing her and then she grabbed my finger really tight and calmed right down. It was really sweet. I've tried and tried to give her a pacifier to use on such occasions, but she will not take it. I need to buy a few more different brands to try. I was thinking about ordering a Gerber NaturalFlex pacifier because it's supposed to be more like the breast. I was reluctant about giving her a pacifier at first, but I think she could benefit from it during times like that. Plus, she's got breastfeeding down pat.

Today, we went to see the midwife. We didn't have an appointment for a check-up, but I was curious to know how much Scout is weighing these days. She weighs 10 lbs at 4 weeks and 1 day old. (She weighed 8 lbs 5 oz at birth) That made me feel really good - that she is obviously getting plenty of my milk and thriving on it. I nursed her while we were there and the midwife and her assistant commented on how great of a latch she seems to have. Way to go, Scout!

I've been thinking about cutting dairy out of my diet because she seems to get very fussy and sometimes inconsolable in the evenings. She wants to nurse and nurse and nurse, I think to soothe her gassy belly, but then her belly gets too full and it makes things worse (yet another instance when a pacifier would come in handy). I could have it all wrong - maybe.....HOPEFULLY, she's not really in any discomfort and she's just predictably cranky around the same time every night, I don't know. I've just read that sometimes dairy in momma's diet can cause tummy aches in breastfed babies, so I figure it might be worth a try to eliminate it.

After we saw the midwife, I wasn't quite ready to go home. We're sticking to the no-going-to-crowded-public-places rule until she's 6 weeks old, so I couldn't go shopping. I went through the drive-thru at Chic-fil-A and got a grilled chicken sandwich, fries, and a lemonade. Yum! It was the first time I had been out to eat since I had the baby. Not the fanciest meal in the world, but it really hit the spot. Scout only started fussing a little when we were about a mile from home.

I nursed her and we took a 2 hour nap together. I nursed her again and I started some laundry and put a whole chicken in the oven to bake. It won't be done until like 8 o'clock this evening, but DH has been getting home from work pretty late so I bet it'll work out just great. Scout's sleeping in her bouncy seat right now. I should go around and straighten up the house a little before she wakes up.

Labels: baby gear, misc

Scout is wearing an all-in-one diaper that I made before I even knew I was pregnant. In fact, I may not have actually been pregnant yet. I made like 6 or 7 of these for a friend of mine whose boy was born in August. She gave them back to me yesterday. She only used them on him a few times, so they're still in good shape and they fit Scout really well. The problem with them is that I'm an idiot - I made them with a thick hidden sewn-in soaker pad, so they take forever to dry. I'm not sure exactly how long, but I think they take about 2 hours to dry completely in the dryer. The sewn-in soaker pad has 6-8 layers of flannel, if I remember correctly. Not smart. I did, however, make a few with a separate lay-in soaker pad. I also have 4 unfinished ones sitting on my sewing table that just need their velcro tabs. I'd better get those done sometime soon, because I believe they're a size small. I've already made several soaker pads that will fit inside those dipes.

Labels: cloth diapering

Don't you just love it when baby goes through 3 diapers during a change? It's especially cumbersome being new to cloth.....as soon as I snappied/pinned a dry dipe on and reached for the cover, little miss wets-a-lot soaked that diaper through and I had to start all over. And then she instantly pooped the next one (and the poo-juice soaked through the diaper and onto the cover!) Lovely. Although, I must say that I am very thankful that she pees and poos so much.....just means she's getting plenty o' milk.

Labels: cloth diapering

This photo is dedicated to Danielle :)

I still haven't gotten the fleece strips cut out to lay on top of the prefolds, but she seems to be doing well with cloth anyway. These fitteds are working really well!

Labels: cloth diapering

Today was a good day. I spent all day (yesterday and today) alone with my daughter because DH had to go out of town for work. Even though I missed DH's company and help, it was nice to get some one-on-one bonding time with Scout. Not only did I hold her and love on her all day, I also got a few things done around the house, which felt good. I did a few loads of laundry, loaded/unloaded the dishwasher & straightened up the kitchen, and took a shower while Scout was sleeping in her bouncy seat. Okay, so that's not much.....but I still felt productive.

Even though I really enjoyed my mom and grandma's presence, I think I was in need of this time alone so that I could feel more comfortable and confident as a mommy. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom and value her advice....and she is certainly not the pushy overbearing type, which I really appreciate.....but now I can wash cloth diapers without her saying, "I just don't see how putting the diapers in there, poop and all, is not going mess your washing machine up." And I can wear Scout around in the Moby Wrap without her asking, "Can she breathe in there??" Now I can nurse her on-demand, even if it's every hour, without my mom constantly suggesting that I give her a pacifier. It was all well-meaning advice, and she definitely didn't try to shove it down my throat, but it just feels good to be a mommy on my own, following my own instincts.

***ETA***
Just had to post some pics of our sweet little daughter playing in the crib where she doesn't sleep. She loves to sit in her Boppy and stare at all the bright colors.

Labels: family

My mom and grandma are leaving today. I am pretty bummed about that. Having them here for the past 4 weeks has been wonderful. I don't know what DH and I would've done without them. They have paid for all our groceries since they've been here. They have bought Scout a ton of outfits. My mom thought we should have Scout's hospital picture, so she bought a $70 photo package for us. Our kitchen floor was pretty dingy and worn out and my mom knew that it bugged me, so she paid for and installed (she's a very handy lady) new flooring in our kitchen last week. She also replaced the screen in our front door and mowed our lawn. They have fed the dog, taken out the trash, done all the laundry and cleaning, made all the meals and paid for any take-out food we've ordered. My mom is a talented seamstress and while she's been here she has made me a gorgeous ring sling (I need to post a pic), she made Scout a hand-smocked gingham jumper, she is in the process of making me some nursing tank tops, she finished a baby quilt I made (I hate putting the backs on quilts), and she painted and personalized a picture frame to hang in Scout's room. When I need to take a shower or grab a bite to eat, they hold Scout for me.

I am nervous about taking care of things around here by myself. I know I have DH to help me, but he has enough stuff on his plate with work. I guess all I can do is my best.....and if I fall behind on everything and the house starts to crumble around me, so be it. The only thing that absolutely needs to be done is feeding and taking good care of our daughter. Anything beyond that is a bonus, I suppose.

I started using cloth diapers yesterday. They fit her pretty well and we didn't experience any leaks or blow-outs or anything......but she HATES the feeling of being wet. I guess she didn't really feel wet in disposables, so even though I was constantly changing her cloth dipes, she was cranky all day. She is normally not fussy during daylight hours, so I knew it had to bethe wetness that was bothering her. She's a pee machine, so that doesn't help either. I put her back in disposables for the night fot her own comfort (and so I could get some sleep). Hopefully, I can get her used to cloth.

Labels: cloth diapering, family

We took Scout for a ride in her stroller on Sunday. She thought it was pretty fun. Well, she slept peacefully the whole time, so I assume she thought it was fun. This stroller is great. My dad and step-mom bought it for us. It is a Kolcraft Contours Options 3-Wheeler. The seat reverses so baby can either face outward or inward, which I really like. The way we have it adjusted right now makes it sort of like a baby carriage. It is a smooth ride and is perfect for my height. (I don't kick the back axel, like with the stupid stroller I had for Bob. It is a little unweildy to fold and put in the trunk. In fact, it only fits in my trunk one way. I guess groceries or other items will have to go in the back seat w/ the baby because not much else fits in the trunk w/ the stroller back there. I'm sure we'll manage somehow. Other than its size when folded, I have no complaints.

Labels: baby gear, firsts

Still feeling like a giant boob, but it doesn't bother me. Like some of you have mentioned, my baby girl is just getting my supply established. I wonder sometimes, though, if she is getting angry when milk comes out and she is just wanting to comfort-suck. I notice sometimes at the end of a feeding that she'll flail around and make herself pop off of my nipple without unlatching first (youch!) and then acts angry and wants the nipple back.....this usually repeats a few times before she gives up....like she's too full, but stll wants to suck.

I'm still not crazy about using the pacifier, although I have given her a Soothie brand one on a few occasions. It just seems like she has to open her mouth wider for the Soothie than with a Nuk....so I thought it would be better for avoiding nipple confusion. She's not fond of any pacifier - I have to force her to take it - so I don't even know why I'm trying....I just need to face the fact that I am her pacifier. And that's alright. I'd do ANYTHING for her.

My mom and Grandma are leaving on Friday and I am really nervous about that. They have been doing ALL of the shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, driving, yardwork, etc. I will be lost when they are gone!!!!

Labels: breastfeeding, family

Scout wants to nurse almost every hour today. Sheesh. We've used a pacifier a few times here and there, but she doesn't seem to like it too well.....and when I do give it to her, I feel guilty because I think, "What if she's really hungry and I am giving her this piece of rubber to suck on because 'It's not time to eat'?" So now, I've just been feeding her every time she starts fussing and rooting around or licking her hands.

Labels: breastfeeding