These babies are going to be calm, easy and sleepy at all the right times, and we're brooking no argument about it!

[Biscuitsandtea]

In here ladies - the other thread was getting full up so I thought I'd better start a new one.....

Will do some links to / from this thread but in the meantime please make yourselves at home

Ditto what scream says Biscuits. And I have the pleasure of knowing you in RL. I can categorically state you are not a whale. Or even whale like.

Dream gosh, feeding time sounds a nightmare. How on earth are you supposed to find out about intolerances at this stage?

So far DD has tried potato and carrot. She swallowed neither so not avgood start here. I hope I've not got a fussy eater on my hands, DS eats more or less everything.

Scream I'm jealous. Have a lovely evening.

Odd question time, I'm wanting to start expressing so that dh can do some of feeds and also to give nips a rest cause DD keeps chobbling them as well as her having oral thrush. Anyway question is when in a day do I try to fit it in and if expressed is an instead of how much do I need to express?

Hope everyones day has finished better

I know nothing about expressing I'm afraid but I know others have done it and know more. Also, the lovely purplewithabluebun was a bf counsellor and knew everything there was to know about all this stuff. We haven't seen her for a while but she might be PMable?

Scream, I was on the Crabbie's Ginger Beer earlier - the only beer I like. Am now on the 85% dark choc and . Have a great night!

Dream, I couldn't work out what I'd said about phases! This was me: [hconfused] I am hoping that there isn't a 7-9 month phase because M's sleep has never reverted to its pre-4/5 month phase state. (Does that sentence make sense?)

I'm not happy with M's nipple, but naturally I didn't decide that until after the surgery had closed. [hhmm] I've put some Metanium on it because Sudocrem never does anything on her bum, whereas Metanium works like a charm. FX it will have calmed down by morning.

Biscuits, you are not a whale! Fact. I bet you looked lovely, and that E did too. Did he wear a christening gown?

Scarlet, I bet your MIL's ears were burning! They deserve to be, too. How old is DD now? M didn't really swallow anything on her first few attempts at food. Is it pureed food, or are you doing BLW?

Cakes, the Aptamil carton from the back of my cupboard says a baby of 4-8 weeks, approx 10.5 lbs, should have 150mls/5 fluid oz 5 times in 24 hours. DD's about 6 weeks, isn't she? On the expressing, I found that I get better results if I let one boob rest for a bit (ie, at least 2 hours and preferably 3 or more) and then expressed from it. I can reckon on getting about 1oz for each resting hour, but I've got a pretty shit Tommee Tippee hand pump, which the MW advised against, so you might do better with a different one. I know Dream has a good electric pump. It's also easier to express if you use DD to get your milk to let down. You could either put DD on one boob in rugby ball hold, then express on the other side, or you could put DD on the boob for 30 seconds, just long enough to get the milk flowing, and then take her off and pump. Hope that helps!

too i reckon only 3oz or so would be enough ebm at that age. the volume doesn't go up the same way as for formula. i think DS1 still only had 4-5oz when i went back to work at 6mo.

cakes there is an amount calculator and lots of other expressing (pumping as they call it in the States) info on www.Kellymom.com.

tbh though, it probably wouldn't be that much of a break as you'd prob be expressing instead of feeding Iyswim?

it'd probably be easier earlier in the day, just to avoid the busy cluster feeding evenings if you get those like we did.

DS2 very annoyed at not being able to crawl it seems. he especially enjoys rolling back to front, but only to the right. he then proceeds to move backwards slowly while shouting.

his favourite foods after a week are toast, toast and unwanted pasta spirals from DS1's plate. also sucking apples when i eat them. all squishy food regarded with much suspicion, although spoons great for chewing.

thanks for reminding me it's early days too, i think i forgot this bit!

Bloody hell, I asked DH to settle M back to sleep while I was in the bath and she just woke right up and is now lying howling on the living room floor.

Sounds like a bad day for many of us :(

Biscuits hope DS2 settled ok in the car and was fine after that. Maybe it's another tooth?

Scarlet DS was slow to get going with food but is doing well atm so maybe DD will start swallowing in a few days. Have you tried pear or banana yet? DS liked those early on. What has your mil done? Sorry if you've already told us - my brain is like a sieve these days.

Cakes I found expressing during a morning feed while feeding DS on the other boob was relatively quick and produced the most milk.

DS was great at the wedding, really. Pity about the inconsolable sobbing in the car for an hour on the way to the ceremony and for 45 mins going to the reception (London traffic). He cheered up as soon as we got out of the car though . The reception was on 2 floors, and slightly unfortunately I was on a table downstairs with another couple and their 18 month old, but all my family were upstairs (and DH had to be at work) so I wasn't really able to relax or eat my meal with 2 hands Funny how people without children don't think of these things when doing their table plans.

Really sorry but I can't remember what anyone else said now.

I hope M's asleep now for you Too?
DD's food has only been pureed so far so I might brave it and try her with toast tomorrow. She's 26 weeks this weekend.

Oh sorry Pet, very rude of me to allude to something I can't go into detail about in here. I mentioned last week that we were having some problems with DH's family but only went into detail on the brooking FB page which isn't public. It's really not very interesting, but we are facing irreconcilable differences which is very sad but I think will actually make life easier in some ways.

Good that DS behaved well for you, shame about the inconsiderate seating plan. Details like that really do make all the difference as to whether the occasion is enjoyable or not.

No she's bloody not. That's 2 hours she's been up when she should have been asleep. I've tried to feed her back down 3 times and no dice. Last time she faked me out by going all quiet and only waving her top arm sleepily and sucking very gently, so I really thought she was dropping off, and then she just woke up, for no reason, and howled at me until I sat her up, and then gurgled happily.

grr too, hope you got some sleep eventually.

I'm slightly nervous at how DH will get on (in 2 freakin weeks!) as he still hasn't had the boys on his own. I've to go into work next week and he thought I'd be taking R with me

i had to put R on the floor to play yesterday evening because he was all giggly too and then puked on his sleeping bag. cheeky babies. he then slept a whole hour in his cot. Despite promising myself I'd put him straight back to bed overnight, i was all tired and had him in beside me for 4 hours. away to try and transfer now but he's a bit twitchy...

sounds rubbish scarlet :( I might try porridge again today and see what he thinks. i was surprised at how long he spends toast wrestling, i hadn't planned to try stuff like that straight away. he chased DS1's pasta round the high chair for about half an hour. it was the curly telephone wire stuff which i forget the name of.

DS1 hasn't been hungry at all, bit worried he's coming down with something.

Hope some sleep was had by all (apart from naughty DHs who don't deserve it!) Too a comment like that from DH would constitute a serious withdrawal from the favour bank!!

Another bad night here but DH did get up with ds2 for me although unlike DH I can't sleep through ds2 crying and being settled again Full credit to DH though - he persevered and got him back to sleep eventually. I'm just not sure what it is with ds2 though? That's two nights and all day yesterday that he's been far far worse than normal and much more unsettled . I mean he still frequently wakes at night but normally I can settle him fairly quickly. The last two night it's been full on tears requiring a long period of jigging him round the room and even calpol in some cases. I can't feel any more teeth coming (and can't see until I can teach him to go 'Aaaaaaaaah' as he has all those front ones!). He has had a cold and cough but really hasn't been coughing that much - not like he's waking himself up coughing or anything. And he hasn't been too dreadfully snotty. But then you just never know if they feel rotten on the inside like we do with a cold sometimes?

Oh I don't know - I can't even remember what he was like before teething and colds etc. but I vaguely remember having a very chilled out baby. Hope I get him back one day [hhmm]

My mum phoned yesterday and he started crying while she was on the phone and she said 'oooh, that sounds like a temper' No, it's not a 'temper'. He's 7 months old and poorly. That's why he's crying! Grrrr [hangry]. And of course there was that tone of disappointment when I said he hadn't slept through [hhmm]. In contrast I saw the in-laws later and MIL was full of sympathy for us both and when he cried just said 'oh you can tell he's poorly can't you, poor little thing'. I'm sure my mum skipped the day they taught empathy at school [hhmm]

Right I'm being all me me me again. Partly this is because I've forgotten everything else I've read [hconfused]. I recall there being some babies not asleep when required - Go to sleep mini brookers!

And some fun and games with weaning. Good luck with the toast challenge Scarlet. The last two nights I've given ds2 chopped up food (spinach lasagne) rather than puréed or stirring milk in to make it runnier or whatever, and he's done well with it so that's good. His main issue is actually opening his mouth wife enough to get it off the spoon, but once it's in he can process it well. Of course, getting it in while attempting to chew the tablecloth makes it harder [hhmm]

Right, he's dropped back off to sleep - think I'm away to get some more sleep......

Hope you're all having peaceful snoozes.

Scream sorry you didn't treat us to another drunken post [hgrin]. Hope you had a lovely night though [hsmile]

After the mealtime hell yesterday, DH lost his shit after one meal with ds1. We desperatelt need a new approach. He's not picky but it takes an hour for him a small bowl of cereal. Totally losing the will to live

No time to post now as running late but we set a timer for ds1 and took the meal away at the end of it. Caused tears at first but worked in the end x

Oh my god my baby is a nightmare. Life is a nightmare.

Do you think she'd raise much if I put her on ebay?

Blimey ds2 has just very nearly pushed himself up to sitting from lying on his front! He sort of twisted his legs round got everything so he was sitting but had both hands down on the floor on one side, then got one hand up but couldn't quite get the other hand in close enough to be able to get his balance up.

Then he plopped down on his face

Ah well....

Oh dear, poor Brookers.

Pomme, what's happened?

pomme, , and more . You poor thing. Is A still full of a.cold and keeping you up all night? Grim, grim grim.
Don't know.if they'd fetch much on eBay, but then again, there's a lot of desperate couples out there ttc, could get a bidding war going (please don't kick me off the thread ladies)

I'm stopping dairy again, bloody knackered with unhappy B.

Dh did a microlight flight today, finally got it booked after I bought it for him for his birthday, back in April!!! I coped with the children,and ended up inviting myself round to a friends for a break while he was gone Feel a bit guilty as we ended up staying for lunch, and she's got her brother, wife, niece and nephew arriving within about 30 min of us leaving. Oops.

hawthers, I like the idea of the timer, but you'd have to have the willpower to stick with it I guess, and not cave and extend the time or give snacks between meals as for it to work I guess they've got to learn they'll be hungry if they don't go a bit faster?! Don't know. DD isn't the fastest but not that slow, and its helpful in a way now I've three to feed!

Oddly with the timer thing I didn't really find DS1 really got hungry between meals. I wonder if part of the problem is / was that he doesn't really get dreadfully hungry ever. So if he was eating a sandwich for an hour, in the last 45 minutes he might have only had 5 bites but every time you say 'are you finished?' he'd say no, have another mini bite and then get totally distracted again. Don't know if your DS is the same Hawthers?

Microlite thing sounds fab Dream what a great present. Am sure your friend enjoyed having your lovely company and your gorgeous children around

Lots of hugs and for all those approaching the night with dread.....

I'm feeling so tired I'm a bit weepy in advance of whatever horrors my little darlings have in store...

Oh, and I forgot my AIBU before!
Yesterday, the nanny was here as usual. DD is v v v v separation anxiety full atm, plus very mummy-ish. So we were getting ready to visit the Little White Dog, horses and ducks for baby napping, I nipped back for duck bread, nanny was putting her boots on sitting on doorstep, didn't try to help DD as DD refuses her help. And DD fell off our high doorstep. And screamed . The nanny instantly said 'oh, I caught her coat and broke her fall, she didn't hit herself hard, she's not hurt just shocked'. She was clearly hurt, she sobbed and sobbed. She's normally brave- she didn't cry having her head glued fgs. So I took no notice and cuddled and rocked and soothed. She was doing the whimpering thing where you're trying not to cry for ages. Nanny repeats she broke her fall, she's not hurt. 30 min later, I see a huge egg on her head, graze, small graze on chin all apparent (which I pointed out of course!) . After she'd gone home though I realized, when brushing dds teeth, that she's chipped the other front tooth and extended the chip of the one she'd already done :( :( . So I'm fuming that she clearly fell bloody hard, and instead of just consoling and offering sympathy the nanny had just insisted initially she'd not hurt herself!!! I'm not cross she fell, DD is not the most coordinated so will fall more than other 2 yo I reckon, its the denial she could be hurt I'm pissed off with, especially as I didn't check her so carefully because of it, maybe?! I gave her ice cream after her tea yesterday and she sobbed- no bloody wonder with two newly chipped teeth. I'm definitely telling the nanny when she's next here she did it, or AIBU?

And it means I didn't take her to the dentist, job for Monday...!

Oh no, poor DD, Dream! I don't know if you're being U or not. I think that a nanny should know that a child can hurt herself whether you think she fell hard or not. You should definitely tell the nanny what happened - after all, won't DD's teeth be sensitive for a while? The nanny needs to know.

Aaaaargh, M is up again! Exactly the same time as yesterday! She was restless and wouldn't stay down from about 9.15 onwards (went to bed at 7.30 seeming exhausted) - I think I fed her, she seemed to fall asleep and I put her back down about 5 times between 9.15 and 10, and then she went bing! Wide awake. DH is having a go now to see if he has any better luck. The last thing I want is for her to be up until 1.30 am again. I would rather go and drive around until she falls asleep. DH has just appeared with M, looking very unsleepy. [hhmm] Now what? The driving? I tried pick up, put down, she just howled whenever I put her down.

DH says if I want to drive her around I can do it on my own, while he goes to bed. Arsehole.

Can't get either of mine to sleep either too

Argh!!!

Or he could drive while you go to bed....