March 2013- here we go....

[Oodsigma]

Welcome old & new to the other side!

I'll start with a stats list!

Ood -ds 7/3/13, dc4! Elcs

If anyone wants to add any more details feel free!

Sending you internet-hugs, SoYo. It's just horrid, isn't it?

We got gaviscon. Fingers crossed this works. Doc wants her weighed weekly too, to keep an eye on it.

I'm a little about that WHO doc, as diarrhoea causing deaths is pretty damn rare when you have clean water and sterilising equipment, and it outright states they're recommending breastfeeding for two years for the contraceptive effects in the developing world. Are there any official recommendations specific to the western world that promote two years of breastfeeding?

DS keeps making a noise like a dog barking. Makes me jump.

I'm a city worker too - not my 'real job' (as i call it) though. I'm only taking 6 months off because of money, and when I go back it'll be on my terms. Luckily I already know my cover is useless because she emailed me saying she didn't understand what to do (despite me leaving a manual for her), so I'll work from home a lot and do shorter hours when I go back and they'll be grateful to have me! I'm pretty lucky in that my boss is very easy going and younger than me, so we get on like buddies and there's a lot of trust. I've been working on music commissions since mat leave started, since that's definitely my real job. If DS is in the sling kipping I can actually get quite a lot done surprisingly as I don't need to be dressed or outside the house....

I got my impossible baby, and I'll get my promotion too

By the way my HV hasn't been in touch since week before last - is that the norm?

Ten days and six weeks for the HV, leni, then nothing for months if everything's going smoothly.

Screamy bedtime, got her swaddled, fed in cot, all going well, baby almost asleep. Cue massive shit. Nappy change woke her right up. Argh!

Stomry pretty sure one of the NHS leaflets on breastfeeding I was given during my pregnancy cited the 2 year recommendation. In any case if you are interested the KellyMom cites a number of studies applicable i the western world about why breastfeeding beyond infancy is recommended including studies by the American Academy of Family Physicians - kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/ebf-benefits/ - references to the studies are also give at the bottom of the page for those of you interested in going to the library to search them out! WARNING - If you are suffering from The Guilt regarding breastfeeding anyway you may want to stay away from this website as it is very pro-breastfeeding and I totally understand how this is not helpful if you are in that position (having been there myself in the first couple of weeks of DD's life).

Apologies for typos - one handed typing while other is resting on sleepy baby!

What interesting articles cited above and also interesting to hear what sort of jobs some of us do. Like some of you, I'm also the main breadwinner since DH was forced into self-employed consultancy work last year bloody government bonfire of the quangos and I'll be going back in Oct/Nov so after about 7 months. I went back after 9 with DS and that was plenty for me - I don't suit the SAHM role very well and DH said I was climbing the walls after 8 months. I luffs being a working mum but appreciate that others think that would be hell. Luckily though I work from home and only travel to head office in London every couple of weeks so I feel like it's the best of both worlds and because there is no commute I don't mind going back a couple of months earlier than I did with DS. It'll also be nice when he starts school in September.

Aaaanyway, SoYo I hope you managed to get some milk into your DD tonight. My DD's still into a big cluster feed but hopefully she'll go for her first sleep within the next half hour

Right, better get on with it...

stormy what did they say on the thrush? Has yours gone?

Not yet,Eig. Two days of daktarin had a much more noticeable effect than a week of nystan, but it makes her throw up a lot. So we're back on nystan again.

I had 7 months off the first time. When I was at work dH and I had a rota, two nights a week he is home for 6 to do bath, bottle and bed or now bath, stories and bed and two nights a week it is me. The day we don't do bed we do breakfast. I then do a work from home day on Friday. It's hard to be away and miss some of the key parts but we made it work for us and DS and i are saving like mad so that one of us can scale back soon plus our nanny is fab. I make all the nursery school events and take odd days off to do nice things with DS as well as weekends. I still have days where I wonder if I should jack it all in or get a part time role etc and may still do that. No decision has to be permanent I think I'd find it hard either way.

Have to say don't know what I would have done without you guys. This is definitely up there as some of the toughest weeks of my life to date. Maybe I've just had it easy til now.... did I manage an icon! Getting hi tech!

Wing we failed spectacularly with the bottle & wasted some precious expressed BM in the process (that stuff's like the nectar of the Gods it's so bloody difficult to get) but she's had plenty of boob action & is well fed. For some reason my nipples feel very grazed again today, hope I'm not coming down with the dreaded thrush....that's a club I don't want to join. No signs in DDs mouth though.

Bedtime here and the usual feed until looks sleepy then try to feed a bit more routine. Fingers crossed for a sleep filled night .

Stormy how did you get on post-shit with bedtime?
Eig I like your division of labour tactics. Something to think about for us here.
Soyo I feel your bottle refusal pain. We're only trying her with an ounce at a time now to minimise waste a bit. No idea what tactics to employ here. Nct mums say just keep trying and don't give up. Which is hard when there's no progress. I'm facilitating a training day mid June so we have six weeks of trying ahead of us!
Like Worcs we had a good day today which bucks trend of last fortnight. What a difference a two hour nap makes. She's less grumpy throughout day and I got time to restore order to the house. The daytime nap success for us today stormy was upstairs in Moses basket, curtains open, swaddled and radio on. Took thirty mins to settle and soothe her into it. Sure history won't repeat itself but we'll try again tomorrow.
Dh took dd to 'bounce and rhyme' at library before work. Handsome man with young baby in sling seemed to go down well with the yummy mummies. Due to bottle refusal though she came back grumpy and hungry.
Weigh in today showed 11oz in last week so all the extra cake seems to be helping.
How are your nights going ladies?

Well no 6-hr stretch for us tonight but 9:45-2 isn't too bad :) She and I zonked out again for a nap at 9:45 and because she'd been feeding up until then pretty much solidly for a couple of hours I thought it best to may that her last feed and put her down after I woke up at 10:30. So although it feels so much earlier than the 5am she did last night it is nearly fiver hours so I should be happy with that. We just start a proper nighttime routine and try to get some regularity into her bedtime and when her last feed is (I'll add that to my huge to do list...).

Hope you're all having a good night.

Scuse typos. We *need to start a bedtime routine...

Oh and anyone else still get night sweats at nearly 5 weeks in? I wake up so smelly and damp still it's horrible. TMI I'm sure :(

Hey wing. I'd be interested to hear what bedtime routine you decide upon. Not sure if it matters what exactly you do or whether it's just down to doing same stuff in same order at same time. Is anyone
Reading as part of the routine? If so, at what stage?

It was such a lovely may day evening last night our routine was a bit delayed by a long walk looking at the buds and blossoms out there. Dd not vaguely interested of course!

A stupid question coming up. Can babies have soft age appropriate cuddly toys in their Moses basket with them? We got given lovely moulin roty duck that it'd be nice for her to have and snuggle with but is there a danger of her snuggling too close and suffocating? Paranoid new mum can't decide.

Dawn chorus underway here. How rudely early to be awake!

I can't believe it.feeding now but I put the lad to bed at 9pm. Should mean I'm really well rested, but I of course woke at 12.30 and 3.30 as normal. (Does it make me a bad person that I finally encouraged snuffly grumbles into awake in order to stop my boobs from hurting every time I rolled over?). Baby Gaviscon is amazing.

Managed a paltry 2 hours sleep here, after DS slept beautifully the whole time OH was on night shift. Argh!

eco we have a couple of toys in DD's basket, right at the top above her head. We did the same with DS. It's too early for her to have them down the side with her to cuddle but I think having them nearby will help with smell recognition etc later on - but I honestly may be talking absolute tosh! DS had a steiff bear from birth and we've bought a similar one for DD. DS took to his really well and it's become a lovely worn best friend so hopefully the same will happen with DD.

As for routine, I can't remember when we introduced one for DS - possibly when he went into his own room or perhaps when I stopped bfing at 7-8 weeks. Our routine used to be (roughly) final change and into the sleep suit and sleeping bag and then we'd read Maisie's Bedtime every night on the sofa before taking him up to bed. We'll probably do the same again but not sure when from as she's too young I'd say at 5 weeks for being read to.

But then again I'm not sure what routine we will design for her - I'll have to discuss with DH. I think at the moment it's just that DD's last feed varies in time depending on when she finishes her cluster feed and I'd like to try to manipulate that slightly, say to a regular 10pm last feed. No idea how to do that though or if it'll work!

leni I hope you get a chance to nap today. DD went from 3:15 till 5:30 then an hour nap on me 6-7. Can't complain when some of you have shorter stretches. I'm just glad that DD may not turn our to be a every-2-hour girl when I know bfing can't lead to v regular feeds for months.

*bfing can lead to...

Boy am I fed up today... spectacularly so. Does any one know if they accept DH's on e-bay as I am inches from posting mine on there..... Babies are hard work, right, and just occasionally it would be nice to share duties. I get the whole work commitment thing, I really do, but I am on my own from 6.30am to 11pm, and he sleeps in the spare room most nights so that she doesn't disturb him, and I am TIRED.

The unfavoured one is working from home this morning so that he can 'help', only unfortunately when DH works from home, he unlike 99% of the people who do this actually works, hence the help I'm getting is so sparse as to appear invisible. If I was any more cross I'd be dangerous.

Whinging aside, dd has just decided to nap, so I have nothing to complain about really. I'll focus instead on trying not to get too stressed about her first vaccinations today. Sticking a needle in such a tiny cute little pudding seems beyond cruel. Necessary, I get that, but I may cry....

eco not bad in the end. One dummy return and she was out like a light. Also needed one dummy return after the 3am feed, but otherwise she was grand all night. Woke up at 6.30, back up for her nap at 7.30 because she was falling asleep.

11oz gained in a week? If that's standard then no wonder the doctor wants us to have DD weighed weekly - between last Monday and yesterday she gained three and a half. I noticed this morning that I can feel all the bumps of her spine. She should be a lot chunkier by now...

We're not reading yet, because she shows absolutely no interest in books. But at a few days old, she was resisting napping downstairs in her basket, and my sister started reading my niece a story, and that got her drifting off. I made her read it three times just to be sure she was sleeping! Probably more to do with the tone of voice than anything else.

You'll get a bollocking if the health visitor spots cuddly toys in the Moses basket. We're avoiding that one for now, although we often give her a soft little white rabbit to hold and feel when she's in her bouncy chair. She seems to like it, inasmuch as one can tell with an eight week old.

Good sleep for me - went to bed at 8.30 and didn't wake up until 3am. Only dozed after that feed. I miss my earplugs.

No idea whether the gaviscon is having any effect yet. She had it at breakfast, and took three ounces happily enough, although very slowly despite the three-hole teat. Cried for a moment when I administered the nystan but otherwise in a good but sleepy mood. Here's hoping the rest of the day goes well.

Wing on the subject of lovely and well worn best friends, one of the cuddly toys in the heap on the back of our sofa is my ewok, that I was given the day I was born. I still take him on holiday with me. He's also been very useful for getting my younger niece to behave when I'm visiting them - she has to be good if she wants to take him to bed with her.

stormy the dakarin is working for little one and doctor happy it is clearing up so hopefully one week more will be enough. I am still not better and am having an itching side effect from the tablets. Got to take them while I feed her. Doc said not to feel bad about slowing down the breast feeding or even stopping if side effects get too much, and that she can have her vaccines on Tuesday. Just hoping I improve now! He suggests I keep the probiotic up in her bottle as this replicates the good bacteria in breastmilk.

We have a sock zebra and Ewan in the cot but nowhere he can even see - he also sleeps in a rolled up towel in a horseshoe shape covered with a blanket (home knitted with big holes in it) but he can't roll over so I can't see what's wrong with it. HV doesn't go in there either he's joined to our bed so it's not as if he can so much as snuffle without us waking.

I feel like death today, headache, stomach cramps, tired OH saved me at 6am and stayed up with him until 9am whilst I slept so i missed the first 8am feed on the boob DS has started not being able to poo at night and hence being in pain and refusing to settle. Hoping for a better night tonight!

Worsester give im a thunk round the head will you? If he's not careful he's going to miss the difficult, cranky magical newborn phase. And what's more common - men saying they missed out on their children, or men saying they wished they'd spent more time at the office? In the meantime feel free to whinge away on here.

After that one horrible night when I posted in desperation, our bedtime routine has been excellent. That night was the first night I had attempted to start a routine and I hate to say it but letting him cry worked. We've not had to do it since. We wait for the sleepy/hungry cues, dunk him in the, give him a bottle and a cuddle then straight to bed around 7-7.30.

We put toys in the Moses basket. Just two tiny teddies that he promptly puked on. Sadly DS has now outgrown the basket!