October 2013 Bus Graduates - Routines?! Our babies clearly haven't read the manual.

[Shirehobbit]

Apologies for the x-posting that meant there's no thread link in the last thread .
I'll start this one and hope people find it.

Oh boy. Ill and feverish DD (cough / cold / high temp virus thing), ill twin boy (either DD's thing, or post 12 week jabs which were yesterday, or because I stupidly didn't realise there was milk in a donut - he's def milk intolerant as his reflux is quickly much worse if I do have milk ) and demanding twin girl. And I'm on antibiotics too and feeling a bit worn fending off an infection... Crazy day. I've had a Guinness though! Think DH and I are in for a long night...

Dairy free legally. Hope all better soon.

Thomas has been feeding constantly for over two hours. Just switching sides every time he pulls off and cries and the odd burp/sick on my chest. Not sure there will be anything left but it's all he seems to want. Taking a breather now to stare at me with droopy eyes. I think my little piggy has worn himself out at last.

Hi all have been a bit absent after a pretty awful week this week.
Hope you're ok legally that sounds like ridiculously hard work.
Also to MrsAhope baby N gets better soon, sounds very scary.
flyer I am ridiculously jealous at your mostly full nights sleep but also glad your getting some rest after a hard few weeks to start with.
ana very annoying about over cautious health visitors. to be honest so far ive always been more worried after theyve been than I was before.
8 week check and jabs here next week. and already dreading it. Still awaiting paeds refferal here for Islas reflux. Phoned the drs yesterday and was told it was sent bt they hadnt heard anything but after another day of screaming and puking I decided to actually go and speak to someone face to face. I think the receptionist now thinks im a crazy lady but im now on a call list for the dr so hoping it will hurry things along.
Hoping to keep up a bit more now. Really is therapeutic to keep up with everyone elses successes and troubles rather than obsessing about your own.

Eight week jabs today. I'm probably jinxing it now, but we seem to be ok; Al has slept loads and had one period of scream-crying, so I gave him Calpol, but he is pretty much his normal self this evening...

Hope poorly babies get better soon.

I dance and sing like a muppet to anything and everything Ready and it always entertains Al. I dread to think what would happen if anyone else could see me!
It's good for the soul, though x

Orange I've been to bf group and had feeds observed by everyone. Apparently the latch is fine. My nipples aren't cracked or damaged in any way, just sore, so HV says it's normal.

Ana can just hope they toughen up soon then! sounds like you've done everything.

Thomas has been so good tonight playing on his back for ages and sitting in his chair while we ate dinner. A tiny bit jealous he has only been good and fun for DH today! I got grizzling, sleeping and cluster feeding.

I've got bored with nursery rhymes at nappy time and have moved onto my dad's old army songs

legally hope you all feel better soon.

Can anyone give me some advice on reflux we've never noticed it before but pretty sure that N had it terribly tonight. We keep hearing gurgling sounds like he is about to vomit nothing comes up but then there is high pitched hysterical crying. This had been going on for about 3 hours. Dh and myself are in despair. I even called cry-sis but the advice wasn't great actually contradicted their website. we thought he had colic before but this is something else. All we know we can do is keep him upright. Is there anything else we can do? I'm going to be looking at my diet in the morning to start to eliminate high risk foods.

Thanks squirrel sounds like it isn't too intrusive then. I always have loads of questions then promptly forget them all during appointments so might make a list. Baby doesn't have her checks until 10 weeks so trying not to think about that yet.

Am laughing at the random songs our babies must hear, particularly as baby brain/sleepiness kicks in! Dh is fab for making up songs on the spot but mine are far less imaginative! In terms of interacting with babies are you guys playing any games with little ones? All I seem to do is try get her to reach out for rattles and soft toys, and stroke her with different fabrics (toys) so any other ideas would be fab.

Sorry bronze haven't got any tips but hope your ds isn't too bad overnight. Reflux isn't nice for them, we were prescribed infant gaviscon for dd as thought she had it but luckily seems to have cleared/starting to think it was actually a bit of colic. Only advice I have is if you get the gaviscon give them it in a syringe as is such a small amount to try make up and administer.

Bronze keeping upright is a huge part of it. You can elevate the head of the cot and keeping them in a sling as opposed to on their back might help. Is there anything you ate today that you don't normally eat? I'd wait a bit to eliminate major foods. You may get advice to eliminate milk if you're breastfeeding but that's more like a last resort. I'm sure someone will come along with more advice. And obviously talk to doctor if it continues because they can prescribe gaviscon and/or ranitidine.

Orange J smiles for DH every evening and almost never for me during the day. I get jealous, too.

Excited I don't do half the stuff you do. J doesn't like being away from me to play with his gyms and he's not terribly interested in toys. I try to talk to him and to walk around with him so he can stare at different things.

I'm not even good at talking to him. I'm very conscious of it now and I try to make more of any effort to talk to him when we're alone but it doesn't come naturally to me. Anyone else? It makes me feel like a bad mom. When DH is here we sing at him together but when it's just the two of us I'm quiet most of the time.

Thanks ana. Got him to settle but now so long after his last feed he is going to be getting hungry soon. I'm not planning on cutting out anything major yet. I've been eating dairy since he was born so it's unlikely to be that. Going to start with spicy foods and onions/garlic though.

excited I just talk to N as if he were a small child. 'We' open the advent calendar together, I ask him if he is hungry, tired etc. Also I invent characters for his toys who talk to him. We have Jean Claude the French mouse whose vocabulary is rather limited due to my poor French and hugsalot who us a nice version of evil lotsa hugging bear from toy story. Hugsalot just asks if can hug the whole time. If N is babbling I Allow time for him to 'answer back'

ana - same really. I'll talk to him when doing any kind of activity like changing, winding or playing but the rest of the time I'm quiet. More often than not I end up singing to him - pop/rock music though, not nursery rhymes!

for all of those with poorly babies - hope it passes quickly.

We had an awful day today, he wouldn't settle at all and only slept for 40 mins but spent the rest of the day crying which then set me off so yeah, tough day today :(

Bronze, I love the idea of the toys having characters. That is going to be our new game tomorrow ( probably more for my own entertainment than A's...)

for all those who had difficult days, I hope you have a restful night to compensate.

Checking in as you've disappeared off TIO

Went to the local real nappy group which was good - going to get a trial pack. Think we'll probably end up using the Freetime and Bamboozles for night - any other recommendations?

Looking back at the last thread and the nhs stuff linked there I think I have a fissure/fissures :(. Thought it was piles but I'm not sure now. Got my check up on Monday (my GP does it at 8 weeks) so I will ask then. Readying my no shame or dignity face...

Also I think we're having the 6 week spurt a week late... C insatiable and quite grumpy.

Aww. Thanks for all the
Managed a shower! Basically ignored ds1 in his cot. He was playing rather then napping so thought it would be ok. Put lo in his car seat. Half way through shampoo he start crying. But by the time I had washed it out he had stopped so I risked the conditioner.
Then let ds1 play in my room while I blow dried my hair! Havnt done that in months. Ds loved it as he never plays in my bedroom n was fascinated by the hair drier.

Shopping trip was not so great. Nothing fit and there is not much available that is easy to bf in. So just bought one top. Had lunch and luckily lo slept though.

Now need to find done cheap bf tops. I don't really bf in public. Find it easier to take bottles. But around the house I don't want to live in a nightie. I just want a few night tops so I feel like I'm a lil dressed up. My search goes on.

Flower pot hope the lo is feeling better.
Ana sounds like the nipple pain I have. No idea what it is. If you work it out let me know!

Loved the pictures on FB today
My missions tomorrow includes taking a photo for Xmas card.

Oh and as for activities with the babies. I was with ds1 and I read that other mums did so much with their lo. Reading books. Playing games. And I hardly spoke to my lo. Felt very unnatural. Really don't worry about it!
I was also a lil stressed that he took lo notice of any of his toys. Was there something wrong with him? I then got stressed he would hold his toys. Like a rattle. I'm sure the stress moved onto a million things, ATM it's that he is walking on his knees rather then his feet IYSWIM.

Sorry everyone seems to be having a tough time with poorly or unsettled babies.

Unfortunately baby C seemed worse yesterday, coughing and breathless. Saw GP who sent us up to the children's hospital. He has been diagnosed with bronchiolitis and reflux. We were doing all the right things re feeding etc, so have been sent home, but warned it's likely to get worse over the next few days, so to have a low threshold for taking him back up to the hospital.

Feel so sorry for him, especially when he's coughing and vomiting. Can't wait for him to get better. They're a worry these little babies!

legally hope your night is going ok and you all feel better soon.

MrsA hope your poorly baby's breathing is getting easier.

GT well done on the shower! Hope things get better at home.

moon and others with poorly babies.
Well done GT.
Nice idea on stroking baby with different fabrics. My talking is mainly In the form of songs too.

Thanks orange

soup hope you got on ok at the drop in clinic.

Sorry you've had a bad week pink

So sorry to here of those with poorly babies :( it's tough this baby lark never mind seeing them sick!

I tend to talk to LO a fair bit but only really sing to him occasionally and it's usually Bruno Mars ha! I just give him a running commentary on what I'm doing, where we are going, if I get a text I tell him about it, ask him how he is etc.. My mum is so good at singing to him and seems to know every song ever plus a few made up ones including his name! He loves it so wish I could do it more but it's not very natural to me. My DP tells him about his day and a full commentary on what match is on that day - poor kid probably wants a bit of silence ha. Tho he gurgles back to us now. Playing wise he love his gym and lays and talk to it while bashing the hanging stuff. If the music goes off he moans until I put it back on! I have some rattles and soft teething toys but he's not interested in them yet, I I hold them to his mouth he'll lick them (he licks everything and anyone!) but that's it. If I move from room to room he likes to come with me on his chair and watch what I'm doing, he hates being alone in a room so I can't nip to the loo without him!

Went today to help my sister pick out a wig. H was good and slept the whole time. The teenage cancer trust is buying her a VERY expensive wig that looks very real and matches her hair perfectly. The hairdresser we saw is super good but very posh and expensive and I got a telling off for calling straightening hair straightening not smoothing hair! Ha but she feels better for it now as she had her first chemo and is starting to malt a lot.

I hope those who have had bad days have a good sleep with some DH/DP's helping out. Life is so up and down with a baby - was seriously under prepared for it!

To the ladies struggling

Bronze from the noises you describe it does sound like reflux. A has it we had a bit of a nightmare start to her life. We were prescribed infant Gaviscon firstly, IMO it's not great if you are bf it's a faff to administer via syringe and they spit the majority out. Plus I found night feeds to be the worst when I'd feed then attempt to lie her down she would make the noises you describe (like acid coming up and her swallowing it back down) the high pitched cry is a dead giveaway. Having to get up in the middle of the night to prepare Gaviscon just isn't practical.
We went to Alder Hey and dp pushed the dr to prescribe something stronger that actually neutralises the stomach acid (friends had been given it a few weeks previously due to their DS having reflux) he had to be quite firm and insist Gaviscon wasn't working and we needed a solution asap. So we were given ranitidine and it was a god send. It takes about. 3/4 days to see noticeable changes but it most definitely worked. I ran out over a weekend a few weeks ago and after 2 days of not giving her the medication she was wailing in pain again, wouldn't feed properly etc.

GT hope things improve at home.

Pink I hope your week improves and you get that appointment soon, it's certainly taking them a while which is unfair for both you and Isla.

Legally I hope the twins and dd are better soon

To all those with poorly babies.
Both A and I are full of head colds.

And finally Emmo that's good news your sister has a expensive high quality wig. For a woman to loose your hair is such a big thing so to be offered something to help until her own hair grows back will be a huge relief I suspect . I hope she makes a speedy recovery to your family xx