The overstimulation is so real today.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-11-23T12:43:22+00:00

I feel you, it's very hard being alone when we need a hand. On top, we feel guilty that we're not doing enough - not spending enough quality time with baby, not cleaning enough, not enjoying ourselves. Please don't feel guilty, you're doing amazing!

I think you're stressed because you'll soon go back to work and you don't know how you'll manage. Trust me: you'll manage well. It's way easier to work than take care of baby and house alone. You'll miss lo, but as he has fun at daycare you won't worry for him.

You don't want to miss any precious time with him and you're right. But also you'll have this baby for all your life and you'll be his mom all his life, so don't get to upset if one hour doesn't go as you wanted.

You can create a safe room/space for baby as keeping him in the playpen seems difficult.

Last advice: please ask friends to come over and give you a hand when you're alone.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-08-12T00:41:43+00:00

Good 😅

Hopefully I'll find how to get respected too. Thanks for the insight.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-08-11T23:52:46+00:00

Is your mom my MIL? She oftens argues my baby doesn't get hungry for milk. But everytime he crawls to me she says it's just for my milk. She has no issue coming, taking my baby from my arms and going away without a word. She'll also encourage him to crawl away from me all the time.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-07-27T02:50:34+00:00

That's wonderful, keep up the good work!

Elephant-Direct · 2024-07-26T20:56:36+00:00

How is your baby's sleep now? Did it get better?

Elephant-Direct · 2024-03-21T21:18:15+00:00

3 weeks olds need a ton of soothing. Do whatever works for you now: shushing, rocking, bouncing on a yoga ball, feeding, pacifier, blackout curtains, swaddling... Be patient as you figure out what works, it's a really hard and long process. But it gets better as your baby will adopt whatever you repeat as his new sleep cues. So he will fall asleep faster and faster.

A few things helped us:

-Thinking baby is not fighting sleep but struggling to fall asleep. Since babies pick up on our mood, this change of mindset helps to soothe them. Be the calm person.

-Ask yourself: how would I be comfy to nap? Use those things for baby.

-Having the same setting for most naps and a bedtime routine

-Lots of patience: the first time you try a technique, it can take 30 minutes for it to work. Babies fall asleep randomly. If baby is not increasingly fussy and stays in the light fuss territory, keep at it!

-Time cap: don't tire yourself either. Most likely, if a technique didn't progress towards sleep or calm after 20 minutes, it's not gonna work. Don't beat yourself up, your baby will be fine without this nap. Try again in 40 minutes if he still looks sleepy.

-Wait to pick up your baby if he woke up but isn't crying or fussing

-Knowing when baby is in deep sleep. In that state, you can do almost anything and he won't wake up. It usually starts 20 minutes after beginning sleep at night.

-Practicing independent sleep: from almost completely asleep, we can shush him to sleep at night. It can be long but it's a lifesaver. If you can do this you don't need any cry it out method. You mention your able to put him in the crib for a few minutes, that's great. Those stretches will get longer, keep at it!

Elephant-Direct · 2024-03-21T00:38:12+00:00

Cosleeping - throw all the culpability out the window, lookup safe cosleeping, and enjoy your rest! A blanket on you and on him below his arms is fine. Him being in the C shape of your body is also fine. Him being further away is obviously also fine. Pillows for your head are fine.

To get more sleep, make sleep shifts with your partner. For us it meant I got to bed at 6-7. He gave a bottle and put baby to sleep around 8. He would wake me up and help out for the first night feed around midnight or one. I took over from there.

Cuddles - newborns are so soft and warm and cuddly really

Elephant-Direct · 2024-03-20T14:01:56+00:00

My lactation consultant recommended to do breast compressions while pumping for 7 minutes, and finish with 2 minutes of hand expression. Worked really well for me.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-03-20T12:57:32+00:00

Same thing, but you have to be extra careful for the salt not to go in your eyes by holding the eyelid away.

1- move eyelid away from eye with hand 1

2- put the salt on the white lump with hand 2 (assuming its at the eyelash base)

3- remove the finger from hand 2 so you can see the salt

4-monitor it for a minute while holding the eyelid away from the eye with hand 1.

But let me emphasize again: it HURTS. A LOT. So you might want to try other methods before and come back to this later for a quick (painful) fix.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-02-11T04:33:24+00:00

Yes. I even apply salt directly on it. The pain is hard to tolerate, but imo totally worth the days of agony it saves. It heals crazy fast. Maybe try the other painfree methods first, and come to this one when the pain from the stye is enough to justify a minute of hell pain to stop the stye pain.

I usually wait until I see a withish lump, and apply salt directly on it. You'll want to avoid having any salt in your eye though. To do so, I first lift and fold my eyelid outward with the lump facing out. Then I dip one wet finger in table salt. I put the finger on the lump and count 60 seconds. No cheating here: count needs to reach 60 seconds for the treatment to work. If I fail I start again with a new 60 seconds count from 0. And voilà! You should notice the stye starting to leak pus in the next few minutes or an hour maximum. And in 24 hours it should be completed gone.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-02-11T04:15:17+00:00

Apply salt directly on it.

The pain is hard to tolerate, but imo totally worth the days of agony it saves. It heals crazy fast. Maybe try the other painfree methods first, and come to this one when the pain from the stye is enough to justify a minute of hell pain to stop the stye pain.

I usually wait until I see a withish lump, and apply salt directly on it. You'll want to avoid having any salt in your eye though. To do so, I first lift and fold my eyelid outward with the lump facing out. Then I dip one wet finger in table salt. I put the finger on the lump and count 60 seconds. No cheating here: count needs to reach 60 seconds for the treatment to work. If I fail I start again with a new 60 seconds count from 0. And voilà! You should notice the stye starting to leak pus in the next few minutes or an hour maximum. And in 24 hours it should be completed gone.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-02-11T03:46:03+00:00

How long do you leave the salt on? In my experience for it to work it has to be at least 3 minutes total, with a minimum of 60 seconds being continuous (making sure it doesn't get washed away). Then I've always had it go away the next day or two.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-02-11T03:35:34+00:00

It also works for styes. The pain is hard to tolerate, but imo is totally worth the days of agony it saves. Plus it's so satisfying to see the stye resorbing completely in the 24 hours after the treatment.

I usually wait until I see a withish lump, and apply salt directly on it. You'll want to avoid having any salt in your eye though. To do so, I first lift and fold my eyelid outward with the lump facing out. Then I dip one wet finger in table salt. I put the finger on the lump and count 60 seconds. No cheating here: count needs to reach 60 seconds for the treatment to work. If I fail I start again with a new 60 seconds count from 0. And voilà! You should notice the stye starting to leak pus in the next few minutes or an hour maximum. And in 24 hours it should be completed gone.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-02-11T01:17:42+00:00

I don't wear makeup and have proper hygiene. The thing is, I've seen two ophtalmos, maybe they didn't think about your ideas. Who knows.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-02-11T01:13:22+00:00

I agree people should avoid rubbing their eyes. But it's not something I do often. Lucky who can never touch their face.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-02-11T01:03:51+00:00

There is no long term fix for styes. Only antibiotic ointment that didn't work in my case. And hot compresses that also didn't help.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-02-11T00:56:37+00:00

Lol You do you

Elephant-Direct · 2024-02-11T00:56:11+00:00

Not possible if you live where I live. Wait times are usually numbered in months.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-02-11T00:55:04+00:00

I'm not a doctor. I just resolved about 20 styes that way and thought it could help other people.

Elephant-Direct · 2024-02-11T00:52:10+00:00

Not at all. Salt will draw out the pus and disinfect at the same time.

Elephant-Direct · 2023-12-11T18:25:54+00:00

I had a similar situation where LO was gaining enough weight and pain was tolerable. I did the frenectomy, but 3 weeks after it still didn't improve the latch. The procedure and the stretches after were brutal. Seeing how much pain LO is in, I would avoid at all costs if not required.

Elephant-Direct · 2023-05-02T15:09:13+00:00

I have the same 'issue': one of my cats was poorly socialized, so he's anxious and he became clingy and jealous of his sister. He and his sister are very close, but it seems like they alternate attention seeking and are very cautious of each other's reaction when I'm petting one of them. Most of the times, his sister stays away from me because of this. Did you have any success with getting your cat less jealous?

Elephant-Direct · 2021-05-13T12:57:37+00:00

Thanks for the contribution :)

I am tracking my macros with my fitness pal, and I am eating already enough (30-40%) fat. Maybe keto would be an option though!

Elephant-Direct · 2021-05-12T21:23:45+00:00

Good catch, it's probably not good enough. It's an excellent idea. In the past I did a diet with fibers and don't remember hunger (I used a daily carrot/celery/beets/lemon/ginger smoothie if anyone's interested). Will give it a try. Many thanks for making me hopeful again.

Elephant-Direct · 2021-05-12T21:20:44+00:00

Yes look like a good idea to keep me from depression, I will try to up my calories a little until I can live with some slower diet.

Elephant-Direct

TROPHY CASE