IS THERE A SEPT 2005 CLUB YET?

[pooka]

Hi all fellow September mums. If I'm duplicating another thread please tell me. If not, would love to hear how everyone is getting on.
Tom is a week old today. All well - though has a slightly infected cord stump so am going to GP today.
I'm still madly hormonal, could burst into tears whenever I think about the impact all this has on my lovely dd (2y2m).

LOL at the sleeping through concept DD1's been a champion sleeper since 11m, but was a nightmare before that. So far I'm taking it a lot more in my stride this time and starting off with very low expectations - also determined not to worry about 'bad sleep habits' for a good few weeks/months yet and just do whatever's easiest to keep DD2 happy.

DD1 seems fine - looks like her bad night was just a one off after all

BTW I started a newborn + toddler survival tips thread and got some pretty useful replies.

Hi to all. Just figured out that there might be a post-natal Sept thread (a bit slow, I am).

Some replies to your posts. Warning - Might be long ...

Pooka - the only thing that worked for ds (now 2.5yo) was woodwards gripewater (take care, other brands do sometimes contain alcohol!!). Infocol didn't work for us. A windy baby NEEDS a dummy usually - otherwise they just suck in air and it makes it worse. The dummy also helped DS (and he lost interest in it at about 6months old anyway).

Sallie - hope you are feeling better. I found that with my first pg everyone was all attentive. But now with no2 they don't think it is worth paying much attention. Can't imagine what would happen if I ever had a third. Don't they realise that each child is just as special as the first. It is very common to have "baby blues" after giving birth - it does not indicate pnd, it is just all those hormones going mad (and sadness of being seperated from your baby that you'd nurtured inside of you for the past 9 months).

everyone else - it is great to see the familiar names on here. Franch - thanks for your link to your new thread. DS seems ok so far (with Grace just a few days old, though), but yesterday he said "I am VERY SAD" (in a small little voice - and about nothing in particular) and when I said "don't be sad", he said "but I want to be sad" (heart break moment for any mum!!). He seems to adore her, but it must be tough on them. This morning he raced through to the lounge (where she had been sleeping when he went to bed, but she was in my room and not in the lounge, and he was most alarmed and said "where is my baby?" (HIS baby, LOL). I'm off to your new thread to check out the "tips".

OWWWWWWEEEEEEE - had completely forgotten about AFTER PAINS!! And NIPPLE PAINS when feeding.

As for "sleeping through" - yeah, right!

Hello - just found this thread!
Hope all the sad hormones are settling.
DD sleeps max 4 hours at a time - I thought this was quite good! - at your friends comment bubbles!!
DD is 2 weeks old now and just bf - not really in a routine yet - feeds on demand which can be after an hour or four. Getting such conflicting suggestions from people/books as to whether she should be put on a routine. [confused icon] Met up with friend yesterday with baby who is exactly the same age - and who is on Gina Ford - baby clearly hasnt read book!!
Think I might start expressing soon so that dh can take over some feeds - any one else doing this yet?

Now I can join in here .

Alice was born on Tuesday and so far all going well. Will write more later (have already put the coping with new born and toddler thread on my watch list though .

just to confuse everyone, I had my baby Alice on Tuesday 20th September. Not much time to post but just wanted to say hello

Hi Boompi - the problem with expressing (and then sleeping through a feed for dp/dh to give a bottle) is that it could mess with your production/flow. I had real problems with ds because I started expressing (because of having to go back to work and not being able to express when he would have fed, but having to do it to someone else's schedule). I ended up having to suppliment with bottles. I know some people express without having to resort to bottle top ups, but for me it was the beginning of the end of bf (so I'll avoid that this time around)

Pooka, in reply to your message about wind and dummies, thought I would recommend the Baby B free bottles, they're great. Aptamil first by Milupa is the best formula as its a probiotic and helps with digestion. Depends if you are breastfeeding or bottle though - won't help much if you are BF!
Have just put both down for a nap and was supposed to be catching up on my sleep debt with a light snooze too....but no, I have run about like mad, steralising, putting washing on, loading / unloading dishwasher, hung washing up, swept garden...bla bla bla. I always regret not taking a sleep when I should be does not seem to be enough hours in the day though!
Was a very good mum today, don't feel to guilt ridden about not spending enough time with DD1. Went to Park with both and coped okay, so feeling like I can do this now / or at least for today anyway .

zoezebra, thanks for the tip about the bottles.
well, i think i've shot myself in the foot by saying how well mia sleeps. that all seems to have changed now, and only seems to slepp for 4 hours max. i can hear you all screaming at your computers now about why i'm moaning because i know 4 hours is great but she had spoiled me for the first 2 weeks of her life and now i'm knackered. my sad hormones have died down now but dp is still not talking to me. OOPS!

Looks like some of you have already found this thread but for those of you who have not and have a DD or a DS as well as a newborn and need tips for survival, have a look at this
.....v amusing.

Boompi - I am expressing ALL of my breast milk, as due to flat nipples have been unable to feed her properly (tried nipple shields, but have given them up as a bad job)... just doing it 2 or 3 times a day at the moment and topping up with formula.

My DD sleeps max 4hrs at a time as well (9 days old now). I have been sort of trying to aim for the Baby Whisperer routine (ie. eat, activity, sleep), but am demand feeding as well so doesn;t all go according to the book...

Anyone else having problems with baby's wind?! Last night I only had 3hrs sleep due to her having a windy tum all night. Have now bought some Infacol, so hoping that will settle her if it happens again.

Hello ladies

Feeling very tired and still upset to have needed a c-section which makes every thing difficult!

LL - Infocol is great for baby wind. Do all babies sleep all day and are awake all night??
Have to say dh has been great and ds is very good with his sister!

Hormones all over the place - and feeling rather distant - as if I'm not myself - odd!!! take care

As my new baby girl is just 2 days old I am still in that glowing, happy, serene place. I'm so completely smitten by her and every little thing she does.

My milk is definitely in. Boobs very hard and big. Nice! I have got the cabbage leaves in the fridge just in case. I managed to get Alice to feed from my right side - I'd not been able to so far. The only way I can get her successfully latched on is to sit on the floor cross-legged - but hey, whatever works.

I imagine I'll be joining you in the weepy hormone department next week, especially as Dh has to go back to work on MONDAY! Hopefully a friend will come over and keep me company and help amuse DD1. Physically I feel quite good and managed a walk today. I'm upset I needed stitches again but I'm not half as painful 'down below' as I was when DD1 was born and I couldn't walk much for 5 WEEKS! But OUCH to the afterpains and I had totally forgotten that aching all over feeling a few days after labour where your body feels like it has been in a car crash. Or is that just me?

I've still to write out my birth story. It seemed more painful

Thanks for tips on wind and dummies. Dummy still here. Wind still here too! And explosive nappies as well.
Tom doing well, though we're having a bit of a breastathon at the moment. Feeding all the time, which is all well and good when dh at home, but when he goes back to work???......aaaaarrrrghh.
Tom has put on lots of weight and his tummy button has cleared up as well, so am glad that GP and I decided not to give him antibiotics following his positive swab. HEalth visitor came today and all fine.
Afterpains seem to have come back with a vengeance, prob because he's feeding so much, as has the horrid lochia, which had started to ease. Can't for the life of me remember how long it is supposed to go on for - seem to remember that bled for ages after dd was born.
Beatie - I'm also gutted about stitches, mostly because I actually tore more this time and because I reckon that if I'd had the community midwives (who I had discussed my fear with many times) things might have been different. Still - seem to be healing OK, so that's a relief.

LadyLazarus - if infocol does not work for you try Woodwards Gripwater for wind. It is much cheaper! and a couple of years ago was the ONLY thing that worked for ds (infocol did not work).

Grace has put on 250grams in 4 days! She does literally feed all the time 4 HOURS between feeds, Bubbles!. Breastothon also going on here. She can sleep for 10 minutes then have a FULL FEED on both sides. At least, of course, she is feeding (unlike DS who never really got the hang of it).

I see my baby is not the only one who prefers to be awake all night, and have longer sleeps (max so far is 2 hours) during the day.

YAY - just had a two hour sleep. Felt like bliss!

Off to feed (AGAIN)

I also have some difficulty getting dd to latch on the right - she seems to find it difficult to get a seal.
Expressed from right boob whilst feeding from left last night - very bovine! But dd refused to take bottle. We tried really hard but no. I dont have tointroduce a bottle now but I will need to at some stage.
I had tear too - stitches still there 16 days later? Not too painful but get this ache just after I wee - all round lady bits not near stitches - is this normal?
ladyL - glad to hear your feeding is working better

Boompi - have you tried expressing a bit from the right boob and then putting Edie to that boob? Sometimes this can help (if the boob is too big/full for the baby to latch on, a bit of expressing before a feed can "deflate" the boob a little - just enough to help baby latch).

Having said all of that, when I had ds 2.5 years ago, he took weeks to get the hang of latching (and found one side easier at first than the other) - so you may find that Edie gets the hang of it after a bit of practice

I'll leave someone else to advise on stitches.

Boompi - I managed ot get Alice to latch on to the right by sitting cross legged on the floor. I put my right hand under my breast, so my palm is up and thumb to the right and squeeze it sideways. Alice has her bum rested on my left leg and then I manage to ram her on with my left hand whilst squeezing the boob with my right hand. Once she's on I can lean back against something and bring up my knees for more support. Does any of that make sense?

I really want to get my birth story written but little Alice does not like to be put down. So far she has only slept for any quantity of time if someone is holding her complete contrast to dd1 who could not be cuddled to sleep even if I wanted to.

When is evolution going to give men breastfeeding nipples? After an incapacitating pregnancy I am so desperate to be up and about and active but alas end up sat down feeding all the time - whilst DH is playing with DD1 or running around after me still!

I am jealous. I want to play with DD1 and I want to be able to make dinner! I know this phase is a short one and I should enjoy it. Just wondered if anyone else felt the same.

Oh Beatie - Grace is the same as Alice. She will only sleep if held. Totally opposite to ds, who didn't really like being held all that much when little. Putting Grace down results in only a 10 minute nap.

Am trying co-sleeping with her tonight. I would prefer not to, but last night was up from 1am to 6am feeding, putting her down, getting her up about 10 minutes later. At 6am I eventually got into our spare bed with her (it is a double bed, but pushed up against a wall, so was happy she couldn't fall out). Tried the lying down feeding thing. She seemed happy enough, but I didn't find it all that comfortable. I think she was not a hundred percent properly latched. But by then I was too exhausted to care. We both ended up sleeping for 2 hours. The only other time I've had a 2 hour sleep since she was born a week ago, was when my mum came to visit and I asked her to hold Grace while I slept. Mum was so lovely and was thrilled to get a chance to cuddle.

When I am not feeding, DH is very good about holding her so that I can spend a little time with DS - I'm not up to much, but being a mummy-horsie is always a hit and does not take too much energy.

Oh, and someone on the Sept antenatal thread said they used a baby sling and fed on the move while making dinner, playing with toddler etc. Not sure that I have the skill or the energy to do that, but am going to give it a go, and will be happy even if I can do it some of the time

I have bought a sling for this baby - a simple to use pouch type. I'm hoping it will be well-used when DH goes back to work.

I can't do lying down feeding yet. It took me a number of weeks with DD1 and now my boobs are weigh too engorged. We did put Alice in bed with us this morning and she slept from 6-8.30am! DD1 never slept with us - again - even when we wanted her to at say 8 months old and she'd wake at 5am!

I don't mind though - I think I'm going to enjoy my cuddly baby.

KK, what sling are you getting? I started a thread about this but still can't decide.