January 2014 Thread 17 - and the final babies will be here any day now!

[Frizz1986]

Thought i would start up the last thread before we move over to postnatal thread.

felix have you tried the squirting it into the cheek which someone else suggested? Works for infacol for us

Tried the cheek thing. She still spits it out we have three different syringes and all of them are really difficult to squirt out drop by drop. I wonder if it would mix with some cooled boiled water?

Been trying infacol as Alice is in pain every evening, being sick and very windy. Not sure if it's working but want to do something to stop her being in pain, poor girl. We have to move her round every 5-10 mins as nothing is comfy even winding positions and a tilted bed.

Mrsg I hope you were able to talk to the gp and get some advice / help.

Thank you for your messages :) we were able to go to the walk in centre and she's been prescribed gaviscon. Fingers crossed it works!

Felix there was a video on YouTube where the women let her baby suck on her finger and kind of snuck the syringe in. Because she was already sucking she swallowed it without thinking. I think I looked up 'newborn syringe feeding'.

mrsg hope the gaviscon worked and last night was better for you.

Felix fx sylvie gets better quickly

Olivia slept for 7 hours straight last night. Amazing

I have a small problem though. I think I have too much milk! My boobs have become massively engorged the last two days and I'm leaking like crazy. Soaked through a breast pad, bra and top whilst feeding from the other boob yesterday and keep waking up in a puddle of milk in the morning. I don't know what the best thing to do is. Should I start expressing a bit or will it settle down? Olivia is 5 weeks old so I don't know if it's just because she has been mega cluster feeding and when she goes back to normal it will reduce again. Any advice from you more experienced ladies?

Took Olivia into work yesterday. Felt really weird going in as it's almost 3 months since I last went in. Can't believe how quick the time is going!

I hope the Gaviscon worked mrsg

Same problem here nature, I went through two nighties and 3 muslins last night. It gets very cold sitting around in wet things in the middle of the night :(

11 feeds in 8 hours overnight here Poor little baby must be knackered, but is gurgling away at the moment!

We had a bit of a nightmare last night, too. She wouldn't go down til 1.15am, woke again for a feed at 2.30am and wouldn't go back in her crib afterwards, woke again at 4.30am and I fed her from the wrong boob (accidentally used the same one as the previous feed). She has slept on my chest since then and I had to wake her half an hour ago to make her feed from the boob which was about to explode. Thank goodness for washable breast pads, which never leak!
So I've been up since 4.30am and had 3 hours of broken sleep before that. Today will be fun! :o

We're going to eat free cake in John Lewis café, and that's about it.

I realise, on reading that back, that a late bedtime and a couple of night feeds is in no way similar to 11 feeds in 8 hours

It doesn't sound like much fun though toby, you've earned that cake!

As Ive had such a shite week I asked DH to take today off, so he was with us overnight. Unfortunately he can't feed her so just got to experience 2 hours sleep interrupted by crying. He's stomping around downstairs now while I do yet another feed, and is talking about going for a nap. I'm so bloody tired now that I think it is getting a bit dangerous. I reckon I've not had more than four hours broken sleep a night since she was born :o

Sorry for the woe is me :) Coffee will probably sort things out!

You poor love :( I wish I could take Percy off you for a few hours to let you sleep. She could come and have free cake with us, but I'd have to borrow your boobs :o

Quick entry as am bf from right boob, but please please read this blog evidencebasedtitsandteeth.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/wife-after-baby-a-husbands-guide/ it is soo true and made me laugh out loud. Might be something worth sharing with naughty / hopeless dhs

That fantastic mythree I'll show it to DH, but I'm not sure he'll think it is as funny as I do for some reason...

Cheers toby :) My norks are now so massive that they'd probably reach you from here. I bought breast shells in the week, but I can't fit them in my bra (which was the biggest one I could find to buy)!

Brilliantly, on my phone norks autocorrects to Neils

That's funny, mythree. Will show it to DH when he brings my tea upstairs in a minute.

Also from titsandteeth blog was this v interesting snippet: Just a little side note – this is something quite common I see when babies are struggling with boobing. Babies being held in the cradle hold sometimes look like they’re fighting and struggling at the head end, but actually if you look at their feet, you’ll see them kicking about like they’re trying to get a foothold. They are. Support their feet either with your hand, the side of a chair/sofa or position them up your body, tummy to mummy, so their feet are in your lap. IF # 5 – This is also why swaddling a baby is not always recommended as baby may be trying to communicate hunger and holding in the arms and legs means they lose the ability to do this.

Mrsg glad you got some gaviscon

Boo to cluster feeding babies! I really feel for you ladies who are bf and can't get a break by DH's helping out. They should definitely try and evolve and be able to lactate too, to take some of the pressure off! Sometimes I think the majority of them haven't evolved since caveman times, unfortunately

Sylvie doesn't seem ill anymore. I think I may have been a bit paranoid! I, on the other hand, have now lost my voice and I think I've got tonsillitis. DP has had to take yesterday and today off work too as he's ill, but luckily he's been doing his share of the childcare and helping out where he can. Sylvie is getting bad with the reflux again and I'm not sure the gaviscon is working as well as it was before. She's been crying all morning! I'm hoping she will wear herself out soon and go to sleep. I've got a terrible cough, so every time she falls asleep I end up coughing and waking her up! At least it's almost the weekend

nature expressing will increase the amount of milk you are producing so don't do that. Just feed on demand and it should settle down.

We all have a cough and cold which isn't fun. What little sleep progress we've had has completely disappeared.!but on the plus side I think without it things would be starting to improve. Alex is 8 weeks and seems a little more content. I'm able to put him down for short stretches and he's done a few 3hr stretches in the Moses basket. It's not great but it's a move in the right direction.

If Leah has a foothold she kicks really hard and shots herself off my lap!

The night before last we had 3 lots of one hours sleep (2 in the basket, 1 on my chest); and that was a really good night. Last night we had 2 lots of 1 hour, 1 of 1.5 and 1 lot of 2.5, all in the basket! And when DH left for work she stirred, then settled herself. I'm praying its the gaviscon and not a coincidence.

Feeling bad hearing some of you had really bad nights :(

That sounds promising mrsg fx it is working. hope you are feeling a little bit better for having a little bit more sleep

Thanks tarka I suspected that would be the case. I'll just put up with the leakage for now.

Right Olivia is finally settled so hopefully I can get dressed, pop her in the sling and take the dog out. Hoping taking her out early will tire her out so she sleeps the rest of the day

mythree you've made my day on two counts - love the blog and at last an answer to the crazy feet!
Glad to hear I'm not the only one getting bashed by their baby though the last few feeds have also had cute kitty hands.
Saw the aurora last night hurray - unfortunately didn't spot it at any of the night time feeds but before bed....

Just managed to read a bit back. sounds like lots of us having similar times with our little bundles, colds. busy night, kicking and cluster feeding.

Zachary 5 and half weeks now. he's been cooing at times, opening eyes lots more, getting woken easily which is annoying and isn't happy unless being held by me. He managed to talk front to back 3 times yesterday.

off to soft play this afternoon.

That blog is fantastic mythree. Must show it to Dp when he gets home.

felix could you try the 4little1 medicine dummy? I don't know whether you've given Sylvie a dummy but I could be worth a try m.boots.com/mt/www.boots.com/en/4Little1-Eezimed-Medicine-Dummy_1219905/

Took Cal into Belfast yesterday (first trip on a train) with Dp and ds1. Was a lovely day out and saw my lecturer. Apparently, she's very happy with my research proposal. I think it's decidedly meh at best but I'm going to do it anyway. The class and my lecturers spent ages cooing over Cal which was lovely and DS and DP got to go to geek central (forbidden planet).

As an aside, I went into mothercare to look for a few things and was ignored yet again. I was interested in buying a new carseat for DS, baby bottles and a few other small bits. Am irritated but it's their loss and I'll go elsewhere.

Unfortunately, both boys have been terrible today. Cal would not be put down, DS whinged and demanded. I cried, Cal cried, DS cried. Both are ok now, Cal asleep and DS having a picnic in front of big bang theory but I sent several texts to Dp begging him to come back home. .

Have to take Cal for his hearing test today at 2. So fingers crossed it goes well

Hugs to all suffering with the non sleeping, fussy, colicky little blighters

enormouse that looks perfect! Trip to boots is in order thank you

Just been to doctors to get signed off to drive after emcs (4 weeks on Monday) and doctor said no! 6/8 weeks she reckons. I've literally been fine since the first week and didn't even finish my painkillers as no pain. So unfair. Especially with everything going on here being able to go out in the car would have been a nice break but no. Not for at least another 2 weeks. So annoyed :(

MrsVDB that's so annoying! Did she say why? Like you I didn't finish my painkillers and feel that if I feel okay after the EMCS that I AM okay... So irritating for you!

Sorry so many of you are having shit nights. So far, we have okay nights, and I think we're seeing improvements in the day; the advice on getting her down for the first nap by hook or by crook (and I have done it by taking her out in the pram in my dressing gown ) seems to have started to make a difference. We are having much quieter evenings, and better days.
I'm also reading Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, and while I'm not going to follow all of it, I like a lot of what she points out, like stopping to listen and observe to figure out why your baby is crying. There are things she's pointed out that really help me. Has anyone else read it?