What would you bring to a friend

[Bernadine]

Who has a one month old baby, who is very difficult, so she hasn't been able to get to the grocery store?

We became friends with a couple from our childbirth class, and their ds cries all the time. She hasn't been out of the house since she had him. We're visiting tomorrow.

She said they don't need anything, but I was thinking maybe some fresh fruit? Granola bars?

[tulips]

Basket of easy snacks like trail mix, fruit, granola bars, etc

[cleo29]

Real, quick has she talked to her pedi? Is she breastfeeding? K was super fussy and she ended up having reflux.

I would take over a meal or offer to go and just sit with a crying baby so she can run out for a coffee or something.

[tulip]

Liquor and Clorox wipes.

[kath16]

Anything to get her out of the house before she snaps. 30 minutes of babysitting and a starbucks card?

Gift card for take out?

[Bernadine]

Jul 22, 2016 21:15:56 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

Real, quick has she talked to her pedi? Is she breastfeeding? K was super fussy and she ended up having reflux.

I would take over a meal or offer to go and just sit with a crying baby so she can run out for a coffee or something.

I mentioned reflux, she said no one had suggested it to her. She has a nurse coming to the house twice a week, because he lost a lot of weight, and has been slow to gain it back.

It didn't sound like her h was doing much shopping.

[iheartbanjos]

DD1 was colicky and always cried when she was awake. DH always made sure we had prepared foods for when he was at work, and lots of things I could eat with one hand (usually while nursing). DD was a MSPI baby too, but Whole Foods had a ton of options. I loved their superfood salad. I ate a lot of trail mix, granola bars, apples, Wheat Thins (which is totally random, but I craved them when I nursed) and sandwiches.

Hugs to your friend. Truly, it does not last forever. This same kid would let us go out for a multiple mimosa brunch only a few months later.

[cleo29]

Jul 22, 2016 21:29:42 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

Jul 22, 2016 21:15:56 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

Real, quick has she talked to her pedi? Is she breastfeeding? K was super fussy and she ended up having reflux.

I would take over a meal or offer to go and just sit with a crying baby so she can run out for a coffee or something.

I mentioned reflux, she said no one had suggested it to her. She has a nurse coming to the house twice a week, because he lost a lot of weight, and has been slow to gain it back.

It didn't sound like her h was doing much shopping.

Does the baby spit up a lot? Is she breastfeeding? I would be worried that the baby, though nursing, is not actually getting a lot of milk (which is what happened to me with C) or that there is something more going on health wise, like we had with K. The losing the weight and not gaining much back is worrisome to me.

You are in MD, so I am not sure what is standard there, but are babies screened at birth for various health issues? This is how we found out about K's positive for Galactosemia. She also lost more than one pound, post-birth, and was not gaining it back.

So sorry she is going through this, it is so hard that in addition to your body on a hormonal roller coaster, your baby is also so upset.

[sofamonkey]

My favorites were a meal ready to pop in the oven, which she did when she got there. I think she had fruit or veggies too. She also brought a thing of diapers, and held the baby. So nice.

[Elsa]

Jul 22, 2016 21:32:57 GMT -5 iheartbanjos said:

DD1 was colicky and always cried when she was awake. DH always made sure we had prepared foods for when he was at work, and lots of things I could eat with one hand (usually while nursing). DD was a MSPI baby too, but Whole Foods had a ton of options. I loved their superfood salad. I ate a lot of trail mix, granola bars, apples, Wheat Thins (which is totally random, but I craved them when I nursed) and sandwiches.

Hugs to your friend. Truly, it does not last forever. This same kid would let us go out for a multiple mimosa brunch only a few months later.

Tell me what you ate with your DD! I'm eating dairy free and struggling to figure out what to eat. Any help for meals/snacks/etc would be helpful!

[iheartbanjos]

Jul 22, 2016 21:39:18 GMT -5 Elsa said:

Jul 22, 2016 21:32:57 GMT -5 iheartbanjos said:

.

Tell me what you ate with your DD! I'm eating dairy free and struggling to figure out what to eat. Any help for meals/snacks/etc would be helpful!

Actually, DH and I went Paleo a few years ago, so really, this is what we eat everyday.

I eat an egg every morning (cooked in bacon grease) and will often times have some sliced tomatoes or even steamed broccoli with ghee with it. If you are not familiar with ghee, it is clarified butter that essentially has had the dairy protein cooked out if it. I'm not sure how else to describe it. I did not know it existed back when I was nursing, and used an Earth Balance dairy and soy free butter spread from Whole Foods.

I snack on raw veggies, cucumbers, carrots, fruit, nuts, etc. If I want something junky, I love plantain chips with salsa verde.

If I want something creamy, I always go for avocado. If you salt it heavily enough, you can almost pretend it's cheese on a sandwich or burger.

Mexican food is great for MSPI, especially fajitas. Yum!

I almost forgot, I put culinary coconut milk in my coffee. I actually take a carton with me on work trips, I love it so much. It's the So Delicious brand, it's shelf stable and I get it from WF as well. For a treat, I HIGHLY recommend the So Delicious cashew milk ice cream.

There are so many more dairy free foods available now. As long as you plan ahead (easier said than done with a baby) you should be good to go!

[noodleoo]

Hold the baby and let her have a nap. Or let her run out for coffee if she's comfortable having you babysit. Getting a break in those newborn days was heaven.

Oh yeah, and if you want to bring something, I vote meal. I had a friend come over to hang out who brought groceries and cooked dinner for H and I while she hung out. It was so great. It was a stew, so all done and easy to heat up for dinner. I loved her so much for that.

[Elsa]

Jul 22, 2016 22:31:33 GMT -5 iheartbanjos said:

Jul 22, 2016 21:39:18 GMT -5 Elsa said:

Tell me what you ate with your DD! I'm eating dairy free and struggling to figure out what to eat. Any help for meals/snacks/etc would be helpful!

Actually, DH and I went Paleo a few years ago, so really, this is what we eat everyday.

I eat an egg every morning (cooked in bacon grease) and will often times have some sliced tomatoes or even steamed broccoli with ghee with it. If you are not familiar with ghee, it is clarified butter that essentially has had the dairy protein cooked out if it. I'm not sure how else to describe it. I did not know it existed back when I was nursing, and used an Earth Balance dairy and soy free butter spread from Whole Foods.

I snack on raw veggies, cucumbers, carrots, fruit, nuts, etc. If I want something junky, I love plantain chips with salsa verde.

If I want something creamy, I always go for avocado. If you salt it heavily enough, you can almost pretend it's cheese on a sandwich or burger.

Mexican food is great for MSPI, especially fajitas. Yum!

I almost forgot, I put culinary coconut milk in my coffee. I actually take a carton with me on work trips, I love it so much. It's the So Delicious brand, it's shelf stable and I get it from WF as well. For a treat, I HIGHLY recommend the So Delicious cashew milk ice cream.

There are so many more dairy free foods available now. As long as you plan ahead (easier said than done with a baby) you should be good to go!

Thank you! I'm struggling to get enough calories in since i am bfing. Ill try avocados bc of the healthy fats. Mexican food is hard bc I love cheese/ queso, but I can def do fajitas! I'll try the cashew ice cream- I bought the almond milk ice cream and it's just ok. Thanks for the rec!

[angelaa73]

I would buy a shizzle of trader joes ... Go nuts on there

[Bernadine]

Jul 22, 2016 21:34:44 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

Jul 22, 2016 21:29:42 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

I mentioned reflux, she said no one had suggested it to her. She has a nurse coming to the house twice a week, because he lost a lot of weight, and has been slow to gain it back.

It didn't sound like her h was doing much shopping.

Does the baby spit up a lot? Is she breastfeeding? I would be worried that the baby, though nursing, is not actually getting a lot of milk (which is what happened to me with C) or that there is something more going on health wise, like we had with K. The losing the weight and not gaining much back is worrisome to me.

You are in MD, so I am not sure what is standard there, but are babies screened at birth for various health issues? This is how we found out about K's positive for Galactosemia. She also lost more than one pound, post-birth, and was not gaining it back.

So sorry she is going through this, it is so hard that in addition to your body on a hormonal roller coaster, your baby is also so upset.

He doesn't spit up at all. This sounds terrible, but I'm not sure exactly what they screen for.

I'm taking a quiche with me for lunch. I won't have time to make a meal to bring, but I could do that next week. And I'll have dd, so idk how much I'll be able to hold him. But I can offer to go back.

Thanks!

[karmasabiotch]

Quick high protein snacks. Almonds, cheese sticks, cereal bars, trail mix, fresh deli turkey and cheese, lots of chocolate.

[karmasabiotch]

An edible arrangement, nothing is better than precut fresh food that's eady to grab,

[ECB]

What is this nurse doing who comes twice a week?! She needs to take her baby to the pedi.

[Bernadine]

Jul 23, 2016 5:19:56 GMT -5 ECB said:

What is this nurse doing who comes twice a week?! She needs to take her baby to the pedi.

I think she has. We're new friends, so I don't want to overstep. I'll talk to her more today, since it will just be the two of us.

[cleo29]

Jul 23, 2016 3:22:42 GMT -5 Bernadine said:

Jul 22, 2016 21:34:44 GMT -5 cleo29 said:

Does the baby spit up a lot? Is she breastfeeding? I would be worried that the baby, though nursing, is not actually getting a lot of milk (which is what happened to me with C) or that there is something more going on health wise, like we had with K. The losing the weight and not gaining much back is worrisome to me.

You are in MD, so I am not sure what is standard there, but are babies screened at birth for various health issues? This is how we found out about K's positive for Galactosemia. She also lost more than one pound, post-birth, and was not gaining it back.

So sorry she is going through this, it is so hard that in addition to your body on a hormonal roller coaster, your baby is also so upset.

He doesn't spit up at all. This sounds terrible, but I'm not sure exactly what they screen for.

I'm taking a quiche with me for lunch. I won't have time to make a meal to bring, but I could do that next week. And I'll have dd, so idk how much I'll be able to hold him. But I can offer to go back.

Thanks!

Then it might not be reflux.  I would be worried that he has lost a lot of weight, more than the average post-birth, and is not gaining well. I thought I was doing well with C and she was just screaming and crying. I called my pediatrician and started sobbing. I had some formula (the samples from the hospital) in the house and they suggested me giving that to her. She sucked down the first 5oz like she was starving and ended up drinking 10 in all. So, we started to work with a lactation consultant. In the end, I think my milk production just was not that great and she had latch issues.

I hope she gets some answers soon and her baby does better soon. Just going over to see her is help. Offer to give her time to shower while you sit with the baby or something, that will be huge. You're a good friend.

[jinkies]

My first was also a colicky mess, for no reason. It was awful. Honestly, people making suggestions about the problem didn't help-- we were talking to the doctor and doing everything we could. Well meaning folks who kept telling us that there MUST be something wrong, implied that we just hadnt tried hard enough to find it, and made me feel like even more of a failure.

Just go and listen and commiserate. Take her foods that require no prep. I was fortunate that I got a lot of dinners with my first, but often that was all I ate all day, bc I was alone with a screaming baby. I would have appreciated fresh bagels with cream cheese, trail mix, granola bars, other things to grab quickly.

And a listening ear. Having a screaming difficult baby is very isolating.

[Deleted]

I would make some freezer meals for the crockpot. Grab a bag or things from trader joes and some wine. I would show up and just listen and help where you can. That poor mom and baby.

[cabbagecabbage]

I like everyone's ideas: meal, listening ear, a break from holding the baby.

When I bring dinner to new moms I often make a batch of oatmeal based muffins too. They're freezable, snackable, and nice to have for any quick meal. Plus I pick a buttery (or coconut oil rich) recipe for good milk making calories, so they're delicious.

[Aquatica]

I agree with others who have said watch the baby so mom can have a break. It was one of the best things my parents/friend did for me, even if it was just a nap or going grocery shopping.