Newborns, Bfing, Toddlers and Tantrums

[SayCoolNowSayWhip]

A carry on from the Pregnant and Overdue - 37/38 weeks thread in Pregnancy.

For those of us who have finally met our bundles of joy!

Come here to share birth stories, newborn issues, feeding, tips on how to deal with toddler siblings, or just general gripes and chit chat.

DS was born on Saturday and just sleeps and eats. I have a 2.5 yo DD who is being a bit of a monkey (understandably) with the new addition.

DS looks like he has a posterior tongue tie which is making latching incredibly painful. Have sent DH out for nipple shields - anyone used these?

[TheCountessOlenska]

Hope it goes/went well SayCool

I've been wearing my Babawrap sling today - never bothered with a sling with DD but I needed both my hands back! I quite like it, not sure about wearing it out of the house.

Breastfeeding has settled down a bit - less cluster feeding etc (till the next growth spurt I guess) had better night last night. I cannot get him to sleep for more than two hours in his moses basket but co-sleeping he went 5 hours!

twinkle yeah DS likes (in order of preference) being held (has liked the sling today), carseat, pushchair, bouncy chair. Not keen on moses basket at all.

[Radiator1234]

Hope the tongue tie snip went ok Whip. Bless :-(

[DeathMetalMum]

Hope the tounge tie went well saycool.

We have had a busy fee days went to clinic to get dd2 weighed on wednesday finally regained birthweight but HV wants me to get her weighed again next week also - I don't really mind as they run a stay and play session at the same time which dd1 loves.

Have my second full day solo tomorrow going to feed the ducks to keep dd1 occupied and make her tired. Dp goes back to evening shifts on sunday so somehow have to work out. cooking and eating dinner and getting dd1 into bed while juggling/feeding dd2 anyone have any clue how I do that?

Saycool you could try a breastfeeding bag/box, you fill it with a few snacks and some activities mybe some crayons, some cars, stickers, a dvd etc and dc gets to choose something out of the box each feed.

[SayCoolNowSayWhip]

Good luck tomorrow Deathmetal! The evening sounds particularly difficult - hope it goes well. Early dinner, bf while DS1 in bath?

Tongue snip went fine - really lovely lady who came to do it. Small amount of blood, lots of screaming from me but he settled after a quick feed and has just eaten slept and eaten and slept since! Fingers crossed the sleeping continues tonight....

Had forgotten the magic of swaddling! Hadn't been able to put DS down for a sleep, but swaddled him up and put him in Moses basket and he stayed asleep! Miracles....

Thanks for all the handholding - I'm just a big wuss

[SayCoolNowSayWhip]

Oh and Countess, yes I need to get my sling down from the loft. I think DS will be a sling baby....

I couldn't get on with the baba sling - couldn't work out how to do it properly and it always felt too loose and unsafe. Will give it another go though!

[TheCountessOlenska]

Glad it went well Saycool, and hopefully it will make bfing easier for you too?

Got the Babasling as it is the top rated one on Mumsnet (it was a panic buy so have done no research into slings!)- I did it up too loose at first, had to get my mum to do it for me and it was fine after that. Going to see if I can manage it tomorrow on my own.

Deathmetalmum - I do all bedtimes on my own as DH works away (and even when he's here, DD insists on me doing it). I have had good and bad ones so far, there is a lot of sitting on the loo breastfeeding watching DD in the bath etc. Dinner has been a bit slapdash, DD eating a lot of fishfingers in front of cbeebies

[Dirtymistress]

Pleased you are both okay saycool. Yes to swaddling in our house too. And slings. We even use a sling for ds1 - he loves to high up on dp's back. Left dirtybaby with my mother for 4 hours today! First time I've been gone for more than half an hour. It was fine, took dirtytoddler on the train to visit daddy at work.

[DeathMetalMum]

Glad it went well Saycool. I would also been crying the most.

We do baths in the morning here so don't have that to worry about (dd1 has eczema so never been part if bedtime routine). Mostly worrying about dinner think we will be living off fish fingers and jacket pots + beans/tuna/whatever for the forseable future. Main problem is dd needing me to be in the room until she is asleep hopefully can just bf dd2 and she doesn't disrupt too much.

I've dug out our never yet used sling also, we were given a Wilkinet I just need to get round to reading how to use it and practice with one of dd's dolls!

[Radiator1234]

DeathMetal... I think that the tea/bath/bed (or no bath if like you you do baths in the morning) routine with two is a nightmare!! Certainly in these early days anyway. The first time I tried to do it on my own - while OH was out - I almost had a nervous breakdown. One crying, the other one then crying, .... toddler not dealing well with situation... putting herself in "time out" and refusing to come out, throwing a paddy etc. Argh. Anyway since then I've done it a few times. Each time is a bloody nightmare. I can't see it getting easier until DD2 gets a bit older.

[Whereisthesnow]

Glad to hear tongue tie snip went ok Saycool.
I too am dreading bedtime on my own. DH back at work on Tuesday, he does a few late shifts a week - fortunately none until week after though.
Thinking I must try and get ds2 to wake up a bit more in afternoons - he is very sleepy until about 7 then really alert until about now - not really condusive to proper bedtime at 7ish! We started a bedtime routine with ds1 fairly early on and think it helped with his sleep, just can't quite remember when we started

[SayCoolNowSayWhip]

Aargh, feeding NOT going well tonight Not sure if its the snip or my stupid large boobs but DS is now having real problems latching on. He seems to take one look at the boob and have a screaming fit. Can't get him on, and milk squirts everywhere which makes it worse... I am covered in it!

I hate my boobs.

[RubyrooUK]

Glad the snip went well SayCool but sorry about the feeding issues. Hopefully he will get back into the swing of it very soon.

It may be that his tongue is just a bit sore temporarily (although that could be me talking rubbish as I don't really know anything about tongue tie, sorry). I am sure your boobs are lovely really.

I am up feeding hoping that DS2 doesn't increase his record of four hours awake in the night (like last night, the longest night on earth). Have spent all day looking and feeling like a very squashed slug.

Luckily I deployed my in laws and my mum to blow bubbles for DS1 outside in sub-zero temperatures for about three hours, so they made themselves useful.

Now, must attempt to get DS2 back in his moses basket....although clearly no babies are briefed at birth on liking moses baskets and they'd much rather sleep on their parents.

[Whereisthesnow]

Saycool I'd agree that probably the snip has made his mouth sore. But ds was a little gassy at the start and couldn't get latched on with much screaming - are you using infacol? That seems to have calmed him down a bit

[Dirtymistress]

Not having a good day, have terrible cough which has stopped me sleeping at all. Ds1 seems to be getting his molars and is inconsolable. Plus have dogs to walk, my parents to contend with and no time to enjoy my baby. Sigh.

[RubyrooUK]

Oh sorry to hear that Dirty. Hopefully today will be better than you expect.

How are the boobs/your DS, StayCool? Have you tried reverse pressure softening at all? This was the best thing when I was engorged and DS2 had trouble feeding as it made the nipple much easier for him to latch onto.

I still do it now if my boobs get over-full. I sympathise on the big boobs front too. I'm a 32C in normal life but currently a 34HH. Ouch. My boobs are definitely bigger than DS' head....

[RubyrooUK]

Sorry SayCool, not StayCool...damn phone. Although StayCool is a pretty good name too.

[SayCoolNowSayWhip]

Rubyroo me too! Just had to order some 34HH bras online. Ridiculous!

I will try the reverse massage thing, thanks. DS is really unsettled today, wants to feed all the time and cries when he's not. Also having explosive poos, hope he's not got diarrhoea

Hope your cough gets better Dirtymistress. Any chance your visitors can do something to help you rather than you waiting on them?

[Dirtymistress]

Parents have gone home-hooray! And walking the dogs was good as weather beautiful today and ds1 loves to come along. Baby has been good as gold. Cough still monstrous, feel like I've got pneumonia but, I did make it to the bookies to place grand national bets

[Szeli]

Aw saycool hope op went well.

B met his cousins today; 4 hours in the park was lovely but Bs caught the sun a bit so now I feel awful, his cheeks all pink; sun block and parasol need purchasing I think.

Mum kidnapped baby on our return too which was amazing. 3 whole hours sleeping :) x

[twinklesparkles]

Hey everyone

Saycool, glad the snip went well and hope the feeding gets better :)

I won the grand national!! We only placed the bet as it is our dd's name. The odds were 80-1! Couldn't believe we won :)

Having chinese takeaway with dh to celebrate :)

I've had a great, although massively strange day... Gave dd a dummy and formula milk and she is still breastfeeding and latching on well [sceptical] .. I'm waiting for it all to go wrong.

This afternoon, she had just sucked me dry, I had nothing left she was just screaming screaming and turning blue, didn't know what else to do other than send dh out for milk.
She took an ounce, got the sleep she needed and gave me the time to fill up again before feeding her :) no confusion with the nipple whatsoever .... Too good to be true right?

Fingers crossed it keeps being ok, not planning on giving her more. Maybe another ounce in the morning? Will see.

[SayCoolNowSayWhip]

Wow Twinkles, well done! Cakes are on you then

That's great that the formula top up helped and didn't confuse your DD. I know they say not to do it too much though as it can mess up your supply.... But I'm no expert and definitely an advocate for going with whatever works!

Haven't tried DS with a bottle yet as I literally have not had a chance to express. He's a feeder! Cluster fed non stop between 6 and 10.30 this evening and has now been feeding on and off for the last hour. Can't wait to see what his weight is on Monday.... Unfortunately what goes in must come out - I have never seen a baby poo so much!!

[SayCoolNowSayWhip]

Dirtymistress, hope your cough feels better soon. I recommend wine and chocolate

[ZuleikaD]

Just marking my place! Been having good day - bad day - good day - bad day since baby D was born on Thursday, and more or less the same with the nights. Feeding every hour on the hour all night last night - thank God DH deals with the other two DCs at night at the moment.

[SayCoolNowSayWhip]

Hi Zuleika, about the same here! We are just milking stations for these babies.....

Cluster feeds. Love it.

[ZuleikaD]

Yes, he seemed horrified when my milk came in yesterday afternoon (and who wouldn't, expected to feed off a concrete football...) but then rapidly got addicted. At least it means nice breastmilk nappies instead of horrible meconium gunk!