April 2011; springtime arrivals - blackbird, song thrush, mistle thrush, nipple thrush, nappy thrush...

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

Here we are, our new thread and this time we all have our babies !

I thought we were getting thrush again, but then realised I had let ds's latch get sloppy. He was constantly clicking and tutting at the breast but I was too distracted to notice.

Ds and I made butterfly cakes together this morning, ds got to choose the colour of the buttercream icing ..... It is a very lurid shade of pink and they are covered in sugar strands. You can never have enough sugar!

Does anyone have any experience of www.babycalm.co.uk? Thinking of signing up for a course..

I sympathise. Absent and snoozing DH here too. He's trying to pack me off to my parents (14 hours of travel with tiny baby) because he has a really time at work coming Can't help feeling like he doesn't want to be involved in the boring stuff.

moley re babycalm - I doubt they will teach you much you can't find here or in a book from looking at the site. It seems the type of course which will tell you to listen to and connect with your baby but you're already doing that. Strategies like massage you can get from a book and the rest is finding what works for you and yours.

Oh ffs- j been sound asleep since 3.45 following 3.15 feed and here I am still wide awake with extreme overtiredness!!! Am feeling mightily pissed off with myself and know I'm going to be woken up in next 45/60 mins (if she let's me lie in that long !) by j. What a waste!! Plus I have a cold brewing and have to go away tomo with J and dog to wedding.

Sorry rant over !

Grrrrr still awake! J now wide awake. Today going to be fun on 2.5 hours sleep!!!

Not a great night here either. H crashed out at 10 and just wouldn't be stirred, he woke at 2 after fussing loudly for 15 mins, I rocked the crib with my foot and he slept but woke up if I stopped, finally demanding attention at 3, put him back down at 3.30, cue me rocking crib again for 45 minutes til 4. He then woke again at 5.45

Added to that I'm meant to go shopping in an hour and it's shitting it down with rain

Oh and H has now crashed out, aaaaaaaargh!

Daisy, cycle how crap

I use a hypnosis cd on my iPhone
to fall asleep again after night feeds sometimes otherwise I would be lying here staring at the ceiling.

Frak if you want to travel now is the time to do it while you can just feed him, but I can understand you not relishing the trip.

We've had an amazing night, 8 hours straight! I'm sure it won't last

Totally totally on the screaming baby thing - not necessarily every day or at the same time, but there are times when S will just scream for hours - real red faced rage - not hungry (although he often "should" be and hasn't eaten for hours) not wet, not dirty, not hot, not cold, just either bored or tired or both and has had enough and can't sleep. Hideous, and yes, it makes me feel like the WORST mother ever because I can't help. The sling generally works, otherwise DP or I just have to walk round and round with a rigid body writhing in our arms or just put him down to cry - while we talk to him and pat him sympathetically. Breaks my heart to see him so sad. So many hugs to everyone else going through this - but comforting in a way that it's so many of us, must be fairly normal! Apparently it passes......

Oh and Jen, I've left H to cry a few times. I check the usuals, make sure he's somewhere safe and just shut the door. Never for long, but if I'm starting to get really stressed and upset I think it's far better to get some distance for a few minutes to collect yourself. At the end of the day, if he's already crying for a reason I can't solve and is safe and well it does him no harm. It's hard though, I do feel guilty sometimes.

Jen I've had to leave S to cry at times, usually because I need the time to go to the loo. It makes me feel guilty but have to admit to myself that I can do a lot either one handed or wearing the sling but not that! (and the 5mins alone is much needed!)

We had a bit of a bad night but it was me rather than S that was the problem! I've been heading back to my old insomniac ways (boo) and at 4am I was at the end of my teather when I realised S's nappy had leaked (again, grr) meaning he had to be changed completely as did all his bedding, I had a tantrum trying to get the sheet on the moses basket mattress ended up handing S to DH and escaping to the sofa for some deep breaths to calm down! Thankfully S was happy as a clam having cuddles with Daddy (though he did nearly do himself out of any future siblings after a well aimed kick to DH's crotch! >evil< ).

All better now thankfully though my plan to go to a sling meet has been scrapped as I'm not in the frame of mind to tackle two buses and locating somewhere I don't know in the rain. Tea and cake all round?!

Tea and cake sounds good beetle, it is too wet here to do anything!

Pass the tea and cakes you greedy cows! - I would put a wink here but I can't find the square brackets on my iPad.

It's pishing down here too and I've got to go and collect ds from pre school. Bugger.

I feel the need to beautify myself. Tonight I think I'll paint my nails and have a go at doing loose waves with my GHD's.

Jen Don't think there's really anything wrong at all with leaving them to cry at times. I had to do it with R on Sunday, mainly cus I was cracking up myself!! So he got shut in the conservatory in her bouncer. She stopped after 5 minutes and was fine and so was I!

Well not sure if this is the beginning of better nights for us or if that's just wishful thinking but R slept from 10.30-5.45 again last night! Sorry I'm sure those of you who have had bad night don't want to hear that!!

Weather is good here today so might get out and about in the pram after HVs been.

Whilst I've never really left M to cry I should have because I'm probably doing more harm cuddling and crying along with him! We've had the tantrums while I'm on the loo scenario though. He's rarely inconsolable as boob or sling will calm him after a bit but that's a bit limiting if you need to do other stuff!

I had my postnatal checkup today. They certainly have a rigorous approach to women's health... I also have a prescription for Cerazatte. Anyone in it and BFing? Me and hormonal contraceptives don't tend to get along but as we might try for DC2 sooner rather than later (1 year instead of 5) the coil wasn't an option. I also have a prescription for pelvic floor physic, although I don't think there are any problems. Apparently it's standard practice (along with the idea that your breasts are for your husband not your baby I presume).

The good news is that we've got sunshine (between the clouds) here in the westcountry, so it should arrive with those in London before the end of the day.

After Terrible Tuesday, we had a much better day yesterday. We got out to BFing group for the first time in 3 weeks. They're so lovely. We went out for tea and cake after, and put the world to rights.

F is the youngest of the bunch, and lots of people were saying the period from 8wks to 4 months is hardest. That made me feel better!

I was going to join in the husband-moans (DH is a bit crap in the ways already mentioned) yesterday when he announced that he was going surfing all day with his mate, and I couldn't even have the car. But (and I'm ready for you to chuck buns at me!) when F woke up again at 8ish he leapt up, said 'I'll go' and went off. Next thing I know it's gone 9 and I can hear F 'talking' to DH in the kitchen.

Next project: getting F to sleep for more than 30 mins at a time in the day. He can do it at night, and really needs to during the day. I swear it's the root of our current issues. Any ideas?

Frak - i had a physio appt yesterday for similar post-tear & stitches. It was a non-event tbh, though helpfully she checked my abdomen and told me they have rejoined which is nice to know :)
Frak - i have to tell you that i had very bad experiences on cerazette :( I cannot in all honesty recommend you take it. If you search on MN you will find various threads about it, so worth a read before you start. (may try and find my thread about it in a mo)

M had a mammoth 8 hour sleep last night :) (sorry!), i woke to a full breast pad and wet bra on one side

Sure there was something else i was going to say but it's gone...!

here Frak

(I was katyt nearer the start of the thread)

Petal - I follow the same pattern with naps that I do with getting T into bed - and for me it works better during the day often than at night!!
10-15 minutes of activity until I see a yawn (playing a game with DS1, talking etc), then boob, change, boob and then down. Sometimes he falls asleep on the boob, sometimes I need to pace him around a bit so he drops off on my shoulder, and other times he will go down a little bit awake and just drop off.
It doesn't always work, and he will sometimes wake after only 15-20 minutes but he usually has at least one 2-hour nap during the day.

Frak - no advice here, I can't take the pill in any form - it just doesn't agree with me at all. DH and I have used condoms our entire relationship - he is looking forward to having the snip!!

Thanks Ali, he just woke up after a good 50min nap. Fully grumpy still so fed on left, changed (all smiles & even a giggle), attempted feed on right but we had full on boob screaming again.

Now he's glazed & grumpy. Refusing anything other than being carried & paced. Much like Tuesday afternoon. Fortunately DH is doing the pacing (and also grumping).

The ratio of grump to sleep is all wrong!

Frak I'm in my 3rd week of Cerazette and all ok thus far. My GP did tell me that if I was directly breastfeeding (ie, no expressing or formula) I didn't need any contraception for 6 months but she'd give me the prescription so I had it ready . I started taking it the following day - I don't trust M to be my contraception - she might want a brother or sister!

Mmm cerazette possibly a bad idea. Condoms it is.

frak I took Cerazette for 3 years before I came off it to conceive J, and had a good experience. Had breakthrough bleeding on and off for first few months which was annoying but it settled down just about the time I was about to give it up, and am really pleased I persevered now. I can't take the combined pill because it sends my BP up, and I haven't got on with any other mini pill I've tried. It's the only mini-pill that doesn't need to be taken within 3 hours of the same time every day, which I find immensely helpful as I am rubbish at taking it at the same time (would often miss it when sleeping in at the weekend) and then you're not covered for a week. It also stopped my periods totally (once the breakthrough bleeding stopped) which is fabulous. I'm still (sort of) breastfeeding and have been back on it now for 2 weeks.

On another subject, DP and I did the deed for the first time this morning (yay!). I'd been apprehensive but it didn't hurt, but then discovered afterwards that it had made me bleed. (TMI, sorry). Anyone else had this? Not sure if I bust a stitch or a pile or if it just jiggled out a bit of leftover lochia blood. Or I suppose it could be breakthrough bleeding again from the Cerazette.

Yay for you ecuse! Forgot to say a few weeks ago, we attempted to DTD, but it seems my repair work wouldn't permit entry, so to speak! (quite painful actually)

No idea how to fix it, whether it needs time, practice or a doc. Not too bothered right now either!

ecuse I did have a tiny bit of bleeding the first couple of times we dtd, everything was fine. If you are worried though or if you get a lot it never hurts to get it checked.

Would love to be able to attatch dummy to T's face, he is a total pain with it....he loves it when he gives it a chance but really he's desperate to find his thumb I think, he flings his dummy across the room then stresses himself out prodding himself in the gums.

Hello! Huge hugs for everyone who needs one. We had FILs funeral today which was also quite stressful with MIl and SIL. They are hard work. The service was humanist and all about FIL which was nice. Then at the afters we had a game of pass the baby . I eventually strapped him back in his carseat and told everyone he was tired/sleeping. I actually had to tell someone(random person I'd never met before ) to leave him alone.

Dh and my dad are out for a drink so mum and I are going to bath B then open the.

We are going out tomorrow night sans baby! Dinner and cinema [quiver]. My mum is almost wetting herself with excitement I fully expect to come back to find B all dressed up with100s of photos taken!
No dtding here yet. Maybe next week. But we are going down the condom route as I was on the depo before and it totally messed me up. Maybe dc2 soon!