December 2011 - This too shall pass (with the help of imaginary woolly mammoths)

[Mmmmcheese]

Have gone with LMFs title suggestion :)

Hiya girls. No "official" NHs advice about whether it's "good" to get it, but we don't immunise for chickenpox (unlike in the USA where it's compulsory if you want your kids to go to a public school). General consensus is that getting it jn adulthood is more unpleasent and likely to give you complications (lung inflammation can be v serious). So it's "best" to get it in middle childhood (age 3-8) where you are mature enough to not grt dehydrated and to make antibodies. Over 99% of people are immune onc they've had it but a small proportion of people don't make antibodies to the pox so can get it multiple times. If an adult gets chickenpox
Or shingles they should see a doctor asap (within 48 hours of the rash starting) to get prescribed oral antiviral drugs as they reduce complications in adults (but not in children where the treatment is just supportive).

Oh and msb you probably know But the incubation is 14-21 days so enjoy next week but be on pox watch in 2 weeks time!

((((hug)))) for hawthers, it's so frustrating when you are doing so much with so little rest. It sounds as if your LO is doing fine, babies are often fussy during growth spurts so I think you may be right. It will get better!

If its any consolation ds1 had it when he was 18 months and he really didn't have a problem with it.

Just doing some mentalling research and despite bring told that my latch was good by numerous mw and hv, I think it is actually not good. The nipple is kind of flattened when f comes off. Having read some stuff this evening, this sounds like its not going far enough into his mouth and I need to ram it in a lot further. Hope to bob that this could be the answer to the slow weight gain. msb thanks for the link to that thread - will have a good read during a night feed.

Good luck with the latch hawthers Octopus boy has a pants latch at the minute, and I think I'm brewing something naff in my left boob as its a bit tender, warm and hurts like a witch when he starts to feed >_

All my sympathies hawthers, sounds like an immensely tiring schedule you've got there. I was doing a similar timetable for several weeks (although also topping up with bottles) and I know how exhausting and disheartening it is. You're doing amazingly!!

awch we also found dentinox better! And gripe water was good too.

He loves his tummy tub, and if he has any trapped wind it comes straight out!

Msb thanks also for the advice re clothes for under slings! A onsie, trousers and jumper, hat etc may be the way I think!
Hawthers, I don't have experience with bf, but the weight is going in the right direction :) big hugs hun x

mopsy have you tried a dream feed?
Im going to try it this week to see if he sleeps longer. Currently we put him to bed at 7, he wakes at 1, at 3 but just moaning now, rather than crying for a feed. So we put his dummy in, and back off to sleep he goes... eventually. Until 5 or 6am. Hoping with a dream feed he may sleep longer. But I'm also thinking he is waking through habit, and maybe when he realizes he isn't getting fed, he may stop waking up? Lol

Evening all, hugs for hawthers - you're doing a great job already, but I hope you work out the possible latch problem and the weight gain increases to put your mind at rest.
I enjoyed my Jo Malone arm massage. It was to promote a rose perfume. Fortunately for my purse it reminded me far too much of the rose perfume we made as kids by crushing rose petals. I ain't paying £70 for something I can make myself with the help of a public park!
Who was it who was telling me to treat myself? -don't encourage me! I'm bad enough as it is!!
I went up to lingerie but didn't hang around to get measured as their range did not inspire me at all. Of course there were no nursing bras, but they only seemed to have Elle Macpherson, Wonderbra, and M..something ( I think for false boobs). Rubbish! Nothing French and fanciful in sight!

What is a dream feed kri5ty?

mopsy a few people I know do it, apparently in some "routines" they tell you to do it. I haven't read any books so I wouldn't know.

They say about 10pm, gently pick baby up so you don't wake them, and gently rub teat on bottom lip, they'll open their mouth and start to feed. And sit them up after so wind escapes. Also as they take it so slowly they aren't ment to get much wind... then put them back to bed, still asleep.

Im not sure as Saul suffers with his wind , but may give it a go. I'd prob keep him sat up / cuddling him for 15 or 20mins before putting him down

Thank you all for the good wishes.

One eat or another I'm going to get this all sorted out!

Re nursing bras, bizarrely I've found that most comfortable and least hideous from mothetcare. John Lewis were completely rubbish. Assistant seemed surprised I might want matching knickers or something that might mean I would be in with a chance of having sec ever again

Thanks for the tip, hawthers, I'll look online.
When LO moans for a feed at night, he's pretty much asleep, he feeds with his eyes closed and drops off when satisfied. I always put him over my shoulder to wind him but he never burps. And he never spits up at night either... I should lie down to feed him every time. ...Although it may look a bit odd across the floor in the John Lewis cafe!

Go for it.... it'll take the attention of Sauls crying lol

I actually got measured today and took advantage of the sale at la senza, the bras don't normally last long but hopefully I'll have lost the rest of my weight in a few months!

Cripes, when Freya wakes for her 4am feed (which has turned into a 2am feed the last couple of nights), she screams blue murder and attacks the bottle as if she hasn't fed for a week can't imagine a time when she doesn't wake for a bottle between her 11pm and 8am feeds!! I pray for it tho... I'm shattered!

I realise of course that I have it easy compared to those if you BF but I've always needed a lot of sleep to function

I bought a load of new bras from Debenhams last week in the sale - they had loads reduced to a fiver!!! Bargains and they even had some in my ridiculous 34G size woohoo

OOO BIG BOOBIES lol no idea why my caps lock was on, but can't be bothered re typing! Fiver... bargain!

Saul screams the house down too when he wants a feed, that's how we know he is waking now through habit! Going to attempt to feed him at 10pm, see if it asked a difference! Do you wake freya?

Makes* not asked stupid phone

God no... she soon let's us know if she's hungry She was going from 11pm until 4.30am(ish) but she's moved it to 2am the last couple of nights ho hum, hopefully she'll be sleeping through soon

Saul did that too! He was 3.30ish, then he moved to 1.30... now he wakes still, but when we fed him he was more interested in talking and smiling rather than eating, so we just gave him a dummy, and he stretches until 5 or 6. Obviously we r still just as tired as we don't get back to sleep, but hopefully he will stop!

We do our last feed at 7... so he does do well. That's why I'm contemplating giving this dream feed at 10 a go, see if he will go right through

I have a few friends who did dreamfeeds and it worked for them but also a friend who blames her DS's terrible sleeping on it. She thinks it taught him that he needed milk to go back to sleep if he woke up. He's now 2 and still wakes at 5am...who knows?!

I never ever woke DS for a feed or anything else and he is now a fantastic sleeper (exzcept for last few weeks but is teething and has had 2 ear infections). But as DD has to fit into DS's schedule I wake her all the time, whether its to feed before we go to a playgroup session, to get her dressed and in pushchair to go to one of DS's playdates/pick him up from chuldminder etc. So I hope it won't have bad effects!

No idea how we will get into a routine as each day is different depending on DS's schedule, if we're on our own or weekends etc. Eg I like to feed her around 5ish before I pick up DS from childminder so I can spend some time with DS before bed/bath but when not at childminder he has his dinner at 5 and it's a real pain getting his dinner ready and giving it to him when she wants a feed.

So exhausted today, DD didn't get to sleep until 2am, then woke for a feed at 4, then DS starting yelling about his teeth hurting at 6! DH kindly got me a G+T tonight but it doesn't make up for 9 weeks of sleep deprivation!

Last time I tried giving Eva a dream feed she woke up and didn't settle again for 2 days! It's a pita that she always wants a feed at midnight, thoug as she doesn't have another until around 7am I can't really complain. She still wakes at 3.30am everyday though and just wants to be held, as soon as we pick her up she falls back to sleep but we can't put her down again without her waking up.

Well dream feed done, he didn't wake :) so hopefully it'll work
If he starts to wake when I do it, I'll stop as I don't want the milk/ sleep association! We already are going to have to break the dummy / sleep one, but I'm not as Hung up on that as I was, as it comforted him through his tummy pain, and he will re settle if its fallen out

Mmm sleep deprivation is pants!