It's April 2013, the time is now & HERE ARE OUR BABIES!

[toobreathless]

Our first post natal thread!

Cooking & Cleaning can wait till tomorrow
for children grow up we've learnt to our sorrow
So wipe away cobwebs and dust go to sleep
I'm cuddling my baby cause babies don't keep!

A thread to celebrate the highs of life with a gorgeous newborn and the lows of sleepless nights, stitches, feeding traumas & Baby blues.

way easier, even

I'm convinced the baby years are easiest of any years!

Ds1+2 get more challenging with each birthday!

I saw my GP about the stinging nipples. He thinks without any other evidence of thrush it's more likely to be a latch issue. I've used nipple shields a couple of times today which helped but simply tried a different angle and suddenly it's so much better!

I also bought a sling today! Got some advice from a lady who supplies to Leeds General Infirmary including the neonates - I wasn't sure what slings we could use because Faithlet is so small. Got a stretchy one with red stars on it. Looking forward to trying it out tomorrow! :)

Ladies who are mix/FF, I've just stumbled across the Tommee Tippee perfect prep machine! Have you seen it?

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00BG6304A/ref=mw_dp_mpd?pd=1

If you YouTube it there is a vid on it!!

I'm definitely intrigued!

Blow me! Faithlet fed at 9 and settled by half past. I went to sleep about 10....woke at 3! 5 hours straight! She did feed for an hour then (but surprising!) and then again at 5.30 and now...I think giving her a bottle with plenty of milk at bed time is helping her settle for longer!

Whoop! Just got to share that H took a bottle of EBM last night! This is massive news for us as DD never, ever took a bottle, not even an ounce!

I am so pleased as it gives me a little bit of freedom. When DD was small I couldn't really go anywhere without her. I even missed my sister's Jen night as poor DH couldn't get her to take a bottle/cup or syringe and I had to come home after an hour!

I've expressed again this morning after H's feed and got 5oz (he took 4oz last night) so I just need to work out how to build up a stash so we can give him a bottle every few days.

Oooh lucky faith I often find baby settles longer for oh, he tends to play with her after feeding/winding quite energetic little games which I think tires her more!

Phoning doctor soon, my section scar is oozing yuck.

Confirmed babies toungue tie, it's cut by the dentist here so just waiting on the appt now. Hopefully that will help latch hurt me less. Also dissapointed her poo has gone green again, going to be strictor with offering same boob back .

Oh well done sneezy! Expressing does make life easier!

Great news Sneezy! I know what you mean about the bottle. Even just DH giving her one in the evening just gives me breathing space and I think I'll be able to leave her with my sister in a couple of weeks!

Re stocking up - I managed to express a bit at a time and freeze it, gradually topping up and one day I expressed a fair amount so we have a stock of 100ml in the freezer. It's tough to get enough to freeze and also have some for a bottle each day (she'll take 100ml in a bottle). I'm doing all this with a hand pump!

Oh yuck poor you user, hope it clears up soon.

Interestingly she won't settle for DH! She'll take the bottle but then is wide awake. Goes on the boob for 5 minutes and then falls asleep. We might try doing the bottle a bit later and see what happens.

Happy to report an explosion of yellow poo, at least that's one annoyance off my list for today.

Anyone got any advice on how to get bf babies to take a bottle? I tried yesterday as I was so sore and it's more comfortable to express, but then baby bird just yelled and wouldn't let me give it to her so I ended up putting her on the breast instead, but I'm really struggling because it hurts so much!!

Yesterday I put her on her playmat for tummy time and she rolled over from front to back, is this normal for 3 and a half weeks?!?

Ouch user- I hope it clears up soon. Great news on the poo explosion though!
Bird- Alex refuses the bottle as well (as did ds1 he never took a drop!) I'm not persevering as there's one here t feed but me anyway. Though if I did my hv recommended trying different teats and also having your dp give the feed. Apparently baby is far less likely to take bottle if he knows the boobs are there.
Whoever asked about remembering which side you'd fed from, I have a cheap bead bracelet and swap wrists after every feed. Was a tip given me by another mum very useful especially when out and it's less easy to 'feel' which side is fuller.

I had a repeat MRI and murderous physio session yesterday, the pain is increasing but I feel there is some improvement in What I can do. Alex and ds were watching me and cheering me on

I second about getting someone else to give a bottle to your baby. If I try with DD, she just turns her head towards my chest! But she will take a bottle (of formula - hate expressing) from DH. What teats are you using? I am mainly breastfeeding but DD has a bottle maybe every few days - we use the NUK latex teats.

Yes I wasn't even in the room the first time DD tried a bottle. She was pretty hungry too. DH does all the bottle feeding and I stay some distance away. We use tommy tipper closer to nature bottles which she went for first try.

I wanted to get her used to it before DH tries, he's really good with her and obviously I trust him but want to to do it myself if that makes sense, still I will ask him if he wants to give it a go...
I tried a phillips avent bottle (came free with pump) but maybe will go buy a different one,any reccomendations?

mama well done for sticking at the physio through the pain. I really admire you and you inspire me to keep going when I find it hard . Do you mind to share with us what you can and can't do physically? No worries if not, I'm just being rude and asking because I'm a curious person wondering...

hi ladies,

sorry i havent been able to keep up with posting on the thread. i am reading all the posts though just struggle to post on my phone - on the laptop today.

ds is four weeks now and is awake a lot more than he has been. i am not too sure what to do with him really. i give him tummy time, cuddle him and put him in bouncer but sometimes i put him in moses to get things done and he looks bored.

he seemed really unsettled the last couple of days and i was exhausted. was starting to feel like i was struggling with him. luckily he gave me a decent nights sleep last night so feel much better today.

my csection scar has been dodgy for a couple of weeks and i have been getting it dressed at the doctors. they gave me some dressings to change myself but i have run out and it doesnt look any better so going to the doctors this afternoon to get it checked out.

Bird - such a sweet thing to say thank you no I don't mind you asking. Basically my right leg is paralysed meaning that I can't walk, though I can manoeuvre on crunches fairly well. My spine is also misaligned with several swollen and bulging discs so my balance isn't great. I am having intensive physio to try to improve my leg and my muscle strength in general. The MRI yesterday was to see if there's been any internal improvement. It's hard to tell if things are getting better right now or I'm just getting stronger and more tolerant to the pain so the scan tells the drs. I am also still very thin I'm struggling to eat still so I get tired easily but again I'm finding this is improving all the time. There isn't really anything much I can't do even if it means dragging myself literally! Laughing

Pebs- I hope all is ok at the drs x

Good to read everyone's stories. We are a week old today and still feeling a bit overwhelmed.
its also helpful to read all the feeding stories as i realise everyone is different. We are doing a breast/formula combo as my milk has been v slow to come and she is a guzzler. we were expressing too but it got a bit much and after v each feed i had to put her down - i felt i was missing out a bit on bonding time. persevering as really would like to bf but it has been quite stressful. trying my best to relax as it's better for her and me! And breastfeeding counsellor at hospital hss been great - even phoned her at home a few times when tearing hair out!

I've just updated the stats thread's on FB and MN.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/1560543-April-2013-stats-thread if you want anything added PM me, when I next get the laptop to co-operate I can update for you.

It's exciting seeing 36 boys and 37 girls, never found out what Caladria had. A few are still waiting...

regular posters that have gone AWOL recently or are still lurking on the AN thread are...

BexT
Ollibobs
Cheeseandmushroomtoastie

74 arrivals...

Anyone else having a hard time in the evening? LO is perfect by day very very easy, awake,alert and happy with lots of naps then come 6ish onwards he becomes really fussy then about 8 starts screaming blue murder then if we are lucky by 9 (had been as late as midnight) he settles for the night just waking for feeds, then is happy to keep feeding and sleeping til 10am!! He obviously is aware of the time of day, so any tips that we can get him to sleep earlier? He is in a self taught routine and I know he is only 5 weeks old and hasn't read the baby books but as he is in a routine how is it possible to manipulate it, have read the baby whisperer and I just can't see how you 'make' them sleep before he gets overtired to the point of screaming?

Hi all-
I'm so sorry that I've not been posting much- I've been checking the thread daily usually about ten times a day/ night but there never seems to be time to post!

I'm ok- have got a viral infection 'down there' which is making life uncomfy- but have antiviral tablets now, got them yesterday - my temperate is down now, I'm less shivery and things down below are definitely feeling better. So, I'm on the mend.

Peter continues to be fabulous- more gorgeous every day- last weigh in he was 9lb 1 - what a porker! Breast feeding is going well- at nights he feeds normally every 2 hours, which is quite frequent, but he generally settles quickly afterwards so it's ok- except after about 4am when he likes to be awake!!

I've been trying to do too much in the day time- I'm determined just to try to enjoy him more from now on- sod the housework! Our days have absolutely no routine yet- he makes noise like he wants to feed about hourly, but I'm trying to spread the feeds out a bit - trying to extend to atleast 2 hours between feeds. Have also introduced a dummy- didn't want to, but it's the only way he'll settle without being in the boob.

I'm going to try expressing my first bottle tomorrow morning- I don't feel like I really want to- I love feeding him, and I feel like I'm coping really well. But DH would really enjoy feeding him- he can feel a bit helpless when Peter is crying - but I'm sure that if he'll take a bottle from DH then I'll a few months down the line I'll be really glad.

Can't believe how fast time is flying- Peter is 20 days old!!

Xxxx
I'll try to post more frequently, but I'm really enjoying keeping up with all of your posts. No time to do a full name check now, but empress it sounds like you're doing amazingly- I'm still thinking of you and your family- lots of love to little Sam

Xxx

essex - that doesn't happen every night with us, but we've had the odd night where Peter won't settle until about 10- nothing we did would make any difference to him!
X