Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Original poster

April Babies

559 replies

MrsDoolittle · 20/04/2004 15:45

Well there had to be one...
Thought I might as well start it at Fennels suggestion.
You have all read enough from me how about you?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
hewlettsdaughter · 16/05/2004 14:21

Suspect I am more of a 'Leachian' myself, although I've never actually read 'Your Baby and Child' (must go and look for it on Amazon...). Sorry that you and dh don't seem to agree - must be hard. But it's early days yet - you'll work something out. As you suggest, there's a long time until September, and a lot of difference between a 4 week old and a 5 month old!
Dot - have you seen the new thread on gay parenting??

Fennel · 17/05/2004 12:01

yes, new babies are totally different from 4,5,6 monthers. I look at dd3, not 3 weeks yet, and can't bear the thought of her going to nursery in september but I was very happy going back to work at 4-5 months with the other two, it's just looking at my fragile newborn I forget she'll be a bouncing sitting up sturdy thing by the time she goes to nursery.

Mrs D - Ford and Leach are indeed pretty incompatible systems! I can't see how you'd compromise those two. I'd hold the baby while having dinner if it keeps her happy, she will be so different in a few weeks, by 2-3 months you'll probably be able to put her in bed, have a quiet dinner, no problems. this clingy crying in evening stage really doesn't last long for most babies.

Fennel · 17/05/2004 12:02

One of the best bits of advice I was given before having dd1 - for any bad bit, however awful - No stage lasts very long!
it just feels at the time as though it will.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General parenting
hewlettsdaughter · 17/05/2004 14:13

That knowledge (that nothing lasts for ever) was the only thing that got me through ds's colic.

Original poster
MrsDoolittle · 17/05/2004 18:25

Fennel - Thank you for the advice, sometimes you really need to hear it!

OP posts:
Fennel · 18/05/2004 16:24

my mother is staying this week (looking after the poxy dd1 who's off school). very helpful but some of Mrs D's mother's views are seeping out. she thinks I feed dd3 too often (what, she's feeding AGAIN?) and shouldn't hold her while eating (she should be in her own bed, asleep at 7pm prompt) etc. she really approves of my breastfeeding (she wanted to but couldn't) but can't get that you have to feed them differently from bottlefed babies.

another of my all-time favourite bits of advice I was given before dd1 - if you want your breastfed baby to take a bottle ever, get them started now, before 6 weeks, that's when many of them suddenly get VERY fussy about it. feel bossy saying this but it was advice which was essential to me.

Original poster
MrsDoolittle · 18/05/2004 16:31

Hi Fennel, am slightly confused. Do you mean do give her a bottle now or is that what your mother said?
Oh and I get the "feeding again?" one!!
Reassuring to know I am not the only one

OP posts:
Fennel · 18/05/2004 17:06

hi, no that's not my mother's advice but mine (given to me by friends)!

(I ignore all my mother's advice, am ungrateful daughter)

yes the "feeding again" comment is really irritating. still, my mum has cleaned the house, done gardening and childcare so is being unusually useful this week, in between irritating comments.

Original poster
MrsDoolittle · 18/05/2004 18:47

I'll try that. Have been wondering when to try expressing.
Looks like it's going to be next week then!
Thanks again Fennel, you are a fountain of knowledge!!

OP posts:
Fennel · 18/05/2004 20:10

fountain of opinions anyway and good at finding research to back up my arguments

Metrobaby · 18/05/2004 22:54

Thats really good advice Fennel. I remember teh nightmare I had with dd when I tried to move her onto bottles when she was 5 months.

However I hate expressing. Any good tips on the best time to do it?? ie Straight after a feed or wait an hour ?

I have so many questions - I am surprised at how much have forgotten. I am trying to persuade ds to take a dummy for a bit but he's not having any of it. Any suggestions? as I really don't want to become one. I'm also finding it incredibly difficult to keep him awake too. He keeps falling asleep straight after a feed. I can't get him awake for love nor money (that is unless he gets windy and then its a completely different story).

I've taken ds to a cranial oestopath over the last 2 weeks and have to say I highly recommend it. DS is so much happier. He suffered from terrible wind before and now it has eased up considerably. Its like I have a different baby

Original poster
MrsDoolittle · 19/05/2004 00:29

Dd was really unhappy with wind last week and we seemed to get through it with infacol (maybe a coincidence).
However I wonder of that's was put her clock out because she isn't sleeping at night but all morning instead. Atleast I am getting stuff done but I guess I am going to have to start waking her up now.
HD - Thanks for your e-mail.

OP posts:
hewlettsdaughter · 19/05/2004 00:40

Metrobaby - we seem to be on the same wavelength! I don't get on with expressing myself, dd always falls asleep on the breast, and we have also seen a cranial osteopath in the last week - was recommended for breastfeeding problems (no idea if it has done anything though).
Fennel - how is your poxy dd? And are the colds on the way out?

dot1 · 19/05/2004 00:48

Hi all! What a nightmare day today... ds1 woke up unable to put any weight on his left leg - we've all had colds over the last few days, and it turns out (after spending all day in hospital...) that he's got an infection in his leg, caused by the cold - bless him! Awful to see him not able to run around when he's usually so active. Anyway, he's actually recovered really quickly, so didn't have to stay in.

Meanwhile my Mum looked after ds2 for a while so he had a formula bottle this afternoon - and of course drank the whole lot and has been much more settled than normal - leading me to be paranoid that he doesn't get enough milk from me... I love feeding him, and I'm always leaking milk so I'm sure he gets enough - but most things make me paranoid at the moment...

No - haven't read the gay parenting thread yet - just about to! Talking of which, I got v. annoyed at the hospital when the nurse on the ward put me down as "Mum's friend" in ds1's notes - of course dp had him, but I like to think I'm slightly more than "Mum's friend" - grrrrr.... But I was a wuss and didn't complain...

Anyway, better go - only got 10 minutes peace and want to read the other thread!

Fennel · 19/05/2004 14:05

Dot - hope your ds1 gets better soon. one of the recent breastfeeding threads (about feeling empty in the evenings) talks about how they glug a formula bottle but it doesn't mean they are actually hungry, just like to glug.

my dds are all better now thanks, no pox or colds. dd3 is thriving beautifully (suspect we are still pre-colic age at just 3 weeks).

I could never express straight after a feed, for me it has to be when I haven't fed off that breast for a couple of hours at least. ie perhaps you feed first thing, around 7am, and then express about 8-9 am. I always have spare in the mornings (my dds have always fed more in day and far less at night) so that's why I do it then. but I do find it easy, obviously lots of people don't. I'm sure I'd have used more formula or given up breastfeeding earlier with the others if I couldn't express easily.

Metrobaby - dd3 is barely ever awake, I think it's normal still at this age, yours is the same age isn't he? just 3 weeks. also perhaps he's a bit young to get the hang of a dummy, perhaps in a week or two he'll do it easily.

Original poster
MrsDoolittle · 19/05/2004 16:50

Don't know where I read it but somewhere here it was posted that babies can't digest formula as easily as breastmilk and so they tend to sleep more. Hence the fact it usually formula babies that sleep through the night really early on.
I wouldn't worry Dot - mines really wriggly too and grisely in the evenings, I put it down to the fact that she really doesn't know what else to do with herself yet!! We dance to the new Keane album to entertain ourselves

How's it going HD?

Btw - Had a great night last night. We settled together at 11pm after a good long feed. I was woken up just before 3 by some supping noises beside me, so we ahd a sleeping half hour feed. Then settled back down until half six! How great is that? Have decided I am not going to worry about bad habits and stuff now - whatever it takes to get through the night!!

OP posts:
dot1 · 19/05/2004 18:06

I agree Mrs D - I've had ds2 in bed with me tons more than we ever had ds1, but if it means I get an extra half an hour sleep...! I still feel a bit 'out of control' - in that we GF ds1 and haven't got the time/energy/patience to do it with ds2 - so I feel like I haven't got a structure, but we're getting there! ds2 had a dream feed at 10pm for the first time last night - I really want to get him feeding just once in the night - kind of worked... He did 10pm, 1.30am and then 5am. Hmmmm - need to get that 1.30am to about 3am and then I think he'll go through to 7am. (see what I mean - I'm a control freak!! )

hewlettsdaughter · 19/05/2004 23:28

Glad you both had ok nights last night MrsD and dot. I had an independent midwife here this afternoon for an hour - she got dd and me a bit better positioned for feeding and got dd latched on successfully too - just have to be able to do it myself now... Unfortunately the woman who helped me is going on holiday for a week from tomorrow so I expect we will just have to keep muddling through until she comes back. Am planning to buy some fennel tea (good for wind and also milk supply too apparently).

Metrobaby · 20/05/2004 23:35

HD = I hope bf gets better for you. I have to say I really do admire your perserverance with it. I must admit I'm not sure I could have gone through so much pain. Well done you

dot1 - my dd was a GF baby too - but like you I can't seem to do it with ds. Part of the problem is because he promptly dozes off straight after a feed - the other because I can't seem to manage fitting in looking after dd too - I seem to be constantly feeding as ds takes a good 45 mins or so to have a full feed

Now after complaining ds is sleeping - he has started to wake upa bit more. DD has had a cold/fluey thing over the last couple of days plus ds has been suffering with wind so have felt very tired.

Fennel - yes ds is the same age as your dd. How old are your other 2 dd's ?

On thurs I phoned the nursery to confirm availabity for ds. I was heartbroken to find they could take him in October. I had hoped I could delay going back to work until the new year. I surprised myself as I remember with dd, I was quite happy to go back after 6 months - but I feel differently now.

mears · 21/05/2004 02:00

Noticed that there are a few colocky babies here. Have any of you tried Colicynth granules? You get them at most chemists/ health shops. The beauty of them is that you put a pinch of granules on the babies tongue every 5 minutes until the colic goes. Anyone I know who has used them find them really good, much better than infacol. Thought that might help.

hewlettsdaughter · 21/05/2004 18:11

Mears - thanks for that. We had a nightmare night with dd last night - had hoped she wouldn't be colicky like ds but last night she seemed really in pain.
Metrobaby - bf is less painful now than it was when dd was a few days old (don't think I would still be bf if it was, quite honestly!)

dot1 · 21/05/2004 18:46

thanks Mears - will try to get some - ds2 really is bad with it at the moment and I find the thing with infacol is that it makes his lips slippery so he then can't latch on and goes bonkers so I've stopped using it.

Original poster
MrsDoolittle · 22/05/2004 12:38

Hi girls, I have just logged on this morning to see whats been going on over the weekend.
Weather has been gorgeous but things are a bit rubbish for us. This windiness in dd is back with us again with a vengeance - poor love. It's so sad - she sits so still and peaceful in my arms for three minutes only to have her little body stiffen with pain and crying. This could last for a couple of hours. At the moment it's the 3am and 6am feeds affected. I'm not bothering with infacol this time, I'll try Mears suggestion.
On top of that is the suspicion I have thrush, but am not sure so I am going to run a thread on this. Bloody hurts whatever it is!!
Anyway, best dash. I hope you are all enjoying this weather!!
HD I am glad the breast feeding lady helped

OP posts:
Fennel · 22/05/2004 17:26

hi, lovely and sunny here too lately so have had a record 3 days without logging on to computer. sorry to hear about all the thrush, colic etc.

metrobaby sorry people are being rude about your ds's name (I saw other thread), am surprised, our dds have names people can't understand or spell but noone has been rude in that way! They just say things like Where do you find these names?

my other dds are just 4, and 2yrs8months, btw.

I always thought there was nothing that really helped with colic - eg infacol etc. but don't really know. dd3 gets windy (esp at 5am) but not really colicky yet.
back off out into the sunshine...

dot1 · 23/05/2004 11:56

Mears - if you're still there - I went on a hunt yesterday to try to find the granules you recommended for Colic, but no-one's got them! Is the spelling correct - someone in Boots looked it up and couldn't find it - would you mind checking and getting back to me if you have time? Thanks!! Meanwhile the colic's still really bad - Mrs D I completely empathise - it's awful when they're so happy in the morning - I get lots of smiles now - but then in such pain later in the day... I keep thinking that ds is nearly 6 weeks, so that's 6 weeks to go before it hopefully disappears (to get to 12 weeks with all of us in 1 piece is my only goal at the moment..!).

We're off to baby clinic this morning to get ds weighed - he's now in 3 - 6 months clothes (!!!), and I haven't had him weighed for a couple of weeks so I'm dying to see how much he's put on - honestly he's huge....!