November 2012 - come on stragglers, we're waiting for you

[StuntNun]

Previous thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/postnatal_clubs/1622007-November-2012-hurry-up-to-graduate-were-running-out-of-November

pass he had to get to work. I did congratulate DS afterwards

YW good news, also pikz

GT I do know about diazepam (clue in the name) and you should not self prescribe at any stage, especially when you have a newborn and are potentially at risk of PND as we all are. I would urge you to take them to the chemist to be destroyed. They should never be taken without clinical supervision. You may think it will make you sleep, and it will, but once you wake up it will make your sleep worse in the long run. It will not help your mood one iota and will affect your ability to parent. If you do decide to take it anyway, make sure someone else has responsibility for your son. Any healthcare professional involved in your care would be most concerned if you were to use diazepam without a current prescription, even with one. I have been to enough child protection case conferences to vouch for this. I suggest you take the doctors advice and try the calms, although if you have used diazepam in the past they are unlikely to do much, especially if you do not think they will work. There are many things you can do to help your sleep, I suggest you make an appointment with a GP or nurse to discuss your particular issue.

Gt - sorry to hear your appt was so crap. Vaguely remember feeling mine was also lightweight last time so have low expectations. If you can face it though I would book a normal appt with another doc to discuss your concerns. It's so important to get the support you need.

Garden and pixies - it is hard sussing milestones etc when they are prem. Corrected age is def best to go on for the first yr... But even then with dd (who was only 6 wks early but had a few other probs too) I found (and still find) it best just to try and support / stimulate her as much as poss, but just take each day as it comes. Some milestones she has hit, some she hasn't. Lots of friends with prem babies and kids have fully caught up now though so long term the prognosis is favourable.

Can identify with toddler he'll - mine is being a darling but has picked up an eye infection which us v contagious - evidenced by the fact ghat she has now passed it into the other eye too. Am desperate to keep it away from g so am changing my top and washing hands and face every time I move from her to him - which is a palarver! Probably still doomed though as she lives grabbing my haircas a comforter and has on more than one occaision yanked it from my ponytail and rubbed it in an infected eye... Wish me luck! She has eye drops from docs - will take her back and ask for oral antibiotics tomorrow if no improvement.

Good luck to the rest of you struggling with sleep & feeding... It will get easier (I keep telling myself...)

MM I doubt your supply is falling in any major way or else M would let you know, now your body is learning what she needs the supply will be balanced and engorgement gone. If your supply drops you just need to feed more - especially at night as this builds supply. I wouldn't leave it longer than 3-4 hourly between feeds in the first month to get your supply built. M is better at getting your milk than the pump so don't doubt your body xxx

I'm going to bottlefeed.

I can't take it any longer.

Decision made.

Good detective. Not about the decision itself of course but of the fact you have made your mind up. I firmly believe that the time spend crying, agonising, resenting LO and the subsequent guilt is MUCH more damaging than formula feeding itself.

I completely concur with yw's dislike of "happy mum, happy baby" as it can be seen as an excuse for utterly selfish behaviour. However, where something is making you utterly miserable there has to be a trade off.

I have never said this out loud but I knew the time had come to give in to formula when I found myself wishing that I would take so ill I would need to be hospitalised. I had a small amount of clotting in my lochia and I remember thinking that if I became so ill that I wa admitted to hospital the the decision would be taken out of my hands. I got such a fright at thinking something so irrational that I knew I had to stop wallowing and just move on. I won't allow myself to do the 'what ifs' anymore

GT Nurse said to give 2.5ml Calpol if girls were grizzly or had temperatures. Apart from crying real tears and having looks of utter shock on their faces, they were fine. I didn't need to give them any that evening. Just see how he goes.

They had lots of horrible things happen to them in the NICU. Their little hands and feet were black and blue with bruises from drips and needles . So it prepared me for the big scream of the immunisations.

Detective do what you think is best for you and your family. Your baby will grow and love you no matter how you feed him. My mum BF my 3 sisters, I was FF. We are all healthy and my mum and I have the closest relationship out of her 4 daughters. How you feed means jack shit.

Yay what a break through pikz

detective as long as you are happy Oscar will be xx

Wooo managed to do some housework - though I'll leave having a shower until dh is at home!! And I've organised the freezer and found loads of half meals I'd forgotten about so have made a meal planner for next couple of weeks to make space for Xmas foodies and to be more organised instead of reaching for the take away menu!! Tonight it's my favourite king prawns with Lloyd grossmans tomato and chilli with tagliatelle - sooooo yummy and takes 5 minutes!!!

Anyone got any other quick hassle free meal ideas??? Every minute Dottie isn't on the boob is precious so don't want to be slaving in the kitchen for an hour!!

Well done for making a decision detective now keep looking forward, not back, and every drop he has had you should be proud of

Just sorting out his 3-6 month clothes for washing. I am so glad I am not having to buy them all new.

detective glad you've made a decision you're happy with.

pikz great news. Can I ask why you're using the shields though? I thought you'd been expressing due to the tongue tie.

YW I feel very grateful that A feeds frequently but speedily. It was partly the tongue tie - he got worn out quickly so would be on & off often, with cat naps between, but now he seems to do 15-30mins every 2-3hrs.
GT I 2md everyone else - see another GP!

I remember my 6wk check with DD. Told the female Dr that it felt uncomfortable during sex, she looked, said I had scar tissue from the stitches & wanted to use silver nitrate to remove it. I was because I'd had to use that to burn off layers of skin from an in-growing toenail before a chiropodist was seen & cut out the nail so NO WAY was she doing that to my fanjo!!!!

Got to book 6wks check plus a follow up appt with feeding specialist.

mm I agree with YW. After engorgment has settled, your supply is matching LOs needs. I never managed to get more than an oz or 2 with DD unless I'd skipped a feed. Now I just collect the oz or 2 I leak in the mornings, much easier than pumping, although occassionally pump when feeding.

VQ "told you so" springs to mind!!!

Was it kirrin with the moaning DH on the way to the dentist? Think mine would get a slap & told to go stay with his mum if he dared say anything like that to me - his Mum would so back me up!!!

glenda dominos, Indian, BK, MacDonalds, pot noodles

VQ

glenda will have to try that ourselves - we've got a few pasta bake sauces from aldi. Add extra bits (like mushrooms & Bacon) but its easy because its one dish, on the oven, so no need to oversee it much iyswim.

Well done detective hard decision I am certain but good for making it. Hopefully this will help you and put a smile back on your face.

Any suggestions for healthier snacks?

I'm eating my weight in biscuits because I seem to have little time to make proper food for myself. DD gets super quick lunches & I never fancy it then - babybel, bread, grapes, cucumber slices etc all dead easy. The baby weight will never fall off, even of bfing, if I eat 3 packs of biscuits a day... I do eat the odd yogurt and maybe breakfast cereal if I have time.

Just sat here after giving him a feed. We both seen happier.

Got a stonker of a headache and DP forgot to pick up paracetomol yesterday (and the 2 previous days...) and now he's fucked off to Manchester 'Christmas Shopping'. Hmmm.

Of course chunky it was a combination of big tongue tie, very full boobs and supply and flat nipples. All together it made his latch impossible and even after the tongue tie cut on Monday he struggled to latch with my flat large nipples despite pumping off some supply first so we made the decision with the lactation consultant to try shields to get him used to the feeling and sensation and then slowly take them away. He has had to relearn to take bottles too.

Go detective don't look back enjoy you baby!

mm i'e never been able to pump - ever and i don't leak between feeds but baby is growing like a weed - i just don't seem to have the drippy boobs that people describe.

Oh yes please any ideas for quick meals please. We have run out of people making us meals and I have been doing bland meat and two veg the last couple of days, though fajitas on Sat which are an easy treat or this is yummer is in a Jamie Oliver book, super quick...

Sirloin steak
Wraps
Humous
Cress
Rocket
Tomatoes
Lemon juice
Paprika

Score the steak sprinkle on the paprika
Heat your pan
Put your rocket and roughly chopped toms in a bowl with some olive oil and some lemon juice pop the cress on top
Do you steak to your liking take out to rest
Warm your wraps in the pan in the steak juice
Slice you steak
Make your wrap with humous salad and steak
Add a nice glass of red that has been warming by the fire.

Is really quick but you feel like you have had a cook. Is in Jamie's Dinners I think.

The alien is stirring!

Last night we had 3 hours of high pitched screaming with colic! My poor little baby was in so much pain, real tears streaming down his little face :( We've had small bouts of it in the very early days but this was horrific, have now stocked up on the Gripe Water as Infacol is no good as there really is no need for me to use it regularly.

Chunky, I've been craving sugar for the last few weeks. Strange because when I was pregnant I was super healthy (due to fruit and veg cravings) but now all my body want is fatty calories. Who are we to deny it?

Detective You've been through the mill, I'm glad you've made a decision that you're happy with, hope you start to feel more human again. And I know how you feel about the visitors, I f'ing hate it when people come round especially at stupid o'clock like yours did.

I've got a Baba Sling, but don't know how to use it as Tommy just lies in it in a position that can't be right. I need to get him in it properly so that I can get some jobs done, I'm currently lying on a sheet on my bed, I've no idea how long it's been on there but I do know that I'm lying on shit, piss, sick and boob milk that have been lazily mopped up with a baby wipe - how disgusting is that! I need to change my bed , I want to lie in a bed that smells nice!.....

chunky at silver nitrate. What did they do it the end?

Pikz - I've been using shields for two weeks now, DS won't feed without them but he's gaining weight and feeding well so Ilm happy. They are a PIta sometimes though.

DS ended up feeding from 11 until 4.30 last night. Tired is Not the word. And I sore and stiff from sitting and feeding. PHN came today to weigh him though, he is 8lb 8oz, so has put on 8oz in a week, happy days:)

GT - I agree with VQ- No diazapam! Please make another Gp appointment if you feel you need something.

shelly our bed has had it's fair share of baby sick. I find if it is freshly ingested fore milk it dries quickly and doesn't smell for days. Not so with fermented vom, mucous or piss.

shelly - i have a baba sling too - theylre hard to get a hang of but good when you do! Have a look on the baba sling website for demo videos.

Healthier snack recommendations needed here too. I eat quite a lot of fruit but it gets quite boring.

Not healthy but Ive been living on scotch eggs ...they are filling and grabable when there is no time to make myself a sarnie at lunchtime.