Juice Plus: Why We Use It

Today I want to talk about something that is a top priority in my life. My family's health! About two years ago I went to see my child's doctor, I was fed up with my picky two year old (at the time). I was looking for ways to ensure that she would get the nourishment that she needs. Since she wouldn't eat veggies or meat--I was desperate. My daughter's doctor gave me a few suggestions. We tried most of them, but my picky eater wouldn't go for those options either. I was fed up. That's when I came to the last suggestion on the list--Juice Plus. I bit the bullet and ordered the gummies for my daughter. At first, my picky eater liked them, and then went through a phase where she wouldn't take them. Nig surprise, right?

I just thought it was another tactic that wouldn't work for her. BUT after talking with her doctor again--she recommended that I start taking the gummies. AND that worked like a charm. I made sure that I took them in front of my daughter everyday for a few days. Each time, I made a big deal about how yummy they were. Eventually, she started asking for them at dinner every night. The rest is history. We have been hooked on Juice Plus ever since. Now I take the capsules as well.

Let me say that I am usually a pretty cynical. I can be overly critical. I would be willing to bet that a lot of moms reading this post right now feel the exact same way. You will ask yourself...does this really work? What is the big deal? Why is this different from any other supplement that is out there? I totally understand your cynicism. I was there in the beginning too.

Let me also tell you that I am not a salesperson. I do not wish to track you down and annoy you with sales pitches. I am just a mom that really struggled with her child's nutrition (and it turns out my own as well). As a blogger, I am in the habit of sharing those things that really work for me, and this has really worked my me and my kid! If you think it would work for you, then great. I would love to share more information with you. If not, then you are free to keep it moving! But for now, here are reasons that we use this product.

1. It is a way to get fruits and veggies in my body and my child's body that we ordinarily wouldn't eat each day

While Juice Plus is not a substitute for actually eating. I can feel better each day when my child refuses to eat lunch at school that she has had 48 different fruits, vegetables, and grains through her Juice Plus gummies, and has received the same naturally occurring vitamins and antioxidants from the gummies.

2. It is NOT a supplement

I am not a supplement person. So this was a huge point for me with Juice Plus. Juice Plus has a nutrition label because it is food. It is not a medicine or a supplement. It is literally juicing done for you. When I look at the nutrition facts on the label I am able to see and understand what all of the ingredients are.

3. It is safe for kids, breastfeeding women, and pregnant women

Since Juice Plus is veggie and fruit juice capsules or gummies--it is totally safe for kids, nursing, and pregnant moms. This was a huge sticking point for me as well. I don't want to have to worry about my kid getting into the gummy bag and overdosing. It is completely safe.

4. There are multitudes of studies online

When we first started Juice Plus I took a look at the multitudes of clinical research findings online. As a responsible parent, I wanted to do my research, even though common sense told me that increasing the amounts of fruit and veggies in my body and my child's body would have positive outcomes. The research I read showed that the use of fruit/veggie/berry juice capsules were shown to decrease the harmful cholesterol in healthy adults. Since my heart health and the heart health of my family is a concern--this was huge for me.

5. It may help support the immune system

The year before we started taking Juice Plus--my daughter missed 11 days of daycare (school). The next year while taking Juice Plus--she missed 4. That was incredible. Whether or not it was due to Juice Plus entirely--I will take it. Here is a link to a study on how JP may support the immune system.
As a teacher--I hate missing days, so I believe that Juice Plus is worth it for this reason alone.

6. It has helped my daughter and me out with constipation

This may be TMI, but my daughter had the worst constipation issues, but I find myself reaching for the miralax a lot less frequently.

Overall, this whole plant based nutrition has given me peace of mind. I truly feel that it will lead us to a better quality of life with fewer sick days, and stronger bodies. If you would like more information reach out to me on social media or via email here. You can also find more information on the Juice Plus Website

What do you use for nutrition in your family? What works for your picky eaters?

Tips for Dealing with Picky Eaters

Growing up I was a self proclaimed picky eater. I didn't like very much, and didn't try new things often...if ever. Because of my pickiness I knew that I would have a picky child. I am big believer in the idea that you get back what you give your parents. AND...my daughter is SUPER picky.

Here's a quick list of what my daughter will eat:
loaf bread
peanut butter
french fries
strawberries
bananas
yogurt
apples and applesauce
water melon
grapes
cheese
cream cheese
plain bagels
spaghetti noodles with butter or plain marinara sauce
kraft style macaroni and cheese
popcorn shrimp
Chick-fil-a chicken nuggets (she doesn't like them very much. I have to force her to eat them!)
corn
english peas

that is it. Really. I swear. It's not very much at all, and it can really get me worried on a daily basis. I mean, what child doesn't like Chick-fil-A? It's almost sacrilegious in my neck of the woods. The even sadder part is that it has really gotten a whole lot better since I have implemented a few new tools into our lives over the last 6 months. Want to hear what has helped my picky eater?

1. Stop avoiding the problem!
For the longest time--I just avoided the issue by making her food that I knew she would eat. This meant that I was cooking her a separate meal every meal from the rest of the family. This is just not practical. This also meant that I was packing her lunches and dinners when we ate out--that is even more impractical, not to mention embarrassing!

After consulting my daughter's doctor we decided that something had to change! We stopped the avoidance immediately and prepared for all out war--and it was NOT easy! She put up a good fight, but I had some other tricks up my sleeve. Ultimately, I realized that I was exhausting myself, and I was doing my child a major injustice at the same time.

2. Provide incentives
This is one of the best tools that I have found to work with my picky eater. I recommend that you use what your child does like and make it into a reward for eating the other items on the plate. This could be a dessert, piece of candy, jello, or fruit. Whatever your picky eater likes--use it as a reward for eating those things that they do not like. My daughter has a major sweet tooth, and she loves cookies. I will put Oreos on her plate, but she has to eat all the other items on her plate before she can eat the Oreos.

3. Choices
I have noticed that my daughter is more likely to eat something when she has chosen it. When I am picking out what to make for dinner I will let her make decisions. It's something as simple as green beans or carrots? She is less likely to throw down with me if she makes the choice. Obviously you want the choices to be equally healthy or disliked for this tip to be effective.

4. Get peer help
My daughter would never eat pizza until Halloween when we went over to her bestie's house, and that is what they provided for dinner. Since her friend was eating it--she was excited to do the same. Ever since she has done much better with Pizza!

5. The bite technique
One technique that is an oldie but a goodie is the bite trick. For the things that my daughter really dislikes I give her a small number of bites that she has to eat of that food before she can have her dessert or treat. Usually I try to go for her age. Since she is 4--she has to eat 4 bites of carrots or green beans or spinach before she can have her cookie. This is the same method my mom used to use with me. It works so well!

6. Sneak them in
When all else fails a good way to sneak in unwanted fruits or vegetables is to sneak them in to a "milkshake" or smoothie. My daughter loves her "milkshakes" You can totally throw some spinach in with a banana and strawberries to give them some extra veggies!

Another product that I swear by is Juice Plus. These are fruit and veggie juice gummies that are whole food nutrition. My daughter thinks they are candy and she loves them! They really make me feel better at the end of the day. If all else fails I know that she has gotten the bare minimum that she needs with these gummies. You can check them out here. They are so good that I take them too! They are sold my independent distributors, so if you are interested contact me and I can give you the hook up!

I hope these tips and tricks help another mother out there who struggles with a picky eater! In solidarity, sisters!

My Favorite Fall/Winter Recipes

One of the biggest reasons that I love fall and winter so much is the food. I love stews, soups and chili! I get a ton of use our of crockpot during the colder months. I know that this trend will only continue as P gets older and gets into activities. My mommy friends say the fall months are the busiest. Plus, I love the way the crockpot makes my house smell.

I am not a good cook. Truthfully, my husband does most of the cooking in our house. It is a system that works for us. He does the cooking, and I feed P. However, when we have a crockpot meal--I get to do most of the work. It makes me feel like a good little housewife all over again.

Here are my favorite quick fall meals

Poor Man Stew--This is a family recipe and favorite. I grew up eating this, and I think it stems from the Depression Era which makes it doubly cool in my book.  I love to serve this with Buttermilk Cornbread. I even put my corn bread slice in the bowl and ladle the stew on top. SO GOOD! Here is my recipe.

1 lb Ground Beef --Brown, drain grease and dump in large soup pot
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans creamed corn
1 medium onion chopped
Cook over low heat for about 45 minutes. Be careful not to let the corn burn
Combine beef, tomatoes, and onion in soup pot. Allow to cook on low heat for about 30 minutes
Add corn and cook an additional 15 minutes
Serves 4

Crockpot Chili--A seasonal favorite. I love to serve with shredded cheddar cheese and Fritos.

2 lbs Ground Beef browned and drained
2 medium onions
3 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans red kidney beans
3 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Garlic Salt
1 tsp Salt

Add all ingredients to large crock pot and stir. Allow to cook 10-12 hours on low. Serves 4

Chicken Noodle Soup--Just a feel good meal. I love to serve with Grilled Cheeses

1/2 of a medium onion or 1 small onion chopped
1 large bag egg noodles
2 cans of chunk chicken drained
2 can sliced carrots drained
water
bouillon cubes
parsley flakes

Sautee onion in olive oil in bottom of large soup pot.
Fill pot 2/3 of the way full with HOT water and add 4 bouillon cubes
Bring water to rolling boil and then add noodles. Boil until tender (12-15 minutes)
Add carrots and chicken and reduce heat to low
Simmer for 10 minutes
Sprinkle parsley on top. Serves 4.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

4 Chicken Breasts
1 large can of salsa
1 bag brown minute rice
1 can black beans
quacamole
sour cream
shredded cheese of choice

Place chicken in bottom of crock pot. Cover with entire can of salsa. Cook on low for 5 hours.
Shred chicken and allow to sit and soak up salsa.
Cook rice and black beans to directions.
Place rice, black beans, sour cream, quacamole, and cheese in separate bowls. Allow family to make their own burrito bowls. Serves 4.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

4 Chicken Breasts
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Place chicken in bottom of crock pot and cover with sauce. Cook on low for 5 hours. Shred and allow to sit in sauce for 15 minutes. Serve on buns for sandwiches. Serves 4.

What are your favorite quick fall meals?

The Solid Issue--Tips for Introducing Solids and Low Milk Intake

This post has been weighing heavily on my heart since I started introducing solids to P. Like everything with motherhood--I crossed my fingers and hoped that P would take that first spoonful of solids and never look back. It just wasn't that way for us. It has been a battle weekly. Every time I wanted to say we were out of the woods and that things were getting better--we would take a huge step back. I just didn't feel comfortable writing a post about it. I felt like I was doing something wrong in that department, and certainly wasn't the one to give advice on the subject.

I do feel like things have been better in the last month. P and I have gotten into a rhythm with her current schedule--as suggested by her new doctor. I will post that schedule at the bottom of this post for those of you who are curious. I mostly post these schedules for reference just in case I ever do convince my husband to do this again. I am sure there is a whole other post on that issue at some point.

For those reasons I have decided to share our struggle with solids and low milk intake. These two issues have driven me to more tears in the last four months than the first 5 month of motherhood. It has been my biggest struggle. Quite honestly--I have screamed, cried, and thrown things out of the frustration about P's intake. Why? Because I am a perfectionist when it comes to this whole motherhood thing. I. AM. CRAZY. I know it. It is my demon.

Here are my suggestions with introducing solids:

1. Don't be in a hurry to do it--Wait until 6 months if you can.
Don't believe the lie that some babies need solids to sleep through the night. P stopped sleeping through the night after solid introduction. Don't fall for that. Stay in your blissful bottle stage for as long as you can.

2. Educate yourself about first foods and baby led weaning.
I didn't do baby led weaning because P has a crazy gag reflex. She often throws up when she coughs. I just didn't feel comfortable with it, and neither did my husband. I have heard so many amazing success stories with it, and that is great for those parents. It just wasn't that way for us. We have just started finger foods, and it is a lot better. P needed those extra months to get her coordination down.

3. Understand that they spit it all out for the first 2 weeks or so.
Yeah--it all comes back out. They just don't understand how to move food from the front of their mouth to the back to swallow it. It is a fact of the process. You forcing them to eat won't change that.

4. It may take a month before they are eating solids well.
I mean putting away a container or two a meal. It took me about 3 months to get the point where she was eating two containers a meal and three during some meals. I felt pressured to feed her more because she wasn't eating her milk. Turns out that was the worst thing I could do. Once I relaxed a bit with the solid intake--the milk intake went back up. I had to learn how to balance the two. You also may need to experiment with different foods and textures. P likes her stuff thicker than most purees.

5. It is important to know how much is too much.
For P there is a definite difference between swatting at the spoon because I am full and swatting for fun. She pretty much swats non stop--so it was hard to know when she was really full. If I fill her too full--she will vomit everywhere. I want to avoid that like Ebola. You have to learn the cues and what works for your child.

6. Just because they don't like it today doesn't mean they won't like it tomorrow.
In the beginning P despised oatmeal with a passion. She hated that stuff. She would burst into tears if she smelled it. So I backed off. Starting off--she would only eat bananas and stuff mixed with bananas. Then it moved to all fruits. Then, veggie-fruit blends. Now she will eat some stuff that doesn't have any fruit, but still does better with blends. My husband gave her oatmeal after a month of not having it--and she gobbled it up. She loves oatmeal now. One of her favorite foods, seriously. It can change daily.

Next issue is milk intake. This one is really hard. I have heard that it is really common for a lot of babies. We have struggled mightily with this. P has taken as little as 9 ounces in a 24 hour period before. It was at a point where I was concerned about hydration. She just didn't want it at all. Here is  I have found to work with her.

1. Mix milk into everything they eat
EVERYTHING. I am not kidding. I even put milk in P's yogurt. I mix about 1/2 an ounce into most things she eats. For oatmeal--She usually eats 3 tablespoons of oatmeal with 2 ounces of milk. She eats it at breakfast and at dinner. This really helps to boost our ounce count.

2. Anything you mix into food counts toward your ounce total for the day.
If you can, try not to count the ounces. I am not able to do this, but it will help your sanity. If you have to count the ounces, then include anything you mix into food.

3.Have 1 cycle a day in which they can only have a bottle--no solids.
This is the one cycle a day that really helps to catch us up on ounces. I will not let her eat any solids. I just wait for her to want the bottle. She make take a few ounces here and a few there. That is fine. At least she is taking it.

4. Let go of the Eat, Play, Sleep Cycle.
I had to stop killing myself over this. It was making us both crazy. If she doesn't want the dang bottle right when she wakes up. I put her down to play, and she usually lets me know when she is hungry. If she doesn't by an hour before her nap, then I give her the solids. That is the best that I can do. Most of the time she will want the bottle about 45 minutes after the wakes up. She will then take her solids, and go down for a nap. It works for us.

5. Have the last solid feeding two hours or more before they go to sleep for the night.
This will just allow them to have time to get hungry and make it more likely that they will drink their milk at bedtime.

6. Offer water all day long
This was something that P's doctor really stressed at her 9 month appointment. She said any hydration is good hydration. Now, I make sure that I offer P a sippy cup of water after every solid feeding. It has really helped her wet diaper situation. Her urine is completely clear again (sorry for the tmi)

7. Consider that the problem may be your schedule.
When I went to see P's doctor--I took a copy of her schedule and her daily menu. The doctor looked at it and noticed an issue right away. She said we were keeping P up too late. What? I was trying to give her more time between dinner and bedtime--so I was putting her down 3 hours after dinner. P's doc said that the later you put them to bed--the worse they sleep. I have never heard of such a thing. It just goes against all common sense in my opinion. But--I'll be danged if it isn't the truth. Since we have moved P's bedtime--she has started taking more ounces and sleeping so much better. Turns out that she was waking in the night because of the late bedtime, and we were feeding her thinking she was hungry. This was making her less hungry during the day. Take away the night time feedings and viola! Baby girl will take those ounces during the day again. Seems so simple.

I guess I just needed a doctor to recommend the tough love with P. It was rough for the first few nights. She didn't want to go to sleep. But we stuck to our guns. Now, She goes down at 7 pm, and I wake her at 7 am. It has made such a huge difference. I will say that we still go in at about 10:30 most nights and offer her a dream feed. If she takes it--she does so in her sleep. It's the cutest thing and I love that feeding. She makes the sweetest little sighs.

I empower you to not become complacent when something is not going well. I had come to accept P's night time and eating issues. I chalked it up to her just not wanting milk anymore and not being a good sleeper. Turns out, it was something simple the whole time. Keep searching for an answer. There is one out there for you. I promise.

What works for your 9 month + baby?

P's Schedule 40 Weeks

7:00 am--Wake and bottle

7:45--breakfast (oatmeal and yogurt)

9:00--Nap

11:00--Wake and bottle * she usually wont take much if any bottle, but I always offer it

11:45--lunch (chicken and a veggie fruit blend)

1:00--Nap

3:00--wake and bottle *no solids offered this feeding

5:15--Dinner (oatmeal and fruit) 

6:00--We eat dinner and P eats finger foods and has water at the table with us

6:30--bathtime and then in room playtime

7:00--Bed time

10:30--dreamfeed

The Piper Manual (month 8)

You will remember that I am a fan of strong lesson plans when it comes to someone keeping P for a long period of time. Since my mom will be watching P during the day I wanted to make sure she had a close guideline for how to get my girl to be the happiest baby in the world! Just sharing with all of you!

The Piper Manual

Thank you for keeping our sweet Piper. Here are just a few resources to help you get an idea of what works best for us with her. Please use it as a guide to help you through your day.

Piper’s Schedule

7:00 Wake and eat

8:00 Breakfast

9:00 Nap

11:00 Wake and eat

12:00 Lunch

1:00 Nap

3:00 Wake and eat

5:00 catnap

5:45 Wake

6:00 Dinner

7:15 Bath

8:00 bottle and bed

Menu

Breakfast

1 container Peaches or other fruit

2 ½ tablespoons of oatmeal mixed with 1 ½ ounces of breastmilk

Lunch

1 container Chicken and Apples

1 container Pear Zucchini Corn

2 Tablespoons of oatmeal mixed with 1 ounce breastmilk

Dinner

1 container bananas

2 ½ tablespoons oatmeal with 1 ½ ounces of breastmilk

Notes about Solid Feeding

It is very important that we try to get all of the above food in Piper. Since she does not take milk well, we need to ensure she gets the nutrients through the solid food.

She will often swat at the spoon and spit the food at you. This is not because she does not want it, but because she thinks it is funny. Ignore it and try not to draw too much attention to the behavior. I have been told that any attention, whether positive or negative, can encourage the behavior.

I find it helpful to have the TV on while feeing her but not directly in front of her. I usually have it on and to the right of her. While I feed her I will hold her right hand with my left hand and spoon food in with my right hand. I know it sounds weird, but she will open her mouth for it this way.

You may need to give her breaks while eating. Sometimes it takes a good 30 to 45 minutes to get it all in her. Have patience.

Notes about Bottle Feeding

Piper is an unusual eater period. What usually works for bottles is that I wake her from her nap and let her play until she gets fussy or until it is time for solids. I give her the bottle. She needs to take at least 2 ounces of milk before she has solids. Most of the time she will do this, but sometimes she wont.

Please keep track of the amount of milk she takes while with you. Add in the amount you put in cereal as well. It all counts.

The last two bottle feedings of the day she will take around 5 ½ ounces each and she will take it all right before she goes down for sleep. I usually feed it to her while she is laying in her crib or pack n play. She will gobble it all up in about 5 minutes.

Notes about Playtime

Try to vary her playtime activities. We are working on her crawling skills so we like to put her on her tummy every cycle. However, if she cries forcefully, then do whatever you need to do. Just don’t hold her all the time.

Notes about Naps and Bedtime

Make sure the sound machine is on, and on pretty loud.

Make sure she has her bunny and two pacifiers.

I usually give her a little hug and tell her it is night time and put her down in the pack n play. Then I give her the bunny and pacifier. I leave the room.

She never cries at home during nap or bedtime, but since she is in a new place, she may protest a bit. If she cries go back in after 5 minutes. Then 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Try more milk if you think she is hungry each time that you go in. Give her the pacifier again. Try not to pick her up if you can help it. After 10 minutes you go in every 10 minutes until she is asleep.

Thanks again!

What kind of plans do you leave for your childcare?

P's Schedule Weeks 30-Now

P’s schedule has been holding pretty steady since 6 months of age. We really struggled in months 6 and 7 with night time sleep, but it looks like we are starting to inch our way out of that. She still wakes up most nights, but I think that we have found a schedule that is working better for her.

Note, that I share these schedules for two reasons—one, for my own memory in case there is ever another baby S and I need to see what we did around what times. Two, to help any other moms out there that are looking to see what other babies are doing at a certain age. I certainly do not think that I have it all figured out!

Also note that I followed Babywise pretty religiously until 6 months of age. Now, we find ourselves in a whatever the hell works—stage. P is still not taking milk well so I mix milk into just about everything she eats to add the nutrients and to keep her hydrated. This is just what I have found to give us the most success. Hope this helps some of you!

The below schedule is the one that we have been doing since 33 weeks, but I think that it would have worked at 30 weeks so that is why I have titled it this way. Sometimes we are slow to recognize that a change needs to be made! We are very fond of the new schedule change because it gives us a lot more time alone together at night, and we don't have to worry about a late evening catnap. The down side is that when we want to take her out for dinner--I am not quite sure how that is going to work. I would welcome suggestions on that front.

P’s schedule weeks 30- present

7:00 wake and eat (sometimes)

7:15—I pump while P plays in baby jail (hmm, I mean the pack n play)

8:00 Breakfast (usually yogurt or oatmeal and sometimes both)

9:15-9:30 nap

11:15 to 11:30—wake and eat (sometimes)

12:00 lunch (usually fruit and veggie combo with some of my BM stirred in for extra fat. If she is extra hungry she might have two containers. I am thinking of trying to move her to taking the one fruit veggie combo and a protein such as chicken. We have just started working with the meats and she is still a little hesitant with them. It takes a lot of patience most days to get her to eat the whole container. Some days I have it, and some I don’t.

1:15- 1:30—Nap and then I pump

3:15- 3:30—wake and eat (sometimes)

4:00—snack (usually a fruit with BM stirred in for extra fat)

5:30—I pump while P plays with her daddy she might have a little milk snack around this time. It’s usually an ounce or two.

6:00—Dinner (usually bananas with BM stirred in to help with constipation and oatmeal)

6:30—6:45—Bath time and bed time routine (we try to stretch this time out because she loves the bath)

7:00—story time and in room playtime while getting ready for bed.

7:15-7:30—bottle and then bed.

9:30--Last pump of the day (WAHOO!!!)

11:30—dream feed (yes, we have added back the dream feed to keep her from getting up at night, and yes it is ridiculous that we are still doing this. I can’t talk about it or I will get angry.)

 What type of schedule is your 34 week old on?

Please Eat!

The past month has been CRAZY, hence my lack of posts. My little munchkin just turned 6 months old (sigh), and we just got back from her first beach trip.

I was so excited to start P on solid foods I could barely contain myself. However, as we approached the middle of her 5^th month something started changing with my girl—she stopped sleeping through the night. UGH! I had been warned about the 4 month sleep regression, but could it really be a while month and a half late? P was waking in the middle of night and staying up from one to two hours. I am just not prepared for this type of sleep deprivation anymore. When she was a newborn—I expected it. Now, not so much.

I started rummaging the internet for ideas on what it could be, and some people said it may be her way of telling us that she is ready for solid foods. So I went out and bought three sweet potatoes, three bananas, and 5 apples. I was so proud of myself while making my homemade baby food. I was hopeful that she would fall in love with the first bite and sleep the whole night through. WELL—she didn’t!

We are struggling mightily with solid foods. She may open her mouth for a bite or two, but then she is done. I have tried homemade, store bought. We have tried rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, applesauce, peaches, sweet potatoes, and bananas. While she will take some better than others (peaches, apples, and sweet potatoes), most of the time she closes those gummy gates and say no thanks! I was frustrated because I really thought that I needed her to eat these solids so that she would sleep more.

Then I read that it probably would not affect her night sleep—so I started to look at her schedule as the culprit. Maybe my baby was just ready for more awake time during the day. At the time she was still taking 4- 90 minute naps a day. I decided to drop her to three naps and also move her to a four hour schedule with three attempts at solids a day. Here is what it looks like:

7:00—wake and bottle

8:00—solids

9:00—nap

11:00—wake and bottle

12:00—solids

1:00—nap

3:00—wake and bottle

5:00—catnap

6:00—wake and bottle

7:00—solids

7:30—bath and then bedtime routine

8:30—Bottle and then bed time

I would like to tell you that this has been an easy fix, and a pleasant transition—but that would be a lie. P has still not returned to sleeping through the night consistently. She does it here and there. Part of her problem may be teething related as well. Who knows? It is better now, because when she wakes in the night she is not getting up and staying up anymore. She takes a little bottle and goes back to sleep.

It seems that my girl is a little too interested in all of the things going on around her lately—and this interferes with her eating drastically. She has become a nightmare to feed. She will never take more than three ounces at a time. Gone are the days when she would eat 30 ounces a day. We are lucky to get to 25. Therefore, she wakes to get some calories at night. I have tried everything I can think of to get her to eat. I offer the bottle what seems like every 5 minutes. She refuses it most of the time.

I guess I can’t complain—my girl is happy all day long. She is a joy to be around in general. She is still chunky as well (she is 2 pounds from tripling her birth weight).

Have any of you dealt with eating issues with your 6 month olds? What did you do to combat them?

4 Month Sleep Regression

While at my mommy class I have heard a lot of parents complaining about 4 month sleep issues. Many moms complain that they see a regression in the sleep habits of their children when they reach 4 months old. This regression can come during night sleep, naps, or even both (GRR!). It can be extremely frustrating for you—especially if you are trying to get something done in a timely manner. While I am certainly no expert on the subject, I have observed my own child over her fourth month and come to this conclusion about her. It is not really a sleep regression—it is an eating regression.

My girl, P, has become far more aware of her surroundings in the last month. This awareness has made her more easily distracted while eating. I cannot tell you how many times a slight movement or noise has rendered her no longer interested in her bottle. It has become WWIII at times trying to get her to eat. I know that some of you may think, “if she’s not hungry, then don’t feed her.” But that is not the issue here. She is hungry, just not starving enough to woof down that whole bottle in one sitting. This has been really hard for me because I am a Babywise mom. One of the basic principles is to ensure that your child takes full feedings every feeding. I have noticed that if P does not get her 25 -30 ounces a day in, then she will wake at night. Therefore, these distracted meal times are worrisome for me. So, if you find yourself with a baby that used to sleep like a champ, and then all of a sudden doesn’t, here are some suggestions I have for you.

1.       Keep a running list of the number of ounces (minutes at the breast) taken at each feeding in a 24 hour period. Do this for three or four days. If you notice a pattern between the number of ounces and night time sleep, then you may need to try a few of these other suggestions.

2.       Try to keep the feeding environment as quiet and as soothing as possible. There are times when I have to take P into her room and turn off the lights to get her to eat consistently for more than a few seconds at a time.

3.       Turn off the TV—I am still working on this one in my house. My Hubs prefers to watch Step By Step while giving P her 10:00 bottle. I have suggested that he not do this on more than one occasion, but seeing as how she has been eating fine at this dream feed—he is less than interested in changing his plans.

4.       Offer the bottle or breast more frequently—this was also a hard one for me. Babywise preaches that you should cut out snacking. It states that children learn very quickly to snack and will stop taking bottles in large volumes because they will realize that it is available whenever they want it. I understand that this can be a problem if you are taking baby out and want them to be predictable. However, I choose sleep in almost every situation now-a-days. Therefore, if P does not take at least 4 ounces in a feeding, then I will offer her than bottle over the next hour as many times as it takes until it is either gone or it is naptime. This is because I do not want to be up at night with a screaming baby.

5.       Find something to do with those arms and legs—if you child is like P, then those things are flying everywhere during meals. I mean, girlfriend is scratching and slapping me and herself. I have found that holding her where one of her arms is wrapped around my back while I hold the other arm with my free hand to be helpful during feeding times. I have even put her in her Halo Sleeper during a meal to keep her from kicking and slapping herself!

6.       If you are feeding around others, then leave the room. If you are in public, then go to a quieter location—or turn baby away from people. I know everyone means well, but they can be distracting to your child if they are talking to them while they are trying to eat.

I hope these things help. Like I said, there are just some things that I have found to help with P. So far, we have not had a real sleep regression at nighttime. We HAVE had some naptime issues though, but I feel that those are more tied to allowing her to go too long between naps. I find that P needs to sleep every 90 minutes in order to have a good nap. We aren’t perfect though. Anytime we leave the house, then we know she will skip at least one nap and it will mean a meltdown at some point. She becomes a ticking time bomb!

If you have any suggestions for helping with naps on the go for 4 month olds and up, then please send them my way!

I am also sure that sleep regression is partly because of teething in some little ones. Since I am not really there yet, I do not know how this will affect P. I’m sure there is a blog post in my future on that one.

Have you had to deal with sleep regression in your four or five month old? What tips or tricks do you have?

Cry Baby, Cry!~ Why I do Cry It Out

             

 Crying it out is a method that is very hotly debated in many households and other parent forums across the world. People have very strong feelings about this topic, and it can be a polarizing one.  I learned that this past week when an angry mom posted on my Facebook page. I do understand that by putting my thoughts, ideas, and practices out there in a blog opens me up to criticism-- I fully accept that fact and encourage good discussion from those who read my writing. However, I do expect that discussion to come in a respectful manner. I guess it is just the nature of the beast sometimes. If you have a very strong feeling about my last post or if you were offended in any way—I hope to explain myself in greater detail. I should have known better than to have posted that manual without first diving into my beliefs on Cry it Out and Babywise.

                I do not feel that I owe anyone an explanation for why I have chosen this method with my daughter. She is my daughter, I am her mother—it is my choice. I will not criticize or judge you for the way that you choose to parent your children. I am a firm believer that women could rule the world if we would just stop criticizing each other so much. I think one of the worst groups with this is mothers. If we did not raise our child a certain way, or if something did not work for us—then we believe that it is not the best way or that it does not work for other mothers. This is SO not true. I am fully aware that the system that I use may and will not work for some babies. I know mothers in my Mommy and Me group whose babies would not fit into this system. I use Babywise because after observing my child over her first month of life—I deduced that it would be beneficial for her. That is all! That is the reason.

                I could sit here and ramble off studies about Cry it Out and psychological development. There are countless articles that claim both sides of the coin. Here is the deal—I am not a Pediatrician, Psychologist, or expert in infant development. For this reason—I am not going to make statements that only these professionals should make. You will not hear (or I guess see) me talk in absolutes here. I will say that something may or can be, but never will or is. That is how babies are. They are not exactly identical. What works for some will not work for others. This is why moms cannot judge other moms. We are not dealing with the same product here. All we can do is what we feel is best for our individual child. Ok, rant over. Here is what I do want to say about my routine/philosophy with Baby P.

                When I first heard of Babywise, I too thought that it was a bad thing—I then I did my research. I read several blogs, articles, and the book itself. I made the decision that this could work for some infants if –and only if—several things were present. For instance—I do not believe that CIO would work for babies that are having significant colic or other major issues. I do not believe in letting a baby in pain cry. If you are a mother for any significant amount of time you know that there is a difference in the cry of an infant who is tired, hungry, or in pain. I would NEVER let my child continue to cry if she was in pain. PERIOD! Secondly, I think that CIO should only be done if you are also sleep training/schedule training your child. I have already talked about this in length and why I have chosen to do this with my child. You can read that post here.

Here are some common misconceptions about Cry It Out

1.       Cry it out is not a substitution for feeding a baby.

a.       I don’t know where this idea comes from, but when your baby is hungry, you should feed it. That is just common sense. What CIO does is to make sure that your child is actually hungry before you feed them. I have had many a friend tell me that their child was waking up at night—but would not eat when they tried to feed them. That is because they are not hungry. Babies do not only cry when they are hungry. Sometimes you may need to go down the chain of the many other likelihoods before finding the culprit. CIO maintains that sometimes babies wake up because that are used to and conditioned to wake up for feedings—and that they will continue to do this even when they do not need or want the calories. CIO is a means to break this sleep habit.

2.       Cry it Out does not mean you let your child cry for long periods of time every time they cry.

a.       I only let P CIO when I know that she has a full tummy and clean diaper. Even then, I go in and try to redirect her every 10 minutes. BTW—I think she has only ever cried for 10 straight minutes once. She usually always falls asleep after a minute or two of fussiness.

3.       Cry it Out does not mean that you just put the baby in the crib and walk away leaving them for hours and hours.

4.       It is not a substitute for parenting.

a.       When your child is hungry, wet, or sick—you may not want to let them cry for very long—if at all.

Here is what CIO means to me:

1.       CIO is a sleep training method that helps to train my daughter how to fall asleep and fall back asleep

2.       CIO is a way to send a message to my daughter of what is or isn’t acceptable night or nap time behavior.

All CIO is for me is a way to set limits of what I will or will not do during the night or naptimes. Babies can quickly associate things when it comes to sleep such as nursing to sleep, rocking to sleep, replacing pacifiers etc. These things can become sleep props for your child, and can start to really wear you down over time. I did not want my daughter to have to have these types of things in order to fall asleep because I knew I would not always be able to provide them for her. I do not want her to always have to eat in order to sleep for instance. For this reason—I think that CIO is great for breaking these types of habits.

Here is a good example—if your child hates the car seat and starts to cry while you are driving—you are not going to pull over and take them out. The baby is not hurt by the car seat—but is just unhappy. Eventually the baby will learn that it cannot just cry and get out of the seat. The same thing applies if your child does not want to fall asleep without being rocked. The baby may cry because they are frustrated that you will not rock them back to sleep, but eventually they may fall asleep on their own. The crying is just a way to express frustration. It is not hurting them.

In my case, Piper would wake up and cry at about 5 every morning. I would try to resettle her, but she would not fall back to sleep on her own. I would finally take her out and try to nurse her, she would eat for less than a minute before falling asleep at the breast. She was not hungry—she just wanted to be soothed back to sleep. While I loved the idea that she would nurse in the middle of the night (because she won’t any other time),  I knew that I was not prepared to do this each and every night. So one night she woke at five—I went in and re-swaddled her, gave her the pacifier, and turned on the mobile. I then left the room. She cried for about 5 minutes before she fell back asleep. The next night she did the same thing—I did the same thing. Then the third night she slept through to 7 am. She didn’t wake because she needed the nourishment—she had taken 27 ounces during the day. She had just woken herself up moving around in her crib and couldn’t fall back asleep on her own. On that third night—she did. I was so proud of my girl!

So that is why I do it. I hope now you understand it better. You still might think that it is harsh, mean, or cruel—but in the end—it works for me. What types of tricks do you have for helping your child sleep?

Houston, We Have a Problem--dealing with low milk supply

In a recent post on my friend's blog I wrote about my issues with breastfeeding Baby P. It was a hard post to write, and one that I struggled with very much. As I continue to struggle with mommyhood, I find that blogging really helps. So, bear with me as I gripe about my newest issue--my low milk supply!

Once my milk came in, Breastfeeding got a lot easier, and I thought that it would continue to get easier as the weeks went by. It did--for awhile. However, at week 5 P stopped taking my breast. The reasons--at the time-- was my overabundant supply and super quick letdown. Well, I no longer have either of these issues, but what I do have is something much scarier. A low supply!

In mommy groups all over the world this is the dreaded issue. We don't all face it, but for those of us who do, it is the most nerve-wrecking feeling in the world. The fear of not being able to keep up with your child's hungry demands is enough to drive you half crazy--or maybe all the way crazy.



I should preface this by saying that I am now exclusively pumping for P. She will not take the breast well. Occasionally we will have a good day where she will breastfeed 3 or four times in a 24 hour period, but most days she feeds at the breast once (the first feeding of the day). I have come to terms with this, and I am okay. I won't say that there are times that I don't miss it, but I am okay with it now. On days that she breastfeeds more, she usually does not sleep through the night. At this point, I choose sleep. So--bottles are not the devil, ladies! They can be a very good friend.

Since P was 8 weeks old, I have been exclusively pumping. My supply actually started to increase during these weeks because she had not been nursing very well. Then, last week--BOOM. It TANKED! I was used to getting 8 ounces after breastfeeding P in the morning (your optimal time) and then 5 ounces each time after that. I was pumping 7 times a day, and P was eating 7 times a day. It was a great system. I was building up my freezer stash, and had actually run out of space in the freezer. I had to outsource to my parents and in-law's freezers. I was cocky, proud, and oblivious that all of this could change. So--it tanked hard. I woke up one morning, and was only able to pump 4 ounces at my first pumping. WHAT? That was half of what I normally got. It only got worse throughout the day as I was only able to pump 2 ounces at each pumping for the rest of the day. I panicked. Then I reached for a bag of frozen milk out of my freezer.

Once I calmed down, I searched the internet frantically trying to find out what had changed. I figured out that the culprit was the fact that P had started sleeping through the night. She is now sleeping 8 straight hours at night (feel free to throw something at me virtually)! I wasn't getting up anymore at 12 to pump. My body had overcompensated for the dropping of that feeding.

What was I to do now? I had heard from several other mothers who had gone through similar issues with their little ones so, I did know what to do. Just in case you don't--here is a list:

1. Drink more water, and then drink some more. It is so so so important.
2. Don't skip meals--I was really bad about skipping breakfast in the mornings. I had gone back to work and found it hard to keep up with the demands of morning time with a baby.
3. Eat better--Leafy green vegetables are shown to help with lactation. So be like Popeye! Also, oatmeal is said to boost supply.
4. Take supplements--Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle! I swear by these. Take three Fenugreek capsules three times a day and one Blessed Thistle capsule three times a day.
5. Drink less caffeine--it's known to dehydrate you faster. Just substitute it for water until you are back to normal.
6. Pump more often and for longer periods of time. In my case I added back one pumping session to get back to 7 (so I don't have to get up in the middle of the night). Then I lengthened my pumping times from 15 to 20 minutes.



After doing all of these things, it started to come back--slowly but surely! I started to relax, but I am all too aware now that this could happen again, so I am going to try to be more cognizant of what I put in my body, and how shifts in her schedule could affect my supply.

I want to also say that in times like these--we tend to overreact. Thank god I have a level headed husband who helped to keep me sane. He kept pointing out that while the amount I was getting was significantly less than I was used to, I was still keeping up with P. In fact, I was still staying ahead of her by at least a half an ounce at my lowest point. This really helped to keep me calm. Shout out to you babe! You're the best!

I was terrified of having something else taken away from me. I already was unable to breastfeed my child the way that I wanted to. I definitely did not want to have to give her formula. I am determined to do whatever I have to do to ensure that she was getting breastmilk until she is one. In the end, I know that formula is not the devil. It is more about pride and stubbornness in my case. I want something to go my way--even if it means I have to invest more time and effort into it. However, I understand that sometimes things are beyond our control. If for some reason my supply dries up, then I will find a way to cope with it, and I will shake that bottle of formula with a smile on my face and know that it will be okay.

Have any of you had a low supply? How did you deal with it? Did you have to switch to formula?