Graduated Elderberries. Thread 9

[Cavort]

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

My normally easy baby has been replaced with a grizzly one today. I think she's got wind - lots of arching and fussing during feeds and crying for no reason between which isn't normal for her. We had a Cavort special last night from 3-5am too (as well as the 1am and 7am feeds) so I am bit frayed around the edges today.

Alex, hoping that your GP has been of some use to you.

Boo to another cold Mother - I find that every time I get even slightly run down since H was born I get the pre cold scratchy throat and occasionally sniffles that last 24 hours or so.

Also hoping Alex is doing ok.

Gave H a stick of cooked carrot while out earlier to suck on. He bit it and chewed then swallowed... then the gag reflex activated and it came back. Bit alarming. Back to puree!

So Alex and I have been chatting about all the important issues of the day celebrity big brother but I haven't seen her as I've put myself in quarantine to avoid giving anyone else this horrid bug. I've just been texting her about her MIL who I would happily punch in the nose tell to back off with her advice a little, alex really does have the patience of a saint.... S had a couple of good days but a bad night last night I think. So no improvement on the tears but I'm really hoping the gaviscon helps her...

We had a red face, cough and spit out incident earlier with some banana. Think I'm too scared for BLW.

Morning! (Is it morning or still last night? Yawn!) I've been feeling really up and down this week - S had two good days on Weds and Thurs but Tues and Fri were both tricky days with her crying lots. Nights are still bad with lots of crying early evening and then again later in the evening, and I just keep trying to put her dummy in as that seems to soothe her sometimes.

The GP asked some textbook questions and when I said I think it might be silent reflux, she said the first thing they try with reflux is infant gaviscon so she sent me away with a prescription for that. I don't want to give her the max dose as I googled effects and there are warnings of it not being good for their little kidneys and also it causes constipation. So I've been giving her a dose once a day when I think she might need it, I don't think it makes a difference really though. I was at my neighbour's house yesterday and she had a crying session (Sophia, not my neighbour!) and her body went all rigid, legs straight out, so my neighbour saw it and she suggested going to a bf coffee morning to talk about winding in case she gets bad wind.

So I'm torn between living with the crying/screaming or pushing for more medicine, and my gut feeling is to ride it out for a while longer and see how she gets on over the next couple of months until she's 12 weeks. It's driving me mad trying to work out what's an "acceptable" amount of crying and what's distressing her to the point of affecting her long term. Especially if acid reflux is the problem as that can damage their throats. I'm still hoping it's just bad wind but the she does seem to fit all the silent reflux symptoms.

Sorry epic post but on the bright side, it's kept me awake while keeping S upright after a feed! Would love to know what you all think about the crying and what I should do. Promise I'll resist freaking out moaning about it all the time! Love hearing all the weaning/food stories (and am hoping by that point, time and solids will help and I'll have an "easy" baby!) Sorry you have a cold again mother

poor alex, that sounds tough! We never had those whole body rigid crying sessions here, but it does not sound like just normal crying to me. Maybe she needs the max dose for the gaviscon to make a difference?

Here, V went swimming with DH. New place and apparently all other babies had both parents with them and he got asked "But..you're alone? Aww.."
I guess I should go next time so they don't think poor DH is a widower

and we have a tooth here.

wow, first tooth, they are growing up too fast!!

Alex I agree that doesnt sound like normal run of the mill crying. Hazel might be right about the gaviscon too.

We are mid switch to formula here, he doesnt seem bothered in the least. He certainly isnt sleeping any better though so that is a myth!

Alex I think that's a good attitude, just trust your instinct. And unless there is an underlying medical issue (which is probably unlikely), I don't think any amount of crying will affect S later in life. None of us can remember being a baby. One day soon you will get your happy smiley baby and she will have no memory of this relatively brief period in her life.

Ooo, another tooth! Well done V! Still no sign of any here.

Hazle most babies at our swimming have only one parent with them and the other one occasionally turns up to watch. E has 'graduated' from the birth-6 months class to the 6-15 months class, which is much more active than the previous baby class and yesterday she was dunked underwater about 10 times. Could be just a coincidence but she slept better last night with only one brief wake up but got up for the day at 5.45.

I just had to give the dog a big telling off. I gave E some toast in her walker without thinking it is the same height as the dog's head. The crafty bugger waited until he thought I wasn't looking and then quickly swiped the toast out of her hand and skuttled off to his bed with it. I shouted at him really loud (while trying not to laugh at his obviously guilty face) so hopefully he will think twice next time. Bloody dogs!!

And while DH has been away this week I have been trying to teach E to give kisses so she can give him a nice hello at the airport later. I say 'kiss,' bring her towards me and kiss her on the mouth. She got the hang of it pretty quickly but has also cottoned on to the fact that she is in a position to reach both ears at the same time as kissing, so she is likely to greet DH with a nice big kiss while at the same time trying to rip both his ears off. Oh well, it's the thought that counts.

cavort V is in next stage as well, (although he already had dunking in his previous one) and this is a really mixed group, from 6 to 16 months. The 16 month baby's parents had commented how tall V is, theirs is 73 cm. V is 72.
But have ordered a swimsuit so I can join them as well sometimes, can't fit boobs into pre-pregnancy one.

oh, second tooth out as well.

Still got just the one here. Seems M loves the lopsided look

Alex - like hazle I would be tempted to go with full dose of gaviscon. I'd trust the strict laws governing medicines more than dr google any day and am sure it's pretty well harmless - isn't it just an antacid? Then at least if there's no effect you can debate trying other stronger drugs, or just sitting it out...

Family weekend away this weekend. V much looking forward to M going swimming with his cousins (3 and 6) and my cousin's baby (4 months). So lovely watching them all together

We have a one session fits all policy at our swimming lessons - 3 months to 3 years so H was one of the youngest.

There was only one parent per child though and all mums tho one mum had the in-pool instructor holding her 2 year old.

It seems there's a mystical ability barrier where babies go from no dunking to being dunked. So some were dunked loads and the newer ones not.

Hoping to hit the barrier before I go back to work though

Re swimming costumes I had a mix of pride and horror that the cossie I bought 12 years ago still fits me well. Relief, too, as I didn't try it on before getting to the pool!

Bugger forgot to add my moan of the week. I'm getting a bit fed up of always being the one to get H to sleep. Partly this is to do with breastfeeding but my mum and my mother in law can both rock H to sleep in minutes.

DP won't even try. Says 'he won't fall asleep on me' and just sort of props him up on his arm. He won't magically fall asleep like that! He doesn't cradle him, doesn't rock him, doesn't walk around with him - nothing.

He hslf-heartedly holds him for 5 minutes while playing on the PS4 and then gives up.

I've had enough. I'd love to play on the PS4/get a haircut/have a relaxing bath/be in bed first but I can't. It's really pissing me off this week and today is twice ss bad because DSS is here annoying the cat, having zero volume control and generally being high maintenance (for an 11-year-old) so I have had to retreat upstairs to get H calm enough for his first nap of the day.

Bah.

We are at the airport waiting for DH/Daddy

Brave I would be tempted to just fuck off out at bedtime and leave him to it so he has no choice.

Janey your weekend sounds lovely!

Hooray cavort! Bet you'll both be so glad to see him and you especially as you'll finally get some sleep

Ooh I am looking forward to taking W swimming.

Alex, glad you feel a bit more like you have a plan of action or at least some avenues to try. Honestly I am in awe of how well you seem to be coping with what sounds like really hard times. I am sure that whatever distress Sophia is suffering now, she won't remember it and you will more than make it up to her with the love, patience and resilience you are showing to her as a parent during difficult times.

Too tempting lol :)

Good luck with the welcome home kiss Cavort!

I know this sounds ridiculous considering the age of our babies, but has anyone started thinking about schools?

I don't know much about it other than I think we currently live in the catchment for quite a mediocre state school and we obviously want E to go to a good one, as undoubtedly all parents do. I naively thought it wasn't that hard to get in to a school outside your catchment, but i've known a few people who've had their kids turned down recently and are having to appeal or face sending their kids to a shit less-than-ideal school.

We are hoping to move house this year or the beginning of next year so how important is it to move near to a good school?

There is a possibility we may be able to afford an independent school but we can't be sure until closer to the time so need to be sure we can get her into a good state Primary just in case.

I can't believe I am worrying about this when she is only 6 months!

It's lovely to have DH home... he's getting her in bed while I watch Splash put my feet up.

Just saw this on another thread and it really made me chuckle. I think we can all relate...

emilyjaneclark.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/how-to-get-your-baby-to-go-to-sleep-and-stay-asleep-when-they-do-not-want-to-be-asleep/

I will have a pissed OH returning from his works xmas 'do', at around 3am, if he wakes H I will not be responsible for my actions!

Especially after todays vet drama, I had to take the cat for a check up as he was on antibiotics for an abcess, the OH was meant to have H while I went but instead booked a PT session at the gym which he couldnt wouldnt cancel. So I had to take baby strapped on my front in the carrier and cat in his box to the vets, all was going well until H woke up in pain, cue H screaming so loud I couldnt hear the vet then doing a huge selection of farts, unfortunately not loud enough to be heard over the screaming, oh and the OH had in his ultimate wisdom after wearing it once taken the dummy off of the carrier so I had no way to soothing H until we were back in the car. I was so embarrassed and H was so upset, bloody awful.

I also discovered my friend has one of the illusive 12 hour sleepers, she had to wake him at 11am the other morning after putting him down at 11pm.....the bloody cheek! I feel spoilt if I get more than the usual 4/5 hour stretch.

cav that link made mw chuckle and also slightly terrified me the people writing in the comments were annoying tho.

I have had 9 hours sleep with only one wake-up!
After last night's marathon of being awoken to have my nipples wrenched about every 1 or 2 hours, DP packed me off to bed at 8pm and did the last feeds with a bottle. She then fed at 1am and then slept til 5. I woke up quite engorged both times but both times she fed really well and didn't chew my nipples off. I wonder if my milk supply has been a bit low overnight previously leading to lots of short feeds and frustrated feeding?
Or of course it could be one of those random baby mysteries with no rhyme or reason to it.

Was the bottle feed expressed milk or formula quod?

Ahhh great to hear you are having good times Alex. W is so variable from one day to the next, we had a whingy day on Thurs with loads of painful wind but she was back to normal again yesterday, it's so hard to gauge what's going on isn't it? They are changing so fast. It was EBM we fed her last night so no reason why she should have slept longer really, unless it was just easier to fill her up from a bottle than from my boobs if they are flagging a bit with supply by 1/2am? I am not banking on a repeat performance though!

I am feeling a mixture of joy and rage after E slept last night 8-3.30 and then 5.00-9.30.

The 1.5 hour wake up was still a bit shit but I didn't care as it was DH's turn, but it's still the best she has slept in well over a week. I am sure DH now thinks I have completely exaggerated how badly she has slept while he was away.