November 05 Babies - They're here!

[rodeo1]

Well, some are here!

Afternoon all, just to say Golden & Chacha what gogeous babies you've got. Golden now that's a talnt, bet you can't do that in public

I saw the F word and it really p'ed me off that people find breast feeding in public irritating - for goodness sake it's the most natural thing in the world and as most mums don't flop their boobs out on the table but instead discretely tuck their child under their tops, the pillocks that complain really must be looking! I agree with you Golden I wouldn't kick Gordon out of bed on a cold morning either!

I'm also addicted to Deal or No Deal, it really irritates Ben when i turn kids tv off to watch it so for a quirt life i normallywatch it on the portable in my bedroom - how sad is that.

Not sure who asked about dummies - we use one, i wouldn't be without it Thomas is so loud it feels like his cry goes in both ears and echos round my brain

Nova sounds like Thomas and Nat have the same sort of sleep pattern although Thomas is awake at night after his feeds for wind for about an hour and a half so the 3 hours between feeds feelsvery short.

Well best go and feed the boys, catch you all soon Beks x

Afternoon everyone! Not had chance to read up posts, so juat a quick hello . Did pick on 'Deal no deal' obsession, which I also share. Good old Noel; he does get excited about it all,considering what's in the box is in the box!
Just had 6 week check this morning - bubs has dropped from 50th percentile to 25th, but I'm not concerned as she is chubby, alert, and feeding fairly well (though feed range from 2 to 5.5 ounces). Have had to make ultrasound appointment for her kidneys in Jan' (they were dilated at antenatal scans, which could indicate reflux/blockage), bvut again I'm not unduly worried as dds also had this, and it turned out to be nothing. Still, felt slightly anxious making the appointment! My own blood pressure was sky hugh at check (185 over 110), so have to keep an hour on this as have family history of stroke . Ho ho ho!!!! Also a fan of dummies BTW (much to horror of health visitor - what is it with some of them!!)
Diege

sorry to hijack your thread - but a quick question - my DS who is just over 4 weeks old (so yes, a november baby!)cries when i put him to sleep...is it too young to start controlled crying with him? Have any of you done this yet?

Jen - Baby claws/punches me as he begins to feed or towards the end. He does this funny little movement with his head that makes me think of a bull!!!! Asked m/w about it and she said that the 'let down' isn't happening quite as quick as he'd like it to and so the frantic head movement accompanied with little fists and fast breathing noises is a sign of his impatience/frustration.

Don't really watch TV, we no longer have them in the house but we do have TV on our PC if we want it. Feel abit alien when my family talk to me about all these programmes and haven't a clue what they're talking about. Little Britain was the last thing I watched 3weeks ago!

Enthusia - You sound v.chirpy today! Xmas party sounds fun. I have a 3yr olds b'day party later anda trip to asda, not quite the same!!! great tip on bottle!

Hi diege n twinkle and thanks 4 compliment beks Are you doing Wales over the holiday?

going to lie down while hesleeps xxx

Hi Valentine . I'm no stranger to the old controlled crying, having done it successfully with dds 1 and 2. Have also started doing it in a 'weak' way with 6 week old (started at about 4 weeks. By 'weak', I mean that when I know she's tired, I will leave her crying for up to 20 minutes to settle herself, and at night time (ie. when I put her down at 7, will do the controlled crying for a few hours - ie checking and reassuring every 10 mins or so, though I bring her downstairs if she's not settling after this time. I know this is a controversial method, and I only do it when I'm sure she is genuiniely tired - i've only had to give up twice, and she's settled herself the rest of the times after about 10 mins. it's not for everyone, but it worked for us . Hope this helps!!

OOpps, just added some lovely photos on yahoo of dp and the boys-only to realise after I uploaded them, that theres a can of castlemaine on the windowsill in the background, and clearly visible on dp's t-shirt, the word b*ard(meant to be Phat bastard-the brand), oh dear!! Oh well, we dont try to be something were not! got everyones CATS by the way, really hectic here, no time for posting much as feeding is CONSTANT!! eeeeek!!

thanks for the reassurance Diege - i only leave my DS for 5 -10 mins max but feel bad enough about that - but i agree that it works eventually and ensures your child sleeps well! (I HOPE!)

can I totally disagree with Diege (in the nicest way ), I wouldn't recommend controlled crying for a baby less than 6 months old, and especially not 4 weeks old. I know its nice to get some sleep, but IMO everyone is happier if you attend to baby's needs. Bad habits are usually grown out of/ change as they get older, and only if you hit real trouble after 6 months should you then consider CC.

dd fed now so i can carry on...

IMO it's best to work out why your ds is crying, i'm guessing it's not hunger/dirty nappy as you'll have fed and changed before bedtime. Do you have a set bedtime routine so that ds knows whats coming? do you make sure he goes down at the same time each night? do you spend enough time settling him for the night? (it can take babies 30 mins to reach deep sleep and before this their jerky movements can wake them, swaddling can help this). at 4wks he's only just getting the hang of the day/night thing so may still be a bit confused (which is where the night time routine comes in handy).

Again this is only my opinion, and every baby is different. and i certainly don't have a baby that sleeps through the night, but she's a gem at going to bed and falls back to sleep after every feed.

No offence taken niva . as i said, it's controversial! valentine - nova is actually correct re the 6 months thing, [apart from a couple of paeds who recommend it from birth . i think i should stress that at this age what i do is not the all singing and dancing controlled crying , but more letting them cry it out for on average 10 mins when theyt are tired. i agree, in an ideal world i'd be more relaxed, but with a 3 and 4 year old sometimes i just have to structure things a little more - hence gina ford !!

Golden - DS1 had reflux. What we did that seemed to help -

raising the head of the mattress ( not putting the baby's head on a pillow)

winding very gently, just by sitting up, rubbing his back gently if necessary but not patting,

Trying not to move him just after a feed eg changing nappy or dressing or bathing or car journeys

Infant Gaviscon ( prescribed by Dr). It comes as a sachet of powder which you mix in a little water and give after a feed. Tastes like soap but he didnt seem to mind

Enthusia - well done for the confident BF . You are VERY polite - i would never DREAM of asking people if i coudl feed my baby. After all, they didnt ask my permission to eat! As you say, its actually very difficult to tell if you are BF or just cuddling. You need to be trying really hard to see anything - i always wonder if these people who say they object have ever seen a mum BF

Golden - know what you mean about the double buggy. i get really when shop / restaurants who sell stuff to parenst or for kids are inacessible to buggy users. i used to apogise and get upset when i knocked things over or DS grabbed ietms on display. now i think "hell mend them" when they do this - these businesses are happy to take our money but cant be bothered to make the aisles wide enough or move sweets ffrom teh checkout!

OK rant over

Hello, Chacha I'm impressed, no telly in the house, don't know what I'd do with out Cbeebies some days, it will be interesting to see if you get lulled back into it when Zayn starts demolishing the house!!!

We have the telly on all day everyday but generally it's just background noise and Ben is definitely not that interested in watching it unlike some of his friends who aren't allowed to watch it and will sit transfixed when they get the chance - here again is another one of those controversial subjects what does everyone else think about kids and tv?

We're not off to Wales over Xmas thankfully, no disrespect intended to my mil but we've only just got over the eventful trip last month - it was a catalogue of disasters so I think we'll be putting off another trip there for quite some time

We are having a fairly quiet Xmas if you can call having my parents, my brother, his wife and two boys over quiet. We're not doing the traditional turkey dinner as it causes too many problems so we're going to have a buffet of luxury food instead - yum! What about you? How are you spending the time off?

Right best go and talk to dh as Thomas is awake after being asleep all day, so it could be a long night! Take care for now Beks

Evening all,
Quick catch up while DH has the baby. I'm knackered!
Haven't a clue about 'controlled crying' all i know is that I don't let my baby cry for more than 30 seconds but then he is the only one I have and can afford to do that right now. Right or wrong - no idea. But it works for me.

Beks - We were supposed to be going down over Christmas but MIL is poorly so we're putting it off until the new year. You go down to S.Wales right like us? What happened during last visit? Did I miss something?
You're right about TV being controversial. It can cause uproars in our house when family visit. People don't actually know what to do when there is no TV here - think there's only so much chit-chat they can handle! It's a tricky one!

Nighty night. x

I think I'd read so much more if we didn't have a TV, what do you do Chacha? DH and I don't watch that much (most of it's rubbish) but there are some things we have to, as DH makes TV programmes and it's considered 'research'. We do watch DVD's though - do you do that through your computer at all Chacha? Having had a wandering 4 year old here on visits I am thankful for the Disney Channel, and I'm sure there will be more than a few occasions in the future when Cbeebies will make a good babysitter. In the defence of kids TV though (I did used to make it after all!) it can be educational.

Agree about supposedly child friendly places not being that easy to access - Green Baby near us is near impossible to get into and it has a downstairs so you either have to leave your baby in the buggy upstairs or take them out and take them with you. And the big Mothercare in Oxford St. has a stupidly small lift, as does Whiteleys shopping centre in Bayswater...Also get annoyed when shops put displays out the front which makes the path smaller, and at the moment lots of places around Portobello have xmas trees along the pavements.

This Christmas we are going to have a quiet one, duck for christmas dinner with a turkey for boxing day/day after. New year will also be quiet - going to a friends house for early evening then back to put Nat to bed so that we can see the new year in together (if we stay awake that long ). Then we're having a new years day dinner for about 8 of our friends incl. the couple with the 4 year old so the Disney channel with be on ).

Morning! Everyone's plans for xmas sound lovely - like the idea of the luxury food buffet Beks - what an inspired idea! Your new years eve plans also sound good Nova. We are going over to Wales (my parents) on xmas day, along with my two sister's children - busy, but fun!
Minor panic about sleeping arrangements, as Libby had out grown her moses basket, but parents have chucked out the cot and travel cot !! Will have to try and borrow travel cot I think, though from memory these weren't too popular withdd 1and 2. Heh, maybe I'll try the co-sleeping thing!!.
Well, better go as she's screaming (only left for 5 mins, honest!!!).
Diege.

morning all,
well this is the kids last day at school they break up tonight(then the fun really starts )Dh is off to berkshire tommorow to find out if he is getting a promotion (must keep fingers crossed)then by thur night we can chill out yeahhh.We are going to have xmas day & boxing day at home then up to the n/e for 2-3 days then back home for new years and my birthday
This morning we both have our 6 week check (a little early) so hopefully everything will be ok
take care
twinkle & Joshua

full of admiration chacha for no telly, as it does seem to stifle any conversation [a good thing sometimes!!]it is on a lot in our house, though i get to the stage when after a few hours of cbeebies it just has to go off [when the repeats come on . agree with beks that channels like cbeebies are good - in small doses perhaps. love telly myself, but at a bit of a loss now x-factor has finished [which says a lot about power of the telly]!

morning twinkle . good luck with your check, and fingers crossed for DH's promotion!

Morning all,

Good luck with your DH's promotion Twinkle, hope he gets it. Diege, Hope you have a great time in Wales, are you South Wales too? Sounds busy but fun!
Nova - sounds like a cosy Christmas and New Year. Enjoy!

No grandpa here until this evening so first real day on my own. 10.45am and haven't even managed into the bathroom. Think an 'OAP wash' will have to suffice until he settles down to what I hope will be a good sleep. He seems to be feeding constantly right now and for ages ... zzzzz!!

As for TV, my friend puts Cbeebies and DVD's on for her 3 year old and she is able to get on with things in the process. Is definitely a blessing for some mothers - I can see that, however, when I'm visiting and I try to grab her attention, she is completely oblivious to the world around her and absolutely engrossed in what she is watching - can't get any sense out of her whatsoever. On the other hand, friends of mine who also have TV free homes have kids who sit goggle eyed in front of the box given any opportunity outside of home - like I said a tricky one. Think you have to strike a balance. Not sure how though. Personally, will try to cross that bridge when I come to it.

For anyone intersted here's a couple of good books I found v.interesting 1)Amusing ourselves to death AND 2)Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television.

Somone has just fallen asleep!! Yippeeee....off for quick runaround x

Morning all

Yesterday turned into a comletely manic day with the roof being 'a right bodge job luv!' so of course going to cost us loaaadddssss more. One visitor arriving and then another just as first was leaving, then a manic rush of wrapping before ending up at an aunt in the evening. Thank God she cooked as I had only grabbed a cake all day and hadn't managed to go shopping!!!!! Oh and the Drs in the morning. For your 6 week checks did they check your little ones as well and do internals on you. Neither was done for me, just answered a few questions and had BP done (which is again textbook, I am so proud)

Today is a little better although roofing people are making a right racket!!!! Have to shop later and have cranial. Have just been trying to pack. OMG how much stuff does Sam need for 10 days, and this is with my mum having all cot, blankets, bath, strelizer, bottles, nappes etc out there! Also have to go and buy more clothes as he has now outgrown newborn stuff!!!!

As an answer to a previous question, yes we do use a dummy, as Sam loves to suck!!! It also keeps him going to his next feed if he is a bit early!!!! He doesn't usually suck for long though. He hates my finger as gets frustrated when nothing comes out!!!!

And as for crying. I do let Sam cry for a little while say max 5-10mins, but this is after showing him that I am there. I tend to pick him up, soothe him, then put him down and just either stay near or even put a hand on his chest and let him cry. I did this regularly at first until he went to sleep, but now it doesn't take very long until he drops off or gives up crying and just looks around! The only time he really goes for it is like now, where he wants feeding but I am holding him off. Then I don't mind letting him cry a bit as I know what's wrong and know I will fix it very soon. Apparently it is good to let a baby cry sometimes, with you near, as it helps them with emotions later ! I can't leave him crying in another room though, I get really panicky if I am not around when he is going for it, hate it when he is going for it in the back of the car and I am driving.

Right better go as he is really going mental now

Hi Enthusia!Sounds hectic in your house!Sam sounds like he is thriving - know what you mean about having to pACK - lists do help, but only as a means of stalling the panic! I always find it worse when you get back home - the thought of getting everything back out of the car...
ChaCha: lol re: OAP wash . I thought it wqs just me with the old facecloth and soap routine! BTW I know the books you mentioned quite well (Neil Postman?) as I teach media studies, and agree they are pretty spot on (only my opinion - it's controversial stuff amongst academics too, and the general consensus is ' no conclusion' as yet. Still doesn't stop me from tuning in (I'm 'falsely conscious' as we say in sociology!).
Oh well, enough of my work, back to cooking fishfingers (for me!) before heading off to nursery nativity!
Speak soon,
Diege.

Well im back from the drs.The checks were fine not that the dr did much took my Bp and weighed and measured josh.He now weighs 91b 3oz aged 6 weeks so we are doing ok he is on the 25centile and following it nicely exactly the same as his brother and sister were,long and skinny
Blimey life is mad here at the min!! had lots of visitors this morning which is nice but if i dont do some washing its going to climb into the machine by itself
I must wrap some pressys tonight they are all stuffed in the wardrobe at the min
well must go
twinkle & josh