November 2014 - newborn thread!

[Greenstone]

Welcome to all the November 2014 babies! Let all the post partum rejoicing and angst begin...

Sorry it's been a while but keeping in the loop reading all your posts - Work free you sound like you've had a traumatic week, and can't believe you carried in BF wow! Take care of yourself... X

We're baving a particularly tough evening so far. DS hasn't stopped wailing since 4pm - I mean he can't possibly be hungry as he's been on me non stop I'm beginning to wonder if there's any milk left!

However DH nearly cracked earlier (as in full blown tears and voice going!) as he's so tired with lack of sleep and working 7am-7pm most days inc a long commute (c.1.5 hrs each way by car). He couldn't take the wailing from DS and stomped off which then set me off crying as I'd had it since 4pm. Totally get where he's coming from but I'm pooped too from all the night feeds! So popped DS in his crib and we went onto landing for a cuddle and time out. I told him I can't do this without him and he said he's struggling and has no idea how I do it every day. Anyone else have those moments or any tips for time out?! We're off to see MIL tomorrow and no doubt DS will be an angel...however if she tells me once more to ditch the BF and give LO formula (as he's such a hungry boy!) I might just swing for her

Anyhoo rant over sorry just all a bit emosh in our house tonight! Have a feeling it's going to e a long, rough night!

Had weigh in again and he's above birth weight so v happy with that. Mw basically said ditch the top ups but in a sort of off the record type way IYSWIM. Not given any today and he's fed since about 8 with gaps for nappy changes. He'd been good all day though with feed followed by sleep through the day so I got 2 naps so mustn't complain.
Got HV at 12.30 tomorrow - what should I expect?

Also workfree glad to see you here and sorry you had a rough time. You must have been petrified.

amy- thought sounds really good. Well done.

mama- we haven't got there yet but have had lots of tears at this end from me and OH. We are both soppy buggers anyway that doesn't help. Tears over happiness, tears over frustration, tears over lack of sleep...

Mama - yep, we've definitely had some melt down moments Generally we take it in turns and only collapse one at a time, so the other one can be comforter, but we had a coordinated strop last weekend and ended up screaming at each other We made up pretty quick luckily!

Big day tomorrow, NCT meet up then Xmas meal with friends - out all day!

Hey Mama that does sound tough, but also very familiar and so normal.

Don't doubt your body's ability to make enough milk. You do know don't you that when they are constantly feeding and you start thinking there can't be anything left that is a really important way that your body gets the signal to up supply? Let the baby suck!
It's really exhausting and tedious, but try to go with it, eat and drink well and rest (not much option not to realistically).

My MIL is very supportive of BF, but even she will say things like, "DD can't possibly need feeding again." Which can annoy me as that is what DD wants and there isn't any alternative that anyone else can think of.

My DH has a similar work schedule to yours and has been knackered from work this week whenever he has been at home. It can leave me feeling a bit unsupported especially like now when he is snoring away and I still have a wakeful baby to sort out. What he and I benefit from as third time parents is the knowledge that this hideous early stage of cluster feeding and unpredictable sleep patterns only lasts for a few weeks (6/8?) and then things calm down. First time round. I felt like my life was going I be like this forever and that felt so overwhelming. By DS2 I knew that I just had to ride it out.

Good luck with the MIL. Smile and ignore, or better still call her on it. Always best to keep GPs on their toes I find.

I've only just caught up with all these posts for the first time in ages. I'm trying to limit my time on the smart phone as with 3 kids to look after, my addiction to AIBU and Facebook had to stop...

Little Miss will be 6 weeks on Monday, can't believe the time has just vanished. She's definitely leaving the purely sleepy newborn phase behind and being more awake (even at night sadly it seems).

I got mastitis last week, on a Thursday night and ended up at hospital to get antibiotics. V rough couple of days. Had to go for DD hip scan about an hour away, the meds hadn't kicked in and I felt dreadful. Tooe 2 days to fully go. Thank goodness for antibiotics. Yuck.

DD and I are having a girly weekend and heading to France for 24 hours today, to see a friend. Cannot wait to to take her on her first flight. I'm normally cabin crew, when not on maternity, so essentially I'm taking her to see the office :) DH has DS1 and DS2 in his charge. It'll be nice to have some one on one time with DD, as normally I'm so busy running around after the boys that she gets left more than she could.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and babies give you some sleep.

Already starting the preparation to go out today. DM is hosting a buffet so family can come and meet DD. so we've got to get ready ourselves and bath DD. it could be interesting. Hopefully it won't overstimulate her.

Blooming noisy babies. She's been sleeping fairly well tonight but between snuffling and farting and straining and making a whole array for dinosaur noises I've barely got a wink! Plus I misjudged putting her down after the 5am feed so had to pick her back up and start from scratch. Argh!
On the plus side I tried expressing this morning for the first time and got 2oz in 15 mins which I was pretty pleased with. Just got to decide when to use it now...

mama we had a melt down last week. I sobbed and sobbed. Too much pressure. The upshot was we resolved that any time the baby was asleep we should cuddle each other. The other evening DS was having a big two hour nap and we managed to watch two episodes of Breaking Bad (last season - eep!) snuggled up together on the sofa. DH said that it was just like old times. It helped a lot.

We have also agreed that I need to have one slot per week where DH takes the baby and I poke around the shops for a couple of hours. If I have no EBM and baby has to take formula for his feed, so be it. That helps too.

Had a bloody miraculous night here. He only woke once! I was desperate to resolve the dreadful cycle of feeds for 5 mins/chokes/screams with wind for half an hour/hungry again/feeds for 5 mins/chokes....and so on.

And I have been really painfully engorged the past few days - I knew it was forceful letdown and oversupply causing a lot of it as he feeds completely differently (i.e. better) from a bottle.

So last night in desperation I tried the Full Drainage Block Feeding method, and afterwards to my shock he fed for almost an hour! With no spluttering! We've had some lovely peaceful feeds since. He went down at 11.30, woke at 4.30, fed quietly (!!) for 20 mins and then slept till 7am. Flipping amazing.

....must not count chickens.......

Annarose - what is the full block drainage method??

dd has been great at settling and napping. Alas no longer!!!!
last night she wouldn't setlke for sleep without feeding and then,through the night - she fed constant from 2-6am. This morning she fed again 9-11am and now will not go for sleep.
argh....

Its here

Its meant to "reset" your supply within 24 hrs. Too soon to claim full success yet as I only started last night, but feeds are a lot longer. Also had two purely wet nappies, whereas we haven't had a non-dirty nappy in days & I thought he had diarrohea.

Am trying to block feed three hours on each side today. We'll see. Things are a bit less fraught so far today though.

Well, DD was very well behaved this afternoon at DMs meeting the family. However she celebrated with a proper projectile vomit down my sleeve after taking too much after we'd got home.

Will have to see if we can get her to do it over DH tomorrow seeing as he laughed at it (although apparently it was the peaceful expression on DDs face afterwards that was so amusing).

Moggle- that feeling of misjudging when to put them down in the middle of the night is like torture. I feel you.

We had a very successful trip out to look at tumble dryers and go to the supermarket. He seems to love being in the car seat and promptly fell asleep when the car got going. He fed when we first got back, about 4 and has been dozing on and off since. Who wants to bet he is wide awake as soon as dinner is ready?

We had a trip this afternoon to visit another of our NCT babies - DD was an angel, sleeping for 3.5 hrs in the pram there and back and at our friends' house... But once home she turned into a real grizzly bear and hasn't wanted to nap all evening :-( we offered her the bottle I expressed this morning and she happily took it, yay. Unfortunately think it didn't even touch the sides- 50ml went down in 5 mins and she's now on the boob. Oh well at least she didn't get confused by the bottle! Hopefully I'll be able to pump a bit more next time.

cat - did you manage to eat your dinner hot?! We left DD to grizzle in her basket during ours as it was rare rump steak... Yum!

catg what was the outcome?
A seems okay in the car seat so far, which is a gift as ds1 hated it for almost 9 months till he went into a forward facing car seat.

A has started having a ghastly but reliable witching hour every day, kicking in between 8pm-10pm ish. Literally nothing works; not feeding, skin to skin, winding etc.. nothing. I can't remember how long it was before ds1 grew out of it. Urgh.

I sympathise with a few of you about time with dh. No opportunity in the day really with ds1 down to one 1hr nap. I find this bit the hardest, the lack of intimacy for the first few months. Really looking forward to getting our bed back and a chance to cuddle/dtd without immediately jumping up afterwards..

Saw midwife yesterday baby doesn't have thrush confirmed by gp but I prob do so have some cream for nipples which is nightmare as have to time it right when think baby is going to sleep long enough then wash nipple before feed. Gp said to use nipple shields but I would rather not.

Hospital next week for bloods for baby as still jaundice.

I was fed some curry by my OH and then are the rest later. amazing how quickly you get used to luke warm food.

Feel we are in for a long one here. Keeps feeding for 10 mins and then falling asleep for 15 mins etc etc etc. x

Darn bloody wind is all I can say tonight !

Well I left DD with DP for the first time tonight while I went to a Christmas do. I was only gone 3.5 hours as was worried about leaving her - apparently she drank 2 x 2oz bottles and then screamed the whole time I was gone!

She fed as soon as I got back, about 10.30, and has fed again at 1:00 and now been going since 3:00. How can one small person hold so much food?! She's a bit windy too which always makes her hard to put down. Just had a quick nappy change and back on the boob now, hoping she will drop off again soon as am struggling to keep my eyes open!

Oops. I appear to have slept through my alarm and as a result DD has just woken me for a feed. Hopefully a single 7 hour gap won't matter too much.

Can I ask advice from others who've had c sections either this time round or in the past please? It seems pretty sealed etc now, and midwife etc happy with healing.
when I asked them when I could put bio oil or scar sheets on, they said once it's no longer an active wound, but this is a bit unclear. When did you get told it was safe?

Toni we should make a bad mothers club tonight... I just woke with DD screaming on my chest, no idea what was going on. Worked out that i picked her up to feed at about 3.30 then fell asleep again for 45 mins. No wonder she was pissed off! You must have been getting some good deep sleep in that 7 hrs - I hope you feel much better for it!

I can't believe how noisy ny baby is when sleeping. She grunts and squirms so loudly it's quite shocking. It must be wind but I gotta big burp out of her.

I bet she'd be silent on her tummy.

Still awake here, 2.75 hours later! DD has terrible trapped wind and I can't put her down. At that stage of being tired that I could cry!