Stages of Waking or Why I Love the Miracle Blanket

Ever heard of the Miracle Blanket? I hadn't until my niece clued me in last December. Sure could have used this thing with Little Miss - she had to be swaddled to sleep until she was 9 months old, and she was quite an escape artist. This would've saved us.

Let me show you how it works...backwards, while my Mr Man wakes up....isn't he cute sleeping so soundly?

This is the miracle blanket (one size fits all)...looks like a little baby straight jacket...

...and it is...

There is a rather long piece of material off to the left side that wraps around your child a couple of times to keep them snug...

Then there are the arm flaps - which we don't actually use properly yet because Mr Man is just not strong enough to break free. However, as your child gets older you wrap the flap around the arm and under the torso. This way the weight of the child actually keeps the arms down by their sides.

And as you get unwrapped - you have to stretch...

...and stretch...

...and get mauled by your older sister...

To see a video of how it works - click here. I ordered mine from walmart.com and it was worth every penny!!

Colic: The Bane of My Existence

My first child - Little Miss - was colicky (purple crying) from 3 weeks to 4 months old...every night from 6pm-9pm she would scream. My husband and I became a great tag-team! And we managed to make it through with our sanity in tact...most of the time.

{colic: a condition in which an otherwise healthy baby cries or screams frequently and, for extended periods, without any discernible reason. The condition typically appears within the first two weeks of life and almost invariably disappears, often very suddenly, before the baby is three to four months old, but can last up to 12 months of life. It is equally common in bottle-fed and breastfed babies. The crying often increases during a specific period of the day, particularly the early evening.}

So at Mr. Man's 2 week check up a couple of weeks ago the pediatrician mentioned that colic runs in families...if you've had a child with colic, it's more likely that your other children will have it as well...hmm...can't say I was thrilled to hear that news. And it was news - that is something I've never heard before. But, I am here to attest, it is true. Has anyone else heard that before?

Mr. Man started showing signs of mild colic about a week ago. And every night it seems to get a little worse. He is no where near the level Little Miss was at, and I'm hoping it doesn't progress to that point. Right now he is fairly content - or at least not screaming - if one of us is holding and rocking/bouncing him for the dreaded bewitching hour.

So...do I just make really fussy babies or what!? I know colic just happens and there is nothing we can do about it. Just wait it out. But I've heard 3 possible fixes I'm willing to try this time around...

• Cut dairy out of my diet entirely (since he's nursing)
• Cut chocolate out of my diet entirely (again with the nursing)
• Take him to a chiropractor who specializes in babies

What have you heard? Do any of these actually work? Or are there any other things I should try? I'll deal with colic for the next 3 months if I have to - but I sure am willing to put some of these myths to the test!

3 Week Transition to Family of 4

The last three weeks have been - in some ways - exactly what I expected. And in others - nothing like what I expected. Little Miss has done awesome filling the role of big sister and is such a great helper! She's had moments of needing more attention - but generally she's very good about sharing mommy and daddy.

Something I did not expect was that she would stop taking naps the same time we brought a new baby home. I guess it was time. But wow - kind of bad timing. There is no break for mommy now, ever. That has been very hard. Showering is definitely a luxury. My projects have been put on hold. My day consists of changing bums, wiping bums, feeding mouths, and...that's about it.

I would wake up earlier than the kids to get my "me" things done - but since I'm waking up every 3 hours with Little Man right now...the thought of depriving myself of more sleep is less than appealing. Once he starts sleeping longer - I will be waking up earlier to have some alone time. Meanwhile - what do I do!? You ladies that have done this before have any suggestions as to how I can keep my sanity? Any ideas are more than welcome!

I have decided that if I take it a day at a time - with realistic expectations - knowing that I might not get anything done except for playing with my children, that's okay. I've also decided a few minutes of "me" time daily is a must. I didn't even have to ask my husband, he just knows. Bless him. He is amazing! And, now my "me" time is up...=) Back to family time. I'll leave you with these cute little hands to look at - he loves to hold his own hands. ::sigh:: adorable!

Why Women Have 3 Children

So I promised the story of my induction - so here it is! We woke up early the morning of the 28th, showered, ate, and had everything ready before calling the hospital. They told us to come in at 7:15 to get started.

By 7:45 I was hooked up to an IV dripping pitocin to get my contractions started. And we waited. I started having regular contractions (every 3-5 min or so) almost immediately - but nothing too painful. At 11:30am my doctor came in to break my water. Which really, was no big deal. I'd heard lots of people say it was painful - it was nothing. I was dilated to 4 cm at that time.

Within half an hour (noon) my contractions were incredibly intense and painful! Worse than I'd felt with my first. So I asked for my epidural. By 12:39pm the epidural was complete and I was feeling quite a bit better.

At 1pm I was pain free and dilated to 5 cm. So Ryan left to grab a bite to eat. I told him not to bring it in to the room because I was starving! Ice chips just don't cut it. I also told him I was going to take a nap.

The nurse said she'd come back at 2pm and check me again.

By 1:10pm I was feeling painful contractions through my epidural again...weird. The baby's heart rate had dropped so the nurse came in to check on things. I told her I could feel the contractions so she checked me again - this is around 1:15pm. I was dilated to 9 cm!! From a 5 to a 9 in 15 minutes! Crazy. No wonder I could feel the pain.

Ryan hurried back (luckily he was just eating in the hall). The nurse frantically told me not to push - since I felt like I needed to - while she rushed around the room prepping everything and calling my doctor at the same time.

My doctor was 5 minutes away from the hospital.

As the nurse prepped the room I kept thinking - really!? Already!? I was just so amazed at how fast everything happened. I thought we still had a few hours to go - so did the nurse and doctor.

When he arrived I was fully dilated. After 3 minutes of pushing through 2 contractions my Little Man joined our family at 1:39pm! 3 minutes!! That is a HUGE improvement from the 2 1/2 hrs I pushed with Little Miss.

Some other things that were different...

With Little Miss I had 3rd degree "star" tares - I tore in 3 places, really bad. Recovery was super painful and took a long time.

This time around only one 2nd degree tare. Much better! Your body just does so much better the second time around - and that is why people have the third kid. Each time it just gets easier!

I also told my husband shortly after my epidural that "I love epidurals, I would marry one if I could" - yep. Not sure how he took that. =) Really though, I don't know how women give birth at home without pain meds. It amazes me.

DIY: Homemade Cloth Diapers

{guest post by my amazing niece, and new mommy - Dianna, tips on how to make your own cloth diapers}

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As much as I love the ease and convenience of a disposable diaper, I don’t so much love the price of them. I decided I’d probably do some cloth diapering to offset the price of disposables, but even prefolds are expensive. Fortunately, you can make your own!

I picked up some fleece fabric from a secondhand store for about $2. I also picked up a towel from the store for about $2 as well.

First thing you need to do is measure out the liners. I used the towel for my liners since I figured they’d be most absorbent. For my project, I used a 5 inch by 14 inch piece, but you can experiment with sizes. If you are using towel for the lining, it’s a good idea to use a serger along the edges. If you don’t have a serger (I don’t), use a zig zag stitch. If your liner is made of non-fraying fabric, you can probably skip this step.

Then you need the fleece cut out for the cover on the liners. These pieces are 23 inches by 15 inches.

Next up, fold the cover over so that the 15 inch edges are together (or “hamburger style” if that helps) and place the liner with a 14 inch edge against the cover’s 15 inch edges.

Sew these edges together. You should be able to do this with the diaper after you’re done.

Next, shift the liner so that it is in the middle of the cover. It will look like 3 sections: cover, liner, and cover.

Sew up the top and bottom of the diaper, making sure to leave a hole to turn it right side out. The liner doesn’t have to be sewn down into the top and bottom seams, but it can be if you like.

Now turn the diaper inside out. You’re going to sew two lines down each side of the liner. The best place to start is by following the seam from the first time you sewed the liner down. The second line can be done by eyeballing the first line, or measuring it out if you’re a perfectionist.

Remember to sew up the hole, and ta-da! You’ve made a diaper!

The best part about making your own diapers is using whatever fabric you have around the house. You can be creative and experiment with different liners for the most absorbency – t-shirts, sheets and blankets, old towels, I’ve even seen some people use old jeans for liners.

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Thanks Dianna for that great step-by-step! And just because I love you and my new little great nephew - I have to show off a picture of him...

I really want to try cloth diapering, but am also kind of a sissy about having to clean them. However - I do think cloth diapers would be a great addition to emergency supplies for those of us who aren't brave enough!

Have any of you amazing readers done cloth diapering? Have any tips to share on how best to use/clean them?

Circumcision: To Snip or Not To Snip

Okay - I am way in over my head here. A reader who's about to have her first little boy asked me to delve into this topic. I thought - sure, no problem! It seems to be pretty cut and dry...how naive was I? First - you know I only have a little girl. Little boys...I just have no idea about stuff like this.

I started doing research and there are so many differing opinions on this topic and to be quite frank - actual scientific research based studies are lacking in this area. It's mostly opinion. So here are the basics of what I found...

If it's not a matter of religion to you, then it's mostly a matter of cleanliness and cosmetics.

• Some people say it's easier to keep a little boy clean once he is circumcised and that there are fewer cases of urinary tract infections. Other people say it's easier to keep him clean with the foreskin intact.


• Some people argue - "like father, like son - I don't want my child to be made fun of in the locker room since every other boy is circumcised". Other people argue the current rate of circumcision is only 57% (not sure how accurate this # is), so he won't be made fun of in the locker room.


• Some say the procedure is easier and less painful in infancy. Others say it's painful and takes away the child's rights.


• Some say having it done or not having it done increases/decreases sexual functioning and the trasmission of STI's (sexually transmitted infections).
  

I just don't even know. So...now it's your turn! I need you, the readers, to speak up and teach the rest of us.

Those of you who have little boys circumcised or uncircumcised - what do you know to be true? Why did/didn't you have it done to your son?

Feeling exceptionally passionate about the subject and want to be a guest blogger on the topic - email me at barb.themomblog(at)gmail(dot)com

*Update 6/8/10 - the response to this post has been amazing!! I've received tons of e-mails with info I'll be sharing over the next week or two. Keep it coming!!

Other posts in this series:

• Circumcision: Referrals Against the Snip


• Circumcision: In Favor of the Snip
  

Drop-Side Cribs Recalled

A recall for drop-side cribs has been all over the news today. So if you've missed it - here's the scoop.


The Consumer Product Safety Commission has the official information on which cribs are being recalled here. And this is why...

A New York Senator has taken the Cirigliano's story to heart and is fighting to get all drop-side cribs banned.

Do you have a drop-side crib? Have you ever had problems with it?

SIDS - New Research Study

The cause of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) has eluded doctors for years. Everyone has a theory, usually old wives tales.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association attributes SIDS to lower amounts of serotonin in the brain - a chemical which regulates breathing and heart rate. To learn more about the findings click here.

I can't imagine losing a baby to SIDS. When Little Miss was a newborn I was very paranoid. And when she finally started sleeping through the night I found myself checking on her frequently to make sure she was still breathing.

It is a tragedy when a baby is lost to SIDS. Hopefully this research will lead to possible full proof prevention.