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.

[Lorelei353]

Oh dear kitty. Not quite working to plan was she.

We had a tough morning. Sometimes DS will latch on immediately and feed like a dream bit more often he really fights latching on. If the milk is gushing out it's too ugh for him and he keeps coming off. If it's not gushing he doesn't want to work to get it out. Either way it can take 10 or 15 mins to get him to latch on and stay on. This morning was another level though. He would not go on, although he was gagging for it. We were at not an hour and a half, taking breaks to cool off, do nappies, have cuddles to calm him. Weird thing was whenever we thought he'd latched on, he'd take in loads of milk but refuse to swallow it and it would just fill up his mouth and then just come pouring out. I don't know why he wouldn't swallow it!

[kittykatsforever]

Oh lot that sounds really tough I wouldn't know what to suggest, have you tried a bottle to see if the problem is the latch or perhaps with him, reflux, tongue tie or perhaps a dairy intolerance, bring is probably better equipped to give you some suggestions but it must be frustrating and upsetting for you

[Librarina]

I saw a Lactation Consultant this morning and gave my first ever feed without it hurting... You really do have to mash them on dont you! Anyway she's snoozing now and I'm already getting nervous about trying it in my own. Our routine is going to be, feed one side. Wind her & change her, offer the other side. I'm doing that when she stirs and rootles. The other tip we got is to feed skin to skin and to pin her arms out of the way with a muslin so she doesn't thrash so much.

In other news, Johnsons Babywipes gave her a red bum so we are back on the plain water wipes.

We are having a lazy afternoon lying on a chaise and watching the raindrops!

[Jojobump1986]

I've just made some wipes! I'm very excited about them & am about to go use them for the first time! I used this website & I bought some Simple baby all-in-one wash to go in them. They smell of chamomile!

I have a headache & haven't napped but I have to go get DS1 up quickly because DS2 is disturbing & will want feeding any moment. I don't wanna. I want to go crawl into my bed & snooze, not have one child demanding books be read repeatedly while the other hangs off my nipple & sucks me dry for the umpteenth time. DH is going to be later than usual tonight which really isn't making me want to get the kids up - the sooner I get them up the longer I have to entertain them both by myself! Selfish, bad parent moment...!

[Librarina]

Ooh, I'm going to try that when we've used up this delivery of Water Wipes which I love but are very expensive.

My baby has slept for nearly 4 hours after her epic feed this morning. Should I wake her up to feed her again? I'm scared she won't sleep tonight if she sleeps all day today and I want to practise our new latch!

Having babies is nerve wracking indeed and that's only made harder by other children. Can you park DS1 in front of CBeebies as a temporary babysitter just so you can do what you need to. Not forever but it might give you a little head solace.

[Lorelei353]

So since this morning's dramas we've had two blissful calm feeds - and without the pillow. A friend who had an over supply issue with one of hers told me that her lactation consultant told her to lie back as much as possible to stop ds getting overwhelmed by milk at first. Seems to have helped

lib I don't let ds go longer than 4 hours as I find he's too cranky and hungry when he wakes up and then I struggle to get him on the breast.

[FrustratedSycamoresRocks]

Evening all
DH after working all day has gone back in to do the evening shift he rarely works evenings so the DVDs have been bathed and put to bed by 6.30.

[FrustratedSycamoresRocks]

That would be the dds not the DVDs . Not sure it's advisable to bath DVDs?

[Librarina]

I don't think DVDs work any more if you bath them. I am rubbish at bathing my baby so I've given up using the baby bath and just run the big bath and get in with her and float her on my knees, she seems to like it better and I feel like she's safer.

She is currently screaming, despite having had a big feed, a nice clean bum and no apparent wind, babies are confusing.

[bringonthetrumpets]

I seriously started laughing when I saw that you bathed and put your DVDs to bed. Lol! I love when the kids go to bed early. You feel like you got parenting down. It seems the boys are wild crazy monsters no matter what time we put them to bed and they don't settle until 9:30 (which is infuriating b/c they're super crabby in the morning).

Glad it's getting for both of you Lib and Lor!!

Little miss pulled a 4-hr stint last night and it felt amazing except for the porn boobs I woke up with

Maybe N is working out some lower wind, Lib?

[FrustratedSycamoresRocks]

That's the way I do it lib I take him in with me and support his head and he just floats there. He likes his ears underwater too, that really calms him.

My well meaned plans went to seed bring dd1 got up and pestered me, so I let her watch Les Mis with me until her breathing got on my nerves (she holds her breath. It started deliberately, but now I don't think she's even aware she's doing it, and I have to keep telling her to breathe).

Then dd2 got up, emptied all her toy baskets out all over the bedroom floor, then wee-d on the bathroom floor, so I ended up bring her downstairs, where she eventually fell asleep at 9.30 on the back of the chair. like a cat, with an arm and a leg hanging of the edge

But at least ds has been asleep for the past hour, (after cluster feeding since 5!) so sneaking in a bath to try and get rid of the smell of milk and baby sick.

Impressive 4hr stint bring I bet it felt wonderful. I'm so jealous.

[Librarina]

Talk to me about wind guys. The Lact Cons I saw today said you don't need to pat a baby, just hold them vertical and press them close to you. But if you don't get the wind out of N she cries.

But if you leave it too long to put her down, after a feed she doesn't go to sleep!

So what to do?

[FrustratedSycamoresRocks]

I think its all down to the individual child, and what works best for them.
J won't bring his up without patting/rubbing, if I leave him he's sick. well more sick

[bringonthetrumpets]

Yeah, same with M. I have to pat and rub her back after every feed or she gets really fussy and will start throwing up (out of her nose, the poor thing!) and it's just really dramatic. A few pats and rubs and she lets out a couple of impressive belches and then she'll crash on my shoulder. If it's sleep for the night, I swaddle M before our last feed before I start getting ready for bed and I think she's starting to get it that it's time for it to be dark and to sleep after the feed I'll most likely be eating those words in a few days/weeks then burp then bed in her moses basket.

Ahhhhhhh, yes, Frus that sounds a bit more like the typical night at our house. Esp the wee on the bathroom floor, toys and books all over the floor, jumping on the bed, and climbing on the shelving. ENJOY that bath!!

[kittykatsforever]

Agree Lib that every child responds differently to wind but for easy wind, that is a big burp that's easy up I find just lifting them upright on your knee with hand under arms and rubbing back or moving the whole baby in a circular movement which manipulates her belly works, for stubborn wind put them right over your shoulder, further then you'd think so belly is massaged by your shoulder rubbing her back
You can tell its wind lib if she's bringing her knees up it thrashing and pulling from you even when you pick her up
We were on track for a great night, both asleep for 7, dd2 slept pAst her usual 11-midnight feed and dd1 just lost her teddy in covers ( this is her comfort/ obsessive love)crying and has now woken dd2 really hoping this I'd the only feed but suspecting ill be woken about 5 ish now

[kittykatsforever]

Bring I think kids respond really quickly to a routine so will definatly understand its time for a different kind of sleep, I do similar in that the last feed if the day is done with subdued light ( quite dark) and from that point until morning i don't put the light on again ( i use a night light to change s bum or just open the door a crack) or talk to her, morning comes with wide open curtains and lots of smiles and talk, particullaly hard to pull out at 6 lol

[kittykatsforever]

Oh and at bathing DVDs, so funny
Lib baby baths are rubbish your method sounds lovely, we use a baby bath seat which are fab too, they go in the big bath and you don't need to hold them at all which I definatly need with 2 of them in the bath on my own, we got ours for 50p at the car boot, I always see people selling them there

[kittykatsforever]

Can you tell dd2 isn't asleep yet

[Lorelei353]

We have s Bath seat too. ds loves it and it leaves us hands free to bathe him a bit.

We haven't really got a night routine going yet. We also haven't got him to settle in the crib. He still needs holding to go to sleep but will sleep well once he's there.

[FrustratedSycamoresRocks]

My nighttime routine .. Pah who am I kidding.. My entire life is dictated the mood swings and needed containment of s 5yo.

I think I've got blocked ducts again. An area on my left is tore to touch. And a pach in my right feels like I've been repeatedly punched.

[bringonthetrumpets]

Ouch frus! Massage, moist heat, and weird feeding positions to try to drain that duct. Maybe consider start taking soy or sunflower lecithin to help prevent it again in the future? I have to say that it's been working wonders already and the lumpy feeling in the one side has totally gone away.

[FrustratedSycamoresRocks]

Hmm DH got up with dcs,--because in knackered and have sore bo how long do I give him before he looses the plot.

[FrustratedSycamoresRocks]

safe to say my last post made little sense.
in=i'm Bo=boobs

[FrustratedSycamoresRocks]

headache, achy joints, feel terrible, and the telltale blotchy patch beginning to appear.. Stuffing mastitis.

Will be hunting down sunflower lecithin today and a cabbage.

[kittykatsforever]

Oh frus it's one of my worst fears with bf, does it hurt alot?
Why does it come about, you seem to have a great feeder, I'm worried about supply, I know I shouldn't be and dd seems to be gaining 1lb every 2 weeks but they never go to that full feeling even at night after 5 hrs break, I only ever seem to be able to express about 4oz, although dd quite often has less, last night she only took 3 from the bottle before pushing it out and falling asleep, it seems such a rediculously small amount when you see babies on formula having a full bottle