Postgraduate brookers - Brooking No Argument for happy, healthy and sleeping DCs..

[musicalmrs]

New thread time!

the garden looks really great and it's lovely to see DS1's wee happy face as he runs up and down DH loves a barbecue so i reckon there will be one this weekend.

there's a butterfly and insect centre out east of Edinburgh which i think DS1 would love. after several experiments he really seems to still need a nap and he could get a good sleep on the way. I'd love to go to the zoo but that'd take a bit longer to go round i think.

does it help if you just keep swapping boobs for the feed scream? your boobs do keep making milk as she feeds so she should trigger more let downs if you use lots of sides? she might act a wee bit grumpy if she's to work a bit harder, but you've definitely not run out iyswim. the pumping might work easier if you feel 'full' but dd will be more efficient at removing milk.

i still haven't expressed a. single oz of milk due to no time to get the pump and bottles ready. I've got a few months to get him happy with bottles for work...

we used to have a particular dvd that sent DS1 to sleep and DH would take him to the living room and put it on if he had a bad night, when he was much older so i reckon we'll get away with it with these tinies. I'm sure it was a first birthday present

Hmm the boob swapping thing has been mentioned before in the context of never really running out of milk Jaggy. Thank you for the suggestion, I think maybe it doesn't work for me because DD drinks too fast? A full feed for DD (after a good night's sleep) will still only take 5 minutes and it drains my boob so she must be getting at least 5oz or 6oz. When I'm running low after pumping I probably only have 1 or 2 oz left on each side. So she'll drain one side in a couple of minutes, I'll swap her to the other side and she'll do the same, but there's absolutely no way the first side has replenished in the 2 minutes it's taken her to drain the second side. I know my boobs are still producing milk, but it's not fast enough to keep up with DD drinking. She would have to wait at least half an hour before it's worth putting her back on.

Or do other people find that their milk production is literally as fast as their DC drinks? Is it just me who needs a little while for it to accumulate?

Loving the description of your DS1 enjoying the new garden Jaggy!! That must make it all worthwhile! I'm dreading the hassle of having to move in the next few months, but I really want a proper garden for DD like yours! Yay for BBQs!

Woohoo, just fed DD and pumped another 4oz. So we have our 12oz in total and we're all set for the wedding! Wish me luck, it'll be DD's first time in a church, what are the odds she'll be feeling either fussy or chatty? It's sod's law...

Dh uses a bizzy bear iPad app to get A to sleep when it gets so bad I need him.

Another night of feeding every three hours and up at half five. Yawn. At least she settled after each feed last night i guess.

Can't believe she's on the move already jen!

A constantly needs to grab/touch something. She's always reaching out. That combined with her sitting up means that she is now too big for her bouncer - she tipped it up yesterday in the lounge with her in it. Luckily onto carpet and I was right there but still - scary!

Feeling a bit tired today and dh has been an arse this week.

Scream my boobs need some recovery time too. I am sure they do produce milk while he's feeding but I think it is at such a slow rate that the ratio of work : result is too frustrating for him . And it is definitely much easier / nicer feeding him first thing in the morning when the boobages have had 10ish hours to replenish. When he's had a BIG feeding day, by the bedtime feeds I can tell he's not getting as much because it's suck, suck, suck with hardly any swallowing. I also find it more uncomfortable on these sort of feeds - not painful and I don't know how to describe it but it is a sort of 'pulling' feeling? Not that he's not latched on properly, it's more like its inside? I don't know . It's not painful just a bit uncomfortable. It vaguely reminds me of having my eyebrows threaded - not painful but by the end of it I feel all about the constant pulling and sort of dread each pull? I'm explaining this badly sorry!

Love comparing breastfeeding to eyebrow threading! I think there are moments when it's all a bit too much - too much contact, too much of a demand, too physical somehow. There are of course lovely moments too!

morning all, how is everyone this fine and sunny day? I have read the thread, honest, but I can't remember much except
wants happy birthday to your ds
jen ds was a roller from a very early age, it really keeps you on your toes!
scream no idea about the boobs, sorry
too i was going to say something to you but can't remember what!

how long do boobs take to settle down after finishing bf and expressing? I have finished my anti-b's but i still have 'sensations' every now and then on the side i last had mastitis on and whilst its not painful i'm not sure if its gone and could just be things settling back to normal or not? i have my 6 week check on weds so might ask gp then.
right off to hunt out breakfast and more tea.

Ninja, it took mine weeks to stop leaking after DD1 was born, and that was without a baby constantly on me/crying/generally stimulating milk production. Maybe 5 weeks? Not sure if this would be the case for everyone. Anyone else have experience of this?

I may have misled you all with talk of M sitting unsupported for 10 seconds. 10 seconds is actually quite a long time! Her PB this morning was me counting to 8 - not seconds, just counting at a medium pace - before she went backwards or sideways. Sorry!

M used to sleep 11-7 or even 10-7, feed, then sleep until 9 or 9.30. Oh, those halcyon days! Now she's up at least every 4 hours and sometimes every 2. I don't get it. How come 12 week M slept better than 21 week M? And E is only 1 day older!

at A tipping her bouncer, Pomme.

Killer night :(

pomme, me too! B been really unsettled, unhappy and refluxy for a few days. I'm worried it coincides with my huge increase in dairy, I've eaten a few gallons of ice cream plus had an extra bowl of cereal as a snack etc.

Bf and eyebrow threading :) I know just what you mean biscuits, that pulling feeling. S keeps biting me too. Ouch! Dread to imagine teeth with him...

Scream, hope the wedding goes well and you have a great time! That reminds me, we have a wedding sometime next month as well. Must dig out the invite and check when it is.

Have never had my eyebrows threaded but have bee meaning to get them done before the naming party next Sat. Shall report back on its similarity to bf!

Dream, ice cream is a necessity in this weather. Hope it's just a coincidence with B.

Yay for the garden being finished, Jaggy! BBQ time, methinks. DH has gone off our barbecue because it nearly exploded on him last year - gas bbq, he was lighting it and the pipe to the gas canister had corroded; he suddenly realised he had managed to light the pipe rather than the bbq! Luckily he blew it out before the flame reached the canister itself. Anyway, he wants a charcoal fire pit but we can't afford anything atm due to shitty SMP.

I know the feeling you mean biscuits.
we are hoping to BBQ today, we will wait for the window fitter to leave first though!
D is getting pretty good at sleeping most of the night now, just 1 feed at about 5.

if we go too i reckon it will be Monday around 2ish i shall be wearing a thistle and carrying a copy of The Scotsman under my arm. (ok probably wearing DS2 in a sling really.)

R did a big feed for ages and ages yesterday evening that was a bit toe curling. it's a funny feeling to describe like he was chewing on my nipples!

I keep crossing posts so look like I'm ignoring posts, sorry everyone.

Rubbish about Dh being a pain pomme S feeding fucking 2 hourly after about 1-2am, much sympathy from me, its horrible.

Today, without forethought or planning, I gave the dts banana. They wolfed it down, DT1 had hold of the spoon and cried for more repeatedly. What have I done.... They're only 18.5 weeks, I've bought nothing ready, pureed nothing ready... I just needed to get them through til bathtime but didn't actually think they'd eat anything, maybe just taste it. Oh blimey, how to make my life harder. Only half a small banana between them both and i don't believe it'll make them sleep better but there's always the hope .

Another full family day out today. We're doing better now, kind of, on a good day.

Normally I find I'm hanging on by a fingernail to things going ok, takes a tiny thing to cause utter bedlam, multiple children crying and a very stressed mother in this household. I just find screaming babies so stressful...

i only have one screaming and i hate it dream. one day DH will work out that i can't process information or answer questions while R is crying...

i usually find the boys doing tag team pooing hard. after the 3rd nappy in half an hour i feel a bit mad, especially if we're trying to get out somewhere!

D was wanting to go to bed at 8.30 tonight so I wonder whether he will shift his night feed. It is nice to have a bit of an evening with the rest of the family. Currently watching the diving with a v.small glass of rose.
I have just ordered £50 worth of cloth nappies for £25 of Tesco clubcard points! I can't wait to pick them up on Mon. I have also ordered some really cute wraps from amazon. I think I might be becoming addicted to fluff!

Oooh I'm loving the diving! Tres exciting

Scream hope you're having a wonderful time at the wedding. Bet your DD was much admired! But at her drinking 5oz in 5 mins! My DS spends about 40 mins on his morning feed which must be about 5-6oz. Then again, DS has a tendency to doze during feeds. Lazy boy. :) I wonder how fast our boobs do fill up? 1oz an hour, maybe?

Jaggy that's great about the garden being finished - well done to your DH! Hope you get some glorious weather to enjoy it in now.

Morning all, I have a hungover and grumpy Dh and the night was really rubbish again so grumpy all round here.

I reckon way faster than an ounce an hour pet as I feed my boys every 2-3 hours, one side each and they must drink more than 2oz per feed?? I had them weighed out of interest- S 14lb 15, holding steady just under the 50th centile and B catching up at 14lb 3!!! Still between 9th and 25th centiles but nearer 25th now. Hurrah!

Hooray for the garden jaggy, invaluable :)

Have a lovely day at the wedding scream , love a good wedding. Dreading the one I'm going to this Friday though, no Dh as he couldn't get the day off... Not doing the ceremony as i couldn't cope with the 3 by myself if one was howling etc but braving the reception...

Very, very jealous of D s sleeping wants

How much ebm do you think is necessary to leave with DH if I go out for 5 or 6 hours this afternoon? So far I've got a measly 1.5oz.

Will post properly later but am expressing, or trying to, just now so can't type.

Sht night here too dream* - did her three night wakings, took an hour to settle each time and woke for the day at 6 ish.

Yesterday afternoon dh passed out in the kitchen dropping a plate and cutting his finger in the process. I got him down on the floor okay but then dd1 came in and I was having to be all jolly and 'silly daddy' with her. Very scary and we're not really sure what we should be doing (if anything) to follow it up.

Pomme how scary! Poor you and poor DH!! I'd go into A&E if I was you! My DH once fell down the stairs in our house really badly, and I came running over from the kitchen to find him passed out at the bottom of the stairs. I rang for an ambulance but he woke up a couple of minutes later. The 999 operator advised us still to go into A&E (although obviously we no longer needed the ambulance) to get checked out - their main concern was whether the fall caused the faint, or the faint caused the fall. When we got to hospital they kept us there for a whole day and did a barrage of tests, they took it very seriously. Luckily DH was fine. It's worth being sure though, it would be terrible if it happened again in a more dangerous circumstance.

Too I read up on quantity of milk needed by babies each day, when I had to express enough milk for 48 hours. Apparently between 1 and 6 months babies need approx 25oz a day, which I took to mean approx an oz per hour. Here's a useful page from Kellymom. That rule seems to hold true for my DD - we were out for 12 hours yesterday and she drank 9oz of ebm plus she had one direct bf in the middle of the day (to stop me exploding! We found a private room). I would say that was approx 12oz in total, maybe a little more. (She only drinks 5+ oz in one go first thing in the morn, or just before bedtime.)

Dream sorry to hear about your bad night, but yay for the boys' great weights!!! It's just so incredible that you're bfing twins, and so successfully! Well done!

Also at going to a wedding reception with 3 under 2 by yourself!!! Is it a wedding in your family? Will you have help when you get there? I can't imagine being as brave as you - supermum indeed!!

DD was perfectly behaved at the wedding yesterday. Quiet through the whole of the long Catholic ceremony, quiet through all the key moments like speeches, cake, first dance. Great big grins and charming noises for everyone, she was very popular and probably as photographed as the bride! The bride is Spanish, and her family couldn't speak any English but they adored DD! One asked (through gestures) if she could hold DD, and suddenly every Spanish female at the wedding was surrounding us and DD was being passed around! Lol! They were all very careful though, and so sweet with her.

Pet I'd agree with the 1oz per hour speed of milk production for me. I find I can get to a maximum of 6 hours without feeding or expressing, and that's when it gets really uncomfortable. When I express an uncomfortably full boob I usually get 6oz. So that matches perfectly.

DD is a super fast drinker - she's also incredibly noisy with it! DH always laughs if we're sitting watching tv and I start feeding DD - her loud slurps usually drive him to turn up the volume on the tv! Her longest/slowest feeds are when she's super tired, and even then it's never taken longer than ten minutes. at 40 minute feeds! I think my back would crumple! I find it really hard to get into a properly supportive position for bfing [lazy and undisciplined emoticon] so I usually just settle for a poor position knowing that at least it won't last long!

Finally, at the DTs having banana! So exciting! No Brooking hard for weaning to result in better nights in the Dream household (and the Pomme household!)

Have achieved 3 oz. I so should have started this last night, but M went to bed at 9, and just as I was starting to think seriously about expressing (at 11) she woke up. She then proceeded to wake up at 2, 4, 6 and got up at 8. So my boobs didn't have much chance to accumulate anything much overnight. We have a plan, though - DH will start off with the ebm and then make some pea puree and try her on that. Excitement!

scream - I was a real fainter since the age of 3 pre being on warfarin so it wasn't really the faint that bothered us sooo much (although his first ever one) but more the manner in which he did it (jerking a bit and growling). We would go to the docotr but if they decide it was a fit they'd take his licence off him but do no tests. We are considering a private MRI scan...

A a monster grumpy baby today. Am hoping some teeth in the next few days will explain it. DD1 really growing up though, I notice it more everyday.

Exciting on the weaning too and dream!!!!

Wow! Banana for Dream's DTs and pea purée for Too's M! And how is Pomme's A doing with solids? I had a banana for breakfast with DS on my lap and I swear he watched every bite. I was quite tempted to share, but didn't have time to mash a bit for him. Exciting times!

Dream I bet your boobs fill twice as fast as mine - not least because you're feeding two, but also because I think mine must be slow (hence DS's slow weight gain). Glad your DTs have grown well - that's wonderful. Also, I'm very impressed by your plan to attend a wedding reception with three LOs and no DH! No brooking that it goes well.

Scream sounds like DD was a star at the wedding you went to! Bless her. Glad you had a good time.

Pomme how is your DH today? I think you should at least call NHS direct or your GP and see what they say. Scary. :(

BTW Musical I meant to say :( for Iz teething already! I hope she cheers up soon.

We're home from our Olympic extravaganza. It all went well. The hardest bit was keeping DS cool and shaded when our seats were in the sun. In other news, it appears (as I suspected) that DS likes to sleep on his front! He was in a cot at my parents' house, and rolled from back to front so often I gave up turning him over. I guess I won't be leaving him unattended on the change mat any more...