AUGUST 2010 - welcome to post-natal :o)

[CherryPie3]

I know I'm not around a great deal lately but we don't yet have a PN thread - so here we are.

Love to all xxx

:)

[Aussieng]

Hi Cherry - just marking my spot. "spect it might be quite quiet around here until our stragglers catch up!

[cazzybabs]

can I come on and moan about

(1) baby sick

(2) my blood pressure :(

(3) and why my clothes still don't fit (OK its because i am eating too much cake and chocolate)

[Doodleydoo]

Marking mine too - btw Cherry thanks for what you said on the other thread - just felt a bit weepy about it. Feel much better now and have decided will keep my hospital tag for him instead!

[Aussieng]

Can I join you Cazzy? Had to take J to the hospital on Monday for blood tests (horrible to see don't know how the Dr's can do that to a baby - you would think they would be used to it but they seemed to hate it too). I also had to get a urine sample from J and he would not oblige but with his nappy off he pood everywhere - all over my jeans, t-shirt the floor and I had to go sit in a cafe afterwards (confession - I actually went to the pub!) while waiting for DH to come collect us! Needless to say I did not get chatted up!

Grim about the blood pressure though - how is that doing?

Glad you're feeling better Doodley.

[neenz]

Hey, lovely to have a PN thread! Doodley, glad you are feling better about the hospital tag - it's the hormones as well mnaking you feel up and down.

Got to go - D is crying

[Aussieng]

Trying to complete J's citizenship application form {confused]

[Dibbydab]

Marking my place girls - Felicity is 16 days old now and this is my first post since her birth announcement, I don't know where the days have gone.

Am gutted to say I gave up bf when she was 5 days old, I was just miserable with the pain - picking what's left of your nipples off the inside of your bra is not a pleasant experience, and I was just counting down the minutes until her next feed and crying my eyes out at the pain I knew was going to come. I felt awful about stopping bf and actually broke down in the chemist whilst buying the formula [nutty hormonal new mother emoticon]. Looking back I should have sought help sooner, but the midwives who visited said the latch was good (obv. is wasn't) and other than suggesting Lasinoh (sp?) didn't really have any suggestions on how to improve things.

After literally stopping bf overnight, I developed a horrible case of mastitis (dr said it was one of the worst he'd seen - not sure if that was meant to make me feel better ) so I've been on industrial strength antibiotics and painkillers for the last 10 days.

On a positive note, she is a very happy little thing and sleeps for about 3 hours between feeds. I have got the GF book (passed on by a well meaning friend), but I think Felicity is just too small at the moment to be coerced into a routine - might try something when she is a couple of months old, but until then, getting disturbed a couple of times in the night is no biggie and now we're on formula DH can do his fair share of feeding.

[kcoffin27]

Hi all, just marking my spot also been a lurker since having Ruby.
Does anyone have any ideas how to help with colic? Every evening Ruby has constant screaming which seems to come and go in waves of pain, she also has trouble going for a poo, since 2 days ago, she goes bright red :( I dont know what to do, whenever shes awake she constantly cries :( whether it be the colic, wanting a bootle or when I get her dressed/changed.

On a positive note last night she went for 4 hours before wanting a feed.

[Aussieng]

Crikey Dibby you've been through it. I hope you are doing better now. The Midwives I dealt with were great with respect to everything to do with ante-natal care but clueless on breastfeeding. If J had not seemed to instinctively know what to do I don't think they would have been any help at all.

[Doodleydoo]

kcoffin - have you tried infacol? worked with dd.

Just wanted to let you know - I FOUND THE HOSPTIAL TAGS. Am so pleased as had resigned myself to not having them and then there we go up they popped, more efficient than I thought!

GF - was reading the clb first year last night and it struck me it is a bit like a recipe book, but she really irritates me! I can see how its a good manual and obviously I read it with dd, but reading again last night just made me want to eat my own head it was soooo annoying, but just wondering if that is because I kow that we aren't going to be able to stick to her kind of routine with the way our family works. Although I was more keen last time on The Baby Whisperer which made a little more sense to my way of living. Hoping it will this time too. Mind you that being said I did do the gina weaning, or tried to.......not sure I am a good advocate for it though as dd is a terrible eater - she has lived of hot cross buns for the last week and chips. oh well!

Dibby - you have to do what is best for you if you are happy your baby will be happy.

[girlsyearapart]

dibby that bf ing experience sounds exactly like mine with dd1, I lasted ten or eleven days, dreaded every feed as so painful, dreaded having visitors, dreaded every minute of the whole time. Even when she was asleep I didn't enjoy her as I was dreading her waking up..

Bfing going a bit better third time around. I am doing around 3-4 bfs a day, latch is good no soreness now but she doesn't settle for long if at all after a bf. Even after an hour plus of feeding..

[Emster30]

dibbydab that sounds totally horrendous, poor you! why on earth can't bfing be easy? everyone seems to struggle with it and no one tells you this before the birth - and they wonder why rates are so low.

[Aussieng]

Hi all - gave J his first bottle today (of EBM). He thrust all his fingers in his mouth and glared at me with an expression that said verrrrrry clearly "I WILL CHEW OFF ALL MY FINGERS BEFORE I EAT FROM THAT THING"

We got there in the end - then he shrieked at my breast when I put him back on there for dessert but eventually settled back down. I have hope...

Super tired today. Just had a lunch date cancelled for tomorrow and I'm quite glad - going to nap when J does. I think we've been overdoing it a little with coffees & lunches etc with friends and the girls - it's just so nice not being at work and not having to cram everyone in at the weekends!

[CherryPie3]

Evening girls :)

Dibby Sounds like you've really been put through the mill - hope things are improving for you. Don't worry about not bf'ing. You're healthy and your lo is healthy - nothing else matters :)

Doodley HOOORRRAAAAYYY!!!! I'm glad you found the tags honey!

Aussie at J knowing exactly what he wants and doesn't want :)

kcoffin snap with the problems pooping - Corey is having the same but it's only since he was given Nystatin medicine drops for his thrush. HV coming tomorrow for us so I'm gonna mention it.
No idea on the colic tho but I have heard Infacol works wonders!


Hope everyone is good - off to bed now and no doubt as soon as my head touches the pillow Corey will want a nipple :). HV coming in the morning - this will be the 2nd time I've seen her! I'm sure I really should have seen her more than this?

Anyhoo - love to all, I'll try to pop back over to ante-natal soon but I'm finding it really had to keep up with that thread at the moment and I don't have enough time to read through it all!! I still try to check everything on fb tho.

Night night xxx

[cazzybabs]

cherry - god i was thinking 2 hv visits were loads. midwife coming today - hopefully for the last time. finger crossed my bp behaves

[neenz]

kcoffin, if you are FF, have you tried watering down his feeds, that can help with constipation. I know they tell you not to but I have a friend with twins and she took one to the GP with terrible constipation and she said 'water down her feeds'! Once she did the LO was much better.

Dibby I'm so sorry BFing didn;t work out. It is frustrating to hear when MWs etc tell you your latch is good when it is not. I think it must be very dificult to tell when a latch is good though just from looking.

Daniel is 12 days old now and is starting to have more awake periods during the day. He seems to want to feed on and off for 90mins or so then he'll sleep for a bit. He does 3hr stretches in the night though (we are still co-sleeping and it's working really well - I'm not tired at all ) so I'm not really bothered if he snack-feeds all day

[kcoffin27]

Evening all, thanks for the help with colic problems, I have got some infacol now and she seems abit better, I also changed her bottles to the dr.brown anti colic bottles which are reallygood, but very pricey.

cherrypie I know what you mean about the anti-natal thread it is very fast moving, and hard to keep up with when you only get chance to pop on every now and agin quickly.
Its nice to hear of all the births though Did you get any advice about the constipation?

doodley glad you found the hospital tags, I would have been upset too if I lost Ruby's.

[CherryPie3]

Cazzy how did your bp behave when the mw came?

Hi Neenz glad to hear everything going well.

The HV came - well she was half-way to being a health visitor, she was a student. Didn't need to mention Corey's lack of bm as he produced 2 full nappies in the space of 30minutes. Cleve boy :):):)

Love to all xxxx

[CherryPie3]

x=posted with u there kcoffin - one handed typing and feeding!

Glad the infacol seems to be helping! I guess its as good as people say it is. I've heard of those bottles too - and yes they are very pricey - but worth it if they help.

Forgot to say in my last post that Corey hadn't had his lactulose either so he pooped all by himself - and we all know that poop = happy babies = happy mummies

night night xxxx

[cazzybabs]

Its Ok - 140/90 so still high I just need it to come down to something like 120/80..

but then she preceded to tell me she though dd4 was lucky to be here because of my blood pressure amd she thought had she have stayed in much longer she would have died :( ... what is the point of telling me now - she didn't die. she is fine and now I just feel crap

anyway she has gone and I will never see her again

[neenz]

omg Cazzy at your HV. Do the not realise how vulnerable/hormonal postnatal women are? What a thing to say.

I gave Daniel a dummy yesterday and he loved it. The DTs never took to them altho I did try, and actually I was glad they didn't have them cos it removed the whole 'when do you take the dummy away' problem. But I found that D was snack feeding loads and then falling asleep on the boob so I gave him the dummy after a big feed and it seems to keep him settled for a couple of hours . It was funny how weird I felt giving it to him tho - like I was depriving him of what he really wanted (boob) but I will just play it by ear and see how it goes. As long as he has a good feed every 2-3hrs I don't think a dummy is a problem. I didn;t use it in the night tho - cos we are co-sleeping he just uses me as a dummy and that is fine if he keeps sleeping 3-4hr stretches!

[bouncingblueberries]

hey girls

just marking my spot.

finally thought we'd cracked this breastfeeding lark but had a really painful day again today, so who knows. I'm hoping it's just the final death throes of the thrush but G has also managed to damage my right nipple again. Have no idea when or how it happened as I've been so careful with my latch

[Dibbydab]

Morning girls, sorry to hear you're having problems bouncing, I feel your pain. 2 weeks after stopping bf my nipples are finally resembling nipples again, if a little dry and flaky. Still have the mastitis though - midwife said she is going to try and take a milk sample tomorrow to send to the lab for testing in case there's an absess which they'll need to sort out with a surgical procedure Can't see it resolving itself by tomorrow, I've already been on high dose antibiotics for a fortnight.

Can I ask a question about lochia - Felicity is 3 weeks tomorrow and the bleeding up to yesterday had got a lot lighter, however, last night it was bright red and a lot more of it, more like a period. I'll speak to mw tomorrow, but if anyone has any ideas on whether this is normal, shout - surely it can't be my periods starting again can it - is there no rest from things leaking from every orifice (sp)?

We've dragged ourselves into the 21st Century and got a laptop and gone wifi - though DH is in bed with it at the moment as he was on night duty last night with the baby (my reward in exchange for me setting up the wifi connection - he's a complete technophobe), and I'm on the 10 year old desk top which needs a shilling in the meter to get it started...

We also got a Baby Bjorn sling which is great - I can get on with loads of stuff without Felicity feeling like she's been abandoned by her cruel mother - the looks I get when I pick her up after she's been left for 5 minutes!

DH is going back to work tomorrow after 3 weeks at home - am a bit apprehensive, but it's got to be done. Off to check the other thread to see if there are any more arrivals...

[Aussieng]

Oooh Neenz I've been dithering over whether or not to give J a dummy. I have not objections to them (used sparingly) and he too seems to want to use me as a dummy on ocassion but was not sure if the time was right. Since you're my bf guru and have given Daniel one I might try J with one next time he has an "episode" (exhausted, using boob for comfort but actually objecting to the milk which is coming out - very stressful for us both actually).

Glad the BM's have been sorted Cherry.

Kcoffin - the infacol is wonderful. We used it for 2 days with J and he has been fine since.

Cazzy can only echo that I think your HV is utterly insensitive. With comments like that no wonder your BP is high - it's enough to cause white coat syndrom (or HV syndrome).

Sorry about the bf Bluberries. You're doing fab at perservering. I know a few people who have had problems and perservered and alll those who do seem to say something clicked around 7-10 weeks.

Again - Dibby - sorry about your post bf problems - I hope you get it sorted and are more comfortable soon. With regard to the lochia, I think you should check with a HV/MW but my MW definitely told me when discharging me not to panic if I had some more red blood within the 6 week recovery period not withstanding that it seemed to have stopped. Could be period too I guess if you are not bf????? You'll be fine without DH - give you a chance to get into a rroutine etc. Do you have a good local ante-natal group that you are in touch with etc?

How is everyone doing with pelvic floor exercises now?

Anyway - naked tummy time then bath for J....in theory then DH is going to give his first (DH's that is) bottle. Could be interesting

[neenz]

Aussie, re the dummy and nipple confusion the DTs were fine with a bottle from about 2wks and it never affected BFing. They had a bottle of EBM every day til 3mo and then they just decided to refuse and never had a bottle since! They didn't really have dummies but with Daniel it hasn't affected his BFing either . He seems to only take the dummy at certain times, he won't accept it when he is hungry so I am more comfortable with it now . He seems to like it when he is tired and it helps him drop off to sleep.