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!

Eig - I think they take booby juice more often cos its easier to digest so doesn't satisfy for as long as formula. Sounds like you're wasting away!! Best of luck.

Sounds like he will be, plonko And mine'll be long and thin and capable of surviving on half a packet of biscuits a day like her dad. And thanks to your use of "Jeezy Chreezy" I now have an Eddie Izzard sketch running round my brain. Cheers.

eig I think you need to have a nice cup of tea and a sit down as soon as possible. Maybe some cake too. Nice one on getting back in the pre-preg clothes! You've reminded me, I've been in the pre-preg jeans since day 12 (on those rare occasions when I get out of my pyjamas and leave the house) but haven't tried any of my old tops yet. Must do that soon. I've been living in the same half a dozen maternity tops for too long!

Yep, just eaten a whole pack of jammy dodgers! Last time I hit the formula full time when I hit 7 stone, I just couldn't eat enough to make milk for such a hungry child ( of course the breastfeeding mafia said I could but I clearly couldn't get enough calories in when the 6 week growth spurt hit) so this time I decided once I was back to 8 stone ( my normal weight) I would watch carefully and add formula if all too much. I have managed 4 weeks tomorrow and think that's not bad.

plonko 5 oz and a burp sounds good! Good luck all tonight, dd is sleeping now and I am airing my tired , lanolin covered nipples in prep for night ahead! stormy have demanded dh make me tea now, said it was recommended by mumsnet! Got quizzical look but tea is coming!

Stormy the Gro swaddles had a little chart on the packet about temps and what layers were needed. Think it was a blanket over swaddle for c18 degrees, just swaddle at 20. Sleepsuit under swaddle at lower temps, just a vest when warmer (or even just nappy in hot weather). We've generally had the bedroom at 19-20 degrees, and have had him in a vest with the swaddle and either a cot sheet or blanket depending on how things feel (sometimes it still feels hotter/cooler even though Gro Egg thermometer says it's much the same temp!). Benefit of this is any nappy changes are easier, as I can generally managed to just hitch up a vest and change the nappy whereas a sleepsuit has to come off totally and wakes him up more.

I appear to be producing more milk. He's fed quite well off the boob today, to the extent that he only had 25mls top up (instead of 60) at lunchtime. Depsite this, I was still able to express about 70mls after his evening feed, so think I am getting there. Now just wondering if I will be able to drop the Domperidone or whether if I do my milk will drop also (I appear to potentially be allergic to it, and would really like the hives to go away now) so hope to get in touch with my breast feeding co-ordinator tomorrow.

Had first Health Visitor visit today - took forever! She kept botching the hearing test (he got the all clear in the end) and all that family tree malarky... sheesh. We're still not discharged from the midwives - hope Saturday will be discharge day, he will be 3 weeks.

Here's the GroSwaddle info gro.co.uk/grobag-swaddle/woodland-friends-gro-swaddle

Evening all. Glad to hear about your milk pudtat - what's the domperidone?

I'm v confused tonight. DD has been feeding vaguely since 4ish and is currently zonked out on DH. She woke up more to feed at 8ish but I'm hoping that doesn't mean she started her big cluster then.

I'm going to go up to bed anyway now and expect her to wake up soon for a feed and then we'll see what happens overnight...

The MW appt went well though today. Stitches all fine and won't have to be checked again hurrah and DD put 115g/4oz back on since Monday which she was v pleased with and so am I :)

Right, good nights to all...

blimey wing thats great weight gain. I was chuffed with 35g since tues - although that's lower than they'd like.

eig Jammy Dodgers sound an excellent plan! It's a bugger not breastfeeding and having to shift the baby weight manually, as it were. My cake and biscuit intake is now limited. Only eleven pounds to go before I'm back to my last period weight though. And we still haven't figured out how to fit proper meals in round the baby, so it shouldn't take too long to shift.

Keeping my fingers crossed for the hives buggering off soon. What's the family tree malarkey?

Advice is to keep baby in the same room as us at all times. How does this work with bedtime? So far she sleeps downstairs with her dad for a few hours while I go up to bed first, but this is obviously not sustainable and we could do with our evenings back. But if she and I go up at the same time, I'm going to lose those precious few hours that are all that's keeping me sane at the moment.

pudtat that's still an ounce and a quarter gained. Better than lost!

I stepped on the scales with and without baby this morning. With nappy and vest on but before breakfast, she's nine pounds exactly. It's surprisingly reassuring just knowing she's not still below birthweight. She grows!

I lost 4 pounds in 2 days and I feel beyond drained... Got a migraine today and LO keeps demanding double feeds!

My tears still look weird - they're not stitched so hoping they won't heal all wrong

Are everyone's LO's having this issue of happily suckling away and then suddenly spitting out bottle/nipple, thrashing around and kicking and making noises like a pig?!

OH being a bit useless now he's back at work, he goes to bed as soon as he gets home and sleeps min 6 hours because he says I'm just home with the baby. I've not had deep sleep in a week and never get more than 3 hours in a row, plus he keeps going off to work leaving his dirty laundry and plates for me to clean. Not happy mummy with him right now. Asked to change a nappy after an hour long feed with the worst itchy nipples and he sighed and said he was tired so I ended up doing it. First time I've properly snapped at him. Ok he works nights, has done for 5 years, but currently I'm on baby duty all night and all day!

Realised two nipple shields just isn't enough so panic ordered two more sets so I can have some in each room and not get caught out.

When is the cord supposed to drop off? His is sort of peeling one side and it's gooey and beige underneath. Tiny spot of blood on the edge of the nappy.

Well, a week old today and I've reached my sleep deprivation limit - we got a Robopax automatic rocker thing which at least gets him to sleep a bit in the day, guess I'll just have to not have anyone over and sleep then instead.

Sorry all, very grumpy today

When's his next day off, leni, and can you arrange to go out all day and all night, just to show him what you're actually doing each day? And s he gets an idea of what it's like to never get any proper sleep? Any family nearby who can take the baby for a day? Or anyone who'd put you up for a night and leave the baby at home? Don't know what else to suggest, but you need sleep.

We also have the happily drinking then thrashing thing. God knows what it's all about. Cord sounds like it'll drop off very soon.

Can't say more, baby flapping. Arms escaped again!

leni that sounds rubbish with your OH :( He needs to realise that his life has changed too now, not just yours. I bet if you posted that in a Relatnioships thread you'd get some much stronger advice than that!

DD has been feeding pretty much constantly on and off since first thing this morning until about 1.5 hours ago so I've not had much of a chance to catch up on sleep. I have rested on the sofa though which is the next best thing.
I think it's a growth spurt as I've done a lot some googling and there can be one around 7-10 days. DH is finding it frustrating though as he can't help as all she seems to want is me but I'm not exactly going to introduce a bottle of formula just yet when the BFing is going well just to relieve some of his frustration! We will do it though in about 10 days time.

Last night she went to sleep in the end not long after I posted (so 10:15ish) and slept till 12:30, then fed/snoozed on me until some time after 3:30 and then slept on me until 6:30. If I had woken up I'd have put her in the Moses basket but I was zonked out (in a really uncomfortable sitting up sleeping position) so we just slept together until then.

She is stirring again now though so I'd better go...

leni the relationships board would have people saying the best way to work things is to make sure you have equal free time. Okay, with a week old baby it's not really going to be free-to-go-do-whatever-you-fancy time, but just off-duty time makes a world of difference. You might not be able to persuade him to go for a totally even split of baby-duty when he's at home, but he certainly needs to be doing a few hours every day. Maybe point out to him that that six hours' sleep he gets is six hours all to himself, with no work and no baby, and ask when it's your turn.

I mentioned to the man that you're having trouble getting yours to pull his weight. He said he's often tempted to say he's too tired for baby duties, but knows I wouldn't stand for it. And then he said that's why he didn't bring the baby upstairs until half three in the morning rather than doing the dream feed thing to keep her sleeping and bringing her up around one - he knows I need a break too, and that way I got a good five hours. So I think it's priorities, really - not so much him putting you first or putting himself first, but putting the pair of you first, and trying to find a way of doing things that works for both of you, not just him.

I'm rambling a bit, sorry. Alternatively, you could say either he lets you get some rest now for a few hours, or he can do ALL the baby duties ALL the time when you crack up and run away with a merchant seaman or similar.

Wing glad you're getting a bit of rest, even if it's not loads. Wish I dared go to sleep with mine, but I read up on co-sleeping and it appears that if you've so much as looked at a cigarette at any point in your life the moment you fall asleep the baby will definitely die. I am a bit about this because, well, why? It's not like the baby's smoking, and they don't say why it's so terribly dangerous, but I'm not going to risk it. Thank god she'll sleep fine in her basket if well-swaddled!

Good day here. Friday afternoon so she went to my dad's for a few hours. And the man wasn't at work, so we managed some time just the two of us - bit of a rarity these days. And without wanting to be a bit TMI, it has been confirmed that my lady parts do not resemble a wizard's sleeve even remotely, so that's one less thing to worry about.

Stormy, I have no intention of making it a proper co-sleeping arrangement! So far I have been putting her back in the Moses basket but last night I was so tired that I just fell asleep. No drinking or smoking here though and she's been sleeping on my chest while I've been fairly propped up - I would never put her on the actual bed with us and plan on spending the night like that.

You've got me worried now!

Well infant gaviscon from the docs for us today so I'm praying for a better night.

My LO does the happily drinking then spitting it out and having a melt down. It's usually either trapped wind or his acid reflux hurting him. I generally sit him up until he stops thrashing then try and wind him. It's not nice to watch though.

I'm wondering if the drinking then bitching thing is related to how full they are too. Zoë only does it towards the end of a feed, when there's half an ounce left. Reflux-related sounds likely too though, I will keep observing and see! At least we're getting better on the bringing loads of milk back up though - she only seems to do that if she's fed before she's hungry enough to demand milk. Which means waking her up for a feed isn't great, and now I'm back to worrying about her low milk intake again... Thirteen ounces so far today, and probably just two feeds to go, it's going to be eighteen or nineteen total...

Had a word in OH's ear and basically said I can't keep things going as they've been without losing my mind - he's said he'll do two full nights sunday and monday as he's on night body clock anyway, ironic how when he was home at night he couldn't cope with just a few hours of crying...

Bit worried about LO's weight, did the getting on the scales with him thing and if our scales are right then he's lost another 7ounces - that's way over 10% now I'm giving him extra formula feeds and not letting him sleep through any night feeds now. He's feeding for an hour from the boob so surely he's getting enough? I give him 90mls every bottle... He only leaves a tiny bit and doesn't sick up much either.

His hands started going purple when he feeds - argh is my baby just peculiar?!

I'm not co-sleeping in the bed either, he doesn't like it much and last few days if i get him off to sleep on me properly i can get him into his cot at least for a bit. Even then I worry because of the extra blankets under him and whether he's the right temperature. My body temp seems to be shot, i suddenly feel freezing at night when the thermometer says it's the same temp it's been all day, and then I wake up sweating to death.

Stormy - i asked OH to have a gander down there but he refused! I can actually feel my pelvic floor again now though which must be good.

Right, more expressing to be done for night time emergencies, and a proper boob feed in the morning when my boobs have recovered enough. Breast milk looks like banana milkshake...

The trouble with boobs is you can't actually see how much they're getting. How many bottles a day is he having, leni? If you're worried, find out when the next and nearest walk-in clinic is? That's assuming he otherwise seems fine. Could just be dodgy scales though, or even just a slightly wonky bit of floor. I know if I put my scales in a certain place they tell me I'm half a stone lighter than I actually am.

Looking forward to hearing about how your OH gets on with those two full nights!

And oh, god, the sweating, I remember that. It'll pass soon enough, don't worry. Quite amazing just how much water one's body decides to hang onto during late pregnancy. I hadn't realised I'd swollen at all, then dropped eleven pounds in about four days, all water. Nice to have some facial definition back.

I didn't have a look down there, but I had a feel a couple of days after birth. Felt very peculiar where the tear was healing up - just this raised line that wasn't there before. Gone now though, thankfully!

We are having our second attempt at putting the baby upstairs to bed. She went down alright after a lengthy attack of hiccups, but her dad used his awesome swaddling powers and she's been quiet up there since half past nine. Fingers crossed she'll keep sleeping, and I'll sneak up and try the dream feed thing at eleven. Taking an extra bottle up for 3am, planning to get up at 7am, but I've failed to tell her that, so who knows how it'll work out?

Oh I'm glad the sweating isn't just me! I thought it was because we still have our super thick double winter duvet on but perhaps not!

Looks like DD has just woken up the minute I've come to bed. Cheers DD!

Well don't kill me but we had a good night here. Dh has flu ( of the nan variety) and wanted sleep without me whining at him so he hired a night nanny. She was actually fab. Arrived at 9pm. I expressed and went off to sleep. She fed baby expressed milk at 10, then settled her, the brought her to me at 2 am to feed, took her off me at 2.40 to burp and settle and brought her back at 5.50 then settled her again and has gone. My goddaughter is getting married today and dh has to drive us for 2 hours plus now so we are all a bit better rested. 100 pounds is alot of money but she was fab and gave me some tips on settling her and different ways to burp her. Might actually be awake for wedding and dh is recovered! Hope good nights were had elsewhere. I have her mobile number and will definitely consider a return night if we hit the formula soon!

Leni the early days are tough, especially if he's back at work already. I hope he pitches in more - while he's right that you're at home all day and he's at work, you also need a break and having a baby is a joint effort. My partner also has far less patience for the crying than I do so the solution for us is that he plays with George in the evening and gives me a break but this is inevitably when grumpy hour happens. He doesn't get to avoid the crying, he just endures less of it. I do all night feeds because I can snatch short naps during the day. Be kind to yourself, I hope you find a solution soon.

I was so smug. Feeding every four hours, taking at least 120 mls like a good 'un... well that came to an abrupt halt yesterday. George might be having a growth spurt and has regressed! He's suddenly decided he wants 90 mls every 2-3 hours if you please. Trying to get him to take more just resulted in puking.

The in laws are going to be here in two hours and I need to do a big shop before they get here. I might be in the walking dead club today.

Ooh love the idea of a night nurse but sadly beyond my means! She sounds fab. Care to share the burping tips?

Yes, so on the burping if over the shoulder and the normal sit up and hand in front doesn't work sit the baby up and kind of rotate her like she is doing a hula dance slowly sort of making circles with her body but not moving her legs, seemed to work! Also she said white noise can help settle at night so apparently the little tinker slept in the Moses basket next to the tv after the 10 feed until 2 am. She also said to try and space the feeding a bit, 1 hour max on the boobs then 2 hours off to stop the stomach pains etc.

She is 4 weeks now and seems to be better at feeding and burping and I think the main advantage was she wasn't stressed about what the baby did next as she hasn't been sleep deprived for weeks. Hope you all had better nights. Sadly we won't be affording that again but at least I feel half human for god daughters wedding ( how did I get so old!) and dh isn't driving on no sleep!

That night nanny sounds awesome! If only we were all loaded...

plonko didn't you say you wanted to swap? Yours seems to have acquired mine's eating habits. Now, will mine start guzzling five ounce bottles? (I doubt it.)

So basket next to TV isn't a problem? Good to know, as the only convenient place for our downstairs basket is right next to the telly. Least two hours between feeds, will try to remember that one (still trying to work out a feeding routine that actually gets enough milk in the baby). What was the settling advice, eig?

We tried the baby going up to bed thing last night. She took a full three ounces before her bath, went up at quarter to eight. Would've been asleep by quarter past, but was ambushed by the sodding hiccups yet again. Asleep by nine and not a peep out of her, I went up and did the dream feed and went to bed at eleven. Got a bit fussy around 3am and had a lengthy farting session (the baby, not me - I don't fuss about my farts, I revel in them ) but I couldn't persuade her to drink in her sleep until 4am. At which point she woke up and wouldn't settle until after nappy change and two attempts at reswaddling. Sodding wriggly arms! Got up at half past seven, and on balance I'd call the night a success. Have discovered if she's wriggling and fussing but not really awake, a single drawn-out shush really helps. Reassuring for her, I'm guessing.

Still fretting about how to get enough milk in her though. Going by the 2.5 ounces per pound of body weight thing she should be taking about 22. If we follow her lead, it's 17 or 18. So today I'm trying waking her up every three hours. It's still not going to enough though, unless I can persuade her to eat every three hours in the night too. Which a) probably won't work and b) will mean crap sleep for me. What to do?

Stormy I have the same issue - he spends an hour on the boob but doesn't maintain proper sucking long enough to get a decent amount before being sleepy. I have to top him up 30 mins later with a full 90ml and he's only a week old! The more bottles I give him the worse he is at boobs

Had the best night so far last night except he was SO sleepy I got in a mild panic and had to keep checking him. Think it was just having lots of big feeds though.

He did a nice big wee up my nightie and over the carpet earlier - obviously nicely hydrated judging by the amount!

Emptied the special nappy bin, it comes out like nappy sausages, really weird and very heavy.

leni are you dead set on sticking with the boobs, or open-minded about how it all pans out? And forgive me if you've already mentioned (my memory is crap at the moment) but are you expressing breast milk, or just giving it straight from the source? If the latter, might be an idea to try expressing just to see how much is actually there.

Honestly, there's just no pleasing us. We worry when they won't sleep and then we worry when they sleep too well. Next on my Things To Worry About list is "will I wake up for night feeds if I've had a pint?" as it's a mate's birthday drinks tonight. Looking forward to getting out!

Two ounces down at 10.45, was expecting her to really resist waking for a feed at 1.45. And then she woke up at 12.45 and had a full three ounces. Contrary little bugger. Squeaking a little now too, so I'm going to sneak out for a fag, then if she's not awake by 3 she is being woken up! My plan is feed at 3 and 5.30, then a catnap, then up for her bath around 7, then last bottle and into bed and sleeping by 8. Why I keep making these plans I have no idea. She never sticks to them!

I'm expressing too, getting 3oz per boob before I get a bad back, so it seems endless! No idea why he's never satisfied from it anymore. Just spent 40mins giving him a go on both boobs then he yelled and drank another 130ml of formula! I worry he might explode I'm not dead set on boob, it just makes me feel sad that there's plenty of milk and he knows how to latch but somehow there's still something going wrong. Maybe I need to swallow my pride and call the La Leche counsellor after all. Dying for the new microwave to arrive so I can eat and sterilise nipple shields etc more quickly.

OH has peed me off royally again today, he got his 6 hours sleep (I requested he chopped off an hour so I had time to express as well as shower) but then just came into the living room and slept more on the sofa instead of changing the baby, getting out the clean washing I'd put on at 7am or washing up or sterilising any bottles. He actually said 'the football's on' when I asked him to sort the bath out. I dared ask him to fetch my knee pillow because after a half hour of having my poor sore itchy boobs sucked my leg was going numb, and he had a huge strop saying I was nagging him. I really thought he'd stop his habit of being glued to the laptop when LO arrived but he seems to think that his being awake constitutes looking after the baby. He told me tomorrow he's sleeping longer because he's doing all night baby duty - funny because I've been doing all night every night on 3 hours sleep! I'm at a loss. His friends are coming tomorrow and I bet he'll be all hands on when they're here... He's the same with housework, he says he won't do any on days he works, which is weird because I work 5 days with 2 off and he does 5 days on, 5 off, yet I still do all the housework. The thing is he's not actually an arse, he just has this funny idea of how hard he works which is nowhere near the truth. I'm really too tired to argue and if I get angry he acts like a child and mimics my voice before leaving for work and slamming the door. Sorry to moan, I realise what I'd be saying to anyone else if their OH was being like this.

Oh dear - LO just filled yet another nappy, such lovely sound FX
Better go and face the mustard! His cord has gone today - he thrashed so hard in his bath he pulled the last thread away!