May Babies... part 6! (keep up you April Mums... pfft!)

[GeorginaA]

giggle

I don't actually know our schedule because DD bFs on demand too .. keep thinking I should take a note but don't

I do know she eats breakfast on weekdays before DS's school .. so 8.30is (this weekend DH has fed her breakfast at 7.30 which means I haven't done a first thing in the am bf)

then if she gets lunch around midday has supper around 5

or alternatively has a meal around 3ish

oh god, I should start to routine this shouldn't I?

she does eat 3 - 4 huge ice cubes of carrot or similar root veg at a go

and will eat a 4 month jar of organix in its entirety for breakfast if hasn't been bf

wohoo, just been to babyswimming! it's so cute!
videoed part of it and it made me all smiley when i saw the video afterwards again and again (sad, i know)
was not too bad for a first time!
did lots of songs and holding him on front and back and drag him along in the water. and holding on to the rail; and sitting on the wall (singing humpty dumpty ) and did also the pouring water over his head; he was not too impressed with that one!
but all in all was quite a success
let's see what next week brings!

Spots and Egpyt, I will e-mail you no worries. It only goes up to 10th of May for some reason though so my apologies for the early cut off date - I have no idea why it was then ???? Anyone else want it then let me know - we all sound so excited!

Happy 6 months to you too Spots, I did think about you and your mob this morning!

I am feeling a bit down about this whole weaning/being at work malarky - any advice from those who have done it would be brilliant! My day is this at the moment:

5.30am - 6am feed DS, sort out bottles, have shower, run around swearing about state of house and capability of household management skills.
7am - leave house for work. I then get home at 6pm and then soak bottles, try to play with DS for at least 20 mins, make dinner, have dinner, catch up with the most basic housework (washing up!), DP gives DS bath and then I feed him. He usually goes down between 8 and 9pm - then I am trying to do housework until about 10pm when I refuse to do anymore.

He is not really getting a chance with weaning because I am not sure of what the "etiquette" concerning the childminder is - if that makes sense. I know she will have to feed him but is it cheeky to expect her to wean him? She says she doesn't mind, but bless her, she says that to everything! We have been providing a pot of yoghurt each day and seeing how he takes it - some days he will and some days he won't. So his usual feed is 1 bf in morning, 25 ozs in total during the day (not every day though - usually averages 20) and then a bf during the evening. Plus the yoghurt if so minded. We have been experimenting at the weekend with various jars but he doesn't seem too fussed, despite his fascination with us eating. Should I cut down on the milk during the day? I don't want to the poor mite thinking that milk and yoghurt is all there is.

Oh heck, I am getting it completely wrong aren't I? I know we should all be sticking to the 6 month guideline but today of all days I think I have been taking it too literally! Tell me oh wise ones how to tackle this? I know this sounds daft but I don't want to undo the good 5/6 months of bf to find I am screwing up weaning. I also want to be home so I can work him out for myself . . .

Blimey, clearly more concerned than I realised - sorry for the essay . . .

Naming Ceremony went very well! Had a great time, Ben was a little star despite getting very little sleep, having a delayed feed and getting passed around all and sundry! The kids got involved in the ceremony part with the children's book (Love You Forever) and it was a lovely informal cosy atmosphere.

Unfortunately, I woke up today with Hand Foot & Mouth, so dh has had to ring around all our guests this morning to warn them

libb .. you will have to put him on solids eventually .. because he won't be getting the nutrients he needs just from breast milk but will require a more varied diet

you are NOT getting it wrong .. the guideline is at least 6 months .. and not 6 months then wean .. so if you want, and DS is fine with you, holding out to 8 months isn't an issue

If you want to wean now can you give him breakfast before you take him to childminder for a week or so .. then start giving her lunch for him

it will be fine and in a few months you'll look back on this worry and giggle

HTH

loved the pics georgina

feel better soon

Thanks Twiglett, as usual you are my heroine of the day! I will start breathing out again now.

I won't wait until I am looking back to giggle though, DS is currently blowing some serious raspberries at DP and scuttling backwards across the room in his walker - the mad loon.

I think it also round 2 with the teething, we had a sabbatical for about a week where he was mellow but today has opted for mardy.

libb dont worry. its the childminder's job to feed the children anyway! if you provide the food like twiglett says it won't be a problem. just freeze a load of pureed veg and fruit and give her a frozen cube or 2 each day. it can thaw at her house or she can do it in the microwave/bowl and feed. or some babyrice mixed with a little milk there and then.

am going to cinema to see birth tomorrow with my friend. it will be the afternoon. never left dd in the day through a feed. hope she takes a bottle. hmmmm
the seeing bridget on tues night.

Libb dont stress too much. You sound as if your trying to do loads. My philosophy now is that the housework can wait and dp can also get off his arse and help.
If this helps our day when im at work goes something like this;
7.00 get up, get DD up sit DD on bed with dp while I have a shower and get dressed. Feed DD and give her breakfast.
8.00 MIL comes and collects her, I go to work
6.00 Pick DD up. Then if its my night on I'll play with DD for 30 mins, run the bath, bath DD and get her ready for bed. Give her Milk and food and then cuddle her for a bit while trying to eat dinner.Inbetween this ill be putting washing on radiators, tidying magazines and cups etc
8.00 DD in bed, sit on settee watching tv or reading.
If its my night off it goes like this;
6.00 collect DD, play with her for 10 mins. Then put in bouncy chair while I unload her bottles and start washing them
6.30 dp gets home and sorts out DD. I start dinner and get DD's bottles and food ready for next day and put in fridge ready.
8.00 sit on settee.

It really does help if you get things ready the night before. I get all her bottles and food done and I also get her clothes ready. Ive got a list on the fridge of everything she needs so that when its dps turn to get her bag and food ready he knows what to put in it. Also frozen purees are really easy. You just get a few cubes out put them in a container and its done.
Actually reading all that back I sound quite anal. Honestly im not I just like to be organised and know what comes next.

Think my days of BF are numbered. Each time ive tried today she just turns away and watches the TV or stares at the floor. Ive tried feeding in her bedroom incase there was too many distractions but she still the same. If I offer a bottle then she drinks it all. I was thinking of expressing all the time but it would take twice as long to express and then feed it to her. Im hoping that I can continue to feed her at 11pm as shes so sleepy then I dont think shed notice.
Seems sad to be stopping. I always thought that it would be me who called a end to it not DD. Plus because I had to feed her it always made me sit down and spend time with her. I know that IF i GIVE HER THE BOTTLE ITS ALL TOO EASY TO LET dp TO IT WHILE i DO OTHER THINGS, sorry about caps lock
hhhmmm..daydreamy look into the sky and remembering all those happy snuggly times together

aww kbaby; don't see it like that. just think while dp feeds her, you can get things done and afterwards spend lots of time with dd
and i like your routine! i like things organised too - and it helps dp too, though he knows what when to do

oh poor georgnia, you don't get a rest, do you!

yes libb, i agree with twiglett! - ds quite likes his porridge (maybe a good start for your ds?) and just add some fruitpuree (organix do nice ones) - and i would expect my cm to feed lo (if he was there for feeding times)- so take it easy and soon you'll figure out a routine

egypt: am impressed with your cc!!! can we send our lo's to your house for a week?

linnet: awww i know what you mean! poor dd but it was still funny
i bet it's cold up there today! it's freeeeeezing here! (we deff have to get new heating system) - is there actually a place for skiing????? well, and enough snow?

pheww ds was quite diff last night!
put to bed normal time (he does drink the whole bottle now before he goes to bed!!!! ) - and woke at 3am and wouldn't go back to sleep till 5.30 when i finally took him to the other bedroom and then we slept till 7.30 - but oh my am i tired

feeding's going very well! still trial and error though, but i think we are getting there

today we will go baby signing. and if dp is up by that time he'll join us

Look away now

DD slept from 6.30pm to 7.20am

OK you can look back now

i peeked

(breathless excitement) I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna start a new thread!

Oh Spots, have you started a new thread?
Hellllooooooo? Anybody there?????
This is the only one I can access! Had a horrible feeling this would happen.....
Will have to ask DH to unleash me when he phones from Copenhagen. One day down, four more to go with ne husband pas

oh no Judd, Spots hold your fire - surely we can manage another 4 days??

hee hee, ok Judd! and let's call the next one thread 8 when he gets back and we re-start!

I am sure Judd will find us eventually . . .

if we put a link onto the new thread from here can you get it judd?
is there a new thread anyway, havent checked
well done baby twiglett gosh, thats much better then us!

poor dd has a cold. she woke at 10 last night and was very snuffly. i wouldnt/wouldnt do cc then. not nice. gave her medised and fed her just to take the taste away and she went through til 5am so i think we are still on track.

kbaby, it is sad to think that bf days are coming to an end. do you think she just isnt hungry? or like you say she takes a bottle. i know what you mean by then being nosey. i guess she just likes to look around whilst feeding. continue with the night one if you can though. i would

have we any arrangements for next fri? i dont know cambridge at all and need to know where to meet?!! somewhere where we can park i guess that isnt in the busy centre also fine for babies.

morning all. we'll stay here for a bit until judd can access the new one.

ooo well done susi. i like the words "egypt's words rang in my head"! i feel like gina! glad it worked though and i'm not just some cruel mother who has had a fluke. dd woke at 3.15 last night. still has a cold so i just fed her and she went until 7. i slept in her room last night as i'm still at my mum's and my sister wanted her bed back! i heard her kind of wake at midnight and again i think about 2 ish. she was snuffling and moving around so dont know if she was just in a light sleep or awake. but it's interesting that those were the times when she always used to wake and i fed her. now praps she's learned to put herself back to sleep.

went to see birth yesterday. oh gawd, dont bother. weird. weird. weird. some new director i bet. interesting but hmmmm.
anyway, bridget tonight. getting used to leaving lo and going out. only with my mum mind. and now she isnt waking eves - touch wood - i feel happier.

Hope you enjoy Bridget Jones, Egypt! DS slept really well last night.....DD woke at 2am and couldn't find her pillow so I had to go and relocate it. Pah. Must go to bed early tonight. Kicking my heels at the moment - people due to arrive for coffee morning at some point....kettle is poised and I daren't move incase I untidy something!

Well done baby Egypt and baby Twiglett.

Libb. CM definately expects to wean. If you want to do it yourself, could you start on a weekend, then give breakfast yourself (Prufrock's Patented Porridge method - 1 oz milk in bowl, 1 tbsp organic porridge oats, whizzed in blender when dry to make them finer, microwave on 50% power for 1 minute. Stir, add one cube frozen pureed fruit. Microwave on 50% power for 1 minute, add one more cube frozen fruit, stir until melted)
Ds is not very keen on solids. He likes his porridge, but hates my purees. We've moved on to more solid stuff - bread and butter is very popular (but not toast) pasta (big fusilli cooked until v. soft and covered in one of my purees) He did like mashed cauliflower cheese, and sucked for ages on a big batons of carrot, and a big chunk of my roast beef!

kbaby - it might not be the end of bf. Dd will be getting lots more efficient at getting milk now, so a full bf can take only a few minutes, and they do get very distracted. She will still take milk from a bottle because teh teat stimulated teh back of the throat and causes her to suck, but I doubt very much that she really needs that milk. Try giving her just the bf she wants when you are with her, and only offer a bottle if she really seems hungry.

We have chickenpox DD has about 10spots, but poor ds is covered. I stopped counting this am when I got to 50, and I was still on his face Both are quite grumpy, but OK when given paracetomol to bring their temps down. I left my sick children yesterday to go to Sheffield for my brothers graduation ceremony. Spent 7 hours on trains for a 2 hour ceremony in which he featured for 2 minutes (if that), but at least I have finally read the last montsh Sunday papers. I left dd and ds with dh and MIL (strange how I can cope by myself but he needs his mother to help....)

Prufrock, you are a very good sister. Sorry about the pox.

Egypt, it sounds great at your mum's. Do you think she would look after all of our D's?

Pursuing the really pureed purees... I will just NB to Libb that I amost killed DD with choking on pureed porridge, so watch out if you have a texture sensitive baby. Our veg is now so smooth it resembles poster paint, and has similar effect when applied to surfaces. Our kitchen table has interesting scumble glaze effect. I have interestingly scumbled clothing. (DH I'm sure would insert a scumbled egg pun here... but I'll spare you that.)

It's raining here and I'm supposed to be taking DD to the opening of a wildlife garden at a primary school where I helped with a mural. She still has cough and is asleep. will I go??

did you go spots?
sorry to hear about the pox prufrock. i do like your porridge though. am i right in thinking they can eat anything after 6 months, except nuts, eggs, cow's milk etc.? if so life is going to be so much easier. dont know how to get out of the habit of just doing veg and fruit though. do i just puree everything?! and how many protein type meals should they have a day - just the one? and without milk is that right?