Yes I titled this post simply POOP. That is because if you are the parent of a LO then you know the amount of time spent smelling, charting, looking at and cleaning up poop. One thing I began to wonder when I first brought home my LO from the hospital was what are the "seeds" in "seedy poop"?
First off, if you choose to breast-feed then you probably know that one of the signs of a healthy baby is a healthy looking poop. One of the common healthy poop patterns is what is called a "seedy poop". This is usually a stool that is yellow or mustard colored with white "seeds" in it. One day I began thinking about the fact that there are no seeds going in, so why are there "seeds" coming out? Clearly I needed to investigate.
I googled "poop" (trust me don't do this) and a plethora of images I DID NOT want to see came up. Then I refined my search to "seedy baby poop". Again more gross images! Finally I tried "why does my baby's poop have seeds in it". Eureka! A great site with just the answer I was looking for. A site called Livestrong had an article about all of the stages of baby poop. It turns out that the seed looking things in my baby's diaper were actually milk curds. Makes total sense right? I guess since a newborn's digestive system is so underdeveloped, they cannot properly digest and use all of the milk they take in. Over time these seeds disappear as the baby's digestive system matures. My curiosity was satisfied and so I went on to read about other types of healthy poop and how baby poop progresses over time....riveting huh? Well if you are as curious as I am click here to read the full Livestrong article and ENJOY!!!!
31.1.12
24.1.12
Adventures in UNSWADDLING
Over the past few weeks it has become clear to my husband and I that our 4 1/2 month LO needs to learn to sleep without her swaddle. Let me begin by saying I LOOOOOVE swaddling. Our LO has always slept well swaddled and it has helped curb her desire to look around and move around during nap/sleep time. However now that she can roll over we feel very unsafe with her arms pinned at her side when she rolls onto her tummy.
She has always been very aware and if she can see anything she will look at it and not sleep (so we removed the mobile from her crib) she also loves to grab at things (primarily her face and ears) so swaddling has been a dream. Currently we follow a 4-hour EASY routine and she sleeps about 2 hours each nap and has slept through the night since about 10 weeks. HOWEVER we knew when it was time to unswaddle her, everything would change.
I read recommendations from our favorite books, Happiest Baby on the Block, On Becoming Babywise and Secrets of a Baby Whisperer and each had different recommendations for weaning our LO from her swaddle. The suggestions ranged from swaddling her lightly to swaddling one arm out and then moving to both arms out.
LIGHT SWADDLING
First we tried swaddling her lightly. This was a mess. She was completely unswaddled in less than 2 minutes and rolling all around in her crib. Her arms were flying in the air as if she was doing back strokes or making snow angels in the sheets and her legs and butt kept lifting to the sky. It took her over a hour to calm down and then she only got about a 15 minutes nap. Well like anything I know how important consistency and perseverance is so we tried it for several days in a row. Nothing was getting better and the poor little girl was cranky and sleep deprived.
ONE ARM OUT SWADDLE
Next we tried using her swaddle and leaving one arm out. This also did not help. She would roll over and have one arm flopping around. Without the other arm out of the swaddle she had a hard time rolling back over or pushing her head up (which for safety reasons made me VERY uncomfortable). Again she took FOREVER to wind down and only slept due to pure exhaustion. We tried it for a few days just to give it a chance, and like the loose swaddle experiment, she was not getting used to it and her sleep was compromised.
Searching for a solution I called friends and read online blogs and articles. Nothing new seemed to be coming up BUT I was realizing that I was not alone in this search. So many moms were seeking a solution for their squirmy little sleeper who was getting too big to swaddle.
ZIPADEE-ZIP
On one blog site I read about a product called the Zipadee-Zip. It was sort of a "transition" sleep sack. It contained her arms but had room for them to move about and allowed her to push her head up if she rolled over (which she always did). It also contained her feet so that they would stay warm and it still gave her a bit of the safety feeling of being swaddled. The first time we used it, it too her about 30 minutes to wind down and fall asleep but once asleep she did not wake. A FLUKE? So we used it at her next nap and again she rolled around for a bit and giggled and wiggled but then fell asleep on her side. It took several days and a little crying here and there but by the third day she was sleeping like a dream and most importantly SAFE when she she rolled over one her tummy (since she could use her arms). We are back to soundly sleeping little baby which makes for a VERY happy mommy. I will let you know how it goes when she hits her next milestone and starts sitting up in her crib...:-)
She has always been very aware and if she can see anything she will look at it and not sleep (so we removed the mobile from her crib) she also loves to grab at things (primarily her face and ears) so swaddling has been a dream. Currently we follow a 4-hour EASY routine and she sleeps about 2 hours each nap and has slept through the night since about 10 weeks. HOWEVER we knew when it was time to unswaddle her, everything would change.
I read recommendations from our favorite books, Happiest Baby on the Block, On Becoming Babywise and Secrets of a Baby Whisperer and each had different recommendations for weaning our LO from her swaddle. The suggestions ranged from swaddling her lightly to swaddling one arm out and then moving to both arms out.
LIGHT SWADDLING
First we tried swaddling her lightly. This was a mess. She was completely unswaddled in less than 2 minutes and rolling all around in her crib. Her arms were flying in the air as if she was doing back strokes or making snow angels in the sheets and her legs and butt kept lifting to the sky. It took her over a hour to calm down and then she only got about a 15 minutes nap. Well like anything I know how important consistency and perseverance is so we tried it for several days in a row. Nothing was getting better and the poor little girl was cranky and sleep deprived.
ONE ARM OUT SWADDLE
Next we tried using her swaddle and leaving one arm out. This also did not help. She would roll over and have one arm flopping around. Without the other arm out of the swaddle she had a hard time rolling back over or pushing her head up (which for safety reasons made me VERY uncomfortable). Again she took FOREVER to wind down and only slept due to pure exhaustion. We tried it for a few days just to give it a chance, and like the loose swaddle experiment, she was not getting used to it and her sleep was compromised.
Searching for a solution I called friends and read online blogs and articles. Nothing new seemed to be coming up BUT I was realizing that I was not alone in this search. So many moms were seeking a solution for their squirmy little sleeper who was getting too big to swaddle.
ZIPADEE-ZIP
On one blog site I read about a product called the Zipadee-Zip. It was sort of a "transition" sleep sack. It contained her arms but had room for them to move about and allowed her to push her head up if she rolled over (which she always did). It also contained her feet so that they would stay warm and it still gave her a bit of the safety feeling of being swaddled. The first time we used it, it too her about 30 minutes to wind down and fall asleep but once asleep she did not wake. A FLUKE? So we used it at her next nap and again she rolled around for a bit and giggled and wiggled but then fell asleep on her side. It took several days and a little crying here and there but by the third day she was sleeping like a dream and most importantly SAFE when she she rolled over one her tummy (since she could use her arms). We are back to soundly sleeping little baby which makes for a VERY happy mommy. I will let you know how it goes when she hits her next milestone and starts sitting up in her crib...:-)
9.1.12
About This Site
This site is intended to be an all-in-one resource for moms (okay, or dads too) looking to learn about all things baby related. As I endeavored into parenthood I realized that while I had spent years teaching and around kids, I knew NOTHING about babies or newborns. I quickly began reading books, online articles, blogs, etc. trying to learn about my baby's current stage of development and what was to come in the future.
When searching for good online parenting resources, the issues I ran into were two fold: First, many of the sites I found online did not have accurate or reliable information. Second, the information I needed was spread out across so many sites (one for sleeping, one related to feeding, one related to behavior, etc.).
I wished there was a blog or site that would address all of my questions and thoughts relating to all the things I think about as a mom. With no such luck, I figured I would create one of my own. I wanted to put everything I found to be helpful or interesting on this site as well as open up a forum for moms to communicate and discuss their thoughts as well.
I will say upfront that I am in NO WAY a baby expert, doctor or child developmental therapist. I am however a new mom (and former teacher) who is learning as she goes....I hope this site becomes a helpful resource for you and your family.
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