November 2017 #5. You wait ages for a baby, then 3 come along at once. Ante/post-natal chat ...

[Zampa]

No specific post-natal category so I've added it to the normal ante-natal category ...

Ooo sock that's annoying! But she's probably just more attached to you and therefore more bothered about staying close to you.

Freddie has malfunctioned in the evenings. He's staying awake for hours alternating between screaming, staring at everything, demanding milk and then eating so much he is sick on the plus side when he did eventually go to sleep at 10pm last night he slept for 5 hours.

We've woken up to snow here today - has anyone else?

I've had my first night away from J last night and feel like I've had a limb removed! Woke up in the night panicking because I couldn't hear him breathing. It took me ages to realise that I wasn't at home.

We're away for the first time since DD was born. She seemed to be settling into a routine of sorts before we came but that's all gone to pot now. There were 20 people in the house for most of yesterday & everyone commented on how "good" & "unfazed" DD was but it seemed really obvious to me that her feeding was all over the place - she basically cluster fed the whole day! She was also refusing to latch properly so now I'm sore again. I've got a new pump & it's only now that it's dawned on me that no matter how long DD feeds for she never fully empties the breast. It also feels like she doesn't pull the nipple all the way in, despite the latch looking fine, so my nipple comes out looking pretty much the same as when it went it, just slightly squashed. I'll be demanding an appt with the local IBCLC to get her tongue checked!

I've really struggled this weekend with so many people around. I'm perfectly happy to pass her around for cuddles but I just want a bit of peace & quiet. Let's just say not all the parents here have quite the same attitude when it comes to appropriate behaviour for children in crowded houses... There were teenagers playing on devices with the volume up, small children shrieking & wrestling on the floor to the point where we couldn't have a conversation & my older DC just looking a bit baffled & overwhelmed by it all. I had to take myself off for a few minutes when everyone else was at the table because my parents noticed DD's dummy in the pram & started commenting that there seemed to be a strange bit of plastic in there... I don't need to justify myself to them but she only has it for a few minutes occasionally if I'm doing a nappy before feeding her, or if I need to pop to the loo quickly when she's crying. I'd only put it in the pram because I was hoping she'd stay quiet for a few minutes while I ate, I didn't expect anyone to even be looking in her pram, let alone drawing attention to it loudly in front of everyone as if I'd left a kitchen knife in with her! I'm quite tempted to keep her dummy in all day today, if she'd have it, just to wind them up!

I hate family get-togethers, can you tell?!

@AGnu my mother throughly disapproves of the dummy too. We have found that the dummy actually helps our reflux problem. The last time my mother commented I actually snapped back, "it's the dummy or her screaming in pain, I know which I prefer!" Being a parent is hard enough without other people making unhelpful comments.

AGnu You're a hero for managing so many people in one place! I only had one weekend of DF plus his wife and my 2 DSC and I had to spend all of the Monday morning hiding in my bedroom!

DuRezidal I know I shouldn't say it but very jealous of your night without baby! I can imagine it wasn't easy but the prospect of a night's uninterrupted sleep has me swooning! Equally jealous of buttery's 5 hours of sleep!

However, I know that all of our LO's are different and I'm lucky that baby Zampa isn't a crier unless she's hungry or has a trapped burp.

I think I'm getting wonky boobs. My left one has always produced more milk but it's becoming more exaggerated. Trying to feed more on the other side but I run out of milk too quickly. Any ideas?

I was going to ask if anyone was using a dummy. DH and my mum are very anti dummies but my view is that if I think Freddie needs one, I'd rather he had one and was happy and settled - if he needs the comfortable he should have it. He's currently sucking on muslins to calm him when he gets overtired which is not ideal.

@AGnu I completely get what you mean about large family gatherings. I'm still scarred from a big family weekend away when DD was ten months old!

@butterybollocks lots of snow here in Leighton Buzzard!

@DuRezidal did u have to express in the night whilst you were away?

@AGnu I have exactly the same problem she doesn’t empty Breasts and suckles end of nipple. I’m going to get tongue tie assessed tomorrow will let u know how it goes!

@Zampa DH told me yesterday I have wonky boobs I hadn’t looked in mirror enough to notice!

@AGnu wow that’s a big crowd! Dummy has a purpose fight your corner. I was a bit worried it may affect latch but we have been trying it at night when I know she has fed and to stop her suckling on my red raw nipples!!

We're using a dummy quite a lot. She's exclusively bottle fed so no worries about it affecting feeding, but I was initially against them..."it'll damage her teeth!" "It'll hamper her speech development!" That lasted about a week and now I have at least 3 dummies in every room. I find it helps with her reflux type symptoms too, the act of sucking makes her seem a lot less uncomfortable and twisty.

@AccrualIntentions that is exactly why we are using the dummy too. I refuse to feel bad about it, I rather my baby felt happy.

@theotherendofthesockportal Oh I definitely don't feel bad, just laughing at my own pre-baby naivety!

@Zampa I slept straight through although have a slight fuzzy head this morning.

@lydiangel83 I'm not feeding him myself, he is bottle fed as I had to be back in work after 2 weeks so it wouldn't have been possible to feed him myself.

@DuRezidal oh yes sorry I did know that xx

LO has fed over 20 times in the past 24 hours ... Is this due to a growth spurt (although she's only 3 weeks tomorrow). Baby books are suggesting the number of feeds a day should be around 10!

I feel like I'm completely depleted of milk!

@zampa around 15 times in 24 hours is normal for my LO, he's never been at 10... He usually feeds little and often, leaving me feel like l must be empty at times but l think he's only ever fully drained a breast twice before... He is 5 weeks old, we've had three cluster feeding episodes in total where he's fed about 25 times in 24 hours at those times, and in sure that was linked to growth spurts...

Thanks @valentinefizz. I think you're right - it's a 24 hour cluster feed! She's just managed 1 hour 50 between her last two feeds so maybe that bodes well for overnight!

DD has got quite dry skin on her body and head. I know you're supposed to avoid anything except water for the first month or so (she's 4 weeks today) but for a bit later on can anyone recommend any bath products or moisturiser that they've found has helped? We've cut down on the number of baths already, which is a shame because she loves the bath.

@AccrualIntentions Bea had dry skin and the HV recommended rubbing olive oil onto her. It did work!

We use the child's farm products with DS. They're really good for sensitive or eczema prone skin. DS has suffered a bit with eczema in the past & we haven't had any more flare ups since we've been using it. They have a newborn range which I've got ready to use on Iris soon. The products all smell amazing. I get them on Amazon, the prices are much better than boots & you can get it even cheaper if you do subscribe & save.

I used a dummy with DS. He got on well with it & at about 10 months was using it for naps & night time only. He gave it up at 2.5. He would have given it up sooner but we had a 12 hour flight to do & thought it might help his ears on the plane. He gave it up much easier than I was expecting, literally one night & done. His teeth are perfectly straight & he definitely has no problems with his speech! He went through a tough time with ear infections when he was 8 months ish & the dummy was the only thing that gave him comfort & I wouldn't have dreamt of taking it away no matter how many disapproving looks I got. If it gives comfort then keep going with it. Iris is a bit hit & miss with it but it will calm her if she's particularly irate or give me a couple of minutes to get her milk ready. She doesn't miss it if it falls out which DS did.

@theotherendofthesockportal oh I think I remember them mentioning olive oil at the hospital. Not sure I have any except chilli infused...

@Topsyloulou thanks for the recommendation, I will take a look at them.

@AccrualIntentions we joked about marinating DD as covered her in the oil. Normally we only have garlic oil, it warranted a very expensive trip to Asda. You know when you go in to buy one thing and come out with new tea towels, a treat for the cat and some fancy chocolates?!

I've really and truly succumb to the lurgy now. DH is taking the day of work to look after us all tomorrow.

My hair, which was lushness during pregnancy has now started to fall out. I may have to request a tupee for Christmas at this rate.

I also recommend coconut oil and it smells a bit nicer, I think.

If you want to treat yourself and baby to a little luxury, I adore Original Sprout products. They're very much a luxe buy (I was given mine) and I confess DD1 was slightly hard done by as I used more of it than she got to! Think you can also subscribe and save on Amazon.

I use coconut oil for everything on my DC - dry skin, nappy rash, cradle cap... I'm actually hoping DD develops cradle cap so I can soak it in coconut oil & spend ages combing her hair with a nit comb, it's just so satisfying! Anything I don't use coconut oil for gets treated with breast milk. DD's eyes were fine until the day after there was discussion on here about sticky eyes... I swear within a few hours of me reading it her eye got gunky! She's not overly impressed with me sticking my breast in her eye when she's trying to get it in her mouth!

We use something called Baby Balm as it's all natural and organic ... I have sensitive skin and I have been ok with it.

I have just tried my first Dream Feed... J goes from fast asleep to starving hungry in seconds so thought I would give this a go to see if he can do a longer period for his first evening sleep. Does anyone else use this?