December-the 'Merry Christmas' Babies!

[Calmriver]

Hi Guys, thought I wouldn't betray our months of being together...whats a week amoungst friends!!!

Oh Eli!! So sorry to hear about Mischa. I hope everythings alright, and that she gets better quickly. What an incredibly scary thing to have to deal with - hang in there sweetie!

Hello! Just catching up with everyone.

Eli, you poor thing, sounds terrifying for you. Hope she gets better soon.

Loulou, your post reminded me so much of the early days with ds. He also hated his moses basket and wouldn't settle in there, ever. He spent a couple of weeks sleeping in his bouncy chair, or in with us for part of the night. I was also scared of squashing him but I think maternal instinct kicks in and you automatically curl around them. There's lots of stuff on here about safe co sleeping and it's so much easier than sitting up trying to not fall asleep while you hold them.

Antenatal thread is now /link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=2290&threadid=256073&stamp=061223235835\here} if you want to find us. We filled the other one!

Drat, blooming pg brain, try again........

Here

Well, it works on the preview....

Evening All,

Been a quiet day on this thread I see!

DS has spent first half of the day screaming as soon as he was put down meaning DH and I hardly got anything done. Dinally wrapped him tightly in a nice blanket and he slept on and on. There was me worried he was over heating and the poor little might must have been freezing!

DD now in bed, mince pies milk and carrots waiting for Santa. Stocking hung in her room and one for Dylan on the moses basket. DH has to write Santa's thank you and assemble the noisy monstrosity he chose for her for her main present. I have to sneek her stocking out and fill it and bring down all her pressies.

Thank goodness the only preperation for our dinner tomorrow was to take the sausage meat our of the freezer

Well if i dont chat with any of you again before hand.....

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Oh and Eli hugs to you and Mischa!

Thanks all, and happy Xmas to you - hope the babes and their Mums, Dads and siblings all well and having a good day

Mischa still stable, but also still pretty sick on HDU etc. Tomorrow should be turning point day, fingers crossed - there are loads of babies with bronchiolitis on the ward (not all in HDU though) I had no idea how common it was.

Hopefully no one else here will encounter it - but if your baby seems snuffly, coughs, or spits foamy stuff up/finds it hard to feed with stuffy nose do be aware of it: it comes on fast, and needs treating fast too. Very common when older sibs have had big colds/coughs around them. I didnt' know much about it at all, though luckily my instincts kicked in early as I'm sure most do!

Off to repack hospital bag again...

xx

Thanks for all the advice. Had DD in bed with us last night, got several hours' sleep, and managed not to squash her! Will try the sitting upright in car seat thing today.

I guess it's normal to have piercing pain in nipples too. Oh, the fun! I'm trying to get the latching on right, but I mean, when you feel with your finger how hard those gums are, is it surprising they are raw after a while?

Hope everyone had a happy christmas day. Ours was a bit distracted...! Haven't finished opening presents yet.

And I hope you and Mischa are doing ok Elibean. Hugs to both of you.

HI All,

Thanks for the pointers Eli. DS has got a cold already . But no foamy stuff. His floppy laryna makes him sound awful though.

He is able to breathe and has no sign of a temperature etc. When sleeping or resting he is fine, just if he gets a bit of wind or cries than we get sniffles etc. The house is being kept to 18 degrees to help him breathe and he's being kept warm and cosy in his new fleecy blanket. Am using a little olbas oil a way away from him to help the breathing but he's alert and happy. No sign of a temperature etc. So am fairly happy. Will take him to docs tomorrow. Probably be given nothing more than saline drops though!

DH's grandad came today and we were shocked to see how weak he had become, he spent most of the day sleeping under a large blanket. He would'nt eat, and when he tried he was nearly sick, and he only drank 1 cup of coffee when he arrived. Before leaving he said glad he got up here to see DS Sounded to both DH and me like a goodbye!

Very bittersweet day!

sorry to hijack your thread everybody but i was just reading baileys thread on health and i wanted to offer my support to eli-my dd2 was admitted with bronchiolitis last year and as she was only 11 days old at the time she was very poorly with it.my dd1 who was also a december baby was in hospital for a few days with it also(back in 1998).i had never heard of it till then.dd1 is 8 now,and dd2 was 1 on dec 6th.
just wanted to say i have been there and i know how scary it is.my lo spent christmas in hospital last year so she got spoilt rotten yesterday.hope your lo is home soon,i'll be thinking of you both xxx

hijak over-sorry again x

congratulations on your christmas bundles everyone. just being nosy myself.

loulou000, just let your baby sleep on you, on dp, in your bed etc, etc. that is the way everyone will get more sleep. your baby just came out of the only home he knows and being alone is not something they know.

a great book on how to live with newborns is this one

also, i think the piercing pain doesn't sound like a correct latch. post under 'breast and bottlefeeding' with more details if you feel like you need more advice.

Hi guys can I join in?
I was on the Dec Christmas Crackers thread and had LO 2 weeks ago today - just been utterly crap at posting for obvious reasons but have been reading all of your experiences of the early days and is v reassuring to know I am not the only one going through high-level stress!
Hope you don't mind me giving you some background..
After a traumatic birth -PPH Crash team sent in to revive me- I tried to persevere with the BF but after a huge weight loss of LO, Mastitis and prolonged Jaundice I decided to call it a day. When she was born she looked like a little Rose and just seemed to get worse from then on. She seems to be thriving now though - although nights and days are totally reversed. It is with a heavy heart that I write this! We seems to be on a circle of feeding, winding, changing hiccuping bit of colic and round it goes again. Why dosen't this happen during the day? SO weird, relatives who visit say she is an angel baby but boy they don't witness my night which are like reliving the Exorsist over and over..
Only thing is I am concerned about when DH goes back to work - we have been alternating shifts somewhat but he has a demanding job and soon I know I will be sole night carer which honestly fills me with panic. Did I see someone mentioned a night nanny - what a fantastic idea where do I find out about getting one?
Please someone tell me this stage will improve - feel all out in the wilderness at the mo x

(((( HUGS ))))) Eli & Mischa. How frightening for you. I do hope Mischa is better now.

LouLou, sympathies! I had to sleep propped up with DD1 for the 1st 4 weeks of her life. It doesn't last for ever, it just feels like it . The tiredness is so overwhelming and you feel quite helpless but believe me, and I am probably the worst mother in the world as I still don't know what I'm doing with number 3, it DOES get better. Even by 6 weeks, you will be amazed

Lubella poor you! Sound's like a terrible birth. I hope you are ok now. I am using a night nanny once a week: Nightnannies.com. I don't know where you live but I'm in Richmond and use someone who lives in Hampton Court. Can give you her details if you want. What you are going through with your LO being up all night is normal. Unfortunately it doesn't give you the chance to rest. My DD2 is now 4 weeks and still cries/feeds all evening until about 12/1am when she passes out (!) and sleeps for about 4 hours if I'm lucky. I'm not sure if it's colic or reflux (my DD1 had this) or just life. My body is also pretty worn out and I'm really suffering from my 3rd c-section. I'm physically & mentally exhausted, crying and irritable (but happy weird though that sounds!) and trying to cope alone is hard. I came on here to feel better and I do. It's amazing how just hearing what others are up to helps.

Congratulations to all the new babies & mummies. Hope Christmas was good. Mine was a bit hazy

Hi All,

Lubella - it does get better! ((((())))))
I sopent nights crying when DH went back to work after DD was born as I thought I would never get to sleep at the same time as him again!

MW has just been and discharged me from the community care team as she is happy with Dylan and me, also she listened to Dylan and is not worried about him at all, but has agreed that a visit to the GP this afternoon to hear his chect etc is a god idea, and I can get some saline while I am out.

She asked if anymore babies were planned to which I answered a firm NO! I have a gorgeous girl and boy - and could not possibly ask for more.

Nearly burst in to tears on Christmas day when friend - who we had agreed not to buy for each other with, bought me a blue and a pink flower Jibbitz to decorate my Crocs!

hi everyone, well we've had a couple of bad nights getting dd1 to sleep. i think xmas has contributed to lack of routine but she's been saying she wants to sleep with mummy and daddy and last night it 2 hours to get her to bed. hoping this stops soon.

dd2 had a couple of bad nights too but last night we got some good sleep. hurrah

Thanks Baileys and Castles I know this stage won't last forever - it is sincerely the most challenging thing ever, I take my hat off to you having little ones to look after also.

Castles - Unfortunately I am out of London now and in Kent otherwise nightnannies would have been really convienient for me also - what a fantastic idea - what are they like? do you literally pop off to bed while they take over - what bliss!

Can I ask your advice on something - HV just left and said that now you must make up every single bottle feed fresh - we are using the ready made SMA and it says on the packet you can refridgerate for 24 hours so I have just been making feeds for the day, warming up and giving to LO. Apparently that is not allowed...so many conflicting rules driving me even more mad

Hello everyone,

What an adventurous week I've had. Went in for an ante natal check up 2 weeks and got told that isnt growing anymore so had to get induced. Had a lovely baby girl on 21st Dec at 1:26 in the afternoon. She is a bit tiny and so fragile but I love her!!
Still getting used to feeding and very sore nipples. For the first 2 days it was 2 of us crying. Am getting hardened now, also had an epi and those stitches are really something.

Congratulations to all new babies. Eli, thinking of you, I'm sure Mischa will be fine.

xx

Merry xmas everyone!
I haven't added anything to this thread yet but I've been reading it when I have time. My little Gabriela is 12 days old today and seems to be settling down. My DP goes back to work tomorrow so I¡ll have my first real day alone with her-scary .
My body feels like it's getting back to normal...Arnica really helped with the stitches and swelling.
Lubella, my nipples really hurt and I have that piercing pain too...although it does seem to be getting a bit better. My nipples were horrible and scabby for the first week, now they just ache between feeds. I think my nipples are too small!
Is everyone feeding on demand? My midwife(and some friends who used her) recommended a feeding routine(2 hourly and 4 hourly at night) which is really working but the problem is that so many people (parents and friends) disapprove.
And my Dad has just said that maybe we pick her up too quickly when she cries. But surely newborns need that.
Too much advice!

Lubella - I dont know what your HV is on about with DD and now DS we are making 6 feeds at a time and keep them in the fridge (although in the main part of the fridge not the door) for up to 24 hours - although DS has other ideas and at the moment as he fights his cold is getting through about 8 in a 24 hour period, so we always have an extra sterilising run mid morning for a couple of extra bottles. When his cold has gone we are switching to hungrier baby milk, but as it;s harder to digest at we are waiting a while, his little body as enough to do ATM!

Also my MW knew I was bottle feeding and said nothing about fresh feeds, as did the MCA (maternity care assistant) and also all the staff from the maternity ward!

And it's also more than the manufacturers dare to risk to give you the wrong advice!

I see my HV for the first time tomorrow, there are 4 in our practice and I remember from when DD was a baby they all gave conflicting advice. Lets see what she has to say!

So to you and to Anna I say go with what suits you and nuts to everyone else!

Hello folks, just having a nose to see how you all are. Doesn't seem as though I'll be joining you any time soon - baby wasn't even engaged today so couldn't have a sweep. Looks like it'll be 7th Jan for induction.

Lubella, I know they changed the guidelines for making up formula fairly recently, hence the 'make every feed fresh' advice. We used to sterilise the bottles and then fill them with freshly boiled water and leave them on the side. Then we'd just add a couple of ounces of boiling water at each feed time to heat it up to the right temp and add the powder. That way we weren't waiting ages for a fridge-cold bottle to heat up and we didn't have to panic about storing made up stuff properly. The other advantage is that you can take a bottle of water, a flask of hot water and the right measure of formula upstairs at night and don't have to go traipsing down to the kitchen to warm feeds. FWIW, babies don't need warm milk, my ds drank it at room temp. Dd was fussier and refused it unless it was warm but it's a lot less hassle if you can get them to accept it at room temp.

Eli, hope Mischa is doing better.

Congrats Summerlove on your baby.

Thanks guys v reassuring to hear I am not the only one who thinks this is a bit hmmmmmm - Bailey I totally agree this just dosen't make sense to me at all as it goes against what they advise on the packet - surely they know their product??!!
Would you let me know what your HV says - these people completely contradict each other!
xx

Hi everyone! I've really missed you all and I see now I should have come back sooner. It's so nice to get support through the rough times.

Firstly though, I want to wish a speedy recovery to little Mischa. Eli, I can't even imagine what you must be going through right now. These little preemies can seem so fragile. But I've always been told that babies are tougher than they seem.

Thanks to everyone for missing me and big thanks yo Bailey's for sticking up for me I probably was being a bit hormonal. Think I'll stick mainly to our thread for a while.

There's so much to catch up on. I'm a bit relieved to see that I'm not the only one with a baby who totally changes his personality at night He's so content and happy mostly anyway during the day. I have bee wondering if it's a bit of reflux as he seems to mainly fuss when I put him down on his back. Sooo, even tho I was not wanting to co=sleep, I'm giving it a go in desperation. I park him next to me slightly on his side and get a few hours sleep that way. He definitely would prefer to sleep with me holding him all night.

I've also wondered if there's anything in my diet that could be the problem. DS1 was sensitive to me drinking milk or eating ice cream (cheese and yogurt were okay ) Tried eliminating that, thought it helped but then he went back to being fussy. Something is definitely giving him gas, though. I can hear his little stomach gurgling at times and he is very fussy just before a poop. Today I mixed up a witch's brew of different types of teas - chamomile, ginger, peppermint, etc. - and drank that all day. I am hoping our night is a bit better for it.

So far, no PND. Of course, mine was actually PN PTSD from my horrible birth. Lubella, if you start noticing any signs of either let someone know. I waited far too long to get help when it happened to me. I will also be happy to email you privately if the need arises. Just let me know and I can CAT you if you don't have CAT.

DS1 has gone through some horrible times adjusting. It makes everything so much harder. With him I didn't take advantage of the "sleep when the baby sleeps" enough and now when I know better I can't!!! Dh tries to spell me with ds1 at least. So when he is available and ds2 goes to sleep I take to my bed I do feel for little ds1. I know it's hard having such a big change and we have also kind of quarantined ourselves for a bit. There's been all kinds of colds and flu going around and I have been terrified that ds2 would get something. Took a bit of crap from one of my best friends over it but stood firm that her boys couldn't visit the baby yet. They always have a runny nose!

Still trying to sort out childcare for when I go back to work in February. At least it's only part-time. And, last but not least, our insurance company has denied all of my hospital and dr.'s charges. Double So I'm having to do all of the paperwork to go through the appeals process. We had fabulous care for everything but living in the US generally means fighting your insurance company unfortunately. I feel sure it will work out as the hospital had checked my coverage before I was discharged and said it was fine. It's just a game you have to play...

Whew! A mammoth post for me. Thanks to anyone who actually read all of it

forgot to say Congratulations to Northernmama! Welcome to the world of the perpetually sleep deprived

Lubella - nightnannies operate out of London all over SE I think so check them out if you are interested.

Eli - hope Mischa is better. Thinking of you

Got doctors appointment for DD2 today. Feel a bit sad as pretty sure she has gastric reflux and will need medication. DD1 had it too. She only screams for about 4 hours in the evening (with DD1 it was 7) but is starting to get bad in the day too, can't lie flat for long and sicking up feeds. Feel a bit of a failure. Is it something I did when pg? DH says I have to stop analysing everything (hangover from my former job maybe) but I guess it's motherhood.

Welcome back Jabber! And welcome to all new babies.

Aww, castles, don't feel like it's something you've done. I hear of so many babies with reflux. It's just one of those things like colic, I guess.