October '04 babies

[Toots]

Wow. Can't believe it's me starting this thread. Eyelash, where are you? Get any sleep last night?

Harman - he is very gorgeous indeed - love the hair too. Bean has a very fine layer of fair hair with a thicker layer at the back, in other words, a bit of a mullet. Nice.

Bad day yesterday. Dp at work, I wasn't quite sure what I was doing so all routine slid out of the window. Felt ill after lunch and by evening had a fever and was shaking violently. Called the doc out in the end and yep, mastitis for me. Is 8 days a record for this?!! What with the c-section as well I need to have a firm word with my body about co-operating in this birthing/parenting lark. Feeling a bit better today but then am stuffed to the gills with various pills and potions. So far so good on the Bean front though.

All of you with more than one child have my total and utter admiration. I am not worthy....

Bean, keep taking the drugs, bugger the routine, trust that THIS WILL PASS.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Beansprout - that's Just Not Fair How has today been? Have the pills started working? Poor you. Hope Bean has been Angel or at the very least Textbook all day, and will be tonight too.

I've felt really pants today. Lovely friend over for lunch with her six week old, but before and after I've felt pretty low. DP off out again tonight (only twice this week, and will be back by ten, but really). When I went to the fridge just now and found he'd finished the bottle of wine, I burst into tears. I had been looking forward to a glass so much. Feel better now, because I told him how jealous I am of his life. How he can just go and buy a paper, a sandwich, walk, or jump on a bus, go out at night, and sleep uninterrupted. Also he has started doing the odd bit of journalism, and I really miss the esteem I get from my work. This is all in the context of two wakes from dd2 and one in the middle from dd1 - a nightmare at 4.30am. Also DD2 has been really wailing and wanting to feed all day, but in a really mopey half-arsed fashion that probably gets her lots of milk over all, but gives me sore nips. She hasn't pooed in days but is at least doing some evil farts, so must be working up to it.

DP has promised that next week will be 'my week' and that at the weekend we'll work out what we can do.

Personally, I think I need to get out more, go and try on some boots or something. I've been put off lately as dd2 wants to feed so often, but I think I should just throw caution to the wind, maybe push back a few boundaries - have you ever seen anyone breastfeeding in Nine West? . Better watch out, nearly cheered myself up there .

Poor you Beansprout - I've had mastitis before and it is NO FUN (esp when the first lot of antibiotics failed).

Toots does your DP going out mean you have to do bedtime routine yourself? If so then i think you are a saint. After promising myself I would be calm with DS today I lost it when DH was late coming home and DS kept poking DD when I was trying to get her to sleep so I could put DS to bed...you get the picture! Then DH finally came home and fed DS chocolate cake (!) after I'd gone off to try and get DD to bed. How are others managing the bedtime routine?

Also I'm acutely aware that this baby was "my baby" in a sense - DH was a bit reluctant to go for no2 and every time he comes home to wailing DS and DD and grotty me, I feel horribly guilty...

Toots - tell you what. Lets meet up and go trying on clothes AND breastfeeding in not only Nine West but Jigsaw, Hobbs, Harvey Nicks - you name it, we'll feed there. Deal? Anyone else up for this?

Bean has been an Angel all day, bless him. Four hourly routine, can hardly believe it after the disaster of yesterday. Have been out twice, bought feeding bras and pads (3 for 2 in Mothercare girls). The shop assistant asked me when I was due but hey, bought 300 pads. Looked like a contestant on Crackerjack as I strode up to the counter, only just able to see over the top of all those boxes.

The pills are keeping me together though, for sure. As soon as they start to wear off, I feel v wobbly again. Oh great, codeine addiction... great!

Can't believe I am here now!! I am so happy to finally join you Meece. However I do have a problem and need advice asap.

My DD hasn't urinated since we left the hospital well over 24 hours now. She has had 3 or 4 stool movements, quite runny but I can't see any urine in her nappy. Am about to make some phone calls but any advice is totally appreciated.

Turtle- soooo glad you are here!!!

I find it is difficult to detect urine in nappies as they are so damn absorbent. I get some wet cotton wool and wipe ds's legs/bum etc and if it comes away yellow then that tells me he has urinated. HTH.

hi ladies,

it's been 2 and a half weeks since boo arrived and i've barely had time to sit down, let alone indulge in some one handed typing on mn.
am coping well with motherhood and baby, it's my own body i'm not doing so well with - think i have an infected c-section scar - bit weepy and sometimes smelly - eurgh. mw has taken a swab and results back tomorrow and now dh is back in work i've got to deal with over excited, first-time-grandma MIL all on my own. every day. phonecalls and the "i was just passing..." visits are getting a bit ott - but the woman just wants to help so can't be mean to her.
anyway, enough of my moaning - toots re the nappies. pick up a fresh nappy and the babies one - if there's wee in it, it'll be a lot heavier than a new nappy. hth

back to the laundry - grrrr.

Turtle, she probably has peed. It is hard to tell - I had this with dd1's night nappies recently! - but a dry nappy will indeed be heavier and fuller. But do make some calls and be reassured, honey.

BBB, get her to do something vaguely useful, like make you a sandwich?

Turtle - wonderful that you're here at last Re. the nappies, I didn't think ds was peeing to begin with as nappies never looked yellow and in those first few days there's not much wee anyway in terms of quantity, so not sure whether nappies much heavier either. Tip from MW was to put a cotton wool ball in the nappy by his willy (maybe easier to position with a boy) and see if it was wet or yellow next nappy change.

Bean - hope you're beginning to feel better today?

Toots - hope today's a better day. I had a day like you yesterday in terms of feeding, even with bottle feeding. In theory ds should be on a 4 hourly routine by now, given that he's bottle feeding and also weighs over 9lb now, but having fed 3 hourly last week, yesterday he fed every 2.5 hours and the last 2 nights has fed even more in the night than before (last night went 1.5 hours between 2 feeds). Feel like instead of progressing we're just going backwards in terms of improving nights etc. Have decided to MAKE him go 3 hourly during the day today and see if that helps him to stretch out a bit better at night too. Your DP going out at nights must be hard - my dh hardly ever goes out on his own any more, although partly as he doesn't have local friends (works 1.5 hour drive away) and gets home pretty late from work too.

Bibiboo - hope your CS scar isn't infected, poor you

Reading this makes me feel very luky indeed, DH has gone back to work this week but so far I think i've only had to cope with 3 on my own for half an hour. that said I often have youngest 2 by myself and they were both up watching videos of wife swap with me at 2am this morning, how sad is that!
Toots would DD want feeding if you were out? haven't been out that much myself but when I have the combination of car and buggy have had DS asleep for hours (both while we're out and continuing on return). Note to self walk to the post box later (that is as far as I can get on my own!) so DS has nice long kip!

Harman your baby is very cute (but I had forgotton how slow dial up would be to download the photos). There are pictures of dd on \link{www.baby.mcshane.org}photos here}, although there are many more photos of dd1.

House move as gone OK except for all the boxes and temporaily loss of broadband.

Grace is fine and I have got her to sleep by herself, although only on her front (Oh god cot death!). Am going to baby massage classes starting on Friday - am bit scared about meeting new people but as don't know anyone with babies or toddlers thought it would be a good way to meet people.

Beansprout - hope you´re beginning to feel a bit better today.

Distracted - your ds sounds just like mine. When we got home from hospital he was going 3-4 hours between feeds, but the last 2 nights it´s been 2-2.5 hours between feeds. Hopefully they´re just having a growth spurt at the moment.

Toots - I´m sure a bit of retail therapy will work wonders. Hopefully dd will sleep a bit more in the pram.

Cazzybabs - you truly are superwoman. Move house on Monday and already have a course sorted out for Friday.

Things here still going o.k.
DD is being really sweet to her new brother, but is taking things out on me and dh at the moment.
Mind you she did say her first two word sentence this week - "Baby poo" Must have something to do with the fact that when ds is awake I seem to spend my whole time changing nappies.

Today I fed the baby while wiping the toddler's pooey bum. That's double points isn't it?

dd2s feeding frenzy may be passing, so there is hope for you too Distracted. However, she is really fussing while she feeds, and seems to be going off one of my boobs. I'm going to try and kid her they are both her favourite tomorrow by putting her in a rugby hold on her unfavoured one - tip from hospital.

My mum came and played with dd1 while I had a nap this morning. Mel slept for two and a half hours, so I had time to do lots of playing, have a coffee and make lunch for us all after getting up (I can only ever nap for half an hour since dd1 came along) Very civilised. If I can have a nap life is pretty OK. If not, I start to emit a high pitched whine by lunchtime, if not before.

Hello again all - managed to make it to the October thread then!!.
Have only just managed to summon the energy to get the computer out as Megan decided that for the first 2 nights at home that she would only have 1 hours sleep.
Anyway have had problems breastfeeding to the extent that Megan was not getting enough (maybe not any) food and both I and the midwife was getting very concerned. Unfortunately she (megan not midwife) has not been interested in the breast at all. However am now expressing my breastmilk so she can take it through the bottle and it is working! Last night she slept for 4 hours and then 3 hours!
I know that expressing shouldn't happen this close to the birth, but as I am expressing in place of feeding it seems to be working - just feel like a cow !
Anyway off for next feeding time and more expressing! Loving every moment of this though!

Bellie - that all sounds really tough. You are doing a fantastic job, flipping well done, mate . Hope she gets the idea that bf is a bit less hassle for you shortly.

FAYI gave db an ounce or so of warm (prev boiled ) water as hadn't pooed for about 5 days. Workedin an hour!

Bellie - 2 hours sleep in as many days sounds tough, well done you for persevering with the b/feeding

Today is the first day I don't feel overwhelmingly ill or in pain - hurrah! We did have a plan to go and register Bean today, but dp has lost his glasses so he can't drive and we can't go. I really, really need to escape from Colditz today but have had to content myself with a walk to the shop to get some toilet roll instead, and even that has left me knackered so the big outing to the park will have to wait for another day. Pah!

Cazzybabs - how was the course? You are indeed superwoman and we bow before you

Beansprout - so understand what you mean about escaping from Colditz. Am currently labouring under the illusion that a trip to the shops in Bromley will make everything better. But despite (relative) liberty and free will, can't quite seem to get there. Must just add that I have been to Bromely. I have been there many, many times. It has occasionally been the answer, but usually only when the question has been'where is my nearest Primark?'

Hi everyone - DD now just conked out after grumbling since she woke up at 2pm - will have to wake her up in a moment to have quick feed before we go and pick up DS! Have organised DS's b'day party for a soft play centre in Earlsfield which actually promises decent coffee - we shall see, but can't bear the thought of half a dozen excited toddlers round here at the moment.

Whoops, DD now up - the 5min nap!

The baby massage was fun - although was an expensive way to meet people as Gracie was less impressed. I did one leg before she deciced that it was quite enough. She did like the singing and was smiling away. I know she is not supposed to smile before 6 weeks, but no-one has told her and she smiles with eye contact and talking and has done from 2 weeks. DD1 smiled at 5 weeks.

WE are not progressing very well with the whole sleeping in her cot thing but yesterday she slept for 5 hours on me (I think the 2 beers may have played a part!)

We went to watch fireworks tonight - which was not a great success. Grace slept and Isabelle cried and actually got quite stressed, saying "I don't like them" (this is the 1st time she has used a negative! I was proud!) so having walked half an hour there we stayed ten minutes. But she seems fine now and is "breastfeeding" her dolly.

DS2 seems to given up being the perfect baby today and fussed from 4am to 11 when I put him in the buggy and took him and DS1 for a walk, DS2 is now sleeping in the buggy in the porch!
DS1 has had a vsit from the teacher of the deaf and a speech and language assessment this week and has 2 hospital appointments next week, all my opportunities for leaving the house seem to involve protracted arrangements for how to get to yet another Surrey hospital, roll on the day I can drive and go somewhere more interesting.

Cazzybabs, DS smiled at 3wks - I have photographic proof! But I just assumed it was because he was 2wks late, and so a bit more developed. He was also incredibly wakeful and alert - actually looking at people from a very early age.

DD still not really focusing but has started to wake up more these last few days - intermittent periods of calm interspersed with screaming and sleeping. I have managed to get her in the cot but only by slipping her in when in deep sleep - I figure no point in trying to get her to "settle" by herself until six weeks when they have a few more neurones connected! Today we went out for the first time as a "family" to the park - DD slept the whole time while we wandered in the drizzle and kicked a few leaves about. Hard to believe she is only 3.5wks old....

Have been making wild animated grinning conversation with the baby since reading your posts. Something resembling a smile coming, I think.

Would be really interested to know what if any routines you've all got.

We seem to feed at 6.30am then time goes by and I realise how late it is and that she should have a nap, but I've left it too long so that she's also now hungry. This usually turns into another feed at 9 or 9.30 then first nap around ten. Have got out of the habit of trying to settle her 8.30 ish, it never seemed to work, but might start trying it again.
She will usually sleep for 2 2 and a half hours. Then feed about 1pm. The afternoon is less easy to pin down, there might be one or two sleeps. She has been known not to sleep between 11 and 5 -what a grizzly day that was.

The evenings are becoming predictable. We have been having Groundhog night here. It's so weird. The last three nights have been almost exactly the same. DD2 down at 7.15ish. Bottle from dp at 10.30/11 then she wakes at 2.40. I can almost, like Bill Murray, hear the time clicking round (and 'I got you babe coming on the radio ). I say 2.40, but in fact one night it was 2.38 and the otherr 2.41. Anyway she feeds, back off around 3.30, wakes at 5.18 or 5.21 then sleeps from 6-6.30, then up for day. Today much better as I went to bed at 9 instead of insisting on 'me' time and not going to bed til 10.

One night feed would be lovely (none would be stunning - but let's not even dream about that yet) I wonder if any extraordinary angel babies are amongst the October crop. Feel as I got such a good labour and birth, might not be due one, perhaps it ought to be showing by now, dd is 5 weeks on Tuesday.

Hope you've all had good weekends. Florence we were all kicking leaves in the drizzle too! And it was going dark, we left it so late.

Well today is one week since I gave birth and I don't know where that week has gone. I thought I had an angel baby for the first couple of days home and now she has really woken up!!

I am dying to read everyone's posts and catch up on how all of you are DB's are doing. I am really keen to hear about routines - Toots I am very impressed!

I am breastfeeding, what feels like all the time, we got onto 3 hourly and now it seems to have gone back to every 2 hours, I am so exhausted but am healing and every day feels better than the last. I even got out of the house today for a walk up the high street, felt very protective of DD she is just so precious to me it's overwhelming. I have both Grandmothers here and let me tell you - bad idea I think, they are driving me a little nuts and DH is going back to work tomorrow which will be tough cause he has been amazing with helping me in the middle of the night with feeds and changing etc.

Will hopefully catch up with all of you soon. I would love to try and do another meet up when everyone else feels ready who lives in London?

Just a quick post as I'm determined to go to bed in a minute!

Cazzybabs my dd started smiling between 3-4 weeks - don't let anyone tell you it's wind, a smile's a smile at whatever age. Ds hasn't smiled yet mind you, but he's more laid back than his sister, he'll probably be slower at everything (and then I'll regret having written down when dd reached all the milestones) I am looking forward to the smiles, I must say.

Toots I will post something about our routine tomorrow (partly superstitious about posting before I go to bed - don't want to say anything about our night-time routine and then have a nightmare of a night - esp. as dh has just gone to bed in the spare room with a tummy upset, so all the feeds are down to me tonight. He usually does the late evening one). Can't face staying up until after the late evening feed, so will just have to get woken up for that.

Hope everyone has a good night!