Babies Born June 2007 #4

[mel_thekiwimum]

hi everyone

Jen - I weighed Jackson this morning on our scales at home by holding him and he weighed 6.2 kg his weight gain has def slowed down as he was putting on about 800g a month and I think he's only put on about 500g this month (my GP and paed have both suggested putting him onto solids next month)

Jackson still isn't rolling over yet - he gets onto his side and then can't quite figure out what to do with his arms to get the rest of the way over its very cute to watch

he also lets out these high pitched squeal noises when he's really happy which I think are his attempts to laugh - its the sweetest sound on earth to me and usually sends me and my DH into fits of laughter as well

I got the mixture from padbury's pharmacy in WA sent to me for jackson's posseting/reflux and it seems to be helping a bit - he still pukes occasionally but its usually because he has fed for ages and is just too full I think

hugs to everyone so nice to hear that others are in the same boat as us - its pretty easy to feel isolated sometimes

Luv Mel and Jackson

[Peach]

hmmm! jackson is 6.2 kilos and 3 1/2 mths
Mackenzie is 5.9 kilos and 4 1/2 months (she was born 3.9 kilos. IS that enough weight gain ? I wasnt worried about her weight gain .. but now am starting to wonder if shes ok :/ she isnt due to be checked untill 6 months by the paed. Maybe I should sart her on solids. Shes not a huge baby .. but I wouldnt call her small either! I always thought she was "normal"

[MumofLewis]

Jen,

I go to a chemist where they weigh your babies for you as I don't go to Mothers group anymore. She told me they should put on 200 gms a week. Lewis is 15 weeks and weighs 6.84 kg but funnily enough he has only put on 140 gms a week so even though he weighs alot she says he should have put on a bit more. Maybe you should ring your local Westfield and ask if any of their pharmacies weigh babies and you can go there.

[~Debbie~]

i am going to weigh Aiden properly next week down at the Community health centre. I weigh him at home, and my scales here said he is 8kg. At birth he was 3.585
Jen, i wouldnt worry to much about how much your bub weighs. If she is happy then dont frett to much. She looks pretty happy to me in you ticker photo.

[teepee2]

Jen Mikayla is 15 weeks old, is 61cm and when I weighed her last Thursday she weighed 5.78kg. Now the paed asked me to put her on solids because he didnt think she was putting on enough weight or drinking enough milk but she by no means looks like she's undernourished. She only drinks 120mls of formula at each feed and eats about 5 times a day. She seems completely content with the amount she's eating - I think all babies are different and put on weight at different stages in their development. Our girls are only putting on very little weight now but when the others slow down they might come into their growth spurt. I wouldnt worry too much if she seems to be happy and healthy. If you're really worried make an earlier appointment with your paed. Its better to have peace of mind!

Debbie I'm using lactose free formula with added Karicare thickener. I've increased the amount of thickener but it hasnt made any difference - she's still throwing up alot. The only reason I'm concerned is because she's not only vomiting right after a feed but over and over from the time she finishes one feed to when she starts the next. And she's starting to cry again when she vomits which makes me think that its burning her again. She needs so many outfit changes a day its driving me crazy

[~Debbie~]

call me weird, but, perhaps try without the thickener for a few days. Aiden started throwing up on the reflux formula, and, when my paed toldme to put him onto Nan 1 HA gold, (just normal 'thin' formula), i was worried about him throwing up still, but he didnt. He actually stopped throwing up.

[MumofLewis]

The Nan 1 HA gold is partially hydrolysed to make it easier to digest, if that will help.

[Peach]

Kenzie is 19 weeks old and has averaged 105 grams per week so far. Perhaps I should give her some baby rice cereal.

[~Debbie~]

Jen, i think Kenzie is old enough to try abit of solids, but, thats just my opinion. I dont think it can do any harm to see how she goes.

Sarah - Aidens #2 dont smell quite as bad now that he has abit of solids....i dont need to air the hole house out any more

[teepee2]

Jen I agree with Debbie - even though 105gr isnt too bad, starting her on solids really wont hurt.

Deb & Sarah - Mikayla was on Nan HA Gold since birth (initially just comp feeds) & thats what she was drinking when the reflux started until we moved her onto Lactose free but I havent tried to put her back onto it because of her intolerance - if it wasnt for her problems with lactose I'd give it another go but i'd hate to put her through that again! The paed did mention that there is another specialised lactose free formula which isnt readily available and he said that if the reflux persisted it might be worth trying it so I'll speak to him about that if things dont improve soon. She was doing great while she was on the losec so I think we really have to work out a way to get the cheeky little thing to start taking it again!!

[Peach]

I have got some organic baby rice. My DH isnt impressed about giving it to her though because the *experts* and all the information on when to start solids says 6 months. But if your paed suggested it Tina then it cant be too bad.

[teepee2]

Jen go down to Woollies or Coles with your DH and show him all the baby food which says 4 months on the packaging - that might change his mind :laugh:

You could always give it a go to see whether she is ready for solids. If she's happy to eat it and doesnt get a belly ache then it should be fine. If not wait then a few weeks and try again.

[Michelle71]

Jen - is she BF or FF?? Oscar is 5.6kg and 18 weeks old. He is growing well, he can roll over onto his tummy and back again, he is *talking* and interacting. He does lots of wees and poos and he is appropriate for all age milestones. He just happens to be on the smaller end of the graph.

There are new guidelines from the World Health Organisation about weight gain. As long as she is gaining and growing and staying on her growth line then her actual weight is not really a problem. The new charts came out in 2006 due to the increased pressure on breastfeeding mothers to introduce formula or solids due to poor weight gain, which in fact is normal weight gain for a BF baby. I believe the weight gain is around 100g per week. The old charts came from the 1970's data when a large proportion of babies were FF. After about 4 months weight gain does slow until they get to about 6 months when they have another growth spurt.

I would check with your doctor before starting her on solids. She looks really healthy, bright and alert. JMO though

[Starfish]

Hi everyone

It's very interesting reading everybody's baby's stats. It's really reassuring to see how all babies are in fact different and can still be healthy despite what supposed experts and guidelines say.

Diana's stats at 16 weeks are:
Weight 5.6kg
Length 62cm

She will be 17 weeks old tomorrow. She rolled over from her back to her tummy twice in a row a few weeks ago, but hasn't done it since. She can lift her head up and hold it there for quite a long time. I don't give her tummy time that often (I forget ), but when I do the results are variable. Sometimes she likes it for quite a long while, other times she starts to sook straight away. She is still weeing and pooing into the potty and I am so proud of her. (LOL about getting excited about poo and wee - must be a mummy thing.) She seems to have found her right leg and is kicking it a lot. Yesterday she was looking at it and concentrating really hard. So cute to see her looking so serious. On Saturday she even sang along when her daddy was singing to her! It was amazing. She made about three sounds in a row, all different pitches.

She is still exclusively breastfed and I don't plan to introduce solids until she's at least 6-7 months (as she was 1 month premature, I am thinking of waiting an extra month), but obviously we'll see how we go. She is thriving on breastmilk at the moment.

My camera broke a few days ago, so I can't take pictures at the moment. Although on a positive note, we picked up her professional photos a few weeks ago. They look great. $500 well spent.

Sorry for no personals. Hope you're all doing great.

[Celsie]

Hi girls!!!

Massive apologie for once again being MIA. I didn't realise they'd started a new thread. I've still got such a baby brain.

Just a quick update on my little man, because I'm one proud mummy!

Caeleb rolled over last Monday. I put him down for tummy time and pop... over he went. I thought it was a fluke, but he did it another three times. Problem is, when I want to show other people, he refuses to do it. LOL

I had him weighed on Friday, his stats were:

Age: 16 weeks, 6 days.
Weight: 6.28 kilo.
Height: 62cm
Head Circcumference: 41.5cm

He's putting on between 180 - 200 grams a weeks still, so we're really happy. He's following his little graph in his book perfectly for his weight, height and head circumference. Although, we've been told for his age, 100 grams a week is more than enough.

No sign of teeth yet. Can you girls actually see the teeth or just feel them under the gums?

Oh, cute moment. Caeleb has a girlfriend! Her name is Isla and she belongs to one of the Mum's in my Mother's Group. She's also 3 months OLDER than him, but they're so sweet together. He gives her these coy little smiles. And they talk up a storm.

Isla's mummy (Caeleb's future mother-in-law ) is teaching Isla baby sign (aka that kid on Meet The Fokers who does the milking gestures). I'm going to give it a try with Caeleb. Is anyone else thinking of trying this?

Sorry for no personals. I'm just popping in quickly before I start to tackle our tax. Reminder girls: It's due by the end of the month!!!

Celsie. xoxox

p.s. Sarah - did your pharmacist say what was missing from the Bellamy's Organic formula? I was really keen on switching till I read your post. LOL

[Peach]

Michelle: She is exclusively BF, yeah I had a talk with DH and we are going to takie her for a pediatric (sp?) check up just to make sure all is going well. She is realllly tall for her age 80th percentile and 25th percentile for her weight. I think she is teething and so is becoming fussy at the breast.. I'm am sure everything is fine i'm not that concerned .. shes such a happy little girl most of the time, shes rolling, talking, loves tummy time, so hitting all her milestones aswell.

Thanks so much for this little group! Its really nice to be able to bounce ideas of other mums with about the same age bub, I really appriciate everyones time and effort its basically my only social outlet atm!
:hugs:
Jen

[Charlyfrog]

Hi girls! Well, DD#2 is fed and asleep, ABC kids is on for DD#1, DH is at work (so doesn't want the computer!) and although the ironing is yelling at me as well as all those other fun attempts to keep the house clean..........I wanted to come and catch up with those beautiful lovlies who keep me sane!!! Mwa to you all!!! xx

Babybella - I'm sure all will be well at your little ones appointment! The things our little ones put us through hey?! Just keeping us on our toes! Hehehe!

Starfish - using the potty already!! That's amazing!! And I completely understand about feeling excited about wees and poos I will be whooping and jumping like a crazy woman when DD#1 catches on hehehe!! Actually, at the risk of possibly repeating yourself (as I most probably have missed your post re: this!) how are you managing this?!?! Coz just had a light bulb moment - if DD#1 sees that DD#2 can do it, it might just spur her on to show her baby sister up!!! Or have I missed the timing on this?
I hope you get your camera back soon too! Being a trigger happy mummy, I'd go nuts without my camera! But yay on the professional pics!! Priceless aren't they?!

Celsie - I used baby sign language with DD#1 just for real basic communication. Apart from it being so adorably cute to see her sign, it really was helpful for all of us as she could very basically hint to us what it is she wanted and on top of that I was quite consistent with the manners too! It is so easy and so fun and whilst it took a little while for her to understand and then use the sign appropriately, to this day (almost 3yrs old - and of course, mothers biased! Teehee!) she is so well mannered using her please and thank you......I love watching the stunned reactions on others faces when she is so polite! LOL!! And the great thing too is that if she forgets or if we want her to use her manners but want to discreetly remind her, i can be subtle and do the sign which then prompts her to use her manners. Also, I would always say what it was we were signing and even before she could do the signs properly, I would get her hands and help her do it each time.
Hilariously DD#1 reminds DD#2 to say please and thank you!! LOL!! So we get DD#2's hands and do the appropriate signs saying the words as we do it!! So funny!!

So cute your little man has a girlfriend! I have a couple of friends who have little boys who are either around DD#1's age or slightly older and I've indicated to DH who I would like our girls to marry!!! (Tongue in cheek of course!! She won't be allowed out with boys until she's at least 21!!! Bah-hahahaha!!!)

I've re-introduced a 5th feed after DD#2 dropped it the other week - she seemed to be quite chucky and not interested in a fifth feed so thought she was ready. The first 2 nights feeding at 7pm and then again at 7am were gorgeous and so much less chucky through the day and feeding well at all 4 feed times. But then the next two nights got progressively worse and she seems to have dropped back into a 3&1/2 hour pattern in the afternoon so the last feed is at 8.30pm. I have a sneaking suspicion that she is going through a growth spurt but am a little frustrated as she is now really chucky again but feeding really well at all 5 feeds So am cutting back how long she feeds both sides and burping her like crazy before a feed, during and after and then again before she takes a nap. Although, I had her up for ages on my shoulder yesterday and a little burp came out so kept her on my shoulder for a little longer and nothing. As soon as I laid her down in her cot for a nap, blerk!! Everywhere!!! Can't win!! Sympathise with the multiple outfit changes Teepee2!!

Debbie - that's so hilarious that you aired the house out!!! LOL!!! Is it just me or do us mummies have more of a stomach for our little ones odours?!?! Coz sometimes DH will be coughing and spluttering over bubby's poos and I go in and wonder what the heck it is he is smelling!!!!!!!!!

DD#2 has rolled over but only in her cot and so is assisted by the slight decline as I have her mattress propped slightly because of her spittiness. Still, now that she knows she can its pretty much the first thing that she does as soon as I lay her sideways in the cot. She does wriggle on to her side on the floor but doesn't go any further at this stage.

oh but we took some precious precious piccys of her on her tummy in just her nappy and socks in her cot...........and with her dark mohawk that just refuses to go down, short of gel!! LOL!!! They are so cute! (Not very computer literate so hopefully DH will help me get some pics on here so I can show off my little mohican chubba bub!! Fingers crossed!)

Well, should go lower that ever breeding ironing pile and then write out DD#1's birthday party invites!! Oh my!! I was looking at her bubby pics the other day and it is so hard to believe that my baby has grown up and that DD#2 has to do the same!!! Happy and sad really!!

Chat soon!
Mwa!!!

[MumofLewis]

Hi,

Celsie - Don't let me put you off the Bellamys formula! What happened was when I was in hospital and realised I couldn't breastfeed, DH had to go to the pharmacy and get some formula quickly. So he asked the pharmacist what was best. I had asked him to look for the Bellamy's but the pharmacist told DH that it wasn't as nutritionally advanced as the others and it was relatively new on the market. He recommended Karicare to DH which we used until we had to switch due to constipation.
But that was only his opinion so you should compare ingredients because maybe there's not much difference and really it must be good enough otherwise they wouldn't be able to sell it. I'm wondering if its just the probiotics as I know that the formulas now have them in so maybe the organic doesn't yet?
But when it comes to rice cereal and solids I will definitely be going organic and I would have loved to use the organic formula too but the first days were such a blur I just took DH word for it and used the Karicare!

Regarding teeth, yes I can see 4 teeth in Lewis's gums, 3 from the middle. But nothing in the middle yet. As Debbie and Charly said it doesn't mean they will come through first anyway so I'm not so freaked out by them anymore!

Lewis was al little gem last night. He slept from 7pm until 5am and then from 6am-8.30am! It was great because it was daylight when he woke up! My sister and 5 year old niece come from England on Sunday so I'm hoping his sleep patterns remain like this so I can enjoy my time with them. I have changed his feeds to 4.5 hours. Do you think this makes a difference to how long he sleeps at night?

Also regarding starting solids, the reason they say 6 months is because their digestive systems usually are developed enough by then to take it and feeding any earlier may cause allergies to food etc. But as we have seen all babies develop differently so I'm sure some would be ready sooner than that. I'm going to go as long as poss without giving Lewis solids but one reason for that is because my SIL told me that once you start you are constantly thinking of what to give them to eat everyday!!

Anyway must go. I was on my way out and the lift has broken so I'm stuck inside until they fix it. Aaaargh!