september edd new babies arriving come share the ups and downs here

[ssmile]

Hello. Think i was first to deliver off the September EDD thread so waving to see if anyone else out there yet to join me :)
Had my 2nd DD on 26aug by C-sec. We now home but struggling with BF and baby lost 10% body weight in 3days. Started to top up with formula in syringe to try give cracked. Bleeding nipples a rest, but milk is starting to drip out now leaking everywhere! Hoping for a better night tonight after 3nights of hourly feeds and snatching 2-3hrs of sleep.
Anyone else struggling too?

Just went 2 loo & was constantly dripping bright red lochia while i was there :-( wen will it end.
Also just changed lo's nappy 4 him 2 almost instantly fill it :-)

We had best night since babe arrived :o I had sleep :o got 3hrs up 1hr then 3hrs up 1hr then 1.5hrs before up at 7am to get DD1 of to school. Oooh this did follow the worst night I'd had with her so I really needed it! No doubt tonight will be different again but was SO nice.
My bleeding stopped at 3wks but still get some if I over do it but i had Csec so to be expected. I trying hard to take it as easy as possible as nursing my weak back as well. Having to ice &stretch it 4x a day but its working and making me do pelvic floor exercises regulary.
Hope you got some rest minkyj I felt like that yest. Just tried to nap today as DD1 gone for playdate after school &bloody elec meter man called! They come twice a flipping year trust it to be today.

Hyesterday & 2day i did 20minute beginers xbox zumba class. Lots of hip wiggling must b good 4 baby belly! (even if it is followed by chocolate) :-)
Ds1 in bad mood this afternoon, walked soooo slowly i cant believe we werent late collecting dd from school, also cuz he insisted holding my hand i couldnt get pushchair up the kerb & a coachhad 2 wait 4 us 2 get up the kerb b4 it could turn the corner. Grr. He's still being naughty now & im feeling stressed hopibg ds2 will finish bf b4 fil arrives any minute, as ds1 makes mess everywhere & im hoping the jackets will b cooked properly wen we come 2 eat them. Plus ds2 needs nappy change so will b stinky the 1st time he meets his grandad :-(

how is ur back doing now?

Were switching energy supplier, turns out the leccy changed yesterday, the gas will in 2 weeks (strange?), but only found out after logging in2 account, thought it would have been made more obvious 2 us? Tho i suppose it doesnt really matter.

Grr, horrible day today and I am considering putting both DCs on ebay.

DD is having a growth spurt and I got 4 hours broken sleep last night - inbetween her peeing, projectile vomming and pooing all over my bed - then she fed the whole time that DS was at nursery this morning so I got no sleep then either.

DS's potty training has totally regressed since DD was born so I had a slightly tense conversation with nursery when I picked him up and he has been impossible for most of the day, culminating in him pooing himself at the park this afternoon and then refusing to let me clean him up properly or put clean pants and trousers on him. Cue massive meltdown from both me and him, for which I now feel very guilty as I shouted at him which I very rarely do. And I drove home with him moaning about being naked from the waist down but, to drown out the whingeing, I just turned up the radio

I've spent all day washing my sheets from last night and all of DS's clothes and I am dreading tonight. My gran's coming to visit tomorrow and she tests my patience at the best of times, let alone when I'm knackered.

Nooo fera sending lots of cuddles xx
with turning the radio up-i really dont blame u!!!! Hope u took some deep breaths too.
Wen ds1 was born im sure we stopped toilet training dd 4 a while- until she seemed ready again. As im sure iv read it can b a difficult time 2 try potty training, tiredness can make us more stressed & that doesnt help lo's confidence etc with the training. Perhaps try speaking 2 a hv anout it? Or put lo back in nappies until everythings settled? Or speak 2 nursery 4 tips (our nursery is fab & can give advice on allsprts-even wen i havent askef 4 it)

Jimmijam - I managed to control southern meltdown and have had a busy but okay day. Had hv round, spoke to bf councillor and sorted a tutor for dd1 to see if we can hothouse her for grammar school entrance exam in a year - going to cost us over £1250 in tutor fees but will be worth knowing we gave her every chance and if she doesn't get in at least she should be doing well in all main subject areas. Much cheaper option than private schooling so will see what happens (secondary schools other than grammar or church school very ropey in the area. )
Ssmile - glad you had a better night - I am off to bed now to try and get some extra zzzzs.
Feral - what a stressful day for you hon - not surprised you lost your cool. Sounds like you are setting yourself alot of challenges - don't be too hard on yourself at the moment. Just remember that with potty training it's very quick if you wait for a stress free time and don't push it.
Have a good tip on breastfeeding to share from councillor today. Fenugreek capsules taken for between 24-72hours maximum as a one off can give you a milk boost - only works as a one off really but can help when lo has a feeding spurt which is around 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. Haven't tried it yet but think I might give it a go soon. Can male your wee smell of maple syrup while you take it and baby can get wind but very natural product and more info available on the web.
Night all x

Hope you have a better few days this week feral. I think boys know how to wind us up! DS does things he thinks he can get away with just to wind me or DH up.
Fingers crossed DD is getting into a routine. So far she is getting fed at 10:30 by dh then bed then up again at 2ish feed into sleep then another feed at 5ish sleep then feed at 8ish and up after ds leaves for school. Hopefully she will continue this and soon drop that 2am feed.
I think dh felt a bit guilty yesterday as he gave me a back rub and I fell asleep on the sofa then he stayed up with DD whilst she took her time finishing her bottle last night before bed. Anyway I sought revenge the other might by watching dr who without him I will now tell him what happens when he is watching it
My lochia has just finished. No more pads! I kept having days when I woke up to clean Pads but then a few hours later it would be red again . However I am completely finished with the lochia so it has taken me 4 weeks to clear.
As to the fenugreek thing. I got some
Fenugreek seeds and roasted them slowly. Now my house still smells of maple syrup 4days since I did it. I soaked the seeds in water and drank it he next morning. It tasted like overnight black coffee and I smelt like a pancake whenever I sweated. I don't think the dose was strong enough for any effect tbh. Maybe the tablets will increase milk supply but they were nearly £9 in holland and barratt.
Anyway I am sitting here pumping away and soon to fall asleep so I bid you all a good nights sleep and easy smooth days.

Weee dh has 1 more day @ work b4 his paternity leave, he's all myn t 17th :-)
Fil staying with us til next wed, have 2 keep coming in2 bedroom 2 feed lo, cant wait 2 b able 2 relax & feed on sofa again. Other 2 dcs full of excitement @ seeing him, can hear them playing up :-(
While dh is off i hope 2 express a bottle 4 lo so i can go get new tatoo (used 2 hate them til i turned all sentimental, now have them so u cant c them under my work uniform) want an 'f' added 2 a leaf on a roae & get all 3 dcs names in italics @ bottom of my neck/top of back :-)

I had quick Google of fenugreek as not heard of it one downside is may affect iron absorption so if you anemic post birth not recommended. I still taking my iron supp and think its helping my energy levels as my iron was struggling to stay above 10 &MW said keep it up whilst BF to help.
Hope u enjoy time with DH jimmijam, my poor DH got to work stocktake this wend so he doing 12d straight not gd when we both knackered not from babe but poor sleeping DD1!
minkyj grammar school sounds gd idea, my rellies in Kent did same thing got their kids in. We don't really have that option where I live.
summetpixie my babe is feeding vsimilar to yours I'm amazed as I had such low expectations of sleep after first babe but this one just mostly sleeps! I hope it carrys on......

Very stressful time of it here. Ds1 off school complaining of tummy ache - (I have a severe phobia of anyone being sick so now sitting on a knifed edge freaking out). Has to be the day that dh and I and lo were going to register the birth - it's taken two weeks to get the appointment so one of us will have to go but bang goes our celebratory lunch that I had suggested. Also, we received a letter yesterday saying ds1 has been offered a school place in the school we have been in the waiting list for over two years for - thing is he seems to be settling well this term and now we just don't know what to do, the school he has been offered a place at is so much more local for us and very near to dd1 school and is outstanding ofsted. There are so many positives but we have to have ds1 start before 12 October or we will lose the place which doesn't give us any time to sew the idea with him and make it sound like a good thing - he will not want to leave his friends behind.
So not an easy day ahead - loads of phone calls to make to see if we can then make a decision!

Sending you positive vibes minkyj. We nearly moved overseas when I was 9 for 3yrs and I Rember being upset about leaving friends but my dad said how many are really close friends how many Ru just friendly with because you see them everyday? Depends on how old your Lo is but I'd move him if it makes gd sense and your lives less stressful as make you more chilled parents he will make more friends and you can always have old ones over for playdates. Gd luck hope it works out ok.

We had sleep :o DD1 went to sleep first time this wk min fuss and slept through! Whooo plus babe slept well too. Off to beach later with DD1 after school as treat and enjoy sunshine.

Aaaarrrrrggggghhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :'(
Ds1 is driving me crazy :-( & fil, who was meant 2 b coming 2 help, is virtually useless- 2 over excited dcs @ seeing him, yet he does nothing but collect dd from school a 5 min walk away that id b happy 2 do myself, hes a really picky eater making meals v. Awkward & even then he wont always eat it. & ihaving someone here i cant b so relaxed in my own home. Am v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v..... Stressed & think lo may b feeling it :-(.
Ooh& & here comes the weekend so no school. Rah!
minky sounds like u have a hard choice 2 make. Remember children make friends quickly :-)

Hello, just joining you from the Sept thread, which I abandoned 3 weeks ago after posting that my waters had broken!
dd was born on 11th Sept weighing 6lbs 9oz by emergency c section, she was 2 weeks early so all a bit of a shock to the system!
For the first week I was an emotional wreck, got a proper dose of the baby blues and felt I couldn't cope, the main issue was with trying to breastfeed, I just couldn't get her to latch on properly, despite help from just about every midwife in the area plus the nct breastfeeding counsellor. Gave up after 5 days, I could have tried expressing ( and with hindsight I wish I did) but at the time I just felt at the end of my tether with it all and formula feeding seemed like the easy option.
Now things have settled a bit, dd is starting to put on weight, dp has gone back to work and I'm coping ok and finally starting to enjoy being a mum. Feeding is a bit difficult, dd will vomit up half her feed if im not very careful to burp her well and then I need to keep her upright for ages afterwards - can't do nappy change after a feed or we all end up covered in vomit! It's fine during the day but rubbish at night when I want to go back to sleep - it takes about 1.5 hrs to feed her abd settle her, then she will sleep for an hour before wanting another feed. Am also worried I am getting her into bad habits because I have to cuddle her to sleep every time. After reading all your posts about poor sleepers I worry that I should try harder to put her down when she is awake.
It's been good to read all your posts and realise that everyone finds it hard with a newborn!

Hi hazelnut welcome. I wouldn't worry about cuddles to sleep at this age I really don't think it matters till 3mths+ our first DD1 I tried to put down awake and feed on ginaF schedule it didn't make any diff she just used to cry and want to be held, I just got stressed from it all. My DH &i used a baby bjorn carrier lots. With this babe she now 5wks, I feed on demand, cuddle her till she dropped off normally 20min after end of feed and she lot more contented and I'm a lot more relaxed. I think gd sleepers are mostly born not trained just do what you need to survive these early days. They do start to stretch their feeds out slowly, 6wks is normally the magic point for lots babes and mums :) hang in there. Don't feel guilt about not BF its really tough in early days and some babes just don't take to it, part of being a mum I think is feeling guilty about something most of the time. You are only human and doing gd job I'm sure.

jimmijam hope u get some down time. I don't no how you have hse guests hats off to you. I'm crap with people staying gd luck. Big hugs hope u can have chill out time in a sunny garden or park this wend.

DD hardly slept during the day yesterday but kept on feeding. Today she is the opposite. I am hoping she will be sleeping tonight.
Minky what ages are your dc? Did you not apply for DD school for your ds1? Kids will settle in anywhere if they are still in early stages of school and tbh ofsted ratings are not always a good measure of how good a school is at all times. I work in an 'outstanding' school but feel that there are many things which aren't. Anyway that is another debate on the quality of ofsted.
Jimmi could you not draw up a rota where you have the jobs you want fil to do? I get annoyed with my in laws and am glad they do not live close by.
Hazelnut don't feel bad about ff. You can reestablish bf if you want. I express as DD did latch on once last week but has given up again. She is a lazy feeder and hates making effort for it. She has 2 ff at night to get us through the dreary eyed stage. We have tommee tippee bottles which we have the powder formula containers for. We just make the bottles up in bed which means going back to sleep easier (although I usually get up after feeding to express). I think you can still get your milk back now. My ds didn't latch on until about 6 weeks. However if you don't want to do it don't feel pressured into it by MW hv bf counsellors etc. Your LO may not be coping with the formula you are using. Which one is it? Most babies cope well with aptimil but this is not to say they all do. Ds had sma but then got severe constipation and always drank a bottle of water during the night. We changed him over and he was fine after. You could always try out the ready made cartons of milk on your LO to see which one works best. This may make feeding faster and sleep longer.
Anyway the weather is far too good for us to worry about sleepless nights. I'm off to get some alcohol for our BBQ tomoro. Have a good one everyone.

ssmile agree with everything u sed 2 hazel
after an angel dd & nightmare ds1 i now cuddle ds2 a lot & pick him up b4 he has chance 2 actually start crying. He's a chilled out good baby really, a few days ago dh sed he likes my method pf not letting him cry (but if im busy dh is still slow 2 pick him up, if @ all)
With dd & ds1 we used the odd cow & gate formula feed alongside bf, with ds1 using tomee tipee bottles as he didnt like avent
wen lo starts with the odd bottle will use c&g + tommee tipee bottles again. A cpusin-in-law recently opened up a new tub of aptamil & found a hair on the top of the powder. Put me off aptamil :-(
hazel dont worry about the sickness. Our 1st projectile vomited gallons after each feed & in between uet spmehow still put on weight & was + is perfectly healthy. Our 2nd was sick (but nowhere near as much as dd) & also put on weight, tho iturns out he cant tolerate cpws milk. Fpund out when he was about 2yrs old & his constipation landed him in hospital. BUt im sure ur lo os fine :-)
summer in laws dont live near us eother, about a 4hpur drive away only they dont drive so so aput 7.5hours away on coach/buses! Fil is lovely so i couldnt say anything. This eve he played with dd & ds1 in garden. BIG :+) all around!!! & said he'll take them 2 park 2moro 2 give me & lo some peace 2gether. Which has chilled me out.

Summerpixie - dd1 is 9 and in year 5 at middle school - ds1 is 6 and in year 2 at 1st school and can't go to same school as dd until he gets to year 4 by which time she will be moving up to secondary. They did originally start at a combined school that was a joint 1st and middle school but it wasn't in our local area so we moved dd as soon as she reached middle school age. The problem for us was we were in year applicants as we relocated 2 years ago from London and then you are left with whatever places are available in the borough. Eventually it will work out but it's not been easy.
Well the day was challenging - ds1 had to come with us to registry office to register ds2 and then managed to throw up in the car right next to lo - now I am freaking out and worried sick that we will all catch this lovely bug ( I have such a bad sickness phobia, it's my worst nightmare ! )
Going to have an early night soon as it could be a rough night and I am already exhausted. Hope you all have goodnights x

Fingers crossed u get a good night pixie

dh was going 2 get the snip after this lo was born. He mentioned it 2day briefly wen fil popped out, we both quickly agreed he wont go 4 it yet, just incase we want number 4. Tho being such a good experience overall so far, wouldnt want 2 spoil things with a possible bad experience. & so many ppl around us have had mcs or other probs eg 2 friends have lis with heart/ brain probs, both needing many big operations starting soon after birth (1 has another op this week, hopefuly her last b4 her heart transplant), we have 3 amazing dcs already,.would it b selfish 2 want more? Or tempting fate?

Hazel, first of all, congratulations on your new babe and I agree with everyone else about not feeling bad about FFing; dealing with crazy post-birth hormones is so hard and you have to do what feels right at the time.

I think this goes for how you parent in general actually so I would echo the whole not feeling guilty about cuddling to sleep thing either. I held off co-sleeping with DS (now 2.10) for months and months until I was desperate through sleep deprivation. This time round DD sleeps curled into me for at least half the night and it is making a huge difference to both her sleep and mine. Tiny baby's memories don't work like older kids' do so I honestly don't think it makes any difference.

And both my DCs have been shocking pukers too, despite being exclusively BF (which is supposed to make it less of a problem). DD is worse than DS was I think; it drives me nuts that I make all this lovely milk for her and then she voms it all back up all over me, the ungrateful little brat!

Jimmi and Minky, I think I might take your advice with DS's potty training and have a break. The only reason that we haven't gone back to nappies was coz DS initiated it himself and was doing beautifully until DD came along. It just seemed a bit unfair to him when he had made the decision entirely by himself but it's getting a bit stressful for him too I think which just makes me for him as he's had so much change in his little life recently.

jimmi, DH was going to go for the snip too but I made doubtful noises about having a DC3 the other day I don't think you can worry about tempting fate; a friend of mine said (on TTC her 4th) that the decision's got to come more from the heart than the head.

jimmijam & feralgirl my DH was also going for snip but I've decided to get coil instead as wasn't ready to shut door on no3yet, I be 39 next yr so time &my body running out anyway:) If its any consolation feralgirl* my DD1 has 2-3 wet pairs of pants everyday this wk and she been potty trained in daytime for 2yrs! But she still in nappies at night as no where near ready to go without. I think the whole new baby is vstressful on them. I'd give Lo a break put in pull ups then he can go if want to if not its not making more work for you at a tiring time.
Well do far this is 4th night in row babe has gone 8pm-12pm is this a pattern..emerging.....oooh fingers Xed I like this chunk of sleep at start of night makes me feel more human :)

Oh dear minky. I hope your ds gets better soon. Did you get your dh to clean up the mess in the car? You should be ok from whatever bug it was if you were out of contact with it.
DD has been sleeping her 3 hours overnight so the extra day sleep hasn't done her bad but she has now gone 2 days without a poo. She usually has explosive ones during this feed at night but alas nothing!
Anyway I came on to tell you all that if you have an Asda near you they have offers on their baby stuff. Well their own brand 'little angels' stuff has some items for a quid cos it's their mother and baby clubs 1st birthday. Their size 1 nappies in a 44 pack which go up to 5kg are only a quid! I picked up most of the stock at the small Asda by my mums. None on the shelf (as to be expected) but I asked a member of staff who came out with 5 boxes for me. So 15 packs of nappies and I am sure we will get through them quickly when dd's poo comes back (which I can see coming back with a vengeance).
So send your OH down to Asda and grab all them nappies whilst you can.

Im sure controlled crying techniques r gr8, tho this time around iv found booklets etc r worded differently & have made me realise tiny babies only know a few things & faces & think about how much i myself need the comfort of my husband etc & its made me much more cuddly towards this lo. He co-sleepss (which i know is bad but so far is working really well 4 us), im in the knowledge that he'll go in2 his own room @ about 6months & will b more aware of other conforting things around him (eg teddy bear) & should b fine & have more of a routine eg probably an evening formula feed).

Another reason 4 being worried about going for dc4 is that ds1&2 both needed help breathing @ birth (scary seeing 'rescue breaths given' on birth forms), i couldnt imagine losing a child if #4 couldnt b brought back. & ds2 has a few sall 'deformities' which i dpubt any1 else would notice, bit would it b cruel having dc4 knowing they could have 2 cope with more profound deformities.
So much 2 think about
tho if we lived in fear of what if then we wouldnt do anything!

Sorry 4 all the typing/spelling mistales on phone with tiny buttons,.hope its readable

Summerpixie - dh cleared up the car but I washed everything when we got home - I washed my hands meticulously but these tummy bugs are so contagious - will wait and see ! Ds1 hasn't been sick again and seems back to normal self so hope that's it - will know if we get to next weekend without any further occurrences.
Lo seems to be having a bit of a feeding frenzy so off to buy some fenugreek capsules and smell like maple syrup !
On the snip debate - I agree don't do it unless you are 110% sure. If I had pushed dh into it after last pregnancy we wouldn't have little one. At the time our circumstances meant we couldn't have afforded a house big enough to have a third child comfortably but within two years we had relocated and the situation was very different - you can never see what the future holds so until you are certain it's a big risk to take. Saying that - a friend of mine who has just had a third dc gave me all her baby things saying they were not having any more dcs and a week later asked me to hold onto it for her as she is expecting dc4. Her husband was meant to arrange the snip but took his time and now both of them are a little stressed ! Although they are seeing it as a blessing they have a very unwell baby who is in and out of hospital all the time and they wouldn't have chosen this result. So be warned ladies - she had only been dtd for her wedding anniversary - the second time in 9 months since their baby arrived !
Good tip on the asda nappies - I havent tried them -are they any good ? I heard that the lidl ones were okay ? I have only ever used pampers or huggies so need to test a few cheaper options.
Can't remember if I have said congrats to hazelnut - if not well done !!!!

Thanks for nappy tip. Last time I used huggies superdry at night and supermarket own brand in daytime they were fine and cheaper. This time pampers seem to fit better but I don't like the chemical smell. New Lidls nr us going to try there nappies as friend told me they really gd too, unfortunately we don't have an Asda nr by.
I hate tum bugs too, we do sleep separate policy DH &i and spray everything, door handles, tv remotes, kettle handle with anti bac and last couple DH not got but i did as looked after DD then handed her over when I got sick.
Beautiful day ere, spent all morn out, now chilling on sofa watching princesses dvd with girls as DH at work.

Oh I'm so rubbish at keeping up in here!

LO is a little more settled now, and am getting a few hours kip at night, last night there was 4 hours between feeds, although from about 3 hours she kept stirring and I went to feed her, but it was obvious she wouldn't take it, so for that last hour I didn't sleep well as I kept rousing when she made noises. She's a little farty pants that's for sure. I don't get a lot of wind up (i.e. burps) but she farts a hell of a lot, and sometimes it's very smelly!

Have been up earlier two mornings in a row now, went out yesterday morning and she slept through the whole trip to the park! But that's fine.

I can't believe the time is going by so quickly, she's 3weeks and 2 days old now, feels like only yesterday and also like she has been here forever!

Registering the birth around here (birmingham) is ridiculous, you have to book an appointment and there is a long wait, we rang on the 12th Sept and our appointment is this wednesday!

Been out for a walk this morning, put LO in the sling (moby wrap) and went out for a bit, was lovely, but wow she felt heavy, amazing to think you carry around a baby for months and they don't feel that heavy - or at least she didn't in me, but maybe it's because it's a gradual build up to it.