October 2012... PELVIC FLOORS!

[Londonmrss]

Ready...
Steady...
And squeeze!

Ah Cwest you are having a worrying time. I know lots if HV can be nobbers but they do see and refer a lot of babies. Hopefully if she not too concerned then she is correct. As everyone had said, you have a beautiful happy girl whatever the outcome. I know nothing about hydrocephalus. Is there a hereditary component? Naomi was really our only premature baby, wasn't she? So we would expect her to be a bit behind on her milestones. You say she is meeting them when you adjust her age, so that is promising. And they are all so so different. My DS is not very 'chatty' at all compared to some. He does make plenty of noise, tho. Often v angry! But he is still often v serious.

Glad to hear DS is coming along so well. You were really worried about the effects on him, having a new baby, weren't you? Sounds like he has grown up a little, just as he should, and is thriving on being the big brother, not the baby! That is wonderful. You must be so proud.

Hopefully your appointment comes soon. I can't imagine they delay too much with this kind of assessment? Keep us posted.

shell massive sympathies on the night wakenings. We've been there and no doubt will be there again and it's tough. No doubt though it will pass. We're at awake every 3 hours which is good for us and manageable for me.

squid your spa day sounds lovely - very jealous. Think I might organise one for myself sometime soon.

I've come downstairs with DD to let DH have a lie in. He worked until 2.30am to get what he needed to done so he could spend the day with us. DD is asleep on me - I love these moments so quiet and peaceful. I'm contemplating a day out at ikea.

Oops posted too soon. We've nearly finished the nursery and I want to get a few more bits and pieces - i've seen an idea to use spice racks for bookshelves which I'm quite excited about.

london you should definitely get in touch with the local children's centre and go to some baby groups, I've been going persistently for a while now and met a couple of lovely mums. Obviously they're not all my cup of tea but you gradually gravitate towards those that you would get on with regardless.

mickey good luck with the car journey. I always feel a bit apprehensive about car journeys but remind myself that you can always stop at a service station at any point if needed.

Happy Sunday everyone.

Last comment - I don't know where this link came from, possibly someone on this thread but I re-found it in my bookmarks this morning. It gives loads of great play ideas, mostly for older children but still very inspirational even for our little ones.
www.makedoandfriend.com/

www.makedoandfriend.com/?m=1

Well, we are all a complete mess here except the baby this morning! Dd1 up 4 or 5 times in the night - really unusual for her - crying hysterically about feeling snotty and poorly and having a sore nose. She still isn't great this morning and is obviously exhausted. Have stuffed her back into bed with a Beatrix potter story cd playing in hopes that she will rest. I've got a hacking cough and temp of 38.8 - in between the babys hourly wakings and dd1 couldn't sleep anyway because was shivering too much. Dh did the bulk of sorting kids last night ie everything except the breastfeeding so at least I never had to leave the bed. Have left him in bed to have a lie in - hoping that if he can sleep s long as possible now he can look after the rest of us for the remainder of the day. Meanwhile my gorgeous baby is cooing delightfully as though butter wouldn't melt. And pooing every 5 mind obviously!

Trying to express here. Feels like blood from a stone. Gah!

oh smiley, u r having such a tough time! cannot believe on top of everything else u r selling ur house & are now sick
elpis, that cinema experience sounds horrid & really sorry to hear about what's happening with work.
can't expect much sympathy as we have had a good little sleeper, but dd is 4 months thurs & i think 4 month sleep regression has well & truly hit. she woke every 1-2 hrs. feel like crap today. how long does it last, in people's experience? thx for all the support re the pub requesting i b/f in the toilet. dp took it upon himself to draft a letter to the management, & while it was not as arsey as i would have liked it to be, i thought it was lovely he took the time, so we sent it off & got a big apology; reassurance they welcome b/f mums & an offer of a free meal. would be hideously awkward taking them up on their meal offer, but am confident the next stressed out mummy needing desperately to feed a hungry baby will be welcomed. anyone heard from yomping?

Cwest how fab that naomi is a good sleeper! i understand that the hv concerns would make you nervous - would to any of us. That sounds scary for you but do try not to worry. i hope they can do the tests soon to put your mind at rest. But chuckles re boobies question

Smiley you seem to be having a helluva time with colds and illness. Hopefully this will be your last batch of the winter.

Liesbeth, god luck with expressing. I find it doesn't happen if I'm stressed, so much better off doing it whilst watching crap tv. That's my excuse anyway! And no rolling here either.

Olives. A day at ikea. For fun? Crazy lady!!

Mickey. Hope the journey worked out ok. I was more fearful of the long journey to my parents than I needed to be.

Elpis my sympathy on the job / twitter situation. It sounds stressful. I hope the VR comes good, or something else. I did laugh about the poonami saga, though probably shouldn't. Sounds a bit eek (ie you wish you could clone yourself but can't). On the SAHM front, DF and I have a joint bank account and I just spend what needs to be spent. I don't feel at all guilty buying things dd needs, but bought myself the cheapest possible jeans (16quid from tesco) when I needed some. It's odd. Hopefully it'll feel less odd in time. DF protested about the cost of baby swimming lessons, for example, even though that's the only course I do with her. I pulled the "what price your daughter's safety?" card... I do want to get started with teaching yoga soon, but need sleep to have the energy, plus a childminder. Hum.

Things have been a bit more family this weekend as DF has no assignments due. I even managed to entice him out to the cafe this morning as a family (probably the first time since paternity leave). We also tried to out for dinner last night... Normally dd is asleep by 630 or 645 so the plan was to go to a vegetarian restaurant which has vegan dishes, so then I only have to watch out for soy. Except it didn't remotely o to plan. Dd reused to eat or sleep and we had a very tense hour of me jiggling her on my knee, offering boob, dummy, cuddles etc, in a very quiet, very adult, restaurant. We wolfed our food down and left. We need to find a babysitter, clearly!

So incredibly impressed that you pulled off a spa day, squid! Well done.

turnwest how you getting on?

cwest lovely to see you! sounds worrying, hope all ok. your ds sounds gorgeous

elpis oh god, grim theatre trip. well done you for keeping it all together.

dh away a night this week. dreading it as ds2 currently waking twice to feed then up for day at 4am. no chance of a shower or anything. it's just going to be hideous.

Ladies, I have been following your thread as my DD was born on 20 Oct. It is an amazing forum and very supportive and positive which encouraged me to post. It has kept me going it the dark hours of sleep deprivation and tirednes and made me laugh and cry! I did not do any classes before DD's birth as I worked until the last minute and thought sicne she is DC3 it will come back, but oh boy was I wrong! This is how I found the thread and your shared experience priceless. I hope it is not too late to join?

Thanks for all the support you lovely ladies. I'm sure the HV OS just taking precautions like she said. I won't stop worrying, but I love my daughter regardless, and whatever the outcome, at least I can vent on here :) I don't think hydrocephalus IS hereditary, it will be more of a coincidence if she does have it.

Angelico I remember now, you had your ELCS the day before me! Remember how scared we were? Looking back, it was far easier than I imagined, although I wouldn't want the after pains or high bp ever again! I'm also SOOOO glad I was awake to see her birth (was put to sleep with DS ELCS as epidural was deemed unsafe for me 5 yrs ago) However these past 5 months have flown by! It's already been over a yr since she was concieved, (valentines day, ha!)

Just think ladies, in no time at all it will be their first birthdays. Scary.

Oh and I won't be a stranger, I have a feeling this thread is going to keep me going this year. Love to all xxx

welcome cavatina and congrats on your lo!

Hey CWest! :o We put out some shout outs to you over the last few months, so glad to see you back! Really sorry to hear about concerns but hopefully all will be well and they are erring on the side of caution. I thought you had your DD the day before me? Our bean was born on the Tues - she'll be 22 weeks this Tues. How is that even possible?!

Lovely weekend away - spa hotel so clearly the spa thing was catching on :o Spent some v relaxing time in jacuzzi and sauna. Would write more but have just discovered my complete arsebadger of a 'D'H unplugged the fridge freezer in his unplugging zeal before we left the house and now have to chuck out about a hundred quid's worth of food. We only discovered this fact because I went to get some ice cream and found it liquid I need another sauna!!!

Gahhhhhhhh, fucking men!!! I want ice cream

Welcome cavatina and welcome back cwest!! Cwest I hope everything is ok with Naomi. Very very nerveracking but hopefully the HV is just being extra cautious. Thinking of you.

Elpis hats off to you re: theatre trip - I think you handled things admirably!! That angry woman needs a slep though. By the sounds of things your DS was delighted with himself at doing a poonami and then getting to frolick about naked.

FANTASTIC teething thing - Tommy Tippee teether/dummy/mouthguard things - picked them up at Tesco last night. Really, really good as DS keeps dropping his teething ring. We can leave these in his mouth and he can happily bite as hard as he likes - harder than he can with the teething ring, and if he tried to bit his fingers that hard he'd cry. Annoyingly you can only sterilise in Milton though, not in microwave.

Tesco babygros are cute and better value than Mothercare I reckon, too.

Lisbeth I feel your pain!! What setup are you using the express with?

Right so after seeing the video of BabyLondon rolling, DH got DS naked before his bath this evening and was manually rolling him around on a blanket on the carpet DS seemed suitably entertained but no closer to rolling of his own accord!

Feeling snuffly and sick and feeling very very jel of Squid's spa trip the other day...!!

Angelico I would goddam murder your DH. If mine did that I'd freak and he'd be all ''what's the point in getting angry? You get too angry. It's done now" and turn it all around. Men are nobbers.

Poor Lisbeth on the expressing. In hope that it comes back. I must say, the relief to not have to express given my decision to combination feed is immense. I found the expressing so very difficult. I felt like such a failure at it. (Silly nobber)

My combo feeding going well. Reducing a daytime feed every 6 days. By time I'm full time back to work will be night and morning only. Remains to be seen if this will work but given my slow reduction I am hopeful. Have swapped midnight feed to formula to see if helps sleep (doesn't!) and my what a faff!! The thought of 3 night feeds via bottle is mental. Tho I assume if volume up by then he won't need 3 bloody night feeds........??????

Welcome Cavatina. You'll find a Cosy seat here!!

Oh heard about a friend of a friend today with a 5 week old who she affectionately calls bean! Wonder is she a MNer???

Angelico hope you well and enjoying beautiful intermittent glorious sun on the coast if u can see it for all the nobbin tourists I'm sure it is glorious!! Some day some day we shall come visit!

Sorry, minor catchup as ever......

Zara. We have those. I chuck em in steam steriliser. But DS gags on them and looks at me all hurt..... Is quite entertaining.

Angelico Some workmen switched off our freezer once and I lost loads of expressed milk. Infuriating!

We drove down to south London to see some friends this lunchtime, which was lovely - they have 3 DCs and lots of toys - but I just can't drink any more. Had a lovely glass of Bordeaux and then didn't finish it so I could have a tiny amount of pudding wine. It absolutely knocked me for six - awful headache, exhaustion. DH got back from Singapore yesterday and is off to DC for three days tomorrow. Oh God. On top of that I have to take DS into London tomorrow while DD is at preschool to meet a bloody annoying friend of my mother's. So the two hours I'd otherwise get with just DS, which keeps me sane, is gone. But this woman 'borrowed' some of my mum's diaries three years ago and seems incapable of posting them back, so I have to meet her.

Sorry for the whingeing. In three weeks this ridiculous phase of DH's travel will be over.

huffle I brought him in the melty ice cream soup, ranting about 'There's been a power cut while we were away! I must ask the neighbours!' and he kindof smirked and said, 'Erm... I might have switched the freezer off.' So the nobbing nobber wasn't even going to tell me so everything would have refrozen and I would have eaten it and perished horribly (PS: Do come and visit - PM me if you're up this way! :o I need ice cream more than ever! )

Elpis rage over expressed milk! I only had one pack but it was my get out of jail free pack. BTW I can't work out what your DH does for a living - is he a) a travel journalist b) a businessman? c) Jason Bourne??? :o Actually if he's Jason Bourne, don't tell me, I don't want him to have to kill me...

Night all x

London, we've just had 4 nights of difficulty settling, repeated waking and 2.5 hourly feeding. Although I refused to acknowledge sleep regression, it did put me in mind of the newborn days. I was getting really worried about how long it was going to last, because combined with hardly any daytime naps and general grumpiness, it was doing me in. But fingers crossed we're through it now as the last 2 nights were back to normal - approx 6hrs, quick feed, 3.5hrs. And last night he went straight down, no settling.
Was this sleep regression, or wonder week 17? I have no idea.

Like BabyBora, he seems to be doing more since - content, even more active, loads more sounds, rolling regularly and very accurate with his hands. So worth it in the end. Phew.

Well done on keeping it together on your nightmare theatre trip Elpis, don't know what I would have done. These things always happen at the worst time, don't they? Very impressed with your daughter staying in the theatre by herself.

@ Jason Bourne Angelico and at the freezer incident! Glad you didn't perish along with your perishables. I think I'd weep if I lost my all my expressed milk...

Welcome Cavatina! What ages are your other kids?

And welcome back CWest! Sorry to hear about your worries, hopefully the health visitor is just being cautious but whatever happens, like you said, she'll still be your brilliant, beautiful DD. Of course you won't stop worrying, so I hope you can get the results soon.

Can't believe you're sick again Smiley, get well soon.

We left DS with someone else (MIL) for the first time on Saturday. They had a great time, as did we - nice lunch, shopping and bowling. Was great to eat with 2 hands for a change, but there were loads of babies in the restaurant so I missed DS. Idiot.
We also went out for dinner the 3 of us last night, which we often do, but this time DS was an angel - kicking and chatting quietly on the bench the whole time. I could actually relax with him there for a change.
Aqua aerobics again yesterday, but not yet cracked open the Shred DVD. I'm scared!
Flying back to the UK in 2 weeks, better start getting organised as I'm bad enough when I only have to pack for myself.

Why won't my baby go the fuck to sleep?? I want to scream. This is getting ridiculous, worse than when he was newborn. And now the reflux med means I don't know whether to just feed him without it overnight as I have to give it 15m before feed 4 times a day. Too exhausted to wait 15m with him screaming overnight, so I just feed, then -5m later he's screaming in pain anyway. Aghhhhh.

Sympathies Smorg. I've been awake more than I've been asleep tonight. This is just totally fucked up.

And yes. I too had great sleeper. From sbout 10-13 weeks.6-9 hours. Delighted in telling anyone and everyone. Now I wish everyone would stop asking me is he a good sleeper. Might start lying.