December 2012 - the Christmas buns are coming out of the oven

[PurplePidjChickIsNotTheMessiah]

New fred...

I wouldn't want him to go more than three in the day and five at night ellie (wishful thinking?!)

Phew having some me time! Dh is working and all 5 dc's are asleep so thought I'd catch up. Welcome to the newbies

Well my day without dh went ok and not too stressful, it helped that Keira has cut down her feeding time from an hour to about 35 mins about every 3.5 to 4 hrs. My mum has offered to have the boys tomorrow so I can go for a haircut so hoping she'll feed before we go.

We don't have a routine as such but I guess I'll have to get a rough one next week when the boys are back at school as dh leaves at 6:45 so I'll be all alone, eek!

Fantastic news Pidg.

Welcome back Bubbless. Had been wondering where you were. Glad to hear you're feeling better about everything and look forward to reading about your DD's arrival v soon!

Hi Peonie. I'm a second-time mum (DS2 was one month yesterday ) but with DS1 we didn't have a routine for what seemed like ages. I'd often spend the morning in bed just feeding him. A routine gradually developed, and if we needed to get anywhere on time we always made it, but it was nice just to chill out and get to know him in the early days.

This time round, we get up far earlier as DS1 is up anyway. There's no set time for feeds though - I go with the "if he's crying, stick him on the boob" method (and I'd second everything Mamapo said about it not just being food). If your DD is content and gaing weight, you are doing absoultely fine. I'd make the most of being able to take your time about getting into a routine without having to sort older DC out too.

Ellie - funnlily enough, I was thinking today how much more content DS2 is to spend time on the playmat, in his moses basket etc whereas at this stage DS1 would. not. be. put. down. Bf both times, so think it is just the fact they are all individuals rather than necessarily linked to feeding method.

pidg great news! I can't imagine what you've been going through.

Thanks spotty i think He will prob do between 2 and 3 in the day and between 4 and 5 at night just glad i don't have to stress anymore when he isnt ready after 2 hours

Michelle, I was. Life has somewhat got in the way lately though. I'll probably go for mixed feeding so I can get some respite now I have 2 people to care for.

Seconds, don't try. I wouldn't wish this on a paedophile.

Welcome back bubbless! Lovely to have you back with us. You were missed. Glad all is ok and you are feeling much better.

Still failing to find time for mumsnet right now..

Yay great news Pidj. I just couldn't manage expressing and feeding at the same time, never mind working around visiting times and hospital appointments.

Anyone else having to avoid one born every minute? I think if I watch it I'll find myself on the due in October 2013 thread doing it all again. I'm taping it until my hormones settle down.

I've recorded OBEM too willyule for the same reasons, although just holding dd makes me all broody and think oooh I'd love to do this again. But having experienced a close age gap with my big two I won't be repeating it!

I only expressed before xmas so he could do the teatime feed after work! I didn't bring it up with me, haven't tried and will probably leave it for a while now. Hence the formula questions

Ds is wide awake and I've got a really bad headache and Rudolph the red nose reindeer stuck in my head

Me too State I actually lay in the delivery suite thinking I have to do this again after thinking never again during labour I'm still dying for another now. Think I need to hang out on the morning sickness threads to remind myself how shit early pregnancy is and that doing it with a month old baby would be horrific!

Hope the head ache buggers off spotty, I get them a lot when I've not drunk enough. Pidj I really don't know how you're managing I was in Ringwood today I know it's not far from you so did think of you.
Ellie should I have been feeding her every 2 hours?! DD2 went over 6 hours today

Anyone else's LO have swollen boobies?! She's 3 weeks now and as big as ever ? Didn't get this with dd1 but then she wasn't EBF so less hormones?!

Finally joining you all on postnatal thread.

Thomas is coming home this afternoon!
After a full month on scbu I can't wait for him to come home and get settled into normal family life!!
He is going to be tube fed, for part of his feeds he can drink about 30ml of each feed now but gets very tired due to his heart so will most likely be tube fed till his operation. (We have an appointment with the cardiologist on Tuesday so we find out more then)

I was fast asleep till about 40 minutes ago when 5 yr old DS woke crying from bad dream, now I can't get back to sleep again!
Keep thinking of bringing Thomas home and how tomorrow night he'll be lying in his Moses basket at the side of me!!! ;-))

I'm taping OBEM. now that ive been through it i can watch it with a whole new perspective. I liked watching it while pregnant because it demystified a lot of stuff for me. i think my corridor-dash labour deserved to be in an episode.

Immediately after labour (and the whole way through the pregnancy for that matter) I thought "I'm absolutely never doing this again" but my husband said then and there "that was amazing! We have to do that again!". I'm now coming round to the idea, not just because Z is wonderful but also because I think I'll cope with it all better next time round if I have a complicated pregnancy again now that I've been through it once (apart from, of course, the whole "looking after a small child while pregnant" thing...)

I should watch myself as i really do think I have my period. The new bleeding is steadily picking up steam and isn't like the on-off lochia that I had at the end of that bleeding. Ah well.

Oh Alison that's wonderful news!

Hooray for Alison and Thomas!

It's taken me all week to read back through this thread. Every day I'd get close, then by the next morning you'd all chatted so much I still had pages left to go. Anyway...

So glad to gear your DH is coming home Pidg. I was shocked and horrified to when you said he was ill. Everyone's worst nightmare. You've done amazingly well.

Congrats on Thomas coming home Alison. You must be so excited!

Well, Thomas is a week old now, and things are going well. We're co sleeping exclusively which has been great, but I've been rather tied to the bed with him. Not that I'm complaining. It's been great having the time to recover from the CS and get some rest. DH has been wonderful doing all the housework and cooking. He's not back at work till the 16th, so I've got a bit of time to get more mobile and into a bit of a routine. Even of its just getting dressed each day, and making myself lunch!

Been very useful reading about all of your experiences, very reassuring to read about some stuff T is doing and how everyone us feeling. I hope to join in a bit more from now on.

Was T the only Christmas baby on the thread? I see we have a New Year baby too :) congrats Nutella!

Hi all, just checking in as we get stuck into the 1-5 wakeful zone! I seem to be less hormonal/irrationally teary today which is nice. Maybe a combo of getting things done independently while DH was doing his sorting out for paternity leave at work today plus hormone balance?

Had an hour's kip at 11 too, plus knowing to expect to be awake now till 5ish means i have a goal when i can hopefully get to sleep again..

We seem to be in a precise 2 hour sleep pattern - 10-12 and 12:30-2:30 so far!

On the plus side, he normally snuggles up to me but I put him further over with his blanket tonight and he doesn't seem to mind. Hopefully that means he's nearly ready for his crib! Feed to dozed off, cuddle to deep sleep, put down has worked an amazing twice in a row

Great news Alison and pidj!

Cookies we've got swollen breasts on Aurelia - we Ben had a drop of milk escape a couple if times which was very freaky they call it witches milk! Apparently it should die down by about 6 weeks!

Oh alison yay for you and Thomas!

Well Ethan would not go in his Moses basket at bedtime, he'd been cluster feeding sin e 6.30 and I was exhausted, so I put him on my chest, we woke 10 minutes ago, he's now feeding and I'm hoping to try the basket again. I get some sleep at least when he's on me but it's not great quality sleep iykwim.

Those who sleep with babies on chests - how do you stop them rolling off? It at least how are you not terrified of them rolling?

Ah thanks Bella I was starting to worry i had a freak child and DPhas been joking she needs a bra already ( she has a big boobed mummy)
Great news on Thomas Alison, big yey.
Ahh the 3-4am feed is normally feed then sleep again and done pretty efficiently.. Not tonight... She is in bed with me but still struggling to settle her
Honey I sleep with her next to me with her own cellular blanket as I was worried she was going to roll off me.. I get a bit better quality sleep and(normally) still settles well... The madam will NOT stay in her basket or crib..

Interested in answers to honey's question, just posted elsewhere about this issue re Oz falling asleep in bed with/on us and waking on transfer..