November 2015 newborns and neurotics

[Ladypug]

Hi all,

I can't see a group for babies born in November so I'm starting one! My DD is 2 weeks old and we've had 2 weeks learning curve - breastfeeding, nappy changing, sleep deprivation and learning what cries mean, on top of poor DD struggling to go to the toilet and manic bouts of meltdown crying! How is everyone else getting on?

Thanks snozberry, have tried those too! The general advice is be patient, it will pass! I bloody hope so, it's all consuming when you're in it! DD feeding constantly too, think it takes a while for things to settle down, boobs are constantly engorged. Does anyone else have really painful letdown too?

Congrata Annatha! Welcome to the thread :-)

Hehe Brioche, all you can eat boob buffet - I love it!

Tell me about it Sophia, DD is glued to me, either feeding or sleeping, she just wants to be on me all the time!

Sophia are you drinking enough water, sounds like you might be dehydrated.

My letdown is OK but IIhave had a blocked duct (touch wood it is cured now). We all have colds too and ds has really sticky eyes - I've been treating it with breast milk but I think he might need eye drops.

Is anyone on their second or more dc? I am feeling very guilty about neglecting my dd (even though she is being well looked after by dp and grandparents, I really miss spending time with her on my own).

Hi another November baby here, had ds1 via elective section on the 19th and have been home for three days. He's a 36 weeker so super sleepy and needs to be woken for feeds so not sure we have a very real picture of the newborn phase yet! Prior to that I was in hospital from September due to placenta and vasa previa so missed out on classes etc and would be v glad of some virtual company!

Welcome golden. My first baby was born at 35 weeks and like you I missed out on antenatal classes and felt very unprepared for having a baby. She had to be woken for feeds for the first few weeks but she soon caight up and is now a chubby little almost three year old.

I am also waking my new baby ds every three hours, during the day - he is pretty good at waking by himself at night!. He is quite small (6lb 6oz) and has a touch of jaundice so sleeps a lot - but this time around I am enjoying it while it lasts!

Snozzberry - hmm, you could be right, the first few days after birth I coud stop drinking water. But now not so much. It's combination of tiredness, stress and fluid intake but will try to drink more.

Had MIL over all morning which was a godsend - she loved to be with her grandson and gave me a break from having to hold/soothe him. Had a lovely morning, but he's playing up again now and starting to loose my initial confidence in how to cope with him. Why were DH and I ok in first two weeks and now we're flagging?

Didnt realise there was a theead for November babies!

ds2 arrived on the 14th, so far so good, he seems really happy, really alert and awake quite a bit.

golden hello! I posted on your praevia thread. I had DS at 36 weeks due to a massive bleed so also missed out on all the classes etc. It does take longer for an early baby to become a newborn for sure, and they are very sleepy.
I had a slightly early eviction this time with DD but at 39 weeks (I had blood antibodies due to the blood transfusions with DS - a very rare occurrence) and I can really see the difference the extra month of cooking makes in terms of feeding and sleeping.

Hello Abbey! Nice to see you on the other side. At what point did you find your dc1 'woke up'? We did get our first self woken cry last night so maybe things will tip into that direction. He seems so placid even when he's awake - am I being naive to think that could last?! Snoz I am taking your advice to enjoy this bit whilst it lasts. It's helping me to rest up which is a godsend, I'm still v stuff and sore and groggy.

Sophia how's it going today?

My bleeding has stopped after just a week. Midwife assures me it will come back and to go out prepared for the next month. Has anyone else had this?

Hope everyone else is settling in nicely.

Golden my bleeding comes and goes, last time it lasted for about a month I think. I tend to bleed a bit when I am feeding ds.

Welcome topsy

Today DS had us fretting because he hadn't pooed all day, then did three in a row

Welcome new baby mums! :-)

Todays been tough - I'm getting bad headaches (used to suffer with them but nothing through out pregnancy), now they're back and nasty. Honestly think the night feeds and daytime fussiness would be a easy to cope with but this headache is taking it's toll. Has anyone else had them? Is it hormonal (because drinking loads still).

My bleeding has eased off (2weeks 2 days now) but still used maternity pads, could use normal pads now.

Ahh Snozzberry - my DS didn't poo for 5 days, then eventually went 3 days after that and now it's been 2 days in a row - and BIG messy 'all up the back' poos!!

Hi all! I haven't read the thread yet but thought I'd pop in to say hi. Baby is 10 days today and my stitches gave started to dissolve - ouch!

Hi all and welcome new mamas how is everyone? All ok here, still sleep deprived and can't believe DD is almost a month old! DH goes back to work this week and I'm terrified! What if I can't do it on my own?! In response to the bleeding convo, I've pretty much stopped bleeding now but it's taken 4 weeks and there's still some!

How is everyone getting on? Also, what is everyone doing re christmas? What do you get a newborn?! X

Hi all, great to see so many familiar names from other threads. DS is 2 weeks old today, hard to believe. On the whole he's really good, pretty chilled out baby. The first week had some ups and downs, especially around breastfeeding as his latch was incredibly painful. Had amazing support from our maternity support worker and a breastfeeding clinic, so it's got a lot better. Now we're trying to get him to gain weight as he still isn't back to his birth weight yet. I'm sure it will happen, but worry he's not getting enough to eat at night, as I seem to have less milk from afternoon. I've been expressing so DH can do at least one feed and we have milk on hand for going out, as I kind of have to be in the zone to feed without stress. He doesn't seem to be confused by the bottle, thankfully. The breast pump has definitely helped preserve my sanity.

DH goes back to work tomorrow, but only part time until new year. My mum's been here since the end of October and has been a godsend but she goes home at the end of the week and I wonder how I'll cope (she took most of the nighttime shift tonight so DH could get a good night's sleep and now I'm letting her kip for a few hours).

Have given no thought to Christmas yet, no idea what to get anyone. Would like to get cards/birth announcement/thank yous out but that feels like a massive job right now.

Austen we took a photo of the dc in their Christmas outfits and are getting them printed and sending them to people as xmas cards, I will put a note in thanking people for gifts. Two birds with one stone

I don't think newborns really need Xmas presents, maybe a token gift so that if they ask you one day what they got for their first Christmas you don't have to say 'nothing'. Dd was born prematurely two days before Christmas and all she got was a cuddly toy from the hospital shop, she doesn't seem too traumatised by it. Ds will get a stocking because of dd, and she has chosen him some presents from the charity shop (things which she would like!).

Oh and for Xmas day we normally host but this year I have invited myself to my mum's!

golden DS became more awake shortly after his due date. It was around then he got the hang of feeding etc. I know some health professionals say not to bother correcting the age of a 36 weeker but I found that DS met milestones if corrected to give him a month extra. He's 14 months now and pretty much caught up. I wish he was sleepy these days ha!

My bleeding stops and starts. It's annoying as I've thought it was finished twice. Not sure when to trust it?

Hi all. All ok here I think! We don't get a weight check until fri so I'm just having to hope and trust that feeding is going well enough. It seems to be. My bleeding really tailed off after a week but now back with a vengeance :( My stitches have also started to fall out and that, combined with the fact I'm trying to do a bit more around the house etc means my pelvic floor is really achy and sore. Trying to do my kegels regularly but it's going to take a long while before I feel healed. DH goes back to work next week so I have a few more days of help with the older dcs.

Re Christmas, it's just going to be us at home this year due to travel practicalities. Hopefully we won't feel too lonely without family! I have bought a few bits for the baby, mostly so that the older dcs see everyone getting treated equally

Hiya all
DD3 is 16 days old ...discharged by midwife today -took a while cus there was concerns she wasn't gaining weight but thankfully she is now ! Having feeds every 3 hrs. ..the usual constant of wanting my boop all the time ..my house is a mess & I feel the urge to give it a clean but it's looking impossible at mo -with DD on me or just too tired !! My OH has been brilliant at helping out but he's no domestic God around the house though! ! Hoping to find my mojo soon !
Congratulations to you all newbies

Morning all
Doing ok here - DS apparently likes jazz music - I didn't want pop music and put folk music on in the evening (using Spotify) to calm/chill out so randomly stuck jazz on (i never listen to jazz!) and he's been awake but quiet and content for over an hour!...if it works! (thank god he's not a heavy metal fan, not sure my head could take it!)

For those worrying about DP going back to work - mine only had first week off, then went back to work then he's off for another week from tomorrow. I've found the 'just me and baby' days fine. The main worry was 'what to do with baby if i needed a wee'! Very quickly learn that I can handle a crying baby more than I can handle a full bladder. I now have no problems plonking baby in his chair and whizzing about. Although I still have to take him into the bathroom with me when I shower so I can watch him through the showerscreen....first time mum paranoia and the steam helps with his nasal congestion.

Just given him a bath and noticing bit of dryness on his scalp (i'm using natural bath wash now as Johnson products really dried him up everywhere) and milk spots - someone mentioned to me about putting own breastmillk on the skin, has anyone tried and tested this? Won't baby smell milky/sour?

Sophia babies always smell a bit milky, I've been putting milk in dc's eye as it is sticky and it hasn't made him smell. I do wash his face daily though.

Coco I think you should let the housework go for now, your baby gaining weight is the most important thing.

We just had our first visit from the health visitor. Ds weighs slightly more than his birth weight which is good, he also distinguished himself by weeing all over the health visitor and his notes.

Hey all,

A tough few nights full of screaming meltdowns (feeling dead now) but hopefully it won't last. Finding it ok with DH back at work, days are flying by! My only problem is I'm not getting anything done! Tomorrow an online food shop is my only task, I must be able to achieve that!! Funny that someone else mentioned spotify, DD has stopped crying when I change her if I play that, she has some strange music taste! How is everyone else getting on?

Doing ok here but DH hasn't gone back to work yet - Monday I have that joy! My recovery has been a bit two steps forward, one back, but hopefully we are going in the right direction again now. DC3 is an absolute poppet it's amazing how easy the newborn stage feels third time around compared to first time!

Dp is back at work today but it has just been me and ds today as dd is at nursery. We have had a nice chilled day, ds is no trouble so long as you don't try to do anything silly like put him down . I have managed to do an online shop while he fed and do some housework with him in a sling, although I can't do anything which involves bending so the floors are still covered with dds toys. Monday will be my first day with both DC which terrifies me!

Hello, well we are two weeks in now and surviving pretty well! I'm lucky to have dh home for a good while yet as he saved up leave from last year and gets Xmas hols and I'm so glad as I am still really sore and slow but getting there slowly. Hats off to those who are starting to go solo. We ventured out on tues but it was my first trip out since September due to my hosp stay and it felt quite overwhelming and I hadn't realised how shuffly I am until I had to walk further distances. But ds slept the whole time, phew. I don't feel very confident with feeding in public and also it dawned on me that buggies and public loos don't work which hadn't occurred to me before! Feel like I need L plates on.

Does anyone else here get a bit nauseous when they start to feed or feel still a tiny bit pregnant or is it just me?! I had horrendous morning sickness so I'm not loving it though it passes v quickly. I'm also sweating so much at night and wake up all chilly, I feel like a sweaty milky beast!