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?

Please may I join? Feeling lonely. ds1 22/01/11

Baby Saskia Faye born 27/1, horrific childbirth ending in EMCS. Early rupture of membrane resulting in infections for both of us, haemmorhaging, an epidural that wasn't highly effective in theatre and so on.... But a beautiful healthy girl in the end. Although twas scant recompense when the consultant anaesthetist swore it would be different next time!!
Night feeding here - same as you all, doesn't like moses basket and feeds all night.
Posted pix of Saskia...

Hello and welcome ladyophelia

Sorry to hear you've had a traumatic time travis I found talking about my experiences to close friends (or anyone that would listen!) very helpful in the months afterwards.

Will finish post later x hungry baby has decided I am only one who can hold her

Beijingaling- dc1 seraphina 04/01/11
MsScarlett - dc1 Scarlett 04/01/11
deedee321 - dc2 Louie 07/01/11
readyornot2011 - dc1 Rosalyn Lorelai 15/01/11
crumblequeen - dc2 Peter 22/01/11
Pacita - dc2 Inés 22/01/11
Ladyopheliastar - ds1 22/01/11
blanchedevereaux - dc2 Abigail 22/01/11
travispickles - Saskia Faye 27/01/11
mamasunshine - dc3 Arabella 28/01/11

22nd was a busy day!

Beijingaling- dc1 seraphina 04/01/11
MsScarlett - dc1 Scarlett 04/01/11
deedee321 - dc2 Louie 07/01/11
readyornot2011 - dc1 Rosa 15/01/11
crumblequeen - dc2 Peter 22/01/11
Pacita - dc2 Inés 22/01/11
Ladyopheliastar - ds1 22/01/11
blanchedevereaux - dc2 Abigail 22/01/11
travispickles - Saskia Faye 27/01/11
mamasunshine - dc3 Arabella 28/01/11

22nd was a busy day!

Hello ladies,

really appreciate all the posts, its great to read about others in the same boat and get tips and reassurance.

Welcome to Ladyopheliastar & travispickles

travis Im still telling my birth story to anyone who'll listen, still can't believe I managed it and mine was straight forward! Can't quite face '1 born every minute' yet though

After reading all the posts about colic, it seemed to fit with how DD has been the last few days, sucking all the time, vomity, won't settle, hic-ups (all the time!) So after 2 restless night I decided to try Infacol (work made me a 'baby hamper' before I left so I had some in there) I gave her some before her bedtime feed and last night she slept like a log! So much so that I work her up at 3'0'clock for a feed because it had been four hours since her last. She was pretty reluctant to wake up but did feed in the end. I didn't dare give her anymore infacol then but just gave her some now as she was fussy again and she seems much calmer.
So 2 questions really;

1. is this typical of your experience of Infacol/Colic

1. Would you have woken her at 3 or just let her sleep...

appreciate any advice/thoughts

Travis welcome back, sorry you have had a bad experience.

Welcome ladyopheliastar!

Beijingaling love your dd's name, fabulous!

Mamasunshine yes I think anita bra is brilliant, wore them all through feeding ds1. Got it online at nursing-bra.co.uk.

Readyornot I have been using infacol for last couple of days as ds2 has had bad trapped wind problems and it seems to be helping bottom wind escape! I don't think he has full on colic but does help the wind. I am not sure what official advice would be re waking but in these very early days I would wake to feed after 4 hours as milk supply still establishing and baby will definitely have digested feed after 4 hours.

hi all jst having a quick catch up as havent been on for a long time. great to hear the news of all the new babies, congratulations to everyone. Rory is 4 weeks old tomorrow. Have had a nightmare few days with constant feeding, fed for 3 hrs last night but on the plus side the marathon night feeds lead to him sleeping through the night, ws worried this morning when i woke up at 8 and he hadnt woken up since 1. finally been discharged from MW today though and apparently hes having a bit of a growth spurt.

Very grateful for all advice about colic.
hope everyones doing well. apologies for lack of capitals and punctuation, one arm taken up by hungry baby...

Beijingaling- dc1 seraphina 04/01/11
MsScarlett - dc1 Scarlett 04/01/11
deedee321 - dc2 Louie 07/01/11
Hannah1890 - dc1 Rory 13/01/11
readyornot2011 - dc1 Rosa 15/01/11
crumblequeen - dc2 Peter 22/01/11
Pacita - dc2 Inés 22/01/11
Ladyopheliastar - ds1 22/01/11
blanchedevereaux - dc2 Abigail 22/01/11
travispickles - Saskia Faye 27/01/11
mamasunshine - dc3 Arabella 28/01/11

I am knackered today. Bubs feeding 4 times through night for about 1 and a half - 2 hours each and just got back off to sleep at 6 when DD1 came charging in. Hoped to have a few hours today but DD2 only catnapped for 30 mins in my arms at noon. Got to go and get DD1 from nursery in half an hour now.

Heres hoping Abigail sleeps in the car and I can can get her back in house and dinner done before she wakes.

She absolutely hates car seat which is a new one on me so any advice welcome. It is a Maxi Cosi Cabriofix. I wonder if I should take the newborn insert out as she seems scrunched up IYKWIM. Screamed round Tesco earlier and I was getting lots of advice from little old ladies that I should give her a bottle - I had just topped her up with boobs in the car.

Never used a dummy with DD1 but considering it with her as she is very sucky.

Hello ladies, welcome new comers. Yes, us ladies from the 22nd picked the most popular day, no?

I too have been utterly sleep deprived, but not because of baby, but because of jealous toddler. he was up half the night wanting us in his bedroom, and screaming and crying whenever we went out thinking he was asleep. Both DP and I are utterly exhausted, as he spent half the night in his junior bed or on the floor, and I was feeding every two hours. He has also been tantruming, difficult, whiney and even slapped me hard yesterday. Anybody has any tips to deal with a jealous toddler? We try to give him lots of love and give him lots of attention, but inevitably he sees the baby sleeping in our room, and me feeding all day long!

i feel so sad for him and don't know what to do. He is obviously very anxious.

Hi Pacita,

I could have written your post as it describes what is happening here with DD1. Our solution is that DH is in spare room at night and is intercepting DD1 before she gets into me. She then sleeps with him but he gets up for work at 5.45 so she ends up getting up too. I have her in nursery 3 days a week which is a godsend during the day, especially as we have had feeding frenzy here.

At bedtime we ensure she gets bath and storytime with one of us while the other keeps DD2 out of the way. It will get better.

Thanks Blanche. Let's keep exchanging notes and repeating to ourselves that it WILL get better. DP has also been brilliant at intercepting him too, but I'm beginning to think that maybe it's best if we let him be in our bed when he wakes up?

Kiwijesta - dc1 Eilidh 04/01/11
Beijingaling- dc1 seraphina 04/01/11
MsScarlett - dc1 Scarlett 04/01/11
deedee321 - dc2 Louie 07/01/11
Hannah1890 - dc1 Rory 13/01/11
readyornot2011 - dc1 Rosa 15/01/11
crumblequeen - dc2 Peter 22/01/11
Pacita - dc2 Inés 22/01/11
Ladyopheliastar - ds1 22/01/11
blanchedevereaux - dc2 Abigail 22/01/11
travispickles - Saskia Faye 27/01/11
mamasunshine - dc3 Arabella 28/01/11

I think the 4th is now catching up!

Ahh the colic begins, I think my girl has it too, and terrible trapped (bottom) wind, she makes the most heart wrenching cries and sad faces trying to push out the poo. And finally 5 minutes after the screaming out comes the loudest poo noise you've ever heard, all this about 6 times a day! I guess I should be pleased she isn't constipated!

Apparently I'm supposed to get a letter about a scan appt for DD because she was born breech, and at the hosp they said it'd be around the 6 week mark, and thats next week. It hasn't arrived, is anyone else in this situation? Might pop into the doctors tomorrow to ask the receptionist.

Speaking of 6 weeks, isn't that supposed to mean growth spurt? Man, I already feel like a dairy, don't even want to think about more feeding!

We are having trouble here with ds1 too. He is not waking at night but is just ignoring me when I ask him to do anything or doing things really obviously that hr knows are not allowed like throwing things down the stairs! I am spending a lot of time telling him off at the moment which makes me sad but he is a very feisty and wilfull boy and really needs consistency and routine so I am hoping once he has tested that all the boundaries are the same he will accept better that his position is safe. It will get better!!

msscarlett - think if co-sleeping it's only really 'safe' to sleep in the classic lying down position where your body would naturally cocoon baby. So on your side, it does take some geting used to though, with ds1 it took us a few months really to find it comfortable.

travis - saskia is beautiful
readyornot - I have had similar experiences when I've used infacol, I've found it helps bring the wind up much more efficiently, therefore not causing pain which = fussy baby, wanting to suck constantly to ease pain! I personally would leave a baby sleeping and just feed on demand, unless there were weight gain issues (i.e. not enough).
crumble thanks re the bras, they look great, will def. be treating myself soon!
hannah - the feeding does get sooooo much easier very soon, I promise!! The first 6 weeks are VERY hard with the frequent growth spurts, but after that point it generally becomes a breeze, with the odd growth spurt thrown in!
blanche - no advice on car seat, but I went through that with ds2. He detested the car seat and absolutely wailed everytime he was in it. He did grow out of it eventually (can't remeber when?)
pacita - poor you, it's very stressful when the toddlers having a difficult time, but it should pass fairly quickly (hopefully). I'm a big believer in doing whatever makes it easier for everyone at the time, and nothing has to be long term. So for e.g if in the short term it's easier for you all to let ds into bed with you for a bit, then you can change things when you're all getting more sleep, and can deal with things better. or follow through? Hope that makes sense? I've got a friend who's dh slept on their ds's bedroom floor during a similar phase, it quickly passed and the dh got to sleep in his bed again!
kiwi yes big growth spurt at 6ish weeks! Oh I remember feeling that those first 6 wks with ds1 were the longest ever!

'It WILL get better' should be our group mantra I picked the boys up from nursery with Arabella and dh today ...so how am I to get newborn in car seat, 19m old, nearly 3yold, 2 coats, 2 bags and all the other bits that nursery send home IN and OUT of nursery in 1 piece?!??! I'm starting to feel very scared about Monday now! ANd that's a nursery day!

Hello Ladyophelia and congrats!

Travis, sorry to hear your experience was so nasty .

Readyornot - I tried infacol and it didn't make much difference for my dd. However she is now old enough for gripe water and I've found it works a treat! Guess it's just a case of trial and error... How old is your dd? Mine is 5 weeks now and I let her go as long as she likes at night (which usually ends up being no longer than 4 hours anyway if I'm lucky!) as she is healthy weight and I figure she will let me know if she is hungry. And also I suppose the idea is eventually to give them a big feed last thing and first thing so she can go through all night eventually? Some may disagree though!

kiwi - I got my letter about hip scan last week, it is scheduled for the day she turns 6 weeks. My HV said beforehand that it may take longer than 6 weeks if they were having a busy period, but to get in touch if it was very late...

travis, I am so sorry to hear about your birth experience. It sounds similar to mine but worse, which I cannot even bear to imagine! I am finding it is easing out of my mind eventually - had felt unwilling to talk it through but managed to with my sister and somehow that let me close it down in my mind a bit.
Pacita and Blanche, we are currently in despair over our 3 yr old dd. She is very loving to the baby, and fine all day, but in the evenings turns into a screaming, tantrumming banshee for the most minor reasons - refuses to eat, refuses to clean teeth, refuses, refuses, refuses...she has taken to jumping into our bed halfway through the night, and we have caved and let her, partly as no energy to deal with hysterics in middle of night and partly because we don't want her to feel left out with us all in together...is exhausting. She's not very well at moment so hoping things improve once she feels herself again. Massively relieved that Louie is lots better today.

travis, I am so sorry to hear about your birth experience. It sounds similar to mine but worse, which I cannot even bear to imagine! I am finding it is easing out of my mind eventually - had felt unwilling to talk it through but managed to with my sister and somehow that let me close it down in my mind a bit.
Pacita and Blanche, we are currently in despair over our 3 yr old dd. She is very loving to the baby, and fine all day, but in the evenings turns into a screaming, tantrumming banshee for the most minor reasons - refuses to eat, refuses to clean teeth, refuses, refuses, refuses...she has taken to jumping into our bed halfway through the night, and we have caved and let her, partly as no energy to deal with hysterics in middle of night and partly because we don't want her to feel left out with us all in together...is exhausting. She's not very well at moment so hoping things improve once she feels herself again. Massively relieved that Louie is lots better today.

Right... 6 week check up yesterday. I'm all fine and given the sex green light. Haven't told DH that though! . My pelvic floor is shot but so lots of keegles for me!

Seraphina has thrush but it's not bothering her and I don't feel it on me so were leaving it to clear itself up. She's gained 330g a week over past 3 weeks so were now not waking her at night and in the day doing a mixture of clock watching, letting her sleep and waking her.

She also has bad wind and what turns out to be reflux- screaming if put horizontal, screaming at the same time each day, acid smelling puke, lots of puke etc. Treatment looks like it's working.

Ok... Must shower before she wakes. Will reply to everyone later.

oh kiwi I meant "like your dc" not like you! I don't think you cry, scream, double up and demand the boob...sorry!

hi all

sigh, we have had a difficult week here. having been out of hospital for a week (after a 9 day stay post-birth!) Arnie became very sleepy and i was having to wake him for every feed so we were re-admitted to hospital on tues which was very dispiriting. we were allowed home last night but he has to have antibiotics for a fortnight so has a canula in each arm all wrapped up in bandages, breaks my heart to see him with his big bandage-arms flailing about! they still don't really know what is wrong but hopefully the long course of antibios will blitz whatever it is. he already seems much better in himself after 2 days which is a relief - tho he seems to have forgoten how to latch onto the boob properly and keeps spitting it out. i have been finding it very hard to cope with the worry and tiredness and am dreading DP going back to work next week. definitely keeping in mind that mantra 'it WILL get better'. i just want his immune system to get stronger and for him to become a bit more robust, poor little mite!