Nov 05 Babies - They're ALL here!

[Rodeo]

Here we go, was going to write something lovely and meaningful, but I'm not very good at it so I'll leave that to someone else.....

My friend has two for her twins and it is a great way for her to get anything done. I haven't succumbed yet but only because I wonder if I will be creating a rod for my own back, as how will I swing him when he gets too big????!!!! Will he be addicted to swinging for evermore? probably being far too paranoid though!!!!!!

Enthusia - I've got a swing but my boys don't like it - yet.

LilJ - Virgin Gym at the Angel also has a creche - 4.50ph per child. with two it would be cheaper for me to leave babies with nanny for a couple of hours.

Morning! Had a six hour stretch last night, so feeling brighter today . Felt worse initially though, like I used to when I had really long sleeps as a student ; perhaps my body is registering 'too much sleep'?!
Thanks for your comments about hospital balls-up. I mentioned it to a friend of a frined who used to be an aneathestist (sp!!) at the hospital and she said it was lucky I was so observant and had spotted the error as Libby would have been referred as an urgent case to have the renal pelves drained!!. I'm not blowing my own trumpet, but I am slightly obsessive about asking questions and observing anything medical like scans, (my DH calls me 'papermask' after the film, where he faked it as a dr.)but I can imagine many people (understandably) would just have taken the consultant's word as truth, without question. She also said things like this happen all the time! !!
Rodeo - a fellow TV addict!! My other 'addiction' at the moment is magazines..can't believe the amount of money I'm spending on them! I'm sure I could spend the time more constructively! Sent off for 2 fitness videos today from Amazon (Davina one, and (don't laugh) that Pacha dance video); couldn't be bothered walking down to shops to get them (doesn't bode well!).
BTW Rodeo, what is it you do at work (nosey emotion) - bet you're looking forward to it!
Have to go and write a reference for a student now for a PGCE while Libby is asleep, so talk later!
Diege

I'm a barmaid Diege !! Just at the local pub/hotel, but it's lovely, and the staff and regulars are great.

LOL at the exercise DVDs! I bought some god awful ones this time last year (The Corrie Girls & The Liberty X Girls ) They're not even out of their cellophane!!

Diege - re: hospital mistakes, when I complained about being made to wait so long to collected a prescription at the hospital pharmacy, the pharmacist told me straight that the wait is down to all prescriptions being checked as that day alone 8 prescriptions had the incorrect medication/dosage written up by a doctor. He said it was common for there to be mistakes in prescriptions written by doctors......................

That's awful Golden! . I suppose we shouldn't be so surprised then when we hear of high profile errors (wrong drugs/dosages given etc..)with v.bad outcomes. Does make you wonder about the scale of things though, and the errors that get through because they are not so obvoius!
Rodeo: your job sounds fun,and I bet you're looking forward to seeing your old customers and colleagues again! Wiull you gradually increase the nights you work, or is one night enough for now? All this talk of work reminds me about my job application deadline. Will definitely start on it next week...At least student ref. is done! Now to the bottles...

kristina-was it you who was also getting the cosatto duet lite?
mine arrived wednesday, really good buggy, but am having problems as the suspension is too loose, therefor when mounting kerbs etc, the pram is scraping on the back wheels!
am waiting for babydaysdirect to get back to me, but i rang cosatto direct and they said i'll have to send it back, poo! i hope it does adjust and thats not just how it is, because other than that, its a brilliantly designed double buggy!

my friend had a swinging chair and her son loved it, even fell asleep in it, which was quite an achievement as it was a tune playing, lights flashing one. Maybe have a look on kiddicare as their stuff is quite a lot cheaper than the high street? I thought our vibrating chair was a waste of money to begin with but she's using it more and more.

Another good gymboree session followed by a surprise lunch with DH at a yummy Italian restaurant. Natalie was everso good - keep her tummy full and she's quite placid

The nights are getting better now she's on the hungry baby formula, she only has one feed somewhere between 4-5.30, although I have re-introduced the dream feed as we're putting her to bed earlier (7pm).

Diege, I'm also addicted to magazines. Feel very guilty when DH gets back from work and I'm sitting in front of the TV with closer/ok/heat/mother&baby/practical parenting etc...

I'd love a swinging chair! Haven't got the room and may be a bit dangerous with a 3yo whirlwind!

Just got back from a PTA meeting at dd's Infant School, and there's a really confrontational woman there. She's come to a couple of meetings (with a couple of allies) but now I've cultivated this intense dislike of her (and them). After the meeting she started complaining about the Chair, saying she couldn't conduct a proper meeting (amongst other gripes she has) and I can see she has her eye on the position. It's making me want to leave, I only joined to help with fundraising but this woman's making it no fun at all Seem to think I'm now sounding a bit babyish.....

Sorry to drone on but there's no-one here to listen to me

Hi all.
Sorry for the absence as I've had very little time to read the posts let alone write one myself.
I've managed to catch up & hope I don't miss anyone out.

Chacha, sorry to hear about Zayn's weight. I'm sure he's absolutely fine but you could do without the worry heaped on you from the HV/GP.

Londoner, glad to hear ds is getting over his mugging. The world is suddenly a scarier place once you have kids, don't you think? Also, thanks for asking where I was.

Nova, the swimming sounds great. All that pole dancing has obviously toned your bod for that swimming cossie!!

Diege, PMSL at your cat!! When I used to take my dog for a walk, my cat Flora used to follow behind & taunt the dog. Just for the fun of it!

rodeo, I'm with you & the exercise videos. Before I fell pg I was rather fit & used Nell McAndrew's vid which was bloody hard! Now I can hardly unload the shpping from the car without needing a lie down!

Enthusia, we have the same worries about Ella's vibrating rocker chair. For a while it seemed like she'd taken "motion heroin" as she needed progressively more rocking to get her to sleep!! We then stopped using the vibrating mode & she went cold turkey for a while. That was hard for all of us. However, there are times when you'll do ANYTHING if it gets the little darling to sleep.

Golden, followed your advice from a while back & I've succumbed to reading the plots from the next series of Lost. WOW!!! I was glued to the screen.

Well, it's been good to read about the sleeping/feeding patterns of your LO's as it puts our situation into perspective. Until recently, we've had three hours of torture every night from 9-midnight. I was dreading it so much & found it near impossible to catch up on lost sleep during the day due to other kids or visitors. We couldn't figure out what was the problem. Eventually we reckoned that she was getting overtired, screaming the house down, gulping down air, getting a wind pain, screaming even harder etc. We, well I, ended up walking around with her on my shoulder with her screaming in my ear for ages. She would eventually fall asleep when she'd worn herself out. Anyway, a few days ago I decided to stop bathing her in the evening as this was making her even more stimulated & agitated. It's definately made a difference as she's in a lovely mood during her morning bath & I'm not exhausted. We've also had a few 6/7 hour night-time stretches which have been sorely needed.
The other thing we've been trying is getting her to fall asleep by herself. What have you all been doing? I don't want her to cry it out but she needs to have a bit of a cry before she falls asleep. Anyone else's LO do this? SOmetimes she cries for about a minute (it feels like 10!) then falls asleep. Yet at other times she won't fall asleep & screams until she's picked up. I don't mind doing this at all but I don't want her to become dependant on rocking to fall sleep (as my ds did). Been watching for the second yawn (BW) to get her in her basket pronto too!

Also been to our first postnatal group session. Only 4 mums there (1 with twin boys) so it was easy to get to know them. They already know each other from the A/N classes but they were very friendly. Ella was the perfect baby until halfway through. Went from deeply asleep to full scream in 0.5secs. Fed her without too much fuss although I did spray milk all over the floor when she pulled away just as the let-down kicked in. Then she started screaming & would not stop. She was fed, burped, changed, warm so I thought she's crying because she wants to go to sleep. Now, usually walking around with her on my shoulder would start the process off. Not today. The other mums looked at me sympathetically. The HV said, "Do you know what's wrong with her?" WTF??? If I knew that I'd bloody-well sort it out wouldn't I?? It made me feel like a totally inadequate mother who was clearly incapable of settling her own baby. As a last resort I put her back in her car seat (which normally creates howling of mammoth proportions) but she stopped crying & gave me a big smile!!! I cannot work her out sometimes!! But she is adorable.

Ok. Rant over. Been dying to get that off my chest. Speaking of CBeebies, Jodie needs some serious therapy. I'm in the "feel sorry for her" camp. And why is everyone so supportive of Michael Barrymore? I've never found him funny & there's the obvious issue with the swimming pool, which NO-ONE is mentioning except Jodie. What do you all think???

Wow, that was longer than I thought. Better not leave it so long next time.

Evening girls,

Memoirs of a Geisha was great (thanks Rodeo/Golden), cinema was rammed with queuing out the door, wondered if I'd get in! Will book 1st next time. Would recommend the film, although haven't read the book.
ChaCha- Like your philosophies on children/life challenges, like your style little lady. Glad you're getting on okay with new feeding technique and that Zayn's surname is decided. West Londoner eh? Pretty cool....
Rodeo - lol at you looking at 'lost' back pages.... - he he... You're going back to work? Where d'you get the energy woman? Know why though, I used to work nights in a wine bar in Greenwich when ds1 was a toddler and although I was really tired the next day I enjoyed it too...
Hi Jen, sorry never tried a chair swing...
Golden, yeah ds1 goes to diff borough for secondary school, our local one is pants too, don't you have one of those new academies near you though? Friends who live in Dalston's son started there when it opened last school year... or is my geography as ruuubbish as ever?!! Don't fret about the twins yet... remember, a lot can change in education in 4/5 years.
Enthusia - lol at ds being addicted to swinging!
Diege - great news on the sleeping front.
Busy - sorry you're having trouble with your new buggy.
nova - glad to hear Natalie's sleeping so well, seems all your hard work is paying off at last.
Love magazines too, got subscription to 'vogue' for my b.day , love it!
Rodeo about stupid busybody woman at PTA, there's always one...and her entourage! Control freak, must have a pretty unsatisfying personal life me thinks.... hang in there, you're stronger.

No don't leave it so long next time Karma! Although did enjoy you mega post! KWYM about them getting used to the bouncing to get themselves off to sleep. I am a guilty bouncer AND co-sleeper!! Where does that leave me? Down sht creek! Sorry my language is getting terrible! My sis's NY resolution is to stop swearing, I told her to f*k off....Think I may be over tired. Glad you're in the Jodie camp, was beginning to think I was the only one! Aw, poor you at the PN group, why do we and our babies have the inability not to embarrass ourselves at these things!? I'm exactly the same!

Londoner, glad the movie was good, you should read the book, it's one of mine (and dp's!) faves! Thanks for the support re horrid woman at PTA! I'm a heat addict myself!

Karma - mine can scream for a lot longer than a minute of two before they go off to sleep............

Agree with you about Barrymore. He is just plain creepy and Jodie is a head case.

I've not had any difficult moments yet at the mother and baby group, but I'm not shy of asking for help from the nursery nurses. So far the boys have been very well behaved, but it is just a matter of time.

Londoner - yes we have a couple of academies here - they are just as dire as the schools they replaced. Think Hackney/Islington education provision will need more than 4/5 years to turn itself around.

Rodeo - my boys hate the bouncy chairs, am I doing something wrong?

Rodeo, funnily enough, I'm more laid back this time around & would accept the situation of her sleeping on me, co-sleeping etc but I now have a DP to consider & the bed isn't big enough for all three of us. I have vivid memories of last time....DH started sleeping in the spare room at 8wks so we could all get a bit of sleep. However, it was the beginning of the end of our relationship (& I had PND which speeded the whole process up) My situation this time is completely different, DP & I are very loved-up & happy. I still don't know if PND will rear it's ugly head but I feel very optimistic that I'll be okay. One of my "demons" last time was the fact that DS would cry like a banshee whenever I put him down to sleep. So I picked him up & he'd stop, naturally. I felt resentful at times. Now, I know that it all works out in the end & this stage soon ends & probably another even more trying stage arrives, ha ha! Also, & this is a major factor, I've learnt so much from MN that has helped me cope with this. You've all been wonderfully supportive. At the Postnatal Group I wanted to slip MN's web address to the other mums to let them in on the secret. Anyone else done this??

Hi everyone

I really love the way DS puts his fist up to the dummy to keep it in place. Don't you just love that?

Karma - It's great to see you post again. Was wondering where you were. Can sympathise with you, we had a couple of weeks of sleepless nights, was waking DH up constantly insisting that he do the 'dance' with DS in order to get him to sleep as I was on the verge of tears. He would only stop crying when DH bounced up and down holding him tightly while he cuddled up into his neck. Anyway...that's another story. He's been great for the last few nights, settling down into his moses basket like a dream. Can you believe I was spending the nights on the sofa as he only seemed settled lying on my chest? The things we all do for some shut-eye!!! Unbelievable.

Rodeo - I admire your going back to work. Think it will be a nice break from family life for a few hours, and I mean that in the best possible way. I went for a walk after registering DS today and I did miss DS but the time alone was neccessary. We all need that from time to time don't we?

Londoner - Cinema trips sound fab. Nothing that exciting in this neck of the woods.

Have just got in touch with a local agent to hire and electric pump (same one that I used in the hospital) - anyone have any idea how many ml's of expressed milk you'd give a 6week old and how often? Where do I find this information? Sorry if i sound thick. I am!!

Anybody else's DP/DH very protective over the LO? Is v.new to me.

Karma - welcome back it's good to hear from you.... sorry we cross-posted earlier as I take such an age to write these things in between making tea/changing nappies/feeding etc, so missed your post. Well done for making it to your post-natal group, gosh don't you just hate it when they pull off bf at let-down, queue baby's v.fast blinks as milk sprays everywhere! Am sometimes reminded of a power shower here -sorry tmi. Well done for swapping round bath time, good game-plan... glad it paid off. It's great you and dp are enjoying family life so much, v. touching to hear it. Really feel these years are so amazing and special too. BTW, read about PND the other day latest ideas are it could be connected with a lack of omega 3 and 6 oils found in oily fish, linseeds, pumpkin seeds etc in mother's diet. Baby will leech these oils from mum's body regardless and if mum doesn't have much to start with the lack of them affects her brain in such a way they think it might cause PND....
Golden - sorry to hear local academies are crummy too, what a big waste of money and hype that was then.... at one point I was looking at home education, understand a lot of that goes on your end of town? DS1 would have ended up at local 'sink' school if he wasn't selective standard, he's at a great school we're really pleased but it is a grammar school so not everyone can be as lucky round here. We'll have all that again next year and wonder what choices ds2will have, is your ds1 in year 5 too?

Londoner, thanks for that lovely post. It's interesting about the omega oils. For a year before I conceived I was eating a very healthy diet (Gillian Mckeith's) which included lots of oily fish as well as omega supplements. I also took these during pregnancy & still do as I've read similar research about this. I thought a lack of these oils lead to "mummy brain" but I wasn't aware about a link with PND. Interestingly though, I didn't have a single craving whilst pg & I wondered if this was because I'd had a year of healthy food with no junk so I wasn't deficient in vitamins/minerals.

Well, off to bed now as I've just had to cuddle Ella to sleep. Putting her down awake didn't work tonight. Sigh. Still, rather be in my shoes than poor Jodie Marsh's. Did you see the tirade of insults she got from Michael Barrymore tonight? Davina wasn't very sympathetic either.

Just heading off for the night shift, after a really productive night of Heat magazine, Junior, and (of course), Celebrity Cbeebies! I have to admit to getting distraught on one occasion with the woman in Sainsbury's local one morning when heading off to work (7am) when Heat magazine wasn't yet on display (though temptingly in package in front of me).Couldn;t understand why I couldn;t have a copy yet, and felt quite tearful (I think I wqs pregnant at time, which may explain my outburst!). Just like the advert .
Good to hear from you Karma - I am slightly obsessive about getting them to sleep while awake (stemming from bad experience of having to roack moses basket with foot all night with dd1). She does settle when tired, though will cry for a few minutes (though sometimes 5/10) before dropping off (I only do this when I know she's tired from her cry). Can't believe the HV at your group - I sometimes think you have to have a certain type of personality to qualify as a HV - pushy and tactless, though I'm sure there are some really good ones somewhere!
Rodeo: can sympathise with you over nightmare parent - must be really hard not to say something at the time,though if you're anything like me it's only after that you think of the good lines (and usually when you're lying awake at night, fuming!Londoner: glad the cinema was good - you must book next time as it sounds too good to miss. I think we did have something like that around here a few months ago ('The big scream I think it was called), but the cinema is in one of those out of town shopping parks, impossible to get to with young kids unless you drive! (another reason to pass my test!).
Chacha - how cute with the dummy! I wish they'd invent some kind of adhesive to keep them in! LIbby has been staring at herself in baby gym mirror this afternoon, sticking her tongue in and out and emmiting cooing noises - cute,and kept her occupied for over an hour!
Golden: agree, can't understand the support for Barrymore - did you see his outburst with Jodie tonight? I think it's him seeking the attention somehow (though from a fragile, disturbed mental state, which is actuallyt quite sad ...I suppose (she grudgingly admits...)
Speak tommorrow!
Diege and Liberty .

Londoner - my DS is in year 6, but in the independent sector boys can stay at prep school till they are 13, so we can put off the evil day till end of year 8.

Diege - Barrymore looks totally spaced out most of the time - too much coke. So glad Jodie is out - what a prize pain. Feel sorry for her parents....................

Yes Rodeo still on for tues will text you on sun/mon to check details - looking forward to it!!!

Soooo tired . Libby was an angel, sleeping from 7pm to 6am, waking her at 11 for feed then settled straight back, so pleased about this. However, my dream night disrupted by hour and a half tanrum at 3am over a tissue by dd2.Arrghh!!! How mad was I! Am trying to be philosophical, as this really was beyond my control, but am going back to star chart tonight. Hope this hasn't sent shivers of fear down spines of all you first time mums (ie. it doesn't all end when they are sleeping through! ).
Looking forward to the ice skating thing tonight, so need to get them in bed early! Speak later,
Diege

Morning!

Think channel 4 are playing down Barrymore's mental state as I (and I suspect they) don't think he's healthy enough to be in there. They put him in there for big ratings. Glad Jodie didn't get booed to badly though. Right Enough off CBB!!

I was thinking of PND earlier as it seems some of the Dec ladies have it Have we managed to avoid it?

Only on 'the verge of tears' chacha? That's really good! When I'm kept awake at those times you get full floods from me!!

Started Memoirs of a Geisha again last night Londoner!

Right, children need bathing, have a good day x x x

Oh had a bad dream last night. I dreamt that an aeroplane (I live near East Midlands Airport) crashed into a nearby power station and I watched it all from dd's bedroom window! (Don't have a power station near us though, phew)

And the night before I had one about dd1 going on a jaunt in the middle of the night with my dad's dead dog Bess, who was alive and could talk!

think you're right about Barrymore Rodeo, he's really not right and his behaviour seems very erratic. Glad for Jodies sake that she is out of the house now, but i think Davina was quite fair in her interview afterwards. No doubt we'll hear about it in the sunday papers!

Karma - Nat was the one who would always cry at the post natal classes i went to, although there was one other baby with a temperament a little like hers. She would never let me put her down, and certainly wanted nothing to do with the baby massage. I would get so of the other placid babies, but i wouldn't swap Nat for anything.

I always find movies based on books are never as good as the book. I get very annoyed when they change things (captains corellis mandalin had me shouting at the screen!). Memoirs of a Geisha is on next monday at our local cinema so i'm going to go (haven't read the book). This monday is Flight Plan.

I love Junior magazine Diege, great articles and stupidly expensive clothes . Seriously why spend that much on something thats going to be worn for a month or two. A friend of ours bought her 2 yr old son a baby Dior shirt that could only be dry cleaned!!!!WTF!!! She tried to mop a bit of food off it and the red piping bled into the white cotton, which I took a strange sense of satisfaction out of (she was mean to me when i first met DH, as they were best friends at the time).

I'm definitly a big believer that food and mental health are related. My mums manic depression and anorexia are so linked it's like a horrible vicious circle. Get munching that oily fish everyone!!!

Nat won't stop munching her fists, it's all day and all night. She's making them really cold and wet.

Good to see hamster, karma, and twinkle around again. Any news on Kristina, she's not posted for a while?