Start your runners (talk) and your new jars of Jam, 'tis the season-almost.

[Vagolajahooli]

Here we are ladies, time for all that talk of christmas table runners and chrissie deccy colour combos. And will we be getting some new Jam in this thread! Maybe not quite.

hehe!! Beans must be picking up a clearblue

I just googled "aching leg during night" and it took me to "ageing and senior health community" forum. 40 this year. Kick me while I'm down [sigh]

Ooh found a more appropriate forum and the reply makes sense as I've had lower back pain since pregnancies. It's to do with that I think. I need Pilates.

haha. puke. Please don't joke! I missed a pill last week and forgot and did the deed within the week with no added protection. Shit shit. but have got slight gripes, so suspect just a big poo to come. as usual. Didn't do my daily morning one today. can you imagine if I was preggo? ?? dear god. they'd be a year apart. DD3 is 16 weeks now!!!

Does anyone else feel like they are constantly feeding their children. I swear it started with growth spurts and has never stopped. These two could eat for England, Australia and the Netherlands. But they are still skin and bone. DS2's jeans have started falling down his waist is so tiny. I give them full fat milk, three helpings of dinner usually, a massive bowl of porridge for breakfast and the same again for pudding. Plus a jam packed lunch box. I feel like 80% of my time is spent gathering, cooking and serving food for these two!

How's the nausea today Beans? Any results from your bowels.

DH is in London. A friends wife is having a baby soon and she is a bit of a princess. She barely lets him away before she got pregnant so we doubt he'll get a chance to have any time away after the baby is born. So I've been trying to organise the her hubby & DH to have a weekend away together but she won't let him. So DH has gone over there so they can at least go out before the baby comes.

Vag, DS2 is always hungery. He always wants something to eat. DS1 eats a lot at meal times but never usually asks for extra. He is a bean pole.

My children would snack for Britain, but mealtimes are only just starting to take off.
I am not pregnant. Phew. Did a test. All fine.
DD3 is testing me to my full patience stretch. She will not sleep in the day, apart from 20 mins here and there and gets so tired and screamy and I can't help her apart from feeding and it's awful and I am doubting my parenting ability.

Dd has gone to sleep in her bed again. I've been trying for ages to get her to go in there and now I'm not enjoying it.

FFS why oh why is bf not working. I have gone from being engorged TT and unable to latch to boobs completely soft and clearly not fulfilling DS3 especially on one side. He is now pulling and fussing at one side. Have tried pumping and it took 30mins to get 1/2oz. Whereas a few days ago 30 mins would have produced at least 5oz.

Why can't I get it to work??? The only thing I can think is that he sleeps really well at night 11-5 and that's the issue or it's because on the crap side it's still a painful latch and he is not successfully stimulating the breast to make milk. Am so upset by it all. Any advice?

Kayz that's great news about DD.

How old is he now Jam? I remember stuff like this happening for growth spurts. Sat in my nursing chair with empty boobs and a baby snuffling about trying to get something out. Boobies would fill up eventually as he would keep at them willing them to get a move on. When is DH back. Have you got any other support Jam. I remember sometimes the only thing that helped was DH taking him away from me give me a break long enough to eat something, maybe have a shower and then I could handle the snuffling about a bit more. Until the milk catch up finally kicked in.

Found you again!

Jam, can you get someone to come and give you some help? Are there any willing teenagers in the area who might like to cuddle a baby for an hour while you had a shower? I remember being told to lay off the pumping for a while to stop your supply going haywire. He is still so wee and you are a superstar for doing it on your own. How are the others doing ? Are they playing along and giving you some help or at least not giving you grief? Thinking of you.

On Jammie, that's tough. If you are finding it too too stressful, no one would think any less of you for using formula. I know you do want to bf, but if its really getting you down, you're not wrong if you want to ff. but if you desperately want to keep bfing, then stick with it and you'll get there. But don't put pressure on yourself x

When it went wrong with the TT for me with dd I had issues producing enough and it became a viscous cycle. I had to give formula as well as express as she wasn't getting enough from my boobs alone, and then so it began the beginning if the end. I'm not saying it's the same case for you Jam and I know they say you can re establish fb even if you completely stop (don't they?) but I don't think that is easy for everyone necessarily.
A happy full baby on formula is a far better situation than a stressed out mummy with tattered boobs and an unsettled baby. Hope it turns a corner soon x
How's the nanny situ Arti?

I seem to spend my life feeling perpetually guilty. Why is it that men don't get that?

This weekend, DH has been for an afternoon of cycling, an hour's run this morning and now gone to Homebase on his own til lunchtime. I don't think I'd be able to leave him that often with the kids without feeling bad. And I constantly feel bad that I'm neglecting one or the other child... Usually DD3, although when I'm lavishing attention on her, I worry about the other two!! Endless.

I've also just asked DH to take 3 days off work so I can go with Mum and my sisters to sprinkle Dad's ashes in North Wales. Somehow, he's managed to negotiate it down to 2 days so I'm travelling late at night. How did that happen?? I am too wet.

Does he actually say stuff beans or is it in your head? I ask because I often "feel" guilty when I need to go off and do things and leave dh with the kids and bill anyways text saying "won't be long" etc but he always sats I shouldn't worry and to take as long as I want etcetc but I still do worry. He's got the kids last night and today but says he's having a great time so I feel ok about sleeping and room service (raining here) Maybe it's just that you're feeling guilty with no reason to? But if he says stuff to make you feel that way then I'd be pissed and put your foot down. 2 plus a new baby would be bloody hard.

Bill anyways?? Meant to read i'll always

Oh Jamster, is there any chance of 24 hours of you and DS3 relaxing together with lots of skin to skin and feeding to stimulate supply? That probably too much to dream I know. If its any comfort I never express much yet have fed three huge babies so I'm not sure the amount you can express is a good indicator of supply.

Rubes, all ok with a u pair. I got home on Fri all ready to have a big talk and found her in the kitchen looking very sad and ill. She only has a cold but has never been ill away from home and she told me she'd been feeling homesick. We had a good chat and clearly that was the problem and it reminded me how young she is and she seems much happier since.

Ah poor thing Arti. Glad you got to the bottom of it and all seems well.

Why do I try to troubleshoot things myself? Kettle tripped out TV and I now have drawn blood sticking my arm down the back of wires behind TV. Should have just called the ever efficient hotel staff first. They were here in a nano second. Forgot how bloody brilliant Dubai is.

Rubes, it's self-induced guilt too.
I wish I was in dubai too.

Have just made a delicious roast lamb with all the trimmings. 1.5hrs cooking, 3 minutes to scoff! even the girls had 3rds!!

Beans I know what you mean. I can't really complain about DH being away a lot. He us around loads and us great with the boys. But he is so much on hos laptop or twiddling with his bike or doing something. I often have to tell him to do stuff with the boys. I endlessly have to tell him to do stuff with them. If we go out to the park, beach or anywhere out of the house he is brilliant. But if we are home he seems to wander off doing other stuff.

anyway that making you have 2 days to spread your dads ashes instead of 3 is a bit out of order. Seems a bit dangerous making you rush the drive.

Jam go easy on yourself and your boobs. You & them are doing a great job. As RT says get your gear off and have a snuggle with DS3. Might not help the BM production, but it will feel nice.

DS2 is gets a bit nostalgic for the good days of nudey cuddles. He still puts his hand up my top to touch my tummy. On the bike I often feel a little hand slip under my coat and up on to the skin on my back. This morning he lifted my shirt up so we could touch tummies. Little sweety. DS1 on the otherhand is just up for cuddles now and not so much for the lingering ones. I can slowly but surely feel him slipping away. I'm glad we snuggled so much and co-slept when he was a baby. I think it would make him moving away from me even harder.

my sisters both want to just do 2 days too, so it turns out it's ok. I think I might even get the train. imagine. sitting quietly with a book for 4 hours with no interruption. bliss!!! DD3 will be 9 months by then. time is running away from me.

vag, I know what you mean about slipping away. both older DDs still very touchy feely, but a lot less cuddly than they used to be. Although when she's feeling insecure, DD2 still puts a hand down my bra!!! quite weird!

PS Vag, I know what you mean about the constant tinkering. After lunch, having done 20mins on the trampoline with the girls, DH has been in the garage since. I could really do with him doing a spot of childcare, to be honest. Exhausted. Think ill be in bed before Sherlock tonight!

What is it with men and garages? Mine is always hiding sorting out in there.

Sorry so difficult to post at the mo.
The day to day showering eating getting the kids to school is fine. I just find the feeding tricky. My nipples are healing and hardening up it just feels like I get rid of one problem and another tears it's head. Saw the midwife this arvo and after constantly gaining weight he has now lost weight. So of course I am now in overdrive worrying even more so about supply. Even though she told me she is not concerned about weight or my supply.

God it's just a merry go round of stress.

Arti glad to hear you have managed to have a chat with the au pair.

Jam you poor thing. I remember being obsessed with looking at the boys poos to see what colour they were green or that yellow/brown colour. I'd get really despondent if I felt it was the wrong colour. In hindsight if I'd just looked at the baby whose nappy I'd just changed I probably would have been less freaked out. But what are we supposed to do but freak out, it's their food intake. It's a big responsibility. I don't know what to say to make you feel better, all I can do is make shhushing noises and pat your back.

How are you today, Jam? Still thinking of you .