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 :)

mrsA blimey, I could have written your first post. I'd forgotten how much work a newborn is. Am torn between wishing away first 6 months so that he is sitting and (hopefully) interacting with DD and wanting him t stay small for cuddles.

Though saying that this past week DD has become really into cuddles. Love it.

When ds went for jabs I checked when dd's next set were and thought god I hope daddy's around for that one!

Had a good day where kids were not in synch so could give them both quality time. Though saying that ds has been asleep for most of day. But currently in gym to tire him out.

We've been holidaying in uk since DD born. Just can't be bothered with faffing around in airports and getting around. It's stressful enough getting away here let alone abroad. Just beginning to come to terms with no holiday being relaxing anymore.

Sorry in advance for the self obsessed post:(

Emily now feeds for only 5-10 mins each feed and it seems like she is still hungry - tries to latch then pulls off and cries and keeps doing it. If I just stop feeding her she is fine but I guess I feel like she is still hungry or she wouldn't try to latch? Can she really eat this fast? Any advice or ideas are welcome. Also, She has started eating every 2 hours and ideally I'd like her to eat more and go longer.

goldmaple - Abi does/did this. Reflux was the culprit at first, then jabs.
Are you bfing?

gold I had my check up with GP yesteray and she asked me how feeding was going, I am ebf with no bottle yet.

W is feeding every 2 hours for about an hour each time - even through night. Some of this is probably comfort sucking but he does the same as you describe - a lot. On off on off on off. So I started to take him off if he sucked for no longer than 5-10 mins, he'd scream but carry on messing. So now I take him off and distract him - he always plays and smiles and forgets boobs quite quickly. If he isn't distracted then it is wind causing it.

GP said he should be settling to 10-20 minute feeds max now he is bigger (9 weeks and c10lb) so he is probably just messing and is actually full.

Another thing I've noticed is that his burpiness has increased and when he starts the on/off latching I wind him and he invariably burps really loudly and will go back for another 10 mins - if he is hungry. The winding can take a while though - I bounce on the gym ball with him on my shoulder.

Rambling post aside! i think the feeds do get a lot shorter as they get a bit bigger so if nappies and hydration are good then Emily is likely to be fine. That on/off latch wrecks my nipples!

cali I am bf. she had her jabs 2weeks ago and this is only a few days old. She does spit up a lot more than she used to... So maybe it is reflux. Can that develop at any time?

pam I guess she is just getting faster! I am bf exclusively too so I'm always worried about how much she gets... She is in the 25% for weight but is happy and growing out of her outfits. But she Pees a normal amount so I guess I shouldn't worry yet. I think she has been gassier too, with a lot more burps (reflux?)

Thanks for all the input. So easy to worry with the little ones. Glad I have you ladies to chat to.

Hello November Mummies, I have been meaning to join in for a while but have either been feeling a bit shy or not had much to say! I'm new to Mumsnet. Had my DD on 21st Nov so she's 8 wks now, very adorable. She also is ebf and does this on off thing and a lot of the time it seems to be wind. Sometimes I think she's just been uncomfortable as if I change position very slightly she'll go for it. They do get much more efficient, I remember DS getting a lot faster at feeding but I can't remember when.
We've all got colds just now and poor dd has it the worst which is making it hard for her to breathe/ feed/ sleep. Been trying to clear her nose but it doesn't work every time= not much sleep here (that coupled with toddler visiter in the middle of the night at one point all 4 of us were squashed in the bed together!).

Being summoned by toddler now so got to go. Hope you all have good days. :)

Hi tiny Welcome! Have you tried turning shower on and sitting in with DD? The steam should help her breathe easier.

How old is your toddler?

Counting down the hours till my mum comes over this arvo and DH finishes for the weekend.

Moosey haven't tried the shower but that's a good idea, might try later. Just been using the saline nasal spray and the snot sucker thing with mixed results.

Toddler is 2 and a half, much more challenging than the baby a lot of the time!

We're off to post natal mummy and baby yoga today. Luckily it's nice and gentle as I couldn't manage anything too strenuous.

Have a nice weekend with your mum

teeny Caitlin had a dreadful cold at about two weeks old. The HV suggested propping up the end of her bed to help her breathe easier or letting her sleep in her carseat for a few days. We used the carseat and it did make a big difference. The steam is good too.

Welcome Teeny!

Obviously not ebfing, so could be hard to tell why a bf'ed baby would do the on/off thing...

PMA: My mother has come over to see us... And given us 24 hours off! So, booked a hotel for the night and are going to the cinema/meal out... Yay! Longed for break! DP is a bit nervous about leaving her, but I couldn't get out the door quicker... ;P

Oh Cali you lucky thing enjoy your break!

Thanks for the tips on babies with colds. Will try the shower steaming.

We were meant to have a night out tomorrow but dh has man flu so not sure now.

cali you make sure you enjoy every second you have certainly earned it!!

gold & Pam E is exactly the same. On off and fussing around. She really had me worried when she first screamed but realised it was wind after she let out a massive better. E is now 9lb 5 at 7 weeks following the 25th percentile :)

Welcome teeny lots of very nice helpful ladies on here.

gold more burps could be due to increased fussiness, as she on/offs she'll take in air. My theory is that as they get better at feeding and feeds should be shorter they dont always realise. So they carry on when full - hence fussy on/off.

Ive started takin W off as i said and windy screams have decreased.

All my observations may be rubbish of course

cali enjoy every second of your date night! Very jealous.

I think Emme is just eating faster and windy. I tried to get her to eat more this morning... When she was smiling and content and she got really upset and spit up tons so lesson learned. I will just leave her be... Or try too.

teeny welcome! Hope the colds clear up. Can't imagine having more than one baby to look after. But having said that...
Anyone thinking of the next baby yet? I feel crazy but want the close together. Does anyone have very close children (in age)?

Gold DS1 & DD are 18.5 months apart - & I love how close they are & how they play etc - I really worry that DS2 who is 3 years behind will be left out. It was hard work being heavily pregnant with a little one & the 1st 3 months were pretty full on but then I think they are even with 1 newborn

teeny sorry got your name wrong. Will blame autocorrect . Hope the cold gets better. My mum only lives a few miles away so she comes to visit me babies and have a play every week.

gold yup, have 18 months age gap. DD was an easy baby, she slept well from 8 weeks, is a late developer, didnt crawl until 13 months so could put her down and go into the other room and she would be happy playing with he toys. Still waiting for her to walk unaided. She's just not very adventurous.

I found being pregnant with a toddler very hard, even with her not walking. Now I have more energy to play with her but she is now getting hard work with tantrums and screeching. Tantrum today was that she saw me cooking her lunch and wanted it immediately. Had to cool down first but she doesn't understand that so just started screeching and crying, then ds started to cry. Argh!

The best moment so far was when she sat next to me on sofa and hugged ds and I. So lovely. I am counting the days until ds can sit up and interact with DD.

So, I got pregnant when DD was 9 months. And wouldn't change it. Just trying to survive the newborn stage.

Welcome Teeny.

Cali I hope you have the most relaxing evening, you've earned it.

Currently waiting for the movie to start... Found out the doctor made a home visit to drop off a prescription, and my mother flirted outrageously with him! He is handsome, to her defence.

Did tons of shopping - even got myself something! I'd forgotten how much I needed a recharge.

Alicat your children are more or less exactly the same age gap as me, my brother and sister. 19 months between me and brother, sister another 3 years after him! :) It will all work out fine. My only annoyance is that my sister always has 'baby child' syndrome. You can definitely tell she's the youngest because my parents always have, and always will be so soft on her!

Blip in the week with two 4am starts in a row, not sure why or what changed but there we go. I'm thinking maybe the aftermath of a wonder week at 12 weeks. This morning was a more reasonable 5.45am. (We were in a nice pattern of 6am start, so this morning wasn't too far off the mark!) Trying to persuade DH to let me have a lie in tomorrow to make up for it and he get up with X after his first feed until he wants his next one and I sleep inbetween! :D here's hoping. DH is hopeless in the mornings.

Cali enjoy your night off. You definitely deserve it. Hope you feel really refreshed! Bet its doing you the world of good.

Caitlin fusses on and off and I've been wondering why for a while but I think I might have her figured out now! She only does it at night and if she's sleepy. It often, but not always, coincides with a let down. I think it might be that she wants to be on the breast for comfort to fall asleep and she's happy for little comfort sucks, but when I have a let down I think the milk spurts into her mouth and forces her to wake up a bit and actually swallow. Then she fusses off because it surprises her but then wants to go back on for comfort. It might not be why so I'm going to keep monitoring when exactly she does it to see if it is the let down being too strong for her when she's sleepy.

Lying in my bed at the hotel, unable to sleep without little Abi-noises next to me!

And there I was thinking you were up at this time for other reasons. Bless you :)

Morning ladies.
Cali hope you have had a fab mini break and enjoyed your shopping.
Everything ok ish here little one been a bit unsettled. He seems to be very frothy at the mouth and struggling to swallow without choking/gagging- almost like he has too much saliva to cope with. Sorry realise that doesn't really make sense but it is hard to describe. I am wondering if his ranitidine is now not working as effectively (but not sure it was really working before) Also full of wind as usual and as quick as you grt rid of one lot another there.Poor boy it is driving him mad.
Hello to the new ladies and apologies for my moaning. Hope you all have a lovely day with your babies.

Thanks Caz I suspect I will be pretty soppy about my last baby but I'll try not to let him get away with too much

Welcome Teeny

Cali hope you got some sleep in the end & enjoyed your time off - DH last had a night on our own in a hotel in May '08 - prob ought to remedy that but not sure who'd look after my 3!

And those with fussy babies, hope they improve. DS doesn't feed for long & after stressing about it & trying to get him back on I just go with it as I figure he must just be efficient - he flaps his arms like he's trying to fly if it's wind which is very cute & I am so so lucky that he burps easily so we don't tend to have problems with wind between feeds. I would say this is the single biggest factor in his being such a contented & chilled baby. DD struggled with wind & so was more unsettled & tended to be a snacker as I think her tummy was full of air instead of milk. Typically feeds from 1 side only for about 12-14 mins.