November 2014 - newborn thread!

[Greenstone]

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

Thank God for vibrating musical chairs! 5 mins to have a cup of tea!

He hasn't slept at all today, though he keeps yawning - WTF??

I've had to resort to the sling. And breastfeed in it too. My pre baby self would think me such a poncey lentil weaver but jeez it works. On boob all day here too. Feel bad for dd 1 who is bored stiff.
The sleepyhead thing was a success last night tho.

Finding it hard to let the house slide into decline. For the past 6 months I've kept it really well (huge achievement - neither dh or I natural clean freaks nor organised) and I'm trying to keep on top of the laundry and meals as a minimum. Dh makes such a mess if he cooks in the evening and having something ready to just heat up keeps me that bit saner and allows more time for the much needed long hot shower before bed.

Re night feeds I just wake up whenever I hear the grunting/stirring and stick her on.

Ditto greenstone, on both sleep and sling. Food and comfort for the small ones mean the same for us I think!

I have given in this time round and got a cleaner . Otherwise I just get stressed and with two under 2, the cs and my work I figured nuts to it.

Argh you are so right utopian, I'd meant to organise one but never got around. I might have to just bite the bullet and go for it. It seems like an effort to organise it now but I'm sure it's worth it!

Sitting waiting for LO to wake from a nap but dreading the feed that will follow as left breast is really painful with cracked nipples - is it just me?! Feel bad for dreading it as LO needs his milk but ow!

Health visitor came today and said its poor positioning and he's not latching on properly He's got a tongue that bobs out loads but won't open his mouth wide enough. I'm going to try and head to a breastfeeding support meeting tomorrow hoping they can help. She showed me a revised position but just so awkward and haven't got the strength in my arms to hold him for long. Not sure I'll be able to leave home at this rate unless I take an armful of cushions to prop around me!

Anyone got any tips or things to try please let me know getting desperate x

Mama, I am in exactly the same boat. Left nipple very sore! Try hot/cold compresses to help reduce the inflammation in the nipple; I do 5 mins hot flannel, 5 mins ice pack, then repeat a couple of times. Also apply Lansinoh before and after every feed, plus as often as you remember in between. Try to keep the nipple as lubricated as possible because if it dries out the cracks will get worse. Have you looked up the flipple technique for extended latch? Give it a try if not, takes a few goes to get right but its been a revelation for me!

Are you able to sit with your baps out between feeds? My nipples were pretty sore yesterday and I spent the afternoon and evening with my boobs out, occasionally expressing off a few drops to rub around the nipples and let dry, and doing this after feeds. Couldn't believe how much this helped just in a few hours, so trying to do it again today. Just be careful not to knock the nipples on anything, and also try and stay warm as the tic tac smuggling look is fairly painful!!

We have a ds1 with a frightful cough. Really feel for him dealing with that on top of ds2's arrival.

Nube question - can you give a proper bath before the cord falls off? I can't remember!

We were told just to top and tail until the stumps off. Think re-wetting can delay the drying out process

Our MW bathed ours on Day3, so it didn't seem to matter. It falls off eventually anyway. Ours fell off overnight Day 7/8.

Had my first little weep last night, he woke up at 4.30 & I fed him loads & he still wouldn't sleep till 6 even after draining both boobs. Exhausting. And I had a migraine & DH kept snoring. I'd wake him, he'd say "ooops, sorry" turn over then 5 mins later.....like a jackhammer in my brain.

So between it all I had a little cry in the dark. But it took 9 days, not bad going!

Now DS has slept from 6-10. There's no logic to any of it! :/

Dd 2 can certainly yell. She is totally intolerant of being put down, even more so than dd1! It's hard in the mornings because I do need to put her down to dress dd1 and myself etc. ..but Lord the screaming when I do. It's only for a few minutes here and there but the neighbours must think I'm really mean!

I've decided I love my sleepyhead though - a stretch of 3.5 hours last night

Thats awfully tough Greenstone Do you have anything musical or rocking that she'd tolerate?

Greenstone, my 10 day old is the same, will only settle in crib after a solid hour of sleeping on my or DP's chest. I just relent now and give her what she wants. Nothing else seems to work. Apparently she's too young to learn so there's no point trying to teach her.

Actually, pushing her pram back and forth quickly seems to work sometimes, but cuddling her takes less energy!

Does anyone know who sells nursung tops besides motgercare? Me and my Breast feeding friend have the exact same wardrobe!!

We have a musical swing that DD loved last night when she wouldn't settle but didn't want a feed, and neither of us had the energy to rock her with sufficient vigor. It didn't put her to sleep but she just sat there staring at everything.

The maternity assistant came today - perfect timing, I was about to feed DD so she helped me get set up with the rugby hold position and watched her latch and feed. Says her latch seems good and the soreness on latch is just my nipples needing to toughen up and the let down.

We gave DD a bath while she was here too which she seemed to enjoy. Feeling half human after a shower and DH just gone for a run. It's a lovely sunny day here but will resist the temptation to go outside - I get so physically tired after standing / walking for a while- think it's the lack of stomach muscles. Presume theres nothing I can do about that until after my 6 week check?

moggle my midwife said you can start building stomach muscles by just trying to pull your belly button in towards your spine and holding for a few secs and you can do that right from the beginning. I'm finding that standing and walking is getting better just with time - I still feel very unfit but I can manage walks round the park again now.

My episiotomy is killing me today. I'm taking tablets but they're not hitting it. I don't think its gettting worse - its just the constant pain wearing me out. Have been weeping all day. Have expressed 50mls & DH is going to try to feed him cos i'm strung out.

Anyone else before me with an episiotomy care to advise? I'm Day 9 now. When does it ease? I'm worn out.

Annarose mine is improving every day, but is still sore. Things I've tried that have helped are lying on the bed for a bit with nothing on from the waist down, on a maternity / tena pad or just a Muslin. Also giving the whole area a bit of a wash in the evening before bed, just with a jug of warm water, over the loo. I dry it with a muslin, and then stand there wafting the cloth to get some air before putting a pad on. Suspect a hairdryer on cool setting would be good too.
I think for me part of the sweaty sore feeling is having to wear pads again- I haven't worn them for 15 years and I remember they always made me sweaty and feel gross.
Have you had a look at it in the mirror? Mine doesn't look anywhere near as bad as I was expecting- my stitches are internal though.

No I've been too scared to look!

I also have terrible urethral pain, presumably from the catheter. My whole pubic mound is very sore, like I've been kicked in the clitoris. Actually, I think that pain is worse than the stitches, but between both its horrendous. I can barely stand sometimes. No wonder I'm weepy!

I'm going to the GP for babys checkup on Monday & I'll ask her to dip for a UTI. But a quick Google seems to indicate it may take 2/3 months for the urethral pain to get over.....God I hope not.

Baby took EBM in a bottle like a champ though, which cheered me up a bit. Hopefully by Week 3 DH will be able to feed him the odd time so I don't crack up completely.

I remember that urethral pain from after my first labour Anna the only downside for me of that lovely epidural. It didn't last 2/3 months but maybe up to 4 weeks.

Difficult night last night has carried over to a hard day. In tears on the sofa. DP been out since 11:00 and DD has been awake since 2:30 with constipation. She's pooed twice today but blocked up and clearly struggling still this evening. All she does is scream and there's nothing I can do. Am so tired and feel terrible because I can't soothe her that I can't seem to stop crying!

Sorry to hear that Twiglet..same kind of day here too and only reason I'm not crying is because I've already been there and got the t shirt with dd1 so I know that it does pass. Completely shit and knackering though. Dd 2 has just been clamped to the boob all day, must be some kind of growth spurt.

Oh no twiglet thats not great :(
Grace had a bit of constpation and cool boiled water helped. X

We're having a tough 24 hours (so far) too. Ds1 has a horrible cold - worst in his admittedly short life to date - so is super clingy and irritable. I'm trying to soothe and give cuddles but hard when it clashes with A needing to be fed. Dh is doing everything he can but it's trying the patience of both of us.
Also A had a terrible hour yesterday of being unsoothable after O was in bed. Could have been wind but really hard to know as not much made a difference - tried cooling him down, warming up, winding, feeding, skin to skin, jigging etc.