Claire @ 4 months

From What to Expect

Plenty of parents consider the next few months to be the golden age of babyhood, and for good reason.

Great news for weary moms: Your little one will likely be in a sunny mood most of the day, sleep more during the night, and stay put wherever you plunk her (she's not mobile yet). She's ready for fun and conversation, with you or anyone who happens by, so be prepared for lots of laughter (hers and yours!) as she tries out her new routines. By this age, your baby can raise up on her arms when placed on her tummy (thanks to all the tummy time you give her) and keep her head level when propped in a sitting position. She might even turn in the direction of your voice and complain if you take away her toy. Her second round of immunizations is scheduled this month, so ask your pediatrician what's on the agenda. This is also a good time to ask about starting solids and discuss upcoming (or missed) milestones. What else is up? Maybe your baby's temper every time you strap her into her car seat. There are some pretty effective diversionary tactics to try, such as singing her favorite song and attaching plenty of car-safe toys to her seat (rotate these periodically for boredom's sake). Ultimately, she's just got to get used to it. (That means never give in and drive with your baby out of her seat.)

She still doesn’t like tummy time. She is malandi and chismosa. She tends to play with her milk as she always turns around whenever she hears someone talking. Often times, she wants to be carried most especially in the afternoon. She had her very first taste of medicines – she had cough and colds a week ago. She can now hold her head when carried around. She consumes 4oz of milk every feeding – still 100% breastfeed by me.

Drool all over

One week after we celebrated Claire’s 3rd month, we said bye-bye to her mittens. Behold, she has discovered her hands and was inside her mouth everytime – hungry or not. In short, drool is all over her face. It’s high time to use her bibs.

 

 

 

 

 

Bubble thought: Should we buy her binky? Joshua never used one when he was a baby.

Pedia visit #4

Vaccine: IPD

Weight: 6.1 kgs
Lenght: 60 cm

The vaccine is originally scheduled last December 5 but we were so busy with her baptismal so we decided to move it a week after. Last Saturday, we were at St. Margareth around 10 in the morning and there were a lot of kids. We were 15th in the list.

Dr. Patdu decided not to give her IPD as Claire has colds and cough. Instead, he gave us medicines to treat it and we will meet this coming Saturday for her vaccine. So, her day includes three times of Salinase (2 drops per nostril) and four times of Ilosone (60 mL). She’s getting well every single day, thank God.

Losing my milk

Okay, I've been hiatus for the past weeks. My hands are full of to do's. Blame it all to tons and tons of work load, boss from Geneva coming in and addiction to Farmville. The latter is a very, very bad idea as I need to focus my attention to a very important milestone in my career that will happen on Feb 5 of next year. I have to refocus myself. Aside from that, this month has been very, very hectic because of parties, get togethers, and what nots. The stress makes me loss my milk, literally. I usually get disoriented when I can't produce enough milk for Claire. I hate it when I can't even produce 3oz of milk in one sitting. There are times when my mom doesn't have any choice but to give her formula when I'm still not around.

According to BabyCenter:

To increase your milk supply:

• Let your baby feed as often and for as long as he wants and offer both breasts at each feed.

• Give him only breastmilk and avoid using dummies which may reduce the time he spends at the breast.

• Do not be tempted to top him up with a bottle of formula (this is called "supplementing" or "mixed feeding"). Your milk supply will adjust to the demands your baby makes on it. If you satisfy his hunger with formula he will require less breastmilk and your supply will reduce.

• While you are working on improving the way your baby latches on, you could also try expressing your milk after each feed. Removing as much of the residual milk in your breasts as you can will help stimulate your milk supply. If you store this milk in the fridge or freezer, you can use your own breastmilk to give him a bit extra if he gets particularly hungry at one time of day, perhaps in the evening.

• Some herbs are said to increase a mother's milk supply -– they are known as "galactagogues". Malunggay is a popular local herb that is traditionally used to aid in milk production. You can prepare viands and soups using this ingredient or you may also buy them in capsule form to supplement your diet. Many experts believe that nursing moms do not need galactagogues to increase milk supply. However, if you feel the need to try, you should ask your doctor or lactation consultant about using herbal remedies during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.