November 2010: Welcome to life on the other side

[bunnygirl80]

Pull up a chair and help yourself to a LARGE glass of wine

Welcome to the dark side the wonderful world of motherhood

bookworm I've noticed a similar problem when I bend down in the shower to shave my legs and then stand up. Have a feeling it's because everything is still a bit looser down there....am really hoping it all goes back to how it was eventually

hmm glad your routine's working. I've been told to start something similar at 6 weeks, but as that coincides with xmas day I think we'll wait a bit. William actually sleeps beautifully wherever we put him down, as long as he's asleep when we do it. Not sure if I'm feeling motivated enough to start putting him down awake and teaching him to self settle yet

fen I hope Norry starts feeding better soon. William seems to alternate between doing one really half hearted feed with one massive long one during the day - thankfully we don't have any weight issues though so I'm just letting him get on with it.

William has developed a lovely habit of starting to scream at 7:15pm and continuing no matter what we do for precisely 30 mins before falling asleep. Am contemplating hiring him out to people that need a very loud wriggly alarm clock

Quick question for all you sling users. After a nightmare trip into town with the pram yesterday I've decided to give the sling a go today. I've got a non stretchy material one. But what on earth do you dress baby in?

fenouille most of my DS's feeds are around 15 minutes - my HV said some babies feed more efficiently than others, and also if you've got plenty of milk combined with an efficient feeder (like me!) then they don't need to feed for long periods. eg last night my DS fed at 11.30 for 14 mins, and went to sleep from midnight to 5.30am, fed again, and then slept until i had to wake him at 10 so i could change his nappy before the HV came, then fed him whilst she was here and he is now asleep again!

Vix7 just had our 6 week check today and HV measured DS length (75th centile) weight (just over 50th centile) and head circumference (91st centile)....so we have a tall, average weight, genius DS :) (kind of hoping the big head contains a big brain after all the oily fish i ate during pregnancy as it is meant to help brain development!!!)

i'd ask them to measure him in future, no point having charts if they aren't completed and i want to keep DS's as something for him to look at when he is older.

loooopy that's good to know. There might be something in that as Norry has put on almost 200 grams (7 oz) in the last week. Huzzah! Finally!

Well, we didn't use the sling in the end as after getting Norry all comfy I decided that it could be a bit tighter. Cue faffing around with it for half an hour until I couldn't even fit Norry into it so we ended up sticking him into the maxi cosi and going like that. I'll try again tomorrow!

Oh, and I meant to ask lainey how the thrush and bf are going. Hope you're feeling better and that the feeding has got less painful now.

Hi, sorry be MIA for a few days.

fen sad to report that we are now (as of saturday) EFF. I'm sad that BF didn't work out this time for us. But .... I feel sooooo much happier, Finn is much more content between feeds that I think we have made the right decision for us. I am seriously impressed and a little of all of you that are EBF or mixed feeding still.
The pain from the thrush is going now, and have managed to avoid mastitis as we gradually cut down feeds from wednesday night .

DH is a bit gutted that he didn't get to have any proper fun with my mega norks, back to normal size now

Is anyone else on here EFF? feel like the only one

Finn has been getting better at sleeping over night - the last 2 nights he has slept from 11-3ish and then til 7.30-8. He is big enough for his gro-bag now so last night after 3am feed went back in his moses basket and didn't need to come and get warm with us! Long may it continue.

How are everyone's xmas preparations going? hope none of you are snowed in. melting here in London, but still terrified of going out and falling over.

TMI alert. today is 3weeks post partum for me, but my bruising is feeling worse than ever - is this normal? Had an examine of my stitches too - bit of a butchers job, all seems a little mangled down there = luckily not somewhere you have to look at everyday!
Can't remember if anyone on here had forceps or epidural - if you did, did you have lots of pain for weeks afterwards?

Hi lainey nice to hear from you. I'm so glad to hear your thrush is lessening and that you've found a feeding solution that works for you all. I think mumcha is also EFF (haven't heard from her on this thread for yonks, hope she's ok these days) and I'm sure there must be others.

I also had a forceps delivery with epidural and episiotomy. It took 10 days before I could sit down without a big pile of cushions and I still get some pain (lessening every week so far - 6 1/2 weeks at the mo). What does your midwife say? I have to wait until January now for my check up but I also have the impression something's been stitched not quite as it was before. It's very tender still though so not sure if I'm just being a bit sensitive.

Hi lainey, I'm glad to hear that you have found a solution that works for you even if it's not what you originally thought you woul do.

hmmSleep how do you keep a baby awake? Aino just puts on her "I am not available" face and falls asleep if she's tired.

We've been off cross-country ski-ing. I only did a little as I've not had my 6-week check yet. Anyone else managed any exercise? I'm hoping that I will get permission to do a bit more once I have been checked over, I need to do a bit of sport to keep myself sane. I think Aino had a bit of a growth spurt while we were away; she fed a lot including every hour throughout the night before DH's race. He still did ok and enjoyed showing her off to other skiers and race officials.

finally found you ladies!

well our baby girl is now 15days old and is called Merryn, no middle name yet.

she is fabulous, feeds well and had gained 8oz when they weighed her at a week old :)

she sleeps a lot, but wont always be put down when asleep, is in our bed at night and in the day is sometimes in pram, carseat, sling or i just carry her around, still easy to do that as she is so dinky and little, i am guessing she is prob coming up to 9lbs now? but compared to the boys she is just soo dinky! we are all totally smitten with her and so far life as a mum of 5 is ok.

well obviously iam knackered as she feeds every 2 hrs at night and more during the day, but tbh i just feel really content, like my little family is complete now and the boys love her to bits.

i have tried to read back, but cant say ican remember everything, still feel like i have preg brain, tho i think its more a dull fog on my brain as i am so tired!

congratulations to all, i shall echo the tips that sarah has given re sleeping etc, i tend to feed, cuddle merryn wrapped up in a sheet or blanket and then puther down in the same sheet so she is warm and cosy.

re grobags i thought they had to be at least 9lb to go in them? i havent put merryn in one yet, but prob will in the next week or so.

re poo explosions, something merryn is VERY good at, we have to change lots of clothes because of them and she often poos when i am changing her and it shoots everywhere! we have had a few 'poo up to her shoulders' moments, which are a pita in the middle of the night.

re slings, i have a wilkinet that i have used but my fave at the mo is a moby wrap, merryn loves it and it is soo comfy and easy to use :) i have a ring sling somewhere but not used it yet and ihavent tried bfeeding with her in a sling yet as she is still little, but i suspect that is going to be next on our list of things to master! it will have to be once the boys are back at school etc!

oh and re snuffly babies, merryn gets bunged up and snuffly at times, i have some saline drops for her but it seems to come and go on its own, the midwife said its common for them to bea bit mucousy esp if htye had a quick second stage of delivery.

right i am going to go as i have to tidy up from lunch and check on ds2 who is in bed poorly :(

congrats again to all and i shall try and catch up more often!!

Congratulations 4madboys!! Isn't it lovely having a girl? . I have three boys, and Skye was a surprise (we didn't know the sex before birth).

Well, my lovely boys picked up an awful sore throat and cough from somewhere that myself and Skye are now in the throes of. Poor thing, when she cries all that comes out is a pitiful squeak... :(

Hope everyone is surviving this fabulous snow (which would be even more fabulous if I could get my blinking post!!)

Ps hope ds2 feels better soon! We've had a hard week of staying in the house with everyone ill... Missed every Christmas party going!

Aw sounds lovley 4mad - love the name, my dd 's name is ver similar - replace the e with an i and y with an e! :)

lainy - glad you have sorted out feeding

cardicorgi - I havent started running again yet. Ihad mild SPD when pg (the piyo helpedit stay mild I think) but have been suffering from sore hips from being stuck in one position in bed between dh and ds3, so I m going to wait til 6 weeks.

Somebody sked about what baby should wear in the sling, i just put hamish in a vest and babygrow and hat and wear dh's jacket one up round us both. he always seems warm enough and it has been -15 some mornings!

sarah - sympathy, we've all had the same bug.

Hi everyone. Been struggling to keep up with you all but managed to have a good read this evening while Isaac is asleep. Happy to report that the baby blues have definitely gone and I feel much more normal!

Isaac is doing well and I'm still breastfeeding him. Bought a box of formula the other day because in the evening he seems to get very frustrated when feeding as though he's not getting anything! Tried him twice with formula and he's reluctantly taken a small amount. Will try to keep exclusively breastfeeding him but its kind of comforting to know I have something to give him in the night if I'm desperate.

We're having the same problems as a few of you with the Moses basket and he normally ends up in our bed but last night I tried elevating the head end and rolling two cellular blankets up and putting them either side of him and he slept from 2am til 4.30am then 6am til 8.30am. As you can probably tell from those times, it takes me ages to get him back to sleep again after he wakes up for his feed. So still not ideal but felt like we made a bit of progress. Thanks to anyone who gave any tips with regards to the Moses basket though. Sorry for not naming you individually!

I also want to ask how often I'm supposed to see the HV? He came once last week and weighed and checked him, but not heard from him since then. He told me where and when the baby clinics were but I thought I only went if there was something wrong. Friends at the weekend told me they took their babies to be weighed every week so now I'm wondering how often every one else goes?!

I called my GP's surgery and made an appointment for mine and Isaac's 6 week check which will be on the 10th of January when he is actually 7 weeks old. Does anyone think I should I be taking him to be weighed before that?

Feel a bit like the HV presumed I knew what to do but I don't and didn't think of these questions til he had left. Probably the sleep deprivation!

I rang the number for the health visiting team, they said they didn't know but the guy I spoke to didn't speak great English and I don't think he fully understood what I was getting at and told me to ring the surestart centre. Called them and the girl said to call back in the new year because she thinks they're stopping doing the baby clinics!

Sorry for the long post. Just want to check what's normal and show that I've tried calling the obvious places for more info.

You can have your baby weighed once a week at clinic if you want and the HVs are also there if you have any problems you want to talk with them about.

I had dd1 weighed every week till she was almost one but haven't with dd2, last time she was weighed was when she was 10 days old and she will be weighed again on wed (6 week check) I know she is putting on weight (fast!) so don't see the point in dragging down there with a toddler that I have to try to contain whilst stripping dd2, weighing her, dressing her again whilst she crys (due to being stripped in a cold room) and any nappy horrors that might occur - not my idea of fun on a Friday morning.

That said, if I didn't think dd2 was gaining weight I would be there like a shot.

Its up to you how often you go

Hi again Bass! So glad you're feeling better! Skye did the exact same thing for awhile in the evening, eating lots and fussing until finally settling down for the night. I think it's called "cluster feeding"? Anyway, I don't think in my case it's an issue with not enough milk, I think it's her way of winding down for the night and the fussing isn't because she's hungry and can't get enough but because she's tired and feeding to fall asleep. Are you concerned about his weight gain at all? If not, I wouldn't automatically assume he's not getting enough, you'd be surprised what they can get out of a boob that seems to you like it's empty... I remember one time my ds2 doing that and I was sure nothing was coming out, then after awhile he threw an enormous amount of milk up all over himself and me! He was just overtired and trying to get to sleep. Hope it settles down over time!

Hi bass so good to hear the baby blues are well and truly over.

We also have cluster feeding here - endless fussing and half falling asleep before waking and wanting more. Tonight he seems to be particularly unsettled as he had his first vaccinations tonight. Poor thing cried blue murder.

Thanks wallace for the dressing under the sling advice. I'll try that tomorrow.

Glad to hear you're enjoying your DD 4+1mad. Hope your DS gets better soon.

I know the snow is a nightmare for lots of you, but I'm still of you. We've had a couple of mornings of snow flurries but nothing has stayed. I want to build a snowman sulk

bythemoonlight Yes I had the same thoughts regarding stripping a baby off in a potentially cold room, after trudging the couple of miles there in the snow! If I don't need to go then I'm not gonna! Isaac was back up to birth weight at a week old and at 3 weeks had gone from 8lb 12 to 10lb. He's still feeding (apart from the freaking out at nightime) and producing plenty of dirty/wet nappies so I think I'll just wait for the GP appointment in January.

sarahbuff fenouille Hello! Yes, cluster feeding sounds like what he could be what he's up to! It's quite tiring but after reading the whole thread Isaac sounds like he's behaving quite typically for 4 weeks. He'll fall asleep between 7 or 8pm, wake around 11 or 12 for a feed, then about 4am, then 7-8am ish. It's getting easier to spot a pattern with his sleeping/eating habits now too. I'm not going to try to force a routine on him, I'm happy to go with the flow and do what suits him for now, but it's just easier for me to work out when I should eat/shower etc if I can predict what's coming next.

Does anyone else's baby head butt their boob?! Sometimes he gets so worked up, he bashes his head against it, punches it and screams while I'm in his mouth! I'm not too worried about his weight gain but this is why I think he's not getting what he needs from me. It only happens at night.

Fen, sorry to hear Norry isn't too happy after jabs. Not looking forward to that in a few weeks!

Right Isaac is asleep on me at the moment, so I'm going to attempt the delicate transfer to Moses basket! No doubt I'll be back in 10 minutes

bass William headbutts my boobs when he wants feeding, claws at me with his hands, and he'll scream while he's still feeding sometimes. He seems to only do it in the evenings - I think he has trapped wind so he wants to feed but it makes him hurt even more so he screams and screams. I've been getting DH to take him as that seems to calm him when he's away from the food source, and then once he's burped, which can take upwards of half an hour, giving him 20ml EBM in a bottle, which seems to take the edge off his hunger enough for him to be calmer when I put him back on the breast.

Several of the babies in my mothers group have been doing the same so it is apparantly normal at this age and not a sign of not having enough milk. The thought of his 7pm feed each night fills me with dread at the moment though, even though I know he'll grow out of it in a few weeks.

cardi I'm chomping at the bit to get back to exercise, but I'm waiting till after my 6 week check. I've got some post-natal classes to do at the gym to ease me back into things but I can't wait to go out for a proper run. At the moment I'm making do with going for a long walk each day.

I'm of all the snow too, although I'm sure I'd hate it if I had to go out and about in it. That said we had a real cold snap yesterday, and it snowed in the mountains, even though it's the height of summer here

Had a little celebration this morning when I weighed myself and realised I've lost 20kgs since Will was born. Only another 6 to go until I'm back at my pre-pg weight Did have a slice of cake to celebrate though....

Well done bunnygirl on your weightloss! While pregnant with Skye she squished my stomach so much (combined with constant nause) that I struggled to eat more than a tiny bit at a time, so the day after she was born I was already within 3lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight. Having since rediscovered my love of food and a normal sized stomach I am still 2lbs up, but really need to start exercising as toning up is more of an issue for me than weight. I was running until 22 weeks pregs, then walking until 38 so will be glad to get back to it. My routine was to get up early and go while dcs and DH are still asleep, so may be awhile yet before I can leave Skye and know she'll be sleeping/happy for 30 minutes or so...

bass, another one with headbutting, fussing baby here. I think it's a combination of what bunny said and sometimes I think she's just annoyed that there's milk in there. She'll be sucking quite nicely until I feel my milk let down then it's as if she's going 'I didn't want milk, I just wanted to suck because I'm tired!' She also headbutts me when she's finished feeding to get me to pull my top back down, she's a bit of a bossy madam.

As for cluster feeding, Lottie has decided to do this between the hours of 1 and 6 am , I am not happy and I am tired. Think she's using it as a sneaky way to get night-time cuddles the little tinker.

and :( at Lottie hmm. Poor you. Are you at least able to sleep during the day?

Another little headbutter here, again only in the evening though.

Oops, got to go, GP are about to come over to drop off some mittens MIL has knitted and the little rascal is just about to start screaming judging by the sounds coming from the bedroom :)

Bass and Bunny Anna's a cluster feeder as well - she starts at about 6pm and wants feeding pretty much constantly until about 10pm (or midnight, on occasion). I've made it slightly easier for myself by expressing from one side first thing in the morning, when I've got loads of milk, and giving it to her at about 8pm, to give my boobs a bit of a rest and the chance to replenish their supply a bit!

I quick add on to what to put on baby in the sling:

I think that if I was going to be out in this cold for longer I would probably pop a light cardigan on too. I'm only usually out for a quick school run (5 mins way there 20 on way back ) and often keep Hamish in the sling when we get in so wouldn't want him overheating.

Glad I'm not the only one with a boob 'butter'. Abbie is like a little woodpecker sometimes. She feeds quite a bit in the evening too as I think my supply is slightly low then. Must dig out the pump and start expressing.

I have no idea is DS has passed his pocket money yet. I'm not rummaging through his poo and he hasn't shown any signs of discomfort passing anything.

Abbie has bronchiolitis. Hopefully it won't get any worse and she won't need oxygen. It's horrid listening to her little, squeaky cry and her coughing and wheezing all night. I had started to implement a routine but tbh when she's ill, I think she should just feed and sleep when she wants to.

Lainey they best bit about not breast feeding is getting your boobs back and being able to wear nice bras again. I can't wait to ditch these boulder holders I need to scaffold my norks with!

Very of all you nearly back to your pre pregnancy weight. I've still got 2st to lose and DP is a feeder! I have no will power so if chocolate is in the house, I have to eat it! In the New Year, I'll make a real effort.......honest!!!!

Ebb Sorry to hear Abbie's got bronchiolitis; I hope she gets better really soon. But if she does seem to be getting worse, don't hesitate to take her to hospital. I left it very late in taking any action when Anna was ill (not realising how serious it was), and we ended up there for five nights, but the oxygen really helped her. As long as Abbie's still feeding regularly, you probably don't need to worry, but I know what you mean about the horrible wheezing and squeaky crying - it's heartbreaking, isn't it?

And I'm definitely with you on the weight thing - I'm nowhere near my pre-pregnancy weight yet! My DH is also a feeder, and I'm also lacking in any self-control. Like you, I've vowed to start being more disciplined once Christmas is out of the way. Maybe by Christmas 2011 we can be back in shape...