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!

Aussie supply quantity is the issue. Just doesn't seem to be enough for L. She starts feeding ok and then starts fussing and headbutting my boobs and starts crying. Got docs appt later to check it's nothing medical like thrush etc.

Bugger, it would appear earlier was the calm before the storm. H has been screaming for an hour and was inconsolable. He's not calm unless he's lying on me and we've had to resort to Calpol as he was making himself ill.

Glad to hear I'm not the only broody one! Both DP and I are already wistfully talking about baby number two...

MrsW - just do what works for you. DS1 never had a bedtime, until he was about 9 months old and just naturally started wanting to settle earlier in the evening.
He is a brilliant sleeper now and has been for the last year - we have had perhaps 10-15 nights where he has woken at all, and he is not quite 3.

Hi everyone. Thanks for all the advice. J does seem to be napping very well in the day (for which I'm grateful for)- she has a short 40 min nap before 10 feed, then sleeps between 11-2 and then again for 90 mins from about 3.30-5. We then feed her and bath her ready for bed at 7. I'm wondering if maybe she is napping too much...!

What's everyone thoughts of dreamfeed? I generally have to wake j at 10/10.30 to get it down her and she is completely disinterested. Am wondering whether to scrap it and see how long she goes..at least that way I can get an early night.

J is a big baby- already in 3-6 month clothes in some makes and is only 7 weeks! She has incredibly long legs!

MrsWajs, app is just on iPhone but I think android version is meant to be out shortly too,

I've also noticed everyone gets their babes to sleep much earlier, DI goes to bed between 11.30pm to 12.30pm which is the time we go to sleep. Maybe thats why she sleeps to much later, suits us so hopefully it's not a bad thing.

Oh the app is fab. Thanks for that

Posting from my iPod touch using the new app. fancy
Took B into my work today for a visit and had just finished saying how good he was and very rarely cried. Cue bloodcurdling screaming for what seemed like forever. Ended up bundling him back in his chair and coming home.

I'll be back nap time is over mummy!

Starshaped G is a really long feeder generally and can take well over an hour. I think he's having a growth spurt as he's fed what felt like constantly yesterday, I reckon he was on the boob for as long as he was off (though DP looked at me like I was being overdramatic when I said that yesterday but did concede that he had fed more than normal) Anyway he just fed from 3.30 till 5.30 so I feel like we're back to the early days! He's 8 weeks today.

Caramello - we have fun and games with impetigo in this house too. We have always been able to treat it with cream and get rid if it, but I do know that there is a strain which is resistant to certain antibiotics. Maybe return to the gp and get it swabbed? I.m thinking of asking to be referred to a dermatologist as ds has been getting it now for two years. I didn't realise it had been going on for so long until I thought about it the other day.

I seems takes about 20-30 mins to feed, but timing a feed doesn't really tell you anything. Some babies are very efficient feeders, some like to take their time. Sometimes all they want is to quench their thirst rather than have a whole meal - iyswim.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't over analyse it, just go with the flow and follow your lo's lead.

Saying that I don't think I has had a growth spurt recently, but my boobs have been engorged and I've leaked a few times - which is really unusual for me. I got caught out yesterday and was walking around a dairy farm with wet circles on my top. They could have attached me to the milking machine and got a pint of ILTMIMI's finest!

Thanks for telling us about the app-so much raise
Iltmimi you made me laugh saying about the fact they could have milked you!
L has had her first jabs today and doesn't seem to be too badly affected (fingers crossed). Have now introduced formula top up at night and am perservering with the breastfeeding despite the issues.

Morning ladies.
Can I take antihistamines while breast feeding? My hayfever is bad.

Got a consultation call with my boss this morning, they are relocating my office and making some redundancies. I'm actually really hoping I get made redundant as i didn't really want to return back, I've been with them 12years and since I got my new boss a couple of years ago I've been really un-happy. I'm assuming if I do get made redundant they still have to pay me my SMP ?? Does anyone know ? Would I get my holiday pay until I was meant to return to work aswell ? Keeping my fingers crossed !

2 years ILTMIMI, your poor DS. The GP did take a swab but as DS's face was dry at the time (typical) I doubt they'll get anything. I did read that you can get a cream that goes up their nostrils to try and kill the bacteria at the source. Have you tried that with your DS?

Aussie my sil got made redundant while pregnant and she fit all her money. Fingers crossed for you.

Aussie - you should get everything that you would have got up to the end of your mat leave, holidays, bank holidays etc etc.

kitty - I don't think you can. My Mum is a GP and I asked her the other day because I can feel myself getting itchy eyes etc and she said no. Which is a pain :(

Oh poo. Thanks Ali

Hmm, guess I'll have to accept that P has currently decided that she wants to opt for a five course tasting menu at the moment, hence the extended feed times! Fine when we're at home but more tricky when we're out and about!

I felt shocking when P woke for a feed last night. We didn't have a bad night by any stretch of the imagination, so not sure what was wrong with me. I think it was just a generally sense of fed up-ness, sleep deprivation and 'it's not fair' as DH snoozed on as I got up again. I admit that there were some tears! I just really, really, really didn't want it to be me that had to get up last night!

Daisy - we do a dream feed of sorts. P usually goes down sometime between 7 - 8pm, which gives me and DH some adult time. We then wake her between 10.30/11ish and feed her, which means she's going down at our bedtime. I figure this buys me a bit more time in bed! She then usually wakes around 3-4ish and is then up for the day at 7ish. It's working for us at the moment but am not sure if it's really a dream feed because P tends to need a nappy change, which means she wakes up a bit.

Oops. I didn't get back yesterday! time disappears I'm sure of it.

Gp told me piriton, not piriteese or any other piris was ok in pregnancy so I presume they are ok for bfing. Don't know for sure though. Thankfully my hangover hasn't been too bad this year.

We have our antenatal reunion today. So looking forward to meeting alll the babies. Maybe this time some of us will exchange numbers.

B has been refusing boob now. After the thrush cleared up he hasn't latched at all. Think he has worked out he gets it easier from a bottle. So the hopeful start we had has gone. Back to expressing for me. I'm not too sad about it though. I'll give expressing an other month until the pump goes back and I've exceeded my original bfing goal of six weeks. There is only so much crap you can take before you realise something isn't for you

Hayfever not hangover. Chance would be a fine thing!!!!!!

Starshaped :o at the 5 course tasting menu.
We had problems getting M to sleep last night, possibly over tiredness, or maybe over stimulation as we went to PIL for tea where she was surprisingly quiet while we ate which was good, but we paid later with ear piercing crying once we got home. Once she did settle she slept for 7 hours, of course i woke during this time wondering if she was ok!

Where does the time go? Feels like I've not had chance to be on here for ages!

We've just been to the clinic to weigh S and he's now 11lb 8oz, that's 1lb in less than two weeks, and here I was worried that he wouldn't be putting much, if any, on as he's been chucking up so much milk!

Frakk Happy (belated) birthday!

Kitty Loratadine is fine while BF, as are beconase (sp?) nasal sprays. I have them on repeat prescription so that I can get them free with the maternity exemption certificate

ILTMIMI & Caramello Impetigo here to, I've had a patch on my face since February which still hasn't cleared so I'm off back to the GP this week as after 2 courses of antibiotics and a cream it's now starting to spread again I have enough problems stopping myself touching it so don't have any advice just empathy for your DSs!

Lis sorry to hear you're having more BF woes after all your hard work.

Cycle hope H calmed down, S started off calm after his 8wk immunisations then screamed all afternoon only to sleep amazingly (all night!) for the next to nights, shame it didn't last .

Chilli - we had similar, out at friends on Sun, DD fed most of the day but was quite happy, then came home and crashed out for nearly 8 hours! I woke before her of course with mega-boobs.

DD often fusses at the breast but tbh i think it's an over-supply problem, i think i'm drowning her sometimes, lol!

I also get those why me?' thoughts at night, though i'm fine in the day. Think everything's worse/more negative at night somehow.

Friend just told me she's pg with her number 3, due Christmas :)

I have a screaming baby today :(
Not helped by the fact that sleeping was a bit erratic last night too, put her down at 9.30 as she had fed and crahed out, was hoping for a 3am wake up as per the night before but no, she was up at 1am. She went back down ok the first time but then woke again at 4.15 for another feed and then wouldn't go back to sleep until 6.30!! Given the fact that I stupidly didn't go to bed until 11.30 I am bloody knackered today!!
And basically she's been grumpy since she got up, dozing for an hour at a time, taking piddly amounts of feed screaming for half an hour then going back to sleep and repeating the whole scenario over and over, not really sure what's wrong with her at all, any idea. Today is the first day I've felt completely inadequate as a mother and it's getting to me :(

I've had days like that MrsW, I'm starting to think that H just has grumpy days like I do sometimes!

H finally calmed down after Calpol but refused to sleep anywhere but on me for two hours, which is very unusual. He slept ok last night though and is cheerful today. Fingers crossed he's over the trauma!

Hi everyone. Can't remember who asked, but we put Joanna to bed between 10 and midnight usually and she'll wake usually twice between then and 10am. I'm usually up for an hour and a half each time (breast feed, bottle top-up, then express whilst she's settling herself again). She's pretty good at self-soothing, if DH can muster the patience to leave her but he often huffs and gets up in a grumpy way - as if to imply he's HAD to get up because I am THOUGHTLESSLY ignoring her crying when he has work the next day. When I think if he'd given it another 5 minutes she might well have gone off. Tongues being bitten all round here.

On the plus side, Jo's gaining weight rapidly since her hospital stay - 2lbs in 3 weeks. Still topping up with a bottle after every feed (and to be honest, that's really the whole feed in terms of calories, but I don't want her to 'forget' how to breast feed). Mostly formula as my supply is really low after so long of inefficient feeding by her, but have a Medela Symphony, and am trying to build up my supply - can express about 120 mls over 24 hours, which is only enough for one big feed really but hoping to build up. Might ask the doctor about drugs to boost supply too.

Am waiting on an appointment at the tongue tie clinic to get her assessed, or it might have been the thrush (fading, but not quite gone). If neither of those turns out to be the reason she isn't latching properly then I'll just have to make my peace with formula feeding as I don't know what else it could be. I do feel really sad about it but, as Lis says, there's only so much you can beat yourself up.