January 2011

[MacMomo]

Thought we should have a post-natal thread so we can stay together from our ante-natal one. Technically, DD was a December baby after coming early on new years eve; hope you don't mind if I stay with the January group after all this time. How is everyone doing?

Thanks everyone, tonight was much better,perhaps the reflux medication is working or perhaps its something else, fingers crossed!

I wasn't able to take time out of work to go to any ante natal classes, so I'm another one for whom this thread really is my ante natal group (and I call you that to my mum and my dh, too) .

The 1.5 hr rule might come from 'healthy sleep habits' by Marc weissbluth, an American paed who ran a children's sleep clinic. I found it very useful - got DD sleeping 8 hrs by 7 weeks old, but I then found that there's little you can do when things go off the rails for a medical or different reason. I do believe that when DD gets her day naps in she sleeps better at night. But getting her to nap laying down is impossible until the reflux is sorted. Still, having her feed to sleep then nap on my lap has given me the excuse to get through the entire sex and the city, about 30 episodes of ER and a daily hour of Brothers and Sisters !

Mac may have watched the odd episode of ER and brothers and sisters myself - when DS is at childminder. Glad you are feeling a bit more positive.

Beautiful sunny morning here.:) Dressing kids in nice threads for some photos for DH to take to his family. Then shopping for gifts for him to take. Then busting DS's best friend out of nursery for a play as he about to emigrate to Australia :( then picking up DH from work at 5. Is it possible????

Hi
Seems like ages since I was last on here!
Will work my way back through the thread.

Haven't heard of the 1.5 hr rule, but have read about other people and the EASY approach (eat, alert, sleep, you) and they follow a similar approach. We try to get DD to have a nap or even just a chill out quite often through the day, and it can be as often as every hour.

Get some good photos Sarrita? Oh hope DS isn't too upset once his friend leaves. How is your back?

MacMomo glad things a little better and who cares if you end up watching loads of TV, if it helps DD get some sleep, then all else can be left. And it gives you a break and will make the nights easier to deal with. DD has been a screamer in the evenings (not all but most) since born. She has been better over the last week, ?growing out of it or ? I am getting better at noticing very early on when the signs of things brewing and whisking off to bed. She still is 930 to 10 when she settles for the night, but I'll take her up 8/830 if needed. Means I really don't get any time to myself but anything is better than dealing with the screams.

Blanche we didn't take pram on our last trip but taking it this time. OH taking his golf clubs and one of his friends is trying to get him to also take his set (they are meeting up for a mini stag do) - I said NO - but I know OH will appear back today with them. We have a biggish car, but the dogs travel crate takes up loads of the boot and I need to be able to sit next to DD if she needs soothing. Like the leaving Abigail behind story! I thought the baby brain was when you were pregnant, mine is def now.

nice giggle story cadlecrap

HV at class was better this week. She actually said it was nice I kept coming back even though DD cried everytime (back handed compliment or a stab?!). The other mums are nice and we are aiming to meet up once classes are over.

DD now 13 1/2 lbs. She has dropped down to the 75th centile. HV happy as she is doing well. Can't believe she has only put on under 1 lb in a month - she eats all the time!

Wow long post, must go as DD fallen asleep and I have some things I must do - she is bound to wake up as soon as I move.

Oh and I found/find this better than antenatal class

This is my antenatal group for DS2, I still see a few people from DS1's group but it's lovely having people who are going through the same things at the same time for DS2.

Having a baby asleep on you is the best excuse I know to put your feet up, it's doing babycare not just ignoring the housework.

Hello ladies,

Things are going well here, Rosa is all smiles and funny noises. A little bit worried about my milk supply as my breast don't seem as 'full' as they did, but she seems content, maybe the supply has just established a pattern.

I was what toys you ladies had that your little ones respond to? We have the basics, a baby gym, a rattle, some teething rings and lots on stuffed toys with various textures and crinkly sounds. I am loath to spend a lot of money on plastic rubbish which will clutter the house but I want to make sure I'm stimulating her and helping her develop. She loves the gym and she loves it when we just sing and dance together which is fine for now, but if you have any recommendations....

hope everyone's got a nice/relaxing weekend ahead x

After DS (now 3.6) I had the same concerns as you ready about not simulating him enough. However, after realising it was all a ploy by marketing companies to guilt Mums into thinking that if they haven't spent a fortune, they are bad parents a lot of toys are a waste of money IMO.

Really little ones just want boobs/bottles and cuddles. A bit older, anything thay can shove in their mouths. Siting up age + a wooden spoon and pots/pans/plastic tubs. ( or one of those wooden toys with pegs and a hammer). Save your money now for all the pink tat educational gender stereo typing toys she you will want to buy when she is older!

I agree with CadleCrap. I have my fair share of bright plastic tat in the living room courtesy of DD1 but she loved bubble wrap, crinkly paper, pots, pans, plastic cutlery, the cat, etc from about 6 months. In fact, her favourite thing for months was my iPod headphones (which she sucked to death).

If I was to recommend 1 toy for the unders 1's it would be the Vtech walker. Lots to do and not too annoying for the adults! If you do have the urge to buy something, Heimess stuff is nice and books that you can read for the next few years (Dear Zoo, Each Peach Pear Plum, I Love You Through and Through) are a good buy. Also, get down to the local charity shops for plastic tat paradise!

We ran out and bought a huge amount of plastic tat for DS1 and his favourite toys were all the random household bits that my mum brought out when we visited her.
A wooden spoon, which we did end up replacing with a wooden spatula as he did a rather scary looking sword swallowing act with the handle of the spoon.
Pasta rattle, an empty bottle filled with pasta or rice or a mixture for different sounds.
Treasure basket (once sitting up), a basket filled with random stuff - feather, clothespeg, CD, different sorts of fabric, anything with an interesting texture which doesn't present a choking hazard really.

The library is great for books but probably not such a brilliant idea until they're doing less chewing and more looking at pictures/listening to stories. We used to go to bounce and rhyme at the library which is a singalong session for very little ones, we went from about 12 weeks with DS1 but it wasn't so good once he was moving and wouldn't stay put on a lap. Round here we also have a toy library so you can hire different toys for a few weeks, I got a lot of the larger things that they don't need for very long from there and it only cost 25p per week.

DS1 also loves anything he's not meant to be anywhere near, the ipod, mobile phones (he's managed to call a taxi and the police when the keypad should have been locked ), computer...

Hi ladies. Well I can only guess that 4 month sleep regression has arrived a little early (15w tomorrow).

DD had her jabs on Tuesday and since then her sleep has gone to pot. She's awake every 45 odd minutes throughout the night, not sleeping during the day, maybe havng 8 hours sleep in total over 24 hours. I'm exhausted and have spent quite a bit of time in tears. It's far, far worse than newborn stuff as at least then I had sleep reserves but now I have nothing in the tank, nothing to fall back on. On top of this DD will only feed to sleep and sometimes that takes an hour itself.

We're off to Hong Kong tomorrow and then Aus on Friday and have decided that we must, some how, tackle it once we're back. Have bought a hammock and maybe that will help. Seriously, I would pay thousands of pounds to someone to give me a magic sleep pill for her.

Sorry - I haven't read everyone's news. Too drained. Hope you and your littles are all well.

beijingaling Hang on in there. I have a sling that I put DD in if she won't sleep on the sofa in her mosses basket as she nods off in there. Is DD ready for a bit of food? I know the advice is 6 months but I started to wean DS at about 16 weeks as the lack of sleep was killing me.

beijingaling sent you a reply on the sleep thread. Things much better here for the last 2 days after a nightmare 3 weeks. Fingers crossed, but don't want to get my hopes up too soon.

cadlecrap when pregnant, I asked everyone specifically not to buy pink shite for dd; I don't mind some pink things but as I feared everything - really everything - is pink. Sometimes different shades of pink. Drives me nuts. I told my lovely MIL (who is the main culprit) that if we have a boy next he will be wearing whatever she gets me for dd. Didn't stop her. I read "Delusions of Gender" by Cordelia Fine last year and have told DH that he will be divorced if he hasn't read it before she's one. I deliberately knitted blue things (blue wool was on sale) and take her out in blue hat and booties with pink trousers, people are totally freaked out by it. I am trying to be amused but mostly am rather sad at the gender stereotyping. And I am not a rabid feminist, honest!

beijing I hope things will get better soon, the only sure thing with these babies is just as you're getting used to things they change again - sometimes for the better, sometimes worse...

macmomo DS1 had a red jumper that everyone used to refer to him as 'her' when he wore it. Poor DS2 has a selection of pink sleepsuits due to my lack of washing skills with whites, if he'd been a girl he would've had a lot of stuff with tractors on it to inherit! My current bugbear is that boy toddler clothes come in khaki, brown and sludge colours, anywhere that sells a better selection is ludicrously expensive. I can't decide which is worse, a sea of pink or a sea of sludge!

DS2 is very cute and smiley these days but daytime naps are a bit of a struggle, even in the sling he's not doing more than half an hour. The day starts ok but each segment of awake time gets shorter and grumpier, night times are still pretty good though which makes the whole thing bearable. I'm finding things a bit of a struggle at the moment but that's mainly because DS1 is being a bit challenging, not sure why but he seems very tired and is having a lot of meltdowns. Fingers crossed this is just a phase too.

Glad Sorry everyone is having sleep issues too. We are having the 20 minute catnap issue atm. Abigail refuses to go any longer than this during the day so we have a succession of these tiny naps (always on me) which means nothing is getting done here. DD1 less than impressed and she has really turned to her Daddy for more attention. I am trying to put her down in a darkened room once a day for her nap but she is having none of it. EDIT: after 5 minutes of light moaning she is asleep in cot in darkened room. Setting the stopwatch for 20 minutes!!!

Night times have stepped back a bit too. She was going 8 hours at one stage but now back down to 4 or 5. She still has snotty cold and I had to sleep sitting up on Sunday night with her on my chest as she is so bunged up.

However, it will get better and I do recall her sister doing this. I didn't change anything but she started napping longer about the 4-5 month mark so here's hoping it will be the same with this one.

I really hate the sickly baby pink that most newborn clothes come in. I have got some lovely dresses as gifts that are ruined by being that horrible colour. Straight in the charity bag!

We are potty training DD1 over the Easter weekend - wish us luck! I am going for the bribe with chocolate buttons route!

Good luck Blanche, we're getting there with DS1 but I think that might be contributing to his bad moods at the moment, has been a bit up and down. At least the weather is perfect for staying outdoors and saving the carpets .

I thought I'd managed to lose DS2 earlier on today, I'd left him on a blanket in the garden, nipped inside to get something and came back to an empty blanket. Just for a second I couldn't see him and then realised he was halfway down the garden behind the washing line. The garden is on a slight slope so I don't think it counts as his first proper roll but it was great seeing how pleased with himself he was. I put him back and he did it all over again, front to back and back to front again. Then I was mean and put him the other way round so I could do some weeding without worrying about him rolling off (slope ends in a wall with a big drop so couldn't leave him to it).

DD has just stated to put hold things and put things in her mouth. I can't remember when DS did this but I'm sure he did it a bit earlier (she's nearly 16 weeks).

Are any of yours doing/not doing it?

CadleCrap, lots of fist sucking here but no holding. 13 weeks tomorrow.

Well, hoping not to jinx it, but day 1 of DD1's potty training went well. Such a nice day and we were in garden all day long. 2 wee accidents (1 in her pants and 1 on the grass when we decided to ditch the pants) and then it kind of clicked and she ran to the potty the next 3 times. She seems to have good bladder control and is only peeing every couple of hours. I have kept her topped up with drinks and ice lollies today. Lots of cheering, phoning Gran, chocolate buttons seems to have helped!

No sign of the number 2's today though and I think that will be a bigger challenge! Got my copy of the MN must read "Poo goes to Pooland"!

Pelvic - well done on the rolling! DD2 cosleeps with me and I woke this morning with her rolled next to me. Don't think she meant it though!

Hi everyone, been struggling to get on here, seem to have no time these days!

Naps here are a bit hit and miss, but he does tend to just go off on his chair, or me, or couch and have the odd half hour. Occasionally longer. Sleeping at night is pretty good, thank god, although he tends to wake from around 4ish for his dummy, sometimes just once sometimes 2 to 4 times. But generally he's an angel really. He;s had a bad cold the last few days so been a bit cranky on and off, think possibly teething too. I've put a pillow under one end of his mattress to try and help a bit.

He is I think 17 weeks on Weds, my brain is addled! He rolled over for the first time yesterday and is grabbing things and putting them in his mouth, as well as drooling loads and eating his hands a lot. Got two definitely teeth buds, bless him.

Pelvicfloorsofsteel, how old is your DS1? I'm finding my 3 year and 3 months old boy is a bit up and down at the mo and seems tired. He is lovely with his little brother and very affectionate and sweet, but a few times a day we have proper meltdowns about daft things and he also seems and looks tired . I planned a day out with both boys and grandma the other day and it was a disaster, he was awful. Made me cry he was so objectionable and we nearly abandoned things several times. Then he fell asleep in the car on the way home, most uncommon, so I ended up dropping grandma off and driving around to let him sleep. Of course when he woke up and grandma was gone we had major meltdown again. That was a BAD DAY.

Anyway, generally ok, managing to diet a bit and run a bit and both boys and generally gorgeous and cuddly, AND the sun is shining quite a lot, so I'm

Blimey, lots of typos and general nonsense, I'm tired!! Forgive me!

Hello everyone, I've been keeping up with everyone's news but been a bit lazy about posting. Dd (age 3) has had chickenpox and was worried ds would get it too, but so far so good. Dd has started her proper school nursery and is happy so is giving me lovely 1:1 time with ds.

Isn't 3 months a gorgeous age? Smiles and wriggles all day long. Ds is very rarely grumpy now he is getting such regular naps (his bodyclock seems wired into it, almost exactly (within ten mins or so anyway) 1.5 hours after he's woken up he gives a big squawk and it reminds me to get him napping again! Night sleeps good too. If it wasn't for the fact that my nipples are actually bleeding from what must be latch problems, I would be in the unusual situation (for me!) of not flapping about anything.

Potty trainers, good luck! Dd is now pee-perfect but still runs upstairs, removes clothing and pulls on a pull-up when she needs a poo...it would be funny if it wasn't frustrating! We now have an exciting bag of 'poo prizes' as bait...

Hope sleep is going better beijingaling and that your dd's reflux is less painful MacMomo. I so felt for you, the one unbearable thing is feeling that your baby is uncomfortable/in pain. Hopefully things have settled down for you both.

cadle DS2 is sucking his fists a lot and can hold things but he doesn't seem to have put the 2 things together much yet, he will occasionally start gumming a bit of muslin but hasn't put any rattles in his mouth. I can't remember when DS1 really started gumming everything but think it was a bit later. I'm going to have to make sure there's a bit more separation between DS1's unsuitable toddler toys and DS2 soon though.

jobi DS1 is 2.11 and that sounds exactly like most of our days at the moment, he'd dropped his nap a few months ago but he's gone back to having one this week - doesn't seem any better rested after he's had it though. I should probably find somewhere else to moan about it as this thread is supposed to be about the babies but at the moment life so revolves around the toddler dramas that poor DS2 hardly gets a look-in. I thought the potty training was really starting to 'click' but we seem to be going backwards again now, it's so frustrating, he'll ask to use the potty, not do anything on it, then leap up and have an accident 2 minutes later. So frustrating!

deedee bleeding nipples sound awful, are you getting any help to sort out any possible latching problems?

Three months is absolutely gorgeous, DS2 is an adorable, gurgley, smiley little chap. Even though DS1 can be a bit stressful at times our family seems just right now we've got both of them, the moments when they're both happy and particularly when they're interacting with each other are amazing .

I know exactly what you mean about family seeming just right, I feel the same about my two boys. Was just thinking earlier how amazing it will be when they can talk to each other and interact more. At the moment DS1 adores his little brother and DS2 always smiles and gurgles and laughs at him, its so cute.

We had meltdown again at bedtime tonight, sooo annoying, but for most of the rest of the day he's been gorgeous. Go figure...

DS2 is fab though, so lovely and cuddly and just fab really.

DD had her 3rd lot of injections today - she howled

DS (3.6) also had his MMR booster - he also howled but at least he could be pacified with chocolate

I put off DS2's 3rd lot of injections for a couple of weeks cos he's been a bit chesty and I didn't want to make it worse. Hope it doesn't matter too much to delay for a little while...its so hard to get appointments!

We're running behind as well, purely because I was disorganised and rubbish, not for any health reasons, DS2 has only just had his first lot recently. DS1 was late for all of his due to a combination of surgery not having appointments, illness and then booking the 3rd lot 3 weeks and 6 days after the 2nd and only being told on the day it had to be 4 weeks and then waiting for another appointment...

I needed to get the injections done as we are going on holiday for 2 weeks to Egypt!!

Looking forward to relaxing ie chasing a 3.6 yo and flapping over not getting DD burnt. I might even have a drink - haven't had one since I found out I was pg, which I knew at 4 weeks so that is OVER a year!!!

If you bf - how much do you drink? (Need to know as I might have a bit too much one evening - well I am on holiday and it is all inclusive )