September 2014 Babies leave the newborn stage behind. Thread 2

[SeptemberBabies]

New thread because our initial thread is about to max out.

For babies born around September 2014 - or just before for early arrivals and just after for late arrivals.

Another Malm user here too! It seems to be very popular!

ILove - I hope your boys pick up soon, and that DS1 is being looked after in hospital.

My DS is 7 weeks weighing in at 11lb 8, he was 7lb 5 at birth so growing and changing a ton.

Well done jaykay on your weight loss! I haven't done much besides feeding lil man, changing nappies, and running after my DS (22 months). Oh, and my tummy exercise - as I got really bad split/stretched stomach muscles - but hopefully one day I will get enough energy to be focused and healthier!

I'm facing a really tough breastfeeding dilemma, I don't know what I'll do.

DD will be 6 weeks on Friday, she was born by emergency C-Section and straight after birth I developed a soft tissue wound infection... that just has not gone away. It is now considered a "chronic infection".

I spent 5 days re-admitted onto post-natal ward with IV antibiotics. Discharged with oral antibiotics which I took for 14 days. 1 week break and infection not cleared so another 10 day oral antibiotic.

Daily dressing changes at doctors. Wound still smelly, lots of discharge, one open hole in my stomach and the rest of the wound keeps continually re-opening (sorry TMI). They think my body is rejecting dissolvable stitches and is pushing the stitches to the surface of my skin, causing skin to break and infection.

So the dilemma. I have been asked to attend a review on Monday with the doctor. The antibiotic I am taking is not working. But I am breastfeeding. The antibiotic I need cannot be used when breastfeeding. But breastfeeding is going so well and I don't want to give up! [cry]

My options are

• to be readmitted for IV. No guarantees this will work since it didn't last time. Also makes family life difficult since I am SAHM to three older children. If it's unlikely to work then is it worth the hassle?

• To take the antibiotic I need and stop breastfeeding for the duration of the course. I can express and dump to keep up supply. But my supply will no doubt be affected. I also don't have enough stored milk for any length of time and I am quite evangelical about DD not having formula milk.

• to refuse further treatment (since I and DD are both well in ourselves) and continue with dressing changes, keep wound open, hope it clears up on its own in time.

I am stuck between a rock and a hard place and I don't know what to do

eatscones Sounds like you have enough going on with a tiny baby and toddler - you are definitely doing more than you think ! Also, how did you know your stomach muscles split - was it visible/painful ? I don't think mine have - but after piling on so much weight with this baby and having twins before - I'm not really sure how mine are holding together !

jaykay34 - wow @ your age gap. Your twins must be loving having a baby around! My 9 and 10 year olds absolutely dote on their baby sister. So does my 5 year old but the older two are more hands-on and wanting to pick her up, make her smile etc.

It is a god-send having older children around, I find. It's not that I give them any responsibility with DD, but they are great for things like entertaining baby for me while I eat breakfast, fetching me things when I am feeding, talking to her in the cot when I get dressed in the morning - things like that.

There is a Mum in my 5 year olds class who's 2nd child started school in the same month as her 1st child went away to university. I think are was 13 years between them.

septemberbabies You are right - it's a godsend. The twins are nearly 12 and are very helpful, especially in the evenings when I'm making dinner and baby needs entertaining. It's also nice because they are quite independent now and very understanding if I am paying baby all the attention. They are both besotted with him.

My partner's daughter is 18 -although she lives overseas and won't see the baby in person until next year - so an even bigger age gap there !

It has been strange being pregnant and having a baby after so many years - so much of the advice has changed (plus i didn't have Google or Mumsnet back then ). The hospital didn't even have my previous birth notes as it was "so historical" ! I'm much more relaxed this time though and not been wishing his life away by wanting the next stage to come along so fast.

eatscones what exercises are you doing? My muscles split really badly this time and are no where best back together. My dr at the 6 week check said I'm not allowed to do anything for another month. If prefer to get going now to give me a good chance of getting them back together. Also I want to start doing some normal exercise to continue the natural weight lose I've had.

September: I would do the pump and dump. Your supply will be affected but you can ask them to put you on a med that increases supply as well (domperidone). Only problem is you having to bite the bullet and ff. why can't the med be taken when breastfeeding? Is it toxic? Find out more by phoning the national breastfeeding helpline.

September: how long do you need to take the antibiotics for? Could you delay taking them for a week, get the meds that increase supply and spend the next week building up your reserves? Then pump and dump while you are on the antibiotics, keeping on the increased supply meds?

Hello, Christmas name change!
September, are you sure you can't bf on the ab? I'd ring the helpline and check, don't rely on what the docs/hospital say as they're not always right and have been known to do what's easiest for them. Also, your supply won't be far off being established so having a week off and just pumping might not be a disaster? I know what you mean about formula though.
Jay - wow! I'm a lot little jealous, there's no way I'd manage all that exercise, I'm shattered and it takes all my energy just getting through the day. I've got 1.5st to lose just to get out of the 'overweight' bracket .

Have a horrible cold and feel dreadful, just hope the dc don't get it. Also trying to cut down on the crap I've been eating and all I want is a blanket and a tin of biscuits! Hoping that losing my taste for a while will dull the cravings. Really need to shift this lard.

It's going fast now isn't it? Have got the 3-6 clothes out, washed and ready as I don't think it'll be long until we're using them. Dd has been rocketing up the centiles from birth and we have a very healthy but rather large baby now! I must admit its sad in a way as she's not like a newborn at all and only was for about 10 days but nice as I'm not scared of picking her up, dressing her etc. plus I'm hoping it'll be good if she gets sick this winter. Not looking forward to the bugs.

Sleep is getting better and better, down to one feed a night which is great. Hoping to catch up on some sleep now.

Place marking!

sparkly Thanks - although guess I am in a lucky situation as my big kids are at school all day and I bottle feed. Plus my baby sleeps ok at night - he wakes every 3 hours for a feed (he's formula fed) but then goes straight off again so I can still get at least 6 -8 hours so I am not too tired. To be honest, I'm just keen to lose the weight and that's my main motivation - I was huge when pregnant and its my fault for basically gorging myself. I know I've got to work double hard to lose it !

Cumbrian he came home on Friday but Is still bleeding inside due to his gastric problems. Hes sick everyday due tk reflux too. My poor lil man. He enjoyed watching the fireworks that wwre quite. He hates the big loud ones

ds2 has an ear infection. Glad I took him to be checked

Marking my place ?.

I'm starting baby massage on Friday holls, looking forward to it!

Baby massage was great. We had a terrible night last night mainly cos dh.got woken up and is still smarting about it even though the poor little mite was a bit colicy. Has made for frosty evening here.

Quick question for those formula feeding do you lo's ever take a larger amount (say 140ml) followed by a smaller one (say 50/60ml) at next feed? That is what is happening here at the moment. My ds took 120 at 3, 140 at 7 and now has just had 50 at 11.

Holls, DS is bottle fed breast milk. He is currently going through a phase of having 130ml followed by a 50ml. ALL FRIKKING DAY. Its doing my head in.

As is the fact, that DS appears to have cracked sleeping through. This is the third night in a row, which is amazing. However it appear my boobs have not. I have woken at 4.30am painfully engorged and have had to get up and express. They were so full I got 180ml off in 10 mins. I suspect a block duct somewhere too though. Which I just can't shift. Joy.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the irony of it.

Oh I wish Eli would sleep through! He is still waking 3-4 times a night and sleeps miles better on me then in his bed. He continually wakes himself up. He is 11 weeks, but 5 weeks adjusted!

Another grim night. DH was in a mood because he got woken up night before so I was panicking all night in case the same happened again which meant I yanked poor DS out of his crib at the slightest sound. However, DH heard nothing last night is tonight I shall go back to leaving him in crib till clearly hungry, making bottle and feeding in our room. We fed at 11, 1.15, 3, 4.20 - which I tried not to do. Then he was wide awake and eventually fell asleep on me. Put him in crib and he slept from 5-7. Thus growth spurt and DHs seeming lack of interest are going to be the end of me.

Am so upset by DH. DS was crying when he got back from work and I handed him over so I could run the bath. DH did nothing with him. He goes to the gym 3 nights a week, is off to the football tomorrow night and I feel v strongly that he is missing out, when I said this to him he acted like I was a total idiot. Says he doesn't feel DS needs tine with him. Of course he does,. Have suggested he does bath with me tonight as really feel they need some time together. DS is in his crib when DH gets back from gym. He used to do a story with him but that seems to have the by the wayside. Added yo which I asked if he would mind having DS for an hour at the weekend so I could get hair cut. He said that was fine, but I said he had to be able to chants nappy, do a bottle and change his clothes just incase. He has made no attempt to do any of this plus is going to footy tomorrow as he doesn't gave to get up on Saturday morning.,,really.... So will have to cancel hair appt. I think I just feel that I still do all the cooking, his lunches, the baby stuff, yet he hoes to work, comes home, goes to gym, has supper, watches what he wants to on tv. I go to bed at 8.30/9ish so we have no time together really. He is so good with DS when he spends tine with him. I am sure it is a confidence thing but oh my word I could cry but I think I might not stop!!! Sorry gor the rant.

cookie same here, we're one step forward two steps back with regards to his sleep. Last night he lasted 20 mins in his basket and spent the rest of it on me. He wakes every 3 hours minimum. Don't know what to do about it, I think his reflux is getting worse which is definitely not helping.

holls2000 Re: Feeding - Yes my baby is bottle-fed and changes the amount he has - it can be from 60 ml to 120 ml. I do feed him on demand during the day though so I put it down to that. During the night there's more of a pattern - it's 80ml every 3 hours.
I hope your partner sorts himself out, perhaps it's all such a change for him and he will get a bit better as your baby grows older. He might just be going through an adjustment period - is this your first baby ?

Holls to put it bluntly, your DH needs a kick up the arse.

Don't cancel the hair appointment. Go out and leave your son with him so he can't go to football. Just to prove the point.

Holls- poor you. It is so hard at the beginning especially with the first. I imagine your DH is feeling useless as they seem to think only we can sort out the baby! Have a chat to your dh about how you need his help as you need space. Get him to do things like bathe baby while you do dinner, bounce baby (with white noise app) when he's sleepy. It gets better, I promise.

Red, I agree. No point not letting him go to football though cos he will sulk forever! Allisgood I think you are right, I suspect he feels he can't do anything at the moment but when I try to approach him about it he shuts down and ignores me. So irritating.

Back to normal questions. Was wondering if my DS might be a bit cold at night - it's 18-20 degrees in our room at night and he has a 2.5 tog sleeping bag and a babygro on which is what grobag suggest on their stuff. However, his little hands are freezing at night time. I checked out his back and that felt warm and I suspect a vest would be too warm. Time to cover the hands up maybe? Do any of you use sleeping bags and what do your dc wear under them?

I use a sleeping bag holls but it's boiling in our house so only using a 1.5 tog at the moment. Em wears a long sleeved vest and scratch mitts as she scratches lumps out of her face when she crys if she doesn't have them on

holls things sound really difficult with your DH leaving you to do everything. Hopefully he'll feel more confident soon, blokes can be so funny when they're not sure about how to handle situations.

Can I ask those of you who've switched from bf to ff if you've found it to be the right decision or regretted it? Dd is now 8 weeks and growing well but I keep getting mastitis and she has started to hate the affected side even when things are working as normal, which I suspect might be adding to the problem coming back. I have been in hospital a couple of times with it already and feel like I can't be a good mum to her if I'm always ill