Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Tyler: Week 8

August 11-August 17, 2010 (7w-7w6d old)

Breastfeeding:

This was a rough week!  Tyler has been doing great, mama... not so much.  It started off with 2 days of strange rib pain on my right side.  I had to rip off my bra, lay on the floor and stretch to get it to ease up.  In hindsight I now believe this had something to do with was to come next... blocked milk ducts.  I had 2 large hard masses in Righty and nursing wasn't getting rid of them.  Nursing eventually became unbearable so I nursed on Lefty and pumped Righty.

What ended up clearing the blockage was warm compresses and massage followed by nursing/pumping.  I rotated Tyler around Righty to compress the areola in all directions.  I curled my toes in agony.  Eventually the lumps went down which provided so much relief, then it took another day or two to get over the areola pain from Tyler tugging at them so hard to get the milk flowing.

I'm not sure what caused the blocked ducts, but likely the new bra or going too long without emptying.  With running errands and having company, I did go 6 hrs twice without emptying and just gave Ty a bottle.  Won't be doing that again!

Thought I was out of the woods until Lefty decided it was her turn.  Rinse, lather, repeat.  :~(

Diapering:

I plan on giving a full cloth dipe review after I've had a little more time to work with them, but for now, here's this week's tally on how well they did.

BumGenius AIO:  6 out of 25 leaked
BumGenius Pocket:  0 out of 6 leaked
Thirsties Wrap with Stay-Dry Insert:  1 out of 2 leaked
GroBaby:  2 out of 7 leaked

I didn't show the GroBaby in my last post, so here it is:


I have 2 Flips by BumGenius as well but haven't been able to try them as they're still a little too big at this time.

I tried out Rockin' Green detergent.  It seems to work fine.  I can't tell the difference between it and the Tiny Bubbles.  I will say that they sell some cool scents, but it's really just a gimmick as you can only smell it in the bag and not on the dipes.

As far as cloth wipe solution, I've been using BumGenius Bottom Cleaner and it seems to work well.  You can also make your own, there are tons of recipes out there if you just search for cloth wipe solution recipes.

Tyler Update:

This was an exciting week as Tyler showed off his 1st intentional smile!  This is a milestone I've really been looking forward to judging by how many pics/videos I took.  It took me forever to sort through them.


Smiling Videos:

He started sticking his tongue out.  It cracks people up.


Making silly faces video:

He took a bath with mommy for the 1st time.  You can't tell by this pic, but he loved wading around in the deep water.


He took a nap in his crib for the 1st time.  He did great, but mama spent the entire time watching him on the video monitor.  So much for using that time to catch up on things.


We tried out the bumbo chair for the 1st time.  Since Ty hates tummy time, this was a great alternative for him to work on his neck muscles.  I have his diaper undone as it was cutting into his belly.


Bumbo Video:

He's has been using his hands more, especially during BFing.  He pushes on my boob when nursing.  It's like he's doing breast compressions to get more milk.  He also grabs my hair and rubs his eyes.

He's starting to inch his way around in a circle when he's really mad.  All his arm and leg flailing gradually rotates him.

He went to a babysitter for the 1st time so mommy and daddy could go to a dinner party.  Grammy was the lucky sitter and she loved every minute of it.  I really thought it would be hard on me to leave him, but I did really well and so well that Grammy babysat again the next day so Kerry and I could go on a date to the movies.  It was fun to pick him up as I missed him so much.  Thanks Grammy!

He loves this swing and sleeps so peacefully in it.


He loves playing airplane.


But most of all, he loves sleeping.


He weighs 9lb5oz this week.

Mama Update:

Nothing really new with me.  I was due to go back to work soon and the thought of it was dreadful.  So after much thought and number crunching, I decided to extend my maternity leave for an additional 4 weeks at no pay with benefits.  Anything beyond this would result in paying cobra which is outrageous and not in our budget.  I worked too hard to get this little guy here to not take advantage of every second I can manageably get with him.

Ty, Grammy and Mama:


Judging by the bags under my eyes, I'd say the signs of exhaustion are showing, but the smile says it's all worth it!


14 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, those videos are so cute! He is getting big so fast! I know it can be painful to have those clogged milk ducts. I'm glad you are over it. Ouch! That is great that you are going to take some extra time with him. I know you are eating up every minute of Mr. Cutie! You look so great in all your pics!

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  2. Adorable! I'm glad you get a few more precious weeks with him!

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  3. What a cutie and what a handsome smile.

    As for the bags under your eyes...I had to laugh. I've noticed that ever since E has been born, I have bags under my eyes in every picture!

    I left you a little comment about Thirsties on my blog.

    Great that you are getting some more time off!

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  4. He's still beautiful (as are you)! Glad the BF seems to be going better. Is he gaining on BF alone now?

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  5. He is so adorable!!! I want to snuggle him so bad! I miss the little baby cuddling. Carley wants you to know that the baby can't talk. lol She LOVES the videos and so do I! Keep them coming!! Carley talks to Tyler and says he is her friend. She says "ahh he is so cute" I love to watch her, watch him. It is so sweet. Anyways, you all look great and I'm so glad you get to take a few extra weeks off work. It will be so worth it. Time just goes way to fast!!

    Cindy

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  6. What bags? I see no bags under those eyes -- must be the blinding smile on your face :)

    Glad to hear your blocked ducts has resolved themselves and no, it is not fun. Going that long without BF or pumping is what causes it for me so I am careful to ensure that my boobs are completely drained. You are doing so well though! Keep it up!

    You know, I keep my wipes very very simple. I simply wet a paper towel with warm water and that's it. I find that when I use the name brand wipes, all the chemicals irritate their skin so I always rinse with a warm paper towel and water. Nothing else and I haven't had diaper rash in a looong time.

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  7. Beautiful smiles!!! On both you and Tyler!

    Sorry to hear about the clogged milk ducts. I was super careful about that but never had it happen until I stopped BFing. But, Teagan didn't let me go more than 3 hours without nursing and I hated pumping so it never happened probably for that reason. You didn't try a wired bra, did you? I kept thinking I would just because it would be nice to have my (for once) large breasts all propped up and feel like a porn star for once, but I was too afraid to do it! Now, they are gone:-(

    I started using cloth wipes now too. It started with her rash, where I kept using washcloths bc I was worried about tushy irritation. So, I just bought wipes and have been using diaper lotion potion (kissaluvs) but I think I'll just use homemade stuff next time (I like it but feel it is unnecessary).

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  8. Great update!!! Love all the pics and videos... I got teary just watching! He's still small (considering a baby I know was born at 9lb 3oz last month!) but I'm sure you can see his amazing growth!! What a doll. I just love seeing the smiles-- melt your heart. <3

    You are looking good, Momma!!! I can totally relate to your wanting to stay home as long as possible. Do you work from home though, some of the time? I hope you enjoy the next month immensely!!

    Glad your tatas are back to normal... It's amazing how many moms get blocked milk ducts-- glad you didn't get the dreaded mastitis that usually follows! Kudos to you on pushing through.

    Hugs and Love,
    The Other Jill

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  9. It's so fun seeing how he is progressing. About the bags and exhaustion. Nothing a little beach time wouldn't cure, especially with the extra time off.

    Love ya

    Sis

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  10. It's so fun watching your little videos and looking at your pics and reading your experiences...I also get the added bonus of hearing grammy goo-goo/ga-ga over Tyler on our marathon phone calls! He's her fav subject by the way! I'm glad you get to extend your maternity leave, which is NEVER long enough in my book...we need at least 18 years w/pay! (Maybe it's time for a female president to change that law-lol!) Glad all is going well! Love aunt Kook

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  11. Glad you got over the boob issues....btdt...& OUCH! I had that happen a number of times:( Gosh is he getting big....he's grown so much and changes daily I'm sure. Aren't those first smiles precious?? Just wait momma many many more "firsts" to come....heck I'm still have "firsts" with Brayden and he's almost 4!

    Woohoo on him napping in his crib....Cameron is 11 months old and he's STILL napping in his swing...LOL

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  12. I love smiley Tyler pics! He is just too cute! Can't wait to hear about your thoughts on the cloth diapers. And btw, you don't look tired in the those pics at all, you look happy and radiant!

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  13. It's so exciting to see his smiles!! He is such a happy baby and it shows. You are looking beautiful!! I didn't see any bags under your eyes, just the radiance of a new mom. Glad to see your gorgeous face in pictures again!!!

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Thank you for your comment! Hugs, Kerry and Jill