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?

hiya :)

thanks for all the support re yoga and having a 'demanding' baby, I have paid for 6 sessions so I plan to stick it out for now and just ignore the teacher (who was a cow this week too ) and see it as a chance to get out of the house.

Isabel is getting better at being put down and will do 10 - 15 mins on her playmat now, which may not sound much but is a godsend for me! but the new issue is she hates being in her car seat and screams blue murder for most car journeys which is pretty stressful for driving, I think she just doesn't like being restricted in any way.

max great news about your DH, and I'm on your behalf at the interfering old bag - how rude - can you imagine just spouting off a load of unwanted advice to a complete stranger about any other aspect of life?

df i hate the 'good baby' thing too, it is very provacative. I find myself saying it after a more relaxed day and then thinking i really shouldn't. I'm getting a bit more relaxed re co-sleeping too. My HV told me she did it with all of hers so it can't be that inadvisable :) and.... I think Isabel may have actually slept for longer than 3.5 hours!! unless i have woken up and then blacked it out

Me and DH are going out for a meal tonight my parents are coming over to babysit. We are only going for 2 hours as I am BF and can't get Isabel to take a bottle, I am going to leave some expressed milk just incase they can magically get her to take some and tank her up as much as possible before I leave My dad came around last night and had Isabel in the sling and got her off to sleep so I think they'll all be fine :)

happy weekends all round x

Kitty / DF Have you read 'Three in a Bed'? It's a wonderful, enlightening read that reassured me completely that co-cleeping with DD was natural and any guilt and uncertainty I had about doing it has gone!!

thanks cjmommy, i have ordered a copy. The problem may be there are only 2 in my bed :) as DH has been exiled! also the same for df i think

Absolutely the same for me RE the sleeping, though DH is in the spare room for his snoring mostly. Listening to his snoring at 3.30 am I wondered to myself if he'll ever be back in with me I hope so though! I plan to get hold of the book CJMommy, my mum used to have it I'm sure. I'm a big fan of the books by Dr Sears too as they are very pro co-sleeping.

Kitty that's really sweet about your dad and the sling. Bob is getting more used to his.

I have olive oil all over the right side of my head and hair, Bob has cradle cap and so we're trying to treat it as naturally as we can but I am not enjoying the greasy hair look. I also crumbled and bought another pair of size 14 jeans as I still can't get into any of my size 12s. I am too lazy to try diet and excercise but it's just so annoying that I am apparently wider all over.

Does anyone here have a cleaner? What do hey do? Our house is so cluttered that I think a cleaner may find it hard to clean but the state of the house is getting me down so I am considering it.

I would love a cleaner!!! . My standards have slipped somewhat since DD arrives.
DF If you want a cleaner, have one.It's something I will definately have when I return to work. I may also consider one of the 'one off' house cleans - at the moment everything needs doing, don't know where to start, so don't bother! If the place is clean to start with, I may be a little more motivated to keep it that way!

kitty kira used to be like that the first few times in the car seat so we got a toy that hangs from the carry handle and now she's mostly lkay and only cries if she's tired.

crazykat that's a good idea :) she does have a mobile but I think a toy may be better now she has started grabbing things, I shall give it a go.

well I was out for about an hour and a half, we had a lovely meal - mostly discussing Isabel and when we might have the next one! Apparently she was really happy for most of the time but then went in to melt down, they tried the bottle but no good :( when we got back my mum had her in the nursery with the lights dimmed, lying on the changing mat with no nappy on (DD not mum :) !) i think she was just knackered from loads of playing as she immediately fell asleep in her sling. I may try again when she is 12 :)

df my imaginary cleaner would..... clean the bathrooms, hoover everwhere, clean the kitchen including the cooker, fridge and minging floor, do the ironing and dust the telly and any other accessible surfaces. funnily enough my dh said we should get one after he had been doing the housework for about a week he had always dismissed the idea before then

and yes my dad is lovely (as is my mum) but he did say he was going to give Isabel some Cuprinol, i assume he meant Calpol

kitty glad you had a good meal out - lol at your mum with no nappy and the cuprinol Persevere with the going out - it's healthy for all of you IMO. Maybe try going out for coffee or lunch instead as it's earlier in the day (so Iasabel may be less tired) and it tends to be a quicker trip! DH and I may treat ourselves to the cinema on Weds.

Matty is fine in his car seat - as long as we're moving! If we stop for anything longer than say a red light, he starts grizzling. Same in his pram!

DF I'd love a cleaner but I'd also hate it as I don't really like having people in my house . We definitely can't afford one at the mo anyway. Re weight loss, I found that I didn't really bother to try to do anything about losing weight in the first 6 months after having DD and by the time I returned to work, I was back to a size 12. Having said that, I have no will power so I wasn't dieting, I just made sure I went for a good walk everyday and that I wasn't eating too much junk food. I think it's pretty hard to try to concentrate on losing weight in the first few months as all your energy gets taken up by the baby. I made the mistake of catching sight of myself in my undies the other day - I could actually see my jelly belly wobbling as I walked I'm hoping that the 50min round trip to DD's school and back twice a day, while pushing the pram, will start to pay off soon

Yeah, I am the same about having people in my house. I dread the thought of other mums coming here, it's a disaster area really.

I think the solutions to my problems are to eat less cake and put things back in the right places!

Hi everyone, been ages and trying to catch up now got new keyboard.Its great to hear how you are all getting on with the babies as I don't have any post natal groups to go to around here.
Been trying to figure out some emotional stuff- kind of p'd off with DP but don't want to speak to him as its unfair to land him with a load of emotional crap when he is doing so much else. Have been trying to come to terms with finishing having babies and looking to the future- having a confidence crisis about what to do next when Nancy is a bit bigger.

Right now she is so cuddly, I am really enjoying being a mum again but I am beyond tired, my eyebags have eyebags,lol. She is up twice during the night then up bright eyed at 7 with the rest of them, then very active in the day- won't nap for long.Have been trying to follow EASY- not timetabled but just that sort of pattern.She loves her mobile, gym mat and nappy free time and is gettin to like baths and massages.She likes her car seat and pram so long as they are moving. We have a dangly toy for the carseat with a mirror which seems to help. I am on the lookout for a good one for the pram and a nice teether.She will fall asleep in her sling but doesn't like it when she is not tired.

DF My DD1 is nosy found out my username and she has no sense of what might embarrass me so I am worried she might tell her friends/ their mums.There is stuff I don't want her to see anyway.I am nosy too, dying to know how your SIL is getting on! And WTF street fights! Hope everything is ok?

And you are not lazy- you are BF and managing a sleep deficit- your body needs to conserve energy. I fuzzily remember reading in Vicki Iovine's book that after 9 months there was not much difference between the mums who exercised and those who didn't anyway- so why worry when you have enough to do. Like max I fit in walking for the school run or with the dogs, it would be nice if there was baby jogging or some class I could do with the baby just for fun but round here nothing.

We have been dealing with cradle cap too, I just massage in a bit of oil, shampoo out at bathtime and brush firmly to get out the scales.I know some people leave it- it does no harm.

I know a few mums who work and so have lifesavers cleaners. They come as often as you need/ can afford. Dust/hoover/mop. Clean kitchen and bathroom and do one "big job" eg clean oven or ironing. You have to be reasonably uncluttered but they do not expect perfection as long as you do not take the piss- one cleaner I know dumped a job cos they expected her to pick up kids food bowls from the bedrooms and wipe up sick. FlyLady can be useful for decluttering if it is really bad. But don't worry about other mums - we are all a bit the same :)

kitty lol "cuprinol".Lovely that you and DH are managing some essential couple time and are talking about more kids already! (just a bit jealous about that..)

kelle lol re Bea licking her pee - eeeww! I hope her growth is no longer a worry. And CJ too. And that the colic tails off soon- isn't it supposed to around 3/4 months?

I am wondering why DD's poo is extremely sticky like glue- normal colour and smell. She saves it up for about 3 days then has a poo-fest. Never had this before- could it be cos I had antibiotics for mastitis and then she had oral thrush meds? She is also very windy/farty and possibly has heartburn so I am concerned I need to change my diet. Any advice ladies?

To get the right size clothes I am buying separates for her with the bottoms in a bigger size to fit the washable nappies and her fat thighs and so the feet don't ride up and squish her toes. It is annoying there is no standard size and that none of them are designed to suit washables. It would be so much easier if I could just have all-in-one's for 6-9 months. Having said that, I have just ordered her some baby leg warmers- so cute!

Hi all!

Its good to catch up on how everyone is doing.

max what a blummin rude lady - I'd probably have ended up saying something very rude in the same position, so I hope it never happens to me! what is it about being pregnant/having a baby that makes everyone think they can comment? Grrrr

DF and kitty I honestly think it lovely your LOs sleep with you. I absolutely loved it when my DD would nap in bed with me in the early days...but she made it very clear quite early on she liked her own space so there we go. Enjoy the closeness and don't see it as a negative

franken clothes are a mare when using washables. Frugi do 'cut4cloth' i.e. bottoms that are designed to fit over washable nappies. Their stuff is a bit expensive but they do good sales - check them out online.

Ah! A cleaner....probably wouldn't be up to my standards I was sent to bed when caught doing the hoovering two weeks after DD was born...

Would like to highly recommend cranial osteopathy. DD has been struggling to bring her wind up since she was born, sometimes it was ok but most times she would be ever so uncomfortable with it (think this was behind a lot of her initial problems with sleeping...)
Anyway, saw the osteopath last week and since then she's been burping with great abandon! She's also been less 'curled up', stretching her legs out and is generally much more chilled. I think it was worth every penny!

must dash, going to try and fit a shower in before DD wakes up from her nap...which are getting shorter and shorter!

frankenonsense SIL has still not given birth as far as we know, her due date was Friday. We think they may take their time telling us and won't text or ring until they are out of the hospital so it could be a while. I saw her a week ago and she looked huge bless her. I really hope her experience is a good one. We saw FIL yesterday and he's very excited.

What has DH done to upset you? Is it just general lack of help or more to do with not wanting more children? My DH is determined we will just have one, likelyhood is that with our past fertility issues we won't be able to have another anyway (Plus my age) but I would love a sibling for Bob.

massive sympathies RE the sleep. Bob wakes me at 3.30 and 6am now. I try to do the EASY thing too, though often I feed him and then he sleeps.

wave to rudbekia :)

DF Good luck for your SIL!

I have told DH now that we need to have a talk. there is a lot of stuff -built up cos we rarely get any private time- our teen is up to at least 10 pm, when DH usually goes to bed, then he is up early and does the school run and goes to work whilst I stagger about like a zombie with the baby, we are not sleeping together either. He does loads of practical things to help as well as being the breadwinner- just typical of a lot of men does not want to get into emotional issues or anything that smacks of criticism.

Main things are- I am still a bit upset about the birth but he refuses to talk to me about it. I am worried about DD1's eating issues and DS2's appalling behaviour to the point I would like to see a family counsellor but I know he will not agree. I am annoyed (however unreasonably) about his relaxation routine of XBOX ,beer, football or crap TV which excludes me from relaxing with him or him from spending time with the kids properly before they go to bed. And I want his emotional support as I figure out my future. So, not too big an ask :)

DF I know quite a few people who decided to start a family once they hit 40 and had 2 close together. If you can overcome the fertility issues I wouldn't see age as a factor.I really, really hope that you can have a sibling for Bob and that your DH is only worried for you, plus, early days, he's just getting used to being a Dad!

rudbekia hi! And thank you for the shopping tip- I had a nice morning browsing t'internet and planning all sorts of things I am going to buy come payday. Which cloth nappies do you use? I am buying next size up and was not too happy with the ones I tried. What do they actually do to the baby in cranial osteopathy?

Well, missy bright eyes has passed her usual 2am feed and my boobs are bursting. She is self- soothing by sucking 2 fingers, which is new. I should try to get some sleep.

hi, i am a random poster and frequent reader of this thread.
my gorgeous girl is 11 weeks and i am starting to really enjoy it all.struggled with it all to start off and only since we got back from NZ (yes we are crazy taking a 5 wk old to nz for 3 weeks!) that i am feeling a wee bit more confident about being a mum.
i have heard great things about cranial osteopathy, apparently it can make them squawk during it, but then can help them settle more easily and can help with feeding. i have been vaguely thinking about it for mine, but she seems to be settleing much better by herslf now.
also looking at cloth nappies - any tips??

Hi all, feeling crappy here as I have (another) cold . I've told DD she's to keep her evil school germs to herself from now on . What I don't get is that she'll get a runny nose so I know she's caught something, but that's the extent of her symptoms - then she gives it to me and it turns into the plague. Only good thing is that DH has been home yesterday, today and most of tomorrow so I've been able to take to my bed without the DC's to look after. Did go to the GP's for Matty's second load of jabs yesterday though.

franken can you arrange for you and DH to get out of the house at the weekend to have a chat somewhere neutral? If you are somewhere relatively public, there might be a better chance of a calm conversation.

Hi all - how is everyone? Sorry to hear of colds and problem DH's! Hope you are able to find time to speak with your DH Franken. It'll probably make such a big difference even thinking like he is listening to you. Are you ever able to get a babysitter? Even if someone could watch the kids for an hour or 2 and let you get out for an evening walk. Me and DH do all our best chats when we're walking .

I have a cleaner DF - We originally did it because I was working 4 days a week and the time I had off I wanted to be out and about with my 2 DS's not hoovering. And we have no plans in changing it now because it makes such a huge difference, and again with 3 DC, I dont really want to be doing it all and I'm the kind of person who gets stressed if I can see things are grubby but have too much to do to clean it all. Anyway, its £7 an hour and she comes 2 or 3 hours a week, depending on what needs to be done. She does the hoovering, bathrooms cleaned, dusting, mops floors. She doesn't do anything like cleaning oven / windows etc... just the basics. And the great thing is that I have to do a blitz and tidy everything away before she comes which is great!! Even on the occasion she doesn't make it, I've still got a lovely tidy house. Definately recommend it if you can afford it - its the best £14 - £21 we spend a week!

All good here. Jude is super smiley which is lovely! Except when he had his second set of jabs yesterday... oh boy did he wail! Seems back to normal today though. I had a lovely trip to London to see my best pal with just Jude and it was so so good.... He was great on the flight and it was so nice to just have the 1 with me and enjoy some good times with my mate . Must do it again!

hey max am also trying to get over another minging cold...started in my head/sinuses, then throat and now upper chest. I've pretty much lost my voice and just about managing to croak so I can communicate with my DD! She's been a bit snuffly but that's it.

franken (and kiwi5) I was planning to try cloth nappies pretty much from when I found out I was pg. I was very, very lucky to get a third hand set of Motherease shaped nappies and wraps. They are one size, but I have to admit I used disposables for the first month or so. Google the Cotton Nappy Company - its based in Leamington Spa and are a great first port of call for advice with nappies. There are lots of different sorts, initially an expensive outlay but they pay for themselves before your baby is out of nappies! I prefer cloth nappies because they don't leak. DD's explosive poos are simply not contained by disposables, whereas the cloth sort of 'absorbs' it.

During the osteopathic session most of the treatment was done with DD sat on my lap, then when she was feeding. The osteopath used very gentle pressure from her fingers over various bits of DD's head. She was fine, prob cos most of the time she was one the boob () but she did cry at full pelt, unconsolably for about 40mins later that day. I just held her until she fell alseep on my shoulder. This is something that can happen, although each child is different.

Saw the HV this week - DD is still gaining weight but its slowed down. She was born big, mind, and the HV seems very happy with her progress so I'm ok with it. DD has got very small hands so I figure she's prob going to be small like her great grandma. HV commented on DD's very red cheeks and noticed she was wearing a bib. I said it was due to huge amounts of drool and dribbling - also mentioned that DD was doing A LOT of hand chewing (mine included). The HV seemed fairly convinced that DD is starting to teeth...EEEEK! she's only 12wks....

Well, DD has had a poeterior tongue tie snipped this week so we are back to basics with breast feeding, learning how to latch properly - if only the little madam would open her mouth wide enough. The HV's have lent me an industrial milking machine to try to increase my supply so we are pumping after most feeds - my poor DS only ever sees me attached to DD or the pump!

Will catch up more later x

We went to the osteopath today, Bea cried through it all, she didn't like being held still :) as soon as she could wiggle around again she was fine. She was trumping through the whole session, it was almost like she was pressing a 'trump' button on the back of her head. She seems much more chilled out at the moment. We are booked in for another session next week. It was interesting to say the least.

Bea was weighed this week and gained a massive 9oz in a week, she's now up to 9lb 4oz. I am sure it's got something to do with the scales as the scales this week were the ones she's normally weighed on, before the slow weight gain. I am going to make sure to ask for those scales again. She's getting really long though and gone up two percentiles since birth.

CJMommy a bit of a nightmare for you both, but hopefully it will all improve now.

to all those with cloth nappies, I am trying totsbots, which are quite nice and easy. But as she's so skinny we are having to search around carefully. I have tried a few different types but they gape enormously around the legs. Also tried itti bitti SiO which are lovely as well but pricey, tried the one size fits all and again because she's so slim they are ridiculously huge and can't get clothes to fit her over these bulky nappies. Our local council are rubbish and don't offer any incentives. Three councils around us offer money back, you just need to provide the receipt. I found the advice on [http://www.fill-your-pants.com/] quite helpful, they also have a good range to look at. I travelled to meet one of their nappy guru's for advice, it was good to have hands on with the range available.

DH is home for the whole weekend, he's worked so much lately. It's going to be weird having him about.

Walking is good for chats, we also do lots of our talking when walking. You tend to pound it out on the tarmac. It's best to get it out in the open, sometimes they just need a prod to remind them.

We're using Bambino Mio. We actually bought them for DS 3 years ago and used them until he was nearly 2. Just started them on DD now - I find them great for holding in runny poos, they just seem a little bulky. They clean up very well and are easy to fold (2-3 part system). I don't use them for night time though as find that 4 hours is the maximum they can be on so we use disposables at night.

hey all. Just letting you know my SIL had her baby early this morning. It's a boy, no name but a healthy 7lb 5 oz. We think she had a C-section but details are sketchy. I am just so pleased for them, 8 years of trying and they finally have their baby. :)

frankenonsense my DH is an X-box fanatic but has been really good since the birth, rarely playing. Though I was a bit miffed when he turned it on earlier while I had laid out a rug and lots of toys to entertain DS. hrmph. I hope you do manage to talk to him without having a big argument. I am biting my tongue about a lot of stuff I want to talk about but just can't face the inevitable row it will cause.

Welcome kiwi no nappy advice from me but I know there are lots of people here who should have some.

Sorry to hear about the colds, injections, tongue-tie and teething problems

DF wonderful news about your new nephew, after 8 years! Congratulations to the new family and hope your SIL recovers well.

Chooster glad to hear happy times - you should definitely see your friend as much as possible!

Thank you all for the support!Thank goodness for mumsnet :) My DP and I have not had the Big Talk yet, as you say Dueling I do not want to face a row right now, but we have been working on a couple of issues- been a bit House of Tiny Tearaways round here. I think DS2 has been getting jealous and that is behind the behaviour- honestly I have not had this before, perhaps because of the age gaps, and missed the signs. And I have talked to DP about my baby/midlife crisis type thing- he just sighed wearily and let me cry out my hormones on his shoulder.I hope we will get some time alone to talk through the rest soon. I checked my "scores" for PND, luckily seem OK, but glad I checked as was putting myself at risk of it, bottling up, not eating or sleeping right and forgetting to top up my iron.

CJMommy Thank goodness that is sorted and your DD is going to be OK. I was following WLL's thread as well with amazement because it seems so common, but in 15 years of being a mum, I only ever heard it mentioned in passing- never checked by any health care person AFAIK but sooo significant with BF.

kellestar glad to hear Bea is getting on well. She does seem to be such a fun wee girl. I do love cloth nappies but it can be such a faff getting the right ones. If I was working FT again I would be on dispies cos I wouldn't have time to think about it. Currently have lollipops and totsbots but we are not getting on with the totsbots and Lollipop have gone into administration- think I will try the Itti's or Weehuggers and maybe Monkey Snuggles for nighttime.

We have had a lurgy in this household too, coughs and sore throats, but I honestly think it if you are catching everything going is easy to put it down to school , allergies or something when it might be worth a trip to the GP. I was like that but it turned out I had infected sinuses which were cleared by antibiotics.

Xbox's are prone to something called the screen of death. Am going to see if that can be induced....

OH :( I just clipped Bob's finger with the nail clippers and drew blood! I feel awful. he's happy now but I have no idea how I will keep a plaster on his thumb as he's always got them in his mouth!

DF I feel your pain I did that to Isabel a couple of days ago - it was awful! I just sucked her finger for a bit (probably not very hygienic!) to stop the bleeding, there is no way i'd have got a plaster to stay on. but now her nails are really long and i'm too chicken to cut them - i've tried biting them but this doesn't get them much shorter ime. Congratulations on your sparkly new nephew! how lovely for Bob :) yesterday my DB & SIL announced they are expecting their second in October, lovely babies everywhere

Isabel had her second lot of jabs today and was very brave hardly any crying at all - perhaps i have unwittingly upped her pain threshold by hacking away at her fingers!

franken my DH is a massive 'gamer' too, I really understand what you mean about the relaxation thing, i expect it will be an issue for us at some point - at the mo I have to go to bed with isabel at about 9pm so after then he can (and does) play games to his hearts content

cj hope the BF is getting better for you. I've nearly finished Three in a bed, it is very good (thanks for the tip) I feel like I want her with me till she is at least 2 now, just how to broach this with DH :)

rudbekia and max and anyone else with a cold - hope you're feeling better soon

kiwi we are using totsbots V2 (the all in ones) they are pretty good so far, a good tip is to use fleece liners as they keep their bums nice and dry. I still use disposables for the night but I've just bought some boosters so will try those out soon.

Hi everyone,

We had our DD in December as well but I only recently joined mumsnet which is why I am only joining this conversation now.

DD is having her first longer nap during the day in her cot. Yes, we have been spoiling her during the first few weeks letting her have her daytime naps on us or in the babycarrier.
I think part of the problem with the short naps is that we do not have blinds on all winmdows yet as we recently moved. One window is currently being blocked with boxes, spare bedsheets and blankets.

Frankenonsense we are trying to follow EASY as well but because DD is not napping long she is usually not hungry when she wakes up. I will have to give it a bit more time... we only started last week.
DH also likes to play but mostly does it when I bring DD to bed.