November 2012 - losing sleep and losing weight

[StuntNun]

Previous thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/postnatal_clubs/1640937-November-2012-sleepless-nights-aplenty

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

Marking space

Am quite chuffed with myself for surviving first day of DH back at work after Xmas on my own with the two boys. We even managed to retain the same pair if trousers for ds1 all day, on day 3 of potty training. won't mention the one pooing on the bathroom floor incident . Admittedly DH went in late and came home early, and nana was here for some of it, and we watched tge whole of Jungle Book on DVD as well as much Peppa Pig, but still...

Anyone else's LO have an uncanny knack of waking for a feed as soon as any food is served? Happens every night as I sit down to eat dinner, and today as soon as I gave ds1 his lunch and tea, had to sit at table and try and get yoghurts and fruit from kitchen while feeding. How do they know?!

My mum's advice when I had my first, Fatima, was to do one thing each day. If you can do more than one, great, but try to do one thing whether it's writing five cards, vacuuming the house, etc. It helps prevent you from feeling so overwhelmed that you don't get anything done. Longer term I would recommend Flylady.net for keeping on top of housework. She gives you some things to do every day (clean sink, load of laundry, quick clean of bathroom, get dressed) then a structure for the rest of the week. Mine is Monday - kitchen and order groceries online, Tuesday - living and dining room, Wednesday - kids' room, Thursday - bedroom and put away groceries, Friday - bathrooms and paperwork, Sunday - change sheets. Saturday is family fun day. You also get a daily mission, e.g. wiping down the kitchen cupboard doors, spending 15 minutes sorting your clothes pile. It really helps you keep on top of day to day chores and the missions allow you to make progress on clutter, etc.

fatima I felt completely overwhelmed the other day when DH & DD were ill, DS wanted me a lot & the housework had backed up. Another wise mum said to me "sod the housework, it'll be there tomorrow". As for M needing holding, have you a carrier or a rocker (the fisher price one I linked the other day is ace)? I does get easier & I do understand feeling miserable looking around at the devastation but there aren't any prizes for having a perfect house...

As for thank you notes, could you get pre-printed ones? We used ones from Optimal Print. People loved the photos & we just had to address the envelopes.

Have just tried DS on am avent bottle with 2oz of ebm. Not a go-er but will try tommee tippee bottles another day. Can I leave the current bottle in the fridge & try again later? It's fresh milk. Obv can't be frozen but it took 2 mins to pump so not worth worrying about really!!

Yippeeeeeeeeee PR! Hope you are all back together again now, and lots of lovely cuddles and chilling time for you all!

YW I am so jealous of you being able to use a packing company. I hated moving house, just for the packing/unpacking! I'd love to move from here when the negative equity days are behind me to somewhere a little bigger so we can squish another baby in maybe one day. I'd really just like more storage space though. But the thought of moving fills me with fear! And with a tiny baby - you are insane woman!

For those asking about Ewan - we use him for nap times that require more than just a quick cuddle asleep. If he is tired and struggling to sleep, Ewan calms the fight down! He is currently asleep, in the car seat, with Ewan harping away at him! I use him even when not going to sleep to be honest. He likes it. He relaxes a to it. So we use it at play time too sometimes. If I think it will help, it goes on! Just depends I guess - I wing it really. Instinct :)

So after talking about a bath with him last night, I decided to just go and do it! He we loved it! We got big smiles from him! We stayed in for about 20 minutes, and he didn't show any sign of wanting to get out. I had to get out though as the layer of skin which had amassed at the top of the water had grossed me out. Had to lather him up in oilatum after, as I was worried about his poor skin! We just did plain water too!

So because of yesterdays success, we had another today - put a few lavender bubbles in, and gave him a bubble beard , and DS1 joined in while DP had a nap! Was lots of fun! His skin was fine this time, no shedding. In fact, his skin seems a lot better at the minute, apart from on the side of his leg, towards his groin which is red and looks sore. Am going to go to baby clinic tomorrow, so will get it looked at. Think it needs treatment, as it isn't clearing despite using different nappy rash creams, oilatum, and airing it. (Not all at the same time, obv!). Although it doesn't hurt him, it needs clearing, poor thing! It is right where the nappy lies, rubbing against it.

My new year eating isn't going too well. The shops had nothing I wanted, so have ended up with stuff not so healthy for tea! I mean, how can Asda run out of potato?!!

Well, my first pregnancy did not ruin my boobs. This pregnancy has destroyed them.

They were my only plus point. Now they are a very negative point. Saggy empty sacks r us.

They won't get any better either. That is it. Exercise can't tone tits!

Gutted.

detective once your hormones have settled, your boobs might settle too & fill out a little. Remember the milk ducts expand & can displace the fat. Once the milk ducts shrink, there is nothing there. Once your hormones are sorted, you might find you get some fat in them again... Fc huh?

dixies yep! My LO is so clever that she waits to the last minute where we all sat down and about to put the first mouthful in our mouths

pr great news, champagne well deserved! You have coped amazingly and fingers cross that the LO gets sorted soon too

It's is a very rare thing to have a sleeping baby when any kind of food is served in this house! Sleeping or awake would be fine, but not 'play with me, feed me, rock me to sleep' type whinges which are the usual accompaniment!

Tonight has been no different. I ate my tea. Now I'm holding him as he doesn't want to be put down but wants to sleep...! DP and DS having tea now.

Fingers have cramp from crossing chunky!

They wake up as it usually goes quieter when everyone sits down to eat. That is my theory anyway.

chunky I used to keep a bottle to hand for 1 hour max then chuck if it had already been started. Any longer risks germ build up.

Detecive- I have all The potatos at my house .

Very good day, cracked day time naps. LO has associated darkness with sleep, so once the black up curtain was up he was fast asleep. Still working on nights, thou.

Also walked alot today, felt great apart from my blisters. Horsey would be proud.

I'm hopping to catch up on the thread.
Evil

PR- it's great news. I'm so happy that everything is on the up. Huge unmumnetty hugs. .

Evil

Oh 2nd round of jabs tomorrow. Why can't I just have one happy baby for a day, without colic, teething, and general grumpyness.

Evil

Thanks Stunt and chunky I did mange to do 2 loads of washing today so that's something. I'll have a look at that website too.
The thank you cards are photo ones from snapfish, I wanted to write something on the back like "thank you for the lovely dress" but I might just end up writing names on the envelopes and leave it at that

Detective M loves coming in the bath with me. Really calms her, she loves swishing her head about in the water
Only problem is she often decides she wants boob halfway through so I end up in a tepid bath for ages

fatima sounds like my house! On Sunday night I arrived back from Ireland with bags full of washing from Christmas and full washing baskets I had left behind. My bathroom is covered In a sheen of dump dust < yuk emoticon> everywhere needs a Hoover and a dust and there is a line of farm animals marching across the living room floor.

It will get better. Honest! You will regain control.

I don't think that DH wants to swap me for my statutory as I am going back to work then and not taking that, as we are running tight to budget on the house..oo I will put a photo of my sexy footings on fb.....

New series of OBEM starts on ch4 in 2 mins! (must not cry...)

I'm watching Africa in BBC1 and its very good.
Evil

Brilliant news PR. You must be so pleased to get your family back together again.

I saw the advert for OBEM earlier and said to Dh that I find it amazing that I gave birth. I find it very bizarre that I squeezed a baby out!

Said baby is snorting and snuffling on the floor (in her basket) - she is SUCH a noisy sleeper.

YW I was thinking of you earlier as the howling gale whirled crap about my garden. Will still be nothing in comparison to up you way though.

P loves her bath - smiles and swishes and kicks - she HATES getting out though. Proper hysterics!

Ah evil I would much rather be watching that. We are watching The Sheild on love film on demand

Oh, and we have our first road trip tomorrow. Off to the parent's to meet my sister's baby for the first time. He was born 2 days before P. they started off the same weight and are now 3Ibs apart - I can't weight to see then together

Oh good feeling gone
Evil

Why evil? Your LO? Did a gazelle get nommed?

Seriously, everything ok in evil house?