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Thanks, anonymous. My husband says my expectations are too high too. You are both probably right. Guess we should just be happy that he does well most of the time. My kid has almost always pooped in his sleep (and he doesn't wake up) during the night. I guess we will cross that potty training bridge after the rest is under control. Thanks for your advice!
I decided my son was ready for potty training and now I think I am going to lose my mind. We started 6 weeks ago. First day was great with his Elmo potty, he peed and pooped in the potty! Since then he has gotten the underwear thing down to a science, but if we don't take him to the toilet (where he pees standing up, but has not pooped again), he will not let us know he has to pee and much less poop. He has not had any accidents in the car (which is good), but he has had a few while we have been out and about. The Potty training book we read and the countless friends who shared their experiences, do not seem to help. Our son has been naked all day or just in undies while at home. We put diapers on him for nap and sleep time. Other than that, he is diaper free.
HELP
HELP
Anyone know of a good bi-lingual (English-Spanish) nursery program in NW DC or Silver Spring, MD
Power to the swaddle! It's the best and for me the only way my son slept thru the night since he was 3 months old. He eventually did a hudini on the swaddle and then we knew it was time for a blanket.... he is 19 months old now and still sleeps thru the night ( 7:30 or 9 pm till 6 am)!!! SWADDLE, girlfriend!
I am sorry that happened to you. Bottom line is TSA SUCKS!!! There is no consistency in their policy and much less their enforcement. At the airport in DC (Dulles) I was forced to open all 12 jars of earth's best baby food (which I did not want to put in my luggage for a slew of reasosns). Despite my repeated pleas that once you open them,you have to use them quickly especially if they aren't refrigerated....there was zero solution. I felt like letting my son throw the turkey dinner at the moron who would not budge. Anyway, someone has to employ incompetent people....why not the federal government!
We are living abroad and really want to take advantage of the beautiful islands we are near. However, we have a 19 month old and would like to buy our own life jacket/vest for him (since no one seems to have one here). Any recommendations?????
I just traveled with my travel system by chicco. When I checked in, I asked if it was possible to use an empty seat for the baby in the car seat even though we had not purchased a separate seat. They were nice enough to accomodate us without charge b/c the flight was pretty empty. Baby slept like a charm. by the way...where in PR are you staying? I have to go next week for work and decided to take the baby and stay at home dad with me. Looking for a nice family friendly hotel. Don't want to be by the cruise ships either.
My son recently turned 4 months old. From the time we left the hospital he was exposed to enfamil lipil as a supplement. Unfortunately, my milk never fully came in despite trying everything under the sun including Donperidone. In any event, just last month he started to get red irritated areas behind his knees and elbows. Our pediatrician told us to try Nutramigen, which we did. We started using Dreft as well (we were using Method baby detergent prior to this). He was fine for a bit, but then not only did the red areas reappear, but started to develop what looked like a rash on his arms and legs. We took him back to the pediatrician and she prescribed 2.5% cortisone for the red areas behind his elbows and knees and 1% for the other areas of this body that were red. We were told to aquaphor him as often and as much as possible and see a dermatologist (we couldn't get an appointment for 1 month). We did all this and the condition cleared up so we stopped using the cortisone. A few days later, the red areas were back and his entire body was covered with the rash (even his cheeks). My son is usually a very laid back, happy child. he only cries when he wants food, needs to be changed or is tired. So on Monday when he woke up a little grumpy, we didn't think much of it, but we noticed the rash looked worse. As the day progressed and he was sobbing uncontrollably, we decided to take him to Children's Hospital. The pediatrician there diagnosis him with Ezcema and possible skin infection. She recommended oatmeal baths, Amoxicillin (2x/day for 10 days) and Triamcinolone (2x/day for a week) in the red areas behind knees and elbows and aquaphor on the rest of his body. She also told us to change formula and laundry detergent to Alimentum and any kind of detergent that was dye free. The doctor at Children's also told us to see an allergist.
My instinct is that it's not the formula because wouldn't my son have had a reaction to the formula in the three months he was taking it? Is it possible that he all of the sudden became allergic to the formula he was taking for 3 months? It seems odd to me. Looking back now, maybe it was the change in detergent, but now that the doctors have us changing everything, is there a way to figure this all out????
My instinct is that it's not the formula because wouldn't my son have had a reaction to the formula in the three months he was taking it? Is it possible that he all of the sudden became allergic to the formula he was taking for 3 months? It seems odd to me. Looking back now, maybe it was the change in detergent, but now that the doctors have us changing everything, is there a way to figure this all out????
PRICELESS!!!! 
I really thank everyone for their responses. However, I am a little surprised by some of the responses and criticism (your posting was too rambly...I thought that's what this site was all about.....support). As for the nurses are overworked and the hospital doesn't give them support.....that's true, but the patients should not suffer as a result. I work in public service (although I could be working at a firm) by choice and even though I don't get paid nearly what I am worth, I don't take it out on the people I represent or the victims I am charged with protecting. We should expect the basics and the point of my email was that we aren't even getting that. Maybe that's not the way everyone else feels.....I think we should at least get what we pay for ....especially considering the single room is $200/night more....
I gave birth at Sibley on Friday, March 28. The birth was a scheduled C-section and I chose Sibley based on friend's recommendations and the fact that my wonderful OB (Dr. Janet Schaffel) delivers there. I went to for the maternity tour, which was a waste of time and must admit the hospital looked nice during the tour. I want to point out that this is a critique of the nursing staff in the maternity ward only, the labor and delivery staff was professional, compassionate and very knowledgeable. However, the maternity staff with the exception of two nurses was a disaster.
The nursing staff, especially the night shift, was rude and completely unhelpful. The attitude of some of the nurses was a sense of entitlement and that they were there to do me a favor when in fact they have their jobs because "we" are delivering our babies there. The night following my c-section (5 am) a nurse came in to take my vitals and to help me breastfeed. This particular nurse did not appear to have a whole lot of experience taking blood pressure and the basics. Another nasty nurse came in, looked at my baby and said, "he's choking" Well, you can imagine that i almost lost it at that point. i yelled for someone to help and another nurse came in, aspirated some fluid from his mouth and said the baby was fine. How could this idiot nurse say something so critical and so wrong to a new mother or to any mother for that matter.
Even though I wanted and requested a single room, there were none available and i was put in a double. I figured I would be fine for a night. Well, I was wrong. I was put in my double room at about 11 am following the c-section. The patient next to me had a parade of visitors all day long (which is understandable, but a little inconsiderate of the roommate). Even though the visitors were loud, I could share in their excitement. My roommate left or was moved to another room around 7 pm. Based on what we had been told during the hospital tour, if there was not another patient, my husband could spend the night. A nurse on the shift told us that was not the policy and that my husband would have to leave by the time visiting hours were over (8:30), but that he could stay a little longer if there was no new patient in the room. Around 9:30 pm a new patient was brought into the room. My husband left as per the nurse's instructions and I tried to get some sleep. Again, there was much excitement in the room and the other patient's nurse told her that her visitors could only stay for a little while and then had to go. At around 11 pm, there were still people visiting, talking loudly and the light on. Then the roommate's nurse came in, I asked her when the visitors would be leaving since it was way past visiting hours and she told me in a rude voice that she would call my nurse and that the new father could stay all night. When my nurse came in, I asked her what the policy was given what we had been told earlier that night. I asked to see a supervisor and 20 minutes later one arrived and when I asked her about the discrepancy in the policy, she told me that fathers could stay all night. I was very upset by this given the fact that my husband couldn't stay and that there were clearly more people with the roommate than the father. The supervisor told me that was the policy and if i didn't like it, I should contact the administration. HOW RUDE! I asked the nurse to have the visitors keep their voices down and turn down the lights. Finally, about 12:30 everyone left. I know people are excited about their new babies, but what happened to respect for others? (I'm diverging and this is about the nurses).
The following day i was put into a private room (totally worth the money if you can afford it). My husband stayed over and unfortunately we didn't get any sleep because we had the baby in the room the whole night (big mistake! the nurses will bring the baby in for feedings during the night and that guarantees you some sleep). The following morning, we asked the nurse to please put the baby in the nursery because we had to get some sleep and she told me that they really only did that night because they wanted the babies and moms to bond during the day. I found that answer really strange and asked that she please take the baby to the nursery at least for two hours. I don't feel that a patient should have to beg to get a basic need met which apparently was the situation here. She did it anyway (we must have looked exhausted) and the following day was better.
That night, however, I had to call the nurse 4x to pick up the baby to take him to the nursery. I can't imagine that much is going on at 2 am so I fail to see what took so long. Asking for anything was responded to with an overall attitude of inconvenience for the nurses. I think most of the nurses at Sibley forgot what nursing is all about or really hate their jobs. Quite frankly, Sibley needs to reassess and reevaluate their staff. What probably once was a great hospital and staff, now is a mediocre, inconveniently located run of the mill hospital.
I am thankful for nurses like Ryan and Jaylen who were professional and compassionate. The rest should go work at McDonalds or some other place where rudeness is expected! I left Sibley a day early just to get away from the horrible care. I am so glad I did!
One other thing, the lactation consultants were good overall, but the advice was not so good. My baby had latching on problems and while they helped me get through that, they did not properly asses the condition of my breasts which after being seen by my pediatrician's (Dr. Lang -- so far so good!) lactation consultant the day after i was released from sibley and just 24 hours after sibley's lactation consultant saw me, said "Oh my god, keep the baby away from your nipple for at least 24 hours." My nipples, one in particular, was so cracked and raw that she was shocked when she saw it. My breasts had been very tender and raw, but I just thought that was part of the process. Glad to find out I was wrong. By the way, if you are thinking of breast feeding, consult a lactation consultant BEFORE you give birth, not after. That way you will have a better idea of what to expect.
I felt so strongly about writing this even though I've only been home for a week.
Just be really careful when selecting hospitals!!!
All the best!
The nursing staff, especially the night shift, was rude and completely unhelpful. The attitude of some of the nurses was a sense of entitlement and that they were there to do me a favor when in fact they have their jobs because "we" are delivering our babies there. The night following my c-section (5 am) a nurse came in to take my vitals and to help me breastfeed. This particular nurse did not appear to have a whole lot of experience taking blood pressure and the basics. Another nasty nurse came in, looked at my baby and said, "he's choking" Well, you can imagine that i almost lost it at that point. i yelled for someone to help and another nurse came in, aspirated some fluid from his mouth and said the baby was fine. How could this idiot nurse say something so critical and so wrong to a new mother or to any mother for that matter.
Even though I wanted and requested a single room, there were none available and i was put in a double. I figured I would be fine for a night. Well, I was wrong. I was put in my double room at about 11 am following the c-section. The patient next to me had a parade of visitors all day long (which is understandable, but a little inconsiderate of the roommate). Even though the visitors were loud, I could share in their excitement. My roommate left or was moved to another room around 7 pm. Based on what we had been told during the hospital tour, if there was not another patient, my husband could spend the night. A nurse on the shift told us that was not the policy and that my husband would have to leave by the time visiting hours were over (8:30), but that he could stay a little longer if there was no new patient in the room. Around 9:30 pm a new patient was brought into the room. My husband left as per the nurse's instructions and I tried to get some sleep. Again, there was much excitement in the room and the other patient's nurse told her that her visitors could only stay for a little while and then had to go. At around 11 pm, there were still people visiting, talking loudly and the light on. Then the roommate's nurse came in, I asked her when the visitors would be leaving since it was way past visiting hours and she told me in a rude voice that she would call my nurse and that the new father could stay all night. When my nurse came in, I asked her what the policy was given what we had been told earlier that night. I asked to see a supervisor and 20 minutes later one arrived and when I asked her about the discrepancy in the policy, she told me that fathers could stay all night. I was very upset by this given the fact that my husband couldn't stay and that there were clearly more people with the roommate than the father. The supervisor told me that was the policy and if i didn't like it, I should contact the administration. HOW RUDE! I asked the nurse to have the visitors keep their voices down and turn down the lights. Finally, about 12:30 everyone left. I know people are excited about their new babies, but what happened to respect for others? (I'm diverging and this is about the nurses).
The following day i was put into a private room (totally worth the money if you can afford it). My husband stayed over and unfortunately we didn't get any sleep because we had the baby in the room the whole night (big mistake! the nurses will bring the baby in for feedings during the night and that guarantees you some sleep). The following morning, we asked the nurse to please put the baby in the nursery because we had to get some sleep and she told me that they really only did that night because they wanted the babies and moms to bond during the day. I found that answer really strange and asked that she please take the baby to the nursery at least for two hours. I don't feel that a patient should have to beg to get a basic need met which apparently was the situation here. She did it anyway (we must have looked exhausted) and the following day was better.
That night, however, I had to call the nurse 4x to pick up the baby to take him to the nursery. I can't imagine that much is going on at 2 am so I fail to see what took so long. Asking for anything was responded to with an overall attitude of inconvenience for the nurses. I think most of the nurses at Sibley forgot what nursing is all about or really hate their jobs. Quite frankly, Sibley needs to reassess and reevaluate their staff. What probably once was a great hospital and staff, now is a mediocre, inconveniently located run of the mill hospital.
I am thankful for nurses like Ryan and Jaylen who were professional and compassionate. The rest should go work at McDonalds or some other place where rudeness is expected! I left Sibley a day early just to get away from the horrible care. I am so glad I did!
One other thing, the lactation consultants were good overall, but the advice was not so good. My baby had latching on problems and while they helped me get through that, they did not properly asses the condition of my breasts which after being seen by my pediatrician's (Dr. Lang -- so far so good!) lactation consultant the day after i was released from sibley and just 24 hours after sibley's lactation consultant saw me, said "Oh my god, keep the baby away from your nipple for at least 24 hours." My nipples, one in particular, was so cracked and raw that she was shocked when she saw it. My breasts had been very tender and raw, but I just thought that was part of the process. Glad to find out I was wrong. By the way, if you are thinking of breast feeding, consult a lactation consultant BEFORE you give birth, not after. That way you will have a better idea of what to expect.
I felt so strongly about writing this even though I've only been home for a week.
Just be really careful when selecting hospitals!!!
All the best!
I'm giving birth at Sibley tomorrow and am rolling the dice. I am going to try a semi mainly because I can find other things to do with $200/night x 4 nights (c-section). I figured if it gets really uncomfortable, I will ask about a private room. I just hate paying hospitals money they should not be charging to begin with. Sibley doesn't have to charge $200/night. They could make it more reasonable! Anyway, I'll write again to let you all know how my gamble went!
Take a vacation? We lived in Colombia and Mexico during most of the pregnancy. There really is no problem as long as you are having a healthy pregnancy without complications and of course your OB is okay with it. Just use your common sense. Only bottled water, no street food and carry some anti-bacterial with you. Don't go swinging off vines or diving (we are an adventurous couple too), but enjoy your time together. One of my favorite places in Mexcio was Troncones which is a beautiful beach (pretty much untouched) near zihuatanejo and ixtapa. They had yoga, great massages right on the beach and good food in Ixtapa. Relax and enjoy! I give birth tomorrow and we are finally back in DC. I miss the beach already! Remember, you are pregnant, not completely disabled.
I am really confused! The breast pump manufacturers state that you should not use a used breast pump because you may contaminate the milk. Friends and family who have kids disagree. Any opinions out there? Breast pumps are really expensive and my sister gave me hers....should i use it?
Thanks
Thanks
Until I started to shop for baby stuff, I thought I was a relatively intelligent woman. The choices are overwhelming. Which bottles are the best and eliminate or minimize the gas/other issues? I am going to try to breast feed, so i want to get a bottle that will make it easy to go back and forth between breastfeeding and bottle feeding. A friend recommended Playtex nurser :slow flow: nipple with plastic liners and others have recommended Dr. Browns? I want to buy these bottles this week since I am due a week from Friday! Thanks, ladies! 