Sept Mums ......part one

[wiltshire]

I thought I would start a new one

Hello everyone....I'm back finally. I've had the most crazy few weeks. We went home for Christmas (first one in years) which was great but my father was admitted to hospital a few days after Christmas unable to breathe. He's been a smoker for years and along with a weight problem and various other things has been a walking timebomb for a long time so in many ways it came as no surprise, indeed a relief for us all. He's still in but should be out next week but will be on oxygen 15hrs a day for the forseeable future.
In the middle of all of this dh and my Mum had a big row, dh and I nearly split up (we start our counselling this week) and I think I came close to a nervous breakdown.
It sounds terrible I know but things are genuinely ok now and amazingly I'm still managing to b/feed which is something driving me demented as dd2 is STILL not sleeping through and I don't know what to do.
Now we're back and dd1 resumes pre-school tomorrow I'm hoping to establish some sort of routine in all our lives once more as there's been absolutely none in recent weeks. It's been a hard few weeks and I'm ever so slightly bitter that these first few months of my babys life have been blighted by these other matters but she's perfect in every way and has been a delight to all recently.
I'm trying to catch up on everyones news in the thread so I hope all are well............tell me mine's not the only one still not sleeping through ?????????

Yay angel, so good to see you back - really sorry you have had such a rough time - you sound like your coping SO well

Good Luck Alisa for tomorrow

Becac
xxx

Hi AM, I'm glad that you are managing to sort hings out now. We were all wondering where you've been.
I think its just us two still bf, so don't give up I need to know someone else is still bf.
Ds2 is hardly sleeping at all now, so theres nothing to worry about there. Apart from your lack of sleep that is.
Hi Becca, how are you doing?

Ok Bekki so if it's you and me I need to compare. Have you offered any solids, is your ds sleeping much during the day, how many feeds a day, does he feed then break off himself or do you have to end it, are you offering both boobs at feeds, is he teething at all..............I know I know I sound like a mother demented but I really don't want to stop but need to compare

Ohhhh ! Other mums up late with a Sept baby...Fantastic (in the nicest meant way). Can I join in? Have a DD of 2.3 & the new DS. Thought it would be the same second time around, but its so different. Enjoying him much more than I did her (not personal, just a confidence thing) but found I rarely have the time for DS that I had for DD and am feeling pretty guilty about it, anybody else feel the same?

Hi Angel, Good to see you back. I hope life starts getting easier once you've got a routine going, tell me how to do it once you have one as the only routine we have are James's feed times, every thing else is pretty hit and miss. I haven't seen the bottom of my washing bin in weeks, over the weekend I did 5 or 6 loads and it's full up again this morning!

I weaned James last week and he seems to have taken to it really well, it seems to have kickstarted a good appetite and I'm trying 8oz bottles today because he seems so much hungrier. He has rice at lunchtime and always seems hungrier for the next bottle before it's due(does that make sense?) so before I increase the rice I thought more milk might be better. Can't remember if thats the right way to do it but hey-ho!

Welcome lesa2, when was your little man born? It's nice to hear you're enjoying it more this time. In answer to your question about time..............AAAAHHHHH what's that then? I've got 3DS's and the only time I get to myself is shopping at Asda once a week, which I'm ashamed to say I really look forward too!

Well, here I am at work, done NOTHING this morning except delete most of the emails that have arrived during the last 4½ months! Having a chat with the boss this afternoon. Everything went wrong this morning, MIL phoned to say she wasn't well so could I take DD1 & DS to school, eventually got them there 10 minutes late, took Jenny to nursery, had to go back to the car because I forgot her registration documents, when I went back into the baby room to say bye to her, she didn't want to know. I've resisted the temptation to ring the nursery, I'm sure she's fine, if she wasn't they'd have phoned me by now.

Jenny's starting on solids proper today. Can't wait to pick her up later.

Will post again later when I'm at home.

Only 10 minutes Ailsa......thats excellent.
I bet Jenny is having great fun

I've just had to give my little man a haircut as it was beginning to get into his eyes, he looks all grown up and I want my little baby back! I did have a go with solids as he seemed to be much hungrier, but he's not massively enthusiastic, so I'm going to wait for a bit.

Sounds like Jenny's having a good time then Ailsa, hope they keep you busier this afternoon, otherwise too much time to waste on MN ! Angelmother, sorry to hear what the last few weeks have been like, I think it's absolutely brilliant you've kept b/f through all that.

Hi Lese2, I know exactly what you mean about the time thing, DD started school mornings only a week before Joseph was born and he's been chucked in the pram, back to his cot, or anywhere convenient really since he's been born ! I was feeling pretty guilty. DD is now full-time and it's really weird, very quiet all day and I think he seems to miss her, so I guess they gain in other ways when they've got an older sibling.

Emma, I don't think you're supposed to be able to see the bottom of the laundry basket, think they'd have designed them with a picture on the bottom if you were !

That a very good point kittypickle and I will have to steal such a witty comment

Amazingly James has finished every 8oz bottle so far today is now crashed out on the sofa after his rice. I need a collective MN finger crossing session to keep it going!

Jenny had a great time, had 3 hours less sleep than normal, drained the 2 bottles of formula that they gave her and ate a third of the jar of banana and baby rice. She had lots of cuddles from the staff and the older babies.

Hi everyone!
And welcome to Leas2. Fill us all in on the birth and things.
Angelmother- I don't pay alot of attention to when he feeds or for how long, but I'd say every 3 hours for 10 minutes but it really does vary. Over the last 3 weeks he has started to empty both sides in one feed! He also comfort feeds alot though. He sleeps for about 3 hours in the day and goes down at 10pm and wakes again at 3am and 8am. I haven't started him on solids properly but I have let him suck on a pear that I was trying to eat-he grabbed it off me! He always sits on my lap at meal times and if the food is appropriate then I let him smell it and lick it.
I've gone a bit mad on slings and carriers this month. £150 worth of slings oh and one pushchair for £220. I feel like I need to confess to see if it makes me feel any better. Oh god and £200 on nappies! If my dh knew!
Ailsa-I'm glad it wasn't too awful returning to work. Enjoy yourself.
Kitty- We need some of that hair. Mines falling out in handfuls now my hormones are going back to normal, whatever that is. And Alex has hardly a hair on his head.

Don't worry Bekki, we won't tell him. We all understand the absolute need for these things isn't it good that our men have no idea about baby equipment, mine doesn't anyway.

Do you feel cleansed now?

I feel alot better now. Thanks Emma.
I'm parading around in my latest ring sling and dh hasn't even noticed. I'm sure he thinks that these things just appear from thin air.
Hows James doing with his rice? Does he sleep better now?

He still wakes at around 5am for his small 4oz bottle, and then just fidgets and farts about for an hour or 2 by which time DS1+2 are about to get up.
He's due for the next one soon so I'm hoping on an early night tonight....thats is mumsnet doesn't get it claws into me again

OOpps forgot to say Yes he loves his rice, it's going really well and he did that lovely thing when they get all excited to see the bowl and spoon today.

Awwwwwww have I told you all how lovely, wonderful, beautiful etc etc etc he is?

I had a call from the HV's assistant today. She wants to come on Monday and do his "4 month check" I had no idea there was one, has everyone else had this ? Not that I mind, she can tell me how much my little porker weighs without me having to traipse to clinic!

4 month check? That must be new one as DS1+2 certainly didn't have it.

I haven't heard anything about it for James either and he'll be 4 months next week.

Quiet bunch, aren't we

How are you all?

Emma, I've read the Strawberry thread, you are a hero!!! Hope all the babies are well. Joseph had a dreadful day yesterday, his first tooth has come through. He'd been unsettled for a few days but spent most of yesterday screaming. I obviously got off extremely lightly last time and this is payback time. Poor little man, I just hope the other teeth aren't as bad.

Wow, a tooth already! That's got to be the first september baby tooth

I just wish the postie had come this morning Kitty, the waiting is a nightmare.

Poorly baby again!
Alexander had his second lot of jabs on Wednesday and he is stll running a temperature.
Last night he wouldn't stop crying. I thinkhe has tooth ache, a tummy bug and a temp due to jabs. Poor little man. His bum is red raw from his acidic poos.
Hows the world of weaning, bottles, teething and jabs going for everybody else

James had his 2nd lot of jab on Thursday, after having to cancel it twice because of coughs and cold. I hate to say it Bekki but this one didn't affect him one bit, I'm amazed because the first lots caused at least 24 hours worth of screaming.
Have you tried metanium on Alex's bum? I think it's 1000 time better that sudocrem and it clears up the worst nappy rash in in a day or two. DS2 always hated sudocrem as it would sting to put it on, never had a complaint with metanium from him. He's been dry for 3 weeks now though, that was fun with a 4 month old!

Weaning has gone well, he's not too fussed about fruity things but we tried carrot yesterday and he LOVED it, I mixed it with his normal amount of rice so it was quite a huge meal for such a little belly(it was at least 1/3 of a hefty carrot). He's gone back to being fussy with his milk and the only way I can get him to drink it is if he's asleep, which can be a nightmare if he's only just woken up anyway. He's gaining weight so I'm not too worried.

I'd like to thank PPH for making me chill out about getting him weighed, I was becoming neurotic(SP?) but how much he put on every week. I was due to go on friday after the HV said to come back then to see how weaning had helped and I very nearly didn't go because it's going so well he must have out on more than he usually had, does that make sense? Thanks anyway PPH, it was nothing you said directly to me that caused the chill factor, just that you were so shocked that I was still going weekly. I was obsessed about it.

Blimey, didn't realise I had so much to say!

Poor Alex I hope he's feeling better soon.
I hate those jabs, I've been delaying the third set as I can't face another reaction.

The HV assistant came last week for this 4 month check thing. Think it must just be something our practice does for some reason. He's now 16lb 12 oz and 69.5cm long. Teething pain stopped for the moment thank goodness. The solids haven't really been happening very much recently as he went off his milk with his teething. However, after a rude awakening at 4am this morning he has had butternut squash and a bit of apple today - it went down, but he pulls some very funny faces!

Emma, it does make sense what you said about the weighing, glad you're feeling liberated.

Were you obsessive with your other boys weight then?
I haven't had Alexander weighed since his 3 month check up. People always ask me and I say "erm dunno between 14-19lbs, what do you think?" They look at me like I'm the worst mother alive. Especially when I tell them hes not tried solids yet. An ex co-worker who started her 10 week old on solids started whispering in Alexs ear "come home with me and I'll feed you jam sandwiches". I mean really as if. Apparently feeding him jam sandwiches is in her eyes better than dealing weaning.
Thanks Emma I've tried all of my natural baby products but nothing is working because of the teething. I'll try your suggestion.