January 2007 - i know i'm not the only one, come on, where are you all???

[theUrbanDryad]

hey, where are all you guys? i know i'm not the only one to have popped from the jan '07 thread!!

anyway, if you're out there, how's it going???

Bloody hell LTH - it was all I could do to get up and make the bottle up

DH has gone out to register the birth and I have just put J down but he is wittering, will leave him a bit and hope he goes to sleep!! Have got loads to do (so really should stop looking at MN!!!!!!!)so am hoping he has a nice long snooze [wishful thinking emotion!!]

don't worry wilkie, i'm absolutly positive it won't run that smoothly tomorrow....

Been signed off from the MW, they only came to see us twice anyway which is FAB.

George weighs 9lb 0.5 oz now. I'd love to know what or if his weight dropped to after the birth.
I'm one of those baby weight obsessive mums so I was pleased he's putting on weight well but I want to know how much in total he's gained.....

hey everyone - well i went out for the first time with the pram (i usually use a sling) - it's a wonderfully chavvy leopard print travel system (CHAVel system - sorry) but despite that people were incredibly polite holding doors etc....anyway, went to the surgery to see the nurse; apparently i have an infection & they've given me loads of antibiotics...bleargh!

had a taste of what it's like for all you 2nd time mums, as went round to a mate's for a cuppa and ended up sitting with her 16 month old while she went to pick her son up from school - his 2 best friends have vanished on the way to school & he was too upset to stay in school. hopefully they'll turn up safe and sound.

Hi all! I finally gave birth to my daughter 1 week over due, 20th January, which was my original due date! Have posted gorey details on the due jan thread....thinking now that that probably wasn't the best idea... But anyway we named her Nancy Jane Rutherford and she weighed in at exactly 8lb. She is breast feeding beautifully, but awake all night! And I have piles the size of plums! But we are pretty cool apart from that and a few other things. Dd1 is absolutley obbsessed with Nancy and tells everyone she meets all about her Urban, did the missing boys turn up?? I am so emotional at the mo, the thought of what can happen to innocent kids frightens me so much

Any advice on the best ways to change bubbas body clock?? She sleeps most of the day and is awake most of the night!! I am bloody knackerd! Although I do realise she is only 5days old!

Hah! piles the size of plums?! I scoff at that...mine are more like satsumas, together with my melon like tits I'm a walking fruit salad!
Had my first poo today, thought I would share this with the group, holy fk it was scary! So pleased that hurdle is crossed. MW checked me out down there today, apparently a couple of my stitches have come out...gulp, am slightly concerned by this but she seemed not to be!
In other news, milk has come in, am now wearing a 34K bra. This is ridiculous, little baby's eyes pop out everytime its feeding time. I'm so worried I'll give him a complex!
DP is out wetting baby's head this evening, not sure how this works...how can he wet his head when I'm the one holding him? hmm?! & how come he gets the drinks brought for him when I'm the one who hasn't drunken for ages, plus I'm the one who did the hard work. Something isn't right about this!

Hi all. Just having the usual evening nightmare trying to get LO off to sleep! I've had the same problem as you Jessddibs - and quite a few others as well I think - my little chap has been sleeping all day and then refuses to settle at night. He's 2.5 wks now and actually a bit better than he was, but the couple of hours after his 11pm feed is always really difficult every night. I never get to bed before about 1ish, and then am up again by 3 for another feed...

I've tried keeping him awake a bit more in the day to see if this encourages him to sleepmore at night but I don't think at this age that really works. And if he gets tired in the day and i don't let him sleep he just gets upset and starts crying which is obvously no good for anyone.

Apart from this though, and general lack of sleep, everything's good and I have a gorgeous healthy baby and I know I don't really have much to complain about

Was feeling a bit guilty today though when DP went off to work and, just for a moment, I thought I really missed my old life and wished i was going off to work too and maybe going out shopping at lunch and to the pub after work... Not that I'd give up my LO for anything, but I still can't help missing some of that amazing freedom you have (and really don't appreciate!) when you only have yourself to look after.

Lizz - 34k?!!! MY eyes popped out at that . Mine are a mere 36g but point due south and am convinced lo is going to suffocate each time she feeds. The experts always tell you to check if lo is latched on properly, but frankly I can't see her mouth for the tit/wood for the trees.
Shimmer - I had a bad night last night. Howling child from 10pm - 2.30pm, when dh appeared to rescue me again. She settles really well on his chest but just wants to chomp on mine. At least I wasn't crying this time but I was all for sedning dh to 24 hour tescos to buy dummies and check out the formula section.

Anyone have any comments about nipple shields by the way? Her suck is so strong I need relief.

Hi all - glad I'm not the only one having shit nights. Just when I thouht we' cracked it (teaches me for feeling smug) he is awake ALL night - and i mean ALL night. Same as you others, he will only sleep on my (very modest 34DD) chest or DHs chest. Even this morning he won't let me put him down so consequently I am feeling very frustrated today!!!!

Shimmer - I know what you mean about freedom, I adore J but when he isn't settling all I want is to hand him to someone else so I can have some good sleep and some me time. I guess it's just a matter or adjusting - he is only 2 weeks today. I also feel really guilty in the night when I feel angry with him when he won't stop crying - so much easier to handle during the day. Anyone else feel the same?

My stitches are just about dissolving but think I have thrush again so off to Dr this pm to bare my fanjo once again!! Oh the indignity.

Right then, J appears to be asleep in my arms, let's try putting him in his moses basket......

Hello! Ah the nights Wilkie! 2`weeks yesterday. To be honest it could be a lot worse he sleeps in his crib but still tends to feed every hour (we had our first 3 hour stretch yesterday but not counting chickens).

Shimmer et al these past 2 weeks feel like forever. Hard to believe there was a time I dodn't have him but at the same time I would love to hand him over every so often. Plus to compensate for sleeping in his crib at night he spends loads of time awake in the day and screaming if you put him down. I seems to spend all day doing 1 handed things and rocking! (anyone else start to rock as soon as they cry even if someone else is holding them?) still, wouldn't change things for the world.

i think i'm getting it easy after reading all your posts.

i like...no scrap that love george sleeping on my chest. he's not the best sleeper at night and rarely goes in hios moses basket but at just 10 days he so weeny and lovely i want to savour every minute of this stage.

i know its a massive cliche but it really does fly by. in a few months when weaning is just around the corner we're all wonder were our teeny tiny newborns have gone....

LTH - I worry that if we have him on our chests too much he then won't get into a routine of settling himself - plus I miss sleeping on my stomach!!!!!! Am I being too anal?

Gotta go, sounds like a pan is boiling over in J's nappy. Beautiful!

Wilkie glad you and j are ok

Bloody hell it mst be a january thing as dd is a pain at night aswell, sleeps all day awake all night just think everyday is closer to it getting better.

hi all - well Zac is waking twice in the night now, the feeding frenzy (aka growth spurt) seems to have stopped, and things are settling down. it's nappies here rather than sleeping....as soon as i change him, he does another massive poo!

i've started to put him in bed with me when dh gets up to go to work in the morning, that way, he sleeps a lot better and so i get another couple of hours in the morning!

indith - have you got a papoose sling? you can get them on eBay here or there's a pattern to make them here if you're handycrafty-minded, or know someone who is. they're great cause you can have the baby in it and carry them round with you all day, and still have 2 hands free!

btw - the 2 lads who were missing yesterday turned up at home, but whether they were bunking off and playing a silly prank or something did happen i don't know, but at least they're safe!!

Does it make me a bad mother that I am using dummies already? If he's been fed and is still crying, then it just makes life so much easier. Plus those tommy tipee ones called 'nuby' are so sweet as you can see their little mouths open when they suck.
Rgee - re latching on, from what I have worked out, when he is latched on properly it hurts for the first few chomps but then numbs out. Its when he nibbles the nipple I want to scream out loud!
Also re. settling on DP's chest better than yours, apparently this is v. common as the LO's can smell the milk on you. So if he is fretful its easier to get DP to calm him down than yourself....works for me! x

I have been looking at slings urban! I live in Durham so I think I'm going to get Rebecca to come round and try a few out.

RGee - you asked about nipple shields. I used them with ds, I had a crack and it was the only thing that got me through. They aren't recommended because they are supposed to restrict the amount of hindmilk they get but they were the only thing that kept me bfing, and there was never, ever any question about my heffalump's weight gain , so I just relaxed about them. I have v flat nipples too (TMI!) and found they gave me the confidence when latching. The disadvantage was that I then found it hard to stop using them, had no confidence without, and ended up using them for a long long time, and they do make discreet bfing in public a lot more difficult. HTH
Also, Wilkie, I remember that anger/fear feeling when they won't stop crying and it's 3am and they won't feed/have fed, aren't dirty and you just don't know why they won't settle, and dh is trying to take his turn to sleep and they just won't stop.... You're right, it is far far harder in the small hours than during the day. All I can say is, it passes, plus if he'll only settle on your chest it won't cause problems - ds would only do that initially, but he was still sleeping through (in the crib) from 3m.

Hi ladies, I need some advice. I was breastfeeding and topping up with formula but today Starla will not latch on. I think she may have got used to the teets (sp?) on the bottles but yesterday she latched on and breastfed fine, today it is so frustrating and she just gots cross and plays about. PLEASE give me some advice, I know the say don't let it get you down but it is. Midwife said topping up was fine as she just wasn't full but it seems I'm going round in circles. Its ironic because the midwife discharged me yesterday as we'd thought we'd finally cracked it. x

daisy - i'm afraid the only advice i have is try a post on the breastfeeding thread, or email the la leche league.\link{http://www.laleche.org.uk/here} is the page. i emailed them when zac kept spitting up & they were fab. hth....x x x

here even!!

Lizz - we use dummies if he won't settle between feeds despite me swearing I'd never use them! He's not a mad fan but they keep him quiet for 20 mins or so whilst I'm changing him and heating his bottle. It's not being a bad mother - think it's called coping xx

i've always said that if it came to it i would use a dummy, but i think my lo prefers chewing his fist anyway!!

Ds1+2 both had dummies, I tried Ds3 with one and he wouldn't have it.
It was hard hard work trying to setlle him sometimes.

Ds4 hasn't had a dummy yet, all he wants when he's awake is to be cuddled or food. Hopefully he'll be another non-dummy baby like ds3 but if not then hey -ho.

(I have to admit to being a dummy snob though....I hated the Ds's having them out in public and used to take them out of their mouths once asleep if we were out)

dd1 has a dummy still at night and shes 2.5 very occasionally shes allowed it in the day if shes ill or very tired i vowed it would be gone by her 1st bday woops we have tried to get rid of it but with hattie arrivng didnt feel best timin so going to try at easter, has to be a dire emergency yto be allowed it in public and she daren't attempt to talk with it in as she knows that is strictly forbidden!

dd2 has one sometimes doesnt seem to be such a dummy freak as dd1 was at her age she'll have it and spit it out as soon as shes asleep she has found her thumb sometimes so not sure which i'd prefer at least i can take dummy away (or not in dd1 case). HV came unannounced yesterday weighed hattie and shes 7lb 4oz now at 3 weeks (where has that gone?) only on the 25th centile so shes coming back next week but since she is taking 3 3oz bottles and 3 4oz bottles a day hardly think she isnt eating just going to be a slow grower.

Hope those of you having bad nights get it easier soon x