Growing into Baby Gear 0-3 months

As Baby grows, I'm growing into the associated Mommy and Baby gear...and there seems to be a boundless sea of options of cute or practical and sometimes cute AND practical items. Here's a list in no particular order of items I found especially useful in the first three months of Baby's life. This list doesn't include basics like a pack and play, swing, pacifiers, and nasal aspirators...but those were extremely useful. I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. This is just what worked for me.

Swaddle Blankets by Aden + Anais 

Mela Bamboo Muslin Swaddle Blankets

I am a fan of the line in general, but my personal favorites are the Bamboo Muslin Swaddle Blankets that were a collaborative effort with New York based, Masala Baby. I have the Mela set for two reasons - I will bleed orange and blue (Go Illini!) and really liked the bold peacock feather pattern and block prints. They have been useful for everything including a burp cloth, nursing cover, blanket to air out baby girl parts while fending off diaper rash, travel blanket, tummy time mat, and diaper changing pad in a pinch...I think I could also use it as a beach cover up for her since it dries so quickly. If you're planning to use them as Baby grows, think about Swaddle Plus blankets. They are a bit larger and will allow you to swaddle Baby for much longer than the little guys.

Classic Sleepy Wrap

Great for Tummy Time too!

I received this as a gift and was not entirely sure how to use it at first, but it came with an instructional dvd as well as easy to follow directions on line. It also helped that a friend of mine is a leader for a local baby wearing group and was gracious enough to give me a lesson. I was nervous Baby would fall out or get her foot stuck somewhere, but after practicing (over the bed) once or twice I was good to go. It was instrumental in getting Baby to sleep when she was fussy. It helped Baby get close to my heart and drift off to sleep. It was like magic. Now that I know how to tie it properly and ensure the straps are wide enough to distribute Baby's weight, I use it all the time. It washes well, makes traveling easy and gives your arms a bit of a break. The wrap is intended to help Baby sleep for 0-3 months, after that the peeps at Sleepy Wrap encourage you to use it for transportation only.

Burp Cloths - Aden + Anais

Let's face it, babies spit up. A LOT. Once again, the folks at Aden + Anais make handy burp cloths that are curved so they fit nicely over your shoulder or can double as a nursing pad at night. There's one that is also a bib. The Burpy Bib that has little snaps to convert from burp cloth to bib. I only have a few of these, the bulk of spit ups are covered by standard old burp cloths/cloth diapers. They're inexpensive, they're super handy and did I say inexpensive? 

Woodward's Gripe Water 

Woodward's Gripe Water is
popular in Europe and India

This stuff works miracles. The original used to contain alcohol, dill seed and sodium bicarbonate and possibly sucrose (sugar). Since then they've removed the alcohol and sugar but kept tummy soothing and digestion aiding spices/herbs. I was lucky that Baby did not have colic, but was rather just gassy from time to time. I also found it useful while she's been teething and starting first foods. She's like a whole new person after she has a drop of her gripe water. We use it sparingly when nothing else seems to work since Husband was not a huge fan at first. Now it's his go to soother in the event Baby is "inconsolable" which seemed to happen every time he watched her from birth to three months. I say she just missed her mommy, but that's a story for another day. You can find this at most Indian grocery stores, on line through Amazon and possibly at Asian and European markets. 

Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper

I had an emergency C-Section so I couldn't go up and down stairs for 6-8 weeks. The co-sleeper was instrumental in caring for Baby. Keeping Baby at arm's length was fantastic for night time feedings (especially when they were every two hours).  She was was so small and seemed so fragile at 7 lbs and 2 ounces, it was nice to keep her close but not in danger of crushing her in my sleep. While you're visiting their site, check out their pet co-sleepers for your four legged babies.

Reusable Nursing Pads by Itzy Ritzy

I recommend two packs of 3 pairs - totaling 6 pairs to have in rotation. It is wise to double up at night or to use a cloth diaper/burp cloth. I would also encourage a lingerie mesh bag to keep track of them in the wash. They're not big and tend to get lost among the onesies, blankets, and assorted baby clothes. They are available in patterns and natural. Very important for preventing leaks. Let me repeat. VERY important for preventing leaks. I am not sure if I'm a super producer or what, but when my milk came in, it needed to go out and didn't always wait for Baby to latch on. You could DIY if you sew with fabric scraps and cotton batting as Little Lizard King did or take Husband's old 100% cotton t-shirts that need to be retired before Baby can read and cut them up into circles and layer together for a double duty project. There are a variety of disposable pads - Johnson and Johnson's are my favorite. They're virtually leak proof while Medela's disposable pads - not so much.

Making Room for Baby in the Kitchen!?!??!

Over the door canvas organizer available at Target

Husband and I have a lot of stuff. Then along came Baby so our stuff exponentially multiplied. I keep trying to go through and recycle, donate, and toss (as much as I don't like to throw things away) in spurts. Now that Baby's eating solid foods, we added utensils, food storage and baby food to her bottles, milk storage and more milk storage supplies. This meant the dog and cat treats and meds had to move..along with plastic bags and wipes and sun screens and you get the point.

Anyways, in my quest to make room for Baby in our kitchen, I decided to contain it in a 'pretty' way or at the very least fun and functional way.  The door into our kitchen lines up with our basement door so I thought this would be a good out of the way place to start to stow all those things that we need, but don't need in the kitchen and don't have space for anywhere else.

This was probably the easiest project I've tackled in a while. I printed out a bunch of categories on 4" circle labels from Paper Source and then cut out rectangles from my favorite colorful Harney and Sons and Paper Source catalogs.  I used bulldog clips that I had a stockpile of because of my obsession with office supplies. Here's a partial list of categories I used:

I used circle labels and cut up catalog pages as backgrounds

Dog Meds
Cat Meds
Dog Treats
Cat Treats
Grooming
Diapers/Wipes
Husband Sunglasses
EB Sunglasses
Husband Hat/Gloves
EB Hat/Gloves
Freezer Bags
Storage Bags
Plastic Bags
Flashlight
Sunscreen
Hand Sanitizer
Snacks (on the go!)
Citronella Candles

For those of you who require more flexibility and like uniformity, you could cut up decorative paper to use as backgrounds for labels made out of index cards. Then you could switch them up whenever you wanted.  For the Green Mom, take scraps of wrapping paper and attach to cardboard/carton/milk jug pieces. Large paper clips and clothes pins might work too, but I like the clips. We'll see if I feel the same way once Baby starts walking.

As always, thoughts welcome!

Spit Happens

This morning started out like most others. I woke up to find Baby fussing because she's run out of crib corners to explore (wiggling on her back - no wonder she's got a bald spot).  She's hungry, so we go downstairs to start our day. I turned on the news and proceeded to nurse. No big deal.

When it was time to burp, Baby let out a little one and smirked. She opened her mouth and let everything fly. And I mean FLY. There was spit up in my hair, all over my favorite long sleeved green thermal tee. She soaked me through not one, but two layers down to my skin. A portion of it somehow went whirring past my shoulder, slid down Husband's favorite chair and found a soft landing on the throw pillow. She's never done this before. I remembered reading about projectile vomit, the last time I thought she was spitting up excessively. Projectile vomit means she might be sick or could get dehydrated. What if she's sick? She can't have electrolytes, can she?

I called Pediatrician and thought she'd tell me to wait and watch.  Instead, she asked that I bring baby in since she's only 4 months and not that big. I'm going through all the what ifs in my head, but must say that I was not nearly as panicked I feel like I should have been. No hysteria or excessive worrying. I found myself functioning at a new level of efficiency, however. I was able to get the two of us ready including a shower for myself  in less than an hour. A new Eclectic Mom record.

Pediatrician saw us almost immediately. I'd like to think because Baby was possibly so ill, but really I think it is because no one else was there.  Either way, great service. After her examination and a few questions she informs me that it was, "no big deal, spit happens." Phew. 


Next up...Solid Foods. Wish us luck!

Teething Already?

Baby may have started teething at 15 weeks. She was fussing and was clearly tired, but not sleeping. I rocked her in the crook of my leg to put her to sleep around 8 pm. One hand on her head, one finger in her hand and usually a blanket over her head. (I'm slowly turning into my own parents). She wasn't having any of it. So I put her up on my shoulder to try to let some air out thinking it might be gas. Nope, she just head butted me in my nose and chin. Ouch. 


Next I tried singing the alphabet song as it is her favorite. It worked for a little while. She was blowing spit bubbles and drooling. A lot. It was kind of gross, actually. Then she must have remembered the pain because she started wailing with real tears. The tears got bigger and flowed more freely while the wailing increased in volume. She wasn't sobbing yet, just screaming. Loudly. Yikes!

She proceeded to shove her hands in her mouth which is mostly normal, but I'd never seen her try both at once and clamp down. I massaged her gums with my fingertips and that appeased her. For like a minute. More real tears and screaming. My kid's not a crier. 


I fetched the teething rings that have been waiting patiently in the freezer since the first of the year. They were a bit big, but the nubby plastic with ice inside seemed to soothe her little puffy gums. She was was quiet for a few minutes. Then back to wailing. Progress.


It's 11 pm and I'd done everything I knew how to do. At this point the only thing I could think of was to call my parents. As much as I didn't want to admit that I couldn't do something, I know when I need to ask for help. My dad answered and immediately offered to come over. She's just teething, no fever, no vomiting or anything scary like that. I just don't know how to get her to STOP CRYING! He woke up my mom who goes to bed at like 9. She asks if I've nursed, rocked her, sang to her, gave her a teething ring. I forget that I've just told my dad that we've done all this but apparently he didn't update her on the situation. I really just wanted to know how much Tylenol I can give her. Or should I call the doctor? She continues with massage, wet washcloth, or just talking to her since she might have missed me today, etc. My increased annoyance is  evident in my voice. Seriously? 


At this point, I've woken up Husband by yelling. (I'm downstairs, he's upstairs). My mom finally answers my question and I let her know that I will call back in a little while with an update. In the meantime, Husband found the drops and we gave her a tiny bit to hopefully reduce the pain for the night. She happily lapped up her cherry flavored medicine and calmed down. Fussing ensues, but at least it isn't crying. This might work!


I went back to singing and talking with her to calm her down. She was still fussing, so I nursed her for a few minutes. She fell asleep on her own! She woke up when I sneezed (did I mention I'm getting sick?) but fell back asleep and is generating that very snuggly baby heat. She's still sleeping in my lap as I type. Success!


I'm hoping she sleeps through the night. Thankfully I'm home for the next two days and not leaving the house. It's supposed to be below zero. Lots of orange juice for me and plenty of chilled chew toys for Baby.

Surprise C-Section

Doc T1 and Doc T2 (yup, same first names) had alternated examining me for the weeks leading up to my due date. Doc T2 said that Baby's head was down at least a month in advance. My due date came and went with no sign of Baby. I was HUGE, I might add. Doc T1 examined me the following Monday and at my instance, checked the position of Baby for good measure. He looked up at me and said,

"You know the baby's breech, right?"

"WHAT??!? Does this mean I need a C-Section?"

A combination of anger, fear, anxiety and even a (tiny) bit of relief washed over me. First of all, how the heck couldn't Doc T2 tell the difference between her bottom and her increasingly off the charts head? Isn't he in the business of babies? I had spent my pregnancy wrapping my head around the idea of hee-hee-hoo breathing, pushing and chomping on ice while my husband said the nicest things he'd ever read off a handout from our childbirth class. Now I had to think about someone cutting my tummy AND uterus open to pull out my child.

Would Husband be present (still saying those nice things from class)? Would my future babies have to be born this way? Would it hurt? Where would they make the incision? How long will it take? Did this make me less of a woman?

As the Doc T1 answered my questions, I started to calm down a bit. We didn't talk about my 'womanhood' as much as the technical details - I'd be in somewhat of a twilight state and Husband could be right next to me while a curtain would separate us from my lower half.  It would take about 15 minutes for them to take Baby out and a little while longer for me to regain sensation while the pain meds would kick in. In the event my water broke before surgery, I would most likely wait it out or have an emergency c-section depending on how my contractions were going.

This all sounded reasonable. I can do this. This won't be that bad.

Off I went to clean, pack, inform family, etc. I had passed the point of sleeping comfortably in bed and found the most tolerable position was propped up on the couch in the living room...which is where I was settling into around 1 am just as I felt a gush of a sweet smelling fluid. I yelled repeatedly for Husband. When I told him my water broke, he asked me to make sure I hadn't just peed in my pants. REALLY? This is when normal people would grab their bags and jump in the car and go. Husband decided to spend 30 minutes getting ready. It felt like an hour. I have no idea what he needed to do, but I was 3 minutes from taking the car and driving myself to the hospital. There were words exchanged, but I won't bore you with those details. Since Baby's head wasn't down, there was nothing plugging the dam, so to speak. I was like a leaky faucet. I had started having contractions and was still walking, talking, breathing but I couldn't feel Baby moving.

Once we arrived at the hospital, I waddled my way into the Labor and Delivery Unit. At this point, things are starting to hurt. I have to answer a lot of questions. Nurse took a blood sample. A lot of people seemed to want to look 'down there' to make sure my water had really broken. Nurse returns with blood test results and says, "Interesting," and waits for Doc T2 (he was on call) and Anesthesiologist to discuss. More questions. hee-hee-hoo More pain. Anesthesiologist informs me that my platelet count has dropped below what they would consider safe for an epidural. hee-hee-hooooooo Essentially, I was at risk for bleeding out by not clotting fast enough. heeeeee-heeeee-hooooooo My other option was to be 'put under' general anesthesia. Given my increasing state of panic and that it was the lesser of two evils, I agreed to being put under. Husband and I barely had any time to process what was happening. Neither one of us knew where they were taking me or that this was it. In what seemed like 10 minutes, the population of my triage room had tripled and they started wheeling me out of the room.  He kissed me 'goodbye' and said he'd see me when I woke up.

If I believed in alien abductions, this is what it would feel like. Everyone had a mask on, I only saw silhouettes with lights behind them. I was wheeled into an even brighter, super sterile operating room. Unfortunately Husband was not allowed in the OR since the situation had escalated to an emergency. I was fighting back tears. This is no time to cry. I'm about to be a mom. There's no crying in baseball. The over-sized digital clock said 3:59 am. Someone said something about a catheter and Anesthesiologist told me to relax and just breathe in some oxygen. This might be an only child household. Just like that, I was out.

I woke up and saw Husband was sitting in the corner snuggling a small, kind of bald (by Indian standards) doll. As I marveled at Baby, I registered excruciating pain. There is a small window of time between anesthesia wearing off and whatever super-duper pain med kicking in. As Nurse connected the drip, she said to push the little button to release the meds. I was all over that button like a gamer playing Halo. If it didn't suck already, Nurse pushed down on my uterus to ensure it was shrinking and going back to it's proper place.    


Couldn't this wait until the pain meds actually entered my system? Are you really sorry? I don't think so.


The rest of a day is a hazy blur of semi consciousness and lots of visitors. I've not posted any pictures of myself in the hospital for a reason. A woman after a C-Section isn't pretty. I was a hot, puffy mess. My incision was actually the only 'pretty' thing on me. Doctor T2 was a perfectionist and had put me back together with a virtually seamless reminder of my first baby. Now, three months later, I have 10 lbs to lose and 1/2 of my incision is invisible. I'm sad Husband and I will never experience delivery the ol' fashioned way, but if it means that we're better able to care for baby afterwards, it's all good. 

Crying it Out

I've read a lot about child rearing dos and don'ts. DO encourage tummy time to promote muscle development. Do spend time talking with Baby so she learns language. Do spend time encouraging Baby to explore the world around her, etc.  DON'T over dress Baby to avoid heat rash. DON'T feed baby solids until 6 months. DON'T put Baby on her tummy to sleep. It's getting the Baby to sleep and more importantly stay asleep that is tricky. Baby B is great at dozing off in my arms or snuggled on my chest.  She's even done a great job transferring to the crib. Every once in a while she gets her nights and days switched which is to be expected. I mean, if you lived floating in mostly darkness, would you have any idea which way was up let alone night and day?

In an effort to develop positive sleep habits, we've encouraged Baby to soothe herself. (I read it in a book somewhere). She's successfully put herself back to sleep when she wakes herself up during naps and she hears my voice. There are no tears, no sounds of pain or extreme distress. It's like she just wants to make sure I'm still close by.

Tonight, my husband and I are attempting to let Baby 'Cry it Out'. Literally, right now, she's upstairs crying in her crib. She went to bed about an hour ago woke up about 20 minutes ago. It started out as a whimper then some fun chatting with her giraffe blankie and then onto her bear and even the nice dolly that sits in the corner of the crib (a very safe distance away since she doesn't move enough to warrant taking all that stuff out, yet).

Then it got louder.

Then there were tears.

Now it's an all out screeching but not quite a tea kettle blowing.

Ten minutes passed. I went upstairs and my heart ached when I picked her up. She was crying with her whole body. That gasping-for-air-between-wails-kind of crying. I don't feel as bad as I thought I would...probably because I was able to soothe her. Her eyes were puffy and red and she looked like she'd been through a battle. We discovered that she's inherited her dad's skin (her broken capillaries show through) and my scratchy voice. (It will get worse when she's overtired or goes to church camp - allergies mostly!).

When I picked her up from the crib, I had a flash forward of a day when nothing I say or do will soothe her. Or worse yet, I'm the one who makes her cry like that because I've denied her the latest craze or discourage dating before she's ready. Yikes! She's 3 months old, I have a while before I need to worry about boys, right? Although where did the last three months go? So soon enough, but not today. Time to put Baby back to bed.

From Sweats to Suits

Baby B is now 3 months old (and adorable, I might add). She's cooing, holding her head up, clasping her hands and drooling. A lot. She seems to recognize me and laughs when I sing her the alphabet song. It's pretty amazing that this little peanut lived in my body for over 9 months. While she still looks like my husband, we're hopeful her hair will fill in and she'll look more like me soon.

Now that she's not nursing every two minutes, I have started looking for a full time job. I LOVE spending my days and nights ensuring my daughter (still feels strange to use that word) is entertained, clean and has a full belly, but it's time to contribute to the household expenses. I am considering opportunities non profit development/fundraising, retail, and consulting. I've put off shopping for 'big girl clothes' as long as possible since I keep telling myself I'll lose the weight. The nursing every two minutes did allow me to lose over 20 lbs since coming home from the hospital, but it still leaves me one size larger than any of my suits. My mom friends tell me it takes nine months to put it on and it will take nine months to take it off. Since I don't have nine months before interviewing and such, I went shopping. Correction, I went nuts shopping. Well, not Confessions-of-a-Shopoholic-nuts, but a little beyond my normal coupon-and-promotional-sale-combining ways. I ended up with some good finds - a suit, a few shirts, an adorable orange hooded cable knit sweater, two dresses and lounge wear a.k.a. - sweats!

My husband HATES frumpy sweats. He apparently associates them with laziness or lack of attention for one's looks. I would like to stress that he doesn't think of me this way, just a generalization based on his previous experiences with those who wear sweat pants excessively. I argue that they are a quick, easy to clean and comfy option for a mom who barely has time to shower. Since marriage is about compromise, we agreed 'cute' sweats are okay for home and errands, just not social outings. I digress.

So this whole business of suit wearing or rather buttoning is quite disheartening. Why can't everything be forgiving as elastic? Clearly suit makers are not concerned with postpartum moms returning to the workplace or even civilized society, for that matter. I miss the days of walking into my favorite store and knowing exactly what style and fit suited me best. In all my searches for clothes that fit, only elastic or maternity pants worked for six weeks after Baby B arrived. I have spent many of Baby B's naps trying things on, getting frustrated, buying, returning, exchanging and even crying a few times. I know it will take time and I should be patient, and I really don't look that bad....but trousers don't lie. These hips will never be the same.

I really wish there were more options for postpartum clothing. They make clothes that grow with you, why can't they make clothes that shrink with you as well? Maybe that's my million dollar idea.

In the meantime, one size up suit, here I come.

Baby on the Brain

Since I have Baby on the brain, I've been focusing my craftasticness on onesies, decorating the nursery, machine washable diaper changing pads and even "I Love Grandma Blankets" (one for each, of course). Here's a shot of the onesies. They are all store bought iron-ons since they are fairly easy to work with. I bought solid colored onesies from Target on clearance and found the newborn hats at JoAnn Fabrics where I also purchased the transfers. Most of them will fit Baby next Summer, but thought they'd last a bit longer than decorating newborn ones that she'll grow out of in two weeks! My next step is to design iron-ons using my computer for a more personalized wardrobe.

Eclectic Bride and Baby!

Sorry for the extreme slacking, BUT I have been busy with guest books, wedding coordinating and even making a person. We're expecting Baby B in early October. I'll have pics of my wedding craft skills as they transfer to the nursery. I've also started to sew thanks under the tutelage of Cadiz12. I'll have pics up shortly of our DIY crib sheets in the next few days.