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Original poster

June 2015 - our adorable babies are here!

319 replies

comeagainforbigfudge · 18/06/2015 10:28

Right, I'll start us a post natal thread that we can gibber on.

We had vomit sunami X2 yesterday. One just before our dinner, which necessitated a quick bath/hair wash (which toots hated til sat her in the water then she was happy -ish). 2nd was about half 11 and all down her dad, took. But since then she slept for four hour stretches and been much more settled.

We formula feeding on demand (anywhere from 30ml to 90mls) but I don't know if we fed too much or didn't wind properly. But she is pooing for Britain so no problems that end.

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Chookford · 17/07/2015 21:52

excited it's amazing to see isn't it... Mabel is really cooing and almost laughing now it's makes all the hard bits so worthwhile, she is 6weeks today time is flying by!

Hope you manage to get Charles into a better sleeping pattern.. Sure you will soon normally by 12 weeks things really start to settle down and babies generally start to sleep in much longer stints!

Hope everyone is ok..

heatherxo · 17/07/2015 21:54

Any ladies here with a preemie?
My little man was 4 weeks early, he's now almost 4 weeks (due date yesterday!!) and I'm having a hard time trying to feed him.
im trying my hardest to bf, although he usually refuses! But he's being really weird with bottles too.
I've got the tommee tippee closer to nature bottles which he spits all the milk back out. I've bought the Nuk bottles too, which he will suck away on but not actually take in any milk.
The only teat he will take is the disposable ones the hospitals have and I don't have any left!
Anyone got any suggestions?

Chookford · 17/07/2015 22:01

heather tommee tippee normal bottles have a small vent in the teat you need to keep the vent at the top of the bottle under baby's nose to stop air getting in and the milk to come out properly in not sure if you already know that sorry if you do but it took me a while to realise that and Mabel struggled until I got to grips with it... She wasn't a preemie tho she was 12 days late! Hope you get it sorted soon, feeding stress is never a good thing when you already have so much to cope with..

Original poster
comeagainforbigfudge · 18/07/2015 11:26

Hello. I've been getting some smiles from my DD as well. In between the crying/wailing that is. Does anyone else have moments where you just join in with the crying? She does seem to settle better at night and slept til 7am! this morning.

Dunno if I'm just not getting enough gripe water in. Chook do you mean that you give infacol as well? Can I do that? Not really sure (FTM alert Grin)

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Chookford · 18/07/2015 11:53

Yes I do both if she is really struggling as long as you don't give over the recommended dose it's fine, I did it with dd1 too and neither of my girls really suffer so not sure if that helps or I'm just very lucky!

heatherxo · 18/07/2015 19:27

Thanks chook I didn't know that! Maybe I'll try that and see if it works

Bazza2 · 18/07/2015 21:59

Chook good tip, I didn't know that either!

zahaziland · 19/07/2015 14:58

hello, DS is 5 weeks today! We have also had some tentative smiles!
Managed to sleep a bit this morning, as DP entertained DS - it makes a huge difference. I feel much better.

For those of you breastfeeding, I have been bf on demand until now. Does anyone have any advice for how and when to start introducing some sort of schedule?

excitedbutsick · 19/07/2015 23:28

zah I have no advice about introducing a bit more of a schedule with breastfeeding as I am still feeding on demand. I'm hoping that DS will naturally fall into a feeding routine over time, at least then I will know that I can go out of the house between certain times and not have to get my boobs out on the bus, or in the queue at the bank, or walking through town.

come I have pleaded with DS at times and begged him to understand that I know that he dislikes nappy changes and that I am only doing it because it's the best thing for him and I don't want him to get sore.

pasbeaucoupdegendarme · 20/07/2015 04:15

Zah I bf dd for 22 months and always fed "on demand" but by 12 weeks or so she'd pretty much worked out her own schedule so it wasn't as relentless as it is now. I think it's quite hard to have a strict routine with a bf baby as they'll take as much as they want and you never know how much that was!!

zahaziland · 20/07/2015 11:43

Thanks for your comments regarding bf. I guess I was just hoping that at some point I might be able to anticipate when I will have a few "free" hours to help organise myself.

Excited: I haven't yet bf in public yet; I have only been out of the house for short periods and always close by, so I could go back home if needed. I'm not sure I feel confident enough with bf, to attempt to do so in public...

pasbeaucoupdegendarme · 20/07/2015 20:47

I think it is possible to organise a fairly reliable few hours to yourself fairly soon... Would you express at all? That makes it even easier. After a fairly torrid few days with ds and still being sore feeding, my little star had his first ebm bottle today with no fuss at all. I don't intend to leave him yet but we will keep on with the bottles here and there to give my nipples a break and to keep him in the habit!

excitedbutsick · 20/07/2015 23:59

zah It wasn't planned feeds in public, but I needed to visit the bank, register his birth etc. when he started to really indicate that he was hungry. I chose to feed him at those times because otherwise he was going to get very upset and frustrated. I wasn't as bad as I thought it would be either.

pas I have tried to express over the last few weeks but can never get more than about 10mls, it doesn't fully cover the bottom of the bottle. I'm not entirely sure if it is the pump or that I make enough milk for him, but that there isn't any extra.

This afternoon/evening has been quite tough. There has been short breaks while I have changed his nappy and got something to eat, but we have been feeding from 2pm. DH has just taken Charles for a while and is marching around the flat, as DS was getting frustrated while I was feeding him and crying around the boob. At the moment I feel a bit broken, I'm not sure what I can do to meet his needs. I know that he needs to sleep but he won't while he is chewing his hand, but he is finding it hard to feed I think with being overtired. I've questioned myself with what I am doing wrong and does he hate me now. On the brighter side DS seems content while being walked over every inch of the flat and having the Monty Python Universe song and Bat Out of Hell sang to him.

pasbeaucoupdegendarme · 21/07/2015 03:48

Excited I had a real low this weekend convinced that ds didn't want to be here with us and disliked me in particular!! Rationally I know it's not possible he's thinking like that but it's hard to convince yourself at 3am when you still haven't slept and the baby is just screaming at you... Hmm

I find sometimes he'll settle better for dh than me because he can't smell the milk on dh. Makes me feel pretty crap that he only wants me for my boobs though! Having said that, after losing the plot over life itself on Saturday early early morning, I've had a few lovely awake and not screamy cuddles since so it does get better, or at least come and go...

Original poster
comeagainforbigfudge · 21/07/2015 10:28

Oh I'm so glad it's not just me that's still having low moments.

I've decided that it doesn't help that I meet a friend who always looks immaculate. Showered, hair done, make up on type immaculate. But that's cos her partner is STILL off work. Whilst mine went back after 2 weeks. Pure scunnert as I'm ff but still feel I'm having to do EVERYTHING. Feel like I'm struggling to enjoy wee ones awake periods. Which is a shame as she is so content to lie on her mat and wriggle around so fun to watch Smile

At the back of my head I keep worrying I'll develop PND. But then I cop on to myself and remember she's still barely 6 weeks old and to give myself a break.

Just wish I could figure out her cues a bit better.

Sorry for moaning Sad

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Chookford · 22/07/2015 14:25

come moan away, Thats what this thread is for... To vent and share joys alike!

excitedbutsick · 23/07/2015 10:53

pas That's it, rationally I know it, but actually in the moment it can be hard to remember that.

come Please do moan if you need to, in a strange way it helps to remind me that it is all normal.

I figured out the reason that he was so unsettled the last few days, and that's because he has a bit of a stomach bug. DS did his first poo yesterday evening since Sunday and it was completely liquid, he had also been vomiting which is very unusual for him. A phone call to 111 and an out of hours visit, including taking the pram on the bus by myself for the first time, later the GP agreed with my assessment that he has a stomach upset but isn't dehydrated. Lot's of cuddles are the order of the day for now.

pasbeaucoupdegendarme · 23/07/2015 16:42

Hope you guys are all having good days Smile

I finally saw the right lady at the bf clinic I've been going to to assess ds's tongue tie. Turns out it's slightly more severe than we thought so snip snip snip time for him - booked in for Monday. Honestly by the time I've paid for his cranial osteopathy and the private tt snip the financial "advantages" of bf have definitely been erased!? Hmm It's dried bread and gruel for us from now on...

In other news, he's taken an ebm bottle twice now with no problems so long may that continue. Dd was great with ebm at this point and then refused completely to have a bottle/beaker/sippy cup or anything from 6 weeks to 9 months!!!

Original poster
comeagainforbigfudge · 23/07/2015 22:08

Oh no excited! Your poor wee boy! Hope he's better today Sad

Pas - am glad they've spotted the problem but eek! Bread and gruel?! You need a cake delivery stat!!! Grin

We've had a good couple of days at last. DD seems more easy to settle get burps up and had her 6 week check, all good Grin

She's also started trying to copy my facial expressions (well just wide open mouth) AND smiling at me when I make silly noises.

All my woes seems to have melted away til next time and been replaced by "so worth it" vibes Grin

Hope you all doing well

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zahaziland · 24/07/2015 14:23

Hello All,

Similar to many of you, I am also having some tough days (not knowing what DS wants nor how to make him happy, which coupled with little sleep makes me very upset) and some better days (DS smiling makes it all better immediately, and it is especially good when he decides to sleep decently).

DS is now almost 6 weeks old - an eternity and a second at the same time. As a ftm, I remember reading other mums' experiences who were saying that things got easier after the first few weeks. It has been my experience too, I am slowly starting to feel normal again, I feel capable to doing some activities (which albeit rather mundane, were completely off my radar even just a few days ago!).

Having said that, DS is particularly unsettled today, and I am spending my entire day feeding him, calming him, trying to settle him to sleep.... Hmm

pasbeaucoupdegendarme · 24/07/2015 17:18

Zah, it's all up and down isn't it? My ds has been awake almost all day!! On reasonably good form but woe betide me if I put him down... Fortunately the Tour de France has been interesting today so not a hardship to spend the afternoon on the sofa.

Jealous of the smiles! 5 weeks 3 days here and we've been doing Smile Training this pm Grin Me talking endlessly in a silly voice All I got was a single Raised Eyebrow of Disgust.

zahaziland · 26/07/2015 08:58

pas, to be fair, we've only had three real smiles so far... most of the time I get the quizzical look too!
Hope your ds' tongue tie snip goes well.

DS definitely seems more aware of his surroundings, I think he can see much better now, and he is also starting to be more coordinated in his movements.

heather, I know that you posted a while ago regarding bottles, but a friend mentioned to me the Medela Calma bottles, apparently they are specifically design to mimic the suction needed for breastfeeding, and so they shouldn't interfere with bf.

excitedbutsick · 26/07/2015 15:02

pas I hope the tongue tie snip goes well for you.

come Those feel good vibes really do make it all worthwhile.

DS finally seems to be getting over his stomach bug, although it's not been constant for him it has still been horrible to see how uncomfortable it has made him. At the same time he hasn't wanted to be held by anyone else or to be put down at all, if I have dared to put him down while asleep he has sensed this and started to protest. I have found it harder to comfort him from distance the last few days as well due to a sore throat and losing my voice.

Chookford · 27/07/2015 18:20

excited glad to hear your little man is recovering!

Mabel has her first cold... That's not fun! Confused

Original poster
comeagainforbigfudge · 29/07/2015 12:01

Hello everybody peeps, how we all doing?

We are on day 2 of operation daytime routine of 3hrly feeds. I was absolutely feeding on demand (and still kind of am as will feed early if need be) but it was more to get into a routine so she sleeps more easily. Finding she fights it something chronic during the day so trying this. It may be an epic fail but need to try it.

On the plus side she is starting to appear more interested in her surroundings. And her head control is improving day by day. She loves sitting upright. Hates being on her tummy. And when she on her back it's hilarious to watch her kick her legs about, I swear she is going to tip herself onto her front by accident one of these days!! Ha ha ha

It's actually dry here but I'm so tired. DD slept from 10.30 til 4.30, then went back down after a feed but I had an awful sleep. She chats and whimpers so much in her sleep it kept waking me up. But going to drag myself out to shops at least. Fresh air will do me good.

Also need to start the eating better plan. Another reason for the routine. My diet is shocking just now. So will buy some nice veg in shops and make up some healthy "packed lunches" in the fridge so I'm not living on crisps/pain au chocolate/cake Grin

Hope everyone is coming alone nicely
Excited how's your wee man? All better? How are you? Voice back?

chook how's mabel?

pas the smiles have been replaced by angry screams/tears of frustration at being encouraged to sleep i.e. shushed and held. Oh well, I'm taking the smiles when I can I guess Grin

Right I'm off to get dressed and to retrieve the pram base from car so can head to shops. Bet the heavens open when I'm half way there!

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