Author: threeleadingladies

I have so many roles in life, but the most important are my leading roles, and join me as I share my chaos of all three of the leading ladies!

The Prince

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Meet Dariyon (Dare-ree-aun), my 9 year-old future baseball player!  From the tender age of 3, this young man has been hitting a baseball pitched to him.  He was 8 playing with 12 and 13 year old son his little league team last year.  My sonny one-e is the best helper and big brother a sister could ask for.  He’s very smart, with a drive to do anything better than you can!  This thread will be about my experience with raising a son who was born premature 9 weeks who have residual speech and hearing deficits. 

The Princess

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This page will be about my experiences with my pre-schooled age (4 going on 14) daughter named Azizah (Uh-zee-zuh).  With her in my life, there is NEVER a dull moment!  This little bossy lady was my first full-term baby.  I always dreamed of having a little girl and what she would be like.  Thankfully, she is everything I imagined and sooooo much more!  After having two brothers, then two sons, she was like a breath of fresh air.  I could never imagine life without her!  

How To Get Baby To Sleep All Night

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It’s one thing staying up all night because you WANT TO, but staying up all night because you HAVE NO CHOICE, just plain SUCK!


THIS IS MY SON AT 3:00AM!

Being a former Nurse Family Partnership nurse (basically a mom-baby nurse), I know just about everything there is to know about caring for a newborn up until age 2.  I say this because up until recently, you would think I was an amateur!  My Zander, was seriously keeping me up ALL NIGHT LONG!  I knew exactly what I needed to do to change this, but just didn’t and couldn’t because of sleep deprivation!

I do want to give a big THANKS to dad for his support (and determination of getting sleep), for helping me to implement what I KNEW would get us ALL sleeping through the night.  The irony of it all is it only took TWO DAY to do it!

So here are the tips to getting a restful night sleep:

1. First, you and your partner need to establish a bedtime schedule with days assigned.  I’ll give you ours for example:  Since I”m off during the week, I am in charge of the routine Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri.  Dad has the weekends since I work, and Wed, to even things out (it’s his baby too!).

2. Now you need a routine, that again is mutually agreed upon.  My son’s bedtime routine goes like this

  • 7:00 pm  fed off the spoon
  • 7:30pm-8:30pm playtime in the floor with his toys or siblings
  • 8:30pm-9:30pm he gets a bath EVERY NIGHT (no exceptions)
  • 9:30pm 9:45 he is nursed
  • 10:00pm  he is put in his bed with the Scout Puppy playing bedtime music for 10 minutes
  • 10:10pm SLEEPING BABY


Now these times are what works for my family based on our schedule.  You should start your routine what fits your needs and your baby’s temperament and adjust it accordingly.
3. Understand a baby sleeping all night is approximately 5-7 hours depending on baby’s age.
Do realize your baby may still wake up in the middle of the night until their body adjusts to the schedule, so the next steps are key to KEEPING YOUR BABY SLEEP:
1. NEVER EVER TURN THE LIGHT ON! To baby, lights on mean party time! You can keep a dim night light in the room to help you navigate if necessary.

2. First let baby cry for no more than 10 minutes to see if she can calm herself.

3. If that does not work and baby takes a pacifier, offer that next. Try this a couple times before moving on.

3. If that doesn’t work place your hand on baby belly or stroke her hair letting her know you are there (In a whisper) and she is okay, while offering the pacifier again. You can also try playing the Scout Puppy music (or whatever music you have) if baby does calm down.

4. If this doesn’t work QUIETLY in the LOW LIT ROOM, pick baby up, change her and then offer a bottle/nurse.  Once baby is done IMMEDIATELY place her back in the crib with the pacifier and music playing, then exit stage left (like a thief in the night).
You and your partner should takes turns with these steps so sleep don’t allow you to skip to just picking baby up holding her.  The key to this game is giving baby the least amount of stimulation so she can learn to self modulate herself (calm herself).
Good Luck, persistence and teamwork pays off!

       

Fisher Price Kick and Play Piano Review

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Having a high maintenance little one, I have purchased just about EVERY moving, noise making, rocking, cradling, swinging baby item there is.  To help decide what was good fit for my baby boy, I had to read NUMEROUS REVIEWS!  Thus I wanted to share my experience with the items I purchased and own.

The Fisher Price Kick and Play Piano

Assembly: Very quick and easy took about 5 minutes tops.  Simply pull the tabs through the holes to secure the mat, pop the piano into the legs, and the legs into the base, hang your toys and you are ready.  It came with batteries.
Price:  I almost NEVER pay retail.  I paid around $30 on Amazon.  Buy Buy Baby and Babies R us is selling it for about $45. I’d suggest shopping around, and looking up retailmenot.com for coupons before purchase, or signing up for buy buy baby website for a 20% coupon.
Quality: I like the quality, the toys are very stimulating to all the senses for baby, and it comes with quite a few hanging toys to alternate and change out to keep baby entertained.
Use:  So the good thing about this, is you can use it in a variety of ways.  The baby can simply lie there and play with the hanging toys.  Sometimes the piano would overstimulate my son when he was lying down, ane would just cry.
You can have the piano on so when baby kicks it makes note sounds and sings a tune.
You can rotate the piano to a traditional piano and have baby bang and play on it.

You also can hook the toys on the mat and use it along with the toys for tummy time.


Review and Stars: I’d give this toy 5 stars for the following reasons
1. It’s very versatile, and I can change it to so many different styles to keep my son entertained
2. It’s great quality for the price
3. The company was very generous with the hanging toys for stimulation
4. It was very easy to assemble
5. My son absolutely LOVES IT!  In my pictures you will see things surrounding hime because he is a little wobbly with sitting but insists, so in case humpty dumpty has a great fall…. he has cushion.!

Introducing Solid Foods for Baby

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Whether you are nursing or bottle feeding, spoon feeding is such an exciting milestone for many reasons.

1. For nursing moms, the “boo-boos” get a well deserved break
2. For bottle feeding moms, you cut back on amount of bottles used and washed, and money is saved on formula
3. You finally get to make the AIRPLANE NOISE!!!

Mealtime with daddy!

A few simple things to keep in mind when introducing your baby to the spoon:

  1. Most pediatricians do not recommend beginning solids until your little one is 4 months OR able to hold head up and sit upright with support.  So always check before starting.
  2. Invest in a plastic bib and wipe down high chair for easy cleaning.
  3. Introduce foods ONE AT A TIME waiting about 5 days before trying something new.  WHY??? To pinpoint allergies. If your little one has a reaction you will be able to name the culprit.
  4. Pay attention to baby cues….WHAT ARE BABY CUES YOU ASK?? It’s the language your little one uses to communicate to you.  During spoon feeding, if your baby turns their head away, spits the food out, push the spoon away, and bust out with the back arch, I promise you they are telling you they do not want any.
  5. Keep a toy nearby for baby to occupy his hands to allow you to feed without him grabbing the spoon out of your hand.
  6. If you baby does not like a particular food (veggies especially), continue to try it, or mix it with something sweet (put the veggie on the spoon first and then the applesauce etc.)
  7. Be prepared to walk away possibly wearing whatever you just fed baby in some shape or form.
  8. Wait until bath time to introduce foods, because it WILL GET MESSY!  So after the new milestone is tackled, you can go in for the clean!
  9. Lastly HAVE FUN! Talk, smile, laugh, encourage baby, and make the AIRPLANE NOISE, to make this an enjoyable new milestone in your lives! 
I think he was saying (REALLY MOM??? Can I eat in peace???) 

Bumbo Chair Review

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While I thought the Bumbo Chair was known like Michael Jackson in the parenting world, I quickly learned otherwise!  Every time I mentioned “Bumbo”, everyone gave me the blank stare as if I dropped the F bomb!  Therefore, my extended family inspired this post.

 

The Bumbo chair is basically an overpriced piece of foam shaped to assist your baby in a supported sitting position.  This chair runs anywhere from $20-$50+ depending on where you purchase, and if you purchase new or used.
I do want to mention, in 2012 this company voluntarily recalled this chair and offered a safety strap to help secure your child.  Apparently parents were leaving their child unattended on high surfaces and well guess what….the child fell (wow really) and the parents blamed the company.
I have a Bumbo with and without the straps, and personally, due to the design of the chair, the straps SERIOUSLY get in the way!  As a competent mother, my son is NEVER EVER left unattended in his Bumbo, especially on high surfaces.  Yes, I will sit him on the island in the kitchen while I’m cooking, but again, he is NEVER left by himself.  The majority of his time is spent on the floor playing with his toys on the tray (which can be purchased separately).  I also would like to make note that my son literally will arc his back in a manner where he’s basically out of the chair, but has NEVER ONCE made it out successfully and he’s 5 months.
PROS:
  •  What I love about this chair is the fact it allows baby to sit upright.  This is great for babies with reflux who need to sit up after meals.
  • I also like this because it gives baby another view of life besides lying on their back or in someone’s arms.  I also love the how the chair just snuggly cradle baby, so there is no drooping or falling to the sides.
  • I also like that this chair is lightweight and soft.  Can transport from room to room with baby in your hands.
  • The tray is a double whammy, but on the good side, I can put toys on there to keep my son entertained.
CONS:
  • What I don’t like about this chair is sometimes the snug fit is restrictive for babies with chunky legs. (my son legs sometimes catch and I have to pop his legs out).  Although, it does not seem to cause my baby any discomfort.
  • The EXPENSIVE tray that can be purchased is not easily put on or off, but when in place, it does allow you to place objects atop for baby to play with.
  • The straps are now mandatory, and as I mentioned before, they just get IN THE WAY!
  • I would like to mention that I would not use this chair until at least 3 months for a term baby, but please use your parental judgement based on your baby.  Your baby really needs to have good neck support for this to be used properly and safely for your child.

Teething!!!! Ouch!

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The dreadful days of teething…for some.  I say some because of my FOUR kids, only this last little REBEL, chooses to be a traditional teether.  All of my other children by 4 months, just got teeth and went on about their business.  At my daughter’s 4 month visit, the doctor showed me her teeth, didn’t even know!

So in honor of my lost night of sleep last night, here are some signs and symptoms to look for and remedies to try to get  you through this lovely time!

  • First, welcome back to sleepless nights.  For this, I highly recommend, some tylenol if your child is less than 6 moths, or Motrin, if he or she is 6 months or older just before bedtime.

  • Next, the drool!  Your little one will have buckets of drool, to go along with this milestone.  Therefore, get PLENTY of bibs, and keep change of clothes.  Always keep baby neck area clean and dry, or the skin around the neck and chest area will become red and irritated.  Just think, “would you want to walk around with a wet shirt all day?”

  • Finger biting.  Typically around teething time, comes the developmental milestone of putting, EVERYTHING in the mouth.  Therefore a “teething” baby usually chomp down on those fingers and give you a side of drool.  For this, I recommend, chew toys, COOL, NOT FROZEN teething rings/toys (put in the refrigerator), so baby can hold and enjoy it.  Just make sure everything is kept clean to avoid germs and illness.

  • Loss of appetite/loose stool.  Some babies do not want to eat and may develop diarrhea. If you find yourself down this sticky road, try using a medicine syringe to encourage fluids and if baby is still refusing fluids and having diarrhea consult with your pediatrician to avoid dehydration.
With any developmental milestone, please remember all babies will erupt teeth when they are good and ready, anywhere from 4 months on out! If you ever are in doubt always call the pediatrician for medical advice.

Breastfeeding On-The-Go!

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We all have heard the mantra “Breast is Best”, and the many comparisons of breast vs bottle feeding.  In in the end, breastfeeding seems like an easy win! Well no one really talks about how hard breastfeeding is.  By hard, I mean DEMANDING OF  YOUR TIME!!!!  Every moment of your day consists of planing around feeding your baby.  For example, if you want to go to the store, you are on a time limit, for you will have to feed or pump.  If you want to get a babysitter or have dad care for baby so you can rest, you will still have to wake up at night to pump, to keep your supply up, and if you want to avoid a mastitis (like I developed), you have to pump to avoid engorgement or a blocked duct!

So in a nutshell, even if you have a backup supply of milk for bottle feedings when away….well that milks in your breast still has to go somewhere!

Engorgement from working all day, and not pumping! (Seriously was not the point of the picture, was simply trying to take selfies!)
For pumping purposes, I recommend a Medela Breast Pump.  I have the pump in style and it survived two babies four years apart.  I have an Ameda pump ($300), but I never used it because my Medela worked just fine.  I have read several reviews on the differences between these two pumps and mainly the difference is quality and ease of set-up.  Lastly, before purchasing a pump, check to see if your insurance will cover one, because apparently under the new Obamacare laws they should unless they are under some grandfather law!
Anyhoo some pumping/storage tips!
  • If you want to exclusively provide your baby with breastmilk, pump after every feeding for at least 5 minutes after the last drop, 
  •  Also take advantage of thee early days of bf when your body makes WAY MORE than you lo will eat, and pump the excess milk for storage.
  • Whenever you miss an actual nursing feed, you have to pump in leu.  Remember SUPPLY AND DEMAND! Basically, your body will make what it needs, so if you do not pump or nurse, your body will believe it’s making too much and adjust accordingly.
  • Use a high quality pump (Medela/Ameda) to get a good simulation of actual bf, and a good empty of the breast.
  • Have a picture of baby, clothes with smell, or a recording of his cry to speed up let-down
  • Use breast milk bags for storage.  You want to time and date them.  When using frozen milk for bottle feedings, use the oldest bag first.
  • Freeze bags lying flat (that’s what a company told me when I had problems with leaking after thawing)
  • Defrost in hot TAP WATER (if you know you will need a bottle take frozen milk out in advance) NEVER MICROWAVE
  • Defrost upside down (again what the company told me after my problem with their bags)
  • When away from baby, carry your breast pump with you like its your purse…NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT,  you never know what will happen. Full engorged breast do not feel good!
  • Also ALWAYS carry some spare formula, small bottle of bottled water, and a bottle in your diaper bag JIC, again you never know what life may bring you

Mastitis, Breastfeeding Woes!

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I have been missing for a bit of a while since the delivery of my Duke, but tonight is the first night he has been out of my care and I have to thank a little condition called Mastits (inflammation of the breast).  I don’t remember my labor being as bad as this Mastitis!

It’s Supper Time!

While I was finally getting the hang of things, cooking, cleaning, rearing children, washing clothes etc, it just hit me like a 18 wheeler-truck….chills, body aches, headache, fever, fatigue, just pure MISERY!!!!!

THANKFULLY, my postpartum visit was the next morning, and yes I was diagnosed with Mastitis, which I would have sworn was the flu.  My doctor sent me home with some antibiotics, nystatin (root cause was my son’s thrush) and told me  I’d feel better in 24 hours.  Well here it is 48 hours and I have every symptom except my fever is not as high.  So here are some tips for signs and symptoms on this woe of motherhood.

Signs/Symptoms

  • Pain in the breasts (one or both)
  • Redness or streak of red in the breasts (one or both)
  • Fever greater than 101F or higher
  • Flu like symptoms (chills, body ache, fatigue….basically CRAP)
  • Sometimes pus or blood in breast milk (thankfully didn’t have this)

Treatment

  •  If you suspect you are suffering from a Mastits seek medical attention
  • Typically you are given antibiotics 
  • Told to take Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen
  • Use warm compresses to the breast
  • Rest
Causes
  • Engorgement
  • Blocked Duct
  • Organisms(bacteria) from having cracked nipples (definitely had this and my son had thrush)

All I can say is I wouldn’t wish how I felt in the last 72 hours on my worst enemy! I hope no one has to experience this woe of motherhood.  However if you do, get family to help with caring for the baby because you WILL NEED IT!

Crying Baby Anyone?

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This post is inspired by my son’s “mi-mi” (aka grandma), and his dad (as I’m sitting here typing this he’s suggesting he’s hungry, but just had a 4 oz bottle).  Yesterday, I reluctantly left the newborn prince with his mi-mi for the first time, while I attended a Labor Day barbecue.  Now the last baby she dealt with is now 30 years old, her daughter.

An angry Alexander (Zander)!

I say I left him reluctantly, for my baby boy is a divo (made up male version of diva).  At just 2 weeks, he has his preferences, likes and dislikes, and to date, I’m the only one who actually knows what they are (pats self on back).  So a couple hours into the family event, I sent my SO home to relieve his mom, for I knew she was in over her head.  Then about another hour or so I called to check on him to see if he was hungry and guess who I hear in the background SCREAMING!! MY ZANDER!  I rush home to nurse and RESUCE  my baby boy.

However in hindsight, I know now to leave this list for all those taking care of my baby:

Why babies cry!

1. Hunger- This is the obvious that everyone nails.  However, it’s usually the only thing people think of, when caring for babies. Please Please Please pay attention to your baby’s “cues” to determine if hunger is the culprit, or you need to move on.  If baby is rooting, sucking, thrusting tongue, or putting hands to mouth, he is probably hungry.  If he is turning his head, content when you brush his cheek with your finger, or spitting the bottle/breast out, WELP, not hungry.

2. Wet/Dirty Diaper- Some babies could care less if they are rocking a soiled diaper, and then you have my Divo son who cares very deeply if his diaper is a mess, so much so he won’t even nurse, sit, or lay down until he has a clean diaper on.

3. Bored- Yes, babies do get bored, and want to be entertained.  They want you to give them eye to eye contact and engage in conversation with them.  Pick up a book and read to them.  Sing them a song.  Play with them with some age appropriate toys.  Just because they are a baby does not mean they do not want companionship.

4. Tired- Many babies will get fussy and cranky if they are sleepy, and need your assistance getting them comfortable.  Try swaddling, soft blanks, skin-to-skin, singing, rocking, holding next to mommy’s heart.

5. Cold/Hot- As the parent, you will have to pay attention to your baby to see how he/she responds to different temperatures.  For this can greatly affect a baby, thus making him or her cry.  Just because mom or dad likes to be smothered in blankets or freezing like the Antarctic, does not necessarily mean the same for baby.  Check feet, nose, and hands to see if they are chilly, and check hair and skin for warmth and sweating, and adjust accordingly.

6. Mom-  Unfortunately, sometimes MOM, is the end all for a fussy baby.  Dad and family members have to realize that for a newborn, MOM is all baby is familiar with in this new place called earth.  Sometimes the bullet has to be bitten and let mom do her “thang” and calm her baby down, like no one else can.

7. Held- Please don’t worry about spoiling your baby.  It has been proving that babies are not capable of being spoiled until they have developed a sense of cause and effect which does not happen until around age 4-6 months.  The little bundle of joy was just balled up in your tummy for 9 months, and the comfort and security of your touch, smell, voice, heartbeat, tummy growling is calming and settling.  Enjoy these bonding moments and give your baby the trust he or she needs with touch.

8. Pain- This is funny, for when mi-mi was on the phone with pop-pop with Zander in the back SCREAMING, he kept saying, “is something pinching him?”  While mi-mi was irritated at such a suggestions, pain could be a likely culprit.  Sometimes the baby may be sitting on something like a strap from a chair, a pacifier, or even in pain from sickness.

9. Formula- Sometimes (I have experienced this) the type of formula your baby is on can greatly affect his/her mood.  Many formulas give babies, gas, constipation, reflux all which will DEFINITELY make a baby cry! This is why I now breastfeed my children; I have not had an abdominal problem since.  However, if you bottle-feed, try gripe water, gas drops, rubbing baby tummy, or simply changing the formula.

10. Colic- This is a situation where some babies cry for no real know reason, for hours at a time, with peaks in the evening.  This can be very stressful on the parent and baby. If nothing you do seems to help settle your baby, take him/her to the pediatrician to rule out illness or colic to help you better know how to deal with your baby.

I hope this helps, if you have any questions please leave a comment!