October 2012 babies - we meet them at last!

[YompingJo]

Getting thread in place in readiness!

[hufflepuffle]

Hello mummies!! Fraudulently posting again, but not really reading, don't want to be nosy...... I will be joining u soon enough! I hav a really silly question and I think most 2nd time mums are here!!! Crazy your comment on FB about exploding nappies made me think: how do you wash clothes with poo on???! This sounds awfully silly, I am

It's just that I imagine if u put in machine at 30degrees with non bio powder, can't imagine it will cut the mustard......! I hav memories of soaking nappies in napisan in a bucket, but I'm talking about vests and clothes....

Sorry, sure u hav much more to discuss than this!

Hope everyone well, c u soon, xx

[Elpis]

WantanOrange Yes, as an only child myself, I can imagine it must be very hard for him. Sorry to have assumed he was younger. I do hope the worst of the jealousy is over and school distracts him a bit.

hufflepuffle Actually the stains come out surprisingly easily at 30C, but when they don't you can always do a Vanish wash at 60 as vests, sleep suits etc are indestructible. Or you can just ignore the vaguely yellow patches and rediscover them three and a half years later.

[Elpis]

hufflepuffle Sorry, just had another thought. With explosions, scrape off the crap and put it down the loo, NOT the sink or bath. (I once had to unblock a sink as a result of rinsing DD's clothes under the tap. That u-bend almost killed me.) Then you can either soak the clothes in a bucket or stick them straight in the machine - my preference is the latter.

Sorry to post this so soon after breakfast time.

[Evilwater]

Hello all.
Had my baby on Friday. Can I join? He is two and a bit weeks early.
Evil

[hufflepuffle]

Thank you Elpis!! Makes sense!! And I will warn DH..... Had a particularly bad tummy on hols few years ago. Was sick all over bed.... DH happily cleaned up, put bedclothes in wash etc, but included all the yuck....... Not a pretty site being removed from machine...... Had to scrape everything......! SORRY!!!!! TMI!!!

How does any new mum cope without a small online community of new friends??!

Thank you, hope all coming along, c u all in a week or 2! Xx

[smileyhappymummy]

One question. Why won't she sleep in her lovely Moses basket? Or at night?
Just wondering......
Have been doing a bit of reading on cosleeping and concluded that actually bed sharing doesn't seem a big problem in the absence of other risk factors like smoking, drinking, etc, so might be heading down that route. Found the health professionals version of the UNICEF leaflet really helpful for giving a bit more of a balanced view, here it is for anyone else going throug similar www.unicef.org.uk/BabyFriendly/Resources/Resources-for-parents/Caring-for-your-baby-at-night/.
Also, when will I look less like Jordan again and will my boobs have exploded first?

[Angelico]

Hey ladies :) Thanks for sympathy re mum thing, seems to be surprisingly common! Sorry so many of you have nightmare mums :( My mum can be selfish and a bit childish but generally we get on really well, hence the shock of all this. She's desperate to come up to see us but I'm just not ready to face her yet :( Then I feel mean and guilty :(

Elpis sorry you got such a scare on the stairs - glad you and bean were okay, but can understand the shock! Sister keeps telling me that babies are amazingly tough most of the time and you know that being a second time mum but doesn't take away the scare. Also disappointing about Ewan the sheep - I thought he was going to be a magic bullet :)

Wantan sorry to hear about DS. He will come round and at least he has forgiven your bean a bit :) Can understand jealousy at that age - I will confess I was 3 when when my sister arrived and apparently I pushed her carrycot over and mysteriously disappeared... She doesn't seem to have held it against me... :o

Huffle the poo comes out in the wash amazingly easily if they are breastfed. We are finding that so far the nappies mostly contain it and only the odd bit gets on to her clothes because of our cack-handed changing techniques. You are probably remembering the days of terry nappies... I remember the stinking yellow bucket well... :o

Hey Evilwater - congrats on your bean! Boy or girl? Hope you and bean are well.

Smiley we were wondering the same but she seems to have a routine now - carrycot is daytimes naps, moses basket night time naps. Also she is doing all her poos at night at the minute and it's awful, poor wee thing gets awful pains :( Her wee face reduced me to tears about 8pm last night, she just looked like she was in agony. The only things that helped her through the two unsettled / poopy periods were swaddling her and then letting her feed for 2 or 3 mins. She fell straight asleep and slept through, thus saving several hours of screaming.

[WantAnOrange]

Smiley we are co-sleeping and its so much easier than the first days I remember with DS. I dont want to do it long term, but for now it's good.

DD just had her heal prick test. Shes so brave....her Daddy was a wreck though!

I'm off to Sure Start to register her and find out when the breast feeding support is!

My Jordan look lasted 2 days and I didnt explode (just). Cold cabbage leaves down your bra is really soothing (although you will smell like and old peoples home). Also, warm showers, hand expressing and ibruprofen!

[crazypaving]

Hi evil and welcome! join the madness...

I'm as down today as I was up yesterday. Got a grand total of 2 hours sleep last night, in 2 one hour blocks. So messed up today I couldn't fall asleep when I had the chance and now my head and body are buzzing and feel like I might fall down. I am panicking about getting PND again as this is how I felt with DS1. Trying to keep perspective and take it an hour at a time but it's so hard.

And smileyhappymummy, DS2 sleeps like an absolute angel, all day, in his moses basket, and is up all night straining and crying and will not be put down. I know this is just a phase but it went on for about 8 weeks with DS1 and I can't handle it if it happens again, not with DS1 to look after. DH is talking about going back to work on Monday and I'm trying so hard not to freak out.

I really really need to get a grip...it's amazing how sleep deprivation affects rational thought.

angelico what is it about babies saving all their wind and poo up for night-time? Who invented this baby-having lark for god's sake. The first 3 months are definitely the 4th trimester of pg - wish their little digestive systems came out a bit more mature.

Oh wantanorange you poor thing, that must've broken your heart to hear your DS say that. Tearing up thinking about it DS1's behaviour reflects that exact thought, only he's too small to express it. Lots of sympathy and hand-holding from me

elpis we used the Sheep last night and it gave us one of our hour's sleep. I LOVE THAT SHEEP SO MUCH. It freaked DH out though

Tongue tie expert came and ummed & ahed about snipping what is a very posterior very minimal tongue tie. We said to wait and see as it's £150 for her services It's only my left nipple that's shredded so suspect it's not the tongue tie to blame.

Right, I'm going to get my little tinker to feed - it's not cool to feed every 2hrs at night and every 3-4 in the day!!!

[YompingJo]

Elpis, PMSL @ Ewen can flock off

[Angelico]

Ah-ha! the jury is divided on Ewan... is he worth the £25ish? I need a casting vote...! :o

Wantan I never had a chance to find out about the cabbage leaves but the smell thing did put me off a bit - although Squid seems to have found them helpful.

Crazypaving try not to panic about the sleep thing. I know it's easy to say that but we had a couple of nights last week where I thought I might never get to sleep for more than a couple of hours again. The last few days I seem to be adjusting to 3 hour blocks of sleep and she is sleeping longer. Know what you mean about their poor wee digestive systems :( Try swaddling and then sticking bean on boob for a couple of mins - it is our magic bullet when she is windy and strainy, including twenty mins ago when she wasn't settling after half an hour. I only use it when she's restless and strainy as don't want her to depend on it every nap. Daytime naps she is an angel. Let's hope their digestive 'clocks' re-set to daytime hours soon and take care of yourself as much as you can. Is there anyone who can take your bean between feeds at night to give you a break?

The mum situation has gone from bad to ... batshit. Seriously. I am seeing a whole new side to my mum and it isn't pretty. It's really upsetting :( Thank God DH is on my side, assuring me I am NOT mental and that SHE is seriously bang out of order. He's normally so chilled and peaceable but he is really angry that she is heaping stress and guilt on me instead of helping me recuperate. I'm honestly not sure how we will get past this. Have invited parents up on Sunday when DH and PIL will be here - hoping it will keep us all polite to get the first awkward meeting out of the way. I actually feel quite wary of them at the minute :(

[smileyhappymummy]

angelico much sympathy on the mother front, glad your dh is looking after you and hope that first meeting goes reaosnably well. Your dh is right, she is being unreasonable not you.
Have ordered a Ewan the sheep. Will let you know. At least it looks cute.
Baby has been sleeping angelically all day. Going to have dinner and then try to go to bed whereupon she will no doubt morph into a wakeful night time howling baby - never mind!
Did anyone else have fragmin injections after a section? I've got it for 7 days and it's soooo sore. Legs bruised everywhere. Also have very sore scar just now. Humph, whine, whine, whine! Just keep reminding myself though how much better I feel than last time.

[smileyhappymummy]

Btw have uploaded a photo to Facebook group

[lisbethsopposite]

Angelico I can relate to rows with (usually) wonderful mum - in fact we bicker a lot but she is the always first there when I need help.
I see most rows as a part fault on both sides (except with 1 family member of mine who thinks she is 100% right when she is actually close to 100% wrong - but she is weird). So maybe your mum is 10% wrong, or 90%,... or somewhere in between - does it matter? She will hardly think she got away with it, she can do it again. In fact you hold all the cards here. They are dying to see grandchild and you can withhold that, by having them less in your home. I think your DH is right - try not to escalate things. This is your mum. Somehow, in your fatigue she got a mixed message, and maybe she was a bit tired too - who knows. Be the bigger person, focus on her good stuff

My bean is a good sleeper, but I look back on photos of me and DH with DS1, and we look like zombies. You will look back amazed that you functioned at all. Forgive yourself and her.

BTW you are likely to have lots of rows with your mum re your DCs - they like to give them biscuits and all sorts of naughty things but the children love it and them.

[lisbethsopposite]

I had missed loads of posts, when I posted there. I can't help myself giving advice, but I realise I am advising with very little information, and tender feelings involved - I mean all of my advice with the caveat no offence intended, and dismiss if you know it does not suit your situation.

Re: Night feeding babies - we actually haven't done anything wrong. It is apparently a residue of our cave man existence that now is due to hormones. Babies had to catch it while it was flying (Night time)

For sore nips - I swear by Multi-Mam Compresses. They are like aloe vera, wonderful. They come individually wrapped and having had mastitis, I would not use a tube of cream for hygiene reasons.

[Elpis]

smileyhappymummy They gave me Fragmin to take home too - had a whinge about it on another thread. Didn't get it last time, but I was under 35 then and I suppose the risk of a clot is higher now. I had to ask DH to do it as I simply can't inject myself, despite having acupuncture regularly. Ugh. They left little round bruises on my thighs and I'm afraid I 'forgot' a couple of doses.

Agree with you about bed sharing - the 'never share' advice handed out in SIDS leaflets is overly simplistic. I wouldn't have the energy to do a thing apart from breastfeed if we weren't co-sleeping. The irony is that DS will settle quite happily in a carrycot during the day if he's been tanked up with milk. I had a whole hour to do the ironing this afternoon.

Poor DS has conjunctivitis. I've dealt with it before with DD, but the poor thing is only 12 days old. It started in one eye, has cleared up there, and moved to the other where it's much worse. I'm removing the pus (or whatever the secretions are) with boiled water and a cotton bud, but it doesn't last long. Where can he have caught it? It can only be the hospital. Health visitor coming tomorrow. Hmm.

[goldengirl71]

Lisbeth, sorry to jump in but have been quietly cheering you all on as someone who used to be on here with you all but miscarried early on. I just wanted to say your advice is always spot-on and you somehow manage to be direct yet kind in your support of these ladies. I am sure you are very much appreciated on here...as is Yomping's brilliant humour.

Sorry to intrude. I really do wish you all the very best.

[Elpis]

Oh God. I looked up conjunctivitis in newborns and it can be a sign of something very serious - like herpes simplex, which can be fatal and when it isn't tends to cause disability. The fact that I found a few tiny ulcers inside DS's mouth two days ago (now faded) is compounding my fear.

Called NHS DIrect, who advised me to go to GP tomorrow morning. So I shall be there at 8am. Can't even think of sleep now. Please don't let there be anything wrong with him. I couldn't bear it.

[smileyhappymummy]

elpis def go to GP BUT conjunctivitis and sticky eyes in newborns often due to tear ducts being immature so not fully draining. Worth checking but the scary causes are v v rare, can't remember the last time I saw one and see conjunctivitis all the time.

[Elpis]

smileyhappymummy Thank you so much for that reassurance. I know it can't be chlamydia or gonorrhea, anyway. Am just surprised that he'd get blocked tear ducts in one eye and then the other.

[Lizzietow]

Bookmarked also! Feel like things are 'imminent' (but then whenever I think that they aren't). But due on Friday and sweep booked for then

[Elpis]

Quick update after my overnight freakout.

Saw GP at 8.50am - he started early to fit us in as there were no appointment times available this morning. Brilliant NHS. Was reassuring and, like smileyhappymummy, said sticky eyes are very common. Took a swab so we should know in a couple of days if it's anything sinister. DS is otherwise fine (I love the way he listened to his heart via an iPhone). He thinks the eye will clear on its own, esp with application of some breastmilk, but I have antibiotic eye drops just in case it worsens today. Will try not to use them. I didn't request them... Poor little thing now blinking through an eyeful of milk.

[crazypaving]

Elpis glad everything looks like it's ok. The breastmilk in the eye is funny - good image, and good shot, by the way!

Hi goldengirl, hope everything's ok with you.

Last night was as positive as the night before was horrendous, and my mood has bounced back as a result! My mood is a slave to sleep - wish it could be otherwise. DS2 was awake yesterday from 3.30pm until 11pm pretty much continuously which honestly just ain't right. He fed & fed & fed & fed, then produced a gigantic poo and passed out, fed twice in the night sleepily and efficiently (about 30mins per feed) and went back down again, then we had to get up at 7 with DS1.

I'd like to carbon copy last night to every night for the next few months please, that is totally doable. I feel human today! Just had a nap when DS1 and 2 were sleeping too! Making the most of the peace before DS2 "wakes up" around the 2-3 week mark (sings "Gremlins" themetune)

Has anyone else's umbilical stump fallen off? His fell off yesterday - that's only 4 days! DS1's took 2 weeks! I'm well chuffed, they're so minging.

Help needed from those handy in the kitchen dept, and from other 2nd timers with older children to feed - I need quick, easy, nutritious meals to whip up for DS1. I do have my own (very) little repertoire but everything seems to be very time consuming and I need to get him fed with the least amount of hassle whilst I've got this velcro baby who feeds all evening atm. Any lunch ideas gratefully received too - help help!

[Londonmrss]

Just wanted to pop on and say hello to you all! Can't wait til we're all back together on the same thread again. I have a feeling that those of you who are a few weeks ahead of us late-October ladies will be able to give us invaluable advice when we join you here. Hugs to you all.

[lisbethsopposite]

Thank you Goldengirl, that was very kind of you.
I've been there with the MC - I really really hope you get better news