October 2011 - Let the poo obsession begin

[PenguinArmy]

Come chat, moan, boast (by stealth of course), vent, rage, relax, worry and be reassured. Welcome to all the new babies. Stats thread here

DH did offer to sleep elsewhere, but I don't want to chuck him out for an indefinite time, hard nights yes but not every night for the forseeable future. Thinking we might need to put our bed against a wall so he's not in the middle. I get worried the quilt and pillows get too near him. Hoping DH will take that part of it more seriously now I've read about it. I only slept in 1 hour segments last night, couldn't have done it without co-sleeping. Don't think he's gone more than 2 hours all day in fact. (and yes everywhere said don't co-sleep if any of you smoke)

I want to spend proper time with DD tomorrow, think she's starting to feel it a bit now. Plan to go out to a large park and DH can sit with DS in the buggy while we explore. Have what should be final MW appt. tomorrow as well.

MrsP hope she 'wakes' for you soon and you can go back to demand feeding.

Totally agree with you about co-sleeping BB3 I sleep so easily when Seth is in with me. I was the same with DD. If I wanted a good sleep during the day I'd take her with me to bed, even though DH was always home. Having said that, I got Seth in his carrycot twice last night, I laid down and fell asleep during the 2am feed so he stayed with me until 5am. It was lovely to be able to stretch out for the other hours though. :)

Mrsp definitely not a bad mother almost all babies lose weight, some more than others. Seth appears to have my families sleep gene (thankfully) meaning he loves his sleep and nothing wakes him. Great most of the day, but really awkward when I want him to feed.

Today has been lovely, but so tiring! My brother, SIL & 3 girls came this morning, the girls are 5, 3 & 5 months. They brought a lovely breakfast of fresh fruit and pastries. They don't visit us often, we normally go there so it made a lovely change. Amazingly I also managed to get a photo of all 5 of them! My eldest niece is very camera shy so she usually runs away, and trying to photograph multiple children that age is nigh on impossible. I don't think the youngest 2 are looking at the camera, but getting the older 3 to sit together was achievement enough.
Then my in-laws arrived, straight from a 12 hour flight and 5 hour drive to meet their newest grandson.

I've also been struggling with 1 very engorged breast, the other is fine. This evening I think I've finally managed to get rid of the hard areas by using a hot water bottle, massage and getting Seth to feed for about an hour. I just hope it doesn't get even bigger because I fed for so long. I really need to go to bravissimo but it'll have to wait a couple of weeks.

I love thus bus (sigh)

Last night just as I had noticedmy left breast seemed bigger and lumpier than the right one I log on here and saw your post Bilblio. Immediately trotted off to get hot water bottle and fed E from left breast while massaging and it is much better today. For a new mummy it's so lovely having people to ask/ share thugs with.
E seemed to have marathon cluster feed yesterday he spent most of afternoon and evening permanently on the boob, nut it meant he slept from 11.30 until 2.15 and then from 4.30 until 7.30! So quite happy with my nearly six hours of sleep

This not thus and things not thugs lol! Damn iPhone!

Oh god and but not nut!! (runs off in shame)

MrsP our mw said most bf babies will lose some weight before they start putting on. Doesn't take much to feel like a bad Mummy though does it - I felt like that last week because we have not been discharged from mw yet as cord still attached until yesterday and apparently it usually comes off in about a week - DH has been wiggling it for the last few days so it's off now but I had been too scared to touch it.

Poppy had a great nights sleep on Friday and went straight in her basket and didn't wake until 5am so I thought great. Last night she decided to wake every 2 hours all night though :( (and is currently trumping LOTS).

I did wonder last night whether I had enough milk for her, see was feeding all evening and my breasts were not hard like usually (they had been gone soft) so I wondered if she had emptied them because she was not latching on, more head banging my boob with her mouth and kicking off. I think Pebble sounded like she had the same thing.

I thought you were supposed to make enough milk for YOUR baby but our neighbour told DH she had to stop because she was not making enough.

pebble I agree - so good to chat to people in the same boat as me!

cheshire glad other people feel like bad mothers sometimes as well - I felt really bad today as was feeding him while wearing a jumper with a zip, and when I was done realised the zip mark was indented in his wee face! Felt like a real meanie as it looked terrible!

How has everyone been with the baby blues? I am mostly OK, but every few evenings feel glum if I get especially tired. DH is going back to work on tues though so am expecting things to get harder then as he's done most of the chores since baby was born as well as taking him away so I can get a good sleep during the day.

pebble I got mastitus once with DD. It's horrible! Really painful boobs and you feel like you've got flu, proper everything-aches-can't-think-straight flu. Thankfully a couple of antibiotics and lots of feeding, massage cured it. I became slightly obsessive about massaging my boobs during feeds after that. I usually wait until the boob has softened up, then feel for any hard lumps and massage them out... if you do it too early it can make the milk flow a bit too fast and make baby cough. I make sure I do each boob at least once a day, or every feed if they're sore.

If you're having a healthy diet you should be able to produce enough milk for your baby. When they cluster feed it means they're working to make you produce more. It doesn't matter if your boob feels empty, something will be coming out, and it's stimulating more milk for the next feed. I think if people don't understand how cluster feeding works could easily assume they're not producing enough milk.

No sign of the baby blues, although I felt at the end of my tether last night. I was so tired! I fed Seth at 7 in the hope I'd get to bed between his next feed which has generally been about 11. But no, I spent 4 hours feeding, getting him settled, putting in the carrycot, then 5 minutes later he'd wake! He finally slept at 11pm. I'm feeling okay now though because he fed between 3 & 4, and woke at 8 for a feed, but then I went back to sleep again for an hour. He was only in with me that last hour. I'm hoping for another nap this afternoon.

I'm a bit gutted that MW wouldn't discharge us as DS has the teeniest tinge of yellow, bit silly really but also her overal attitude left me feeling weird (like she didn't believe me)

The only time I called DH home from work was when I has mastitis. Hope it clears soon. GP actually told me not to feed from that side as the milk was 'wrong'. Luckily MN had prepared me for what to do and I ignored her.

No real blues here, didn't last time. A few moments here and there but I very much everybit of help I can get and also catch up on sleep whenever I can. Which I admit is luck that the bad nights don't all run together.

My breasts were soft by a week this time which means I can't tell what side he's due by just feeling them. He's up to 7lbs 5.5oz so total gain of nearly 10oz at day 12. pebble DD lost weight and I think it's more common to lose some than not.

It's good to know that other people feel like bad mummies too. Obviously it would be better if none of us felt that way but at least I know I'm not alone.

I have been suffering a bit with baby blues pene, I have the occasional moment where I feel completely overwhelmed by all I have to learn!

Hmmm, was going to write a bit more than that but Abigail has just done the most almighty poo so I better go and clear that up.......

oh, I've cut DS finger already when cutting nails

Thanks Bilb that makes a bit more sense now seen as she has been snacking for what seems like hours already - hoping for a better night in that case.

Aww Penguin get a nail file instead he will never know

I think I am containing any further tears for when DH goes back to work, I have no idea how I will get showered and dressed, get Poppy dressed (and bathed) and actually be able to work the dog with the pram.

Whilst thinking the above we are also thinking about another baby - how completely ridiculous is THAT!!!

Maybe it's just a mad hormone thing

Glad it made sense. Cheshire and try not to worry about when DH goes back to work. You will manage. Yes you may have to let Poppy cry a little while you're in the shower, but you'll cope.
DH was talking to his friend the other day and said with first babies you run to them as soon as they cry. With second babies you stick them under your arm and carry on.

We timed Seth so that DD would be at school by the time he arrived. :O Much as I'd like a brood DH is the one at home to look after them. I'm pretty certain that any other children will be accidents!

I've decided as much as Seth may look like DH, he definitely takes after the males in my family. He's been awake for about 2 hours today. All he's really done is sleep, eat (mostly combined with sleeping) and trump/poo! He's currently laid on the settee opposite me fast asleep and trumping!
But he's still lovely. :o

I'm still typing up my birth story. I'll have to edit it to a shorted version, but the long version will be for his baby book. I did one for my daughter, key moments through her first months, and lots of photos. I started writing hers by hand but then learnt I have no time and typing is quicker, so Seth's is all typed.

cheshire we started talking about number 2 as well, which makes no sense as Amotai is only 2 1/2 weeks old! I don't see myself having three though, unless no 2 is a multiple. It's all theoretical at this stage of course.

biblio how do you find the age gap between your two?

Oh my goodness Elijah has been feeding ALL night! I'm shattered I must have managed about an hour sleep in total
He's still going....my boobs are either going to drop off or I'm going to look like dolly Parton.....

Pebble I'm with you, Poppy has gone from every 4 hours to every 2 hours max last night!

Plus whilst I was feeding her a spider came down from the ceiling.

penelope so far the age gap seems good, that may change as they get older. :)
DD is a July baby, so only just 4 really, but she's very good and responsible for her age. She loves helping with Seth, and fetching and carrying for me. Plus we've been teaching her to tidy up after herself which is a HUGE help!
She's old enough to be left with him while I nip to the loo too. My nieces are 20 months apart and SIL had to take the youngest with her if she did anything as the eldest didn't understand enough to be gentle. DD knows she isn't allowed to pick him up, has to be gentle, particularly around his head. She spends a lot of time sat on the sofa with him on her lap, but while his head is so wobbly I'm still supervising this :)
I'd have liked them closer together, there is 4.5 years between my brother and I and we aren't that close, but it does make it a lot easier when 1 can look after themselves a bit.

Just waiting for the MW to arrive. I think we'll be discharged today. I photographed all my notes last night so I'll have a copy. :)

Thankfully Seth is still going 3-4 hours between feeds at night. DD is going to my parents for a couple for nights today, then the in-laws for a couple of nights this weekend. Which means DH can go in her room and Seth & I can have the bed to ourselves. We'll miss her loads, but I'm not strong enough to go out yet, and she'll drive us mad go stir crazy staying in all week.

Although having said that she's just had a minor paddy because she couldn't get her tights on.... trying to put tights on a fidgetting child, one handed, while BFing is not easy :o

Today is my first day on my own, and so far I've hardly managed to put E down! This could be a very tiring day!
Plus I somehow have to manage to get to the GP today to check on the infection in my stitches and see if there's anything else I can do for thrush, as bfing has become excruciatingly painful!
I can wait until I'm fully healed so we can just get on with things!
E is 3 weeks old today, hard to believe!

Hi ladies just marking spot on here. I should prob be trying to get some sleep as not yet had proper sleep (more dozing) since 2am Saturday morning. Xx

Haven't caught up with the thread yet - promise I will do, have so much to share.

feeling a bit sad and teary - found out this afternoon that Max broke his collarbone during birth. the midwife suspected as he had the cord wrapped round his arm but couldn't feel anything after birth.

he had a bruise a few days later but it disappeared and another midwife also couldn'r feel a break, but today it came up in a bit lump, so called out MW again and she said it is broken.

Nothing we can do about it..it should heal on it's own but there's a chance it won't, and he'll be left with a bump there.

Making me super paranoid about changing him, dressing him, picking him up, feeding him.

But on a happy note, my mum and dad got here today from the UK so lots of presents and cuddles.

Lots more things to share with you all about what's been happening but will catch up with everyone else's news and experiences first.

right now I'm off to bed for some shut eye!

Oh Engels how upsetting for you .

Bit teary too at the moment, found I had missed the crease right inside DS legs and he has sore red bits. Feel like a terrible failure as a mummy.
Also his belly button had a bit of blood tonight is that normal? (cord dropped off two days ago)

yeah that's normal (both counts) pebble

DS has nappy rash already, but more general.

engels of course it's upsetting but well done for continuing to monitor it and act so quickly. Hope your LO is mended soon.

Tomorrow is my first day on my own with the two of them

To the first time Mummies the feelings of failure never really go away, (my Mum agrees too) but your children won't know, or care. You're more likely to mess up if you think everything is fine.
I currently feel like I'm failing DD because she's gone to my parents for 2 nights and she's spending the weekend with her other grandparents. I haven't the energy to entertain her this half term, and she'll go stir crazy if she has to stay in all week. I feel rubbish that she's gone, but I also know she loves staying with her grandparents and she was more than happy to go.

engels well done for spotting it and keeping on to the MW's. Hope it's fixed soon.

pebble I've realised DS's are much more difficult to clean than DD's. So many creases, and the fact you could get wee'd on at any time. :O Metanium is fantastic nappy rash cream. DD got nappy rash a lot and metanium was far better than other creams we tried. Use it sparingly, it goes far and makes everything yellow! We also found certain nappies and wet wipes made it worse. We finally settled on washable, Huggies or Tescos nappies and Simple wet wipes. Pampers nappies were terrible for her.

As for the cord, Seth's fell off on day 5, but it's still bleeding occasionally 5 days later. The midwife said it might though. I just bathe it once a day and keep checking it doesn't smell funny.