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

Good luck fusam and hawthers!

mopsy I totally sympathise: how frustrating to put in so much work and effort: you sound like you are doing absolutely everything you can: def chat with the BF lady today, and view the possible topup with formula purely as a means to an end. If Minimopsy gets one bottle of topup a day and you offer her lots of breast the rest of the time you can drop the formula when she's got her weight up a little more. Putting lots of formula in (as in 3 or 4 bottles) will reduce your breast supply, but one isnt going to. Every single BF you give her is a plus, and I second the idea of a day in bed or on sofa with books/telly/radio/ipod and lots of boob whenever she is awake and might take it. msb was talking earlier about feeding before baby seems really hungry which can increase intake. Good luck and (((hug))). Let us know how it goes!

mmmm, poor you with the sleep deprivation fuzzy brain- I remember being like that with DD2. it is temporary (which I know isn't much help but at least gives a grain of hope) And you will get some
Of that elusive sleep soon: I wonder if baby is having a growth spurt? If so it will get better in 1-2 days and you'll get a little respite... You may well find that the tongue tie snip makes her a much more efficient feeder and then you'll get more in amd so longer between feeds. Hope so!

I really hope it is a growth spurt - gives me hope that it will change soon!

Fusam Hawthers Good luck today.

Sorry to see some of you are having feeding problems. Sky seems to of taken well to it. The only issue is a slight bit of constipation which has been caused by the amount of formula she had to have whilst in hospital. hoping my breast milk will of cleared it over next few days.

went to next sale yesterday - got some nice t shirts but no skirts or leggings of any sort for Sky - which I think is shocking tbh! never mind.

chill out day today for us.

Hi all, I hope you are all doing well. I've not had enough sleep to read through the thread and retain info.

Baby lost too much weight so was in hospital on Christmas eve, day and Boxing day morning. Now bottle feeding and mix feeding, as didn't get help with breastfeeding, and now too scared to try it again. Postnatal care has been bloody awful. Still, baby is very contented now he is getting enough food, and DH is in his element.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas x

mmm chances are it is a growth spurt, usually last 48 hours, but occasionally they last a week.

darcies great that everything seems to be going well for you! Don't think I said before, I love the name Sky.

I am coming down with the sore throat and cough that the DDs have had DP is buying honey for me this afternoon. We had a lovely breakfast out this morning with my Dad and his wife, waiting in for the midwife this afternoon and tying to organise the living room after the Christmas carnage!

A week?! NOOOooooooooo! Please let it be 48 hrs! She's going 3 hrs between feeds in the day at the moment. But you can see that she's chubbing up massively - getting a triple chin! Hopefully it will calm down soon.

Sorelip good to see your home. shame your post natal care isn't good. have you made a complaint?

Msbaubles Thanks & hope you feel better soon.

Where's the best place to get measured for nursing bras? my boobs are enormous and I need new bras badly!

Good luck fusam and hawthers

Sorry to hear you had to go back in over Christmas sorelip. Hope things improve from here

mmm you have my sympathies. Fingers crossed it's a growth spurt. DS just had one, and I felt like death by 1am last night when I finally got him settled. I was exhausted and had a banging headache despite drinking gallons of water. Then amazingly he slept from 1am until 6am - it was wonderful, I didn't know what to do with myself (and my boobs almost burst by that point!). In fact he stirred at about 3am and I was so tired I didn't go straight to him. Very glad I didn't as he settled down again on his own. I won't be rushing straight to him in future, just in case!

I ventured out to the shops this morning with both kids. On my own. And survived

We are discharged from the mws now, Miri has put on 10oz in 8 days! This is miraculous for one of my babies, the other two never put on more than 4/5oz a week. She now weighs 9lb 1oz, about what DD2 weighed at 5mths!

Miri slept through for the first time last night.

I've taken a delivery this afternoon of a lovely bouquet of flowers, a teddy & 6 helium balloons from DP to say thank you for another gorgeous daughter

Lovely darcies! how nice!
sorry you had to go back in sorelip. hope you are happy now. If you don't want to give up bf-ing, see a bf counsellor. I'm sure they'd be able to help.
I wish my LO would sleep through! msb and kate . But then, i'd still be awake checking he's breathing every hour! Is that just me?
Been out today pricing up fridge/freezers, video cameras and hoovers. To Dyson or not to Dyson? Are they really worth the extra £150?

oi I sleep with Miri curled up with her head on my arm and have woken up twice so far wondering where she is! So no, not just you

Oi I highly recommend a dyson def worth the extra money.

hi all, can I ask some advice about co-sleeping? Bf counsellor earlier advised doing skin to skin so would like to try doing so during the night as well. Going to sleep on the futon downstairs with her and try and do that during the night once at least as well as the usual feeds. Did it earlier and she crawled up my chest by herself to the breast. She got very upset and agitated as found the nipple but couldn't latch but then I laid her on her side and fed her lying down and she calmed right down. She has since had one feed cradle hold, and although sleepy, was not agitated/frustrated as she has been the past few days. So it's obviously helpful.

What I want to know is about co-sleeping. It's a big futon so I can put her in the middle and sleep at the side of her and it will be quite safe. But what bedding can I use? Don't want to use a quilt in case it went over her accidentally. What should I put her to sleep in? Her usual vest/babygro/swaddle blanket/extra blanket? Do I just put her beside me and have a blanket/sheet over me? Not sure how it works. Thanks for advice.

Mini h here. He's another DS woo hop. Farley James Vernon weighing in at a respectable 7lb 4oz. Born by cs in the end not too hideous although spinal just wearing off....

Latched on as soon as he was put anywhere near a boob so hope all will go well.

Hope fusam ok? Any news from her?

Sounds like you have had some great support mopsy. Re co-sleeping, I do it one of two ways, either just blankets on both of us or duvet over me, Miri with her bum on the duvet and top half off it with a blanket over her. She wears one layer, but is under a pure wool blanket.

Congratulations Hawthers!! still out for fusam.

Sorelip, I'm sorry post-natal care has been so awful for you, glad LO is happy now!

DS is taking on LOADS of milk (he's gone from 60ml a feed to 90ml, every 3-4 hours), I can't keep up with him (back to having trouble latching him on, so hand expressing everything)...any ideas what I can do to help myself produce more milk? I'm already emptying both boobs at each expression (takes about 2hours to get into the swing of it)!
DH is going to formula him next feed...

Darcies ! Did you have any idea DP was sending them? How wonderful!

Oi, Dyson or bust for me! Ours (animal something) was about £60 cheaper on Amazon than in the shops.

for Hawthers and Farley. Hope everything is going well. No news from fusam yet but here's hoping she's having cuddles:o

Off to bed for me. Only seem to sleep if I go up with the kids right now.

Hawthers Congratulations love the name

ARCH Not a clue he was sending them, from the hand writing I thought they had come from work

Hooray Hawthers, well done! Enjoy the snuggles.
Hope we'll here all's well from fusam soon.

LMH looks like it's just us a-waiting for now, I'm oscillating between uncomfy, tired, grumpy and resigned at the moment. Currently awaiting delivery of a hot thai curry because I like curry rather than any anticipation it will do anything.

mopsy, when I co-slept I had a duvet over my legs only, then slept With my upper half and baby under a large cellular cotton blanket (one of those ones with lots of holes
In, mothercare flogs mini versions for cots and moses baskets) and baby had a vest and sleepsuit.

oi, I've got a Dyson Animal too and it seems pretty good too, was on offer in Argos I think. We all have lots of hair in our house (it's meant to be good for animal hair, hence the name and has an anti-allergy filter thingy). The real question is can your budget stretch to one? If so, go for it!

ARCH, non technocal ways to increase breastmilk output (from kellymom website, will put a link in)

1)drink loads of fluids as will increase your output, spare the booze as it can drop it, physically take it easy

2. express a little more frequently (so more expressions in 24 hours: obviously this may be practically limited)

3. when you express think loving thoughts about how fab baby is, look at
   Them or a photo of them, sounds Cheesy but it increases letdown!)

4. experiment with different order of expression: sometimes switching between boobs twice (left, right, left, right) can increase total amount you get out.

Good luck!

kellymom link

aethel I just hurt. I pulled something in my shoulder a few months back and just as it was almost better I did it again. My hips are on strike, so my back is working to rule and I can't do anything other than a beached whale impression >_< Seeing midwife on Friday for my term appointment, but the chances are that she'll just do my blood pressure and pee and tell me to bugger off. Not seeing consultant until I'm due for induction, which is odd. Am utterly fed up and very tempted to eat a chocolate trifle to myself to cheer myself up :) It would help if I wasn't suffering epic mood swings, but such is the nature of life. I also had to encounter the baggage my ex lives with today by accident today, which always takes it out of me:/

Anyway, chocolate trifle. Sorry for the rant. It's been a shoddy week and those bits fell out of their boxes. Have left the rest inside though so you're safe now.

for fusam:)

Well LMH at least you get a term appointment: may be worth asking for a sweep just in case they will do one? Our health authority only gives first time mums a 40 week appt, third timers like me aren't seen til 41 weeks (and then given an induction date for 12-14 days post dates).
much sympathy for the achey bits. I'm now crunching a pint of ice in front of some crap telly after a most yummy thai curry (v indulgent of me but felt glum so comfort food was a-calling).

ARCH the BFing councillor advised me to increase milk production by expressing every 3 hours, for ONLY 15 mins at a time - don't kill yourself spending loads of time at it, just short attempts frequently. When expressing you should express from one side then when no more milk comes out switch sides, and just keep switching back and forth.

I'm stunned to be getting a term appointment to be fair, it's probably just a mix up as it's my third too. The idea of a sweep isn't appealing though, I find them grim :/

I have found the msltesers, all will be well.