Wine Girl Mommy’s World

Tag: baby

• When your fur babies are no longer your only babies

  Posted at 12:42 pm by CS, on May 6, 2019

  When we got pregnant, one of my many thoughts along the way was “how will our cats react to the new baby and vice versa.” I wondered if they would get along, if the cats would try to attack her, or if she would be allergic. I googled how to introduce pets to babies and just how to make everyone more comfortable.

  As we were getting the nursery ready, the cats assumed it was all for them and the room shortly became a favorite of theirs. The gliding chair and changing table pads were among the big favorites. As I became bigger, the cats would start to snuggle my belly and boy did it freak them out when she would move.

  Once she arrived, I had heard that you should take something the baby has come in contact with and send it home for the pets to smell so they recognize the scent. So I did that with a hat she had worn in the hospital. When we got home though, the cats just really wanted nothing to do with her. They would stay out of our way and in other rooms where the baby wasn’t. I wouldn’t say they were scared of her, they just didn’t seem to want to have anything to do with her.

  Luckily, she wasn’t allergic to them as well so that really eased our mind too. As she has now gotten older, she is more curious about them and wanting to chase them and “pet” them, or her version of that. And she’s very interested in their food, so we’ve had to work on keeping that out of reach of her. The cats are now even more not wanting anything to do with her because they are grumpy old men that just want to sleep all day.

  It has been an adjustment for all involved to become a family of 4 to a family of 5, but I believe we are handling it well and trying to make sure the cats know we still love them and consider them our babies and don’t want them to feel ignored in any way. They were our first children after all.

  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged allergies, baby, cats, introducing, pets

• The stinky situation

  Posted at 11:36 am by CS, on April 25, 2019

  If you had asked me what one of the more popular topics I searched for once I became a mom, my child’s bowel movements would be no where near the top of this list. Never did I think I would have so many questions about the bowel movements of my child. And recently we’ve had a few bouts of constipation with Cameron so I’ve been searching and trying to find the best remedies for that.

  Here’s what I’ve learned about this stinky situation. These are no where near all the information out there, or all the tips/tricks that can be utilized. These are just some that did happen to us.

  1) Be prepared for that tar like poop of a newborn. You are warned in books and classes, but until you see it yourself you can’t really prepare. So just know it is coming and it’s sticky.

  2) Blow outs are inevitable, and sometimes you just have to take them straight to the bath tub fully dressed. It will make cleaning them off easier if they are just in the bathtub already.

  3) If you can remember, put the clean diaper under the dirty so baby won’t have an accident on the changing table or carpet if they aren’t fully done with their movement mid-change.

  4) Poop color change with different solids. So don’t be alarmed if you’ve been giving your child peas and their poop turns green, or orange poop comes after some sweet potatoes or carrots. I remember the first time that happened and I was so confused.

  5) Once you do start your baby on solids, keep in mind their poops will become more solid. I like to say: the more solid the food the more solid the poop.

  6) Don’t be to worried if your child doesn’t poop often all the time. Some days you may not have bowel movements so keep that in mind that your child may be the same. But that being said, if it goes longer than a few days or you can tell they are hurting or straining, then it may be time to take some measures for constipation.

  Constipation: as I stated above, we’ve had a few and some recent cases of constipation with Cameron. We are still trying to learn what works best and what to do to keep her staying regular but here’s what we’ve been doing so far.

  When we first noticed, the lack of “movements” we were getting from Cameron, I of course jumped on google to see what I could find about what causes constipation. Two big triggers I saw were bananas and cheese, which in our house are staples for Cameron as she absolutely loves them. So first thing I did was cut those out of her diet. Luckily she hasn’t seemed to miss them much.

  Once I did that, I looked to see what would help clear out her system and tried to start implementing some of those into her diet. So we tried avocados, blueberries, prunes and prune juice, apple juice, blueberries, and oats or other high fiber items. We also tried adding some Vaseline to the area of her bum to give her the sensation of needing to “go”.

  Unfortunately, although we started getting some movements, they were tiny, hard, and she was straining and in so much pain trying to pass everything. So then I reached out to the doctor to see if he could give me any more recommendations. He suggested some drops or suppositories to try and help move things along. So I went to my trusty amazon to see what I could find for kids her age.

  Disclaimer: “Catherine is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to insert the applicable site name amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn commissions from qualifying purchases.” When you click on links and buy products through this site, I may receive a small affiliate commission. You will not pay more by clicking through my link. All reviews and recommendations of these products are my own.”

  Mommy’s bliss constipation ease drops– these are drops or a liquid you give orally that taste like prunes.

  

  https://amzn.to/2UWeCpt Mommy’s Bliss Constipation Ease + Prebiotics for Baby’s Tummy Troubles Relief – No Harsh Laxatives Gentle Formula Herbal Supplement – 4 Fl Oz

  Pedia-lax suppositories- fast acting suppositories to help with the flow and go

  

  https://amzn.to/2UUI2EA Pedia-Lax Liquid Glycerin Suppositories, 6 Applicators (Pack of 1)

  Using both of these have started to help, so we will just keep an eye on her and see if we need to take anymore action.

  Do you have any remedies that work for your little one?

  Posted in If I had known, Mom-ing, Thing I Love | 0 Comments | Tagged amazon, baby, bowel movement, constipation, diaper, poop, solids, stinky

• When daddy’s away the girls will play!

  Posted at 2:13 pm by CS, on April 15, 2019

  First off, to all those military moms (and dads) and single parents that have to take care of kids and work and live life by yourself I give you SO MANY PROPS!! You are the real heroes and I give you so much respect.

  My husband travels for work quite a bit, it has slowed down lately but there were months that it felt like he was gone every other week. When it was just us, I won’t lie, I welcomed the alone time, the control over the TV, the choice of menu, the ability to just have the house to myself. But now, trying to work, take care of the house, and wrangle the toddler who is growing more and more independent every day exhausts me beyond belief the weeks he is gone.

  Those seem to be the weeks too, that she decides to be extra sassy, or not sleep, or be Uber picky with her meals. It’s enough to make a mama need a glass of wine, or two, or a bottle. So seriously, let me reiterate again how much I admire those who have to do this every day of their lives, or months on end! Seriously you all are amazing!!!

  The days/weeks that it’s just me and homegirl, I start my day at 4am because I have to take an hour out of my workday to drive Cameron to daycare. Thankfully I work with AMAZING people who allow me to do this and let me adjust my schedule to make up the time. Then when I get off work, depending on the day and daycare pick up time, I’ll get some housework chores done, prep dinner, prep lunch for the next day, get my workout in, and any other miscellaneous things I need to do before I drive to get Cameron. Then once home it’s normally about time to start cooking dinner, then we eat, Cameron gets a bath, we play, then it’s bedtime. And sadly shortly after Cameron goes to bed I do too because of how early I get up in the morning.

  It’s a bit repetitive but it’s what I found works for us on the weeks it’s just the two of us. I try to plan dinners that will give good leftovers so that I don’t have to cook every night of the week. And hopefully they can also be used for some lunches for Cameron so I don’t have to over-plan for those.

  It is great to have such a support system in place with how great my job is with allowing me to alter my schedule, Cameron’s daycare is the best too when they know it’s just me since my husband is normally the drop-off and pick-up parent. And even though they live so far, it’s also nice to have family and friends listen to me if I feel overwhelmed.

  Hopefully one of these days we will live closer to family, or my husband won’t have to travel as much. So all you parents out there, rocking this, you go pour yourself a drink because I KNOW you need it!

  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged alone, baby, mom, single mom, travel

• Too early for terrible twos?

  Posted at 11:27 am by CS, on April 8, 2019

  Just shy of her turning 18 months old, this weekend Cameron gave us a run for our money. She was testing all sorts of waters and boundaries.

  She wanted to go upstairs and we wouldn’t let her, she wanted to move the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs and we wouldn’t let her. Then we rigged it so that it wouldn’t move at all and that upset her. The tantrums then started in full force. Tears flowing, snot and drool forming in flood like levels. She was throwing herself back on to the floor and was inconsolable. I thought we had another few months before we saw any traits of her terrible two stage. Apparently she wanted to get a jump on this next phase in life and to keep us on our toes.

  Considering this is a new chapter for us as a family I tried to figure out how best to approach the situation. She is still learning and trying to understand what boundaries she can push and what limits we will set for her.

  Here’s how we attempted to handle this. First, I let her cry it out. I tried not to raise my voice at her because I knew that would only cause more issues. But I did use my stern “mom” voice when letting her know what she was doing was not ok.

  Second, I removed her from the situation. She kept trying to get up the stairs and move the baby gate, so once I was done using my mom voice I would pick her up and move her away from the area. Just so she knew that we were not to play on the stairs. Granted, she kept going back and before we fixed the baby gate she did end up getting up the stairs once or twice. When she succeeded, I knew it was partly because she wasn’t listening, and partly because we didn’t have the baby gate secure so I knew it was not fully her fault so how could I punish her when she was still learning. She did get put in a 2 min timeout where I sat her down and spoke to her about exactly why she was in trouble. I told her I understood that she wanted to go upstairs, that the excitement of being upstairs was fun but she needed to listen to mommy because I just want her to be safe.

  Third, we created a distraction. Now, I understand bribing a child isn’t the best way to deal with things, and I wouldn’t call what we did a bribe, but while she was crying and screaming and throwing her tantrum, after removing her from the situation I would sit with her on my lap and try to calm her down and put on one of her favorite shows or movies. Just showing her I was there for her I think diffused the situation a little more quickly.

  Now I know that we have more mountains to climb since she’s not quite two yet and I do see more tantrums coming our way, but hopefully learning some more tips will help us be able to handle them if they happen to come about as she is still testing the waters on what she can and can’t do. I want her to have confidence and be independent, but I also want her to learn to listen and be disciplined.

  Posted in Mom-ing, W(h)ine-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged baby, blog, crying, discipline, mom, tantrum, terrible two

• First cut is the deepest

  Posted at 5:40 pm by CS, on March 29, 2019

  So tonight we had another first. I don’t know if we are getting lucky that a lot of our firsts are coming after her first year or what, but it was no less scary at 17.5 months old.

  So Cameron and I were sitting on the couch and she was bouncing around like she normally does because this child loves to bounce and jump. Well she bounced a little to hard and fell face first into my shoulder. I knew it was going to be bad with how loud she screamed and started crying. I grabbed her and was looking to see if she was ok and then saw blood coming from her mouth. I about started crying, first time she’s bleeding and she’s crying and I’m feeling like a bad mom because I knew she shouldn’t have been bouncing around. I had to pass her to my husband because I was terrified she had really hurt herself and was freaking out. He checked her over and deemed that her tooth cut her lip but it wasn’t anything major. We soothed it with some ice and a cool pacifier. Gave her some meds for any inflammation and will continue to monitor her. They say the first time is always the scariest, but man I really felt so badly for her.

  And of course she didn’t learn her lesson and went right back to trying to climb on the couch. So at least we know she’s feeling better and is fearless. Cause her mom sure is more apprehensive now that is for dang sure!

  

  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged baby, blood, boo boo, couch, cut, hurt

• Calming the infant

  Posted at 3:04 pm by CS, on March 28, 2019

  We got lucky early on that we found things that calmed Cameron down fairly easy when she would get fussy.

  Now these may not work for everyone, but similar things may work for you.

  We found that this girl loved music. I did try my best to listen to music and read to her throughout my pregnancy, as well as try to instill my love for Disney in her. Well shortly after Cameron was born and she was being a bit fussy we would turn on the Disney Pandora music station and it would calm her down. We tried other stations but none compared to the Disney ones. Luckily Disney has many pandora stations so we had a lot to choose from and much variety.

  The other thing that really calmed her down was the sound of Disney movies. But mostly Moana. I’m pretty sure in the first year of life we watched Moana over 400. And, yes letting the child watch tv over and over isn’t the best, but we weren’t sitting her down in front of the TV. It would be on in the background during tummy time, or the soundtrack playing during bath time, or in the car on the way to doctors appointments or running errands. But she loves that movie, and to this day when we bring out the DVD it makes her so happy. So I’m happy there because I may actually get a mini me that loves Disney like I do.

  Posted in Mom-ing, Thing I Love | 0 Comments | Tagged baby, calm, Disney, Moana, music, Pandora

• To travel or not..

  Posted at 2:55 pm by CS, on March 28, 2019

  With living so far away from friends and family it became slightly inevitable that we would have to travel with Cameron eventually. That eventually came just when Cameron was 4 months old, and if you think traveling is already stressful, add in traveling (alone) with an infant and that stress level can go through the roof. On top of that there seems to be so many people out there that have issues with parents who bring children on flights so you then feel that not only do you have to keep you and baby happy, but all those around you happy, which then increases the stress even higher.

  Our first round of flights went semi ok until the very last leg of the last flight. I don’t know if it was the long day, the feeding schedule, or what but by the end of the flight, Cameron was “that baby” that was screaming and crying and could not be consoled, and I was that parent that was flushed and embarrassed and having the beginning of a migraine because I felt so bad and guilty that I couldn’t get my child to calm down. So I took that experience and vowed the next time we flew I would feel and be more prepared.

  Here’s some things that I’ve found helpful in making traveling with a small one easier.

  1) Bring help. That can be in the terms of a carrier or a stroller. The first time we flew I only had a carrier and not a stroller. This would had been ok but we never really synced using the carrier so by the end of the day I was so sore. So I’m glad that from then forward I brought a stroller. It’s free to gate check and just makes it a bit easier to get around airports for layovers. Some airlines also allow you to have someone come back to the gate to help you, I found getting through security alone was a feat in and of itself with all the gear you need so if you can have an extra set of hands it does help. Not obviously that isn’t always the case so hopefully the people in line around you or the TSA will be friendly that day.

  2) Bring activities. A lot of activities. If you are lucky enough to fly on an airline with TVs this becomes a little easier, but if not make sure you bring something to entertain the little one. For us our flights are long and Cameron’s attention span is super short. We need to make sure we have new things to entertain her with for full days. I tend to buy some toys that I hide and bring out on the flight so they are new to her and she’s more interested. It helped a lot on our cross country flights.

  3) Plan for mealtimes. Snacks, meals, formula, milk, etc. Make sure you bring enough of everything to get you through the day. I tried to bring extra of everything in the case of delays. I did the same for diapers and change of clothes.

  4) Bring a neck pillow/small pillow. Because Cameron is still a lap infant, I’ve held her on our flights, and she tends to nap on these flights. As she’s getting older she is getting heavier and so to help my arm not ache I would bring a small pillow to put under my arm while I held Cameron during nap time. It helped out so much. Also getting a window seat and having the wall helped me too.

  I’m sure there are plenty of other great tips and tricks, but these are the 4 I swear by now. And I’m sure as she gets older and we keep flying we will have more tips. We have never traveled far by car or else I may have more tips there too.

  

  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged baby, flight, plane, travel

• It takes a village..

  Posted at 3:04 pm by CS, on March 27, 2019

  When they say it takes a village to raise a child, they are not lying. We were and are very lucky to have the village that we have. The friends and family that are a part of our lives are amazing.

  When Cameron was born we got so lucky that my mother was able to come out and help us for 10 weeks. It was so helpful to have that extra set of hands, especially when I had my unexpected gallbladder surgery. It was also so helpful for all the new mom questions that I had that my mom was there to help me answer them. As a new mom it seemed like every movement or breathe or noise that Cameron was making I was concerned about so it was so nice that my mom was there to help calm those nerves.

  In terms of those new mom questions that we all find ourselves having, I also have some great mom friends that helped ease my anxiety. I don’t know how many times in those first few months I would ask for their opinion, or see if they had experienced something similar with their children. These women, who are not only some amazing moms, but also great friends have shown me what kind of mom I can be.

  We have a great family presence in our lives with being so far from our family. From all of Cameron’s grandparents, to her aunts and uncles, and those friends that are like family and see Cameron as such, we know we are so loved and cared for no matter how close or far they may be!

  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged baby, family, friends, mom, village

• When it just doesn’t work.

  Posted at 4:09 pm by CS, on March 12, 2019

  So I know there is a great debate of breast is best vs fed is best. Breastfeeding is better than bottle feeding, breast milk is better than formula. Well I believe firmly that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. As long as you are doing everything in your power to keep your baby fed, happy, and healthy you have to do what works for you and baby.

  Now this is not meant to spark debate. Just wanting to tell my story and why I decided to do what I did as far as feeding Cameron as a newborn.

  From the very beginning I knew I wanted to breastfeed. I just thought as a new mom that’s what I was meant to do. Unfortunately it did not happen as easily as I would have liked it, and I wish someone would have told me beforehand how hard breastfeeding is. A lot of media makes it seem like poof, baby is born and breastfeeds like a champ. If you have a baby like that they Hooray for you! I’m envious of that, because we did not have an easy go of it at all. From the get go I could not get Cameron to latch. She wanted nothing to do with my boobs. I don’t know if we didn’t have enough skin to skin at birth, if she could sense my stress, or any other multitude of reasons, but she just would not latch. I had lactation consultants dwell upon my hospital room multiple times during my stay and every one of them just told me to keep working at it. They would help me, get Cameron to latch, and I would think we had something going and come next feeding we had to try it all over again. Of course I was getting frustrated but I continued working on it. We were both new at this, we needed time to adjust. So we kept trying and trying, she kept refusing to latch, we went to support groups, met with more consultants, tried nipple guards, and shields, and this position and that position, over and over and over. I was becoming so stressed my supply was tanking and I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to feed her at all. So we decided to try and different approach. I would pump enough for the next feeding so that when we tried to latch, if it didn’t work, we could bottle feed her my milk and I would pump to keep the cycle going. That seemed to work for a while, and then one day she decided that she was going to start latching so we were able to continue going forward.

  And then I had to have surgery to remove my gallbladder, my supply tanked almost completely, and due to the meds I was given I was told to hold off feeding her breast milk until they worked through my system. That’s when I made the decision to switch Cameron to formula. It had been 10 weeks of pure breast milk and although I felt defeated that I had to move to formula, I had to take into account how much it was stressing and discouraging both of us to keep going when I wasn’t producing as much milk and I was hoping to.

  Feeding her that last bottle of breast milk broke my heart. I felt like I had failed her for not being able to provide her the milk she needed, but she did not seemed phased at all by the switch to formula. She was still my happy go lucky 3 month old, and in the grand scheme of things I felt better too. I didn’t feel as stressed or upset every time feeding came around. So whether you choose to stop breastfeeding, you just aren’t able to do so anymore, you chose to never do so, or you are still rocking at it, props to you momma! Because YOU know what is best for YOU and your baby!

  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged baby, breastfeeding, fed, food, formula, lactation, latching, mom

• Birth story

  Posted at 7:42 pm by CS, on March 5, 2019

  So this is something that I have never really talked about. Those closest to me do know this story, but I’ve also never written it down anywhere. Figured, if this is going to be a space for me to write about being a mom, may as well start at the beginning.

  Now to sort of preface this all, we live in California, and over the past few years there have been some pretty severe wildfires. Now our area was affected by the October 2017 wildfires, we did not have to evacuate, but we got a lot of smoke, a lot of smoke! And I learned first hand that you can have a plan and be prepared, and in one moment that can all change. So a little more background, I was due in November of 2017, we had made plans to prepare ourselves and take tours of the hospital, doing birthing classes, just everything you think you should do prior to having a child. Then the fires started and everything we had prepared for changed. The hospital closed, the classes were canceled, and although we were still about a month away from giving birth, we had to make back-up plans in the off chance something were to happen to our house and we had to evacuate. We were very fortunate that we did not have to evacuate, that our house was safe, and after about a week our doctor and hospital opened back up. We thought everything was great, we now had 3ish weeks left to prepare for baby girl. My mom was coming out to help, the nursery was done, bags packed, so although we didn’t get to finish our classes, we figured we would be ok come November.

  Someone had other plans. I woke up that Sunday October 22, with HORRIBLE back pain. And when I say horrible, I mean I thought someone decided to just continue to punch and kick me in the back over and over. But seeing as this was my first child I had no idea what contractions felt like, let alone ones in my back. So I tried to go back to sleep, until they started coming slightly closer together. Figuring I wasn’t going to be getting anymore sleep I went downstairs to wait it out. Now my mom had come into town the day before to start helping up get the house fully prepared for baby, she heard me up and came to see what was going on. When she noticed I was in pain, she decided she would start timing the episodes. I couldn’t believe I could possibly be in labor. One it was 3 weeks early. Two everything I felt was in my back. Contractions and labor is painful, but I must say back labor is brutal. I don’t wish that on anyone. So the contractions kept coming, but they were not consistent so I was truly in denial that I was in labor. I kept saying “it’s just back pain, let me sit in a warm bath and it’ll be fine.” When my husband woke up he couldn’t believe it either, especially since he was supposed to go fishing that day. So they made me call the doctor. Since the contractions weren’t super close or painful (ummm what?!?) the doctor told me to wait it out. I thought I would be ok, so I allowed my husband to go fishing. (Putting this in here since I know he’ll get on me when I say that yes he did go fishing the day his daughter was born)

  Cue a few hours later, my husband is home, the pain is becoming unbearable, so much so I can’t move. But I’m still so stubborn and in denial that I just think another bath would help. After this my mom basically forced me to call the doctor. I should also mention at this point I had passed my plug. Called the doctor, explained what was happening, and she said “time to come to the hospital, we may be having a baby today.” Of course before we left the house I had to send some work emails, (seriously, it was like I was doing anything and everything to keep myself in denial about being in labor). On the way to the hospital the pain was getting even worse and closer together that I swore I was going to give birth in the car on the highway. But we made it to the hospital and as I was checking in my water broke. They got me in a room and into a bed, hooked me up to all the monitors, started to check me out and I promptly asked for an epidural. That is when I was informed I was way to far along for that. Let me tell you, I did not think I would be able to handle giving birth without one, but I had no choice at this point. Cue a couple of the worst contractions ever and it was time to push. I swore up and down I could not handle what was happening, I told everyone who was listening I couldn’t do it. But sure enough, after a few times of pushing, I gave birth to my daughter. It was the greatest feeling ever to look down at her little face and hold her little hand.

  Now she was considered a preemie because she was born just shy of 37 weeks. So we had to stay in the hospital an extra day. But that hasn’t stopped her from being a thriving toddler now.

  So I will say, back labor is intense. Granted all labor is but I now only have experience with back labor. Birth plans are awesome, and smart, but in case something else does happen, be prepared to have to go with the flow. And finally, don’t be like me, don’t be stubborn. Doesn’t matter if it’s a week early, 3 weeks early, a day late, your body knows what it’s doing so listen to it! I’m glad I finally did so that my daughter was born in a hospital and not in a car on the side of a CA highway. But I would not trade a second of my birth story for anything.

  

  Posted in Mom-ing | 0 Comments | Tagged baby, Birth, Birth story, hospital, Labor

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