Graduated Elderberries. Thread 9

[Cavort]

The over 30's expecting or just had their first baby.

I think babies can cry for that long regardless Will message her now though.

Regarding expressing I did it from day one due to him being in intensive care, and since then we've always given him an expressed bottle at 10pm each night (formula now) and absolutely no nipple confusion. Health visitor said that just one bottle wouldn't do any harm - and it didn't. So thankful now that we did that as it's so easy that he will drink anything!

I always found it so much easier to express first thing and use that at the 10pm feed. I know the milk composition is different at night but it just suited us fine. Didn't affect his sleeping - he used to wake just once for another feed at 4.30am in those days. Ah how I miss the good old days...

Marking place, you fell off my list

So the house is quite literally a building site, there's NO food in let alone the Christmas food, the tree isn't up and himself casually mentioned last night that he's still got to get presents for...well pretty much everyone that he buys for.

I've got this afternoon and most of tomorrow to clean the house, brush the dogs to within an inch of their lives (no time for the traditional Christmas bath this year) rearrange all of the lounge furniture and take stuff to hide in his mums attic so we can get the tree in, decorate the bloody thing, go to the pet shop for dog food, do the biggest food shop in the history of mankind (list says 'buy everything') get the presents he's left until the last minute, wrap them assuming anywhere still has wrapping paper left because I've nearly run out, finish plaster boarding our bedroom ceiling...there's more, I know there's more but there's so much it's leaking out of my ears. And I have until about 5pm tomorrow to do it then we're out. Arrgghhhh!!!!! It's the cleaning the house that's going to get me because everything is covered in plaster dust and as soon as you wipe it up more settles. Can I move Christmas back by a few days?

As distressing as it is Alex, it may well just be colic, which 1 in 5 babies has and they grow out of it after a few months with no lasting effects. NHS colic advice. It's an awful thing for a parent to have to go through though.

Quod i'm sure your visitors will understand if you tell them you could do with a bit of space. Personally, in the first week if I was knackered and E wasn't feeding I left her with DH and went to bed whether we had visitors or not. Nobody seemed to mind, they were there to see the baby not me.

Sleep-wise we had a reasonably good night. E woke twice to feed but went straight back off so no 2 hour get up and then got up for the day at 7. We're staying at PIL tonight so I hope the change of location doesn't unsettle her and have me up all night.

Ah Purple you've made me feel loads better! I thought I was disorganised this year as haven't even started wrapping yet but compared to you I am practically Anthea Turner! I suggest there's only one thing for it.....

Have just sent you info in reflux Alex from my friend, pasted below in case you need it. Sounds as if cavort is right, and it's just harmless and very very common colic. Tough on you all but nothing to worry about.

Cavort - hope sleep doesn't change. First night at DP's mum's last night and it was shit, gah.

Hate to say it but most of my presents were wrapped and under the tree by 1st dec. I really must try to get a life. Anyway I'm going to have too just to celebrate.

You are not bothering me! Well if its reflux Sophia would actually be throwing up, but with silent nothing comes back up. Sophie would scream after milk and arch her back as she was in pain and just generally unsettled after every feed. We kept her upright for about 10 mins after food and raised one end of her cot while she slept which helped. We also had Infant gaviscon which was really good for us. It's only available on prescription but it seems that a lot of babies are on it. I have some here if your friend wants to come to Stratford, it's really not a problem, I am always happy to help parents suffering with the misery of reflux. But if Sophia is only unhappy in the evenings and not generally after every feed, it might be colic in which case colief was a godsend to us and you can get in any pharmacy, infacol was useless! Happy to help with any more questions, honestly I am not disturbed and its truly ok to come and pick up gaviscon! Xxx

I've got no until I go shopping and the weather is biblical so no sane person would leave the house. There are probably some random spirits at the back of the cupboard that have been there years though...hmm, tempting.
Ah well, supernoodles for Christmas dinner wouldn't be do bad would it? They're chicken flavoured and everything!

Sorry you're having a rough time Alex, it is so distressing when they cry so it must be really hard on you. It does sound like the dreaded colic.

So DP planning to leave me at his mum's tonight so he can go back to london to watch the bloody football. If he gets stuck, leaving me here without him, I will throttle him.

Alex sorry it sounds so tough. Sending mental strength and wine!

So... I am buying the smaller stuff today thanks to amazon's sale (and my fear baby will arrive early). Please tell me what I am missing...
Bottles (3 different brands)
Cold water steriliser and tablets (do I need cleaning brushes or anything?)
Nappies (just a few of different brands)
Muslins
Blankets/bedding I'm getting later
Hooded towel thingy
Wipes
????

Merk - everyone will have different ideas about what you might want or need but personally, I found the bouncy/vibrating chair invaluable but I don't doubt that everyone will have their own 'best buys'.

Yes, I know I should be frantically cleaning, I'm on a much needed tea break ok!

Merk castig my kind back I think the below were all I needed/used.
Wipes
Nappies (pampers/tescos own an asdas own are best in my opinion)
Sleepsuits an bodysuits
Stain remover spray/soap
Infacol
Bouncy/vibrating chair (Ours is used daily as it really settles him)
You will indeed need a bottle brush Blankets x 3 or 4 (then you can have some upstairs and some downstairs)
Mini nail files
Bibs (tommee tippee do some which are padded round the neck to catch spills)
Muslins (by the sack load)
Changing mat or mats (we have a main one upstairs an the one from the changing bag downstairs)
Towels (a nice fluffy adult towel will work as well as a baby hooded one)

Apart from that I think most things were luxurys.

Thanks ladies. Anything for the hospital bag or any first aid stuff?

Gah just typed a whole long messages with explanations and phone bloody lost it.

Short version: i would get a baby thermometer in and some calpol. You can't use calpol for the first couple of months and hopefully won't need the thermometer either, but a high temp can be dangerous so i just feel better knowing I have them in the house.

And get one of these for the furst few days after giving birth. Not the most supportive or glamorous but lovely and soft and flexible around your rapidly changing boobs....

Oh and YY to vanish spray. Baby poo stains everything yellow without it!

Merk I was only in for 12 hours after the birth but the most essential thing in my hospital bag was a 3G dongle and tablet so I could get online as DH couldn't stay and it's so bloody boring. Also, cordial to make the gallons of water I drank in labour taste better, a straw/sports bottle in case you are stuck on your back, some of your own paracetamol and ibuprofen in case they are a bit slow with the drugs trolley after the birth, and of course the obligatory big granny knickers and more big thick maternity towels than you think you could possibly need.

In terms of baby essentials the only thing that nobody has already suggested is a breast pump if you are buying bottles, unless you are planning to FF? I second that our most used baby purchase aside from sleeping and transport essentials was/is the vibrating bouncy chair, which was a total godsend for daytime naps. And a fabric sling was very useful when she was tiny and didn't want to be put down.

ahh we're home. Lovely. A little crying on the first flight, but second was fine, even though it was way after his bedtime. Got home around 10 and by then he was looking a bit dazed, but not crying. Sleeping now. Hopefully tonight will be better, yesterday was horrible again - when we were at Frankfurt airport, it felt like I'm watching a movie, instead of being there, iykwim.

M just slept for five hours solid! First time in two and a half months! Our own little Christmas miracle

much better night here as well, just a couple of quick feeds.

Best night in bloody ages here. She slept 8.30-07.00 with one quick feed at 03.00. I am now considering moving in with PIL.

All put babies are giving us the Christmas present of sleep - best present ever!

Our, not put

The fat baby lady has not sung yet Janey, there's always tonight....

True. But compared to the last ten weeks last night was indeed a miracle. 7 until 7 with quick feeds at 12.30 and 5.30. Lovely

I have a feeling our baby will be giving us an umbilical stump for Xmas.

I'm glad you all had a better night. I had a bit of a bad night myself over here with a cavort special delivered across the pond!!! But that was in exchange for an evening out alone with dh in which we went on a lovely sunset boat cruise so I'm not too annoyed. Still better than the nights I was having though.
Alex how's things?
Quod the stump is the first sign she is growing up already!!!! I got quite emotional when L lost hers and I kept the clamp too
It's absolutely boiling here. We celebrate Xmas tonight and have our main meal / presents so it's all go in terms of food prep. I've just made my first ever chicken liver pate. Will let you all know how it tastes!