October 2012 babies part 2: winding, yawning and grizzling, and first smiles?

[YompingJo]

Part 2: in which our babies learn to sleep through the night and make us tea in the morning

Congrats Mickey! And totally agree London and Bella - healthy beans all round is such a relief - and mostly healthy mums too aside from various shades of exploding boob And on that note Huffle sending a (gentle non-boob-squeezing) hug. Shovel in the ABs and keep pumping and expressing - but also make sure you take Ibuprofen or similar for pain and swelling because it really helps fast :) x

Going to creche today for meeting to sort out when the bean starts, how it works etc. Feel a mixture of about the whole creche thing - can't imagine handing over PFB to strangers

Livvy your bean sounds like ours :) Having to get out the 3-6 month babygros for her long frog-like legs but they drown her top half and arms :) Is quite comical. Thing is, even from her scan at 15 weeks she had ridiculously long legs :) And will also be sharing bed with DH tonight as parents are coming up and sleeping in spare room lol.

I have a long baby too!! We'll soon have to put Baby Loopy into 0-3 babygros (he was a diddy 6lb, 11oz when born) but only because he's too long for newborn, but they're baggy in the body!!

First proper day without DH today & while I haven't showered, I have got dressed & having a while expressing - huzzah for small victories!! Baby Loopy is sat in rocker in front of Thomas the Tank Engine

Argh! LO kept me up 11-2! And the. Woke a few times. Help!

Oh dear Lizzie, bet you're exhausted!

We got up at 4am to feed & not been able to go back to sleep yet he was snoozing on my chest & I didn't want to disturb him, I'm an idiot

Oh my, I lost you.

So happy mickey has joined us and such lovely words from London and bella. We are lucky that we have made it this far and I raise a glass to that and hope that the ones that fell along the way will be celebrating themselves soon. And the other thread is now over and we are all here .

I've been holding a pity party as something seriously wrong with my pelvic floor. Not sure what yet but it don't feel right. If anyone else is having problems I have just got a DVD called HAB it. It is brilliant. Did it this morning and already feel more positive that I can get things back in the right place. Hardly surprising considering my birth experience that things are a bit wonky so desperately trying to cling to perspective. Luckily master midge still an angel (a self soothing one at that) otherwise I dont know what I would have done. Currently feels like my insides are going to fall out. Think my pelvic floor of steel was beaten by the ventouse and the placenta removal . Anyway I've stopped feeling sorry for myself and started thinking positive which is a step in the right direction at least. Big waves and proper catch up later as worried I may drop my phone in the bath....

hi bella. i just have the two children. dd1 is 9 and ds1 is 4 weeks. i am so bloody lucky that ds has really embraced it all and been fabulous with her brother. still, nothing prepares you for illness from older children when coping with a hungry baby. MASSES of empathy to anyone that has gone through it. i am lucky that at least dd is old enough to understand and get to the loo or bucket....

i must add that DP got it in the neck before he left for work. he said dd was looking better so i 'should be able to relax today after such a bad night' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! such a thing would only be said by someone that had not been left all day with a newborn hungry monkey that is our ds!!!!

huffle i must justify self slightly at getting dp to look at the crash site of my ladygarden (although in my head more of an allotment after vandilism). i have been bothered by m=numb area where episiotomy was and he suggested i had a look to reasure self. nooooooo way. then he offered and i let him. reaction shocking due to vaguely horny response, not shocking finding. men will never be understood. made me feel better although completely baffled by how people can let big scary one eyed thing near fanjo so soon and actually enjoy it????? only thing getting me excited at the moment is any night i dont see 3am (somehow 2am or 4am not so bad) and actually understanding a sentance Eric Bristow says on Im a Celeb.

oo huffle re mastitis - when my sister had it last year i massaged the blocked ducts for her while she tried to express. deffo recommend for some relief. it hurts while you do it but really works. my sister couldnt really get to do it herself so i offered. felt good to be able to help.

cheers to all of us clinking our lactulose/fibogel glasses!

bella me again :-) - how old is DS2?? sending massive 'coping with more than one' hugs.

i also have most time on my own. Dp is a driving instructor so works 6 days a week around 10 - 12 hours a day. only 5 hours ish on saturday but enough to mean that he can only help with night feeds and get ups on saturday night. he also could only take a few days off paternity leave so only had 5 days with him before he had to get back to work.

i am really lucky that i had AMAZING friends close by. would be nice to have my mum around. my folks are ok but live 90 miles away and are of the 'leave you to it' attitude. they only visited once for 3 hours the day i was discharged from hospital and havnt been since, charming. my sister is 200 miles away and my brother is in australia. DPs mum and sisters are v close but it is NOT the same. find myself just telling MIL all is fine cos i cant bear her whittering.

rant over. not sure where that came from??? just bit fed up. bit of family support would be nice.... i am def over tired. i dont 'do' sick so clearing up DDs whilst trying to comfort DS is not bloody Disneyland

x

To all you fybrogel ladies in the house, I have weaned myself off by replacing with 20g of linseed plus (linola) on ny porridge in the morning which works better than anything for me as long as you drink lots of wine water. Somehow made me feel better as least it isn't on prescription...

Anyone know how to correct a forceful letdown in one breast only? My right boob is spraying milk. Seriously. Spraying. It's freaking out my baby. It's freaking mummy out a bit too to be honest. I'm thinking I should spend the rest of the day feeding only with the less forceful one and just express a tiny bit to be comfortable from the superboob so it gets the message to chill the fuck out. What do you reckon?
Am a bit bloody fed up with breastfeeding, like many of you. Why is it so difficult?

Midget, sorry to hear about your pelvic floor. It will be fixable but everything will need a lot of healing after the trauma.

Thanks londonmrs I am trying to hold that thought.

I have a bit of over supply/ forceful let down too and found Kelly mom had good stuff as always. Poor master midge looks like he may drown sometimes....

Anyone know if is ok for me to hav a temp of 39.5???? Feeling so rotten now, def caught early symptoms this morn! DH has gone out with DS to let me rest and he is calling GP. Flip me, this is mad. Off to express some more!

39.5 is very high. Are you on your own? Call the doctor and try to cool down (strip off, drink cool water, dab cool (not freezing) flannel over you. Hope you're ok. x

Off to GP for 4.30. Aargh!!!

Huffle if ever there was a bf award you would surely get it, full of admiration in the way you have persevered. One bout of nipple thrush had me heading for the hills formula.

Anne & Bella reassuring to hear there are others finding it tricky to cope with two. Had nightmare scenario last night with DS1 and me both getting tummy bug and puking and t'other end whilst DS2 wailing and needing to be fed too. DS1 off from nursery yesterday and today, will have to see how tomorrow goes. I'm feeling a lot better now but hard work coping with 2 when you're not feeling great yourself.

Luckily my mum has been over, feel strangely guilty for this, as if I should be able to cope on my own, plenty of people do, right, including a lot of people on this thread. I know she doesn't mind at all and DP says there is no reason to feel bad, no point making things harder than they need to be but I somehow still feel like I should be able to do all this on my own. DS2 will be 5 weeks tomorrow and I still haven't had a full day just on my own with both of them. Feel a bit incompetent admitting that, although DS1 in nursery 3 days a week.

Zara or anyone else formula feeding - how have you found the transition from bf to formula? My only concern so far has been in the change in DS's poo - used to be several a day when bf, now he only seems to be going once ever 2/3 days. Spoke to HV and she said this was perfectly normal but cue loads of guilt over how moving from bf to formula was clearly bad for his digestion...
Also, are you following a strict routine or offering different sizes of feed? I am paranoid about overfeeding and have been tracking his intake which is at the top end of the scale for his weight, although got him weighed yesterday and he is putting on weight at an acceptable level. I have been pretty much been demand feeding him but wonder if we should be getting into more of a routine, even if the thought fries my brain at the moment...

Bella, how typically kind of you to remember those of us who miscarried on the Due in October thread. I had a mmc at the twelve week scan, followd by an ERPC, and haven't had a BFP since . I am now 41 and on my second round of Clomid (despite knowing I was ovulating already ). I am terrified of remainng childless. Notwithstanding my sadness I have been overjoyed to read all your stories and think you all did an astonishing job and are continuing to do so. Thanks again, Bella, for your kind thoughts..

Hope you're ok huffle , good luck at the doctors x

I've just picked up a monster bag of painkillers for my sciatica, standing & walking are excruciatingly painful!!

First day by myself too - not too bad, managed to go into town, set up Bugaboo chassis, put baby on it practically upside down, quick stroll round town, then back to carpark, couldn't bloody collapse bloody bugaboo to put back in the car!! Baby bawling, I almost joined in!
Now at home & never want to leave the house again

Oh golden, I'm so sorry to hear that- I too often think of the people we lost from the antenatal thread. I truly hope you get a positive really soon and sorry for your loss.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20406743

Interesting article ladies

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20406743

golden so sorry you haven't had a BFP since leaving the thread. Miscarriage is a bitch. Hang in there - there is life in us old ones yet. Sending you lots of sticky interweb thoughts.

huffle hope you now have antibiotics and someone to look after you. Full blown mastitis is the actual work if the devil and you will need someone to look after you. I had to stay in bed and just get the baby bought to me to feed - which although painful did bring some kind of relief in a weird way. Really feel for you. .

Goldengirl I can only second what everyone else has said. I wish you the best and hope you get your BFP. 41 is still a good age. Good luck!

Loopy I feel your pain on assembling/dismantling pram! My first day alone DS cried so much trying to put him in carseat that I cried too! 1.5 hrs later than intended we left house. Got to shopping centre, unable to get car seat out, ended up coming home again crying most of the way!!!! And when it rains, still, I magically cannot get chassis to fold! Hope your painkillers work for sciatica, that is a bitch of a problem with a newborn to lug about. Take care if yourself and try not to aggravate.

October so [jealous] at your constant help!! Do not feel bad!! As someone said before, most cultures hav lots of people raising baby. We just make lives bloody difficult for selves!! I hav no idea if I am correct but I would assume incidence of PND is much lower in said cultures.

I am sure u are all v v tired of my BF complaints!! Been to GP, is indeed mastitis. There is a rogue lump in sore boob (same bloody sore boob!!) and I was good recognising symptoms early (cos I'm a total hypochondriac) but expect to feel shit for 48 hrs and take antibiotics for 2 flaming weeks. But hopefully should not progress past this. Looks like Mst Hungry Huffle will be feeding lots! Hav been in bed all day and despite fact I feel totally shite it has been nice to hav no responsibilities other than feeding! DH home again tmrw to look after me ( thanks [Midget]) and if need be MIL on Thursday. Mum is on hols, she will be raging to miss the chance to look after me/ be important!

Thanks for concern and encouragement peeps. And I kno said before, but truly, what next??

loopy I have been there!! We were in morrisons car park. I tried to put whole thing on its side in the boot. no really. It didn't work. Managed to get stupid thing collapsed in the end. Not one passing sod offered to help. although parent and child spaces nearby mainly filled with fat people and no kids that can't be arsed to walk far.

golden am newish to these threads so we haven't spoken before but want to say I genuinely hope it happns for you mega soon xx

Hi october I'm also formula feeding and at first my little one only went once every other day, but now it's settled down to once a day. I don't have her on a routine- just let her settle into her own and she's now more or less feeding every 2 1/2- 3 hours and taking 4 Oz. how about you?

Can I ask if people want to share bedtime routines? Especially those with 2? Got to do it on my own for the first time on thurs.

I also can't imagine a time when I'll be able to put bean down for the evening! It seems so far away. At the moment she sleeps on us a bit in the evening, refuses the Moses basket, tends to be awake around 11-12isjhand then if we're lucky will have a couple of 2-3 hr stretches. What's everyone else's like??

lizzie and october - i am also formula feeding (stupid empty bag boobs..). i started going by what the hospital told me ie feeding every 3 hours... then my MW said was bonkers to wake him up (completely - he never sleeps as long now) and told us to feed on demand, looking out for hand to mouth signs. def seems to work. he was a biggish newborn at 8lb 15oz and has put on weight steadily. he seems to feed around 4 - 5 oz every 3 - 4 hours. i have started to keep a note of his pattern and see what happens.

i have 2 but dd is 9 so i might be no use.. although she is now getting over a stomach bug so have some idea of having to concentrate on two at once. dd goes to bed at 8.30 and have to be strict about it or i have no chnce with ds. honestly it seems nute to be able to put them down now but give it a go. when he wont play the game we put him down in the moses basket in the living room and take him through to the bedroom when he is proper floppy tired. its not easy. he tends to be awake having 'lets learn and look around' time between 9 and 12pm but he seems to sleep between 12 and 2.30am ish and again between 4am and 6am. we get him ready for bed at 6pm ish and keep all the lights off between middnight and 6am (glow of tv cant count.... costa del crime on at 3am on yes) in vague hope he might learn the difference between night and day.

its all trial and error............. we'll get there. my friend told me the other day 'the first 12 weeks are the worst'. i told her to bugger off. saying that to someone with a 4 week old is shit

x