Riley is 7 Months

Health: We started solids – yay! Well, sort of. It was going really well. We’re doing Baby Led Weaning and he’s interested in all kinds of new foods and had a good amount of control for getting the food off the tray and into his mouth. What I wasn’t prepared for is the digestive troubles. We had one very hard day with both of us in tears. Riley’s not a crier. Sure – he cries. But he doesn’t sob hysterically. So when he wouldn’t calm down, and refused to nurse I got concerned. He’d been a “regular” guy so I thought that might be the issue. The pediatrician confirmed and gave us some suggestions. Which thankfully worked and all was well. A week later and we found ourselves in the same situation, but we knew how to make it better. I hated seeing him so upset and uncomfortable – finally realizing that the foods he’s been eating lately – bananas, toast, cooked carrots – are all know to cause constipation. Can you say Mommy Fail? We took a day off from solids for his system to adjust and we’re being more selective about his menu options. So, a day goes by and he’s still fussy pants. Like grumpy-cat city. What.is.the.deal? And then I realized it…teething. Round 2. Then – this past weekend we ended up at Urgent Care. Riley started throwing up at 8pm right before bed and kept throwing up for an hour. He’s never thrown up, maybe spit up less than 5 times in his whole life. We called the Pediatrician and left a message for the on-call doctor, and after several more episodes we decided to take him in – just to be safe. We noticed a rash on his arm, thought it could be a bug bite. We arrived at UC and made it though into a bed pretty quickly. After a few more episodes they gave him something to stop the throwing up. It worked and we fed him a little, he kept it down. Fed him a little more and were sent home. He was so happy the whole time (minus when they had to take his temp) and smiled at all the nurses and doctors. We got home at midnight – all very tired and had Riley sleep in the pack n play in our room to keep an eye on him. Kelly was off to work a few hours later :( So – we might have been “those” parents….worrying about something minor and running to the doctor, but I slept much better knowing he was ok. I put my trust in doctors and medicine to help us, and they did. I’m thankful we have a healthy baby – I know many families do not and I can’t imagine the heartbreak as a parent watching your child in pain and discomfort. 

 

Sleep:  Until this week sleeping had been great. Bed at 8pm, sleeping until 8:30am, 2 naps a day, 1.5 – 2 hours with a cat nap at 5pm. Then it all gets wonky this week. Shorter naps. Waking up cranky. Constantly wanting to nurse. Today when he woke up only 40 min into his nap and was hysterical it hit me – something else was up. I started doing the math. His first 2 teeth came in at 5 months (to the day), a month ahead. The uppers are due at 8 months, so that would mean…ohhhh. That’s what’s up! Now that I’m aware we can keep him comfortable, knowing that in a little while the teeth will be here and the routine will come back.

 

Nursing: Yep! He does get distracted. Especially when Daddy’s around. He LOVES to see Daddy. So if he’s not really hungry it’s hard to keep his focus. Typically, if he’s eaten for 5 min that’s enough to take the edge off and he’s all about seeing what everyone else is into. I’m still nursing him before he has his solid meals. This helps make sure he’s not starving and frustrated that the food on his tray isn’t making it’s way into his mouth and filling him up. I’ve relaxed on the 4 hour schedule. Since he went through a BIG growth spurt (holy hangy mama – seriously, give me alllll the foods) and started nursing more often and for MUCH longer periods…going from 20min to 45min+ was major!! Now, with teething he’s wanting to nurse every 2.5 – 3.5hr. I’m not worried. I know he’ll get back on track in a little while. On a related note – when he was on the 4 hour schedule we’d feed at 7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm. Only 4 feedings a day. I asked my OB and she suggested I pump before bed at 10pm. Can I say how thankful I am that I’m with my baby daily and I don’t have to pump often? Major huge props for Mamas that pump regularly, or exclusively. Heroes. Oh – and on another related, related note – on Instagram I read a comment from a women that’s been nursing for 10 years. A DECADE of nursing. Can you imagine?! She said it was 4 kids, overlapping.  Whoa.

 

PostPartum: I’m making exercising a priority this month. I know I feel better emotionally and physically when I’m in an exercise routine. And honestly – if we’re thinking about baby #2 (yes – SOMEDAY) I’d like to get my body to a happy place before putting it through another pregnancy. Emotionally, I was a little down earlier this month. I think it had to do with the physical changes Riley went through after turning 6 months. He was nursing so much more, and for much longer and that took a toll on me. I was wiped out. I’m really trying to take the time to recharge every now and then. I read a book, or take a bath after he’s in bed and it’s so nice to have a little quiet time to myself.