October 2012 babies - we meet them at last!

[YompingJo]

Getting thread in place in readiness!

hey livvy
we are up having a post feed wiggle

if she's changed and fed most likely wind or lonely! try holding her upright to your chest and rubbingpatting her back. mine usually drops off with that once she's got a burp or two up

is she very distressed? sometimes needs a bit of walking around, rocking (mine loves my gym ball)

i know, it;s 5am, we're knackered

where are you trying to sleep her? try warming spot before you put her down. also wait till babe is properly asleep - ie 15 mins after she seems to drop off and the little twiches stop- babies take a while to go into deep sleep and are vert easily roused from light sleep

i know, it's 5am we're knackered - sorry - hope something here might help

you are doing fine at it, really well. it is hard to accept that babies' needs are so, well, needy!!

www.askdrsears.com/topics/sleep-problems/8-infant-sleep-facts-every-parent-should-know

Really worth reading at some point - (not at 5am). my friend sent me this a few weks ago, found it very helpful in understanding why baby is waking and that it's not a bad thing (though shattering)

Hey ladies up here too after two complete sheets and blankets changes due to leaky nappies
Second what squid says about Swiss ball Freddy also settles after a bounce on it. My dads here at the mo and seems amazing at winding him he sits with him upright on his chest and rubs and pats his back for hours. Seems to get burps up an hour and a half after I've fed him ??

Thanks squid, smorgs and huffle. Think it must have been wind. She didn't want cuddles. I have found that walking up and down stairs really helps release wind but I was knackered and lazy. good tip re fit ball. There was some farting and eventually sleep for 40 mins or so then she's woken up again with sodden and soiled drawers and wants food.

I try to settle her in the Moses basket, ideally. How do you manage the logistics of warming the Moses basket? DF sleeps elsewhere. I'm not sure I'd want to juggle a kettle and a hot water bottle with howling baby.

Thanks for the article, squid. Will read now.

London we',ve been warming moses basket with microwavable heat pad, takes 2 mins which i find allows me to grab a biscuit

seems to be best way of getting him to sleep in basket, plus slumbrrbear although batteries have run out tonight

Bloody hell, 7am... got first non family visitors comi g for lunch in 4 hrs, seemed a good idea a few days ago, now feels like too much despite having load of oven ready stuff to bung on.

Hello,
this is morning for me now as lovely boyfriend lets me sleep the early evening. I have a cup of tea and am very happy that it's the weekend and have got the boy all day. Sorry for all the disturbed nights. (And bed changes! poor smorgs! not had a nappy leak yet but did have double vomit episode one night, sigh) Mine was ok, couple of feeds but Jess settled ok afterwards. She is snuggled up to dad's chest looking angelic now (doesn't sleep like that but it's ok if I'm awake).

Livvy, really hope you're asleep...
I put a hot water bottle in the moses basket in the day. At night, if the moses basket is next to your bed, you could pop the moses basket mattress under your legs while you sit in bed soothing her? Then when you're ready just transfer over.

Never thought there would be so many logistical complications with a baby. I was having to explain car seat to sling manoeuvres to boy yesterday... (we have a three door so you really have to sit in the back seat to get her safely in the car seat)

Bath queries: I have only done it with boyfriend there but I think it should be do-able without anyone - put a changing mat& towel by the bath and pop her on it while you get out?
Want anorange I like hot baths too - I put in more hot water after she gets out.

October good luck with your visitors! Make them do the work!

Great idea squid re warming of mattress.

Which nappies are you using? V impressed re no leakage.

Had a very sleepless night last night, not because she was screaming, because she was chatting to my dressing gown .

I was woken up by her little voice and looked over to see her smiling and talking away. Then she decided it was play time and didn't want to sleep so was happy if held but wide awake, but cried when put down to sleep.

I am telling myself she thought I was in the dressing gown, and the smiles were for me, but I think she just likes red things!

Just went for the first post-birth run :) :) :)

OK I am totally unfit and my form has gone to shit, but it felt lovely :) :) :)

(hardest thingwas squeezing boobs into sports bra.... might treat myself to new one!!!)

hi all. sorry, too tired to be on much but am reading and sympathising.

babypaving up every morning from 2ish til 5 or 6, then I have to get up with DS1. I'm fucking shattered and reaching the end of my tether. Had horrendous day yesterday too where baby awake from 9am-4pm. For 3 hrs during DS1's nap I had to bounce and pat and shh to stop him screaming. Physically spent too.

Hoping things improve soon or I'll be in the nut house

Oh crazy you poor thing, that sounds brutal no wonder you're tired, I'm still in awe of anyone who does this with a toddler too. Is there anyone who can take dc2 out for a walk while dc1 naps and you can too? Hugs x

squid well done you on the run! That's incredible. And much earlier than I would have thought possible? Pelvic floor all ok? (sorry if am being too nosey). I saw DF come home from his cycling club run all red faced and full of adrenalin and endorphins and was jealous. Delighted to see that this may not be toooooo far out of reach. Though I ain't going to be running anywhere with 32J breasts...

crazy that sounds incredibly hard. As smorgs says, can you bribe friends to help out? You have my utmost sympathies. Surviving without sleep is HORRID.

wantanorange sympathy too on the no sleep. Hope you have more luck tonight (hide the dressing gown?)

I am having a good day today after a reasonable night last night (clearly not what would count as a Good Night's Sleep pre-baby, but not bad by our terms) and walked the shop, and we went to the hospital for the 5 day appointment. Delighted to learn that she weighs 3.070kg vs her 3.080kg at birth - so basically back to birth weight already. HURRAH. means that all this endless feeding has a point to it!

Hi everyone, been reading and, as many have said before, I feel a lot of support when I read that we're all experiencing the same things not to mention learning a lot about how you all manage with your babies.

Things are going well here, the bonding is improving and though I am far from deeply in love I feel a lot more connected with the little one.. she is still a relatively easy baby though we have resorted to using a dummy at night and really I couldn't recommend it highly enough.... makes getting her off to sleep a lot easier as well as calming her down when she's stressed though sometimes I have to hold it in to get her to keep it (especially if she's a bit hysterical).

I am hoping to start expressing soon, breastfeeding is going well but though the right seems to have calmed down and is no longer painfully engorged the left doesn't seem to have got the message yet so I think I will hold off for a bit longer and see if the left calms down so as not to aggravate it by upsetting the routine.

Wanted to reply to you Smorgs re the living abroad thing. I do feel a bit homesick, but actually not as much as I thought I would. So far I have been v happy with the healthcare and Belgian experience of childbirth and we have received lots of visitors and I have realised how many friends we actually have here which is really nice but of course they are not v v close friends and there feels like there is always a barrier because of my clunky French..(which incidentally seems to have got A LOT worse since the birth).. anyway I have trained myself over the last few years to not make the UK a paradise and imagine that if I were to live there I would have my friends around all the time and live near my family and it would be perfect... because the fact is my UK friends are scattered across the country/world and so is my family so of course if we lived in the UK I wouldn't be around the corner from all of them, though it would be a bit easier to see them it would still not be perfect and I would still be alone a lot of the time. Also, when friends or parents come they come for a long time (min 2 nights) so we really get the time together, my mother just left after nearly 2 weeks and it was so nice she really was able to help me with the baby but also we had time together when the baby was asleep which might not have happened if she had dropped in for the afternoon or even stayed for the weekend.. not sure what my conclusion is but I would say that so far it is a bit sad to be abroad but I am trying to stay in the moment and keep positive about the home I have chosen..

pff long post.. I wanted to write my birth story too but will try again later I hear some snuffles from the corner..

Feeling a bit irrationally pissed off that DP has taken DS1 off to the fireworks tonight whilst I'm locked to the sofa having my nipples chewed off...

I miss having fun time with DS1 at the moment whilst I am permanently looking after (feeding) DS2. Anyone else with a toddler feel like this? DP has been great and doing loads and I don't want DS1 to get any less attention, just feel a bit sad that most of it isn't coming from me at the moment. Withoout sounding overdramatic, I miss DS1, if that makes sense.

October how old is your DS1? I feel exactly the same - really miss him, and spend a lot of time feeling guilty

Hola!

Sorry, not even reading! Just on off chance anyone reading who has experienced this. Can you hear and feel wind in baby's tummy/bowel?? The noise coming from little bean is shocking. I do think he is windy baby and we are struggling to wind him at times. But the sound of gurgling is mad! First timers, again we no idea if this normal.

Thanks chicks
Xx

Yay Livvy on weight gain!!!! See, all that feeding
Paying off!!!

Crazy my heart is going out to you. Hope u get some decent sleep soon.

October cannot believe you are feeding visitors....... U r a social trooper!!!!

Wantan I kno it's not funny but your dressing g gown conversation did make me laugh!!

Preparing self for long night. Despite our best efforts sonce about 5pm DS has been sleeping, grump ing and feeding for 10 min episodes. Boobs feel sore and empty and we no mission of any longish sleeps!! Oh dear. And he was so good this morning!!

Evening all, I have an impending sense of doom for tonight given how much the Smorglet has slept today. Oh we'll.

Liege and cherry thanks so much for your replies to my homesickness q. It really helps to remember not to look back through rose tinted glasses and Remember the good points - like the amazing care at the clinic. I'm feeling a bit better having talked to my mum who said she didn't really know anyone where she was in the uk when I was born. And liege totally know what you mean about losing the ability to speak French recently!

huffle yes the noises from our ones stomach are insane sometimes. Have begun to realise winding is almost as important as feeding though it takes forever.

wantanorange pmsl at her talking to your dressing gown! Well done livvy on almost back to birth weight!

I expressed for the first time today. Man was it sore afterwards. Have had no real pain from bf other than initial latch but my boobs have definitely swollen up more since expressing and nipples really sore when I fed him tonight. Not sure ill be expressing regularly at this rate. It's also a massive hassle sterilising pump & bottles etc every time?!

october know exactly how you feel about fireworks this evening, DH and DD (3) had a lovely time at the local display (while I 'enjoyed' a quiet night with a grizzling baby :( ) DD and DH had a fab time (which is the most important thing) but I did feel a bit sad (and jealous) that I was missing her first firework display.
Made up for it a bit by giving grumpy baby to DH when they got back (ignoring the noise) and giving DD her bath and a very snuggley story tonight

We have rounded off our Very Good Day with taking bean to the pub for supper. I fed her just before we went and she was a champ and slept the entire time. DF and I ate (I had liver for first time this year!) with indecent haste, then enjoyed chatting over my half of bitter. So lovely. Felt like a proper date. I hope we get some more good days though I know it won't be every day, it really has done wonders for our morale.

Smorgs I feel that doom too - we've had SUCH a good day that it seems it couldn't possibly last. On the expressing front, I've also hesitated - seems like a lot of faff. maybe I'm just lazy.

Right. Off to bed with us.

[london] sounds like a fab evening!

[springer & crazy] DS1 is 2 and talking loads at the moment, really coming on more and more each day and is being such a great big brother. I pounced on him when they came back and read him bedtime stories before relatching onto DS2

Glad to hear there are other people who are"missing" their older DCs.

hi all! i can legitimately be here after baby beccus arrived last sunday - omg birth and those 1st few days are the hardest things i have ever been through, but am very loved up with my little bean! Am going to post my labor story soon. Things are a little calmer by day 6, and i have figured out 1 handed pumping and on the way to managing one handed feeding, so hope to be on here again regularly. I've missed u all so much!! Now i need to catch up on what u all have been up to x

Congrats Beccus!!! :o

Have sneaked on to say that we have just had our first totally scream-free evening AND we got out for a nice late lunch and bean slept for nearly 4 hours without a whimper.

I am therefore waiting for all hell to break loose overnight...