We will brook no argument for a boring, uneventful, blooming pregnancy; followed by a perfectly-timed pain-free sneeze birth; vol 5

[ScreamIfYouWantToMeetSanta]

Hi No Brookers! I do hope this has worked and is in the right place...

I've added a few extra sofas so we have plenty of space for all the Rat Smackers who will be joining us soon. There's also a nice long table filled with mince pies, yule logs, gingerbread snowmen and xmas puds! Plus some non-alcoholic mulled wine. I've strategically positioned a few clean glittery vom buckets under the table, just in case it's still a bit too early for xmas munchies for some people!

As you were...

Gosh Hawthers how frightening for you all. But at least there is a diagnosis an hopefully the worst is behind you. Do take care my lovely xx

How scary hawthers, good that it sounds like the doctors are optimistic that he has been through the worst now though? Take care of yourself xx

Hawthers glad to hear you have a diagnosis. I really hope Farley gets better quickly and that you are getting lots of support. Try and look after yourself too (easier said than done, I know).

Scream try not to worry about feeding too much- I got in a big tangle while pregnant because I really wanted to do it and was worried about 'failing'. I think the best thing for me (other than liberal applications of Lanisoh!) was just to be aware that the first few weeks were going to be time consuming- you feed a LOT- but it doesn't meant that you aren't doing it properly. And anyway, you have just given birth, you need to be sitting/lying down!

In the end, it was fine and I can honestly say it didn't hurt.

In other news, several of DD's friends have come down with Chicken pox. I feel there is no way DD will escape...

I agree fishcake - the most surprising thing was just how often and how long wee tiny babies like to feed for. Even though i'd read up a bit, i still wasn't realy prepared for it. I am this time, will have my feet up

I think i almost went a bit mental with it at about 3 weeks, when DS had a growth spurt and it felt like he fed all day and DH was back at work. We kept going till 2yo (when I inadvertently caused him to wean by cutting down trying to get pg) so it must have calmed down fairly soon :)

I personally did find the BF/FF board on here helpful - you do get the odd tool who is just spouting their opinion and being totally unhelpful, but generally the knowledgeable folk aren't judgy at all and have some sort of idea or resource to try for most problems. :)

I was a bit painful at first, as DS couldn't latch right until his tongue tie was fixed and it caused me to get a crack which took a wee while to heal. Liberal amounts of Lansinoh were required. The stuff fair stains clothes though, so i found a use for my stock of unused breast pads - I wasn't a leaky type apparently.

Hello,

No time for a proper post, but just to say thank goodness he shouldn't get much worse before he gets better hawthers

Will prob return after the bath while on the landing vigil/bedtime battle, running late for bath"!!

Sorry for a selfish post, but we've ditched the dummy tonight and my heart is breaking listening to her wailing. And we're only 7 mins in . Have decided to leave her for 10 min intervals with a little check and reassurance we're still here in between. I'm going up in a min.

Oh good luck Little - hope it goes ok. And hope your stint in the landing isn't too long tonight Dream

And hope Farley is getting better Hawthers xx

Good luck Little. I know how horrible it is to start with, but it will get easier if you can bear to persevere. By this time next week she'll have forgotten all about it, I'd put money on it. It's not the end of the world though if you do cave and try again another time.

I'm glad you've got a diagnosis now Hawthers, I hope that makes this scary situation seem slightly more manageable. Naturally I'll be keeping up the No Brooking that Farley will be out of hospital and back home with you very very soon.

Little I hope your DD is sound asleep by now, keep going and hopefully this patch will be over soon!

Thanks for the positive BFing stories everyone, they are much appreciated! My original intention was to EBF (through anything apart from a medical recommendation to bottlefeed!) for at least the first 6 weeks. The point of this goal is to prevent me from giving up too soon! I hope you ladies will hold me to that when the time comes!

Also, I had another scan today and my LO really is a girl. This time I actually believe them and it's starting to sink in! I couldn't believe the difference in the pictures, she has this teeny tiny little baby face (she looks like a REAL BABY now!) and she was doing this insanely cute thing where she was rubbing her little fist against her nose as if she was sleepy. I think this is really the first time I've felt there's an actual person inside me (rather than a scary alien type creature ) and I'm soooooooooooooo head over heels for her already!!

Awww, Scream, congratulations :) I know what you mean about the actual person thing - I had that recently, when I first felt some kicks, then a somersault where I could feel its back from the outside - weird!

Little, hope it goes ok with DD. Fingers crossed..!

Hawthers, I hope miniHawthers is doing better now. Thinking of you both.

Seconding the fact that the positive BFing stories are very helpful!

My hideous training today wasn't so hideous in the end - bits were, but they brought in some external trainers and spent the whole morning on SEN which was actually very useful!

Lovely weekend with not too much planned ahead - a meal out (yay), lots of chores (boo), working on the baby name shortlist (yay!) and finishing the planning I should have done last week (boo!). There's still lots of chocolate to get through still though, so I'm sure both I and the LO will enjoy that! .

Aw that's lovely Scream

lovely scream, I adore my little girl, wouldn't swap her for the world! except maybe at bedtime now, another night of protest til 9pm. Bossy, independent, really good fun!! I am lucky indeed to be having the experience of boys too, I'd like a really sweet one (or both!) like biscuits please!! (And all those on here with lovely sons!)

little, fill us in how it goes, I hope your dd calmed down and went to sleep. Remind yourself its for her good!!! Crying is so awful to listen too, but scarlets story was so positive! My friend has just done it with her 3 year old. He's been in his bed for nearly a year now, and they did the dummy swapped for new toy idea and it was pretty pain free for them, so don't worry if you do wait.

fishcake, here's hoping your dd escapes or gets the pox mildly. I moved with a 5 week old, and pomme I think with a 7 week old. Stressful but doable.

Realized today when doing some checking the MPV we've got a deposit on has missed its cam belt change, so v suspicious of its service history now. I negotiated the price of the work off the sale price, but we need to do more checking tmw and may pull out- how frustrating!!

hawthers I was driving through your neck of the woods yesterday and thought of you. So glad you've got a diagnosis and I really hope he's on the mend.
scream lovely scan news. How very exciting!
little hope the no dummy went ok in the end and not too stressful?

We are also going to have to move either before or after the baby arrives. So we have to finish all the little decorating bits off, completely redecorate the lounge put it on the market and find something else not too far from whichever school ds gets into (which we won't know till April) but I'm refusing to stress about it even though its so bloody expensive round here. I do like a bit of internet property porn though just a shame there's not much on at the moment.
Not much planned today, hope every one has a lovely day x

Mini h doing much better today and even back bf ing. Hopefully be moved out of icu today and back onto a ward. Then just need to wean off oxygen, reestablish full bf and get negative blood cultures back. Not too much to ask then...

Thank you for all your kind thoughts and words. It has been comfort to pop on hear and get some moral support from a bunch of strangers.

Subject of a separate post will boe what my foot in mouth prone mother said when I called her to say mini h wad ill - its a corker!

so glad to hear he's doing better hawthers, am intrigued by the MIL comment!

that's great news hawthers, hope he continues to improve quickly. will watch for your other post with interest - can't imagine what your mum could come up with in that situation!

Great news Hawthers hope you are getting some rest amid all this.

Brooking very hard for mini to get well very soon.

Just popped on quickly to see how miniH is doing- so glad to hear he is doing better! Brooking no argument that a rapid recovery will continue over the weekend (and big hugs for hawthers)

Hooray hawthers, what a little star, back bf already. Also dying to hear what your mother said. I'm so pleased to hear he's doing well. Hope you're feeling ok at this stressful time.

On way to check out potential new car getting the jitters about changing too early at 25 weeks...

ninja good attitude to not worry about what you can't change now. Once you're ready to sell yours it gets a bit scarier!! I love looking round houses though!

Oh go on then.. my dear mum is lovely and supportive but has a talent for saying the wrong thing. I rang to tell her that we'd been admitted to hospital as farley had an infection and to ask if she could come on Friday evening to look after ds1 over the weekend and she replied 'we can do Sunday but not sat as we are going to a lunch in hertfordshire'. I told her to f-ing cancel it (i never swear in front of my mum) think she got the picture after that....

Hawthers, so glad miniH is doing better. Hope he gets out of ICU soon. Can't believe your mother would say that - where's her sense of priorities? Maybe she just didn't think properly about the situation at hand before speaking...

Dream, good luck with checking out the car. Hope there are no other problems in the service history.

Ninja, we'll also likely be moving - mainly because we want to buy somewhere, and we're renting at the moment. Didn't get the opportunity when we moved last due to lack of time (had to move within a month, so not enough time to buy). If we find the right place and move when our contract comes up on here ish, LO will either be due in a month or so, or will have just arrived! Could be fun..!

musical my DM's comment just popped out. She def didn't mean it and has been a superstar with ds since she arrived. It is nearly funny how badly she can sat the wrong thing at the wrong time. It's a standing joke between Dh and I. She is a legend 98% of the time.

Fantastic news hawthers, well done little Farley.

Well the dummy removal night 1 went amazingly well. 25 mins of hysterics, then she fell asleep at 7.30. Then slept til 7.50am! I heard her stir and do a little wail in the night, but she actually settled herself back to sleep straight away, which amazed me. She's got a new toy today as a well done treat, but I'm expecting it might be harder tonight. I'll let you all know!

Hi all, glad to hear that miniH is on the mend. I have just walked to the supermarket and back(about 3 miles) and now have a really achey bump! I have been really feeling some big kicks now which is nice.we have been really starting to think about names now we know it's a boy.( I love your little girls name btw dream) there is one name both DH and I like but DS1 remembers the cartoon character he used to watch and thinks all his friends will remember too! I suppose that's an issue we have to face with older children!

Phew, Hawthers, thank goodness Farley is improving. Hope he's out of ICU soon if not already. Sometimes parents say the funniest things don't they! At least she's been a star since she arrived

Glad the dummy removal went ok Little - that sounds great.

Hope everyone else is ok xx