December 2011: Scratching, squeezing, hatching and latching...

[LittleMissHumbuggery]

...and those of us left are doing a fair bit of bitching:o

I wonder if we could get a [pompoms] going on? Do we have the energy for a campaign?

Right, come on! We're a third of the way through the month and Nickelbabe needs new recruits for her advent thread. Get squeezing:o

tyel and anyone else with clingy babies I use a snuggle nest, sorry on phone so not sure how to do link but comes up if you google it. Mothercare used to sell them. Its a co-sleeper thing that you have on the bed next to you, it holds the baby snugly without swaddling and is great if you're nervous about co-sleeping in the bed. It means the baby is right in your line of sight and easy just to e.g. Hold the baby's hand or pat chest without having to move. Also good after a section as you don't have to lift out of a cot/moses. We got it for DS as he liked being held but hated being swaddled and resulted in lots more sleep! DD seems to like it too. You can use it up to about 4 months and think its about £25.

PS babybel has a really swollen stomach. She's just had a big feed so I assume its that and wind but she cluster feeds in the evening and is already looking for more. Is the swollen stomach anything to worry about or normal for a well-fed baby?

Hi all,
Been a while, this motherhood lark is exhausting and doesn't seem to allow for me sodding around on MN as much as I'd like.
Baby Charlotte Eloise is doing HUGE cluster feeds from about 3 till 8 and driving me and DH to sleepless distraction. I this just part of the first two weeks or is there anything we can do about it?
Also msbaubles, I have had to start using nipple shields as my barracuda baby was attacking my nips to the point that the scabs were coming off with each feed (TMI, nice!). Are they the devil as most seem to believe or is there a way back to normal bfeeding after they have healed?

hoho I don't know anything about nipple shields but have to gone to see a bfeeding counsellor? It could just be that you need to alter the latch slightly so that she isn't clamping on your nipple and making them sore. Do your nipples look flattened after a feed? If so it could be that she isn't getting enough in her mouth and is clamping down on your nipple rather than the areola. Make sure that her nose is opposite your nipple and she opens her mouth wide with her tongue down before latching on.

How's everyone getting on? I'm so exhausted! This early stages of motherhood is very very hard work! It's mainly the lack of sleep of course. Heigh ho. Feeding is quite hard also but we're slowly making progress. Getting a good latch is harder on the lhs than rhs-anyone know if that's normal? Btw thanks so much for tips on keeping sleepy baby sucking-in particular the drawing circles on her head has been helping a lot. She's still v sleepy on the breast but at least sucking fairly regularly now. Hope she's put on weight tomorrow, seriously don't want to have to go back into hospital. But also, obviously, from a less selfish point of view, I really her to be getting enough to eat and gaining weight. It's quite stressful not being able to see how much she's getting. Do any of you feel like that too? She seems to be sucking quite well and getting enough but not v many wet or pokey nappies which is worrying me a bit.

Hello, I would like to announce the arrival of Kitty who was born by elective cs yesterday and weighed in at 8lbs 11oz. she has been transverse/ breech from pretty much day 1 so knew she would be out b4 her original due date of nye. First time mum and wow, just wow. How is it possible to feel so much love! She is bottle feeding every 4 hours then sleeping like an angel, well so far anyway.....
I've been a bit of a lurker on the thread and it's been so helpful knowing it's not just me having weird skin tags, dp, parents etc etc so wanted to share my news. Hopefully will take my lovely Kitty home on Christmas eve or Christmas morning. I'm one happy mummy. X

Congrats starjules!! Great news!

P.s.wd love the 4 hrs cycle! We're currently on 2.5 hrs! Better than hourly though!

P.p.s love the name kitty!

Final p.s.sorry, got a bit exclamation mark happy there. You can blame the lack of sleep delerium

Thanks mopsy, sleep is lacking here too, hospitals are so noisy but at least it gives you chance to catch up on mumsnet, fb etc. I guess the 3 hour routine is one of the benefits of formula feeding.

Doh, I mean 4 hour routine.

Morning everyone! Felt like was up all night feeding and was so so tired but mimimopsy just slept 3 hrs in a row and, consequently, so did I. Feel so much better for it. I also wonder if anyone cd answer a question about expressing... I expressed successfully last night in the bath using a manual pump but I'm worried there will be bath water in in cos my breasts were wetfrom bath and I'd had wet flannel on them. So I didn't use. Although I'd expressed into sterile breast pump bottle. But how cd I express in bath without that happening? Thanks for advice on this.

Hope everyone is doing well today. Darcies, I hope Sky is doing well.

Mopsy isn't it amazing when you finally get a stretch of more than an hour when you can sleep!? I think I felt more refreshed the first time the kid and i slept for 3 hours than i used to feel after 10 hour lie-ins. I am having exactly the same experience- latch much better on the right, and I think the right one is just better at making milk - my left breast has a flatter nipple and already the breast feels more sore and lumpy. I am going to try and feed more on the left today and see if that helps any (terrified of mastitis!) Interestingly I just saw in my breastfeeding book that it's quite normal for the right breast to produce more than the left...I wonder if that is connected to being right-handed.

PS sorry no advice on expressing, I'm not expressing at all - pump still unopened in the box!

Hiya tyel: I've got a flatter nipple on the left too and it's always been trickier to latch on that side: it's very usual for one boob to be smaller/bigger, and for one (not always the bigger one!) to make more milk. My SIL breastfed her three, and by the end she always seemed to feed from one boob only as the other one they just didn't latch onto: boobs are kust a bit weird I think! (and I'm left handed so think it's co-incidence...)

Mopsy, I've not expressed in bath before but would think that wiping your boobs with a clean wet flannel then drying w a clean towel would be Ok, you don't pre-sterilise boobs or nipples before you feed baby so the normal skin organisms wouldnt be a problem. I' have thought you'd just want to avoid soapy water residues and not using the same flannel you've just been washing your nether regions with! When I sit in the bath I usually have a stool by the bath to put cuppa/book/towel on: having one with your pump on might be easier/cleaner than putting it on the floor (or get loving DP to put it away for you if he's willing so
You can fridge the EBM?)

Thinking of you and snowball, darcies, and hope you're feeling a little better kri5sty. Still not super-Christmassy feeling but tjis was always going to be a weird Yuletide!! Next job is deepcleaning the DD's bedroom
To make way for the next pile of toys and Stuff....

Morning everyone

We had a good night last night - we (Hope and i) went to bed at 10pm and she only wake up once for feed and nappy change then back to sleep til 7am

She has been feeding loads the last 3 days and now my milk has increased she is not bothered and i squirted her in the face with milk this morning when she went to latch on

She also did uber poop last night and it went all over her

I find it easier looking after Hope than Air.

for jules and Kitty:) Lovely name, though I'm biased as its a nickname I've had many years:o

I've just dropped the kids with their dad. I have six hours to do stuff! So I'm having a coffee

Enjoy the day folks. Pompoms for all:)

great news about nice sleep Air! I am well jealous :) Glad things are going well. Yay!

Promise to catch up when we are home but is anyone else feeling like they've semi lost pelvic floor/bladder control and bum control? Sorry for TMI. I think I felt the same with Darcie but can't remember the bum part! Hopefully the feeling will go soon!

darcies I kind of have that but not in terms of incontinence but the opposite! Have had problems urinating etc, its as if my pelvic floor goes into spasm or something and can't relax enough to "let go". It is slowly getting better. But I remember from my VB with DS that I couldn't stop weeing mid_flow like I normally can, but it only lasted a few days. Keep doing those pelvic floors!

hohoho nipple shields now are thinner, so they don't always interfere with the amount of milk...however, it is something to be aware of. Equally, while they can be useful while you are healing, some babies will find it takes a while to make the change back to nursing without them. You might find it easier to change back if you use them for the shortest time you can manage, you could also try using them for every other feed. Whatever you decide to do, do keep an eye on wet and dirty nappies in case they are affecting the amount of milk Mini mouse is getting, you will be able to swap back when you're ready it may just take a bit of time and practice.

Yes, my flat nipple is on the left too! I find it helps to support the back of my nipple with my thumb while Miri latches...it sort of gives her more to grip! She can latch on the right without any help, but still needs a bit of help getting on the left!

Having an interlude between visitors now, my Dad was round this morning...the DDs got the Sylvanian tree house and the wedding set from him, they're over the moon! Was lovely to see him (and weird as always to see his latest wife, who is only five years older than me!) and he loved meeting Miri, who is the image of him!

Turkey in the oven, and I just accidentally opened the caramelised biscuits

Congratulations on the new arrivals!

Haven't been on for a while as we've had a few tough days with colic. I've now switched from infacol to dentinox which seems to be making a difference.

Madly trying to get the house tidy this afternoon, then need to bath the children and prepare our traditional Christmas eve buffet for when DH gets home from work

I doubt I'll be on again over the next couple of days but just want to wish everyone a happy Christmas!

French onion soup made for after Chapel tonight, mince pies being devoured!