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?

hi rudbekia - my DD was born at 3am so you could have something there! also she was always awake around these times when she was still inside me. I'm totally panicking about coping on my own, i have DH for 2 more weeks and i'm hoping some sort of routine may emerge in that time. I am completely in awe of single parents, i have no idea how they cope!

df glad to hear your little family is all together now, i think i will try expressing this week. the bf support, mws and hv all didn't give me an answer on when i could try expressing so i guess i'll just give it a go. I hope Bob starts gaining weight again soon so you can choose how to feed him and not have to worry.

aarrgghh! DD has just driven me to lose my temper with her, so much so I shouted really loudly at her

I was trying to cut her hair ready for school on Weds, we'd battled through the routine trauma of hair washing and brushing, she sat still while I cut her hair, then I had to do her fringe. Well, if I asked her to look at me once I must have asked her 100 times. DH was trying to cajole her into cooperating but in the end I just yelled at her 'LOOK AT ME!!!' and then had to walk off. She promptly started crying and DH was asking her why she wasn't doing as she was told. God knows what sort of state her fringe will be in when it dries. Of course, immediately afterwards, she was saying sorry and has done everything I've asked her since keeps telling me 'I'm smiling at you mummy'

On the other hand, Matthew is continuing to be a dream baby....

Welcome rudbekia :)

DF I would be wary about introducing one agan at this stage as it could affect Bob's latch. Could Bob lap from an open cup?

In terms of sleep, William bedshares with us and sleeps in sling, on people or occasionally in basket during the day. He's feeding between every 2-3 hrs and sometimes hourly or a 4 hour stretch. The last two nights he has been wide awake between about nine and midnight but no other pattern yet.

He now seems to have transitioned onto the breast :o No bottle since yesterday evening and he seems settled and plenty of wet/dirty nappies. I am quite sore, but hopefully will ease as we work on his latch. BFC visited today and said he could have posterior tongue tie like his big sister did, so going to get that looked into as well.

DH back to work Tuesday, eek!

max sorry started my message ages ago - DD is messing about in and out of bed, grrr. I may well explode too at this rate, especially as William asleep and I could do with 30mins kip. Don't worry, we've all done it. It's not nice, but I think toddlers are pretty forgiving especially if you say sorry and explain you're really tired and so a bit grumpy etc. Seems to work with DD anyway. Try not to beat yourself up about it.

Happy new year everyone:)

I've finally made it onto post-natal after Francesca was born on NY's eve at 3pm - 9 days overdue! I'm absolutely over the moon and love just watching her sleep:)

I've not read the whole thread yet but I can sympathise with you maxpower. Francesca has only been home 1 day and my 3 year old DD has already thrown things at her and insists on bouncing on the couch next to me while I bf . My sore nipples really enjoy that ! It's so hard when you're feeling emotional anyway. Thank god for early baths and bedtimes .

Hello all, haven't posted for ages as things have been so hectic over the holidays. I have been catching up today, thank you everyone for posting, it's made me feel loads better about everything to know that others are going through the same stuff.

Everything is generally good here, Malcolm is feeding well and the pain I was having bf didn't last very long. However, in the last few days he's been getting quite colicky which is hard although I am remaining calmer about it than I did with dd and I think that helps a little.

The hardest bit is definitely feeling that I'm failing dd, hopefully, when Malcolm is in a bit more of a routine, it will be easier. I also miss the time just gazing at my lovely new baby that I had with dd.

Kitty think the advice is usually to wait 4-6 weeks before introducing a bottle to make sure bf is established but the sooner you start expressing the better.

Can't remember who mentioned being worried about falling asleep while feeding lying down, I asked the mw about it and she said it would be fine but to make sure that the baby is on top of your covers and has it's own blankets instead.

thanks for the sympathy WLL & esian - I heard DH giving DD a lecture at bedtime last night. He's at work today so was telling her she wasn't to wake me up, had to do as sge was told etc etc. So having sorted her out, Matthew decided he'd keep me awake all night instead! DD's saving grace is that she dotes on her brother - she's only playing up with DH and I.

WLL good news about the feeding, hope it keeps going in the right direction for you.

on another note, one of my best friends who was due NYD had a baby boy yesterday - lovely news, especially as being so close in age, hopefully Matthew and he will make good playmates. I'd meant to tell her not to hang around at home this time but forgot (baby brain) - she got to the hospital 10mins before he was born!

Waves at rudbekia and Esian
Congratulations!

I'm the same as you Chooster. Hannah was three weeks old yesterday and has been a dream baby. I was so smug happy about it! But last night she had the tense body and flailing arms and it was the first time we ever heard her cry. It was quite frightening... She's been unsettled since after feeds.., and is grunting and farting in her sleep I've given her a little gripe water on a dummy and she's sleeping now. Could be just bad wind and hopefully not the dreaded colic. How is your LO doing?

This video is great for showing how to get wind up. It's not a technique I'd ever seen before.

DuelingFanjo DD feeds every three hours and I wake her in the daytime if she sleeps longer First week she fed between five and ten mins on each breast. Second week it went up to 10-15 mins on each breast. Now, it's about 20-30 minutes on one breast and then maybe three minutes on the other.

LittleB My DD sleeps mostly in her Moses basket. But after the 3am/4am feed she sleeps with me. I'm too tired to settle her.. She's in a grobag and I place her on top of the duvet.

I always put her in Moses basket awake and she seems to self settle.

KittyBump I'd like to start expressing soon and have ordered a pump and freezer bags. I'd like some tips and techniques if anyone has any?

stenogirl I've been told to express straight after a feed and to do five minutes on each side, twice.

When I was doing this when Bob was in special care I was filling a whole bottle (about 110 ml) but that was before I started feeding him straight from the breast.

my only tip really is make sure your nipple is in the pump straight, it can be painfull otherwise.

I am glad I only have the one baby to worry about, it must be hard with older siblings too.

hey all! (Waves back at stenogirl)

agree with DF - very glad only the one child to think about, it must be a real challenge with a toddler on the go as well. it sounds to me like you are all doing a great job on that front, and lost tempers are not the end of the world. it happens to the best of us!

last night was a real wake-up call, literally. DD settled well after 7pm feed, i creep into bed at about 9pm hoping for a quick nap before she wakes at approx 10pm....10pm feed a mare, lots of gas afterwards, three dirty nappies in a row, flailing arms and legs, not so much crying as grizzling. she was like this pretty much the rest of the night, finally fell asleep at about 3am only to wake again at 6.30am. she and i grabbed some extra hours from about 8 to 11 this morning. she was completely over-tired, poor thing. feeding times have fallen away too - from about 20mins to 10/15mins, but maybe she's just getting more efficient? i wish i didn't find myself worrying quite so much about all these little things and little changes......sigh....

DuelingFanjo Thanks for the tips!
A friend of mine expresses from one boob while her DS feeds on the other - now that's multitasking!

That's some night you had rudbekia
It's so tough. I've got lots of experience with babies but when it's your own it's such a worry. My boobs twinge when DD cries...

I was going to bring DD for a walk but she finally settled so I just want her to rest. She's sort of grizzling in her sleep though and then letting out big farts

rudbekia we've gone from Bob not feeding for hours to him wanting food every 2 hours! we tried the top up last night at midnight only for him to wake at 2.30 am and then again at 4.30 am. he's also feeding for less time, hopefully it's that he's being more efficient.

I have the health visitor tomorrow and then, depending on how it goes, I might try a trip out. DH is back in work tomorrow. Only thing I am worried about is having to feed him when I am out as I haven't mastered being discreet yet.

We also want to give him his first bath today.

stenogirl that really is multitasking!

oh, and... my mum still hasn't met Bob
it's a combination of him being in neonatal all that time and her having a bad cold. I think she's being over cautious but she says she doesn't want me or him to get a cold. Hopefully I can take him over to visit her some time this week and spend a bit of time with her.

Well, had a long chat with my mum about it all - she's had quite a few babies (i come from a big family )and she suggested DD was actually feeding too much! this does seem to ring true as DD has also started having quite bad reflux, like her little belly really is too full. i have been waking her during the day trying to stick with the whole 3 hourly thing. i decided to do this as it seemed to fit both with her needs and what various 'experts' have suggested. we saw the MW yesterday and DD already above her birth weight and that was at 8 days old....so my mum's recommendation was to push feeds to four hourly. i'll update on how this goes in a couple of days!

as to other things, DH made me practise folding up and opening the buggy! its one of the things which has been freaking me out - the whole going out/paraphanalia thing. we took DD up to the local garage as we'd run out of cat-food and it was really good to get out into the fresh air. have vowed, regardless of weather, to go for a walk everyday. it did me a world of good. i've been putting it off, mainly due to my own health and getting rested up after stiches etc. still got a terribly sore tail-bone (and a bruised bottom according to the MW!!!!)

DF - good news that Bob is wanting more, but very tiring for you. i fed DD 'on demand' for the first few days and it does calm down a bit. he obviously needs the good stuff you're making right now! oh, and DD can fart like a trooper, cracks me up every time!

Hi, sorry to those who have unsettled babies too - Its good to get some support and reassurance on here. Jude has had a much better day today as I've been trying a few new things. Rubbing his back after a feed instead of patting (apparently patting encourages the acid back up), feeding more upright, stopping caffeine and milk (me obviously not Jude!), and he has definately been better today - may just be a fluke though . Cranial osteopathy appt tomorrow which I'm looking forward to - will report back .

Jude is still a good night-time sleeper but groans and moans in his sleep from the early hours - i,e about 4am ish so I never really get back to sleep after that - at least not properly. Not great when I've got two other boys to entertain . Jude is also in with me - I do have a redundant crib next to my bed but I've not bothered, he just sleeps next to me. I did everything 'properly' with DS1, i.e in moses basket awake etc.... (he never liked his basket) and did things semi properly with DS2, but now on DS3 I just need to do what will give me the most rest. Life is too busy to worry about routines just yet. Having said that I do really miss the ability to focus my day around Jude's needs. But he has to fit in to the needs of DS1 and DS2. We were out in awful freezing weather when he was 6 days old as I need to do the school run. Today the poor little mite slept in his car seat at the side of a swimming pool as me and DH took the boys swimming... But hopefully this will make him as adaptable little boy .

Great to see this thread getting busier, we can't have many left on the ante-natal - must go and check it.

DF - Such a shame about your mum, it'll be lovely when you do get the chance to sit down with her and gaze at Bob . Has MIL been ok in the end? Great that Bob is feeding more frequently...

Maxpower - We all have shouty moments - its so easy to lose your temper when you're tired and pre-occupied. Things will settle and as has been said - DD will be very forgiving.

My other DS's love their little brother so am very fortunate there, the only tricky thing is trying to keep them away a bit without making them less interested. They are often in his face a bit too much and trying to put things in his hands to show him etc..., like a big metal car . Very sweet but a bit much for him when he's only 4 weeks old.

Evening ladies!

Just posted my birth story on the December thread after giving birth last Wednesday to DS.

BF is going ok - had DS weighed today and he had lost under 10% of birth weight so I found that reassuring because he seems to want to cluster feed for 3 hours or so then not ask again for 5 to 6 hours which I know is unusual for a newborn.

Haven't read anything on this thread yet but will catch up properly soon

chooster RE co-sleeping. I am worried I am not doing it safely. Should the baby be by my side and on his back. I have sometimes propped myself up on cushions and let him sleep on me, facing me but with his head turned to the side. My mum thinks this may be dangerous.

MIL was fine but like everyone else couldn't see Bob for days so we had her over for a whole afternoon the day after he came home which was tiring but ok. DH's dad came too (They are divorced) and we had a nice afternoon apart from me not holding the baby much or being able to feed him. At one point I took the baby from DH only to have MIL take him seconds later which made me a bit sad. But it was supposed to be her afternoon so I let it go. It did make me laugh when she said that she hadn't let her friend know 'that I had had him' and then corrected herself and said 'I mean that you had had him' She does tend to call him 'my baby' too. Maybe I am just being over sensitive.

Chloe - I'll pop over and read your birth story now. Might post my full birth story too.

I keep reading the thread but not properly posting.

I am now 9 weeks in still BF, and I co sleep with the 2 of them from about 4am each day. Something I never thought I'd do! Also mine sleep on their tummies a lot, I know it's against advice but both my mum &MIL recommended it and they've been sleeping much better.

I will try and do an in depth post tomorrow, still loving it though.

Hello to everyone on this thread, at long last! My new little girl is 3 days old and already completely part of the family. We don't have any routine for her, am waiting till my poor nipples cool down a bit and she has more of a hang of feeding. Having said that, DH was holding her on his shoulder and she bumped her head down to his chest and clamped onto his nipple through his T-shirt- we were quite impressed with how much babies clearly know what to do!

I will try to post up the birth story but I am having trouble stopping it getting too long and rambly, not had much sleep at all since she was born.

She was 9 1/2 lb so a lot of the clothes we had got, despite saying suitable up to 11lb, were too small so I have the perfect excuse to do some more baby shopping . I am giving reusable nappies a go as the paper ones we got for starting off are too small as well.

The kids have been great, all fighting for the chance to hold her but DH had to go to work today and managing all 4 on my own with no sleep and sore nips and bits was a bit much. I am lucky my family has been a wonderful help and my mum is coming tomorrow to give me a break.

Baby calling (again)!...

morning all, sitting here in my dressing gown covered in baby sick with greasy hair looking like a stereotypical new mum!

Last night feeding was agony - I actually sobbed when he latched on, which had DH scouring the house for paracetamol and probably feeling like he couldn't help, although he is being wonderfully supportive.
His latch is good, but he tends to fuss a lot first and I need to learn how to get him on quicker.

But he slept through from 3.30 til 8 (I am trying not to worry about this because he is gaining weight and tends to cluster feed for three or four hours then collapse) and we have this morning had a less painful feed and he is sleeping now.

Just had some toast and I might even attempt a shower soon!

Oh boy am I slow. Only just discovered this thread.

I am so not ready for the school run tomorrow. But DH is at work now so I'm on my own. Bugger.

I'm okay physically in terms of CS recovery. But,so not organised enough to get 3 ready and out the door for 7:45am!

Chloe I have a wince moment when Bob latches on to my right boob. Feeding is going well I do wonder if my right nipple might be a bit mangled. Does it hurt you all the way through the feed? is there someone you can call to check the latch is ok?

Bob also slept for ages lastnight, I think he went 5 hours without a feed but he's been feeding like crazy this morning. The heath visitor came and he's put weight on and now weighs more than when he left the hospital - woo hoo. She's coming again next week - are they going to visit weekly from now in, is that how it works? I'm also supposed to be getting a visit from the neo natal outreach person but have no idea what time which is annoying as quite fancied getting out of the house for a while.

strix wow at having to get up for leaving the house at 7.45 am, there's no way I could be that organised! My DH is back in work too and I have more or less mastered the art of making tea and cooking pasta one handed. I want to start using my moby wrap soon to free myself up a bit but it's all a bit scary while he's still so small.

Hey all just saying hi

ruby is 4 weeks old now :) hows everyone getting on

congratualtions every one

oh, DF ruby is in the moby right now, have walked dog, done some house work etc and shes all snuggled up asleep :) its fantastic!!

oooh - How old was she when you started using it? Should I wait until Bob has some head control?