April 2012 newborns: the insomnia continues...

[LaTristesse]

Hello fellow April mums. Following on from our lovely ante-natal threads, here's the first of the post-natal ones. Join us as we work out how to handle nappies, feeding, colic, crying and all things newborn, or just to celebrate the joys of a new baby!

Ah...the dreaded baby weight... I am 2lb more than PB weight, which sounds ok until you realise that this is still 21lb more than my PM (pre-marriage) weight from August 2010. I'm not so concerned about weight as I am about shape - for purely practical reasons - I want to tone around the middle so I can fit in my pre-pregnancy trousers. Hoping that lots of pram pushing & breast feeding will sort me out!

PB = prebaby.

I'm 20lbs lighter than I was pre-pregnancy, and a whole clothes size smaller- best diet ever!

Spanner we don't have set HV appts for weighing, we can just pop into clinic if I want DS weighed. Not bothering though, I plan not to see the HV at all (although the 6w check rigmarole puts paid to that for this week) so tomorrow will be the last time unless I have concerns.

With DD I took her every week at DH's request even though it meant a bus journey but I have told him he's welcome to take DS if he wants him weighing. I'm not going to be patronised by our eager and friendly but useless HVs every week. When I took DD for her last weigh in at 6mo and said I was doing BLW, the HV said I could start giving finger foods now (um...yes, I'm not giving purée so everything's being eaten with the fingers...) and then asked me 'who I was doing that with (that would be DD, who else? )

Jambalaya well done! I'm 1lb less according to My Fitness Pal Only 28 more to go to my ideal weight!

yummymummy I'm pretty sure it's now advised that babies under 6mo don't need orange juice (diluted or neat) - BM or FM and water are the only things necessary. Your HV might have given you outdated advice, it used to be pretty commonplace for babies to have orange juice but not now

Bugger. I think I have mastitis :(. red Mark on boob, sore nipple and feeling a bit achey. Boo. I've got to 5 weeks without a hitch and now this. Any tips, other than go to dr's?

I have had Aaron weighed. He's still on 50th centile at 9lb 13 so gaining well.

I mentioned how much he has been screaming when awake to the hv and due to our family history of exma and asthma and the fact I had to have soya formula as a baby she has put him ob lactose free formula as she thinks he's intolerant. I hope it works as past few days I've been in tears as nothing will console him unless he's being fed or asleep. (so I'm lucky he slept 8 hrs but have had non stop screaming since he's been awake). She said there would be a difference within 24 hrs and if that's the case I can have it on prescription.

I have 2 stone to lose to be ideal but have 1stone 8 for pre pregnancy weight.

Does anyone know why babies nails grow so quickly?

I feel like I spend half my life cutting DDs nails!

jambalaya I have avoided cutting DD's nails. My mum is coming round tmrw, I'm going to have her do it for me!

I just bite DS's nails, they do grow like buggery though.

DP won't do it, because he cut her thumb the first time and it bled for ages. And ages. And ages. He cried.

Tried biting, think my teeth are too big!

Also, why are they so sharp? It's like a kitten digging claws in sometimes.

Holly, it could just be a blocked duct rather than mastitis, but it could go that way if you don't tend to it. Massage the redraws outwards towards the nipple, apply warm flannels, feed DD with her chin to the red bit (this can be fun getting into odd positions!), and keep checking her latch and positioning. Good luck!

2 stone to lose here: boo!

Redraws?! This phone keypad is toooo small! I meant red area!

Francesca has really long nails! She has wear mitts as she shoves her fingers in her eyes when she's going to sleep [sleep]

I go to the HV eveything week too precious first baby emoticon! DD is putting on about 7-9 oz every week, so something is going right somewhere.

She's had a bath feed and is in bed now, she should be up again at about 9/10 for another feed and so on every 3/4 hours!

Flisspaps he seems to enjoy it. It has to be fresh juice and fresh boiled water 2 to 1 ratio.

kat1885 Aaron sounds to be doing really well. I hope the new soya milk helps. It is heart breaking when they cry non stop (I have actually cried at times when Harry has been doing this)

Baby nails are a mystry wrapped in an enigma. Harry needs his cutting once a week. We have some baby sissors which aren't overly sharp.

How about we all loose are baby weight together. Fingers crossed I will be 9st 5 again soon. Must resist the iced fingers that we have a couple a times in the week. xx

Oh, I'm yes to the losing weight. I'm actually less than I was before I was pregnant, but I'd still like to lose some more. I'll need to stop inhaling chocolate first

Thanks laTriss have massaged and applied hot flannel. Typically the red area is on outside of boob which should make for an interesting feed at 10pm! she has started to be really fussy when she's feeding late at night, making her body go rigid and pulling off of my nipple. really hard.

That forumula is crap. We had Aaron on 4hrs 5 oz and that was great. He is now hungry after 2hrs. Did some research and common symptoms of lactose intolorance:

• Diaorreha - Aaron gets constipated
• Excema - His skin is wonderful (although this does run in the family)
• Projectile Vomiting - He may burp and follow through but no projectile here
• No Weight Gain - He is gaining weight
• Excessive Crying - YES he has this but could also be for other reasons

Until I speak to either MY HV (not her holiday cover) or a GP Aaron is back on his normal formula. I now don't trust what I was told - another few days of screaming until I can see my HV will be ok .

Thanks for all your support. After a nightmare night I had a nightmare day. Noah was clearly over tiered but wouldn't sleep so just spent the day being really ratty. I managed to get an hour from 10-11am and then I took him out in the sling to the park and he slept for about 45 minutes from 6-7pm. Iv just given him a bath and decided to give him a formula feed to fill him up and hopefully knock him out he was sucking away for 20 minutes - I took the bottle away & he hadnt actually swallowed anything just used it as a dummy! It has sent him to sleep so I'm off to bed now and will hopefully get at least 2 hours - may be wishful thinking as he hasn't eaten before bed.

Really wish DP was at home to take over and give me cuddles - 10 more days then he gets 4 days leave

Family & friends wise knowone is local to me and everyone's working. Iv lined up some nanny time over the long weekend so just got to hang in there on my own till then.

Weight wise Noahs still on the 9th centile at 6 1/2 weeks he's now weighing 8lbs 11oz - birth weight 5lbs 3. HV and GP are really happy with his progress especially as he didn't have the best of starts.

anyway going to try get a quick sleep in - fancy a cuppa tea but the way things have been that would be a waste if 15 minutes valuable sleep.

Night all - wish me luck xx

Good luck, justhayley

OMG he's awake!! I have a baby who just doesn't want to sleep ever!! Going to try the formula again. I dint no how I'll manage another night like last nights

Aww hayley I'm really sorry to hear you're having such a rough time sleepwise.

I need to get some things off my chest and was going to start a new thread but if you ladies don't mind me posting them here id rather that as I'm a bit delicate and don't need to be judged as such just need to vent. If you don't want a depressing hijack though will do a new.one.

Sorry hayley -hope the formula does the trick.

Go for it kat - it's what we're all here for.

I am really struggling at the moment.

I love my boys to pieces but am not coping very well. I spend most of my days either being a shouty mum to ds1 or crying.

Ds1 is really acting out. He is probably bored or jealous as Aaron takes up so much of my time but he is tantruming, hitting me and swearing (our fault he has heard the word but he has never used it before and we haven't used the word in front of him for many months). I must confess the last time he hit me I tapped him back and felt awful. I apologised to him and explained that its naughty and I was also naughty for doing it to him.

I found out today he hasn't got into any of the primary schools we applied for and its my fault as they received the forms late. There are spaces at some good schools but they are a pain to get to and there is no guarantee we will get him in (although form already filled in and I'm going to hand deliver these).

The school situation resulted in me arguing with my mum. She basically thinks I'm a crap mum for missing the deadline forgetting when the forms had to be sent in I'd just been told I has placenta previa (it did move in the end) and the hospital scared the bajeesus out of me with it so my head was in a shed.

Aaron is just crying all the time. He has smiled for dh and my mum but not for me, he only cries for me. I have had times I have just had to put him in his Moses basket and leave him to go to another room.

Noone else seems to have these problems and they certainly don't mess up their child's school applications. Why am I finding it so hard? I very much wanted these children and love them so much but I feel I don't deserve them as I'm a rubbish mum.