February '15 babies - appearing thick and fast!

[GeekyHybrid]

Our first thread on the 'other side'. And may all our soon to be mummies join us in this adventure through the early days of parenthood as we continue to share exciting times.

Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement. Yes you're right geeky

What a fab idea re paper plates memphis! Why haven't I done this sooner?! Plastic cups and cutlery going too far do you think

geeky, wind is an arse if baby can't get it up. Would definitely cause more of a constant scream. We also use infacol to help bring burps up.

I'm so pleased to hear Tiger is doing so well dances!! Great news

Bang I have so many paper cups and plastic cutlery (always over bye at xmas and birthdays) and ds1 will only use his own cups and spoons or I would the pound shop is your friend for paper plates, i always serve jelly in paper cups too to save washing bowls?.....again wasted on ds as he hates jelly

LO has been asleep since 8.30! I have done all the bottles, hoovered, swept, stripped bed, done two loads of washing and had pancakes and a cuppa! Wish I had slept now as I expected him to wake 2 hours ago.....he is asleep in pushchair next to washing machine which is on full spin he clearly likes the noise!

Haha memphis, after dropping DD1 at nursery today I wheeled LO into the kitchen in her pram and put the washing machine on a spin cycle to keep her asleep for a tad longer while I did a few bits - with no clothes in the machine at all! Talk about a waste of electricity!

And by the way I'm so impressed with your mornings work! Days like that always make things seem a bit easier don't they!

Bang yes my sis is coming to take him in the pushchair to pick his brother up so will give me an hour make the beds and clean bathroom.

So anyone with a child with constipation my top tip...... Change their nappy on your lap with only one wipe in your hand it makes them go like s rocket....nappy came off and it was like a play doh ice cream factory it kept on coming all over my legs then to make it worse he finished with an almighty wee when I am prepped with many wipes and nappies it never happens....I then got a nappy on him and he filled that and is now asleep again!

Hi all
I have been having poo woes too!- thought sid was having trouble bringing up wind, so have given him a couple of goes on the infacol, which had resulted insome ridiculously loud farts and a 'poo up the back' extravaganza.

really wishing he could talk today, because i am blagging my way through everything without having a clue if im helping or not!

So I think my little boy hates me... He's done nothing but scream all day, then the minute DH holds him, he settles and dozes off.

I didn't think I could feel any worse, but hey.

Hi ladies, apologies for being MIA of late. Been keeping up with the thread but I don't have much positivity to share these days. Im finding things very tough. I barely have time to go to the toilet these days. The breakfast dishes are still in the sink and that's driving me nuts. DS wasnt back to his birth weight at his 2 wk check up and as Im exclusively BFing, Im feeling huge guilt. Ive been trying to sleep when he does to improve my milk but he cat naps during the day. He falls asleep at the boob but as soon as I put him down he wakes up.
Im very tearful a lot of the time and feel DS can pick up on that. When I cry he looks at me with his dark eyes and it makes me feel twice as guilty.
Just want to know is anyone else finding the adjustment as tough??

p.s. Dances..so glad that Tiger is doing better. Hopefully you'll havw her home in no time.

Tonights...you are superwoman! BFing two and mother to 4. Serious respect!! You must share your secret!

Littlemiss..Seeds are normal! A sign of a healthy (BFing) nappy apparently!

Oh blanks, im sorry you are feeling this low

I think it's always hard to adjust whether it's your 1st, 2nd or 3rd baby. I can't remember if this is your 1st or not? Yesterday was an awful day for me but it's amazing what a new day does to your mood and confidence. Babies should really come with their own set of instructions shouldn't they?! You're doing a great job and I think it's amazing that you're exclusively breastfeeding. These first few weeks are a huge challenge but all of a sudden you'll blink and it will be your LO's 1st birthday and you'll think "how did I get here so fast and how the hell did I survive?!"

Blank don't feel guilty you are doing smazingly well, exclusive bf is hardcore! Don't let mw/hv make you feel bad about not being back to birth weight...I take it baby has gained some since initial weightloss? My sis works with healthcare professionals all day long and she was saying how hv annoy her as they are all about wanting every baby to be textbook, like adults all babies are different, some of us snap back after having babies some don't and like us babies may be slower to gain than others. My ds is bottle fed and lost weight and now as he hasn't gained at right level they want him to I am having additional weigh ins (i am telling them it is the last one this week unless he has lost weight) please don't feel guilty!

Frenetic he doesn't hate you, he is probably having an off day he will also be sensing your anxiety about it. LO has been a wingey, grump all day long, my sis arrives and he goes all quiet and lovely then just before she left he started up again until dh got home, he fed him and I bathed him now he is all relaxed and dozing.

Dh is so tired and has a week of starting at 4am so he is on sofa tonight, he drives a lot in his job so he needs his sleep....I have changed the bed tonight, I am going to stsrfish on the empty bed until his lordship wakes for a feed

frenetic I really wouldn't think like that, I think sometimes just a change shocks babies out of crying! I remember with DD sometimes changing her nappy even when it wasn't wet or dirty would stop her crying- think they get distracted when something different happens & forget to cry- not sure my baby psychology is right there, but never mind!
blanks the first 6-8 weeks of breastfeeding are the toughest. Are you getting much sleep? I am co-sleeping this time around & getting way more sleep than with DD which is helping my cope better.
I am having quite a nice week but DH back to work Monday & he is working all week then9-9 Saturday & Sunday. Think I will be a wreck by Monday! DD is sort of trying to drop her lunchtime nap & kicks up a fuss everyday about it. Don't think I am going to be able to get her to nap at all when I am on my own which means she will be overtired & screamy.....there is going to be tears before bedtime from all of us I reckon!

I know that it's highly unlikely LO has any extreme negative feelings... I'm stuck in a bit of a self disliking rut.

At the same time though, talking with my GP and HV about showing signs of PND has made me feel a bit less overwhelmed today and less guilty about taking five mins here and there to stare at the floor and cry.

Blank, you're not alone at all. I'm finding the transition very difficult.

Thanks all. Yes Bangs, DS is my first. Have 10 nephews and nieces and am a primary school.teacher but nothing prepares you for being a Mum. I'm glad to know Im not the only person who feels like this.
Memphis, he lost 7% in the hospital but is very slow to put it back on. He sleeps quite well for a newborn but has cluster feeding nights. I have had him in the bed with us on many occasions but feel I dont sleep as well during those nights as Im so conscious of him.
Anyway, hopefully tomorrow will be a brighter day!
Love this thread (and FB group). Lovely to get such comfort and reassurance from people in such similiar situations.
Here's to a good nights sleep all around!

I love reading this thread, even if I am not contributing much to it.
frenetic-I'm with you.
I sometimes wonder if my baby hates me as he won't look at me if I'm feeding him or doing anything with him but he appears fascinated by others.

I am so scared something will happen to him, am reading everything I can on dangers of Co sleeping as I'm so very tired as DS is feeding every two hours or so.

I'm not a first time mum but I feel like it and I can't recall things being like this at all last time.
I'm not getting anything done during the day and every day feels like an endurance.

I have a very supportive husband and family but feel so alone and can't explain to them how I feel because I know it's irrational but I can't shake it.
I'm finding being at home all day like a prison but going out is like an expedition.
DH would like another baby but I think it would kill me. If not medically (was hospitalised with BP), then I'd crack up postnatally.
forgive the moan, I'm just struggling with this at the moment x

Tired - I totally get the prison thing. Even more so since I'm house bound for at least another week or until HV gives me all clear on Monday. My pulled muscle is easing up nicely so I'm hoping for good news. Even just to be able to walk the 10 mins to our local shop would be bliss.

I think there's still a part of me stuck back in June 2014, getting a BFP on my first pregnancy test, after just a few weeks of trying, after being told we'd have trouble conceiving. I never ever want to take for granted how lucky we are to have LO. But I think I was mentally prepared to either be still trying or only just pregnant at this point in 2015.

When I stop and think about how quick it happened for us, and I look at this precious little man... I get a bit panicked with a thousand emotions and feel overwhelmed.

Plus I don't think I've ever googled so much in all my life. Mostly on incognito mode out of sheer embarrassment!

Wishing others a decent night xx

blank we are ebf here too and it took a while for the little guy to get his birth weight back. He lost 12% as we struggled with feeding early on. We are now 7 weeks in and he is thriving. Somewhere about week 3 we just got in our groove and bf got much easier. It does seem relentless in the early days and I was in tears over feeding quite a bit. No1 warns u how hard it is in the beginning.

Bf little monster has been giving me 3 hours between feeds minimum at night and settling really well...except tonight. Every time he has a growth spurt he becomes a restless little grump! Has been like a limpet all evening. at least I know it won't last!

Hope everyone is ok. pleased to hear LO is doing better dances

and memphis u always manage to make me laugh! We call the poo explosions poonami's in our house!

I'm really sorry to read people are struggling. With the level of sleep deprivation and lifestyle change that comes with a newborn it is no wonder! It is easy said than done but try to be kind to yourselves! I was very poorly after my elder daughter was born and spent a month in a mother and baby unit. I totally relate to the trapped feeling and the anxiety described above, it really was a horrible time in my life and without my very supportive husband I wouldn't have got through it. Although I clearly found the newborn stage so tough I love nothing more in my life now than being a mum. My big two give me endless pleasure and I am so proud of them. I think it is easy to get really enveloped in the baby stage as it is so demanding, I forgot that it is so short lived and parenting is so much more than that. It is difficult in many other ways but for me the joy I get from my toddler giggling away or the sense of pride from seeing my son with his friends in the playground out trumphs newborn cuddles for sure!

I'm sure my post may sound irrelevant and it's easy for me to say having been through it twice before but I promise it does get easier. I'm trying my best this time to be kind to myself and not worry if the house is a mess. I'm trying to accept there will be days where nothing gets done other than holding the girls. I'm telling myself that the irrational worries are normal and will fade as these tiny things grow! I think my best advice to myself after making such a mess of it last time though is to stay connected to other people- to accept all the help offered. Just getting out for a walk or a coffee or a playgroup made such a difference for me last time and helped to settle my fractious little one. It also helped me realise I wasn't alone with these feelings! It really helps to talk about them.

Hope everyone has a good night and can start again tomorrow!

Hi all. Sorry I've not posted in a while. I've been reading but had a good few days to get through and didn't feel like posting.

I can see others have also felt some pressure or a little down lately and I'm hoping you all feel better soon.

No one can prepare you for this complete change if life. It's such a fantastic experience but comes with so many surprises, worries, emotions and full on tiredness!

I am breastfeeding but have been finding the cluster feeding hard. It felt like she really wasn't getting enough milk after she'd been on 4+ hours as she'd start to get really frustrated on the boob and stop latching. I'm sure everyone will say this I's normal but it just felt to me like she was hungry and both of us were getting upset. So i introduced a formula bottle at around 8pm and now I've got my head into it I can see it's really helping. All other feeds are still on the breast and either side of the bottle she is on the breast. We still have cluster feeding occur too.

I have felt so guilty about introducing this one bottle of formula. I've tried expressing (currently have a manual pump) but I just can't get a lot out. I'd hoped I could express enough so that this could replace the one bottle of formula but we're not there yet. I am considering an electric pump but am giving myself a bit of time to just get used to where we are at now. The expressing is another added pressure that takes me away from actually enjoying baby and I need yo park it for a while... I've realised this after a week of anxiety!

I have a very supportive DH and my parents live very close so I have daily support too. They're all fantastic but at one point I felt they all thought I should go formula feeding all the way. This was never said out loud but it's what I thought they were thinking! This just wasn't something I wanted as I truly enjoy bf. At the weekend I was quite emotional and told them that I felt under pressure. They only wanted best for both of us but since I've told them how I feel I've felt so much better and we're now all on the same page.

Lo got weighed on Monday and she'd gained 8.5 ounces in a week. She was only small born and it took about two weeks to get her back to just over birth weight. The HV at weigh in was fantastic and I told her about the bf and formula and she said yo go with it if it feels right and that it's obviously working with a gain like that. I think having her say that helped as its just so confusing as to what to do at times.

So today I feel like I've finally entered a new chapter. I'm hopefully letting myself go with the flow and I just want to enjoy her.

I'm hoping that next I can crack expressing but going to give myself some time.

I hope you're all managing some sleep xx

Sorry for some typos...on phone one handed whilst feeding!

Reading about everyone and their experiences just confirms how great a job we are all doing. Let's all try to stay positive and enjoy.

One of the things I never mentioned is how good I've felt mixing with other mums. So far I've been to our local bf support group and I'm going to continue with this and look at other groups too. Fortunately there are a lot of local mum and baby groups that I can look at.

Pops - I definitely recommend an electric pump. OK so I exclusively express, but I found it nigh on impossible to use a manual!

Tonights - that's a post i needed to read. DH and I didn't become parents just for the first bit. We're thinking of the whole package. The bond and journey that will last for the rest of our lives. I think I must be letting this stage consume me at times.

So. Sod's law. It's 1.30am. LO is fast asleep and I just can't drop off myself. Bugger.

Thanks frenetic. It is on my shopping list this week!

I hope you managed to get back to sleep

Frenetic I think you do a fantastic job if you are exclusively expressing. Very well done as it's not easy scheduling that in on top of everything.

Can I join in? My DS was born on 1st March but was due 16 Feb. He's beautiful but I'm also having BF issues. We have to use a bottle at night anyway due to a medication I take which makes me drowsy so he can't be EBF. But at the moment he is on expressed and formula. I cannot for the life of me get him to latch alone. Had a lot of success with help but only managed it twice alone. it's an ordeal, he screams, I feel like I am hurting him and because I had an EMCS and am in pain I can only do it in one place with a lot of pillows so it's not very spontaneous, it gets built up and I dread it :(

Welcome BigCat. It sounds like you're doing a great job of expressing plus formulaformula whilst recovering from EMCS.. Hopefully you'll be able to get him to latch alonealone soon. Do you have a local bf support group? I'd highly recommend going if you do.

Welcome bigcat

Just had our first poonami...it was horrific! But glad she's not constipated! Definitely going to make a GP appointment to talk about possible reflux. This morning her milk came straight back up before it had even had a chance to go down properly. The change of milk hasn't made a difference.

I hope everyone has a good day today with lots of tea