December 2010 - Merry Christmas new babies!

[Chooster]

Hi, I couldn't see a post-natal thread but as we grow in numbers we'll need a place to chat!

All good here... Jude is now 5 days old and such a wonderful good baby. Mind you he must think he's been born in the Arctic as it was -16 outside this morning in Edinburgh. Brrrrrrr - Its not always this cold Jude .

How's everyone else getting on?

kitty I used to! When I first had Bob I would sleep until 11 am but I've been slowly retraining myself to get up. Not always successfully and I do doze sometimes and wake up with Bob asleep on me. His deep sleeps seems to be at night thankfully. I really want to start getting him down a bit earlier though, 8 - 12 would be good.

Hi All. Well my two are taking it in turns to be awake although William has finally fallen asleep on my lap and DD appears to be quiet so I think has given up and gone to sleep. She is really tired but at that age where she'll probably be giving up naps soon.

kitty how is the thrush? We used daktarin on me and nystatin on William but I don't think we had it actually, I think it was just a crap latch and a normal white tongue from milk. Personally if you can feed lying down I'd carry on as you get more rest than sitting up in bed. I sit up to feed but only because I need to help him latch. On saying that we managed a side lying feed last night and it was comfy enough I was able to doze! :o Think we are turning the corner finally as I am less sore and he is less chompy again. I think his cold had a lot to do with it the other week.

For anyone still with sore nipples I have to recommend Kammilosan cream which you can get from boots - it is amazing.

William's nights are variable. He sometimes sleeps well and wakes a couple of times for feeds, but at other times it could be every hour or he takes 1 1/2 hours to resettle. He's still so little though, I am sure he will settle soon.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

hiya
wll thrush seems to be the same, doesn't seem to be upsetting her though so we'll have to just be patient and see if the meds work :( i'm glad you didn't have it in the end :)

yes, i failed at sitting up for night feeds, we tried and she fell asleep - then when i tried to move her she was wide awake so back to side lying, I'm hoping this is the growth spurt and soon she'll be sleeping longer, she fed about every 1.5 hours during the night and she has fed at least once an hour today too so must be the spurt ..... could be another long night

Just starting to feel better, now got a pretty evil cough. Bea doesnt seem to have caught it at all. She's still good at night, we have to wake her for feeds, she gets frenzied if she misses a night feed and usually ends up with tummy ache. She's certainly got a growth spurt going on, myboobs are taking a while to respond and the 10pm feed id the hardest, we got some formula the other night so that we can top her up after the breast just in case, she doesn't take much more than an oz, but it makes a difference.

Went to BF support group on Friday, two other babies the same age as Bea, but much bigger, the rst were toddlers, when woman had taken her child out of school lunches for a BF, the centre is next to the school. It was a little weird, i have not come across anyone feeding past one.

My boobs are free at the moment, found that the nursing bras were causing a lot of discomfort, they feel much better now, but my nipples are agony, will try some kamisollen.

With regard to getting up and dressed, varies depending on what is planned, generally up by 11 everyday, may take a while to get dressed, mon & weds i have early groups so am up and dressed to arrive for 9.

Poor you kitty - thrush is rotten... I've not had it with ds3 but I kept getting it with ds2. It's so sore but stick with it if you can - it will get better!

How is everyone else doing? Sorry to hear of sleepless nights. Jude is doing well thank goodness!! He wakes once or twice a night generally which is a so so so good.... its been a hectic 2 weeks as Dh has been working evening shifts so I've done all the homework, bath, bedtime... and he's been watching the footie all day on Newcastle today. Looking forward to a pay back snooze tomorrow.

Have finally got my bedside cot set up and its judes third night on it. Both times he's done a commando style crawl over onto my bed again! I've been asleep while he's done this and its a bit frightening to find he's not where I left him! He's also getting over the effects of his first jabs, horrible holding him.... he wailed!

Glad to hear your feeling better kellestar. Good that you're getting support from the bf group, I've not known anyone feed a school age child?!? Think that's bit odd myself... I'm considering a formula top up too.... may give it a go. I tried Jude on a bottle of bf milk and he took it fine.

DF lol at pencils. Women with small boobs may not get spaniels ears - they get used teabags instead . Don't worry they firm up again after a few months when they have recovered from breastfeeding.

chooster Jude seems to be coming on great... I am not looking forward to when I have to take mine for her jabs- think I will need a few drinks first. Did you see the Newcastle game? It was well worth it so I hope you have enjoyed a long lie and breakfast in bed by the time you read this, courtesy of grateful DH!

Well I don't want to get too hopeful but Nancy is suddenly having 2 hour sleeps- not in any pattern but it is a step in the right direction. 0-3m is supposed to be the "fourth trimester" where baby still needs to be attached to mum so I should be happy that she s perfectly normal in not wanting to sleep on a mattress!

Also after only 3 days there is not a speck of rash on her bum - she had had nappy rash for a couple of weeks and nothing was clearing it so I am glad I asked the HV about thrush. My nips were not either itchy or painful- just stingy and sore which could easily have been from bad latch or frequent feeding- and it took the GP to see if the white tongue was in fact thrush so the symptoms can be quite hard to spot. Does anyone know how long you use the meds for?

kellestar it is great you are getting BF support.Obviously it is good at it if a woman feels comfortable coming with a school ager! Not met anyone who did this myself either, but I did BF DD1 till she was 2. She was a limpet child though and I didn't work at the time. Both my DSs self weaned at around 8m but I was back at work and they were used to getting bottles. For those of you worried about feeding in public- my HV gave me a leaflet with a detailed list of places in my area that support BF and which ones have a BF area (like Mothercare), so you can feed more privately.

DF lol at pencils. Women with small boobs may not get spaniels ears - they get used teabags instead . Don't worry they firm up again after a few months when they have recovered from breastfeeding.

chooster Jude seems to be coming on great... I am not looking forward to when I have to take mine for her jabs- think I will need a few drinks first. Did you see the Newcastle game? It was well worth it so I hope you have enjoyed a long lie and breakfast in bed by the time you read this, courtesy of grateful DH!

Well I don't want to get too hopeful but Nancy is suddenly having 2 hour sleeps- not in any pattern but it is a step in the right direction. 0-3m is supposed to be the "fourth trimester" where baby still needs to be attached to mum so I should be happy that she s perfectly normal in not wanting to sleep on a mattress!

Also after only 3 days there is not a speck of rash on her bum - she had had nappy rash for a couple of weeks and nothing was clearing it so I am glad I asked the HV about thrush. My nips were not either itchy or painful- just stingy and sore which could easily have been from bad latch or frequent feeding- and it took the GP to see if the white tongue was in fact thrush so the symptoms can be quite hard to spot. Does anyone know how long you use the meds for?

kellestar it is great you are getting BF support.Obviously it is good at it if a woman feels comfortable coming with a school ager! Not met anyone who did this myself either, but I did BF DD1 till she was 2. She was a limpet child though and I didn't work at the time. Both my DSs self weaned at around 8m but I was back at work and they were used to getting bottles. For those of you worried about feeding in public- my HV gave me a leaflet with a detailed list of places in my area that support BF and which ones have a BF area (like Mothercare), so you can feed more privately.

sorry about that- mumsnet plays up this time of night I think...

Hi All,

Isadora still seems to have a cold cant go on for much longer surely? Quite funny listening to her snoring but I do feel sorry for her.
She is sleeping still only 2 -2.5 hours a time and feeding in between, still going to sleep on me and after an hour I move her to the side of me and we feed lying down but it seems constant - similar problem to you kitty not quite sure how to get longer feeds to stretch them out a bit as they all run in to each other, or maybe I am falling asleep and not noticing. The positive is that Isadora is managing a couple of hours at my side without realizing! I did try to put her next to me straight away last night but it resulted in screaming which then meant I had to get out of bed and start the whole process again!
I have fixed the cot up this weekend totally given up on the moses basket now and have been putting her in the cot throughout the day awake and asleep to get her used to it.
ff will check if I can get hold of a list of bf friendly places, missed the support group last week, seem to be in bed till 12 most days which is a habit that needs to be broken but Isadora does her deep sleeping in the morning and doesn't want to sleep until 2am DF your ideal sleeping routine seems like heaven but how do we get the babies on board?

evening all!

finally starting to feel human again - a horrid week feeling like death and trying to care for a baby, just so so relieved to be on the mend. DD's cold also pretty much gone. she gave DH and I a pretty grim 48hrs (hence my absence from here)..think it was down to a 6wk growth spurt. she was eating every 2 1/2 - 3hrs and depsite me drinking gallons and eating for 5(never mind 2, haha!) my boobs were struggling to keep up with demand...her naps also went to pot and she was screaming for food almost constantly. thank goodness today has been much more settled and she seems happy back to 4hrly feeds. it was quite upsetting at the time, thinking my baby had turned into a monster!

have read all the posts since last on here - head still a bit fuzzy tho so here's hoping all are keeping well and thrush/eating/sleeping issues are coming good!

frankenfanny - I saw the highlights of the game! And got a VERY detailed account from DH when he came home at about 11.30... I was sound asleep but he'd forgotten his key - grrrrrr!!!! I wasn't that enthusiastic about hearing about all the goals at that time !.

Hello girls,
Some of you may not remember me but I was chatting with you for months before my child was born premature end of October and then since then this is probably the fifth time I have booted up my laptop! I do check emails and some online stuff from iphone but that has been pretty much my only online contact... So nice to read your stories and catch up and congratulation to all of you on having your little ones. My DD is now 13 weeks old and really becoming fun... She now notices toys and plays a bit with them. Crackes huge smiles and tries to talk to me by making noises. We are working hard in the recent weeks to set up a sleep routine and tonight she went to bed at 7 and is still sleep and hopefully will only wake up once (as she has recently been doing) till 7 AM. So that is why I am setting up my laptop again and hoping to be online more often. I had a lot of horrid weeks and every possible breast feeding problem but since she passed three months everything has become much easier... :)

Hope all is well and that I can now keep in touch with you guys...

lots of love
PJen

PJen I remember, especially since you LO was one of the first to arrive! How are you finding being a mum? Do you have to go back to work soon? Tell us about your BF problems and how you resolved them- it can't have been easy with a prem baby. What did you do to get a sleep routine? Those of us a few weeks behind need to know...

This is ridiculous!! Bea and DH are fast asleep, yet I am far from that place, been up since her 2 am feed!! Writing Lists at the moment, dare not do housework in case I wake them! No chance of a nap today either.

Nice to hear you and LO are doing well PJen those smiles and coos are dear aren't they, Bea has just started practicing some noises and smiles at everyone and everything.

hey PJen lovely to see you :)

PJen lovely to hear from you and that you're doing well.

William has been asleep for about 32 of the last 36 hours. He woke last night every 2 hours for feeds but then went straight back to sleep, this after being asleep almost literally all day and night the previous 24 hours. Now he's asleep again. I am puzzled but he seems happy and alert when awake and is doing plenty of nappies. Could it just be growth spurt?

I have sore patch on left boob AGAIN aaaarrrggghhh. No fever and no lump so not sure if mastitis/blocked duct. Am feeding and expressing like mad from that side.

kelle hope you got some sleep in the end

WLL sounds like a growth spurt to me - exactly what DD did last Thursday...she just slept and slept but then I had a manic 48hrs with her feeding like a trooper.

Fingers crossed the sore patch resolves itself without too much pain/hassle x

Thanks rubekia. he's asleep again afer managing an hour up. Seemed happy, lots of smiles. Am going to take advantage and go back to bed :)

Great that some of you still remember me :) FF I had all possible breast feeding problems; first my premature baby couldn't latch then she got used to bottle then I had mastatis then twice thrush and then fever and flu, which reduced significantly my milk and now for once we are enjoying a problem free time (touch wood). as for sleep training, I chose the simple route of just establishing structured naps and a bed time routine starting six pm and getting LO in bed by seven. This bedtime routine includes the usual bath massage and feeding. I don't believe in letting my baby cry so I sooth her if she cries and first couple of week it took us two hours of fussing every night but now she finally gets it and falls asleep in fifteen twenty mins. It means that we have finally normal evenings and can enjoy a meal with DH. She wakes up usually once till seven am for a feed and sometimes twice. DF I'm still wondering if your baby was ontime or as you wished late and if everything went well with your mother in law visit?? As predicted my in laws all came to us for Xmas and stayed couple of weeks and my worst nightmare came true as I fell I'll with flu too. It was by far my worst holiday ever :(( WLL it is good that he is sleeping. Babies need tons of sleep around growth spurts. Enjoy the extra time h gives you.
I'm planning to come online now regularly so will catch up with most of you. :))

DF I went back in threats and read and found out how your Xmas was. Glad that those days are over and now you have Bob in your hugs at home. Great job at expressing and taking care of him so well. I still haven't managed to find out about your ML visit though but still am not done with catching up :)

Hey PJen Baby bob was 11 days late and because of swallowed meconium he was in the neo natal unit for 9 days so no one but me and DH were able to see him. MIL managed to see him for a few hours the day before she flew home and because Bob was in special care we missed out on the whole big christmas meal thing. Sorry to hear your Christmas was so pants.

RE routines... Bob is not yet 7 weeks so I am not expecting to establish a solid routine yet but I really need to find a way to get him to sleep in the day. possibly he only needs several short naps but I think I should be getting him to nap for an hour or so at points? Today he has only slept on me, everytime I try to put him in the moses basket he has woken up. If I take him out then he will sleep for ages in the car and pram but at home he just won't despite looking knackered. I just keep shoving my boobs in his mouth in an attempt to get him to snooze off so I can try the moses again.

is there anything I should/could be doing? Sadly the sling still hasn't taken his fancy.

Yes DF he needs an hour nap in the morning, two hours in the noon and another hour late afternoon. At seven weeks you don't notice but later he will show signs of overstimmulation and overtiredness if he hasn't slept well during the day. I wasn't for routines either until Sophie started making our evenings miserable with crying. Then I noticed that letting her sleep whenever she wants and letting visitors play with her in the evenings is not helping her. Also we have noticed that she started getting better quality sleep and as result is growing faster. Maybe just coincidence but her mood is definitely much better and she doesn't grizzle at night like she used to. I still don't have a real routine but just approximately trying to have the similar pattern each day. Try to establish a pattern now or it will be more difficult later. I'm also a bit stuggling with daytime naps but take her to room and put her down when she looks tired and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but with doing it over and over she'll eventually gets it.

DF don't worry about Bob being too young for a routine - have had DD in one (of sorts) since she was 3wks. i know this might sound extreme and its only now, coming up to 7wks that evenings are more settled (can take her up to an hr of fussing on and off to fall asleep) but we are now at a point where days and nights have a lose pattern.

DD feeds between 6-7am then is up for about an hr - i take her down with me and she stays in the kitchen while i prepare breakfast. she gets fussy and sleepy after an hr so i tend to settle her back in her cot (or moses basket downstairs if she's really having a flap) and she sleeps until about 9.30-10am. If not awake i wake her, give her a quick wash and get dressed in day clothes. she then has a feed. once again she'll be up for an hr maybe hr and a half then she gets tired and grotty. she will then nap for about an hr, maybe wake for an hr and sleep again, waking for a feed at approx 2pm. once again she manages an hr and a half max of awake time before she shows signs of tiredness. at this point i will prob take her out for a walk in the pram. i will get her bathed and ready for bed in time for a 6pm feed. she's in bed by 7pm at the latest.

the times sometimes change; recent growth spurt threw this off completely; some days she will be more sleepy/awake than others. she is also more responsive to sounds and stuff happening around her so sometimes i have to pop her in her room to get a proper nap. evenings have been a proper struggle - maybe with Bob you could try putting him in the moses basket where he can see you? i've had DD in the bathroom with me whilst having a shower! he will prob fuss and moan but if you keep doing it he will get the message. don't worry about naps being short - aim for an hr, if you only get 40mins its better than nothing! hope some of this helps (sorry for epic length.......)