A Pacifier Your Baby Loves

Let me start by saying we're not really "pacifier people". I don't really have anything against them (for babies, that is) and, in fact, I know numerous studies have shown that they can be beneficial, particularly in reducing the risk of SIDS. Nonetheless, when our son was born, he didn't seem one bit interested in a pacifier. And we didn't push it. Quite frankly, I was happy to not have to "wean" him from it later in life.

Fast forward to the birth of our daughter. Born four months early, she couldn't manage the "suck, swallow, breathe" routine without signs of micro-aspiration. As a result, they sent us home on a feeding tube. In order for her to maintain a strong sucking reflex when that wasn't how she was fed, we needed to rely on a pacifier. While her milk went directly into her stomach through a tube threaded through her nose, C. would suck on a pacifier. This helped establish the "suck/eat" connection.

For our daughter, it was important to be consistent about the type of pacifier we used. Once we knew what kind she liked, we invested in several. We felt very lucky that she enjoyed her pacifier since it helped keep that sucking reflex strong.

A Newborn Soothie Pacifier- what worked best for us

Once she passed her swallow study and was able to be fed thickened milk from a bottle, C. refused the pacifier in much the same way her brother had. Once she knew that sucking should yield food, she had no interest in that little tool anymore. And so, weaning her from the pacifier was a non-issue. At six months, she was done with it.

I'm very happy to have never had a toddler on a pacifier. But our pacifiers were tools we were fortunate to have when our preemie was tiny!

For more tools that make a Mom's life easier, check out Toolin' Up Tuesday, hosted at Life as MOM.

A Good Vacuum

When you have a preemie with breathing issues, it's important to have a quality vacuum to keep things fairly cleaned and filtered around your home. I could claim that's why I finally broke down and shelled out big bucks for a vacuum. I would be lying.

The truth of the matter is this-- for whatever reason, I had no luck with vacuums. My husband and I will have been married seven years next month and we had already gone through three vacuums each priced at around $150. Not exactly cheap-o vacs, but not top of the line either. I'm not notoriously hard on things. I vacuum regularly but not constantly. I have no idea why they always busted.

This past spring the third vacuum bit the dust (that's kind of "pun-y"...) and it was time to buy a fourth. Together, my husband and I came to the conclusion that we needed to do one of two things- either buy a super-cheap vac and figure we only get about two years out of each one anyway, or shell out more cash for a "high-end" vacuum and hope it would finally last.

We ended up going for it and buying a Dyson with a 5-year warranty. That's 2 1/2 times as long as I'm used to getting! It's only been about four months so far, but I will tell you this...


My Dyson makes my life easier. It picks up anything and everything. It's ridiculously easy to empty. The cord is plenty long. It's a pretty shade of turquoise. My house feels cleaner.

I really do believe it would be a great vacuum for a family with asthma or allergy issues. That's just not why we bought it. Check in with me in about a year and a half...

For more helpful tools, check out Toolin' Up Tuesday, hosted at Life as MOM!

Having a Cell Phone...

We lived many years without cell phones. We didn't have them when we married in 2001. We didn't get them when we were both promoted to supervisor at our respective banks (much to the annoyance of the higher-ups...). We didn't even get them when we found I was pregnant with our first child. We just didn't need them and, more, I really didn't want one. I often told people, "If I want you to be able to reach me, I'll tell you where I am!"

What I found out was this: being pregnant in Virginia Beach, surrounded by co-workers and less than three miles from the hospital was far different from being pregnant in a teeny tiny speck of a town in Indiana, surrounded by cornfields and more than fifteen miles from the nearest decent-sized town.

I found this out when I woke up at 22 weeks 5 days pregnant with blood streaked down my thighs. And my husband had just left for work. And his job was about two hours away. Hmm.

Turns out, everything was under control at that point (at least the doctor thought so) and we headed home, shaken up but otherwise fine.

But when we met my mother-in-law for lunch that Saturday in December, she announced that she was giving us each a year of cell phone service as a Christmas present that year. For the first time, I didn't resist or protest the idea.



When I went into actual labor five days later, I was unendingly grateful for her gift. My cell phone ended up being invaluable as I was living away from home and had to call friends and family. It also meant the hospital could always reach me if needed to report on my daughter's condition or attain consent for a procedure. I've probably had more world-renowned, high-profile doctors call me on my cell than anyone else I know...

I still have a cell. And I like it. It's a handy little thing, really. Could I live without it? I think so. Heck, I manage to maintain a blog with dial-up...

But I'm grateful that I don't have to. And I'm even more grateful to have had this little technological tool when little C. decided to make her dramatic entrance!

For more tools that make a mom's life easier, check out Toolin' Up Tuesday, hosted at Life as Mom.

Double Umbrella Stroller

When I first brought C. home, she was four months old. My son was just shy of 15 months and not yet walking. It was imperative that I have a double stroller! Lucky for me, my sister had one to lend and it served us well for the better part of that year. It was a traditional Graco double stroller that looked a lot like this:




I really liked that stroller. But, to be honest, even though I drive a mid-size SUV, that thing took up most of the rear storage. And forget about taking it on a long trip.

Shortly after C's first and A's second birthdays, I started researching tandem umbrella strollers. My husband and I ended up buying a Jeep - Wrangler All Weather Twin Sport Umbrella Stroller. Our kids loved sitting side-by-side and, while it was a tight squeeze through doorways, for the most part it was far easier to navigate. Best of all, the tandem umbrella folded up small enough to lay across the rear floorboard, leaving the entire rear of the vehicle open for stowing.

A tandem umbrella is not necessary for a lot of families. In fact, I think it's probably most useful to parents of twins. Or, in my case, very closely spaced siblings. But it's a tool I would not have wanted to live without!

For more helpful MOM tools, check out Toolin' Up Tuesday, hosted at Life as MOM.

My sling... and why you need one too

Ryann is hosting Toolin' Up Tuesday over at Life as MOM today. Be sure to head over there for some great tools and tricks!

When it grew apparent we'd be bringing C. home soon, I started thinking about what items might make my life easier. We already had a lot of baby gear- our son had been born less than eleven months before her! But I tried to take into account all the differences.

While A. weighed in at a fairly hefty eight pounds at birth, C. would be coming home at 6 1/2 pounds and almost four months old. She was also still on supplemental oxygen through a nasal cannula, an apnea monitor through leads attached to her chest, and a feeding tube that was threaded through her nose. Lots of extra stuff going on. Having to juggle equipment in addition to a tiny baby added a new challenge. Also, don't forget I still needed to have at least one hand free to juggle her not-yet-walking brother! I decided that I needed a sling.

I did a lot of online research before ordering my sling and finally decided that this type would work best for me:



(Obviously not me in that picture, but doesn't she look so sweet with that little newborn???)

This type of sling is essentially a big, long piece of knit fabric that you wrap around your body a few different directions and it forms a wonderful little supportive "pouch" in which you can snuggle your baby. What I loved about it: it was rated for 5-35 pounds, it kept C. very securely against my body, it folded up into almost nothing, and it was very soft and comfortable to wear. What I didn't like? There was a steep learning curve in getting handy at wrapping that thing.

Despite the complexity of wrapping, I absolutely adored this sling. I can't imagine how I would have carted everything (and everyone!) around without it. No doubt, this was a very important tool to have for parenting our tiny preemie. I recommend you do some research and find a good sling if you're going to be juggling gear like we were-- I truly think you'll be glad you did.

Lovin' the Latex!

When my daughter was released from the hospital, one of our beloved nurses pushed a box of green, size small latex gloves into my hands and said, "You'll find a use for them."

At the time, I didn't think much of it. Truth be told, I had a lot more important things on my mind as we prepared to drive our little girl HOME after 3 1/2 months in the NICU.

Fast forward to a raging, open-sore rash that required constant application of ointment with pristinely clean hands. I remembered the box.

When we faced a particularly gruesome bout of stomach bugs, I remembered that box.

And when I went to wipe the cat hair off our tabby's favorite chair, I remembered again. (Did you know that wiping upholstery with a latex glove picks up fur in a flash?)

I'm almost out of gloves now.... looks like I'll be working that into one of my drugstore deals.

Or calling a nurse buddy.

Using the Handy-Chopper

I have to admit something. When my husband received the Black & Decker Handy-Chopper as a wedding gift from one of his customers, I kind of laughed about it. I believe my exact words were, "Hmm, well that was nice of them. Not that I'll ever use this thing for anything, but still..." At the time, we were a young couple living in a condo in South Florida.

Fast forward to having two little ones and abundant fruit trees in the Indiana countryside.

Now, you can certainly buy perfectly good applesauce and pureed pears. Gerber, Beechnut, et al do a wonderful job. And it's rather easy and handy to grab those cute little jars (for I far prefer the old fashioned jars to those newfangled plastic packs) off the shelf.

What's even easier?

Picking apples and pears off your own trees, cooking them until they're soft, and tossing them in the Handy-Chopper.

I love the perfect "baby-food-making" size of it. I also love that it's tiny enough to toss in the dishwasher when you're done. I don't even mind admitting I was wrong.

For more great tools that make a mom's life easier, check out Toolin' Up Tuesday, hosted at Life as Mom!

My Maternity Jeans

I mentioned in the birth story that I gained all of 4 1/2 pounds during my pregnancy with C, four of it in that last month. I wore regular old jeans into the hospital when I was in labor. I didn't show until into my seventh month with my first child, so this was not unusual for me. I was just over five months pregnant when I gave birth and I had not worn one single article of maternity clothing.

So why do I say that maternity jeans are a tool I could not live without?

Because after my extremely painful (but successful!) C-section, they were all I could stand to wear. My tummy may have been flat, but it was tender and raw and extremely sore. I ended up wearing them almost every day through my two months of recovery... almost the exact length of time I was able to wear them during my first pregnancy.

My opinion? Maternity jeans are wonderful things. They're so well-designed anymore, with fashion-forward denim colors and cuts. With a cute top, who knows?

Do what you gotta do, my friend. Maternity jeans can be your best friend.

For more great tools that make lives easier, check out Toolin' Up Tuesday, hosted at Life as Mom.

Hospital Grade Breast Pump

For more than four months, the breast pump was my near-constant companion. We couldn't make the 2-hr (each way) trek home without it. I couldn't sleep through a night without a visit to it. I could attach all those parts and components in the dark with no contacts or glasses in record time. I cannot say that I always loved the breast pump that we rented from the hospital. But I will say that I'm glad I didn't have to live without it. It is a tool that was worth its weight in gold. Liquid gold. : ) Because of all that efficient pumping, my daughter was able to be fed breast milk, exclusively.

If you have a very premature baby, I would encourage you to try pumping for your child. There are so very many benefits for these babies. If, for whatever reason, you are not able to, please check out this post on saving money on specialty formula.

In the near future (perhaps next week?), I'll be doing a short series going into a little more detail about pumping for your infant.

For more great tools, check out Toolin' Up Tuesday hosted at Life as Mom.

My Stethoscope

(Setting: I sit across from the pediatrician with my sick baby girl coughing on my lap.)

Dr. Z: "It's down in her lungs now. You can hear the faint wheeze. If you had a stethoscope, you'd hear it too."
Me: "I have a stethoscope."
Dr. Z: (smiles) "Of course you do."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I brought my baby girl home from the NICU, she came with a lot of equipment... oxygen tanks, tubes, monitors, etc. Because she could not safely drink from breast or bottle due to concerns about aspiration, we needed to learn how to feed her through a naso-gastric (NG) tube. This involved threading a thin, flexible tube through her nostril, down past her throat, and into her stomach. Once the tube was inserted, before each and every feeding, we needed to do something called "checking placement". This involved attaching a syringe to the end of the tube and pushing a small amount of air into her belly while listening with a stethoscope pressed against her abdomen. Correctly placed, we would hear a faint "whooshing" sound. This sounds like loads of fun for those 2 am feedings, doesn't it? Well, just like anything else, you get used to it.

I still have my stethoscope. Fortunately, I no longer need to use it to check placement; my daughter was able to start drinking thickened milk from a bottle about two months after our homecoming.

But that doesn't stop me from whipping out my trusty stethoscope. This tool has allowed me to hear the faint wheeze in my daughter's lungs that tells me she needs to be nebulized. It has enabled me to confidently call the pediatrician to report the rattle deep in my son's chest. It has also helped me fall back asleep at night after hearing clear, easy breaths that reveal sinus congestion but no chest issues. There's no question that I've been able to relax a whole lot more thanks to this little piece of equipment.

Do I love my stethoscope?

Of course I do.

For more tools that help you relax, check out Toolin' Up Tuesday, hosted at Life as Mom!

The importance of a great infant car seat...

It goes without saying that it is essential to invest the time in researching a good, quality, durable car seat for your baby. This is just good common sense. We definitely did our research when planning for the arrival of our first baby and we were very pleased with our Graco MetroLite infant seat/stroller system. However, the reality of it was, our son ended up weighing 24 1/2 lb at 6 months and his height was off the charts. At his FOUR month check up, his pediatrician told us that we needed to buy a new convertible car seat to accomodate his length (and, also perhaps, save our aching biceps!). My point is-- we probably could have shelled out less for the infant seat and still had an adequate ride for our baby.

Fast forward to the arrival of our baby daughter. Weighing in at only 1 lb 5 oz at birth and topping out at EIGHT pounds at the six month marker, this was a whole different story. She rode in that car seat until close to her second birthday, when she FINALLY hit 21 lbs.

With a very small baby, please remember that you will potentially be using that seat for a very long time. Sure, you can buy a different one, but why? Infant seats are incredibly portable and also offer a bit of a physical "barrier" protecting your infant from the germy (well-meaning) hands of strangers.

Invest in a great one and you'll be in good shape for the long haul.

For more great tools and ideas, go visit FishMama's Toolin' Up Tuesday!