Totally's postgrads - you know who you are.

[Meita]

Totally's original thread was for TTC after MC. It continued long after Totally herself graduated, and is still going strong. Totally's grads was set up as a thread for pregnancy post MC - i.e. anyone who graduated from Totally's thread and anyone else who had experienced MC and was now pregnant. It, too, is still going strong.

Now, more and more of us have graduated from Totally's grads - including LouiseSH, whose Georgie was born asleep. I suppose that makes us postgrads. We have travelled together for a long time and would like to stay in touch, but the pregnancy post MC thread is starting to get very big, and I think it should be allowed to keep its focus on pregnancy post MC. May it be as wonderful a place for support for current "members" as it was for us.

So this thread is a place for us to keep in touch, share experiences, and provide support.

(This is the first time ever I'm starting a thread - hope it works out...)

Welcome Loopy!

General waves all round. We're being kept busy with childproofing the house (TV up onto wall, make catfood inaccessible, find storage solutions for stuff that shouldn't be in I.'s reach, put up stairgates, ...). I. is now quite speedy on all fours and due to him always attempting to stand and walk, he is now the proud owner of his first pair of 'real' shoes... He is also getting a lot of bumps on his head. He just keeps knocking into stuff or banging against things (such as the floor...)...

He was at CM all day yesterday and Wednesday. Does that mean I got any work done? Hmmm... Anyway he seems to enjoy it so things are ok.
And our new bicycle trailer arrived! This is going to make getting out and about so much easier for me, and will increase our activity radius (I don't drive and am quite fed up with the unreliable local busses). The trailer was the one most expensive purchase we did since having I. but we didn't want to compromise on safety.

Hope all are well! Would be great to hear from you lurkers out there :)

Congrats Loopy Yeh..
Thanks for your well wishes.
Hi all XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hello, I am a lurker out here! Very busy hence lack of posting. My poor husband has some terrible news last week - his cousin who is our age tragically and unexpectedly died. DH is now in South Africa for the funeral and I am home alone with three children having had recent surgery. It's going ok but I am exhausted. He'll be back on Monday. R doesn't sleep brilliantly at night still - she doesn't cry but is restless and wakes often and feeds frequently. I'm getting really tired. Like your sool Meita we are mainly weaning on purees as R is on the 9th percentile and needs quantity of food. I give her finger foods too and just try to encourage her to eat plenty.

I hope you and your babies are all well, sorry I'm rubbish at posting.

Oh dear SpringSamB sorry for such sad news. Hope you're managing ok.

Meita

Sorry I can't go on, WTF is going on with Eurovision? It's just started and the presenters are breaking into song. Of sorts. My brain is stalling! Will return to posting again tomorrow, can't concentrate!

Love to all, hope everyone is well x

Nb do want to hear about Meita's trike!

yes me too meita which trailer did you decide to go for? We had a bike seat for DS1 (when he was older) and we're trying to work out what to do next... DS1 is 4 next weekend (eek!) and a bit too small to ride independently, but a bit of a heiffer on back of the bike now!

spring what sad news for your family. How is the recovery from surgery going?

We have this one:
www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/cougar.php
The one-seater version. We figured by the time DC2 comes along, I. will be nearly too big for it anyway. And if not, we can always sell it on e-bay and upgrade to the 2-seater. The price is but we'll save on petrol and gym-fees!

Went for a trip around the park today, was good fun! Though I. was not very happy with the helmet. We need to work on the tightening etc. to make it more comfortable. But the trailer runs very smoothly.

SpringFlowers, sorry to hear your news, that must have been quite a shock and sad. I'm sure you're looking forward to your DH getting back tomorrow! You'll have deserved a rest. I'm with you on the not-brilliantly-sleeping. Have got the no-cry sleep solution book now and am currently developing our personal sleep plan... and getting into strops with DP about it... (tell him to do x and he goes and changes the plan to y in the middle of the night...) Hope things improve for you soon, it gets to be wearisome after so many months.

Hiya lovelies x

Sorry I've not posted more - it seems I have plenty of time to read while feeding, but haven't quite mastered the art of one-hand typing, or indeed, haven't managed to cultivate a post-pregnancy attention span which means I have the energy or inclination to type anything, once i've caught up on everyone's news!

I was wondering if any of you have any experience or advice re. prolonged jaundice? P still has a tinge in her face / eyes, although it doesn't really show in her chest or limbs - as some of you know, she's been slow to put on weight, which I think is down to the fact that the jaundice makes her sleepy, which in turn makes her feed less frequently or for as long as she should.

Her lack of weight gain meant we ended up having an overnight stay in hospital on Thursday while they did blood tests - all came back fine, apart from the one showing slightly high bilirubin levels, which we knew about anyway. However, the levels aren't high enough for them to want to treat the jaundice further - so we're left in this limbo whereby the jaundice isn't shifting, but the hospital won't give her anything to fix it, but then worry and mither me about her weight - meanwhile, the weather has been shit, so I can't even self-medicate by sticking her in the sunshine for a few hours!

Anyway, I'm rambling. My question is, is there anything else I can do to help with the jaundice? We're tackling the infrequent feeding by waking her regularly (every 3hrs) and also topping her up with expressed bottles at every feed, which seems to be helping.

Evening all

Thank you for asking Clare, I feel pretty well recovered now. Generally tired but I've been busy. I still have a big, but pale, egg shaped bruise around my belly button where the haematoma was but it's going slowly. On the upside I lost half a stone which was probably mostly the weight of the cyst .

Meita - sounds like we both have sleep issues. R sleeps with us (has her own half of the bed) which we are happy with for the time being. She seems to need / want to go to bed early - 6pm really. It's tough to settle so that she is soundly asleep while everyone else is moving around the house. Oh my, if she wakes up in the early evening she is cross and miserable and very difficult to settle. In the night she can just be restless, not unhappy or upset but in and out of sleep and wiggling around. She feeds quite a bit too but as her weight is low ish I don't want to refuse. I also have the ncss, it's quite good I think. That said i haven't worked out our sleep plan yet. I hope you have success and can get dp on board.

We're off to France next weekend. Driving ten hours with three children. I am totally mad. If anyone has holidaying tips do share...

Evening everyone, hope you've all had good weekends. samflowers good to see you back and recovering, sorry about your bad news.
viv how long has P been jaundiced for? Little Dorcas was jaundiced and we were advised to feed every two hours, three hours during the night. It took about a week to clear. Other than feeding lots, which it sounds like you are already doing, I don't have any other suggestions though, sorry. Fx we'll get another mini heatwave soon and she can get some sun! It must be so frustrating the hospital worrying about her jaundice but not giving you any more help to clear it. Other than that how are you doing?
All well here, although I am knackered! Lots of night feeding going on...

Hi Viv, I have a clever book that says something useful about jaundice (that's as much as I remember - that it seemed useful, back when I read it) and will look up tomorrow for you.

Well our NCSS is out of the window for the time being... I. has started to scream inconsolably at bedtime and when he wakes up in the night. It must be that he's teething. It must. Part of me just says 'please make that it's teething and nothing more sinister...' - we have been spoilt in having a baby who rarely cries, it's difficult to see him so upset. And my mind goes crazy and I start worrying about nothing. In any case, we won't be trying anything new sleep wise until this - it's surely only a phase, isn't it? - has all settled down again and gone back to normal.

Take care all!

Hi viv I'm sure you're doing all this already, but from memory with ds1, you need to encourage them to poo because that's how they excrete the excess bilirubin- so feed every 2 hours during the day, 3 hours at night (ouch)
Strip them to just nappy and put them next to the window, on their front and then back, safer inside than putting baby in direct sunlight.

Make sure you're eating and drinking plenty to stay hydrated, and consider taking a multivit too.

DS1 only had a bit of jaundice for first 2 weeks and it cleared up, but he was sleepy to begin with so I had to wake him to feed (arrgh)

meita glad you're getting out and about on your trailer- looks fab!

We're all doing well, t is 13weeks old and the most chilled out baby ever. He is busting out of his Moses basket so we're moving him into his cot this week, as he's sleeping really well we are going to put him in ds1's room (they are going to share) I foresee a few very early mornings... It might be too soon, but we can always move him back with us if his sleeping regresses.
If anyone has any advice on Lo's sharing a room it would be much appreciated.

Hi everyone

viv lovely to see you here - sorry to hear that P has jaundice - N was jaundiced too but only for the first week or so - the advice we got was the same as everyone else has said - ie feed every 2 hours in the day and every 3 hours at night. Sadly for me that would have been the holy grail at the time and there was no chance of going that long.

Samspringflowers sorry to hear your sad news and also that R still isn't sleeping well. I slept with N on me for the first 5 weeks or so - he wouldn't be put down at any time, thankfully he just started to be able to be put down and now mostly sleeps in his bednest - although at 2:30 last night I gave up as he wouldn't settle and brought him back into bed with me. Hes' only 8.5 weeks so I figure that cuddles are no bad thing. I have also bought NCSS and am waiting for it to arrive. Might be too early but figured i could start to read it anyway. I've just found that i have to keep trying things that he previously didn't like as he changes so quickly at the moment!

TMT did you find out what the nappy rash was? I'd ask your health visitor if its thrush if I were you - sounds like it could be.

battery dying - will finish post later!!

Oh dear Meita, poor I. R hardly cries at a either and it's so distressing when she does. I hope he is ok - you mustn't worry he will be fine. It could be teeth, it could be his body getting used to digesting food, could just feel a bit under the weather for no reason. He could just be overtired and cross. I hope you are alright today too.

My lovely dh is home and normal service is resumed. I am very happy to see him and to share the responsibility of three children!

Viv my lo had jaundice for ages. We had the tests too and the hospital wasn't concerned. Sunshine and feeding is what we were advised. Eventually it went away, but it took a while.

Good morning,
So as promised, I looked jaundice up in my clever book. It's an alternative medicine book by a German midwife.

So some things she writes:

• Jaundice is not as worrying as people today make it out to be. Babies used to be jaundiced worse and for longer times without anyone worrying, and most of the time it was ok. Also, the worst risks are limited to the first 48 hours of life. Afterwards, there is hardly any risk for serious complications, so don't worry too much.

Most important things to do with jaundiced babies at home (in contrast to at hospital):

• Keep their body temperature constant. Avoid frequent nappy changes, and/or use a heating lamp at your changing table. Hot water bottles are good and holding your baby as often as possible.
• If BF, avoid taking medication, as this will put extra strain on the liver.
• If BF, eat liver-friendly food: Avoid animal proteins (meat, sausages), reduce pulses, particularly avoid tomatoes. Drink lots, eat things like soup, rice, potatoes. Take two tablespoons of olive oil per day.
• Give the baby lots of liquids. That can be by feeding often, but you may also give fennel tea, which activates the kidneys and thus also activates the liver.

If you'd like to try herbal medicine, she suggests a special tea made from holy thistle/lady's thistle/milk thistle (all different names for the same thing), dandelion (leafs and roots) and boldo leafs (can't find a translation for that). She gives relative amounts and advises on how to take it (can also be given to the baby) so let me know if your interested.
She also recommends aromatherapy and particularly homeopathy, but especially the latter needs specialist guidance.

Then of course theres sunlight. She recommends making a nest on the windowsill with a warm fur and some hot water bottles. You should notice a decrease of the yellowing quite quickly, then it is time to turn baby around so that the other side of their body is in the light.

HTH!

Spring so sorry for your bad news, but good that you got through your DH being away and good to hear you're recovering :)

Meita, DS1 would get into lovely sleep habits then teething (I think) would throw him for a while, but not for too long. I didn't hold back with the magic pink medicine if I thought he was in pain and it sorted out many a night time screaming session. The other thing I learned about recently is the mental leaps they have which cause regressions before big developmental steps forward (check out the Wonder Weeks - I bought the book, fascinating). Helps understand it which in itself makes it easier to deal with.

Viv as I already said on bookface, sympathies on the jaundice/weightgain... I agree with everyone else's advice. For the first three weeks I think I hardly got out of bed... Endless feeding and expressing and next to a nice big southfacing window. Midwife and lactation consultant both recommended it as the best thing. Lots of skin to skin contact and we co-slept too (if you do, check out safe co-sleeping guidelines and it becomes an extremely safe way to sleep).

Sleeping babe just woke and feeding the wrong side for easy thumb typing so big waves to everyone else

Hi all,

Well, bottom spots disappeared the same day the ones on my face did so I can only assume it was pill hormone issues. Thanks for the advice everyone.

I ordered NCSS at the weekend too, although I haven't started it yet as I'm engrossed in What Mothers Do. It's brilliant. I've only read the first bit but I identify with it so much, that feeling of DH getting home and me knowing I've been busy all day but not actually being able to say what I've done.

We're on night two of J in her own room. Last night I Was up at 1.00 to feed, 2.30 to settle, 4.00 to feed, 5.30 to settle and 6.00 to feed. That sounds a lot but feels like quite a massive improvement. Needless to say DH's earplugs did the trick!

Time for bedtime feed so must dash, will catch up again properly soon.

Thanks everyone - that's all really useful, not least because it's reassuring to know we're doing all the right things. On the positive side and to all other intents and purposes, she seems a really healthy baby - she's certainly producing enough wet and pooey nappies a day, and her skin is plump to the touch, so we know she's getting enough fluids from the feeds.

The only thing we've not tried is stripping her off when she's by the window - we've had her in a vest as it's been quite chilly, so I guess that's worth a go. We're not strictly co-sleeping, but she is occasionally reluctant to be put in her Moses basket (especially if it's me putting her down) so she does spend a few hours most nights sleeping on me.

Oh and that's v interesting re. the German midwife's suggestions re. Diet. I'm taking daily multivits, but might cut down on my meat! (Sob!)

Personally I would be very happy if someone made me a fur lined nest with hot water bottles in it and put me near a sunny window

I'll ditto that Clareanna!

mmm, snooooozey snuggles...

Have had full roast plus trimmings today - dh's shifts make weeks go all wobbly - so vewwy sleepy now. Although having all 4 of us sitting up at the table was quite fun; James gummed at some steamed sweet potato and broccolli (popular) and some steamed parsnip (less popular) and made a proper mess but at least it stopped him grabbing hot roasties off my plate (unlike his sister!).

Hi's to all...

hi all

how is everyone? so sorry for not being online more the last 2 weeks, it's just been so busy and time has flown by. C hasn't been sleeping as well as she had been, mostly waking just for feeds / settling sometimes.. she is eating 3 meals a day + having all her milk, got her weighed last week and still on 50th %ile so she is jst putting on same amount. I really dont know what to do to encourage her to sleep through again or even just to have just 1 wake up and i'm really struggling with day time naps. People keep saying she should be sleeping for 2-3 hours during the day in her cot. She does 35 mins in the morning in bouncer having fallen asleep with a feed, same then twice in teh afternoon sleeping in bouncer/car seat. Just dont know how to get her to sleep in cot during day, at night time it's not a problem she looks forward to it.

sorry this is me me me, i'll catch up in the morning I promise i really reallyhope you are all well well well

sooo tired, best go to bed to get some sleep, please dont get me wrong i love C more than teh whole whole universe but she just needs her sleep and is sooo happy when she gets her sleep xx

ps apologies what's NCSS?

Louise how are you doing?

Unbuffy hope you enjoyed your roast

SpringSam so sorry to hear your bad news, thinking of you xx

Clareanna we had to do the same with C at about 14 weeks as she was far far too long for the Moses.. it was sooo hard moving to her own room but she loves her big cot!

Viv hope jaundice is improving, we were readmitted with C's jaundice as it got so bad, their advice was tons of feeding basically.. not much help i know sorry

Just found out what NCSS is - i'll be buying that i think! any recommendations of it?

sorry for all the posts xx