October 2012 babies - over here nobbers!

[Smorgs]

This really will be the thread where all our babies start sleeping through the night... right?!

Ooof. So many messages. I think I am having déjà vu......

In antenatal threads I got myself annoyed cos just as u all started maternity leave and got lots more time to selves my work went boogaloo and stress levels up. I could never keep up and only ever came on to question or rant!!!

Well now you are mostly getting settled with babies, thankfully and getting more time to post. Great stuff!!

Well I'm having work issues again and struggling to keep up. I need the sanity of your company and will keep reading!! Back to work in spprox 6 weeks and lots to do with recruitment before then.

So please excuse and forgive me if I just randomly appear!!!

Can I tell you all some good news quietly (so they don't hear and change minds????) My boobs feel ok. Actually they feel great. Bubs is 12 weeks tmrw and I have been pain free and normal looking for nearly a week....... And dare I say it????...... I am enjoying BF. Who would have thought it???

Thank you all for getting me this far, BF encouragers, you know who u are........ X x x

Oh and Fjord keep meaning to respond. Don't let my whinging put you off self employment. It is wonderful in so many ways. It's the being an employer which turns a lovely day inside out!!! Stick to yourself if you can, no one better to work with!!!!

that's great news about the boobs huffle. well bloody done for persevering < runs away before huffle's boobs hear and decide to spontaneously combust>

I've just noticed DD has a flat bit over her fontanelle (I swear I haven't dropped her on her head yet ) and it moves up and down when she breathes. Is this normal???

funchum My washing pile would also shock any houseproud mother! I tried washing nappies every day but got sick of that after 3 days and bought more second hand nappies and a bigger bucket!

Londonmrss - DD was bilingual for a time, as her nanny spoke French with the kids four days a week. I don't think it held back her fluency in either language. She first spoke at nine months ('Row der boat!') My in-laws made a conscious decision not to speak German with DH as in the 70s people thought bilingualism did delay development. He turned out to be an exceptionally late talker anyway and regrets the fact his German is basic.

Cherrychopsticks - Can you find a swimming buddy to go with? When DD was small I used to meet a friend at the lido and we'd swim a few lengths each while supervising each other's babies. It wasn't hardcore exercise but it was much better than nothing! Currently trying to find someone who wants to do this at Parliament Hill Lido from around April onwards. I actually like cold water - well, 14c upwards...

hufflepuffle - So glad to hear bfing becoming enjoyable. I used to love DD's two-hour afternoon nap when she fed herself to sleep and I drifted off too... Those were the days.

Smile4me - perfectly normal. Fontanelle closes after a while. Quite eerie until then.

BoraBora - I take the tube a lot with the BabyBjorn. (Really looking forward to switching to the Ergo when DS is four months, as the BB has no hip/waist support. The shoulder straps make me ache now he's more than 7kg.) My biggest fear is tumbling down a long escalator, so I take lifts when I can, but it's always been fine. I did fall over a dodgy bit of pavement after picking DD up from preschool today and fell on my hands and knees - your instinct to protect their heads kicks in very, very fast in these situations, and I managed to press DS against my boobs. He cried a little but not for long. Poor thing. When we got home Nurse DD disinfected my wounds and applied plasters.

Someone asked about fenugreek tea. I think Kellymom has a page about it. I drink around three cups a day if I'm fretting about supply, and it generally takes around 24-48h to work - if it does: effect may be psychosomatic, or just normal fluctuations in DS' feeding patterns. If you drink a lot of it you begin to smell of maple syrup. But there are worse things to smell of. I'm sure 'Jo Malone Maple and Milk' would be a huge success.

Huffle, I'm doing a little celebration dance for you and your normal boobs! You are amazing for sticking with it through all the problems. I picture you as a kind of Amazon woman, because of your determination in the face of boob problems as well as your amazing pushing out of baby Huffle when he was stuck. You are an inspiration xx

Is fenugreek aniseedy in taste or am I getting it confused with something else?

Oh no, Yomping, you really were kind and supportive! It's just your kindness and supportiveness made me realise I was being a bit pathetic after just one bad day - not your intention I know.
How was the group? I hate all those stupid activities too, just want to shout "I'm an introvert!!" Good luck with it all.

I'm in Japan Bora and that seems to be a fairly standard price here.

Great idea Elpis! I shall ask around. Unfortunately I don't know many people with kids, but maybe a friend of a friend.

DS slept for 8 hours last night!!!! Then fed, then slept for another 3. So nightmare day was good for something. But to be honest, I'd prefer at least one good day time nap to the extra couple of hours at night. we were getting up to 6 hours, plus the 2 hour super nap before.

Congrats on the boobs Huffle! I really enjoy BF, so glad you can too now.

Yikes Elpis, hope you're ok after your fall. Must have been scary, but you always sound so calm. Good job Nurse DD!

You might be confusing it with fennel, yomping - also good for supply, I think. Fenugreek more like... Hmm... curry leaves crossed with hazelnuts, maybe.

gah. why won't DD sleep longer at night? she once slept from the 1030 feed til five but now is back to waking at 230 or 3. every. bloody. night. she's 10 weeks old FFS. I had really really thought we'd be doing longer stretches by now.

I do all the advised stuff of getting up at 7am each day to get calories in during the day. I ensure difference between night time and day time feeds. I limit sleeping during the day.

I feel like I should be doing more of the shush patting when she wakes so as to lengthen the time before the feed but I'm so tired and standing by her cot for an hour wont help with that.

thoughts?

on the plus side, she does settle more easily in her cot now.

livvy my sympathies. I'm currently on 3rd feed of the night. He went down at 7.30-8ish (took a few attempts this evening oddly, he usually goes down with a bit of a struggle but once he's asleep that's it) then woke just after 2am, then 4am and now up again just before 7am. Not entirely sure he's hungry each time but as you say, too tired and he seems to feed well. But wonder if the feed is waking him, sounds like he has a bit of reflux again?

livvy we have the same night issues (she is 13 wks). Plus she thinks 4am is morning - today is the first day that has not happened! I started to be strict with 7am get up and a feeding and napping schedule yesterday but not convinced the two are linked! She was just extremely sleepy all day, probably because she was at the cm the day before. I agree that toddlers are fab baby entertainers, the othe kids at the cm love playing with her!
If I crack night sleep I will share my methods but for now 3 feeds feels like progress, it was that bad before!

so glad im not the only one. more ridiculously I got her down at four and haven't been ablw to sleep. I'm stressing about lack of sleep, lack of a clue how to get sleep to improve and lack of friends to take my mind off it. I haven't bonded with my nct group and the mother and baby groups haven't got any other mums with babies this young.

then dd woke 515 and 530. I put dummy in and put lullabies on and it seems quiet for now. But I have to get up in 40 mins so barely worth sleeping even if I could. so miserable. so tired.

MIl has gone and I'm feeling very gloomy. no more help til she comes back in May. sigh.

sorry so me me me.

this HAS to get easier eventually. I just hoped it'd be sooner

2 shocking things to report.

1. After feed last night put DS in basket as was calm, expecting him to want lifted after half hour as usual. He fell asleep after half hour.

This has never EVER happened.

1. He slept without waking til now. 8hrs 20 mins.

I don't know who this baby is and I don't expect him to stay but hr could teach mine a few lessons.

Have faith ladies, the odd night might happen!!

On the down side back so sore had to wake DH to lift him. First physio can see me I'd tmrw night. Fun day ahead.

livvy similar here. we were getting one six hour block every night, but that seems to have gone. now she goes down at 8 pm for about an hour nap. then I bathe her, give massage and she's asleep again by 10.30 pm. then she wakes at 3 am them again at 6 am and then is ready to play at 7 am. our daytime routine is so good and she self settles for every nap, every 2 hours like clockwork. don't know what I'm doing wrong or what has changed. I've tried keeping her up longer in the evening or keeping her also more on the evening, feeding more in eve etc- nothing makes any difference.

I just have to assume it will get better and remember that 4 weeks ago she'd never slept longer than 2-3 hours in one go.

Ds has also started waking in the night again - usually around three am. He's ten weeks also. I don't think it's anything that we are doing wrong as such. I tend to be much more relaxed about sleep and lack of it and routines at , than I am about breast feeding. I just can't shake the feeling I'm doing something wrong and It's not to let it get me down. I also read the Kelly mom piece on fenugreek so will def

Gah posted too soon!

huffle I too post periodically, I can't keep up with this thread and it's a constant source of feeling inadequate with all these prolific posters, hahaha! I'm attempting to set up my own business before I have to go back to work so between that and ds, time is in short supply. I used to be so prolific on message boards...what happened!?

londonmrss do you think maybe she keeps waking as she's too busy plotting the downfall of the capitalist scum?? Viva la revolution, comrades!

Seriously sympathies to the sleep deprived and well done to baby huffle paving the way! We are 14 weeks tomorrow and there is still no sign of a consistant sleeping pattern but it is manageable and we get the occasional 6 hour stretch. I've read a lot depends on baby's weight so I've sort of resigned myself to the fact that as baby wooly is slight I'll just have to wait a bit longer for consistant long sleeps. On the plus side things are gradually improving all the time, going generally slightly longer and getting easier to settle when she does wake. I feed her everytime she wakes, I've given up worrying about that too. I'm fed up of the doubt and guilt if it's working and keeps up both sane and happy stuff it.

wooly. the squeaks and squawks must have been her reciting Marx's manifesto! I thought it was just wind. my child must be a genius!!!

Just something to throw in the mix! At class yesterday chat was that advice has changed again and intro of solids should be at 4 months again????? I have not heard this!! I am busy battling family members telling them DS is breast milk until 6 months then weaning begins.

Just used ameda pump. Wow. Anyone still to buy, it is great. Complete control over speed and suction so you can go with your own let downs. And I should know, tis my third pump........!

Tho took 4oz out, boob still half full, DS woke 10 mins after and is now feeding on same boob!! Must be careful!

Good luck Orenishii with business. You are in software / web stuff I think?? (techie huffle........) Does this mean you can work from home? Aaah, great move. I wish you sincere luck and motivation!! X

huffle I have that pump! It's awesome - you can match the pump to your baby's sucking, and it "remembers" it!

And thank you for the good luck and motivation - certainly the motivation is very much needed! I'm in webby stuffs and digital marketing so yes, ideally would be from home, at random times of the day. Oh keep meaning to mention - for anyone else who can do random things, at random times, PeopleperHour is a great site to bid for freelance jobs! What's your business in, Huffle?

Londonmrs definitely hear you on the done with the worry and guilt! Whatever gets you through the day, right? I am so completely over the GP, the HVs, the feeding thing, the EVERYTHING! Now must, you know, actually stop worrying.