April 2012 - little people who actually DO stuff now!!

[BeyondTheLimitsOfAcceptability]

Ta da

Oh Hayley I don't know what to suggest. Maybe just persevere, you were so positive last night.

My new Mountain Buggy is here! Am very happy. As much as I loved my Silvercross Sleepover, its just too heavy for the hills we live in now.

Like my first pram, this was an eBay bargain. There is now £1500 worth of pram in this house - and I paid just £200. Smug mummy emoticon. I'm hoping to sell the silvercross for just a little less than I bought it, at some point soon, to put the money towards Xmas.

However I now have no excuses for trekking to burn calories!

Hayley, after 2 nights of sleeping til 4am, DS2 was in with me by 11 last night, and woke up for about 6 feeds!! I think hope it just takes them a while to get the hang of it :)

Don't hold out for walking/crawling to be the answer to your sleeping woes - DD crawled at 6m, walked just before 10m and was still bloody awful at sleeping until we did CIO after a bloody horrendous period of almost no sleep at 14m.

Just as weaning doesn't help, moving makes no difference. In fact, it can make it worse at first as they're desperate to show off their new skills, and they can stand up in the cot!

It's just something they eventually get - some sleep through from day 1, others not until they're 3 or older. We will all get there. You just have to take it on a night-by-night basis.

Oops I fell off the thread...sorry to those struggling with sleep. I had a 4am wake up yesterday but as I only have nights like that once or twice a week I know I'm one of the lucky ones.

This is my 'gloomy' time of year, when the clocks change I always feel a bit down...trying to get out of the house as much as I can and did my first Pilates class on Monday which I can still feel the effect of today!

Weaning is not going brilliantly so far...I tried DD on carrot and sweet potato and both seem to result in a lot of crying & frustration and sometimes vomit. She still loves sucking on cucumber, though, so that's something. Might have to try something sweeter next time...pear or banana?

Has anyone had a blocked duct or mastitis when BF?
Noahs always been funny about my left boob, he goes through phases where he refuses to eat from it.
For the last few days he's refusing it again. However I'm wondering if something's wrong with it. It's super lumpy and engorged but only around the nipple area and a bit at the edge near my arm, not the whole boob. It's tender if pressed - I carried N in my left arm and his body was against me & it really hurt. I looked up mastitis and i don't have a red area and don't feel unwell, but worried I could be getting it. It's like a different boob.
Anyone had anything similar, or know what it could be?

marshmallow I started weaning with apple, DS loved it. He prefers cold foods so anything that goes in the blender has to go in the fridge for 20 mins first - no clue why but worked for me, & a few other people iv spoken to so might be worth a try. Melon also works really well. Veg is harder to introduce because it's not sweet but you can mix it up, carrot and apple is a fav here. Then if that goes down try carrot alone, or with a bit of milk, breast or formula can't remember how your feeding, just to take the edge off. Xxx

Oh another trick - DD might not like the spoon. Try fruits or veg in a blender/juicer and add water or milk or natural yoghurt to thin it out, she may drink a smoothy from the bottle or cup instead

Sleeping has now gone out of the window! For the past 3 nites or so Harry has been awake: 10.51pm, 11.57pm, 1230am, 4am, 4.30am and up at 4.40am. Only 2 of those were for a feed, other times its a cuddle, then back to sleep. Can't do the controlled crying as yet as he will carry on for an hour or more. His 2 bottom teeth have come through, he's not in pain, no temp. Just a phase? Any ideas?

Hayley I had a blocked duct twice when I was bf. It was super painful. I put a hot flannel on it repeatedly. Practically sat in the bathroom for an hour and every time the flannel cooled I repeated. I also massaged it in the shower and combed it. Got some amazing advice from the ladies on this thread. HTH

Hayley - that does sound like a blocked duct. I've had a couple. Funnily enough also on my left side, DS seems to prefer the right boob also! Holly has given great advice, I'd also add, try to get DS to suckle from that side as much as possible and this will help shift the blockage. If he won't, try expressing whilst massaging with the hot flannel or hot water bottle.

hayley does sound like a blocked duct
Could try

• warm compress, fill a disposable nappy with warm water & slap it on. It will stay warmer for longer than a flannel

-Feed from it first & foremost, try different feeding positions. Express a bit off first if ds can't/won't latch on

• comb with a wide toothed comb & a bit of soap in a hot shower. Comb towards the nipple
• lay in a hot bath facing down, boobs dangling in
• ibuprofen reduces the swelling & pain
• keep an eye on your temp if I starts to go high you might need antibiotics if the self help stuff doesn't work.

Here's a good link, same Management for blocked duct as mastitis except abs.
www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/pdfs/BFN_Mastitis.pdf
Hope it helps, I have suffered blocked ducts & mastitis this time round & it can be bloody painful.

Thanks so much for the advice. I'm going to express a bit now and try and get Noah on it. Couldn't lay on my left side last night as it was really sore.
Will get a warm nappy on it as well. Hopefully it will sort itself out quickly

Sympathies on the blocked duct hayley, I've had them too. Hope you get it sorted soon!

My nan died today. I told Ds1 who said "ok" and started watching tv and I haven't cried. We are not normal. My poor mum.

Hugs for Hug.

There is no "normal" reaction to anything like this. Please don't worry about that. Xxx

I'm so sorry, Hug. Big hugs to you.

So sorry hug. Thinking of you.

hug :(

You are perfectly normal - it's as normal to not cry and to go about your daily business as it is to break down and stop functioning completely. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. It can take time for it to sink in fully - hours, days, weeks, months...you just don't know.

So sorry hugs. As the others have said, there really is no normal reaction. It hits us all v differently x

I'm sorry to hear your news hugs x

Thank you all. I'm still so numb. I don't think it's sunk in yet.

Sorry about your news Hug ! I lost my last grandparent last spring so know how you feel ... it took a quite a long time to sink in since I'm in a different country . DS didn't really react much either . I guess he didn't see her much and is quite young still. If something happens to his grandparents though he would really suffer so I hope my motherinlaw will get through her cancer !

So sorry hug, it must have been a dreadful shock even when you know it is going to happen.

My grandad's birthday is next week, I always take a moment to remember him especially as its also Remembrance Day & he was in the war. He would have been 100 next year.

So sorry hug

That's just terrible hugs, I feel for you. And Nordic sending a big mum net hug! X x

DD's been great I'm loving this age, into everything, laughing and giggling at us and trying to wave and clap also hearing a sound a bit like dada, i think its more like gaga! Its making dh very happy lol. She is standing alot more holding on and move across from her stand up lion to the couch. She walks holding on to your hands and with some reins that we have- probally seen video?
Still waking up twice at night, i think its something we are gonna live with. Oh and eating most in sight.
I feel bad, i have a terrible cold and dh is back at work! Oh well joys of being a mum, just got get on with it!