SHOP THE POST
The books are written by two pediatric nurses from Atlanta with over 20 years of experience and eight children between them (including two sets of twins). As a new mom, not growing up around lots of babies, I was worried about some of the basic things of motherhood. How will I know if my baby is sick? How will I know if he is hungry? When do I call the pediatrician? Will I be overreacting if I call the pediatrician because his temperature is 99.1?
The Moms on Call 0-6 month book has truly been a saving grace for us. Not only is it a great guide, and answers some of my worries, but it provides a wonderful schedule, which Remy has loved. The book addresses everything from what basic products to have before you bring your new bundle of joy home, to breastfeeding tips, signs of a common cold, and everything you can think of in between.
The best thing about this book is the schedule! I will say that this is not for everyone, but it has worked so well with Remy. I feel like a walking advertisement for Moms on Call (MOC), and want to tell everyone about it. One of the biggest reasons that I love the schedule is because I know exactly when it’s time for him to eat and time for him to sleep. If Remy is fussy, and he has just eaten I know that isn’t the issue. If he’s fussy and it’s almost time for a nap, well I know that he is tired. It has saved me a lot of guessing why is Remy crying? What is wrong? When he would cry, everyone’s initial reaction (meaning our moms when they were here 😉 ), was that he must be hungry. But, since I knew when he had last eaten, and when he was ‘scheduled’ to eat again, that wasn’t the case. It made me a lot more confident in myself as a new mom. Which, let me tell you, is HUGE!!!
Remy began sleeping completely through the night at 10 weeks. At 12 weeks we dropped his swaddle, and at 4 months he was flipping over in his crib, and sleeping on his belly. When I tell people this, especially that he was sleeping through the night at 10 weeks, they are amazed. I have three words for them – Moms on Call! The step by step instructions of the schedule, signs that Remy was ready to drop the swaddle, and the reassurance that him sleeping on his belly (when he was ready, and did this on his own), were a saving grace for me.
Laura Hunter, one of the authors, will also come out to your home in Atlanta for a consultation. If you do not live in Atlanta, she offers Skype or has consultants located in many other places throughout the US. She has even worked with families internationally. With her consultation you are able to email her with questions (non medical related) as much as you’d like. I must have emailed her 50 times in the past 5 months. Especially when Remy was first born, and we were trying to figure out why he was spitting up so much, and if he had reflux. She helped us get to to the root of that, and offered suggestions for what to give him, different bottles to try, etc. She has been a great resource for me, made me a more confident mother, and overall Remy a happier baby!
It’s hard to believe that we will soon be cracking open the 6-15 months book, and that we’ll be having them come back out when Remy is a toddler for our next consultation.
If you have any specific questions for me, please let me know. I’m happy to help! I’ve linked their books throughout this post, and below on Amazon. I also recommend visiting their website, and contacting Laura if you are interested in knowing more about their services.
Babies don’t come with manuals, but this is the next best thing!
SHOP THE POST
Photos by KVC Photography.
.
I am doing moms on call with my 6 week old! I am glad to hear of your success with it and hope we have the same!
For soothing rounds, did you have a max of 30 minutes total? I have heard that if you soothed once and they go back to sleep (ex 1:00 AM) and wake up again at 1:30 AM, to go ahead and feed them so you are not up for more then 30 mins?
Hi Liana,
I’m so glad you reached out. Thank you for reading my post – I hope it was helpful.
Yes, I would do the following:
If Remy cried for 5 minutes in a row I’d check the swaddle, shush/rub his belly and give him a Paci. If he cried for another 5 minutes I’d do the same. One more round of that and then I’d feed. They don’t have to be consecutive or back to back, but yes, if 30 minutes went by total, I’d feed.
Now, when we dropped the swaddle (overnight) we did have to let him self soothe, and not go in and do the Paci, etc. It was hard, but it was just for one night, and he only cried once. Then he slept through the night. But, that was at 12 weeks, so you won’t be there for a few weeks! Hang in there Mama! You’ve got this!
I hope this helps!
Lauren
Hello! We just started Moms on Call with our 5 week old. At night when it’s been 5 hours after his last feeding he wakes up and is very alert with eyes open when I go in to do the soothing rounds. I am okay with feeding him because he has made it the 5 hours (I want to try and keep the number of hours i stretch him equal to the number of weeks old he is). So in this case, should I do the soothing rounds or just go ahead and feed him since he is so awake and it’s been 5 hours? Thanks!
Hi Kiersten! So sorry for the delay. Do you have the Moms on Call book too? Are you swaddling him? I’d first check the swaddle to see if he is secure. You should still be doing a feeding (at least one) in the middle of the night, so that is normal. But the routine of letting them cry for 5 minutes, then another 5 min and then another (page 111) seemed to work for us. But, the swaddle does make a huge difference in keeping them secure and warm. I hope this helps.