October 2013 Bus Graduates: the one where we're not pregnant anymore

[MrsHoratioNelson]

Check in here. Do we still need the stats?

Oh! I've just caught up with everything therefore have lost my night time feed reading.

emmo what awful news, wishing your sister all the best.
flyer congrats, I hope the tongue tie op helps and a continues on her positive path. Ds has a tongue tie but we are one of the lucky ones- hoping it stays that way.

I can't wait to get ds into a grobag, I'm currently loosely swaddling (with arms out), then a folded light blanket. Vest and sleep suit. He seems ok, occasionally kicks it off but would prefer less faff in transferring from feed back to sleep.

I will be leaving ds to return to work in 2 weeks (he will be 1month) I only do 3hours and dp will look after him. Despite how early it is, I have a good feeling about it. C is low maintenance and is taking a bottle of ebm. I just don't like expressing, it's a faff to be honest.

Oooh I have a question, those who express how often do you sterilise your pump.

This may be a newbie stupid question but anyone who sterilises what do you do with the excess water gathered in the bottles. I use the tommee tippie steam one.

clapham are u about, delayed reply to your question I was in room 25 to deliver, then room 29 for my day admit.

Slippy. I leave the water in the bottles. You can shake the water out. But you can't dry with a clothes as otherwise no longer sterile.

So, a good day here. The day "worked", albeit V continues to be rather "Velcro", e.g. Often needs plucking out of true pushchair for a quick cuddle / settle when out and about. But she seems much happier now, lots of smiles etc. They're 9 weeks, but I think have a "corrected" age of more like 6 weeks. If anyone who's bf is interested, this is what the last couple of days has looked like:

7pm - feed in dark bedroom with "womb" white noise, cluster feeding with 15 odd mins for shower etc
9pm - feed
9.30pm - asleep for the night (me too!)
V only - midnight feed
2am - both feed
4am - feed
6am - feed
6.30 onwards- dozing in cot / propped up on our bed with cushions etc, DD and I get ready, then twins in bouncy chairs during breakfast
7.45 - feed then school run and long nap, all in pushchair
10.15 - feed and awake time in bouncy chairs then sling (V)
12.30 - feed then nap (in pushchair for now)
2.30 - "dream" feed then more nap in pushchair for school run
4.45 - feed then dozing / awake time in bouncy chair (H) and sling (V)
6.15 - bath etc
7pm - feed in dark bedroom

Tbh, I think I give a feed too many in the afternoon - I have to wake them at 2.30 - but if I didn't do this, they would need a feed at exactly the moment DD needs to be collected...

Flyer - what did dr say re anxiety?

legally I'm so glad you all seem to be settling into a routine, I don't know how you do it. but then with ur dd as well I suppose you have to. we have no set pattern at all but seeing as it's just me and H most of the time I can wing it and just go with the flow. he sleeps at night which is all I really want!!

flyer hope the dr was helpful today.

It's dp's bday tomorrow and we're heading to my parents for the weekend. they own a b&b in a gorgeous little country town so its like a proper holiday (and its free ) I can't wait as I don't really feel like we've had the opportunity to just relax and enjoy being a family yet!!

legally I think your routine is very similar to mine, though I only have one baby rather than two, and an 8 yo who gets herself ready for school! But like you, I kind of have to adjust feeds slightly to take account of when I am picking up/dropping off dd1. Fortunately, A seems a very flexible baby!

The strange thing I am finding with A is that unlike dd1, she doesn't need to feed to sleep, she will actually just lie down and fall asleep! I can't quite believe it as dd1 needed to feed to sleep until she was about 2.5yrs!! I suppose things will probably change…

I am also loving the angel care monitor - sat here listening to the little 'bips' that show she is breathing! Only the second evening I have put her to bed in her cot and come downstairs for a while before I go to bed. I probably should go to bed myself, as she only goes about 2.5 hrs between feeds, but enjoying the novelty of a little 'normality'!

I also wanted to ask - does anyone else's baby only bf for about 5-7 mins? That is the normal length of A's feed, with occasionally a 'long' 15min feed perhaps once or twice a day.
She is gaining well and plenty of wet/dirty nappies, so I guess it is normal for her, I just remember reading on here that someone was told that a 5min feed is just a snack and they should be feeding for 30-40 mins! A has never done that!

chickie - 6 week check was fine thanks. The grooming was relatively easy as my scar is a couple of cms above hairline (not sure why!). But sad to have had final appointment with my lovely midwife though.

Emmo so sorry to hear about your sister. Hope she's feeling a bit better after transfusion.

C's just had her 6 week immunisations. She cried a little bit during injection but seemed to forget about it quite quickly!

Yay for flyer and A - excellent work!

Another 300g and C should be big enough to use her grobags...

Taking - re the self settling, H is like this! Amazing! I also fed DD to sleep until I stopped bf at 2 years. Tbh, it totally didn't matter - she fed to sleep and then just self settled as soon as she "had" to aged 2. She's a great sleeper. V is we more like DD... H I think will sleep through fairly soon - he self settles and will go hours already! It's v helpful that he's so relaxed as V is much more high maintenance!

Also, neither DD nor the twins have ever fed for more than ten mins and all gained / are gaining like troopers. Ime, MWs and HVs talk bollocks re lengths of feed...

Taking. For the record, I'm jealous. Lo takes anything from 20-50 min feeding.

For those choosing to swaddle, I found this video to be helpful and reassuring... hipdysplasia.org/developmental-dysplasia-of-the-hip/hip-healthy-swaddling/

Legally. Just read your routine. Makes me a lil more determined to do more with my day.

I managed my first shower for the week today. I feel like a slob. I don't do anything other then tidy a lil. Cook a bit (mostly mil does it). And rest of the time I look after lo and try and play with ds 1 as much as possible.

Pushchair collected yesterday. Just waiting for attachments so car seat can go on and we are set for project "get out more". Thursday is library baby rhyme day, so hoping they make delivery tomorrow morning.

Gah! I am so cross with DH - he was meant to be having Weds - Fri. Now he's only taking Friday off and had basically lied to me about it. It's a long story but he has form for this sort of thing.

Then after the last feed I went to bed and he settled C. Except he spent the whole time shouting practically and wondered why he wouldn't settle. Now he's waited until C is completely hysterical before bringing him back for the next feed so it makes life realty difficult for me (not to mention painful as C clamps on for dear life). And to top it all off, he's unplugged my iPod which was charging so he can play white noise on it so now its got no battery for me while I feed C. A series of small things that has really pissed me off.

He does whatever the hell he likes so long as he's alright jack. And I'm completely sick of him putting work first every single time - I have been relying on him to have this time off so I can have a break and he just doesn't give a shit.

I try to get out most days. It's difficult when A has me awake until the early hours though, so we rarely get out of bed much before midday. Today our 'outing' was to Tescos. The other day I took her to Lloyd's bank. Yep, she is seeing the sights! Trouble is that if I take her anywhere longer distance then I'd need to feed her when I arrive!

taking A's feeds vary dramatically. Usually they last about 20 minutes on average (almost always with multiple unlatches and re-attachments in between) but sometimes she'll be done in about 5 minutes. Very rarely she'll have a really long feed without coming off and fussing. She's been latched on to one boob now for almost an hour, which is very out of character! Fx she's getting loads of hind milk and will sleep well tonight!

taking and legally I am extremely jealous of the 10 minute feeds!

S is never done in less than 25 minutes and almost always needs around 40 minutes. Just settling in now for our first middle of night feed, and I am battling a cold which is no fun at all.

Mrs HN sorry you are having a tough time with your DH. Mine also puts work above everything else, and is away a lot. I had to have a meltdown last week to make him realise it wasn't OK and I needed more support. Manic sobbing and a little bit of screeching seemed to get the message through - he has been much better this week. Presumably you have tried shouting explaining what you need?

Sorry to hear you're having DH problems MrsHN ... I hope he starts to see sense and realise that he needs to help you in a more thoughtful way soon!

Going on from our conversation about what our babies wear at night; Boots have a sale on their Gro bags. I have only had a quick look through, but it would appear that some of the girls ones are half price, and the boys ones are quite heavily discounted too. Link here

Just had our first 'poosplosion' :(

Head to toe in shit and piss and he then turns his head and throws up, nice!!

Had to strip him down and wash him off before rinsing his soiled clothes in the bath, argh nightmare!!

I've tried explaining Georgie - he just sulks. It's bad enough trying to drag an apology out of him at the best of times,et alone when he thinks I'm being unfair somehow.

untitled - they are quite something aren't they! MnipJnr also likes yo poo AS he is being changed. Is gross.

and MrsHN.

I always say to DP that the problem is often about how he communicates things to me I.e. Saying 'am so sorry darling, I know you were expecting me to be free on Sunday but I really have to work' instead of nonchalantly mentioning on Sat night 'I won't be able to go to XY event actually, I'm working tomorrow'.

MrsHN it is extraordinary that they don't seem to understand what it is like for us. It is a also a but depressing. I always felt strongly about gender equality and now I realise it is a total fantasy. There is no chance that we will have equal responsibility for childcare, even when I am no longer bf, I just can't see it happening :-(

Mnippy S also poos while being changed. Most days at least once...

Rox I'm fully expecting my outings to similarly being at local store to pick up milk. Or just round the block. Well done for getting out at all!

Mnippy exactly - he let me have a conversation with him about going out today, and completely omitted to mention that I'd be doing it on my own...

So sod it, I am going to go out without him and buy coffee and cake :)

Sorry to hear about problems wih Dh mrsH we have the same problems here so you have my full sympathy. we had an argument last night as DH has 12 days of leave left which was deliberately saved so he could help when baby arrives but now hes too busy at work too take them instead of planning his time and holiday properly he will know lose 7 of those days as can only carry 5 over to next yr. and only thought to mention this last night when I asked him when he was taking them. have bugged him for months about booking it and he obviously left it knowing this would happen. I would rather hed have used them at some point in the yr instead of leading me on! sorry to take over the husband rant but enjoy your cake! im thinking of doing the same.

untitled you've done well to get this far! DS always asks if I needs new clothes when she poos now.

DS started preschool yesterday and so far so good. I felt awful like I was shipping him out now that new baby is here but he seemed to enjoy being around other children and I just feel like I cant do as much with him now though we still go to 2 playgroups a week. hes onky going weds and Thursday morning but I miss him.

Hope everyone had a good night. reflux still awful here but after a cry yesterday just getting on with it.

Also legally still amazed at how your doing so well. glad H is such a good baby though sounds like hes doing his best to make life a bit easier x

Well I think my post last night completely tempted fate!!! Just had the worst night so far, after A went down so well in the evening, she woke at 1130 and was awake with colic until 2am, then awake again at 4 until 6am then I gave up and got up. She has decided not to feed properly from my right breast - she has never done as well on that one anyway, but all night and this morning she just latches on then stops sucking and just clamps - so sore! I can see that the milk kind of just drips out once she has done the initial suck so it is like she is just letting it dribble into her mouth for no effort! Consequence is that my right boob is engorged and sore and feels on the verge of mastitis again so I have got the expressing machine out for the first time and I am going to try and clear it by expressing and then see if she will latch properly. If not, I'm not sure whether to just feed from the left or keep expressing from the right and do some expressed bottle feeds. Just a bit paranoid that once she takes a bottle (if) then she will give up on latching altogether. DD1 would never take a bottle.

and to all those struggling with DH/DPs - my DH is having to go away quite a lot with work from this weekend so I'm dreading that..

Haven't had a chance to catch up on thread but just wanted to pop on to say a big THANK YOU to xuntitledx for posting that link to baby language. This has made such a huge difference as I am now starting to hear the difference in LO's cries and I can figure out what he needs before he goes ballistic :-)

Well, I can figure it out at least 50% of the time which in my books is a win ;-)