The 5th Gemini luxury bus - the one with babies!

[FrustratedSycamoresRocks]

As we have all our gorgeous babies now, welcome aboad the 5th Gemini bus.

Drinks and previously banned foods supplied in bulk, Car seats installed, slings and prams at the ready, as we head into parenthood, and all the excitement, and sleepless nights our little ones will bring along the way.

DS1 was doing similar today kitty! His favourite thing at the moment is to ignore you when you first ask him to go somewhere & then run in the opposite direction laughing hysterically when you ask again! I tried ignoring him when he was avoiding getting in his chair for dinner because he was looking back at me clearly waiting for me to chase him. My pretending to ignore him & eat my own dinner just resulted in him climbing the stairs! I hate that he knows I won't ignore that! I guess it's just them experimenting with their control over their environment. I just keep telling myself that it's a normal developmental phase & I need to let him explore that, albeit within certain limits... Then I forget all that, dump him on DH & leave the room to bang my head on the wall focus on breathing deeply!

You ladies are a good contraception advert Honestly don't know where the energy comes from. I'm only just getting my head around looking after DS post birth!

In the nicest possible way I'm glad it's not just me Jojo, she has done everything today that she knows is naughty, climbing, throwing the cat biscuits in their water or on the floor, putting the clip back in her mouth from yesterday's naughty ness ( which I could even see flash up in her eyes ah this is what I got told off for doing yesterday!) it wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that just before she started we had been playing lovely in the garden for an hour with dd2 asleep in her cot so it wasn't an attention thing but from the point I told her off she made it her mission to get under my skin or do as much as possible that she knew is bad, the other thing is that nothing I do to disaplin seems to bother her, we've tried reasoning, taking things off her, telling her if she does it one more time we won't go to fun place we were going or she won't get a treat that day, putting her in her room, I even tried a smack on the leg yesterday with a count to 3 when she put the clip in her mouth as its dangerous ( it's not the line I want to go down) and she still defiantly kept it in, just feel like in doing everything wrong at at the minute

I've tried smacking DS1's hand a couple of times when he's done something that's really made me worry about his safety. He laughs like a deranged maniac even harder & does it again! I've also found that he's at his least obedient when he's had me to himself for a while & then I have to do something with DS2... Or after his nap when I need to be cooking, or when he's not had enough attention, or when he's not asleep...! He likes switches & will inch towards them saying "no" repeatedly. & he climbs on the sofas & stands up & runs along them when we go to remove him.

I'm really looking forward to getting him up now...! I've not had a great night with DS2 so I doubt I'll be winning any parenting awards today! Might see if I can get some sleep before the little maniac wakes up!

They sound like they were seperated at birth! Dd1 is exactly the same with everything you just said, atleast you got to decode whether to wake her, she's woken up before me and dd2 today, atleast it was 6;30 though, it was 5:30 yesterday and shed had a late night and not gone to sleep til 9, maybe that was why she was worse then normal! I had her in bed at 7 on the dot last night, I just couldn't take anymore lol

I agree that they are always worse after they've had 1:1 attention from you (or somebody else, dd1 isnt fussy)

I think it may be because dh has gone back to work, she's not been really asking for him but for 7 wks she's had both of us and atleast 1on1 , she became a real daddy's girl and he took her to the park almost every day! She probably misses him!
How's everyone else's sleep going? Dd2 has only woken up once a night for the past week at 2-3 she's asleep by 7 at night and usually wakes up between 5:45 or 6:30, I still feel knackered as not getting any naps and having to stay up til 10 to get organised for the next day, the other problem is for the last 3 nights where I havnt put dd2 in a sleeping bag she has crawled/pulled herself up the cot and ended up at the other end off the sensor which sets off the alarm, this has happened twice a night now
Oh it doesn't wake her though?!?

kitty ~ omg! Once a night? Are you formula feeding? I wish it was like that for me DS wakes for a feed every 2-3hrs and only sleeps in his own bed if I swaddle him which is impossible in this heat so we've gone back to co sleeping...sigh!

DS2 had been feeding at 8 & 11 so I'd go to bed after the 11pm feed & we'd sleep until 4-5ish. The last couple of nights he's been really difficult to get to feed at 11 so last night I left him. We woke at 2 & 5. Not impressed! It was cool enough by 5 that I could swaddle him & I had to wake him at 10.30! I'm trying to decide if I have the energy/time/ability to make him a swaddle wrap out of an old sheet. I've tried swaddling him in various things but he's so wriggly that he kicks them off or ends up with them around his neck/face! Definitely won't be trying that again!

No pear, breast feeding but following a book I used with dd1 that is surposed to get them sleeping 7-7 by 8wks, dd1 slept through at 12wks and has never looked back so using it again. It is based on routine and feeding every three hours in the day and never waking them from the minute you put them to bed at 7, doing a whole dark at night and never talking and light and chatty in the day, it's not about leaving them to cry so I love it, it's worked for all my friends aswell, the heat and light makes it all so much harder though!

Ahh kitty that sounds like the Gina Ford book. I've read a couple of chapters and was very tempted by it but felt that we go out too much in the daytime for it to work :-/ I could never imagine myself having breakfast at 7 but then saying that I did today.

No not gina ford pear, I got that to have a look at but it was so structured I didn't think it could possibly fit into our lifestyle, hated the way she told you when to have a drink etc it was like ill have one when I want thanks, this is called the sensational baby sleep plan and the only thing you have to follow in the day is feeding ever three hours or there abouts. You get an hour either side so you try to start the day at 7 then feed at 10,1,4 and 7 again but if she sleeps in you can start at 8 or early if 6 you can still stretch out the next feed til 10 aslong as its there or there abouts, sleep wise in the day I just let her sleep when she wants to and anywhere so car seat or cot or being held etc, that's why i like it as its a guide not a strict you must do this kind of thing then when they sleep through you start to reduce the 3hr feeds to 4hr and then ween as and when your ready, I can't recommend it enough but it's what suits you at the end of the day, I like having the routine that she goes to bed at 7 and we do what we want in the day, now dd1 is almost 2 we sometimes let her stay up later etc dependant on what we are doing like it was 9 the other night but she's much better going at 7 and loves to sleep

I think but may be wrong that gina ford does a dream feed too? This guide doesn't advocate that at all , she says to put them to bed at 7 and after that you never wake them to feed them or you will be giving then the dream feed much longer then they need it and it becomes a habit, kind of like when you set your alarm for work each day and you find you wake without it! They get used to waking at a set time which makes sence really this way they drop it when they are ready it just gets later and later til it goes completely

Kitty that sounds like a book I need! Is it too late for my DS who is 7 weeks tomorrow?

Also will I be able to read it in the short time I have nowadays? I find Gina Ford too much to digest :-/

Not too late at all pear I didn't know about it til dd1 was a few weeks old as friend only recommended it when I texted her in desperation lol it would be fine to start now but might take a little longer, like my dd took til 12wks rather then 8, they also have a section for older children anyway that is over 4 months I think but that does involve some control crying, the earlier section doesn't, it's not a big book so yes you'd be able to read the relevant bit to start in a day or 2, ( an hour say) and then you can read the other bits if you need advice or want to understand more about it, there are sections on bf and the different ailments and a section on reflux as she's one of the leading specialists in it I think, anyway I love it as I like to feel like I'm in control but don't like to be stuck inside or tied down to anything rigid like the other books do, (basically i like going out in the day to groups or meeting friends or shopping)there are bits about structured day time sleeps aswell but we didn't use them and it made no difference, it's good because she suggests what works but doesn't insist you follow ie says its best not to use sleep aids like a dummy but if you need to you can, just explains why it might be more detrimental long term, we only used it as a guide and just found it easy and common sence after but as a first time mum it doesn't always occur to you ( things like not putting the light on at night etc) can you tell how much I rate it lol
Must sound like I work for her but there's nothing better or that you can't deal with after a good nights sleep everything else you can just wing it and I havnt heard of anyone it's failed for, it's called the sensational baby sleep plan by Alison Scott wright anyway xx

Thanks kitty I will give it a go

I am not a happy bunny! I have a pain in my breast & I'm not entirely sure why. I think maybe my bra was too tight but it started yesterday morning & just hasn't gone away! I was assuming it was a blockage, although I can't feel any lumpiness. So far I've tried massage, feeding in various positions, feeding while massaging, hot compresses & expressing. When DH gets out of the shower I'm going to try having a long hot bath. It just feels bruised. I'm seeing the health visitor later so I'll mention it to her if I haven't got it resolved by then. My nipple is cracked & sore from trying to convince him to feed more. It might have been worth it if it'd actually helped!

No-one mention the M word. I don't wanna have it, therefore I won't!

Jojo, it's so worrying when your bf to get any pain isn't it, I'm sure it won't be the m word, lets hope it is just a bra bruise and nothing to worry about

JoJo I think if it was the M word you would be doubled up in pain. I get the idea that the M word is pretty bad. It sounds like bruising to me. I had something similar yesterday because DS is drinking in overdrive style thanks to this crappy weather I know I know...it's great to see sunshine etc however sunshine = my DS not letting me put him down ever because sunshine makes him turn into a needy koala overnight

Perhaps book an appointment with the GP just in case! If it improves you can always cancel.

JoJo have you got any red blotches? I think that is a sign of the M word. It's good that your health visitor is coming to see you today. Quicker then getting a GP appointment! FX it goes away soon!

needy koala

No blotches/streaks/hot patches/high temp... I'm just really paranoid! I've been doing a lot of reading & I suspect it's a result of oversupply/over-active letdown. I've just popped my finger in his mouth to check how he's sucking & he does clamp both with his gums & his tongue which could be an attempt to slow the flow. The letdown doesn't bother me so much once he's actually feeding but I get it once or twice between each feed & it's a sudden burning sensation that feels like someone's trying to push thick icing through my nipples! My guess is that it's coming out too fast for him (he gags & pulls of after a few minutes quite frequently) & so he's started clamping to regulate the flow which is stopping the breast emptying properly & also cracking my nipples.

Today is going to be super fun... I had maybe 4 hours sleep last night, been awake since 4.30, am in pain, it's going to be hot again... I feel like crying! It's days like this when I wish DH wasn't so conscientious/honest & would fake a sick day so he could stay home & help! Doesn't help that he's still struggling & the reason I got to bed late last night was that I had to spend an hour listening to him complain about all the things at work that are worrying him. He spoke to his boss about the issues & he said it all seemed fine but DH just can't stop worrying! It's ok to express a whole load of milk, wait until I see DH arriving home & then sneak out, leaving a note, & go stay in a hotel for a few days, right? I rather fancy sitting around in a fluffy dressing gown ordering room service & watching trashy tv! Ah, to be young & carefree again!

Needy koala

Jinx jojo
It doesn't sound like the m word then, but still not pleasent for you
You made having a night off sound like a little bit of heaven, can I join you??
My dh is similar, he's not depressed thankfully but if there's an issue at work he goes over and over it suggesting every possible outcome and fretting, nothing bad ever happens but he does it every time