November 2011 - early birds, just in time and late to the party, all welcome!!

[TwoJackRussellsandapumpkin]

Hi all,

just starting up a post natal thread for all the due in November peeps on the antenatal forum and anyone else who would like to join in too, hoping to see my arrival by the end of the week, so officially an early bird I hope :)

Morning all

Re period returning - I vividly remember my period returning after ds1 as I was sitting on the beach in Portugal wearing a white bikini!!! I had previously had really painful periods and was still bf ds who was 9 months old so had absolutely no warning as my periods came back totally painless. That was v embarrassing!

No sign here of af as I am ebf Luke.

We had a v windy night here and for once it wasn't the baby who kept me awake! He is settling down now and does a 4/5 hour stretch 10-2 then wakes for a feed, goes down till 5 then feeds again then wakes around 7/8.

Hope you all have a good day

I still haven't had a period, wish it would hurry up and get started so I can get on with contraception other than condoms, I just don't trust them!

I'm worried that Eddie is sleeping too well now, last night he went to bed at 9, and I've just felt the need to wake him up for a feed at 8:30. Is that too long for him to go without food? I think he would have slept for another hour if I'd left him. He has been pretty much sleeping through the night since he was 3 weeks old, starting with feeding at 9pm, then a snack at 2am, then proper feed at 8am, then he started doing 9pm to 5am, then 8am when he was 6 weeks, then he moved the 8am feed to about 9:30am and turned the 5am one into a snack, and now he seems to have dropped the snack. I think he is taking enough milk in the daytime, but it does sometimes feel like all he does is feed all day and sleep all night. He takes up to an hour to take a full feed now, and its 3 hourly from the start of the feed, so he often only has 2 hours not feeding in a row. He will take up to 7 oz at a feed, but sometimes it is as little as 4oz, and he can be very slow to take it. He is also obsessed with his dummy, and it can be hard to tell the difference between wanting it, and wanting food. He likes to have the dummy to go to sleep, but I don't know if he should be sleeping as much as he does in the daytime. He is probably only awake for 7 hours in total per day, including 5 feeds. How much time do all your babies play for? He isn't really interested in playing for long, no more than 10-20 mins at a time.

God I wish these babies came with manuals! I know I really shouldn't be complaining, I'm very lucky, listening to some of your problems. Hope everyone is having a good day so far.

Been a while so lots to catch up on.

mrsA thanks for sharing your birth story. Am so sorry you didn't get your home birth. Can't believe your IM - have you ghad a meeting with her yet? Also saw your thread re DD. My DD is 20 months so don't have the same problems but it is so hard. My main issue is that DD knee walks so can't really go out to toddler group as it's up stairs and can't carry both babies up and down the stairs. It's the logistics of things when I'm on my own too, like bathing. When 1 is sleeping the other is awake and vice versatile. Sigh.

cali god, you and abi are having a nightmare time at mo. I really hope she has another good day.

Just got phone call from docs to say I missed my 8 week appt. Wrote it down wrong, thought it was tomorrow. Dammit. Had in-laws looking after DD as I didn't want her there in buggy whilst holding ds for jabs.

Ds has suddenly started to poo in middle of night. Very annoying as he now has slight nappy rash from it and he had dropped his night feed. Can't remember who else is using comfort formula (Kate?) but we are now slowly changing back to normal formula. Currently changed first feed in morning and he seems much more satisfied when he finishes it. Hoping it will stop that 3am poo but that's wishful thinking!

Sorry for no othe shout outs but Ds stirring...

I should add that Eddie is 11 weeks old, but was 6 weeks early. He does seem a bit behind with smiles etc, he does smile and occasionally laugh, but never as a reaction to anything in particular. I think I am just worried about nothing, and don't know whether I should be using his actual age or corrected age to keep track of his development. Is it sad that I miss the health visitor?

Had my period over Christmas so 7 weeks. About 2 weeks after bleeding stopped.

Lizzy My ds is sleeping a lot this week. I think he is growth spurting. Oh, he's awake now. Best go feed him!

lizzy that all sounds totally normal to me. very similar to Xander. X is 12 weeks tomorrow but 4 weeks early so 8 weeks adjusted age. definitely take it into account when looking for developmental leaps and remember that every baby is different anyway. don't stress too much about it, he'll get there. young babies can sleep 16-18 hours I believe in 24. X is the same when it come to playing, 10-20 mins and he has had enough, a really good play session is 25-30 minutes but they are not very often. X loves dummy too. variable amounts of milk too going on length of feed. dreamfeed bottle can be anything from 4-7 oz too depending on him that night.

Saying that his new swing is a big hit and he happily sat in it for an hour yesterday morning and another 40 minutes this morning! yay for having my hands free to do a few bits.

Seems to be responding well to our new bedtime routine so far. Monday he slept 10.30-12 ( bottle dreamfeed) then 12-7, tuesday 8.30-11.30 ( bottle dreamfeed) then 12-5.50 and last night he slep 8.30-11.30 (bottle dreamfeed) and then 12-6.10. going to stick with it.

no period here yet but bf apart from one feed and on mini pill now too.

Also it sounds like Eddie has really figured out his night from day, its a good thing, go with it!

Hello all,

Sorry for being gone so long. Things sure are busy with a LO!
I haven't yet caught up, but will try to do so over the next few days.

Well, our little Charles William Peter was born on 25th November at 10:47am by c-section. He wasn't engaging and as my BP started climbing and in the end was 158/98 (my normal BP is somewhere around 110/75) the decision was made to get him out. My legs and feet were also badly swollen, so they were getting worried.

He weighed 8lbs 13ozs and was 22 inches long.

Unfortunately I had a horrendous stay in hospital, which I will write up later.

Hope you are all well and everyone is settling with their little ones

Caz sounds epic! Well done!

Well, Abi is asleep in her pram for her afternoon nap... Wowzers.
About to go up to town and get her formula and, you know, be a human...

merloiness Congratulations. Sorry to hear you had a bad stay in hospital.
Cali hoorah to being human!! Well done Abi.
We have just been for 6 week baby check. DS was not impressed given he has been awake since 6 and had decided to finally fall asleep justas we were leaving for docs at 2 :20. So he decided to object very loudly when undressed for weighing. Doc was lovely though and apart from his tummy probs all seems well so I am a very pleased mummy.

Periods-had mine over Xmas so 7 weeks ish, no pain though which was weird as I've always had fairly painful periods. Can't remember who was going for jabs... E was off it for 48 hours but then back to her smiley self. Is anyone using hungry baby milk? E drains 6oz every 3 hours except in night where she'll go 7 hours approx...does this sound ok? Also last few days she's started arching away from bottle ( without actually letting go) on some feeds (not all) also been much more sicky sometimes 2 hours after feed...it's like watery sick with bits of milk in. She's never been a sicky baby before. Also is often sick when burping during feed which she never used to. We've always burped her every oz and keep her upright for 20 mins after feed cos she gets bad wind but this sick thing is new to me! It doesn't seem to bother her but she has the odd fussy feed. Got app with dr tomorrow to recheck groin pulses so going to ask him then!

Little one doing well and at last giving his parents some sleep around 5 hours so not too bad although envious of those going for longer. I am loving the smiles and my little chats.

Don't read this next part if you are screamish......... Had a lot of pain in my breast yesterday with the abscess and later where I had the bioptsy exploded. Went through breast pad, bra and vest top and was like a tap. Fortunately had hospital today and doctor there said this is a good thing and it is safe for me to breast feed on that side even if I am still oozing. Hope it clears up soon.

Ow Cookie, hope it improves quickly now.

Cali I'm glad you've finally had some 'normal' time and Abi has eaten.

Caz I was wondering whether to get a swing, I have 2 chairs sitting around that DS won't go in though so I don't want to add to the graveyard of discarded items! I am persevering with the sleepy wrap I borrowed and DS is sleeping in it which is great, its just fiddly to tie and I need DH to be at home to help me get him in it.

He wakes approx every 3/4 hours at night which I can happily live with although last night was worse due to screaming from wind. Hope we have a better night tonight.

Had a weigh in with the HV today and he's dropped a bit on the percentile chart which I'm a bit sad about as it feels like he's eating lots. I worry its all the puking he does but they just said to come back next week.

Worse is the rash and rough dry skin he has developed, especially on his face, that they think might be eczema - I really hope its not. They said use olive oil, rather than almond oil I have been using, and see how he is next week.

Nice to have you back Merlioness - congratulations although sorry you had problems, fill us in when you have time.

twojacks I hope that your appointment went well!

Cali Being human is amazing! Although the pushchair definitely hinders my clothes shopping ability!

Kate393 - My DS is also going through the occasional funny phase where he is sicky after a feed and sometimes seemed frantic. We upped the teat size and that seemed to help as he wasn't having to suck so hard which I think reduced the amount of wind he was taking down.

Cookie - glad your LO is doing well and I hope your abscess heals quickly, can't be pleasant

Hadak - amazing how vocal these little beings are when they object to something!

Lizzy - My DS is 8 weeks and sleeps about 6 hours at night and a couple of hours in the day. All babies are different and your LO may just be going through a growth spurt, could you get in touch with the HV over the phone for some advice/reassurance? DS doesn't really do playing for more than 20 mins but seems to enjoy laying on the floor looking around and is still fascinated by facial expressions.

Merlioness - Congratulations! Such a shame that your hospital stay was horrible but I hope that you are able to rest and enjoy your LO now.

CazBX - baby swing? Where did you get that from?

Moosey - feel your pain regarding poo in the night, DS went through a period of doing that but now seems to go late morning instead - hopefully your LO will start going at a more reasonable time. No one wants to be cleaning poo at that ungodly hour!

DS has been in a lovely mood today although quite sleepy. Drained 3 out of 4 bottles, am considering upping his feeds... AGAIN! He is comfortably doing 6oz every 4 hours. Last couple of nights he has slept from 11ish - 5.30ish so I am hoping this is the start of him sleeping through. He is starting to look too big for his Moses basket, especially widthways, I think that when he naps he wakes himself up when his arms hit the sides (as he isn't in such a deep sleep) so put him in his cot for his naps today and he slept for longer. Kinda sad about him going in his cot, he is growing up so fast!

mashpot my DS had really dry skin on his hands and feet and olive oil worked a treat so fingers crossed!

mashpot Yes, olive oil - I use almond oil in Abi's bath and olive on her rash (which is going now we've come off the cow's milk)

Another good day in the household - but she's vomiting up because of phlegm and snot setting off her gag reflex :(

Development and play I had the HV come out and do an assessment on Abi, to make sure she wasn't suffering delay because of her medical problems - I was worrying that the lack of non-screaming/sleeping time was starting to leave her behind. The HV studied The Brazelton Method at Cambridge, and Abi turned out to be advanced for her age, as she is spending so much time being carried around and participating in our activities by proxy. It was a huge relief to hear, and opened my eyes to some of the amazing "tricks" she can do - such as ignoring loud noises (well, she must love the sound of her own voice by now)...

See it in action here:

perish it is a fisher price one. Got it from Mothercare. like this

mash X also has a lot of dry skin on his face, especially eyebrows. lots of cradle cap on scalp - it looks so irritated after a bath. I've been using olive oil too. I really hope it isn't the start of eczema although I wouldn't be surprised if it were: DH has awful skin. Lots of eczema as a child, awful adult acne until treatment in his mid-twenties and lots of psoriasis now on his scalp and patches on his knees and elbows too. Our poor baby stands no hope if he has inherited his father's skin :(

I'm dreading HV clinic on Monday and getting him weighed after the fuss they created after he'd dropped a percentile last time (before christmas). I hope he hasn't dropped any further. He seems heavier and definitely longer so he's growing and putting on weight. Why are they so obsessed with their charts? I haven't found the HV particularly helpful so far. Just very blase almost and not really listening. Much more helpful GP who actually makes me feel like he cares when I'm worried.

mash maybe the rash on your son's face is baby acne? From looking at Internet pics I'm sure that is what my DS has- it comes and goes and is apparently quite common in boys - I wash it with v mild soap which helps

Skim read post so sorry for not commenting on everyone but Lizzy, DD slept from 11pm to 7am at 5 days old and by 10 weeks was sleeping 7-7. I have no idea why or what we did (DS certainly not doing this!!!) but it was just her. She is still a fab sleeper now and put on weight well - just ate alot in the day.

DS feeding every 2 hrs still, which is hard, but he did sleep 10pm till 5am last night. He's been up crying for most of the evening tonight so expecting a toughie.

Hello all, will try to post more tomorrow.

Motherfoppers I'm so fed up of Mumsnet timing out and chewing up posts at the preview stage!!
Velcro babies Yup that's Willow alright, pretty much the only time she's out of my arms shes on the changing mat, her carry cot or in the sling. Just as well shes still so light and portable. She'll go about 10 mins in her bouncy seat tops. Today i wanted to wash my hair so heaped our sink with towels and popped her on top. Like Abi she will deign to snooze in the buggy on good days but right now I need to strap the toddler into that for crowd control purposes so thats out. Am glad to hear her velcro-ness is good for her developmentally. I know Dr Sears recommends 3 hours of baby wearing a day for premmies and one of Willow's paediatricians said it was the way he liked to see his former graduates best when they came to visit the unit's outpatient clinics. I figure it makes up for her spending 9 weeks 15 miles away from the rest of her family in a plastic container. Plus when we did kangaroo care with her we were told it was good for her breathing, sense of calm and even helped her to gain weight. I don't see those benefits would end just because she's past her due date.
Cali Yey for Abi!! Did you stick with the domperidone or was it some entirely random piece of baby tricksiness? Oh and I totally agree with you WRT colic. J had this but having seen Willow on dairy I'm inclined to believe he had mild issues with it too - certainly it was the thing he reacted worst to during weaning - and I now believe he was in pain.
Sleep Well we've had two random nights of sleep from 11pm to 5am - I'm treating them as amazing bank holidays from the long running period of sleep deprivation I'm facing for the coming year or so. Seriously after J I am not getting my hopes up - 16 months!! What the NCT and LLL don't tell you about BFing is that BF babies sleep lightly and feed often - and if you compare sleep with FF babies you will weep.
Pam your lovely non sleeper sounds so much like my wee boy was, I really think such a lot is down to personality. In the end we accepted he just really needed us, went with it and now he loves his kip, has never had any tantrums/stress at bedtime and sleeps like a dream, even through madam roaring during nocturnal nappy changes, and lies in til 8.30-9ish!!!
periods well i'm not likely to see mine anytime soon given it went awol for 17 months after J... but beware the fertility bounce when it does. We conceived Willow the first month.
Lizzymaths Oh my lovely, its so hard to stop worrying after the nicu isnt it, but your dc sounds well within 'normal' so try to spare yourself the anguish. I think the odds of him having a legacy from his early arrival are only in the region of 5 percent after 34 weeks or so, and even Willow's odds are only 35 percent - of which 10 percent would be for severe problems so I'm just trying not to look for a problem until we have to. I think were supposed to go by adjusted age for development but actual for jags and weaning. Right now shes smiling more or less on cue, and is if anything much more into eye contact and chit chat than her brother was, which i find miraculous. But then some nights I find the sound of her gentle breathing while she dozes on my shoulder miraculous too when i think of the weeks of struggle it was for her to do that unaided. Our kids are amazing.
Oh yes and we're pricey things for baby not to sleep in and babygrows all the way in this house!

Poppet Velcro babies are hard work but I am a very stark believer in attachment parenting.
Dr Sears made me feel confident about co-sleeping with Abi when the first 4 days were ultra tough and bonding with her after hospital was hard.
I am delighted that she's now growing independent with the pram, her bouncer chair etc, but she will always be welcome in my arms.
Our friends have a "wonder baby" who slept through very early and had no problems what so ever - his mum just plonked him in a bouncer from day 1, and he rarely gets picked up even now when he's 6 months. He's very lethargic when we see them, always in the car seat with a little plushie that gets a lot of love and affection from him. I obviously can't gun their parenting methods down, but I couldn't do that with Abi.

Domperidone We stuck with it, but it's yet to work properly - still a lot of vom. Will discuss with paed. tomorrow.
I think she had a sore throat or raised tonsils or something similar.
She now has hollow legs, though!!!

Very very quick visit - his nibs is getting a quick nappy change of his pappy. I literally get 10 mins away from him a day! On one hand I love it but his watching me toilet is disturbing lol.

Post natal bleed stopped endd of week 4 and period started start of week 6 (2 days and light - which is my norm).

John Lewis - half price trousers with feet. I've spent a fortune on clothes for him but they'll do the full year until the next sales - and the fortune is half of what it could have been given sale prices.

Good to see you back Merl.

Hope you are all feeling better today than yesterday and long may that continue.

Caz So hit and miss with HV and weight - Abi's dropped almost 3 centiles and no one even cared...

Will do a proper post later but just wanted to say a little Yay - DS slept from 11pm bottle til 5:36! 7 hours sleep for me. A one off I'm sure but soooo nice

I'm with you on the attachment parenting thing Cali - it has been hard going at times when X won't be put down without screaming just so I can grab a sandwich or go for a pee or something. He basically spent his life so far in our arms or his car seat! but starting to see little independent changes in him now; he is becoming much more confident to enjoy playmat independently for short bursts, going into moses much more willingly and responding well to routine, we've bee co-sleeping far less (just sunday night and we shared a nap time together yesterday so far this week), spending longer in pram before we use the sling etc. I really believe in 4th Trimester too and I think the little changes we're seeing in him now are a signal that he's coming to the end of it and feeling more settled. but like you said always welcome in my arms whenever he needs to. infact he's just settled down for a nap all cwtched in :)

I also like the wonder weeks, his behaviour so far has seemed to fit the developmental leap weeks or thereabouts. it really has helped me to understand why he might be extra clingy at times.