Graduated Elderberries. Thread 9

[Cavort]

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

Looks like M wins the first tooth prize then! But yes, aren't they all growing up too fast?

I haven't got any exciting weaning meals as we've also just stuck to fruit and veg until now, but thanks to a few family Christmas parties E is now familiar with chips, ice cream and cheesy wotsits, so I do also need some meal suggestions to halt her rapid decent into the murky world of junk food.

The move into her own bedroom is also looming but DH is going on holiday for a week on 3rd Jan so we will move her after he gets back as I don't want to rock the boat when there's only me here to deal with any disruption.

Chips are potatoes. Potatoes are vegetables. Vegetables are healthy

Nothing interesting to suggest, V is not a good eater and doesn't really like any food. eats a few spoonfuls here and there, and then refuses the same thing the next day.

Moving into his own room won't happen any time soon, as we still need to wallpaper it and buy some furniture. But as he still wakes up so often, I'm in no hurry.

Hello ladies been away for the last two nights in a local sea side resort and it's official. I have given birth to a fish. L absolutely loves the water. Taken her to the beach and pool and she loved both just the same!!! And slept for about 3 hours after. It was lovely.
What are people's plans for nye?

Ah that's good she loves water, I'm doing water baby classes with S, need to sign up. Think we might do them on Saturday so DH can be involved and we can take turns taking her in the water and because I've got the fear about doing anything "organised" with her alone

For NY, we're meeting janey for a glass of fizz at midday and then we were thinking of going to DH's friend's house in the evening - they're having a small party, nothing too crazy. To be honest though I'm thinking it might be better just to stay home with a 3 week old?! Or maybe just pop in for a drink and then back home to see in midnight?

Ahh lovely lol, I need to get off my arse after new year and sort out some swimming for H, might try baby massage or mum and baby yoga too....not sure yet. Some of the classes are so early I may struggle to get their though. I found a 'strollers an toners' outdoor class which is meant to be good for toning mums back into shape, but it is a 15 min drive away and starts at 9.30....ouch. We shall see.

Not sure re NYE, we have been invited to two parties, one here and one in the next town (about 45 mins away) decided against the later but not too sure about either tbh. Worried everyone will be pissed including OH and I'll be left with an asleep or overtired H. Dont want to be without H on his first NY though. Tricky. Might just head home early and see NY in just the three of us.

Hello, hope you all had a lovely christmas. Unbelievable that there's teeth on the way! I have aches and pains in my groin that are getting worse by the day so willing these next 12 weeks to fly by

we did baby swim and V absolutely loved it. Signed up for another class, also on Saturday mornings, but the idea being that DH will still go and I get a lie-in. That kid will not sleep. Was up before 6 and only just agreed to take a nap, it's 12.40 here.

Sorry you're having pain merk - I wonder if gentle exercise like swimming would ease it? Take it easy, not too long to go until your little one's here x

It's fine to bf in public right? When I'm on my own I find it easier than messing around with my hooter hider so sitting in John Lewis cafe with my boob out as I'd just bought a cake while DH looks at TVs and Sophia got peckish too!

Of course it's fine Alex! You'll gain confidence the more you do it, I was a bit self conscious at first but couldn't give a rats ass who is looking now, the other day I found myself feeding her at the pub with six childless bachelor type blokes and my OH around the table and I didn't give a damn!

Alex I have fed in the most bizarre places including the children's room in church during mass as she decided she couldn't wait. You will become less self conscious I reckon
Hazle what a little monster! I have to say L is sleeping better here maybe due to the heat.
Cav is E still sleeping better??? Hopefully it will be like this now.
Over here I'm having a nye dilemma. Want dh to see fireworks on the beach as they are amazing but they are expecting a crowd of 1 million people so I'm not sure it's the best place for a baby!

Slept for 10 minutes, that's it. Went for car ride and walk, both guaranteed to put him to sleep - not today. It's 3 here. That's a bit much even for him.

alex of course it's fine! Your tiny baby needs food - if anybody else has a problem with that, they don't actually have to stare, but can just look away.

So because Sophia is a little piglet got hungry again, I stopped by the bf room in John Lewis too and got talking to a mum with a 9 week old. She was all smug about 8 hours sleep straight they'd had the night before and she said maybe it's because she's doing a mix of 50/50 bf and ff. I know ff will affect my supply so really not keen to do it BUT she said she reckons it fills her baby up for a long night's sleep. What do you all make of that?

Alex in my opinion that is a myth. As far as I know formula does not make a baby sleep. I think sometimes mums say that to bf mums as a kind of justification!!??
L slept really well until the 16 week regression hit us and has never tasted formula. And now she is sleeping better again and I haven't even weaned her unless sucking on a bit of mango for 5 min counts

I wouldn't. There are plenty of ff babies who sleep no better than bf ones. And it would certainly affect your supply.
Around 9 weeks, we (ebf) had one night of sleeping through as well, and he usually woke up just once - this all might change, formula or not.

H has been fed 95% ebm with the odd bottle of formula or half and half when I've had dips in supply. There is no difference in his sleeping whether his last bottle is ebm or formula so I would ignore her alex.

It's odd to hear the word 'justification', I do feel like I have to justify to people that H is having breast milk when they see me bottle feeding, I dont know why though really? I have tried so hard with expressing since the bf didnt work out so should be proud of myself but I still feel a bit like I've failed and like others will see a bottle and think I've taken the lazy/easy option. Am I being stupid? We plan to switch gradually to ff during January so H will have had 95% ebm for 2 months reducing gradually to maybe only ebm for the night feeds by mid February. I think 3 months of expressing is still a fair achievment? Still wish I could have bf him though!

merk I hope your not suffering too much!! I had pgp in later pregnancy and found that swimming was nice, just dont do breast stroke as that can make it worse. Hope its better soon!

Alex I was tempted to supplement as E has always been a pretty crap sleeper and it was reading this article and similar that made me decide to stick with EBFing and I am so glad I did now. I am not against FF at all, in fact I am very much pro-choice, but if you decide to make that choice to supplement with formula I believe it should be as informed as possible. Kellymom also has some good links although they are obviously very pro-EBFing.

Hazle I can'd believe V's sleeping. Or rather lack thereof.

Lol yes she is still sleeping better because she has has done a week of not waking up for 2 sodding hours in the night, but her sleep is still not brilliant. Last night she fed twice at 2am and 5am and woke briefly 2 other times and I hoofed DH out of bed to sort her out we had to settle her off again. I am still not complaining though - long may it last!

Surely a crowd of 1 million will be spread over quite a large area so you won't be too cramped with L? Personally I would be tempted to go with L in a sling in case there isn't room for the pushchair. We took E to a very loud fireworks display and she slept right through them.

No exciting NYE plans here. In fact no plans at all currently as I have always found local NYE events to be totally anticlimactic and shit. We might have some friends over but it certainly won't be a wild party. We have spent the last 3 New Years at Edinburgh's Hogmany, on a Cruise Ship in the Caribbean and last year in NYC and this year we will be in our house in front of the fire with our baby tucked up in bed and I am not even slightly bothered old age has clearly finally set in. Next year however I am already fancying a skiing holiday for New Year....

Mother yes of course you are being stupid. It is absolutely nobody else's business and you should hold your head high!

Mother - I know exactly how you feel, if you remember L was on expressed milk for the first six weeks and I felt like I needed to shout 'its not formula' to anyone within hearing distance every time I fed her. I have no idea why as I have nothing against formula but I also felt like I needed to explain why she had a bottle. It's daft, I don't expect anybody cares!

purplethat is it exactly....odd isnt it.

Ok, so she only woke once last night.... but managed to poo 4 times while she was up. 4 SODDING TIMES!! Every time I changed the nappy she did another, which is just what I needed at 3am. Damn solid food! But at least she went back to sleep

We had a good night over here - an actual night time that ran from about 10pm to 7am with 2 feeds at 2 and 5, rather than hours of wide-awake chirpy baby in the wee hours. And she slept all of it in her cot [proud mummy]. I actually had to wake her to feed at 2 as she'd gone 4.5 hrs and I start to worry as she's still only so little.

W is doing lots of practice smiles and even giggles, usually as she is half asleep. Very funny and very sweet even though I know she's not doing it intentionally. It's weird, I had a day yesterday of being quite sad about how fast she is changing and missing the really early newborn bit where they are a total little mystery. Did anyone else get that? I'm not sure if its just the oxytocin bubble wearing off - me and DP have said we've felt a bit like we're on drugs some of the time since she was born with all the feel-good hormones flying around.

not good night here - he now quite reliably sleeps from 7-8 to about 11. But then awake several times and not his usual short feed, but complaining and didn't want to fall asleep again. Finally DH took him downstairs so I could get a couple of hours of sleep.

No new years plans here, we were supposed to go to the mountains, but just got lazy - packing baby, dogs and all the gear, good 4 hour drive - meh. So just enjoying my days off at home. Besides, like cavort I've found most NYEs crap anyway. Just hoping that the neighbours are aware that fireworks are forbidden - one of our dogs is terrified.

We're supposed to be going to SILs for NYE but it's always an odd affair as they don't drink, they pick us up and drive us home so we can drink but it's a bit awkward and has resulted in several years of sober non-parties so can't say I'm thrilled at the prospect. SIL is germ phobic though and we're all at various stages of snottiness so we might get away with not going yet

In other news, it turns out formula IS poison after all, well if L's reaction is to be believed anyway! Decided to try one FF before bed in a desperate bid to fatten her up, tried sippy cup and bottle but after one taste, every time the drinking vessel was brought anywhere near her face she screamed hysterically and writhed away and generally acted like we were trying to murder her. So I gather that idea isn't going to work.

So I'm about to spend the day in the pool and woke up feeling a weird wetness down below only to find out I've just come on
I don't even have any tampons as I haven't brought any on the holiday. And now I have period pain. I'm so annoyed!!!
Glad some of the nights are better. Hazle I do hope you are next!!!