November 2012 - the best post-natal quiche on MN

[StuntNun]

Previous thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/postnatal_clubs/1655656-November-2012-sleeping-through-yet

The answer to the sleeping though question was a chorus of "no"s but there were a few resounding yesses and a lot more keeping quiet because the rest of us would be well jel.

evil and bigpig I am in Exeter.

Just remember, VQ and others struggling with sleep, it is torture for a reason, as someone said up thread, and I am a firm believer in doing whatever you need to, to survive.

PR omg about your childminder.

garden glad there is a sign of improvement.

We are just home from our midlands trip. DD enjoyed the snow. Bit of a hairy journey back through sleet and snow. I waited an hour after our return to do the "we arrived home safely" call. DH left the house in a passable state, and is due home from hockey shortly (can't remember who else is a hockey widow?) and so am going to try really hard not to nit-pick at him immediately.

Today I have stingy bum. I hate days of stingy bum . We have run out of paracetomol. Not that it helps stingy bum. :(

DP let me stay in bed this morning again. When I say 9 hours sleep, that was not MY sleep!!!!! I fell asleep about 2ish. So 4 hours sleep grrrr! Stupid body! I went back to sleep at 7, Oscar woke at just before 9, so figured he was hungry. DP did that feed, and the next thing I knew was when he came to wake me some several hours later! DP said Oscar slept after that feed til 11. But he took him downstairs so I could get some quality sleep .

That is definitely DP's best quality. When I have had a shit night for whatever reason, I know he will take Oscar downstairs and leave me til lunch . I've told him never to leave me later than 12 no matter how shit sleep I've had - or it will just be a vicious circle for the next night!

I am quite enjoying the fact that he only works 2.5 days. And 2 of those days he doesn't start til 11. Makes life much nicer, and I find I am enjoying Oscar a lot more, as it doesn't feel like I'm stuck alone with a baby all day long IYKWIM. Would be nice if he got some more overtime though, but his pay is so shit anyway, it hardly makes much difference.

VQ I take my hat off to you - I don't know how you do it. I'd of cracked up if I'd had to deal with even half the shit you had! Good to hear DH is on the same side when it comes to bringing dragging, kicking and screaming up the children!! At least you are safe in the knowledge, you will never ever ever have to go back to these days again! It's onwards and upwards now.

Oscars room thermometer read 13 degrees yesterday . Yet other than my feet, I don't feel the cold! I think everyone else is dying of frostbite, and I am sat here in PJ bottoms and a vest top! It is 16 degrees in the living room right now!

Does anyone elses baby have a thing for soft blankets/fabrics? Have noticed in the last week or two that he likes to rub his head on things! When holding him upright, if you are wearing a soft jumper, he starts rocking his head from side to side and burying his face in it! Also the same with blankets, he gets excited the softer and cosier the blanket! I've got out his softest one today, and wrapped him up in it. He is in the swing with the sheepskin liner underneath, wrapped in the soft blanket that is probably way too thick! and he just kept rubbing his face on it and eating it. And eventually fell asleep .

He also has a little snuggle blanket thing, like a comfort blanket/teddy thing, whatever they are called. He likes to have that rubbed on his face, and will try and suck on it too!

Is there any such thing as separation anxiety at 9 weeks? I thought it was 9 months! He screams within seconds of me leaving the room and dp can't pacify him I'm at the edge of my tether and dp's losing confidence rapidly

Detective. LO does that too. She has really dry skin on her face and I was wondering if she was trying to relieve itching.

Purple is that new behaviour?

Since he came out of hospital but it's been worse the last few days. Gonna try calpol cos he's got a bit of a runny nose. The colic seems to be starting earlier too, like midday, and we're giving him more and more gripe water before he burps properly.

Roll on 12 weeks

detective anything that goes near my DDs mouth she will try and eat unless its a dummy or tommee tippee bottle

Nervous, I definitely like the Spectra. It's the cheapest electric pump and easy to convert to double pumping. I used manual pumps with DS1 and DS2 and I wouldn't go back. With the electric pump you just sit there thinking about your baby (so you let down) and it does all the work for you.

just done huge catch up.... sorry crap sleeps and crap dps.

pr thyroid issues can affect mood but there was absolutely no excuse for her behaviour

glad there's some improvement garden though a looong way to go yet!

oh pidj that's tough - he could be poorly and why he's clingy. technically the only stuff that is clinically proven to work is colief but I
think it's tricky as in bottle? but try infacol or the other one (detinox?) which has the dill in it like woodwards. infacol takes a good week to work . I'm starting to wonder if it did work or was just a phase here but then you worry about giving up!!! colief is pricey but some docs prescribe. :( hope you're ok

have wondered about the age adjust thing with over dues detective - for example G smiled bang on 46 weeks (4 weeks) which someone mentioned can happen ( though I know smiling can be a contentious milestone!!!)

The CM was back in the summer and was lucky enough to find DD a great nursery to go to part time. LL taking revenge by stealing my money has bern ongoing since September grr.

Needless to say no-one in that family got a Xmas card from us.

Anyone else's LO loving bath time? My DH is responsible for baths and showers but I just watched and she was shrieking with laughter. She's also becoming really ticklish.

Why when she's absolutely cream crackered will she not go down for a sleep during the day?? We've tried swaddling, dark room, all kinds of white noise, dummy, rocking, in bed, in travel cot, in car seat and the longest we've had is 15 minutes, she's obviously tired because all the above help her drift off but she will not stay asleep!! The only place she will sleep for longer is tucked under my arm after feeding with my nipple in her mouth!!!!!! She's not feeding or even comfort sucking but I'm nipple isn't in her mouth and her hands are wrapped around it then she's awake and squeaking!!!! I need to pee/sort uniforms/make dinner/tidy up/have a snooze but can't!!!!

I'd take her out in the car for a drive but she wouldn't let me out of her sight to desnow the car!!!! Indeed super nanny!!!!

I too have a little fella on my lap at grandmas as he will not sleep anywhere else. Not even in the drive up. Usually he drops off in the car. Nipple by nose. Hand on boob.

Is she getting over tired? I find I have to jump on him the minute he is tired, and that way he goes down easier. Not literally jump. You know what I mean!!!

DP is snoring very loudly on the sofa. I want to hit him over the head, but the poor bugger must be tired, since he got up early!

Resisting urge... resisting urge.... can not resist... arghhhh!!

I have discovered that a) DS gets himself worked up when he is fighting sleep and b) walking around with him in the "tiger in the tree" type position, laying over your forearm works to get him to drop off immediately - even if you do nothing else but stand up and take a few steps. It seems that he gets all "cuddled out" and doesn't want to be rocked or shushed anymore. Perhaps those with LO that are sleep-dodgers could try this too??

Thanks for the breast pump advice. I have a lovely medela swing that I bought with DD and seem to manage with that - 5-15mins is enough to get 2-3oz out and that's more than enough to bung in the freezer, relieve engorgement and stop leaking. The advice was actually for a friend who has started considering relactation. Her DD has been really poorly since stopping bfing at 6mths - she has tried aptamil, soy formula and 2 or 3 milk and soy free prescription formulas, but her DD still has green diarrhoea with white lumps TMI, terrible nappy rash and a facial rash that gets worse with feeds. She has also started gaining weight more slowly and dropping down the charts. The Drs don't seem to be that motivated to do anything, just keep giving her different formula (despite the fact she was absolute fine on bm) and this weekend actually ended up in hospital with "gastroenteritis" and dehydration. Clearly, if my friend is to relactate, she needs to get a really good pump and get her DD going on the boob too.

It is quite handy to know about the spectra though - I have broken the breast shield on my medela swing, by steam sterilising it (despite them not saying you shouldn't use steam/heat sterilising as it degrades the plastic of the soft cup and I have since learned sterilising isn't strictly speaking necessary with bm...), so if the rigid replacement cup I have ordered doesn't suit, it might be worth getting a new pump.

Calpol has eased the screaming although he's still feeding. Boys off the my gran's shortly - 2 hours of peace

I've just been going through all my old pictures on my phone I have 4000 on there!. There are some fab pictures on there! Real funny memories!

My favourite ones are the collection of cats I have had over the years. I have given up having cats as they just die on me or leave me :( . One way or another. They have been run over, stolen, poisoned, you name it... I've had my cats dumped on my doorstep in bags - dead.

I didn't have any problems with owning cats til I moved where I am now... anyway, I digress...

I had 2 cats at one point, supposed to be boys. Ended up with 10 kittens (8 after 24 hours - one died at birth, one shortly after) between them born 1 day apart!! That was a fun summer! I've just posted a picture of one of the cats feeding on our facebook page - I think she has a look that some of us will be able to empathise with!!!!!

Both cats were so funny - they decided to do shifts with the kittens! One would fuck off outside for a few hours, and the other fed all the kittens! When the cat came back from outside, the other would do the same.... such teamwork!! Clever little buggers, we could do well to learn from them!

And they were amazing to watch having the kittens... such awesome animals!

My iPad just had a funny moment, so I wanted to post before I lost all that...

I'm also finding pumping far more successful this time than with DD, whether because I started earlier, or because DS has just stimulated my supply more successfully, or because you get more milk with the more kids you have, I don't know, but if I can keep pumping with the same success, I might be able to keep feeding him after I go back to work, possibly until he self-weans or I get fed up with being sober all the time.

Have been out enjoying the snow - it hasn't stopped snowing all day, from about 8am. DD enjoyed the sledge - was DH's from his childhood, has "made in West Germany" on it!!

PR I am at your childminder. Can see what you mean about trying to be generous and think perhaps it was her illness, but still....

VQ I agree you seem a bit more upbeat. Also agree that CC gets a bad press on MN but as my DM was a mother of a non-sleeper (me), I'm sure she'd agree that sometimes you have no option. Seriously, apparently it was YEARS before I slept. My DF worked shifts and apparently one day he came home and I was asleep (or rather the house was quiet) and he wondered if maybe DM had killed me... Thankfully for everyone, I slept and my parents still love me.

garden baby steps in the right direction I guess. At least he is trying??

Quite apt detective given my friends relactation issue I feel like I should be offering the bm to her - although I don't think I could go so far to be a wet nurse!!!

And 16 kids??!!!! I can barely manage 2 and feel guilty about the time and attention or lack thereof each gets. Wouldn't judge out loud if someone in RL spoke to me about wanting that many or had quite a few, but I am a bit about how people afford such families and how they don't go slightly bonkers...

I agree, first sign if tiredness, Swaddle then straight in basket. If I leave it just a few minutes it becomes really difficult to get her to sleep and stay asleep!

B also rubs her face on soft fleecy fabrics detecyive, she won't normally sleep unless swaddled but she is currently snuggled up in a chamois blanket in her chair, fast asleep.

I didn't realise it was possible to relactate at six months Chunky. How long is it since she stopped breastfeeding? I can't compare any other pumps but the Spectra would probably be good because she could get the second unit and double pump on a high setting. It can have quite a ferocious suction but that would be just what she needs to get the stimulation going.

DD is coming up to 8mo stunt so a few weeks now. Think it was not long after DS was born iirc. It will be a huge undertaking and require determination but I think she could do it, mentally, iyswim. Given the problems her DD has had, I can definitely see why she's considering it.

glenda and VQ - we play a game called sniff the boob in our house (by we, I mean me and little pig, anyone else would just be weird). It's often the only way she can get to sleep, particularly at night. Which is tricky. Because if I nod off then we all wake up in a soggy bed thank god for breast pads

Had epic poonami whilst out earlier, with no change of clothes to hand. There was no way she could go back in the heavily soiled vest so ended up cobbling together strange outfit of tights and cardigan to do rapid walk back to pram where pramsuit was waiting to hide all wardrobe malfunctions. Lesson learnt.

She has such bad wind today, she's like a man trumping away in the corner inherited that from daddy then

Not caught up yet today, but was just contemplating bedtime routines. GF has one on website for baby and toddler which looks quite helpful. Am wondering about giving both boys bath together. Anyone else do this yet? GF recommends a bath support so hands are free. Anyone else use one of these? I am wondering how much of ds1's space it might take up.

I have one a bit like this Dixie which works well now but only until baby can sit unaided at which point one a bath seat is needed until they're able to sit in the bath unaided. These kind of seats are great because you don't need to hold on to baby at all times but you still need to keep a very close eye on them when they're in them. My oldest two have gone in together or one straight after the other from when DS2 was very small (3.5 year age gap).