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

october I have had the same worries myself with formula feeding! Asked public health nurse, midwife and formula company about them! It's all fine by the sounds of things, you're doing the same as me!

Poo - yes, there will be less poos with FF and they will not be as watery/yeasty smelling as BF poos. DS is pooing about once a day, but I was told every 2-3 days is normal. Consistency is like thick curry paste if that make sense , sometimes with mustardy seedy bits in it. Colour is mustard yellow. It's also far more obvious when he's pooing, he makes poo faces now . I'm using Aptamil, not sure if colour/consistency varies with brand? Was told it's fine for babies to go a few days without doing a poo, only concern is if it's like hard pellets. In that case, offer some cooled boiled water too. Aptamil told me that (apparently) they put probiotics into their formula to stop babies from getting hard poos, not sure if this is true or marketing bollox.

Schedule - errrr I wish, we're still basically demand feeding! He was feeding every 1.5-2 hours on expressed bmilk. Now he's feeding about every 2.5-4 hours on formula. He is taking about 150ml/5 oz, 8 times a day even though the Aptamil tub says he should be only feeding that amount 5 times a day!! Public health nurse & midwife said not to worry, those are only guidelines and babies will eat more/less depending on their needs. Ie if baby's hungry, feed them - don't worry about a schedule or sticking to strict amounts!! I mean honestly how can you deny a hungry baby food! I was told (and have experienced in practice regularly) that if they eat too much they'll chuck it up - DS is a total guts and still projectile vomits once every few days!

The result of DS eating so much is lots and LOTS of wet nappies - about 15+ a day! He has put on a lot of weight. At birth he was 3.3kg/7lb 4oz. Yesterday (3 weeks 1 day old) he weighed 4.18kg/9lb 3 oz....

zara i can echo pretty much everything that you said!!

oo and we use SMA. ds does a good grainy poo every day.....

Hi all!

Keep making a note of things that happen as the day goes by to report back on. Sit down at computer and mind goes blank. Good old exhaustion eh.

Huffle you have seriously been through the mill with those boobs of yours! Well done you for keeping going. Hope those antibiotics kick in really quickly. Enjoy your duvet days!

goldengirl so sorry you still haven't had your BFP. Really hope it happens soon

october I'm bf and DS2 only poos once every few days! Don't worry about formula being harmful, it's not! It's nourishing your baby.

october anneh & bella solidarity for the dealing with more than 1 thing. October seriously, dealing with 2 whilst one is unwell and you're unwell yourself requires help I reckon! Don't beat yourself up!!

Yesterday DS1 was being impossible and really naughty. Threw epic tantrums, hit the TV, trashed the living room, refused to get into his highchair, the works. Oh and hit another little boy repeatedly over the head with a huge digger He never used to be aggressive, ever Today, DS2 spent most of the morning screaming whilst DS1 was much less naughty. I await the day they both push me to the limit...I may walk out the front door and leave them to it....

DS1 appears to be shifting his nap time which makes lunch awkward. Trying to figure it out without risking an over-tired or over-hungry toddler. It's not going well when combined with my sleep-deprivation and fuzzy brain.

DS2 HATES baths. HATES them. Screams the house down. DS1 loved baths right from the word go so I have no idea how to handle this. Any ideas, anyone?

Right, narky baby to bounce and shush...all evening....zzzzzzzzz

Crazy you are a saint........ No idea how you all cope with toddler and newborn! Supermum indeed!!

Cannot give u bath advice. DH just given DS his. Absolutely loves it. However, taking him out, drying and dressing causes such a hullabaloo! I know baths are supposed to relax them but the aftermath winds mine up too much!

huffle it was exactly the same for us with DS1! I think most important is the association of bath with going to bed - don't worry! He'll calm down during the drying and dressing stage soon.

Congratulations Mickey - eyes water at 10lb baby, well done

Goldengirl - echo what the others have said and hope you get your BFP soon

Loopy I did the same thing in tesco car park, couldn't collapse the pushchair base and ended up stuffing it into the back of the car still up, lucky I have a big car or else it might have been left as Erin was crying in the carseat, my mum was offering 'helpful' suugestions and I was nearly in tears so was really crabby to her [embarrassed]

Lizzie you bedtime 'routine' sounds like ours, we have dinner, Erin gets a bath or kicks on her mat minus nappy at night (normally about 7-8pm), she gets fed and dressed for bed sometime but then stays up in the livingroom til 10pm-midnight when she goes up to bed with me. Not sure when she should go to the bedroom alone and be left?

After Erin's difficult evening last night she slept from 12:30am til ten to 7!! I woke at 3am as she must have made a noise but she went back to sleep, fingers crossed it continues...

I went to a nurse appt yesterday (about a huge mouth ulcer that has made the inside of my cheek swell like a hamster). She said that BF takes it out of you and to really eat well and take extra vitamins too and I might be run down. Whilst I was there asked about my 'collapsed' feeling fanjo - I've inspected the damage from after the birth / stitches and my cervix is really low down and she just said it was really early days and things will improve in time and if not i can get a pelvic toner on prescription. She just said to think how stretched everything has been - looking at Erin's wee head on my lap - I can see what she means

Crazy no suggestions re improving the bathing experience but if it's that stressful (for you prob as well as DS2) then just stick to giving him a good wash and avoid it - maybe he'll be better when a bit older?

When DH baths Erin he blow dries her afterwards with the hairdryer on a low setting and she seems to really like it - maybe it's the noise too as that's one trick to switch off crying with her too.

Oh goodness, scatter brain!! HUGE congrats Mickey!!! Welcome!!!!

Ah, that is good to know Crazy, i look forward to a more relaxed boy!

And Katla must tell DH about the hairdryer.......! He likes to do that on himself as he has such hairy arms and legs!!! Interesting what your nurse said, makes perfct sense! Im more than a littls perturbed to discover that i leak some wee....... Not when i need to go, im slowly getting better at that, but generally speaking. I will have a physio apt at 6 weeks so will hooefully get some advice then.

crazy think katla is right. If he really hates it then I wouldn't do it for a bit, just top and tail him and then try again in a while. When 1 DC kicks off or is ill it is so fecking hard. I think I am on top of it and then suddenly something throws a spanner in the works and it's seems so bloody hard. I think we are all feeling the same as you, the desire to leave them too it bit I mean. And then they go and look so bloody. Cute together and I end up staying after all!

Neither of mine are asleep right now . I think most DC1's are a bit challenging when DC2 comes along which just adds that whole new level of head fuck at least I hope it's not just mine

katla collapsed cervix sound like the kind of things I have happening except think it may be my uterus. The HAB it Workout is supposed to do wonders. I feel a bit better today just from doing it once all in the mind but better than nothing

Had a horrible scare tonight. Cherry when you asked about hoods I was going to post that they were fine but tonight I had a horrible hood incident with master midge. Left him in his pram after a walk and heard him sounding distressed, DD just managed to pull his face out of the back of his hood where he had twisted round and couldn't breathe. dread to think what would have happened if we hadn't gone to check him so quickly. he was gasping for breath.

Totally terrifying for all 3 of us. So hoods are safe but leaving them up whilst baby unattended is totally not safe and I am a total nobber. I had loosened his suit but the back of the hood was still up. Will not be doing that again in a hurry.

Quick post peeps - hang in there Huffle what is it with our Norn Irish boobs and their lumps and bumps?! And on bath front - bean loves being in the bath but goes apeshit during drying and dressing. Will try that tip katla great idea as she loves white noise. Still only doing a bath a week, mostly because DH can't be arsed with the hassle. Would like to start the whole bedtime routine thing - maybe in a week or two when she's moving into her big cot. Can't believe she's growing out of her (huge) Moses basket

Just a quickie to say thanks for bathtime advice y'all! Dd2 fallen asleep sitting up in arms. Military lying down procedure about to commence

Just a quick one, because I'm shattered so must try sleep while baby sleeps (it's only 9:30am!)...

Crazy, harping back to my bath lessons again , but how about draping/covering him with a muslin whilst in the bath?
Possibly you've already tried it, but I'd never heard of it before my Japanese bath lessons.
Apparently it makes them feel secure and stops all the flailing arms/startling business, especially if you can get the arms tucked under it. It also gives them something to cling onto. Then you just uncover whatever bit you need to wash.
I do it every time and DS loves baths. He hates coming out too though, but usually calms down once he's all bundled up in a warm towel.

HTH

Fuck fuck fuck.

1. I have a blocked duct, I think. It's agony.
2. Just fed baby- a good long feed. Then changed her and her clothes as covered in milk. Then she vomited the entire contents of her stomach into her moses basket, allover her clothes. Everywhere. Now all I want to do is cry.

Oh feck it, he's going to wake soon I just know it! I'll sleep later...
More than four pages since I last posted, and I'm sure it wasn't that long ago!

Firstly I just wanted to say I'm really sorry, I have no advice or anything to offer anyone with expressing or ff problems or questions, as I've not done either (yet), but it's great to see all the good advice given by others. We're still in the early days - eventually we'll all be experts.

Massive sympathies to those with boob issues, hope you get well very soon. Really admire your perseverance.

Congrats on becoming an auntie Squid, it's great for you two and the babies that they'll be so close in age.

LondonMrs, I haven't had sex yet or thought much about it I feel ok, and it looked pretty normal down there last time i checked, but I'm not doing anything til 6 weeks and then will see how it goes.

Smorgs, are you ok?

Yomping, is laid back feeding the similar to biological nurturing [poncey name emoticon]? If so, we do that to (when at home). Much easier to MN on the back etc. I love watching DS get there by himself, have had some hilarious moments, like when he's pushed up on his arms right over the nipple but cant figure out how to bend his elbows to get down to it. I'm sure it must be good for their development.
Glad your mastitis is getting better.

YEY for breast feeding lady Huffle, hope you can go ahead with the plan despite the stupid mastitis.

Maternity nurse sounds lovely Livvy, you MUST get rest though, and not be listening out all the time!
And YEY to DPs back in the bed, mine is too! can't say I missed the snoring much though

Your DS sounds lovely Bella. I'm sure he'll be fine. Yes, it's not the same any more but that's not to say it's bad, or worse. It's just different. You're giving him a fantastic life experience, and very soon none of you will remember a time when DS2 wasn't there.

Hope your DD gets better soon Anne, that can't be fun for any of you.

Wantan, a nn isn't official, so you can choose whatever whenever. Better now than later, when people alread
y got used to one. I don't think it's weird at all, and both NNs are great!

Lizzie we don't really have a bed time routine. DS feeds so frequently day and night that there's no point. We don't have a Moses basket or anything, all sleep is in the cot. I suppose I keep the bedroom dark and quiet from about 7ish, but still bring him out to the living room to feed til we go to bed around 12ish.

Golden, I joined here after the 1st trimester so I don't think I "met" you, but I just want to say I'm so sorry for your loss and wish you all the best for the future. However much I complain on here, I'm so grateful for what I have and know I'm very lucky.

And finally, congratulations Mickey! Can't wait to hear your story, hope you're recovering well.

So great we're all here now. At the time pregnancy seemed so slow and endless, but looking back it seems to have flown by! I already have pregnancy envy. Already want to do labour again, knowing what I know now. Already look at DS's first photos and get upset at how much he's grown. He's not even a month yet!

Oops, monster post alert!

Oh London, have a cry if it helps!
No idea what to do about blocked duct, but Angelico will help you out soon I'm sure. Lots of massage maybe?
Sounds like a perfect time to get DH in for the cleanup! Is he about?

Cant remember who was asking about ideas for bf when milk letdown is spectacular and leaves dc gagging and overflowing..... But here is my experience

I have to be careful not to squish ds face too much into my breast or milk will come shooting out his nose. Best position is laying down on my back, tummy to mommy and legs dangling off my side below my armpit. Or laying on my side with Ds laying alongside with his head on the bed. Sometimes with the side lay if my breast is really full/firm i may have to kinda hover my boob over him for a moment with me propped up on my elbow to get the latch, then i kinda slide back down beside.

I al so find if i warm compress about 5 minutes before into a washcloth, the initial significant letdown just kinda ends up in the cloth and Ds doesn't drown in the fore milk.

Hope this helps!

Hubby is about, but I'm not waking him because he's working away tomorrow and has a 3 hour drive to get there so want him to sleep ok. Fuck, the boob is SO painful I can't believe it. I don't know what to do- I can't express / drain it because that will make the oversupply problem even worse.

Am fed up of breastfeeding my baby only to have her vomit the whole lot up afterwards. She does this about once a day- why can't she recognise when her tummy is full?

oh poor you London that is rubbish! This bf lark is hard enough-it must be so demoralising to feel like it has all been for nothing. Hugs to you.

golden thank you so much for popping on to say hello. It is very generous spirited of you to wish us all well when you must be siffering so much yourself if you are still TTC. It makes me feel so bad for all the grumbling I do when I know how incredibly lucky I am to have been blessed with a healthy baby. I really really hope you get your BFP soon-maybe you will have an October baby after all, just in 2013! I wish it for you so much. Lots of love to you

thanks everyone for your support about looking after two of them. Had DH at home today so we braved Tesco. Bloody hell, that was quite an experience! The good part of it was that we have DS1 20 quid and let him choose us all a little christmas present. He chose me some socks, some dummies (or dingdings as we call them) for Will and some gloves for DH. He is obsessed wit presents and santa coming so I thought it would be good for him to learn about the pleasure of giving presents too. He was so cute with his little bag of gifts and his plans to wrap them up. Bless him.

crazy sympathy on our struggles with the two of them. Hope DS1's behavious settles down again soon. It is so hard to try and keep things the same disciplne wise. I feel like I want to let ds1 off a bit sometimes cos I feel so sorry for him, but I know that is the worst thing I can do. My ds1 has been so patient, but occasionally he does get so cross when Will cries during our story time or something like that. Today he kept saying 'Will just be quiet, you are spoiling everything'. Oh god the heartbreak!!

October-poor you being ill and having an ill dc as well as a newborn. That sounds like such hard work!! Hope you are all better soon. Love to you x

wantan don't stress about change of nn-I am sure people will just pick up the change if you reder to her as Arty. Really sweet name btw!

RE bedtime routines, we don't have one at all for ds2 as it is different every night and every evening is a feedathon, but have a cracking one for ds1 which works so well as he knows the order of events so well, he will sleep absolutely anywhere provided we do the same chain of stories/milk/teeth etc etc. We started this at about 4 and a half months when I moved to formula last time. I have a similar target in mind this time if all goes to plan. I am 30 in Feb so hope to make it to then. But am determined not to beat myself up if it doesn't work for that long. We will see.

Sending hugs and virtual cold compresses to anyone with boob/duct/mastitis issues. Can't link properly as am on my phone, but when I was bfing (or should I say, milking myself b/c there was never really a baby attached to my boob) these are AMAZING! Wheat packs for your boobs. You can stick them in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm them up or in freezer. The fabric feels lovely and you can tuck them in your bra directly on your skin, even when straight out the freezer!

shop.boobdesign.com/en/product/527/warm-cool-relief-pads

londonmrs my DS voms impressively every 1-2 days too! It's very annoying and distressing but he never seems bothered after he's done it! I know it's hard to gauge how much has gone in when they're on the boob, but when you know she's had a lot can you hold her off for 20-30 mins until you let her have more? We do this when DS has drained 150ml but is still making food faces. Also we find keeping him upright for 30mins after a huuuuuge feed helps. Bloody annoying in the middle of the night though. I do try put him down sooner at night much to DH's disapproval but if he starts hiccuping or wriggling I pick him up again. Also am starting to master the quick-pickup-and-point-face-to-floor when he looks like he's going to barf..,,

Re bathtime.. I have a tummy tub...basically a glorified bucket but meep loves it. Os supposed to leep them calmer for bath time. Drying off still a challenge will try haidryer!
In total awe of u fantastic ladies suffering with health problems and other children to deal with....you are all amazing.
I am on challenge to improve sleeping at night.. Trouble is at night im so snoozy i end up just dragging meep into bed with me and feeding there but think he then ends up just nibbling every hour rather than having proper big feed. Must get out of bed and feed properly...then may get longer sleeps...argh.

Hey London I've had several blocked ducts and the following worked for me - Ibuprofen; feeding from that side first all day while massaging the area (I don't think this really affected supply as only usually lasts 24 hours); having a hot bath or shower and massaging (I used a body brush with lots of shower gel on) and applying warm compresses esp before feeding (although some ppl find cold better I think). Get as much rest as you can and get to the doctors if it persists or you get a temperature as you might need antibiotics if it turns into mastitis. Good luck x

On phone so will try and post later - this thread moves fast!

Hey all - waves - my god this thread moves fast. Big sympathies to those with boob problems, poorly kids, or older kids at all to by honest!

Had a hectic few days - mate up for the weekend, did some hiking, she was a bit low so needed some tlc - worrying about my poor sis-in-law and then new niece on monday morning! Yesterday made cake and bought pressies and went to meet new niece - OMG but jess has grown so much already, couldn't belive it. Niece is 7lb 8oz so lots bigger than jess was too but looks TINY- cannot believe how big and alert and like a real person my daughter has already become.

Sister had a TOUGH labour - stalled for 10 hrs at 8cm, went on drip , managed to avoid c-section and forceps (very impressed)... she really wanted vbac so happy for her. baby fine but sis lost lots of blood and still has catheter in. She came home anyway, she insisted (last time she was in hospital for a week after section, poor care, caught infection, milk didn't come in etc - did not want a repeat!!) She has gone back in today to remove catheter and hopefully wee!! So thinking of her. She looked shattered, we looked at each other like labour-survivors (mine was not as hard as that though!! but suppose it is a different experience with epidural, hospital setting etc) and cried and hugged a bit. my nephew (2) is being adorable but keeps calling his sister baby jess!! bless him he had only just got used to the one baby...

Also got stuck in a three hour motorway traffic jam, just me and jess - oh and am doing loads of running and grumpy my jeans are still tight. Think that mostly covers it...

Am totally chipper despite hectic-ness because jess is sleeping through the night. 7pm to 7am with one brief settled feed at 3am last night; and at least 7 hours every night for the past week, it's amazing. Have not slept this well in years. Really hope you guys get this too!! I'm sure it's just a phase but making the most of it!!

She is 7 and a half weeks now... smiles giggles makes eye contact, feeds and sleeps easily, and entertains herself for 30-60 mins regularly. Sis's newborn is beautiful and tiny but well glad my little girl is growing up !!

Omg squid have you any tips on how to get beans to sleep 7-7 at 7 weeks?!