August Babies

[Katherine]

Wills, Marina, Musica etc I miss us all chatting together. Time to pass on the mum2be moving on thread - so shall we start up again, and anyone else of course.

Still in cloud9 after last night. Poor DH had to spend the morning getting the holiday cottage ready and then I had to go and help him!!!!! But its OK because I feel great. Not even a little bit sore down there. Just these dratted afterpains to contend with - always think this bit is so unfair! You go through all that and get the reward of a lovely baby but the afterpains don't really give you anything do they. Oh well mustn't complain. MW said I'm back to a third already so thats why it hurts so much.

Wills how are those stitches doing? Hope you are not too uncomfy.

Well just changed 3 merconium nappies so no problems with Bea's bowels at all! And the cloth nappies are doing great - just ordered some more girly ones. Even my cloth sanpro is bearing up - much admired by the MWs.

Oh well better go and get the tea ready. Packed DH off to the park with the kids for half and hour for some peace and quiet so just been wallowing in a lovely bath. Time to return to domesticity now

Marina and Katherine, thanks. Was having a really low time but you've helped remind me that this is all normal and that really I should sit back and go with the flow. dd2 slept 5 hours yesterday evening but then made up for it by waking every 1.5 hours during the night - it reminded me that I'd rather have a bad evening than a bad night . I've also started taking ibruprofen to help with the pain.

Marina - thanks for the strategies. I did the singing one tonight and it worked a treat. It often helps if dh gets her to sleep, I think she can smell milk on me and normally works herself into a tizzy try to launch herself at my breast iykwim. I also like the idea of the the dishwasher. She's actually asleep - amazingly both of them are so I'm off for a quick bath and to get into bed and close my eyes for however long.

Thanks

Thanks for the messages of solidarity, it does make you feel less bonkers to know that others are experiencing the same or remembering the way things were...
Wills, quick report from GP. There are different colicky symptoms and more than one suitable homoeopathic remedy depending. He and I concluded that dd is "angry" colicky (flailing arms, very cross shouty cry but not hours of continuous sobbing) and he suggested chamomilla - the same stuff as is in the teething granules. This can actually be bought in powder form easily and he recommended quarter to half a sachet for tiny babies, sprinkled on their tongues - dose can be repeated often until it seems to work. As it is a general calmant it might be worth a try for more than one little darling on this thread. The powders taste slightly sweet and cannot harm even the youngest baby. We used it a lot on ds for teething, cold-related misery etc, and it always seemed to help him.
My GP said colocynth is excellent for the sort of colic where the baby is typically drawing its legs up to its stomach and passing greenish motions.
Katherine, my GP also said the spots that my dd and possibly yours has too are probably sebhorreic ezcema and VERY common in young babies. Sort of the facial equivalent of cradle cap...should fade soon and is unlikely to be the precursor of true, atopic ezcema - which usually appears at around 12 weeks. So fingers crossed for them both that it is just baby zits.
As I type dh and dd are downstairs enjoying the dishwasher again...night all. Have a good weekend!

Hi everyone - just a quick one tonight! Hope you're all doing ok - Wills, I'm still hoping your feeding's getting better, and keep at it! It sounds like you're on the right track at sorting the thrush out now - did you get some of that cream that mears suggested? Hope it helps.

Dd's spots have all cleared up now, and her skin is looking all baby fresh now - a big improvement! I felt so sorry for her, looking like a spotty teenager! She had her 6 week check today, and all was well - she's 75th centile for weight, and 91st for head and length! We're off on holiday for next week, so won't be on mumsnet - hope you all have good weeks. Marina - hope the colic settles soon and you have some peaceful evenings. katherine - enjoy your nanny! Make sure you get some relaxation yourself! See you all in a week or so. xxx

Musica, I think I missed you - but hope you and blemish-free dd and family have a lovely holiday!
I am a bit shocked as after a vintage evening of squawking and feeding, dd went from 10.45pm to 6.45am without a peep. Unlike me who kept stirring to check she was OK...she did take on a shed-load of milk before turning in, I suppose, but I did not think b/f babies went through the night before they were seven weeks old. And her spots seem to be clearing too, hope that's the same for your dd Katherine.
Hope everyone else's weekend is going OK. We have a scary "first party with new school classmates" party this afternoon. Ds is fine about it, I am rather dreading making small talk with the other parents for two hours.

Hi everyone. Well life is continuing at full pelt. Dh's dad and wife came up for the weekend which meant both Sisters and their partners descended as well. After spending the morning cleaning the holiday cottage, then rushing DD1 to nursery I had to get another cottage ready for FIL. However when I walked in the people who'd had it before were still there! V. Embarassing. The owner had double booked us. So then back home to rush around and try to make that presentable. FIL arrirved moaning about a 5.5hr journey to be told there was no accommodation so they had to go look for a B&B. Not happy. Then the SIL's descended and within minutes had their gear strewn all over the house so why did I bother cleaning!

DH had to go to a work do so couldn't even be around to help then phoned at 11pm to say he'd missed the last train and could I go collect him - an hour away! The dreaded SILs announced they were tired and going to bed so I had to make the journey on my own with baby.

They all spent the weekend winging about things and then finally left us in peace on Sunday but had to go to see a friend about some work. Oh and the dog ate one of the chickens!

Monday was another changeover day! And DD has decided to jump from 1 feed a night to 5! Not reasonable behaviour at all. She is spotty as ever and her thrush seems to have got worse again so I think we may need to visit the Dr - if I can squeeze it in. Now feel guilty that I'm neglecting her.

And I've still not organised the plasterer.

Wills hope things are getting better. Marina - all night. You make me SO jealous. I feel like a zombie.

Hi everyone. Sorry I've not been around but the thrush is not clearing up, dd2 is feeding every 1.5 hours and yesterday and today dd1 has been throwing up everywhere. Throw in loads of engorgement and you'll see that I've not had a lot of time to get to the computer. DH came home today and took over giving me an hour to do whatever I wanted. I know I should have dived straight for the bed but really wanted to catch up with everyone.

I'll be honest I'm extremely close to giving up breast feeding. I'm in sooo much pain and I know that dd2 is too. Katherine is your dd's bottom in an awful state. I'm now using a mixture of the daktrin cream (which cures the thrush) and Metanium which helps nappy rash. My gp assures me its not nappy rash but the Metanium cream often takes away the angry red look. It took me ages to hunt it down but its truly brilliant stuff.

Katherine, there was a time when my dh's family descended and would all sit there expecting me to make coffee's, lunches etc etc. My dh would sit there as well. Things finally came to a head when I refused to have them - it allowed me to talk it through with dh and explain how I felt. He agreed to always be around when they were coming and to do the loin's share of the work. Funnily enough seeing her son working inspired my mil to roll up her sleeves and join in. Now we all have a much better time and I actually look forward to their visits. Last time she did all the ironing for us. Wish I hadn't left it until I felt so resentful. I really do feel that your dh should at the very least guarantee being around when your in-laws arrive!

Marina, I rarely have "angry Colicky", more a demand for attention having spent most of the day feeding her and then promptly dumping her into her pram/playmat etc. I've tried to take a more relaxed approach - a case of enjoy this whilst it lasts she'll be toddling before you know it and not want any cuddles etc. Mind you her stools are distinctly green so... Anyway thanks for the information. You sound as though you have a very helpful gp there.

Musica. I completely failed to get onto mumsnet to tell you about my bleeding which is pretty much non-existant now but does make a slight appearance when I've exterted myself in some way. What did your gp way at your 6 week checkup?

Anyway still managing to read everyone's posts just not managing to actually add much. Like Marina says its nice to know that everyone is sort of in the same boat.

Take care all

Hi Wills thanks for the sympathy. It wasn't DH fault he wasn't there - FIL just anounced they were coming the week before and DH did offer to miss the do but its important networking for him. Just a shame it all went pear shaped. He did phone the SILs to tell them to come early and help me but they took their time and arrived about 8pm in the end - to late to help. One has always been a pain but the other used to be great but has become more and more lazy in recent months. DH moans about them too but maybe I should just put my foot down and say they can't come.

DD2s bum looks very sore but its not horrendous. But I thought that the thrush was on the way out but its obviously not. I've looked for metanuim cream without success and tried all sorts of other things bit nothing works. BTW Wills the daktarin gel upset DD2s tummy too. As soon as I used it her poo turned green and really strong smelling and she cried like mad just before she poo'ed. I used it for a week but sore no further improvement and then stopped and the poo went back to normal.

I really sympathise with you about the BF. It must be so hard. I wonder if its not clearing up for both of us because we are both run down. I know thats when thrush tends to flare up normally in grown-ups. Not sure what the answer is though but I remember finding it really hard when DD was little. I think things got much better at about 3 months. WE can only take comfort from the fact that this stage won't last forever and once we get more sleep and are less run down it will feel like a different life

Oh and my bleeding has stopped again now too. I even seem to have full bladder control (sorry TMI) although the other end is still painful as I still keep getting constipated, presumably through not drinking enough. Suffering terribly from half-mug symdrome. I think I'm drinking loads but then keep finding the mugs still half full were I've been distracted onto something else.

Not much doing on here, possibly we've ALL been having lovely times in our various domiciles of bliss.
Really sorry to hear of your ongoing thrush miseries, Katherine and Wills. Until I read this thread I honestly had no idea how nasty and disruptive it could be. I wish I could offer something useful but am a complete novice on this particular complaint. As I am maybe the one with best access to a variety of shops, Katherine, do you want me to try and find you some metanium? We can swap addresses etc off-board if you do. It's no trouble and an excuse to get out shopping again
My niggling worry is that dd is not smiling yet . Arm-waving, looking hard at people and things, quiet and alert for some of the day, and plenty of face-pulling, but no beaming, undisputed smiles. Someone please reassure me that some babies smile later than six weeks. She's eight weeks on Tuesday.
In my darker moments I start worrying that all the stress and anxiety during my pregnancy have somehow made her into a child who will grow up miserable and sad. That's at 2am when it's just her and me, picking posset out of my cleavage .
I can also report that I nearly polished her off with her so-called harmless homoeopathic remedy last week. I was gently tipping the powder little by little onto her tongue when the paper buckled and the whole lot hit the back of her throat in one clump. Cue a lot of red-faced screaming on both sides followed by a three-hour sleep for her and a lot of cursing from me. Did the shock or the chamomile do the trick? I haven't dared repeat the process.
In case anyone was feeling envious she has not slept through the night again...as if!

Marina - i looked after a baby who never smiled before he was at least 8 weeks... and then he did

Oh Marina, we are all having a rather tough time of it. I saw my gp today and commented that yes I was still considering going for a third. She responded with "What a third, after all you've been through, are you mad?"

Life isn't great in the wills household either. The bf is crap and I'm in pain through either engorgement or thrush or both. I can't help over the smiles although I strongly believe each child develops each stage in their own order - hoping yswim. At dd1's 8 month - done at 9 months - she was walking but almost failed her fine motor skills. You've provided me some relief though - you sound just as worried as I about things. I expected to be "an old hand" at this parenting lark this time round and yet I still worry. dd2 has had a couple of small nose bleeds so I took her to the docs today to discover she's got a bacterial infection in her nose (yet more creams!). This evening she's been really really sick everywhere and I'm sitting here worrying away that the bleeds and the sick and the fretfulness are somehow interconnected and something else more serious is wrong. Like you I worry about the pregnancy - for me I worry about all the drugs I took for my asthma. Then I worry I will be labelled a neurotic mum. Wish I had more time to post more often on Mumsnet.

Current problem is that I forgot to ask my mum how she got on at the doctors and now she's not talking to me. I tried to explain I'd been up most of the night with dd2 but she told me that I was too wrapped up with myself. So now she's not talking to me - great!

Katherine, Marina, Musica. My local chemist stocks Metanium - I can go get some for both of you tomorrow if you don't mind swapping addresses.

On a lighter note. Has anyone noticed that the Mastermind specialist subject seens a lot easier - things like Harry Potter etc. I'm considering writing in - my specialist subject would be "Little Bill" from the NickJr channel. I swear in the last six weeks I've seen every single episode at least 6/7 times!

Good luck to everyone and lots of hugs to all.

Hi all - we're back from our hols! It was lovely to go away, just the 4 of us, and dd was a little angel - she slept most of the week in the sling while dh carried her! SO nice to get away to the sea!

However, we've all returned with colds, except dh. Wills and Marina - I know what you mean about worrying about every little thing - I've worried that dd is Downs Syndrome, has a twisted spine etc, and today she was sick - not posseting after a feed, but proper throwing up. I think it's just her cold - she seems all right in herself, but you do worry about these things, don't you! I still worry myself to death about ds, who's 2. He's got a little lump by his collar bone, and the GP says it's nothing to worry about, but every time he's a bit tired, I think 'oh no, it's some cancer or something'. I think it's part of being a parent...!!! Certainly not neurotic mum, or else there are a whole lot of us!

Katherine - what a nightmare! You must get some rest!

Wills, about the bleeding - basically it's stopped now, but like you, starts up (albeit very lightly) if I go for a long walk or carry dd in the sling. Haven't had 6 week check yet - they couldn't fit me in until 2nd week of October. I'll mention it then. Have you had yours yet?

Hope you've all had a good week - look forward to catching up!

Wills - have you tried feeding from one breast only at each feed? Green poos can be a sign of overfeeding. Overfeeding causes over production which leads to overfeeding. Feed one side, wind baby then put them back on same side. Baby gets more hindmilk and hopefully settles for longer between feeds and has less colic. Posted info to you on breastfeeding blues thread - don't know if you managed to pick it up.

Here is a link incase you didn't see it
here

It is just such a relief to hear that other alleged "relaxed second-timers" are sitting at home scrutinising their innocent babes for sinister symptoms, thanks girls, you have really cheered me up - if you see what I mean. I don't want other people to be as anxious as me...
Dd honked everywhere over me last night too, Musica - you feed them for the next 24 hours as though they are a ticking bomb, don't you. And now I'm fretting because she hasn't done a dirty nappy in 24 hours. Someone take me outside and give me a slap round the chops! (and then do the same to Wills' mother, grrrr).
Pupuce, thanks for the reassurance, I just crave that real smile. Dd looks pleased to see me (once she's checked I'm not holding a homoeopathic packet) and does lots of head bobbing and looking contented, so I think I am making a mountain out of a molehill. As ever. Heck, I can't even remember how long I've been on Mumsnet.
Musica, glad you had a good holiday - the weather is often really nice during September. Presumably this is to make all teachers and parents of school-age children glum, but it's good to hear that you had sea, sun and a sleeping baby.
Wills, thanks for the offer of metanium, currently we're managing with sudocrem when necessary - I offered for K because she is a bit more away from shopping centres.
I am so sorry about your mother, they can be so cruel and you wonder - did she mean that the way it came out? Surely not. My parents specialise in nasty digs about my weight (justified but still hurtful) and making me feel that if I mention Tom it is maudlin and self-indulgent now we have dd, and "that episode is best forgotten, for your own and your family's good". You have EVERY RIGHT to be wrapped up in your new baby, especially when feeding is proving to be such a struggle at the moment. That's what being the mother of a newborn is all about. Big hugs to you. XXX

Hugs to everyone. I'm terribly impressed by how well you're all doing - take a look at the June/July thread if you're ever in doubt!

Marina, babe will poo. My dd1 only ever did one 24-hour hold-out, but dd2 does it more often, and all that happens is a volcanic eruption. And mine only smiles from time to time. I'll show you some time, when we finally manage to cross the wastes of South-East London.

And just to add that I'm incredibly impressed at women who continue to breastfeed when it's all going so horribly. I'm quite sure I'd have given up. Hugs.

Marina - don't worry about the poo! Dd only goes about once every 4 or 5 days! But then it's worth waiting for! Usually reaches her belly button! Which is pleasant...

I agree about parents - they sometimes just have a knack of saying the wrong thing don't they. And of course people are going to be a bit wrapped up in their babies - there would be something wrong if they weren't!

When my second baby arrived I was probably even more incompetent than I was with my first (and that's saying something). I gave her undiluted apple juice in a bottle fairly early on for one thing - she looked a bit startled and the effect on her digestion was not pleasant. You all sound much more sorted.

She wasn't much of a smiler, either, Marina, and apart from early nausea I'd had an anxiety-free pregnancy so don't feel too bad about that. (LOL at her checking for the homeopathic packet by the way. Your posts make me smile a lot!)

Hi Guys. Never seem to get the chance to type anymore. Got the bum cream. Thanks both for offering to get it for me. Tracked it down in a funny old chemists while seeking something for DH's bees! Should have some lovely honey next weekend.

Got myself in a right pickle on Sunday though. Was trying to strap all the kids in their seats. DS was in the Maxi cosi in the middle and I was in the front passenger seat. He asked me to recline him so I streched backwards with my hand but his feet where wedged against the front seats stopping it moving. I asked him to shift his feet and the seat suddenly shifted position trapping my fingers between the recline lever and the seat frame. Bloomin painful but also I was completely stuck. Couldn't reach with my other hand to do anything and DH had gone back into the house for something and the horn wouldn't work without the keys. Couldn't reach to release the kids so they could go get him either. Ended up stuck there for 10 mins until DH came back and still took anther 10 mins to get me free. No serious damage done and quite funny looking back. Still can't figure out how I managed it.

Hope you are surviving Wills. Off to clean DD2s bum now and slap this cream on. She's also full of cold now which means she can't feed properly so I'm engorged with permanent damp patches on my top which go very cold in this wind. Her spots seems to be improving though at least.

Had my 6wk check-up today (Is it really 6 wks already!). Mentioned DD2s bum to the Dr and she had a look but thought it was just nappy rash so suggested I carry on with the metanium. However she then said it was thrush in her mouth and prescribed Nystatin. I asked if I should treat her bum too and she said that wasn't thrush. Can't quite believe she's only got it at one end but her comment was that if it didn't respond to canestan and daktarin then it couldn't be thrush. Oh well might go back to calendula and that is anti-fungal and great for healing and we'll see what happens.

Went flying down some uneven steps in town today. Nothing damaged just bruised knees and pride but I was carrying DD2 at the time. I'd just been thinking that she'd be safer in the sling in case I fell when...bump! Fortunatly I had my arm across her shoulders and so my arm hit the floor rather than her head but it could have been so horrible. Felt really guilty that I'd been carrying her but then thought if she'd been in the sling because I would have put my hands down and with the give in the sling it probably would ahve been much worse.

Really hope things DON'T come in threes!

Oh Katherine - thank goodness you're both ok! That's my nightmare - falling with dd. Hope the thrush gets sorted out soon - there seems to be a spate of it about - I wonder if there could be some reason, or if it's just quite common!

Tesco stocks Metanium...

Crumbs Katherine, thank goodness you're both OK. I'm like musica, it's a scary thought. Call me ridiculous but that is why I have not taken dd onto our patio all that often - I worry about dropping her.

Hi guys, god it feels nice to have half an hour to myself for what feels like the first time in ages! Ds1 is at his Gran's and ds2 is sound asleep in his moses upstairs.

Not had much time to post over last few weeks, since my last post about Harry being poorly.
Well, things went from bad to worse.

To cut a long story short, his temperature was still high, so the Doctor referred him to the paediatrician at the hospital. We took him up there that night, and they wanted to keep him in for one night obs, until they saw his belly button, which the Doctor had cauterised with silver nitrate two days earlier.
They were horrified, the skin around it had blistered after when we got him home on the day she did it, then his nappy had chafed the area overnight and the blistered area was raw and weeping and it swelled up. We covered it and put Savlon on as the pharmacist recommended for the next 24 hours, but it looked much the same and smelt a bit off by the time we got him to the hospital.
(When we took him back to the GP she said he'd reacted to the alcohol swab she'd used).

They said it was infected and they admitted him for three days on IV antibiotics. (They wiped his little hand with alchohol swabs before they put the canula? in and his skin didn't even go slightly pink.)

When the Consultant Paed. came on his rounds the second day, he turned round to the medical students he had with him and said "This is a good example of how NOT to do silver nitrate". Before we went home he told us the area of skin around his belly button which had been "burnt" shouldn't leave a scar.

We were FURIOUS and obviously really upset, all along we had suspected that the GP had caught his skin with the SN and that it hadn't been the alchohol swab as she'd suggested. His temperature was fine all the time he was in hospital, it had all over his notes that he'd been admitted for an 'infected umbilicus', which had all been caused by the careless witch of a GP.

Needless to say we've wrote a letter of complaint to the surgery, but haven't heard anything back yet.

SO,(sorry, this had gone on to be rather a lot longer than expected!) we're all back home now, and Harry seems okay at last thank god.
He's waking twice in the night for feeds, once about 3.30 and again about 5.30, but at the second feed he doesn't seem to be that hungry, he only takes a couple of ounces and he is then WIDE awake till about 7. I'm considering trying him with boiled water at the 5.30 feed to try and break the habit of waking.

How often are all the other little angels waking at night?

Hi Neen, good to hear from you and sorry you've had such a rough time. At least your little chap is getting good care now but its terrible when they are hurting isn't it.

DD2 is also waking about 2 times a night at the moment (an improvement on last week so I'm happy but she was doing 1 feed a night at first ). She also feeds about 3.30-4am and then manages to squeeze in another before DH gets up at 6.30 at which point the other two get up very noisily so I'm exhausted at the moment.

DD2s bum seems much better with the metanium (putting horrible stains on my nappies though and smells awful! the cream that is not DD2 ) She's taking the naystatin like an angel so hopefully thinks will clear up soon. Hope things are improving for you too Wills.

Marina, Musica, thanks. It was horrible. I was carrying a glass bottle in one hand which didn't break thank goodness but make a horrible cracking noise as it hit the ground and I was terrified it was something else. But all is well now apart from black knees and I think I've pulled a muscle in my arm. I suppose its lucky I didn't break one or both of them as I landed on my knees and elbows - imagine trying to change nappies with your arm in a cast!