SEPT 2005 - thread 2

[pooka]

here it is

Congrats rz xxx - welcome back

Here have dd1 & dd3 with high temps - dd2 is standing over the loo waiting to throw up at the mo. So no sleep tonight plus the other 2 will probably get whatever the germ is as well. Looks like no school either tomorrow - will take dd3 though.

ds is 6 wks. Had his checkup & he's 6.2kilos (don't know in pounds)& 61cms. No wonder that he's in 3-6month clothes. The m&s vest he had on yesterday was a 6-12 month size!!!

Hello Hello - I know, I'm late today

Not late in the same way as RZ though - So So pleased you're both OK... had worries that there were serious problems with either you or Arianwen - it's such a relief that things, though not going to plan, are just fine now, we'll be able to find out how she's sleeping/feeding/putting on weight and everything now I hope

I've resorted to (allowed myself to be persuaded into) buying the Gina Ford book... I've not dipped into it yet but there are mums at bumps and babies that really rate it.

I think Conrad's getting a bit over tired as I don't put him 'down' in his cot during the day and he co-sleeps/feeds/grizzles/sleeps/feeds..... with me once he wakes up in the night. It's taking it out of both of us and I end-up staying up late to get anything done towards essays etc

So for my health and sanity I'm going to have to get some sleeping pattern tips from somewhere

AAAHHHH - Was I ranting? Sorry All

LL - Hope today went well with the Social Worker once she arrived.

Andif - Poor You... I've got steep stairs here and falling always passes through my mind as I bring Conrad down - So glad there's no lasting damage, I'm sure it was really traumatic for you though and will take a little while to get over xx

Beatie - yes the tots bots are so cute aren't they... pleased you approve I'm a bit of Andif's Bamboozles... they sound lovely.

RH - hope you've had a lovely shopping day

Good news on the 'size of an elephant' front... I fit into my old jeans

Milward - you're babes do sound poorly hope the nasty germy bug goes soon and you can get back to 'normal chaos'!

JAAM - I know that guilty MNing feeling when you know you should be getting some rest but you just can't not find out how things are going for everyone

Well I'm off to make supper - pork chops here tonight (yummy!)

Later Everyone x

RZ - sooo glad your back - had feared the worst. Sorry you got sectioned too!! Sounds like a very scarey time. Arianwen is a lovely name.

Back from shoping - but hardly spent any money !!! did drink loads of coffee though!!!

Thanks cabe - the herd of elephants is still with me - ahhh Will have to go shopping but finding the time id difficult.

Welcome back RZ - so pleased that all turned out OK in the end. Arianwen is a really pretty name.

Am feeling a bit smug as tonight I did the bedtime routine with Charlotte (bath, feed, bed - supposed to be a story in there too, but she fell asleep after her feed, so decided not to push my luck...) - last night it was a complete failure, but worked a treat tonight.

Tried out my breast pump for the first time the other day. All my NCT friends warned me that I would probably take 30 minutes to get 20mls the first few times. I don't think so - 120mls in 7 mins. Moooooo.... No wonder Charlotte only feeds for 10 minutes at a time!!

TMK - the passport photo is tricky. Try getting a 3 week old to have her eyes open, mouth closed and hands away from her face, all at the same time!! I got the photos done at the pharmacy around the corner, and it took 2 trips. The second time I went they had a special beanbag to lie the baby on, which worked a treat, as she was pretty comfortable. They then stand above the baby with a digital camera and snap away until they get a suitable picture. Apparently they will decline the application if the eyes aren't open and the mouth closed, or if there is too much of you visible (if you are holding them up in a photo booth). Bloody ridiculous, given that they change on a daily basis, and the passport is valid for 5 years . Also, make sure Noah isn't wearing white or a pale colour, as the photos won't come out properly (red or bright blue works well). If they don't have a beanbag, take a white blanket and put it behind him in his stroller or car seat.

Andif - - glad you and Nell are both OK. Have to say, falling downstairs whilst holding Charlotte is one of my fears, as I'm notoriously clumsy! What was the outcome of your sling testing? I ordered a hug-a-bub today, and will hopefully have it in a couple of days.

Milward - hope everyone in your house is feeling better.

LL - I would be too! Hope it goes well tomorrow. If she is coming in the afternoon, and you want to get out of the house in the morning, there is a group of new mums meeting at Starbucks by Maida Vale tube at 11am if you can make it (we have decided to meet there every Wed at 11 if you can't make it tomorrow) - CAT me if you want more info.

Hi all, Joel is 8 weeks today. We had to take him for his check up at the doctors and injections. My DH had to hold him while he got the jags, 1 in each thigh. He let out a high pitched scream when he got the first one and I had to stop myself from bursting into tears! He had a snooze, then once he woke up he cried for about 2 hours, he had a bit of a temperature and you could just tell he felt miserable. Gave him a wee bit Calpol (doctor said it was ok) and that seemed to do the trick. We've also just noticed that when lying down he only looks to the right. We're having to hold him in the opposite arm so when he looks up at us he has to work his other neck muscles.
The last 3 nights he has slept from midnight til 7am - not waking for his 4am feed! He has been waking to get his nappy changed but just goes back down, which is great.
RZ - Glad you and your baby girl are ok - congratulations.

Hi

Oh Lady L didn't see that the SW expected to see you tomorrow instead - how annoying having to wait longer for something you want to get over and done with... Hope it all goes well, I'm sure she'll see that your home is a safe environment x

Well KF (smuggins!) you might have solved sleeping probs but hows this for bovine - I've just expressed 110mls off one boob!!!

Mind you this is because Conrad's missed a feed - when I got in earlier thinking him overtired, I popped him straight into his cot - he's now been asleep for 6 hours + It'll do him the world of good.

RZ your dog sounds lovely, but a right pain!!!

My Cat's a pain - he's an attention seeker in that subtle 'I'm going to sit on all your nice clean notes/sheets/muslins/ironing with my filthy wet paws and bottom mother!' sort of way - very sophis' but ggrrrrr I could bop him one sometimes

OK I'm just about to do a last bit of reading then I'm off to bed

Night All

Cabe - mine was off one boob too. We obviously have enough milk to feed a small African village...

Charlotte slept for 3 hours, fed, nappy change, then straight back down. Why do I think there's going to be payback for this angelic behaviour in the small hours of tomorrow morning???

RZ - ssssssoooooooo glad you are Arianwen are fine - you had us really concerned (but we do understand). Lovely name you have chosen!

ANDIF - I know what you mean about it being traumatic for you. When ds was about 18 months I let him stand up in a shopping trolley (I had never done it before, don't know why I did that day - he is usually strapped in). I went to find something, and DH was watching him. DS mananaged to tumble out of the trolley head first onto the concrete floor. I was on the other side of a huge shop several aisles away - but when I heard him scream in agony I KNEW that was my child and something was very wrong. Luckily he was fine, but I felt sick to my stomach for days afterwards. Hope your back gets better soon.

LadyL - hope all goes ok with SW. You are not a bad mum. Not your fault that your DH behaived badly.

Thanks to all other posters. Lovely to hear how you are doing. No time to reply, but do really enjoy reading the posts and sympathise with those who are sick/tired/have ill families etc.

SLEEP MESSAGE - the Ezee Rocker seems to be working at night. Grace slept a record 5 and a half hours last night in one go!!

But she would not sleep in the day for the last few days. I just put her on her change table, and while I bent down to get a nappy - she FELL ASLEEP. I attribute it to the fact that DH is playing Bananarama (that 80's music). I scooped her off the change table and put her in her carry cot in the lounge where she can hear the music and she is sleeping soundly! Amazing. (am wondering if I dare send this for fear of jinxing her sleep!)

KK - I take it you're not in this time zone???

Hope Grace continues her sleep

I've just finished putting patches on dd's fave jeans... Well (folding arms in stern mother way) She's not wearing those to school with her butt half hanging out. However 'cool' it looked!!!

Conrad still not awake

Right then Night Night!

ok. Ignore that post. she's awake again! and feeding. Again. mmmoooo!

Cabe - I'm in New Zealand. About 11 or 12 hours ahead of the UK (depending on the time of the year).

Morning!

Morning!

Congrats RZ - glad you are ok.

Andif - Im with everyone else in saying I worry about that too, glad you are both ok.

Have to admit that things seemed to get harder for us after 6 weeks as dd really fights sleep. Think once her vision improved she was too interested in the world and gets overstimulated. In desperation bought lots of books and read them - through tears at times. Gina Ford is not for us and have been trying the Baby Whisperer shh/pat for the last three days. DD screams - and I really mean screams - for up to an hour in the evenings before she falls asleep - and then sleeps reasonably well. A dreamfeed at 1130pm and another short feed around 4am. And then wakes around 730am. So I still havent slept for longer than 4.5 hours at a time in 9 weeks but I am confident we will turn thr corner soon. Otherwise she is a very content baby and growing fast.

We took our own passport photos of dd on our digital camera. If you use 'check and send' at the Post Office they can tell you if photo is ok. Took roughly 30 photos to get it right!!

Any tips for getting calpol into babies appreciated - tried drppoer and syringe but she just spits it out (had jabs yesterday but seems fine even if no calpol went down)

RH - it was you that went shopping yesterday wasn't it? And came back without spending????

Perhaps you need your Retail Therapyglobin levels checked

Honestly this childbirth thing has a lot to answer for!

Morning!

RH ~ It's depressing to go shopping and come home with nothing... especially when shopping time is so precious these days. Glad you enjoyed some coffee, however.

LL ~ That's awful that the SW cancelled at short notice. It's a bit cheeky to assume you have nothing better to do than wait around for her.

Andif ~ I also know someone whol dropped their 3 month old baby down the stairs. It must be very distressing and I can understnad how shalen you feel. Our last house had steep wooden stairs and I am amazed that none of us took a tumble.

We had our own share of feeling sick to our stomach when DH scalded dd1's leg with boiling milk. She was 22 months old. It's only the 2nd time I saw DH cry. He was distraught. The leg healed well though and there's no sign of scarring now.

I went swimming last night. It felt great to leave the house and everyone in it! Alice had another unsettled afternoon and it took me over an hour to make some simple soup for dinner. Poor dd1 is getting NO attention from me in the afternoons. Luckily my mum is coming over this afternoon so she'll get some from her. Plus, DH is making dinner tonight.

When I was swimming I realised that I have so much energy after giving birth. They (who are they) say that after pregnancy and birth it's like your hormones get thrown up in the air and can land in place or all over the place. I really feel like I got lucky. My mood is great most of the time and I love feeling energised again.

Alice fussed all evening and then slept from 10:30pm - 5am! Lov-er-ly

Her cloth nappies are lasting her through the night too I'm very happy.

Just off to Uni - force of habit today as don't have DP to look after Conrad for me - Working lates this week and nights in a couple of weeks so our routine is disrupted

Hope everyone has a good day - Beatie, I'd love to go swimming just haven't got round to organising anything excercise wise yet. So pleased you're happy with the nappys and Alice is getting the benefit of a good nights sleep

Conrad didn't wake till nearly 3am (after having gone down at 5.30) he then fed, burped and had a change and slept on, back in his cot, until 7am!

He's taken to calling, not crying, he sort of ooh ooh oohs in a really sweet raspy baby voice

Don't get me wrong, he crys too, it's just he seems to be exploring his vocal ability already.

Bother - I am feeling a bit down . No particular reason, just feeling as if everything is happening without me doing much to affect anything.

Doesn't help that washing machine decided to die (or at least get ill) on Monday (someone is coming to look at it today), the fleas are still around in the house (and mainly eating me).

I need to keep myself positive and get on with things but sometimes it is easier to mope. Think I need some time to myself - Alice is lovely but I am with her all the time at the moment. The thought of going swimming sounds lovely but in the evenings we often don't eat until at least 8 and then by about 9 I am ready for bed. Although maybe more exercise would help.

Sorry, that was a really depressing post. Will try harder later

Sorry you're feeling down PC. It sounds like you're very overwhlemed by everything at the moment. Could you go swimming as soon as DH gets home and then come home to ameal he has cooked Yes, I am being serious.

Really, being able to leave the house one evening a week, and go out alone, has been very therapeutic. Do you have any friends or relatives around that could take Alice for an hour or two whilst your DS is at nursery?

Cabe - I don't know when you sleep! I have to start studying again in a few months and I am wondering what will have to give in order for me to fit it in. Swimming and Mumsnet probably.

Is anyone having much success losing weight? I have lost all willpower and cannot stop eating. I try not to have anything bad in the house but what happens is I delve into DD's yoghurt raisins or eat three cereal bars or each visit to the shops I'll buy a small bar of chocolate. Zero willpower.

Hey - you're allowed to have depressing posts PC.

PC - sorry you are feelind down. Try and get some selftime in as a matter of priority. I hear you say "yeah, right, just when could I do that?"

Remember, you won't be able to take care of anyone else if you don't take care of you first. Ask for practical help if you have anyone around to give it. (When ds was newborn my dh told his mum to bring dinner to us - that saved me cooking time and meant a bit of time for me. It saved my sanity). Even if you can't arrange something on a regular basis - you do need time for you - even if it is locking yourself in the bathroom for a 20-minute bath with instructions to dh not to disturb!

Beatie - I have no will power either. After 3 weeks of doing REALLY well, I am craving chocolate. Can't understand it. I've never been a chocolate person. Now I'll eat a whole BIG SLAB if one is handy.

Oh yes - a peaceful bath would be nice. One of the best parts about going swimming is the leisurely shower I take afterwards. I sadly look forward to it for hours beforehand.