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[Milksheikhs]

My wife plans to breastfeed until Logan is at least 2. She may still pump after that so we can use the milk for cereal and smoothies. Even now I mix breast milk with fruit and veggies for him. I call them smoobies.

Smoobies that's a great name! See I think I would like to breastfeed until around 2 or so. But almost everyone I know is like that's disgusting.

 

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[DJ_Lae]

Smoobies that's a great name! See I think I would like to breastfeed until around 2 or so. But almost everyone I know is like that's disgusting.

My wife breastfed our last daughter until she was 2 or so. Youngest is only 9 months now but she'll probably go to a similar time.

Longer she breastfeeds, the longer her boobs stay big. I'm okay with this.

 

[H.Protagonist]

Pete and I chilling at home. Can't believe he's 2 weeks old already.

Haha. So cute. He does look itty-bitty. What were his birth stats? We have the same issue with a lot of things we were given for Mia. Says 0-3 months newborn, but she's swimming in it.

He'll be 8 months March 12th.

He looks so alert and expressive. At 1 week all I get are serious stares and that milk-drunk poleaxed look.

This may or may not be controversial but I really am interested. What age do you guys think it's appropriate to stop breastfeeding, and is there any age where you feel it becomes inappropriate to still be breastfeeding?

Also, a side note my daughter's sleep schedule is pretty much screwed up completely. Like it's great that she sleeps like 12 hrs and only wakes up like once. But it's the complete opposite like she started sleeping as late as 5 am until 5 pm. I've tried keeping her awake during the day but she just falls right back asleep. She's less than 3 months so it's not like I can keep super entertained for long before she loses interest.


She's so adorable! ^_^

Here's my daughter Ariana:


This is in her little sailor moon outfit we got her.


And this is the most recent photo of her ^_^

D'awwww. What gorgeous eyes (and name). So prettily shaped. Love the Sailor Moon shirt. We have a whole Anpanman set for ours. Looks hilarious.

For the breastfeeding question, tough one. I was thinking of stopping at 6-8months with maybe a year old being my max limit. I do find it weird when I see kids older than that still breastfeeding, but I freely admit that most of my thoughts on breastfeeding pre-child were not of the positive variety since I come from the states. I didn't find it personally appealing to begin with, and the idea of feeding them that way past a year feels wrong to me. However, I have absolutely no logical reason for this. I don't know why that seems like a max age to me. It took a lot of thought, research, and my husband's strong feelings on it to even get me to consider breastfeeding, so this might have to be something I need to look into more. For yourself and Ariana, as Crunched says, fuck 'em. Do what you feel is best. Boob milk is healthy and good for them, so go nuts~

 

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[Ayumi]

Longer she breastfeeds, the longer her boobs stay big. I'm okay with this.

Spoiler

Being almost flat naturally, I ended up with massive monster boobs when I was expecting. And my boobs started growing even when I was only 2 months along, so they were like 5 times as big as before in the end. After stopping breastfeeding and they went back to normal pretty fast, I felt they were way smaller than before.. They weren't though, but losing the mega milks and going back to reality is pretty shocking. Haha

I'm okay with it though. How things are by default that is. I know my husband loves big boobs, but he loves mine too (or so he says), so I finally came to terms with them & my body.


But... Big boobs ar fascinating. I just don't miss the constant milk leakage and the soreness.

 

[Omikron]

All the cute kids in this thread. Nice to see everyone doing well

We just passed the twins actual due date with little fanfare. Crazy that 14 months have passed already. Currently cutting many molars.

And then we are up to picking a primary school for our eldest which is a slightly scary experience.

 

[phisheep]

This may or may not be controversial but I really am interested. What age do you guys think it's appropriate to stop breastfeeding, and is there any age where you feel it becomes inappropriate to still be breastfeeding?

Controversial be damned, do whatever feels right.

Of our three, one was breastfed to about 12 months, the other two for about four years. And they all turned out just fine.

 

[Steeped in a Sea of Games]

This may or may not be controversial but I really am interested. What age do you guys think it's appropriate to stop breastfeeding, and is there any age where you feel it becomes inappropriate to still be breastfeeding?

Also, a side note my daughter's sleep schedule is pretty much screwed up completely. Like it's great that she sleeps like 12 hrs and only wakes up like once. But it's the complete opposite like she started sleeping as late as 5 am until 5 pm. I've tried keeping her awake during the day but she just falls right back asleep. She's less than 3 months so it's not like I can keep super entertained for long before she loses interest.

Part 1: We intended to breastfeed both our kids until they were one. Unfortunately, we had to stop my son at 9 months because my wife was pregnant and her milk supply just shut off. He was losing too much weight, so he went on formula until 1 year and then to cow's milk. My daughter we made it to 1 year just barely. My wife's supply cut out sort of on it's own again and I had to mix formula and breastmilk until I could wean her onto cow milk. My wife has a good career that means I'm home with the kids and she had to pump constantly at work and home so I could feed them with a bottle, so it was a big relief when it was finally over.

Edit: Just read above. 4 years. I think my wife would have gone crazy. The only thing that really gets me about people breastfeeding that long is that I don't really get what the point is. They eat normal food just fine as soon as their teeth come in and it seems much easier to feed the kids what I eat, when I eat rather than mess with bottles and breastfeeding schedules etc. (I realize these kids aren't only breastfeeding).

Part 2: Instead of trying to keep your daughter up later, try waking her up earlier. A half hour or an hour at a time. She should start getting sleepy earlier as a result and you can slowly move them back that way.

 

[Skellig Gra]

Haha. So cute. He does look itty-bitty. What were his birth stats? We have the same issue with a lot of things we were given for Mia. Says 0-3 months newborn, but she's swimming in it.

He was 6 pounds 15 oz when he was born and 20 inches long. He's got huge hands and feet but otherwise he's tiny.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

Controversial be damned, do whatever feels right.

Of our three, one was breastfed to about 12 months, the other two for about four years. And they all turned out just fine.

Basically this. Do what works for you and your kid. Personally, we did it about a year, or a little less with both of ours, because that's just what happened. The milk basically dried up, and both my daughters couldn't have cared less and just wanted real food by then anyway.

 

[ColdPizza]

My second child has a neck rash. Most likely from moisture from milk and drool that collects in his neck folds. It rubbed raw so it's red. We tried cleaning and drying it for a week but it just spread and was sort of "weeping".

So we went to the docs and she hardy looked at it. She was more concerned about what she thinks is exzema so she ordered neck cream and oral antibiotics. She also wants us to take him to an allergist to rule out a cows milk allergy.

Anyway, the oral antibiotic cost $800 for the bottle. What the fuck? Thankfully, the pharmacist called and told us there was a generic version of the same drug for $17, so we asked the doctor to prescribe that instead. I seriously don't know what the fuck the doctor was thinking doing that.

Anyway, the neck cream is a miracle. His neck looks so much better now.

I just hope my kid doesn't have a cows milk allergy.

 

[Browny]

My second child has a neck rash. Most likely from moisture from milk and drool that collects in his neck folds. It rubbed raw so it's red. We tried cleaning and drying it for a week but it just spread and was sort of "weeping".

So we went to the docs and she hardy looked at it. She was more concerned about what she thinks is exzema so she ordered neck cream and oral antibiotics. She also wants us to take him to an allergist to rule out a cows milk allergy.

Anyway, the oral antibiotic cost $800 for the bottle. What the fuck? Thankfully, the pharmacist called and told us there was a generic version of the same drug for $17, so we asked the doctor to prescribe that instead. I seriously don't know what the fuck the doctor was thinking doing that.

Anyway, the neck cream is a miracle. His neck looks so much better now.

I just hope my kid doesn't have a cows milk allergy.

the oral antibiotic cost $800 for the bottle.

$800

Ho
Ly
Shit

10, 15 years ago I would have agreed about the cow's milk allergy, but you should find nowadays plenty of alternatives readily available (soya being the main one, goat being another). But if it's cleared up from the cream and ABs, then you should be good to go. From what I understand, an allergy is unlikely to manifest itself around the neck - so your thought that it's milk 'n' stuff is probably spot on.

 

[Omikron]

That price is insane. The whole generic v branded thing is a joke also, Doctor should have straight up told you about the generic. :/

One of our twins was getting these shots for RSV, which the hospital offered due to his respiratory condition on leaving the hospital (home oxygen for... 5-6 months I think? forgotten already!). Apparently they were $1-1.5k range per shot and he got 3 I think in the end to cover him over winter...

Thankfully the hospital foot the bill for that as it was totally not covered under medicare etc.

 

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[ColdPizza]

Ho
Ly
Shit

10, 15 years ago I would have agreed about the cow's milk allergy, but you should find nowadays plenty of alternatives readily available (soya being the main one, goat being another). But if it's cleared up from the cream and ABs, then you should be good to go. From what I understand, an allergy is unlikely to manifest itself around the neck - so your thought that it's milk 'n' stuff is probably spot on.

Well, before the neck rash he had red puffy cheeks. I think it's more to do with dry winter air but you never know.

 

[ColdPizza]

The antibiotic wasn't covered by insurance?

High deductible plan. I pay 100% of prescription costs until I hit my $3000 deductible. Then it's 20% Co-insurance afterwards.

 

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[ColdPizza]

Ah. I understand. Our deductible is $12,900.

You deductible or out of pocket max? $12900 is insane!

My out of pocket max is $12000

 

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[ColdPizza]

I don't think it is so unusual.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/12000-deductible-new-average-dante-michael-panella

That's awful! You basically only have insurance in case of hospitalization. Our system is so messed up.

 

[Mango Positive]

Miles tasted lemon for the first time yesterday at Cracker Barrel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYVLlH45COI

He went back for more, so I guess he was OK with it. He also tried mashed potatoes and non-blended greenbeans for the first time and was pretty happy about the experience.

Going through teething now. He woke us up every 1.5 hours last night, then had the gall to be cranky when he woke up to go to grandpas for the day.

 

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[Skellig Gra]

I just double checked, it's a $9,000 deductible and $12,900 out of pocket max.

God damn man.

 

[zbarron]

Just got back from the one month checkup. Nick is now 11 lbs and 12 oz. 85th percentile for both height and weight. He still had the thrush so they gave him medicine in his mouth.

Here's the cute baby picture you asked for.

 

[Symphonia]

So I rediscovered an old video I had uploaded to YouTube a while back of my daughter. This video is a good four or so years old. She's now six years old, seeing this video makes me realise just how fast time has gone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zdwidJ2g1s

 

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[zbarron]

Thrush medicine is lovely.

Do you have experience with it? He fell asleep after the appointment and woke up super cranky.

 

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[zbarron]

I've only seen other people's kids use it.

Did they not react well to it? I'm sitting here with him screaming on my lap and wondering if it's the medicine/ the thrush itself or if he's just overtired.

 

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[zbarron]

They seemed fine but it made a mess. That stuff looks alien.

Gotcha. Yeah it did. It was a very intense dark purple. Not like the soft, light translucent pink in the children's Tylenol.

I saw in the Louis CK thread that you live in Ohio. If you live in NE Ohio I'll have to buy you a beer or a tea some time.

 

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[mrkgoo]

My second child has a neck rash. Most likely from moisture from milk and drool that collects in his neck folds. It rubbed raw so it's red. We tried cleaning and drying it for a week but it just spread and was sort of "weeping".

So we went to the docs and she hardy looked at it. She was more concerned about what she thinks is exzema so she ordered neck cream and oral antibiotics. She also wants us to take him to an allergist to rule out a cows milk allergy.

Anyway, the oral antibiotic cost $800 for the bottle. What the fuck? Thankfully, the pharmacist called and told us there was a generic version of the same drug for $17, so we asked the doctor to prescribe that instead. I seriously don't know what the fuck the doctor was thinking doing that.

Anyway, the neck cream is a miracle. His neck looks so much better now.

I just hope my kid doesn't have a cows milk allergy.

Wow.

My 9 month old has bad face ecoema, made worse that he rubs. last week it got infected, took him to the doctor, prescribed cortisone creme, moisturiser and oral antibiotics (and man what nightmare to administer, because my kid hates it, and he closes up shop when he sees it - 5mL 3x a day! ugh).

But, well, it was all free. Here, healthcare for kids is largely covered by public healthcare until they are 13 or something (was 6 for doctor visits, but recently bumped up to 13).

 

[mrkgoo]

Did they not react well to it? I'm sitting here with him screaming on my lap and wondering if it's the medicine/ the thrush itself or if he's just overtired.

You never really know.

my first kid the midwife prescribed and anti fungal, which was crazy to try and give a 1 month old... but it most likely turned out to be milk tongue.

 

[Skellig Gra]

Sure, we could talk about how much sleep we're not having. I'm about 30 minutes west of Cleveland. Maybe sometime there'll be a meetup where Ohio GAF can commiserate about being Ohio GAF.

You guys can come to NYC, my parents were born in Ohio so I can relate.

 

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[Skellig Gra]

I was born in Queens. Look at all these coincidences.

Heh, my favorite bar is in Queens

 

[zbarron]

Sure, we could talk about how much sleep we're not having. I'm about 30 minutes west of Cleveland. Maybe sometime there'll be a meetup where Ohio GAF can commiserate about being Ohio GAF.

I don't head west of Cleveland very often. The closest I get is Middleburg Heights where my wife works. I live in Medina County but that's still not a bad drive.

I did go to Crocker Park in December since my wife was craving Cheesecake Factory really badly. Other than the insane traffic it was a really nice place. I assume you've been.

Ohio's not bad if you don't mind the weather or the sports teams. We just have a self deprecating humor. We're saving up and trying to buy a house in Cleveland Heights.

You guys can come to NYC, my parents were born in Ohio so I can relate.

Maybe if the cheap buses stop catching fire and when my little man's a bit older.

 

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[Skiptastic]

My son is six and a half months now. Being a dad is so awesome.

Had a fun last two weeks, as he didn't poop for five days. That was pretty exciting when he did, though!

 

[JeTmAn81]

My son is six and a half months now. Being a dad is so awesome.

Had a fun last two weeks, as he didn't poop for five days. That was pretty exciting when he did, though!

 

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[anarckitty]

Cute. Your oldest has good taste in turtles. Is she also a party dude(tte)?

We have a son who just turned five and he is the sweetest older brother. He likes to read to the baby and point out the animals and tries to help calm him when we do. We're also really struggling with sleep. Most nights anymore Nick won't go to sleep until four or five in the morning. Tonight I'm considering loading up on caffeine and taking him for a drive.

Thanks! She's a trip.

That's awesome about your older son. Is Nick the baby? So sorry you are having such a tough time getting him to sleep. =(

My daughter it almost two and a half and she is either the sweetest, smartest, most polite and adorable child I've ever seen or an absolute monster that disobeys everything refuses to eat anything and rips all the pages out of books. I feel like there's no middle ground. Someone please tell me this is normal and that she'll grow out of it. Also, I would appreciate it if you could refrain from telling me it only gets worse and that threes are worse than twos because that's all my Facebook friends are telling me. I don't know if I'll survive another eighteen months.

She will eventually grow out of it...well, it just changes. My 4 year old daughter is usually pretty good. She's really sensitive though so I have to be more mindful of how I get her to listen to me. She's also extremely stubborn.

Brought Logan to the zoo last Sunday.



He had a lot of fun with the monkeys and fish.

Ahh, so adorable!

Our little guy is 10 days old, had a pretty big setback this week. Hospitalized for photolight therapy for a really high bilirubin level. It threw off the nursing schedule and all that and now it's been really tough to get him back, and my wife's confidence.

Any of you just say fuck it and switch? How much longer can I really try and encourage and reassure without being too overbearing? I'm not even sure why I feel it's important, but it's not important enough to me if it's going to be such a burden on my wife. I want her to be able to enjoy this to some degree. And I have to go back to work in a week...

Ugh, that sucks. I had several issues with breastfeeding both of my children. I could never get my daughter to latch. It probably didn't help that I have breasts that are just not conducive to breastfeeding (I didn't actually find this out until I tried to breastfeed again with my son). I felt like a total failure for not being able feed her the natural way. Luckily my husband was very supportive of me deciding to switch to formula for my daughter.

I was determined to make it work for my son. He did have some issues latching (turns out he had a tongue and lip tie as well), but I felt really accomplished being able to feed my son and not rely on formula. The second night the hospital told us that we needed to start supplementing formula because Ben wasn't getting enough to eat. The hospital wanted us to follow up with a pediatrician because Ben was right on the cusp of having jaundice when they released us. I scheduled a lactation specialist appointment to make sure I was doing everything I could to continue breastfeeding while waiting for my full milk supply to come in. It was then that I found out I have shitty breasts, and the likelihood of being able to feed strictly through breastfeeding was extremely low. Remembering how terrible I felt last time I was ready to give up right then and there. It sucks to feel betrayed by your own body. As soon as my husband and I walked out of the doctor's office he was super pumped saying things like, "Don't listen to what they say. I know you can do this!" That made me feel even worse because I was ready to just give up. I felt obligated to at least try for a few more weeks by breastfeeding, pumping, and supplementing formula. I can tell you it was extremely physically exhausting. Wake up, try to breastfeed for 30 minutes, pump for 15 minutes, and then try to go back to sleep before I have to wake up and do it all over again.

The best thing you can do is listen to your wife, help her in anyway that you can, and be fully supportive with her decision. It seems like you're doing a good job with that

Awww, he looks so boss, especially with the tie. Your daughter is lovely too. I'm more team Donatello, but she has obvious good taste to go Ninja Turtle.

And:



Mia's a week old now and very, very serious. Except when she's cross-eyed. That usually means some serious blowout is happening.

Thanks! Your daughter is so precious!

 

[zbarron]

Thanks! She's a trip.

That's awesome about your older son. Is Nick the baby? So sorry you are having such a tough time getting him to sleep. =(

Nick is the Baby and Gabe is the 5 year old. Gabe loves Zelda so today we made triforces out of his snack. He got so excited.

It's weird their baby pictures look like the could be twins. Here's Gabe at maybe 6 months or so and I think he looks similar to how Nick does now.

Now he's a big boy and even these are outdated.

The past three nights were actually decent. Nowhere close to sleeping through but a lot better than multiple hours of non stop screaming. I'm hoping it's a sign things are getting better and not a fluke.

 

[Halcyon]

parentGaf. Recommend me a swing.

I have like $500 in babiesrus money from our baby shower, and I think a nice rocker/swing type thing might be a good use of the money.

This looks nice but seems to rock left and right. Others rock front and back. Have any of you had good experience with any specific one? Let me know. I'll take your answer off the air.

 

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[Halcyon]

We have this. Works well. Does front to back and side to side and is adjustable enough he still fits in it at 8 months.

It isn't perfectly balanced so it lifts one leg slightly when it rocks. We've been using a sandbag to hold it in place. Might not be a problem for you.

I actually just decided after looking through a bunch that it was my favorite and sent it to my wife. The reviews say it's loud. Is that an issue?

 

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[Halcyon]

I'm actually excited about this.


I've spent the past week putting together all sorts of things and setting up our nursery so I am all in on the baby stuff right now.