October 2014 // thread 3 // Maybe we'll get some sleep soon.

[MundayCakes85]

Last thread is full so here's a shiny new one

fed mine doesn't feed for long before nodding off, 15 mins or so? Not a lot we can do cause if I make her have more she usually spews it back up. I keep saying to myself that things won't be this way forever, she's just gotta grow out of it.

Tatty, Fed up and anyone else PM Kirstipops she can give access to the FB group. There's a pinned list of real names vs MN nicknames

Lulu! I am so happy to read your update on antenatal (have been thinking about you!). Congrats on your baby boy. It sounds like a tough labour and birth, so I'm glad to read you're feeling a bit more like yourself. Recovery is a process. There are plenty on here with tips for recovery (see fedup's about a shallow bath - here in the US that's called a sitz bath and the hospital tried to give me a whole sitz bath kit but I didn't need it).

Goats mastitis is terrible - I had it when my milk came in and twas a very rapid descent into shakes and pain and fever. Thank god for antibiotics!

Me I was loling at your description of V's hair! No bath stuff here - still using our tummy tub. I am paranoid as I have sensitive skin (johnsons baby stuff would make me break out in a rash). I also avoid parabens and sulphates. Dd2 can wait for bubbles until she's in the bath with her big bro and sis!

Tough week here. After being great at getting home by 6.30 (he usually leaves at 6am), DH is back to his crazy hours. Yesterday he left at 4.30am (we chatted as I was, unsurprisingly, awake anyway) and got back at 10.40pm. There were two other similar days this week too. And dd2 last night woke every half an hour. Six week growth spurt starting maybe?

But today I'm meeting an old primary school friend from ireland that I've not seen in 25 years! She's coming out from Manhattan. She seems lovely but also v glam. Reckon I'll stick contacts in and put some lipstick on! And also a 5 year old birthday party. To remind me how unglamorous my life really is!

It will be great to see folk on the facebook group (please add your MN name to the pinned doc! Saves my confusion!).

The other annoying thing this week was that I had a 'lovely' email from my freelance contact - subtext: get started again or we'll give the work to someone else. So back freelance working from home since Monday. Hard to fit it around the 3 (breastfeeding baby while typing one handed was Tuesday's highlight!). Must. Think. Of. The. Money.

Feeling a bit snowed under today, Dylan slept well last night but today he will not sleep. Doesn't seem to matter what I do. He hasn't slept since his last feed at 9. My house looks like a shit tip because he was like this all day yesterday too. I spoke to dh about helping me out more in the house but that seems to have gone in one ear and out the other. He is great at cleaning once a week on the weekend but I really can't really can't leave it that long so I've been stressing myself out because I can't keep up with everything and he comes in from work sits on his arse and falls asleep :-(

Thanks flip! It's good to be here - finally!

fedup -the docs advised me not to have too many baths because the stitches are dissolvable. Are lukewarm baths ok? Am very worried about infecting the stitches although am on antibiotics...

Writing this whilst expressing as baby has problems latching and my nipples are a bit pants. He got diagnosed with tongue tie in hospital and had the snip on Thursday. Hoping we crack the latch soon.

Mrsb - that's pip every day, I have to put her in a sling to make her sleep. She'd go 7am to gone 6pm if it wasn't for the sling.

Another ten minutes and the infant will have made it to three hours asleep. Go baby go baby go.

I'm also on labetalol had to up the dosage to 200 today as it was still sky high at docs yesterday although it always comes up higher there.
Baby did 7.5 hours last nt so the single boob must be doing the job thankfully

All those on labetalol have you had any weird side effects? After I take mine my scalp goes tingly it's very strange

Yellow your poor friend (falling with her baby). It's my worst nightmare as we have a stone floor at the bottom of a steep staircase. I actually fell solo in the summer and damaged my coccyx. We are currently without a banister too as had a rope one but a bracket broke two weeks ago and waiting for rope co to send new one.

Magic, what a gorgeous baby! Mine is in an ugly duckling phase - receding hairline, flaky skin, spots!

Does anyone else laugh at their babies? I feel a bit mean sometimes. He's not a huge crier (long May it last touch wood) but the squawks and yells of outrage when we change his nappy are so comic. That and the heavy breathing he does while working himself up for a cry have us in stitches. Occasionally he works himself up to a real yell and then shuts up for a few mins in Surprise I think. Half the time he sounds like a warthog/dolphin/mountain goat...the first couple of weeks I would get so anxious about his crying so it's nice to be able to find moments funny.

I noticed M was getting a bit pongy around the neck folds but wasn't sure what to wash him with. There is stuff like aqueous cream which has no scent and I used to use when I had bouts of excema. I got some freebie organic lavender stuff in the Emma's diary packs so might try that. What is wrong with Johnson's as also got freebies of those?

Went to the midwife to get episiotomy checked and like a few of you said, she confirmed it will get worse before it gets better and no infection... Yay!!

Day 5 for me and can't see the wood for the trees, everything stresses me out or makes me cry. Why do I care if she gets milk on her sleepsuits?! We have about a billion.

Good news is, nipples are healing and so I may not need to express for much longer. Just hope our baby hasnt developed 'nipple confusion'.

Is there a cure for the baby blues?

Belly I got the blues terribly around days 8-20. Felt awful, couldn't eat, anxious, cried all the time, couldn't sleep... I found getting out and about the best thing as I almost had to put a brave face on a bit if you know what I mean. Saw friends, went for walks, for lunch/a drink with DH. But it did pass in the end, it was such a crash from the euphoric first week I found it very very difficult. So hang in there - have you got help with the household chores? Stuff like keeping on top of the baby's endless laundry would get me worked up as stuff was taking ages to dry. If you cannot relax there are loads of free relax/calming apps available, can send the names if they would help...

gun I had the tingly scalp thing a lot when my bp was high, in both pregnancies but don't really get it now. Are you being monitored closely still? The only symptoms I get are the occasional dizzy spell but I think my bp isn't far off being back to normal (hope I'm not jinxing it by saying that!) so I wouldn't expect to be symptomatic now anyway. Bp is such an odd thing cause it can fluctuate with no symptoms at all.

My mw made us do a comparative test between Johnson's baby oil and a cold-pressed natural oil during our antenatal class. The Johnson's oil leaves a film on your skin, whereas the natural oil is absorbed. What that actually means health-wise I've no real idea, but I certainly prefer the idea of putting natural oil on my baby rather than a petroleum-derived product full of additives. I've heard people recommend cleaning babies' bottoms with oil instead of water. Never tried it though. Dd got washed with water until about age 2, when we started using shampoo. We still rarely use soap or shower gel on her even now at age 5 (apart from hand, obviously).

I'm also terrified of falling downstairs with the baby, fatpony. My fears run to much worse than a broken leg, though, so I think yellow's friend got off fairly lightly.

Food for thought re sleep on here today. I'm going to try to get ds to sleep in his cot tonight and settle and return without feeding as long as he lets me. Maybe it'll pay off after a few nights (wishful thinking).

Well daddy has redeemed himself, turns out Dylan's pod wasn't propped up enough and it was his reflux that was waking him up, poor bean! He's been sleeping all afternoon and I've finally had a rest.
I ran out of my bp meds and haven't had a review or anything my excuse is I've been preoccupied with Dylan's reflux....

I'm still on labetalol I'm taking 400mg x3 a day. Usually Bp returns to normal by 6 weeks sometimes it takes longer and for some it never returns to normal. I tried weaning off at 2 weeks but Bp spiked again so was restarted on meds. For the past week it had been good until just now had one spike of 146/94 hoping it was a one off. The tingly scalp is listed as a side effect of labetslol I used to grt it every time I took it but not as much now as body used to them.
mrs be careful with some Bp meds like labetalol you shouldn't just stop cold turkey as they are a beta blocker so it could cause heart problems. So important to wean off gradually. I just want to get back to normal.

I've been on nifedipine so nor sure if that's tel he same. Very little faith in my doctors after trying to get Dylan's meds right. When I went in for a review the week after I came out of hospital he just said to keep taking them for 4 weeks, no mention of a review or anything

Gun I'm so glad you've said that! Mine scalp has been tingly and a bit itchy since having L. I thought it was just a post natal thing but it makes sense that it could be a side effect of the Labetalol.

Errrr how often are you being monitored? My BP was checked at L's 5 day appt last Sunday and again by my midwife on Thursday, but that was only because I called her to say I was feeling dizzy. Is it your doctor you're seeing?

Tatty i lol every time you say "the infant" hope she made her three hours?

The word mastitis just gives me the fear. Really admire you breastfeeders

Congratz lulu to you and your family, are you the last ? Not popped over to antenatal thread for a while? See you here in the wee small hours no doubt

Wow flip a friend from manhattan the word manhattan just sounds glam... Enjoy your catch up, dying to know what she was wearing

Mrsb glad to hear about redeeming qualities. Funnily enough the Second time around they seem to learn from their sheer fucking stupidity ... Get trying for baby number two tonight .... Haha! ( bad joke)

Just realised ... I love a bloody smiley

Anyone any thoughts about my expressing questions?

She made it to three hours, just. Imagine if she did that at night. Imagine.

Calling her the infant is what we do to be polite. The rest of the time we call her the tiny hungry tyrant.

Happy, your expressing plan is pretty much the same as mine, I've been expressing a feed in the morning with the idea that DH gives her a bottle of expressed milk some time that day as "practice" for any more extended time away from H (So far he's only got round to doing this twice though!). When she is past her growth spurt and is spending less time on the boob I'll aim to express a couple of times a day so I have some milk banked in the freezer.

On a bit of a downer tonight as DH is working away tomorrow til Wednesday and will be working away Sunday-Thursday the first two weeks of December as well. The sort of frustrating thing about it is that it's optional but as much as we'd rather he didn't go the money is too good to turn down, so I feel your pain Flip!
Welcome Lulu and congrats! You've really been through the mill!
Tatty "the infant" also makes me lol !
Belly if you're only 5 days in then I'd say it's totally normal to feel the way you do, it kicked in for me about then too, coinciding with my milk coming through.
Yellow I hope your pal and baby are OK, she must feel rotten!

fatpony Yes switching off is the main problem really. What are those apps called? I'd like to try something like that. Relaxation and breathing techniques got me through labour but I've struggled to apply the same theory to sleeping when my baby sleeps!

It's good to know I'm not the only one though (not that I'd wish this on anyone) because I honestly feel like I'm going a bit mad! And I feel so guilty for ruining my DP's paternity leave (although he says I'm not, he's been great actually.) Our baby is happy and healthy, it's just me making it negative. Wish I could snap out of it. We're visiting family tomorrow so hopefully that will be a distraction.