November 05 Babies - They're here!

[rodeo1]

Well, some are here!

Afternoon all (where DID the morning go??)

Well I have a sleeping baby and husband in the house now. I think baby will wake up before hubby (just back from States). But nice to have a moment to sit down and relax as Nathaniel did not sleep at all yesterday until 12:45 am. His umbilical cord seems to be about to fall off and I think it's making him uncomfortable and it's become a bit smelly in the last day - I think this is normal but might call m/w to make sure it's OK.

Glad to see such support for dummies - I felt that the m/w was being slightly harsh with me about it and I'm very much on the side of if it works don't sweat about it. As to controlled crying I'd never heard of it, but currently sticking a breast in DS every time he makes a peep, have tried to let him cry a couple of times but only food seems to stop it.

Am thinking of venturing out of house with DS for first time today (if DH ever wakes up), maybe to have lunch somewhere but that might be too ambitious for first trip. Have a few things to do before Xmas (like buy food!) so I do need to see the outside world at some point.

We're having Xmas at home. My Mum is coming over from US with her partner on Friday and my brother is coming over with his new girlfriend for Xmas day. My Mum will do all the cooking so we're having quite an ambitious meal - goose and ham with all the trimmings. I'm then heading up to Norfolk on the Tuesday with Mum & partner to introduce Nathaniel to his Great Granny who is very excited to meet him.

Well I better run and throw another load in the washing machine - does it ever stop?

J xx

Hi everyone

Bit of a stressful last 48 hrs. Seth has had a cold for a while then suddenly became quite ill on sunday afternoon, having difficulty breathing, v chesty, was up all night sunday and went to see GP monday andyway ended up in hospital overnight with bronchiolitis.

not something i know much about but it is v common apparently, he's home now not really much better but no worse, thankfully is feeding ok still and his oxygen levels in hospital were alright so didn't need oxygen!

This has been really scary esp as he's so little, DD never had anything like this!!

Off to bed now totry and capture some sleep while DH has him - poor little man!!

oh laylasmum it sounds like you are having an awful time!! poor you - what a stress to discover your 8 week old is not well. what medication did the medics give, and any cause for concern now or are things settling down?

Thanks all for little girl present advice. i have since found that the family does not celebrate christmas so should respect that and not buy a gift for their little girl. bit shit for her but don't think the mum would thank me if i do.

It looks like we're all really busy - just noticed that 8 hours passed today without a single post...can empathise wiht comment...little one asleep now time for a runaround. i've taken to staying up really really late after Finn is in bed in order to get jobs done, washing up, putting washing away etc, tonight i have been making/writing thank you / birth announcement cards - which i have been meaning to do for ages - people have been so generous with various gifts and flowers. so i made some cards myself -with a very cute picture of finn - i am quite proud). but seriously ladies, it really is impossible to get anything done during the daytime - i wanted to ask ANY TIPS FOR WHAT TO DO WITH THE BABY in between washing, changing, feeding and sleeping? if finn is awake he wants to be carried ALL DAY LONG. my shoulders are killing me!!! he doesn't like the bouncy chair and is not keen on lying on the floor on the playmat or going in the moses basket if he is not going to sleep. so it's the sling or my arms....? anyone got one of the swing chairs? is that money well spent or just a gimmick. and any other ideas

And who's seeing the cranio-whatsit. and has it worked ; or hand on heart is it money down the drainpipe?

took finn out to lunch with 2 male and 1 female work colleagues today, held off BF for as long as possible (fed before i left home but as i do not have a routine / still demand feeding...the little man was still hungry ... so it was either feed in the toilet or be big and brave and feed at the table. in the end i fed at the table, doubt my male coworkers will ever take me seriously again...it was a bit awkward though trying to feed without showing nipple and finn spat nipple out just as the heterosexual male mate was trying to NOT look at my chest(cheers finn!), then had to feed twenty minutes later in a shop changing room(!) and again twenty minutes after that in starbucks....must be a growth spurt. felt a bit guilty after all of that. i think i'm probably out and about too much and should really be at home, relaxing and chilling out not running round at my usual pre-baby pace

right nighty night. must get to bed or will be delirious tomorrow.

finn is in big clothes now. 'up to 14lbs' and some of the 3 to 6 month stuff (although this is partly because i find it easier to get these clothes it over his head without upsetting him too much!!)

Morning all, just finished doing the 5am feed, did an experiment last night to see what would happen, fed all evening again, then I tried giving him 4oz of formula(bearing in mind ive tried topping him up with 4oz of ebm that has been pumped off in the morning, but it hasnt worked) he finished that about 9.30pm, he had 3 1/2oz then........he slept till 5am! he was in such a deep sleep that even picking him up did not wake him! hes never been that settled at night so now im left wondering what to do???????
Do I
a)Continue trying to cope with the unsettled evenings and constant b/f

b)express as much as possible during the day to give ebm at night?

c)give a formula top-up in the evening?(but that will probably mean always giving a bottle then as my milk supply will go down to compensate)

helllllllllp!

cant believe christmas is the end of the week!!
cant wait to see dps face, i dont think he thinks ive got him much, but i managed to get the juggling clubs he wanted and i bought him a punchbag+accesorries, which ive cleverly concealed under a sheet, under a load of junk in the shed!!

Omg, agreed for sister to come down the week after xmas!am def putting foot down though, am going to tell her that A)am not venturing too far fom house-due to constant b/f at the moment and B)that they do their own thing in the evening(the evening is stressfull enough with Alfies constant feeds, without them aswell.Also its just the fact that its mine and dps time to relax after running around after Alex all day!)
that doesnt sound too unreasonable does it?

Morning all,

Laylasmum - Poor little chappy Bet your glad to be home though. Hope you've managed to catch up on some sleep and that Seth gets better asap. Keep us posted.

Jen - Do the family celebrate anything else? Perhaps present can be passed off for that? DH and I no longer celebrate Christmas but we celebrate a festival on the 10th of Jan and our families give us gifts then. Just a thought.
I was in the same predicament as you re: chores etc.. but thankfully he slept yesterday after every feed for over two hours at a time, so did some catching up then. I have to get into the habit of catching up on sleep myself though instead of doing housework. Seem to just 'fizzle' post 8pm and get really grumpy with the feeding due to tiredness. Anyone else get like that?

Diege - Media Studies teacher eh? We could have loooong converstations Hope you are well.

Enthusia - Is there any room in the back of your car for a passenger with the matrix there? Only room in the back of ours for the matrix so i am hesitant to go anywhere at the moment as I don't like him alone in the back. Think we might need to invest in a new set of wheels.

Busy - Good for you being on top of presents. Hope your DP appreciates it

Who else is swaddling their baby? I want to ask a few questions.

H/V due in an hour so off for a shower. x

mornin' all

well I must say although Natalie still isn't sleeping through my body has got used to the constant waking so I don't feel so shattered anymore.

must say I'm not a saint, and if I need to get things done I do leave Natalie to cry, but she's always near me and I sing to her (maybe thats why she's crying - lol!). At night we also do the hand on chest thing to see if that will stop her before we pick her up, as well as trying to thrust a dummy in.

re: what to do with baby - Natalie is spending a lot more time awake now, and we can usually get a good 10 mins out of putting her under her mobile in the cot, and maybe 20mins in her bouncy chair if I'm nearby, but otherwise we sling it! I've just ordered another one (a wilkinet) actually after being inspired by the slings thread. And yes, it is impossible to get anything done during the day.

Laylasmum - a couple of the october ladies are having the same problem with their babies. I dread DD getting poorly.

Morning all,

Laylasmum hope Seth is feeling a bit better today, god you must have been stressed out, hope he's feeling much better soon.

Chacha, the last visit to SWales included, (1)Ben opening the car door as we pulled off the dual carriageway he was sitting behind me when he normally sits on the other side and I had taken the child lock off & forgotten to put it back on. (2) Driving up and down the dual carriageway trying to get a screaming Thomas to sleep at 4am and (3) dh dropping Thomas on his head after falling asleep with him in his arms, resulting in us at The Royal Gwent for x-rays at 4am Thomas was fine though thankfully so in no hurry to go back down at the moment!!! Where abouts does your MIL live? Mines in Usk and my SIL is in Cwmbran.

Golden Nothing wrong with Turkey, I love a roast dinner but my nephew is a nightmare eater and my brother will end up getting completely stressed out trying to get him to eat the meal which will cause a row between him & his wife and will stress out my parents who will come out on the little ones side. Plus a buffet means that my dh won't end up spending the whole day in the kitchen cooking and can spend his time putting batteries in all Ben's toys instead

Busy well done on the presents, I haven't got my dh anything yet - I think we will postpone our pressies until the New Year as I'm skint

Thomas has his 1st set of injections this afternoon, so that's one way to spoil his day I suppose I've got the Calpol ready and hopefully he'll be just like Ben and have no adverse reactions.

Right best go as still in my PJ's, off for and OAP wash like the rest of you!

Take care for now BEKs

phew, just back from hellish trip to town on bus, with pram and whining toddler tow !! baby and toddler were actually fine, but had to stand up the whole trip holding toddler and trying to stop pram from tipping as an oap had blocked pram space with trolley and was refusing to budge!!!!!How mad was I!! Of course, everyone else looked away or pretended to be fascinated with newspapers!! Having a breather before round 2 this afternoon, and of course parcelforce decided to deliver while I was out! No wonder my blood pressure is high!
Sleigh - hope you have recovered and that Seth is doing better. What a stressful couple of days for you.
Chacha: I am a big advocate of swaddling, and have been wrapping her up tight until recently. Moved to underarm swaddling, with blanket across chest tighly tucked in, but she is now in big cot so am using sleeping bag and draw sheet. Still swaddle in day time though for naps, though underarm now to avoid overheating (as recommended by Gina - not sure why, I just follow her instructionsd because my brain is gone.... In North wales for xmas BTW, think it was chacha who asked? Are you also media studies teacher, or simply intesrested in the stuff because of its relevance for you? I also teach politics and social theory, but I bet no one fancies a chat about thaT .

Seths mum - that sounds really scary - glad everything turned out OK.

JenJam - mine are used to being put down, and so far, most of the time, just look around happily. The dummies help with this - you might want to try them?

Busy - do what feels best for you. I'm doing the mixed feeding with the twins and I still have plenty of milk - my supply shows no signs of depleting..............

Boys have scans today of their hips - just routine I'm told? Off in double buggy on bendy buses - wish me luck!

Beks - Crikey!!! Bet you're in no rush to make another trip to Wales then? Geeesh! Your nerves must have been shattered by the time you got back home. My friend did the same with her DD when she was only months old - fell asleep on the rocking chair which resulted in a swift trip to A & E. At least Thomas is okay We are almost neighbours in Wales then. We should meet up one weekend when visiting our folks.

Diege - Feel a bit better about my outing out this afternoon after reading about yours! Won't bore you with the details - will only say that it involved many quick exits from shops and major lift paranoia. Am glad to be home.
Zayn is v.active and does a good impersonation of Houdini!! Even when swaddled tight he manages to get an arm out and this causes the blanket to rise which makes me a paranoid wreck! Am constantly checking that blanket has not risen over his nose! I bought one of those miracle blankets in Mothercase which swaddles him securely over the chest so is much better but I really don't like it as it reminds me of a straight jacket. Not sure what to do but swaddling with this little fella is a must. Not a media studies teacher Diege but yeah, relevance. I don't mind a bit of politics either.

Golden - How was your afternoon out?

Nova - I was going to buy the wilkinet but opted for the Huggababy instead. Hope i've made the right decision. You had a baby bjorn, no?

Met my health visitor today. All was well.

Catch up later then x

Haven't had much time to get on lately, must try harder to catch up!

Aw, just been looking at the cute babies on the yahoo thing, added a few old one's, will have to put some more recent ones on soon.

Laylasmum - Poor little Seth (and you) hope he gets better soon

Kristina - Is your little boy named yet? Have I missed it?

BAM - Agree with golden - go with what you think, if it were me I'd maybe give the odd bottle of formula for when I was really tired??

Jess has been really bunged up (bottom-wise)lately, we've all had a mild sickness bug, I've had crampy pains, dp's just felt bad and ds was sick once the other night, I'm wondering if she's got it too? She has been a bit gripey and when she does poo it's really runny and not grainy like it has been and quite smelly (sorry if you're about to have tea!), what do you think? Hmmm...

Me and dp are wrapping gifts tonight, my wrapping is quite really quite bad though, folds in the wrong places, sticky tape trauma, ripped corners etc. My step mum and my sister wrap things beautifully but I really haven't got the patience! Also had one of those embarrassing present exchanges too yesterday, the one were they get you loads and you get them next to nothing....

We don't use a dummy, mainly because she's so annoying with it! Pushing it out, getting worked up, batting it out with her hand etc, more trouble than it's worth. And I only lose them or drop them.

We have got the Wilkinet though Nova and it does work really well, although I had to root the instructions out the other day as I was getting the positioning wrong! You'll understand what I mean when you see the pictures on the instructions (the one next to a big X!)

Well done on the discreet BF Enthusia! I'm getting better at it too! It's just the attaching them on which needs working on!

Right better get on with something, Jess is asleep in her chair with some too big mittens on (they look like boxing gloves) and the other pair are out with their uncle, a trip to the bank with him is far more interesting than being with me

Ooh sounds like they're back x x x

Evening all,
Blimey i was mad to go shopping with both kids and a baby!!!! can relate to your trip diege
I also lost the plot and took them to mc d's It was soooo busy.
However i did go to ELC where there are lots of bargins (already) I bought josh a blossom farm activity quilt (the one where they lay on a big green sheep with things danngling over there head)reduced from 30 to 20 pounds,there were lots of other bargains but i was good and resisted I could have spent a fourtune though
Sainsburys is also selling off packs of 3 baby grows for 2.25 each instead of 8.99!!! boy & girl,they also have cot duvets for 2.75 instead of 10.99 they are really nice
That ends the bargain report for the day
Must go josh is getting restless
Twinkle & josh

LOL Rodeo about wrapping traumas -. Am 2 thirds of the way through mine, and constantly losing sellotape, and when I do find it can't find the end! There was a time when I really enjoyed wrapping, and couldn't wait to do it - when I was a child I think! Sounds like Jess may have picked up a mild version of the bug, perhaps, although their nappies can be so varied it may be a normal variation? We've had the dreaded green nappies, but think it's wind and not an infection, as other two had the same and all turned out well. I'm always pleased when I see a yellow one, grains or not! (mustard anyone?). Libby is the same with her dummy - in out in out, until she spits it on her lap and screams (then the girls usually pick it off the floor and stuff it back in .
TWINKLE: we also succombed to the dready mcdonalds (I have to say the deli sandwiches are v. nice!). Found it really hard to bagsy a table, and then go and get the stuff - ended up having to leave pram by table and hope no-one would nick it (quite likely round our way!). I have the same blossom farm mat, and while it isn;t a hit just yet, is really comfy (I would imagine!). You are a shopping bargain inspiration!

Another quick chance to catch up, just before i turn off computer and go to bed.
Anyone like to hazard a guess at how much sleep I'm going to get tonight? Think Ash is having his 6 week growth spurt as he has fed every hour since 2pm
Busy - we have the same constant feeding thing in the evenings and tonight I am sure he was trying to wring out the last drops as there couldn't have been much left in there! Must admit I'm planning to stick with the bf at the moment as it does mean I get to sit down most of the evening. Have had a few goes at expressing but after the major triumph of 4oz at the first attempt I couldn't even manage 2oz yesterday - much dark muttering about bl*y pumps/let down/etc/etc

Lots of Wilkinet users on here then? Don't worry about the resemblence to an octopus on first examination, there is a knack to it and once you've got it its dead easy. Only difficulty is trying to fend off "helpful" memebers of the public when you are happily putting it back on in cafes etc.

Busy - how much of a juggler is your Dp? If he hasn't learnt clubs yet tell him to expect a number of bruises on his head/shoulders/etc and sore fingers and broken nails!! We do it because we enjoy it, honest

Better go as I can hear sounds of wakefulness!

ChaCha - my boys are good at getting their arms out of swaddling too. In fact one of them has found his thumb now, so I've stopped swaddling, and they seem happier, the 'throwing the arms in the air' does not wake them anymore either.

Thanks for asking about the scan - boys hips are fine.

Twinkle - talking about bargains, I see Tesco has started their sale already!

Morning all.

Ella seems to now know what night-time is for as she has had a few nights with 5hr sleeps. What a difference for us! Also, had her weighed yesterday & she is now 9lbs 10oz. She has put on 2lbs 1oz since birth so the bf is doing her good, I'm pleased to say.

I swaddle her too. Its the only thing that keeps her asleep. She has outgrown her blankets so I now use a cot sheet. Its enormous but it keeps all her limbs in. I still wrap her arms but as its only a sheet & not a blanket I reckon she won't get too warm.

I also tried a dummy & she kept retching on it so it was abandoned. However, lately I've thought about trying again as I know it will help get her off to sleep.

Agree with Diege about the crying. If I've sorted everything else out & I know she's crying because she's tired & can't get to sleep then I either swaddle & hold her still or put her in her cot, depending on how knackered I am! I can recognise her tired cry now.

Had a nightmare the other night. Had been up to N/E & was driving back late at night. Six miles from home (in the middle of bloody nowhere!) I ran over something in the road & got a puncture! Phoned DP who drove out to change the wheel for me. However, DD needed a feed so I started to BF. DP arrived & started doing the wheel. Within 2 mins the police arrived to help (a colleague of dp). As I was weighing down my car I took Ella into the police car to finish the feed, where it was nice & warm. I hasten to add it's the FIRST time I've had the pleasure of sitting in a police car! I thought about pressing the button marked SIRENS but common sense got the better of me!! Anyway, by the time the wheel was sorted another copper arrived so it all looked rather dramatic!! All the while, Ella was BF happily & not a nipple in sight! I think I can contemplate BF in a restaurant now.

Hope everyone is well. Haven't had time to look at pics but will soon. Off out now to finish Xmas shopping.

Karma & Ella 4wks

Tessasmum - Glad to read your post! Same scenario here with the expressing and with the feeding! Didn't get much sleep at all last night. DH insists I express for night time feeds so that I can sleep on but honestly can't be bothered as by the time I've expressed a measly 60ml he's hungry again and feel that my boobs are ready to shrivel up and fall off!! I do enjoy the b/f but it really is a full time job some days.

Golden - Zayn started to suck his thumb a couple of days ago and I tried to stop him. Replaced his thumb with his dummy. I shouldn't have done that should I? I assumed it wasn't good. Reading your post I'm wondering if i should be encouraging it rather than trying to stop it. Why don't these babies come with manuals then? Labour should really come in four parts, manual exiting last.

Karma - No qualms about b/f in public then eh? Well done you!!!!

Someone is waking....a long feed due

Karma,fab mental image of b/f in police car
How is everyone else?? looking forward to christmas????
Well dh should be home at tea time and then he is finished for xmas!! Yeahhhh Im like a big kid at xmas i just can't help myself
Any ideas on how to wrap a Very large barbie & pegasus ponie with wings?????? its bigger than she is eg half the size of the sofa (why did i buy it??)
I have decided it is immpossible to clean house with both kids on the rampage will have to do it on xmas eve.at least i have removed the clouds of icing sugar that dd manged to expoled all over the kitchen while baking only funny in retrospect!!!!
well must go and take ds to barbers as he looks like a wookie
twinkle & Joshua

Hi all!

Just a quick post as DS is now asleep for probably 10 minutes and DH is trying to catch up on his jetlag and the late nights getting baby asleep (bless him). Nathaniel still sleeps through the night which is wonderful.

Beginning to stress about Xmas as although I've done all my shopping pretty much, I now have to feed 6 people over 4 days. My Mum is going to do most of the cooking, but she doesn't arrive until tomorrow morning and I'm worried that Sainsburys will run out of essentials in next few days. Saying that the goose was delivered today and the ham will be ready tomorrow and I've bought all the veg for Xmas. It's just the other meals beforehand that I need to sort out. I think I'm probably getting stressed over nothing especially as where I live in London you can get good meat & veg from the local shops almost 24/7.

Had a good day yesterday as we took Nathaniel out to the park in the afternoon (in Baby Bjorn) and he slept the whole time and then napped again when we got home so he's back to sleeping a bit in the day which makes life a bit easier and he was definitely exhausted from not napping at all the two days previous. We finally managed to get the Xmas tree up and today we're going to take his Xmas pic to put in the Xmas cards I have yet to send out! I figure they should arrive at people's houses some time in the New Year ... but I'm sure people will understand with the new baby and all.

Well gotta run as DH has woken up now and need to get some coffee down him.

J xx

p.s. all the baby pics are adorable! What a lucky bunch of Mums we are.

Only 2 chocolates left in my advent calendar - yay!!!!! I too am a big fan of christmas, especially now we have DD.

Even though DH has been off work this week we've barely seen each other, so I'm looking forward to things calming down over the weekend. DH is even doing all the cooking (with a little help from delia).

I've read in books (rolls eyes) that you shouldn't discourage thumb sucking, something to do with self discovery/ self settling?

Managed to go out for lunch yesterday with DH and DD. Had to ask the woman on the table next to us to stop waving her cigarette in my face (and she'd seen that we had a baby), but apart from that DD slept all the way through food. Good job I'd ordered something I could eat with one hand (restaurant too small for buggies and too hot for the sling).

DD is currently modelling the latest in Wilkinet slings! It's sooo comfy and much more compact than the Baby Bjorn. I see what you mean though about finding it a bit tricky to put on at first, not one for when you're in a hurry. Bit worried that it's quite tight around her legs though, but she's sound asleep so it can't be that uncomfortable for her. Do you tie the ties around the middle or under the bum?

Zayn is back to sleep! He fed, lay for a while gazing around him and drifted off. Whoppeee!! Shower, lunch and a quick run round i think. How exciting! [saddo face emoticon]

Nova - must be nice to have DH home even if you're not seeing that much of each other. DH has so much work on at the moment that by the time we see each other we are both a bit grumpy. Does it sound weird if i say 'i miss him' even though he's here?

LilJ - My PC doesn't show pics of your little one? Anyone else having that problem. All baby pics are tooooo cute btw. We are indeed all very lucky!

Sethsmum - Your kids are gorgeous!!!!

LilJ - I can't see your pics either?

Hello all,

Having a relaxed day at home today, getting fed up with zooming around here and there!

Wrapped pressies last night, but we both couldn't both do it as one of us has to hold Jess (she was in her squarking mode) so she has seen all of her pressies!

Also when we'd nearly finished I said 'so how many batteries do we need for them?' and we had to f*ing unwrap most of them them to find out, so we both had bags on til bedtime! I can laugh about it now (now it's sorted and I'm not completely knackered), so the present wrapping next to the tree with drinks and nibbles idyllic scenario didn't quite work out.

Ooh glad you're getting on with your Wilkinet Nova, I like the way it holds there bum and legs, they say it reduces the strain on their little spines. I tie across their back, which colour did you get? I couldn't decide between red cord or green cord (I even sent off for fabric swatches) Plumped for the green.

Chacha, don't worry about the BFing, they do get a lot faster at it. Jess is on and off in about 10 minutes now every 3 or so hours and she's 10 weeks now. She does take a bit longer in the evening, but it doesn't matter so much when you can, in my case, gawp at the telly, or in yours, engage in lively stimulation conversation or expand your intellect with a good book

Right, must get out of my jama's (I have had a bath but got back into them!) and slap a bit of make up on. Need to send out my cards today, am I too late or will they get there for saturday?

x x x

Meant stimulating conversation not stimulation conversation. Sounds a bit rude

Just had a look at the photos. We should be proud...they are all adorable, including the sibs too! Just need to figure out how to upload Ella's pics. Haven't got any recent ones since her unusual pattern of hair loss resembles male pattern baldness. She looks like the bald one from Lou & Andy, minus the glasses.