'December 2011' - 3 left! <dejected pompommery>

[LittleMissFlustered]

Had a very uneventful day unfortunately am desperately hoping to go into "proper" labour tonight as walking is too painful now that baby is resting on nerves so I'm only able to spend 10 mins standing/walking at a time. I think this is my punishment for having such an easy pregnancy, literally up until due date!!!!

My moby wrap arrived today too am excited except for fact i've no idea what to do with it, I will watch the you tube video and experiment tomorrow.

Oooh, thanks for the link, I'll order tomorrow (as well as getting the saline drops- where would I be without MN?)
Out of interest, aethel, figgy, you've gone for the wrap as opposed to the ring slings- any reason? There's also the choice between the stretchy and woven, and I'd tend towards the woven for better support.

I'd appreciate anyone's views on this that have used them!

Off to sterilise and make up his EBM bottle, and catch up on True Blood... the wild Friday nights of newborns tied with anti-biotics!

'grats hopeful and a large dose of pompoms for MissRee I'm sure you'll be on the way soon:)

Looks like octopus boy and I are in until Sunday. Sugars are not cooperating:/

Hawthers meningitis is scary, but you're truly in the best place. Sending my leftover kick-ass survivor vibes your way (they're 30 years old, but strong) :o

Well northern, I was given a ring sling with DD1 (bettter baby sling) and just could not get on with it: forever felt like she was about to fall out. The stretchy wrap is hest for babies under two but it's so secure feeling, they are all snuggled up close to you and it feels way more comfy and yet adjustable.
I have used a woven wrap too (when re-enacting, a linen one) and they do cope with heavier babies but are less adjustable as theres not so much give in the fabric, when first using them its easier to get used tona stretchy version as you don't have to be so exact with the tension when putting it on. And ots in the early months that you will use it most. So I'd say try a stretchy first.

Right, bed!! Night all (at least for now!)

Congrats LMF and hopeful!

hawthers I hope everything is ok, how scary and stressful. Thinking of you.

I only was offline for a day and this thread has been so busy! My mum and mil are visiting-they get on brilliantly which is so nice. They are such doting grannies! They minded minimopsy for me for a few hrs so I got to go into town and buy some jeans and nice tops that fit (still have at least 1.5 stone baby weight to lose). It's so morale boosting to have nice clothes & look nice again. Everything will still fit when I've lost the weight except the jeans (size 14-horror!) so don't feel too guilty about my little spree! Is lovely having my mum here .

Still persevering with bf, expressing & formula top ups but for some night feeds just giving formula as we were getting hardly any sleep. Not sure will ever get to exclusively bf but as long as she's getting some breast milk, it's good. Slowly working on my guilt issues and I think if by end of wk 4 (or wk 6 maybe) we are still struggling as much as now, will switch to exclusive formula. Not quite ready to give up trying yet. My entirely ridiculous irrational me won't let me, even though I know rationally she'd be totally fine on formula and it would in no way make me a bad mother.

Congrats hopeful!!
out again for you tonight MissRee!

LMF, hope everything sorts itself out quickly & that the visiting times at hospital are decent?

mopsy! How great to have some time to yourself, glad you feel good! For our first trip out together without DS we're going to TESCO!!!!!! I can hardly contain the excitement Hurrah for doting grannies!

Day one of not bf; engorged but ice packs are helping, my boobs are literally dripping wet (DS was sleeping on my chest earlier & I thought he'd managed to wee up through his nappy onto chest, turns out mummy was leaking on him), but have so much more energy & time to spend with DS/DH which has helped deal with the BAD MOTHER feeling I get everytime I make up formula.

Morning... Got a whacking two hours of sleep earlier after DS tanked up on my newly down milk stuff and it has helped my brain cope. Had a brief wibble earlier when I tried to get a quick nap while DS flaked out, and DH told me he couldn't possibly have Ds in the baby bouncer AT THE SAME
TIME as making the DDs a sandwich tea... But I recognise he's sleep deprived too (as in he's only getting six or seven hours
Of snoring in while I do the night feeds). We had a little chat.

Anyway, still some of the moses basket rejection going on at this end, but I'm trying to get him used to it, will comemin handy when he eventualy gets into daytime naps rather than random newborn zonk.

AWCH, do you see this from LMF's stash? They are not just for health visitors and parents in law, can equally be applied to mummies who are being unnecessarily hard on themselves. You are doing just FiNE and have given your baby a good boost of extra antibodies and stuff with all that early colostrum and BF: it's time to get a little mental box, put that guilt
Inside it and sellotape down the lid, label it "guilt I don't need anymore" and stick it on a mental back shelf so it's out of the way.
Then when you get out the formula box the correct response is not "arg", it's "yay, thank heaven for modern science", look at the positives of how much less shattered you are, enjoy the increased time between feeds, snuggle your LO Lots, and don't make me get out that haddock!!

Bleurgh. Just checking in. Been up for 2 1/2 hrs with constant feed/sleep when winding/wake up when put down cycle. Hopefully she's down now. Managed to scoff a whole load of chocolate to keep me awake which isn't going to help the stone of baby fat I have to lose!

DD is maintaining 100% oxygen sats on her own now so pretty confident they will let us go home tomorrow.

Oh poo. DD woke up and grizzling AGAIN. When will this end?!

Mmm haddock (have had fish cravings since birth?!), but is a no!

Thanks for the pep talk aethel, needed that :) esp. since DS is bringing up more formula post feed than he ever did ebm, but everyone else can keep the haddock, because I feel physically great (minus engorged boobs, sleep deprivation & piles) atm!! Although I may have to borrow it for when PIL are over later today.

Sorry your DH was being less than helpful earlier! Surprised your DS is taking to the bouncer but not the moses, ours is terrifed of sitting in the bouncer atm!

AWCH that is exactly how I feel with regards to formula. I am still expressing but it's only about half (if that) of what the little fella needs. It was such a difficult decision to stop bfing but aethel is right, you just need to think of the other benefits for you and your little one-for me this is not crying in nearly 48 hours now whoop!

Ollie is also bringing up the formula rather than the EBM which worries me slightly but midwife didn't seem concerned yesterday. Since I started with expressing and formula top ups the little monkey put on 7oz in two days so obviously he's benefiting massively and nearly back to birth weight now.

Morning all. Up most of night. Octopus boy's sugars ate up and down, he won't latch and doesn't particularly like topping up either. Been a tiring 24 hours.

Thanks for dispensing pompoms and haddock-slaps and necessary aethel I'm sure once things calm down I will be back to share the workload!:)

lmf hope his sugars settle down quickly and that he gets the hang of bfing soon.

mopsy you are exactly right, the fact that she is getting some breast milk is wonderful, I hope you find a balance that works for all of you soon.

Re slings...generally stretchy wraps are suitable for up to about 20lbs. I don't get on with ring slings for newborns because none of mine like lying down, for the bigger two, I used stretchy wraps then went on to Mei Tais when they were older. I have gone straight to mei tai with Miri because she is much bigger and mei tais are the only sling I can bf in.

Miri had her second bath this morning, I get in with her and she nurses then goes to sleep...she really likes the water!

Still here nothing overnight... gonna go traipsing round the shops (whether in pain or not!!) to try and get things moving!!

Having a lovely morning skin to skinning with Danny for the last couple of hours, I bought an iPad the other day so watching tv on it as had previously banned DH from having one I our room. He's spent an hour on the breast before his formula feed and seemed quite contented bless him

Hooray hooray, I got 3 hours of sleep in a row from
3am-6am as DS tanked up and then slept next to me beautifully :)

Hang in there, mmmm great news that DDs sats are now good and hope you're home v soon. Hawthers, thinking of you and LO, and hope the topup thing is over with soon LMF, I'll make sure there's a spare haddock kept warn for you on the radiator for when you get back.

I apologise in advance if anyone knows the lady who wrote this but I'd like to advise you all to avoid a book called "Green Parenting" by Melissa Corkhill like the plague. I got it from Amazon to read while I BF, what I wanted was a book about low-environmental-impact activities for the DDs, an intelligent discussion of lifestyle issues that affect families and what off-the-radar options there are to have an ongoing happy lifestyle especially with a mixture of different aged children.....
...unfortunately it arrived today and is poorly researched tripe from start to finish, contains no in-depth argument as the author prefers sweeping non-evidenced statements, and some of the advice is downright dangerous. This sort of writing gives green issue campaigners a bad name as It just doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The author has clearly decided what she likes doing and told everyone else to do it too cos "that's green, innit"

Example "helpful tips" include the following:
"mushrooms relieve depression" (not quite sure how!!)
"A dry fever is dangerous but a wet fever heals" (this is medaeval!)
"immunising children is believed by many to cause chronic diseases as a result, including asthma, eczema, diabetes, allergies and autism"
"biodegradable nappies are 100% compostable within eight weeks" (er nope, even the manufacturers of the specific brands she names only claim 70%-80% degradability.)
"working mother? Use a nappy cleaning service, it's cheap and easy"(I'm pro reuseables myself ,but the nappy section advice is ubersimplistic and not of practical use and suggesting that youcan't home launder if you work is daft!)

Sorry for the long rant: I don't want anyone else to waste money on that one!

Farley is doing much better and we're having a go at bf ing as I type. He seems keen and to cope with it alright. We should be moved out of icu back.onto the ward today barring any major disasters.

Just need to get clear blood cultures back, wean off oxygen and reestablish bf ing - not too much to ask then...

mmm glad to hear your dd's is maintaining her sats. Can you send her over to have a word with farley? Hope you can escape soon.

Hope is 6 weeks old today and last night had a temp of 38.5

I have had 2 hours sleep as i was worrying about Hope so much and i was just watching her breathing and taking her temp

I want her to get better right now. I hate seeing her ill.

on a posative note she had two 40 min feeds and kept it all down and she is now asleep with her nappy on only and daddy is holding as her temp is now 36.4.

Glad Farley is doing better Hawthers
Hope Babybel can go home soon Mmm

Air, hon, if Hope has still got a temperature over 37.9 then please ring your out of hours docs to get her reviewed this afternoon/evening. Babies under 4 months old generally can't make a fever as their immune system isnt developed enough yet, so any temp of 38 or over needs checking in case they are brewing a significant infection eg urine infection. When they are 5 months or over absolutely everything gives them fever (!) but please do seek some advice if she's not completely better, at 6 weeks she shouldnt be that hot.

congrats to LMF and Hopeful, I love the name Noa.

I hope all the babies get better soon but shows me I need to buy a thermometer - is it better to get a head thermometer or an armpit one? I had a head thermometer for DD1 but I'm not sure how accurate it was, and I don't currently trust DHs magical palm thermometer as he seems to diagnose himself as having a temperature which should require complete bed rest, but me as perfectly fine so I should fetch him breakfast, even if we have the same illness - no trusty!

The dr I spoke to on the NHS 24 helpline suggested I could use vics vapo for kids, but my mother said she'd seen an advertisement saying it shouldn't be used for under 2? Has anyone had experience of using it? I'm also planning on getting some saline nasal drops for babies as I have been using DH's one which claims its suitable for babies but I've been just about blowing Hawwa's nose off with the spray pressure.

I just check mumsnet rather than read baby books, are others reading baby books as well? I know SIL read Gina Ford I think to get a routine for her DD1 (perhaps why mine doesn't have a routine).

Just changed Rocco's nappy & he had a spot of green poo & a really angry looking rash :( According to the LLLi book it looks like he's getting too much foremilk, does this mean he's not getting enough fat-rich hindmilk? I'm still block nursing for a few hours a day to help with forceful let down & he's nursing every hour or 2 so I'm not sure what else I can do

Can't think straight today; MIL passed away yesterday very suddenly. DP is devastated obviously. I don't know quite what to say or do to help him; I haven't really taken it in.

Honey The best thing to do is just be there. sounds trite but stability is te important thing:(

Bee I've always used the in-ear thermometers, but I'm not sure which are best. Saline drops cost pennies from the chemist, they're ace:)

Mmm, Hawthwrs and Air I hope your babies are all feeling better soon:)

aethel superb haddock care that:o

Is it wrong to be pathetically impressed that I managed to hand express eight whole millilitres of milk for them to put down octopus boy's tube? I have never managed that much before!

lmf nope, not wrong at all! I think I cried the first time I managed over 5ml to give DD1!

honey green poo can be within the spectrum of normal! If you are block nursing and letting the first letdown just drip a true fore/hind milk imbalance is unlikely. The lovely Dr Gordon solves all baby poo mysteries. So sorry to hear about your MIL.

I am a bit of a parenting books geek, someone loaned me the Dr Sears High Need Baby book with DD1 and I loved it. I mainly read Home Ed theory books though now, I do have an extensive breast feeding related library though as a BFC. my favourite being the wonderful Supporting Sucking Skills which is a medical textbook.

((((hug)))) for honey, how dreadful for your DP. My mum died very suddenly back in 2000 and it was very surreal. Just be there for him, and see how things go, we're around if posting helps. Forget about poo for now unless its jet black, chalk white or bright red: a huge spectrum of yellow-green-brown can be normal.

bee, like lmf I like the in-ear ones: mostly cos they are reliable and very fast: I've got a Braun one that was about £20 and you literally point and press, it beeps and that's it: instant reading.

Quiet, calm day today with lots of feeding and a soupcon of housework (damage limitation only!!). My milks definitely in now as my bra is straining at the leash (TMi!!) and DS is going longer and feeding in clusters.

lmf I am in awe of 8ml!!! When i expressed colostrum for DD1 I could never get more than 2 or 3 ml tops.

Hope you got out to the ward OK Hawthers, and that mmm and babybel get home soon.