Graduated Elderberry Pavlovas - Thread 7

[Cavort]

Newly diffed right through to new Mums. A thread for the over 30's expecting their first baby.

Lol of course you shouldn't wake her up! And you should take every opportunity to brag about your sleeping baby to anyone who'll listen! Saline drops/spray are the same and go up baby's nose to break up/help the snot out. Boots sell both.

Yes BFing is suddenly the most distractable activity imaginable. A feed now generally consists of a few minutes on the boob followed by a further 10 minutes of pulling off the boob, looking around, back on, off again, grinning at me, back on again, ad infinitum. Very frustrating!

I am glad it's not just me sleep-wise. I think there is a 3 month growth spurt so maybe it is that? I daren't speak too soon but I might have cracked the 40 minute nap problem by putting her in the pram. I tried it yesterday but thought it was a fluke - I went out walking knowing she was tired and she fell straight asleep, woke after her usual 40 minutes but went back to sleep because she was in the pram and stayed asleep for another 1.5 hours. Today she woke up grumpy, had a 40 minute nap and was still grumpy. Then I went to meet some friends and their DC's for lunch at a pub/playcentre so I walked with the pram to see if she would sleep again and it worked. She still woke again after the first 40 minutes but went straight back to sleep in the pram and this time stayed asleep for another 3.5 hours! Result! Looks like I will be doing quite a lot of walking then I now have my happy smiley baby back probably briefl.

Tried 3 times today and not been able to express a single drop
Have fed about a thousand times though and dh says she has drank it all. I'm really upset about this. Bought those pads you recommended cav, does anyone have any other hints?

How old is she Lol? Elodie went through a really hard-going growth spurt exactly as you describe. I think she was about 8 weeks. It lasted 3/4 days and then back to normal so FX for you. No wonder you can't express if she's feeding all the time!

She will be 11 weeks on sat cav so I'm wondering if it's the 12 week nightmare one hitting me early?
Have bcg jab tomorrow. Not looking forward to it
At least she's asleep now. Let's see how long for!
How's everyone else?

Ugh, who swapped my baby for a broken one?

Two crappy nights sleep, moaned and cried all day yesterday....

Tired

lol could it be just the pump? Mine is good but very sensitive, if the valves are not perfect then won't work properly.

Janey the baby snatcher has switched mine as well.
I obviously cursed myself yesterday when I said nights weren't too bad. Elodie woke constantly from 11pm - she would easily go back off to sleep each time but then jolt awake 30-40 minutes later and start moaning. Sometimes it was only 10 minutes. Luckily DH is working from home today so we swapped shifts at 4am so I could get a few hours. I don't know if yesterday's 4+ hours monster nap had anything to do with it but I will be restricting naps to 2 hours or less today.

This baby snatcher has been busy . Up at 3:30 for two bloody hours of feeding and whinging then up again at 7 and then at 8.
By the way the thread is almost full. Are we staying here or moving to post natal? I worry all this baby - feed - sleep talk is freaking out the new berries!

Morning all I had an almost identical night to you Lol - went to sleep at 1015 or so, awake at 3 - finally back to sleep at 450 . We were both out for the count at 630 when DP left and woke up at half 8.

I do hope everyone has read the amazing penis beaker debate. I haven't cried laughing for a very long time!

You could say freaking out, or you could say we're standing them in good stead with realistic expectations of what is normal. The internet is full of stories of how "baby slept 13 hours every night from 2 weeks old," generally pedalled by some 'expert' with a book to sell which makes us all feel our babies should be dong the same, whereas our babies erratic sleeping habits are actually completely normal and the good sleepers are a very small minority at this age. Knowing this unfortunately does not provide much reassurance when you feel like death at 4am though.

Sorry, but have come in for a moan! Firstly the good news, had the midwife this morning and all is good. But got into work and I have a note on my desk saying a girl is coming to see me 3-5pm for a working interview, this is the first I have heard of it and I have no idea who this girl is or what she is meant to be doing. Yes if she is replacing me it makes sense for her to sit with me, but this note says she will be working 10 - 2 mainly as phone cover and admin help, so not my job at all, I have no idea what my boss wants her to do and it winds me up that she is just being dumped on me for me to babysit when I have heaps of actual work to do. He is the one who will be working with her not me so why isn't he taking her through what he wants her to do? GRRRR not the best start to my day!

Oh god all this sleeplessness sounds horrible. Am I being horrendously unrealistic thinking I might be able to squeeze in half-days of work (from home, on laptop, DP looking after baby) when baby is 12 weeks or so? Will I still be a zombie leaking breastmilk with a velcro baby?? I am actually quite worried about our finances as DP's income is very feast-or-famine and we are sort of relying on something decent and large coming through for him between now and Feb/March, or we will start struggling...

I am up for a moan - I have had a horrid cold all week, no actual snot but stinging sinuses and sore throat and feeling rubbish. Nurse refused to do whooping cough/flu jabs yesterday cos I looked too shit. And I am up to my eyes in deadlines. Luckily I can do it all from home while DP brings me rounds of toast and tea (bless him, he is wonderful).

Mother, not fair. Definitely dumping her on you. Grrrr on your behalf.

quod if your DP is there then I would certainly think that's possible. I've had plenty of free time to MN do some work from home. Besides, I'm going back to work full time in less than 2 weeks, so DH will have to manage somehow.

Oh hazle that's early to go back!!! How do you feel about it? Is dp going to stay at home then? Will you continue bf?
Quod yes it's possible to get stuff done if he's around. You may just get interrupted a few times
Mother that sucks. How long till mat leave?

Quod absolutely possible to do even full days of working from home if there is someone else there to entertain baby. Feeding hardly takes any time at all these days and and I haven't leaked milk for weeks. Also possible to avoid feeling like a sleep-deprived zombie when there's two of you around to take it in turns, even if your baby is having a nightmare sleepless episode like ours currently is.

Hazle that's gone so fast. How do you feel about it?

So, we are out and about in the pram again in order to get some much-needed baby sleep. I am now in McDonalds on their wifi and drinking a large milkshake while Elodie snoozes away. She's had 2 hours so far and I now have the wake or don't wake dilemma. I can't face another night like last night.

ohhh have some chips for me cav!

lol I have one week, finish next thursday. My friend who is due a week before me on 31 Oct, got told this morning she is 2/5 engaged....I am jealous, my MW told me babies head was low and even let me feel she didnt mention being engaged though....is it odd that I am a bit at my friend? I don't want to be left waiting while she is enjoying her daughter. I do appreciate you can be engaged for weeks beforehand though and that also some babies dont engage until labour....still though.

Hope all the little ones sleep tonight!!!!

Mmm milkshake and fries...

Have had a bit of a crazy week, was involved in an accident on the weekend but thank god baby has moved lots since. One thing for the pregnant ladies though - in the hospital they told me you're meant to deactivate your airbag in the car when pregnant so just be aware of that.

Was DH's birthday yesterday and had to spend it at our NCT breast feeding class looking at breast feeding videos and pictures of nappies filled with different colour poo! What more could a man want for his birthday!

Anyway have been catching up - hi boom and welcome! Sorry about the baby swapping monster getting some of the mums and grrr mother but remember, not long to go now! It's 4 weeks to mat leave for me and time is flying!!

wow alex glad you're both ok! I cant deactivate our airbag as me and my OH share the car.....interesting to know though.

It was fast. I wish there was an option to do part time but there isn't really with my job. It will be fine to go back work-wise, I have some really interesting cases waiting, but I'm sure I'll miss the baby.

Yes DH will be home with the baby, I would not be comfortable putting him to nursery full time like a lot of people do here. I am planning to keep BFing, expressing at work or if he still won't take the bottle properly, will have to drive home several times per day to feed I guess

Ah hazle, really hope he starts happily taking the bottle - will make everything so much easier for you both.

I fed Miles a bottle of expressed milk yesterday, was hilarious. He's fine when DP does it but I think was getting confused by me doing it - he kept turning away from the bottle to my boob, then getting frustrated when that slowed the flow and just pushed his head further into my boob. Bless.

Had a smear today (how exciting my life is) - was due soon after i got pg, and you have to wait 3 months after giving birth. Lordy. Have had loads of smears in the past - all been totally painless. Good god this one was agony and actually bought tears to my eyes. The nurse said it's because it's so recent that I had Miles (she obv knew I'd had a c section) and that carrying the heavy weight around takes some time to recover from, and your cervix takes ages to get back to normal no matter how you gave birth. Wish someone had told me to have it before I got knocked up!

Ah hazle, really hope he starts happily taking the bottle - will make everything so much easier for you both.

I fed Miles a bottle of expressed milk yesterday, was hilarious. He's fine when DP does it but I think was getting confused by me doing it - he kept turning away from the bottle to my boob, then getting frustrated when that slowed the flow and just pushed his head further into my boob. Bless.

Had a smear today (how exciting my life is) - was due soon after i got pg, and you have to wait 3 months after giving birth. Lordy. Have had loads of smears in the past - all been totally painless. Good god this one was agony and actually bought tears to my eyes. The nurse said it's because it's so recent that I had Miles (she obv knew I'd had a c section) and that carrying the heavy weight around takes some time to recover from, and your cervix takes ages to get back to normal no matter how you gave birth. Wish someone had told me to have it before I got knocked up!

Oh and cavort I THINK that you might be right about this 3-6 month post partum weight loss thing. I'm doing the 5:2 diet, and have been for three weeks. I'm eating like a piggy on the five non fast days, and still having 750 cals on fast days. In short, not making much effort. Yet I've been losing between 2-4 lbs per week?! Awesome. Pretty much there at pre preg weight, or should be by next week; after that I've just got to lose the stone I inadvertently put on last year

Oh Janey that sounds horrible. I've got a smear booked for 10 days' time when they're also going to check everything downstairs and fit a coil. To say I'm shitting myself is an understatement - I've always had a phobia of that sort of thing and giving birth has definitely not cured me.

To top it off, H is getting next round of jabs that day. And the cat is being Done (not all at the same time tho).

At least DP has the day off to help with the logistics - think I'll have to spell out that I'm going to need some tlc too.

Hi Alex glad you're ok - that sounds really stressful. Weird about the airbag thing tho - no one ever told me that, just banged on about seatbelts.

Re weight loss... without a single shred of effort I'm about 2 pounds off my pre preg weight, and have been for a couple of weeks. Not boasting tho - I think it's down to breastfeeding in as much as you don't have time to eat properly when breastfeeding.

Now H is feeding more efficiently (though still very unpredictable) I have more time to eat so am having to start eating more healthily. Well, at least once this AF passes. Been craving chocolate for 2 weeks bloody hormones

Oh mother it's really exciting being told that baby's engaged but it doesn't really mean that much... they sort of pop in and out a bit in the lead up to labour and some don't get down until labour starts so it doesn't really offer much indication of when things will kick off.

Any ideas on the sleep front...

Miles has been a PITA over the last few days. He will still feed and go back down easily enough, but he keeps moaning and thrashing his legs around until he wakes himself up and cries. He's been struggling with daytime naps so I wonder if he's not getting into a deep enough sleep? But any ideas welcome, I'm knackered....