November 2012 - the birthplosion (thanks Peaky)

[StuntNun]

Previous post-natal thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/postnatal_clubs/1579907-November-2012-babies-are-here-at-last

Stats list: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/1485512-November-2012-Stats-List

pass I had the midwife look at my stitches at my check up today oh the glamour as they are so bloody painful i was sure they were infected, but they are fine apparently. I think i have 1 that is in just the wrong place and it pulls when I move around.

tits I was coming on here to post the exact same question - DD has been asleep pretty much all day - I've had to wake her for feeds and she's gone straight back to sleep afterwards. I've been worrying but she seems quite alert now - just in time for the night shift!!

Those of you who have 2 year olds - how are they taking the new addition? DD1 is driving me to distraction. She is much more jealous than I anticipated and has really gone to town with attention seeking behaviour - all of it bad. I'm trying to stay calm but she is really testing me. She gone for things that are dangerous or painful - climbing on stuff or pulling the dogs' ears - so not really behaviour I can ignore. I'm supposed to be making her feel loved and secure while she gets used to her new sister and instead I'm constantly telling her off :(

pass i ended up seeing my gp yesterday as my stitches felt more sore not less. Turns out i've got a bit of granulation - where the body goes a bit crazy trying to heal and creates a small lump. Oh well, she said they'll keep an eye on it but hopefully it'll sort itself out.

Another second here for breastmilk for gunky eyes, F had a bit of this and it is clearing up not too badly now.

F has slept a large part of today and yesterday. I remember worrying about it with his bro but he definitely woke up a lot more after a few weeks. I'd take more advantage of the quiet but i'm conscious about not overdoing it as i had a late bleed last time, probably for that reason. So i'm enjoying my husband doing a lot of the jobs/chasing his older bro!

Off to the hospital tomorrow for our 10 day check and BCG jab. Feel a bit sad about jabs so early but it's recommended for our area. Fingers crossed F's putting on weight ok too.

Why am I struggling to imagine breast milk in the eyes? What does it contain that helps? I'll defo try it though, thanks!

Hello, lots to catch up on.

Congrats candy.

kirrin, DD handling things really well bu she is a tad younger (21 months) and has had the benefit of DH's undivided attention whle I have been occupied wi DS. He goes back to work Monday, so am bracing myself for a decline in behaviour.

gt we have DTD. Slightly different though as I had a CS. Am an extremely fast healer though, and very lucky with my wound which hasn't troubled me at all since about day 5. If you feel ready, go carefully and see if it is ok.

Thank you VQ. I ended up bursting into tears over dinner - I am not a crier so this is a weird thing for me. DH poured me a glass of wine and we had a wee blether. Crying now but not concerned if that makes sense.

Also thanks for the stitch advice those who gave it. I have been putting fridge cold witch hazel on maternity pads and making sure I clean the area as much as possible. I have no concerns about the aesthetic beauty post-heal, I just want to be sure I am healing. I think that was my other issue earlier as well - walking out was lovely but left me very tender and very aware of my whole undercarriage. That combined with slightly blistered nipples from expressing and wearing the same joggy bottoms for days all left me feeling a bit sorry for myself.

Anyway, tears aside, I am in bed listening to a snuffly baby sleeping. It's a lovely sound.

Breast milk just works. Not sure why. After junior peeing in his eye on his first day then me imagining breast milk is a lot easier.

DD2 is 2.5 and loves her baby bro when he is in his chair or cot. Not so keen when he is demanding of my attention. She is also prone to crazy naughtiness as she knows I will put baby down to tend to her. It is normal natural attention seeking behaviour.

Babies are hard wired to be awake more overnight in the early weeks as that is when the hormones are highest for milk making. Perfectly normal.

pass how do you use the distilled witch hazel? Do you put it neat onto the pad or do you dilute it somehow? I bought some a while ago but haven't started using it yet

Oh god I've lost my post and the only thing I can remember is sex we haven't DTD yet, both want to but I need to air contraception out first, not one person has spoken about it to us though!

Had a lovely day today, went out Christmas shopping this morning with DP and LO but didn't get much then this afternoon we went and watched twilight it really was so good!! LO was absolutly brilliant throughout the whole film, woke up for a feed and fall straight back to sleep. Whoever invented baby screenings is a genious, people think I'm nuts when I tell them lol

Up for first feed tonight, hope you all sleep well

No baby screenings at my cinema. Apparently babies can go to anything 12 or under and if unsettled have to leave. What is the point of that?

Very impressed madame very impressed indeed!

DS settled in his cot at 11 and slept two hours. Hoping he will do the same after this feed. So pleased he is doing better with his cot. I dismantled the moses basket today as I need the room and he hates it. It is in the ever growing pile of stuff to be sold. Feels good.

Hello ladies, marking my spot so I can attempt to catch up. Brought Francesca home last night. Managed a bit of sleep between feeds, had forgotten how sore nipples get at first! Owwww! Milk seems to be coming in tho so it's all good

I haven't posted much as I can't keep up!! Master Chicken is going well but at not yet quite a week old, I'm still struggling to remember what newborns are like.

I think bfing is going well, although he's tongue tied and doesn't open wide enough often, so I'm struggling to get a good latch when v engorged so getting sore now. Add to that, he's doing the typical newborn thing (iirc) of falling asleep at the boob so not necessarily draining it properly, which then adds to the engorgement issue!! Grr.

He is also a one man poo army. He poos constantly!! I don't remember DD doing that...

Speaking of DD, she is doing brilliantly. Taking baby all in her stride. She keeps saying she loves him & wanting to help with his nappy changes etc. She hasn't even shown much jealousy when I'm feeding. It will all change no doubt when I'm on my own with the 2 of them...

I'm not even thinking about DTD yet, and am totally in that people apparently DTD on the postnatal ward, according to the childbirth humiliations thread in childbirth. I mean, seriously??!! A baby just came OUT of there!!!

We haven't dtd yet, although its only been 8 days since I had her and can't think of anything worse right now.
Dh did ask about it yesterday and I said he might have to wait for a while. Plus contraception is an issue atm I need to sort out going back on the pill.

I would love to DTD and DP is like a teenager in regards to it, (horny all the time) but breastfeeding makes me feel about as sexy as a lamp post and J is always with me, day and night. Plus I'm still bleeding.
J was awake a good proportion of the night and I have another chest infection it would seem so ended up getting ever so slightly read very arsey with DP when he would helpfully point out that it was perfectly reasonable for J to want feeding again, "yes I know but I've only got 2 boobs and he's drained them both, wtf do you want me to do?"
I'm quite unpleasant when tired and ill.

I don't think that's that unpleasant tits- I've had an hour's sleep since 12:45am and I'm about ready to rip off DH's head because he's been asleep that whole time. He's still asleep now. And if he dares to look weary if I ask him to do something like change a nappy later because 'he's got work to do' (we are both in our final year of our degrees) then I will probably punch him in the face. I've got an assessment due in in a fortnight and I've barely had time to look at a textbook since the twins were born

J is still asleep since 8am when he finally dripped off I am still in bed, I'm not bloody well leaving, housework can be done in the week. Nocturnal baby is way less fun. DP pulled out the "I'm aware I have to be up at 5am weekdays for work so I sleep while he's feeding, it's not like I can help."
He got this look >> although he is chief nappy changer at night since its something he can do.
My boobs are so sore today, my hacking cough is doing nothing for the bleeding I'm sure it sets it off again.
I'm sure I used to enjoy breastfeeding last time, this time not so much.

Junior slept from 3 til 8am!!!! Am delirious - especially as DH gave an EBM bottle at 2 and I only had to get up for 10 mins at the end to top the hungry piglet up after he drained all of our milk supplies from the fridge. I slept from 11pm til 8am uninterrupted bar 10 minutes. Was worried as we'd been out to a cheese and wine do at DH's work the evening before and I'd had a wee glass and lots of cheese and was convinced he was going to react badly. Clearly not. He'd spent the night being passed around the party getting lots of cuddles. I felt human being out and about with pals too - though felt like I'd lost a leg when he was out of my arms... This makes up for his shit night on Thursday. Mindst if today is a sleepy day - then tomorrow is going to be a feeding day isn't it?

Pass I cried a fair amount in the first couple of weeks. In hospital I was rarely not in tears as he wouldn't suck, he cried, he didn't cry, he was jaundice, they were letting us home, they weren't letting us home. They were being rough with him, with me.

I cried at home because he was so cute, dh was going to work, mil wasn't here to see him, I want to go back to work, I can't bf, the dogs werent home, the dogs are home etc etc. Like you I'm not really a crier. Dh was fab though!! It's perfectly normal. I was told to seek help if the days waded through treacle outweighed those skipping through daisies. It's a useful analogy.

Wrt to stitches, I popped one. Running up the stairs!! Its gone grainy but its ok. Think I'm ready to dtd but am going to sit on the horse today, see how that feels then consider what to do.

Ds has belly ache :( to combat this he just wants to eat, making it worse. So dh has given him a dummy, ds happy sucking away, me not so happy as I don't like them, but it's better than him screaming and making the belly ache worse I guess.

Oh and I've been making powdered formula.

Tits and yw cross posts!!

Tits - big hugs. Stay in bed as long as you want!!

Yw brill news about your long sleep. I did the night feeds again this weekend. Dh told me off but I still feel guilty for not being able to breast feed. If I was breast feeding it'd all be down up be me. I might rest next weekend.

Ok he's getting his revenge by being a perm-limpet on my boob today. 2 hr feed, 1 hr off, feeding again. Growth spurt-tastic. Still DH is busy with the housework so I'm feeling pretty lucky.

Well done Jonas! Can you speak with Jacob and give him some tips please?

After two fairly good nights and a good day, today is going to the dogs. He just cannot get the wind up and we are both getting quite upset. I personally do not like infacol. It is not colic or reflux, just trapped wind. I am confident he will sleep in the cot if not for the wind. He did not come into bed until 6am when the girls were up anyway. Only slept for three two hour periods, which is fab compared to how it has been, but still results in a tired mummy.

That sleep sounds divine YW! My DH has been doing night feeds and doing a great job but I can't properely sleep though.

horsey thanks for relating. I was thinking this morning it's like I wake with the Eye of Tiger theme in my head but is gradually gets worn down as the day goes on. I think it is the thought of a long disturbed night ahead. It is also night time that I get most worn down by expressing. I keep trying her on the breast but she just gets so upset that it barely seems worth it.

I was wondering about bottles of breast milk - once she has drunk from one how long can I keep it for? Can I pop it back in the fridge? I ask because more often than not she drinks about 120ml but sometimes it can be half that. I do resent tipping 60ml of breast milk down the sink!

I mentioned to DH about the DTD chat and he properely laughed. I am not sure the idea appeals to him terribly much either.

Still in dressing gown. Have made a completely half-arsed attempt to tidy up not that it has made much difference really.

I want someone who has had stitches to DTD - I'd like to but am terrified and don't want to go first. I'm missing that side of our relationship and would like to let DH know how much I've missed him. Pass I think my DH might be scared by the idea given that he was at the business end during the ventouse procedure and saw my bits being totally savaged :(

VQ yip we had that day / night on Thurs / Fri. Was horrific. We seem to be alternating good and bad nights at the moment. You have my sympathies. It's a good thing they're so gorgeous isn't it.

YW that is amazing.

VQ - apologies for stating the obvious to a seasoned bfing pro like yourself, but is it worth looking at what you are eating? My DM insists that what I eat can affect DS in relation to wind. I mainly ignore her on the basis that she is probably right and I dont like it when she is, but I have started to notice a correlation between the amount of fizzy drinks I have (which I adore) and the wind retention in DS. Also, and am sure you're doing this, but are you winding him in a variety of ways? DS doesnt seem to have one particular favourite method of being winded, but if I try 2/3 positions in any random order, sometimes the change of position seems to help.

Pass the nights are definitely the worst. I can feel amazing for most of the day, despite the fact am exhausted, but come the middle of the night I am tearful and ready to pack in bfeeding because I feel so alone doing it. If DH makes the mistake of actually waking him and coming to check if we are ok, he usually receives a mouthful of abuse. Completely normal to feel worse at night, and dont forget, sleep deprivation is a form of torture for a reason. It is truly awful, but it will not last forever. Cling to that thought!

DS was ok last night, went down at 10pm, after a feeding frenzy from 7pm (but he had eaten v little all day), woke at midnight, down at 1pm, woke at 3am, down at 3.30am until 8am when I got him up! Would have been absolutely amazing, had this not been the day that DD decided to wake up at 5.30am, and decide, for practically the first time ever, that she needed Mummy, and wasnt happy with Daddy. Still, was lovely to spend some time with her, I do feel like she is currently very neglected by me (although most of the time she couldnt give a monkeys).

Madam fizzy drinks are notorious for causing wind in babies. It's bizarre, there's no way the carbonation can get through to the baby. Broccoli and grapes are likely causes and milk can cause problems. Allegedly. I'm on my third baby and I never bothered properly winding any of them. I just let them do little baby farts when they get windy.

My DH is still annoying me post baby. He was brilliant last night about changing nappies and bringing J to me for feeds. But today he has been building a log store for the back garden and loading it up with firewood. About 11 I wandered off to the kitchen and found half a pork pie for my breakfast because it was the only thing in the fridge that required no preparation at all. He has the worst sense of priorities ever. Then he was shouting at the kids later that he had had no sleep and no breakfast so he was in a very bad mood. Ffs there was nothing to stop him having a couple of slices of toast before he started work in the garden wouldn't have hurt to push the friggin' vacuum around either.

YW I think my DH is haunted by fanjo mutilation images as well. I have not looked at mine but have a mental image of old fashioned plastic type stitches over my vagina!

madame thank you for that. Everyone has made me feel so much better. I feel so awesome during the day and even during the night. It is a period in the evening when I just get worn down. It's all good though.

I am interested by the chat about winding - I missed this before. What different positions can I use?