February 2007 Post Natal Club

[Plumpbump]

Hello

I know it's not even February yet, but here is the new thread. Even though Jacob was born in January, I feel he is an honorary Febster!!!

Looking forward to more new bubs coming this way!!!

Hello Ladies

I started this thread and then lost it! Lovely to read all the posts! Must change my name now, although the bump is still a little plump!

Jacob's doing really well! We had a bit of stress with breastfeeding. I'd been battling with expressing whilst in special care and the boobs threatened to give up the ghost, until I started taking an anti-nausea drug, Maxilon, which has a side effect of encouraging lactation. This helped, but when we went onto bf only and no formula top ups through Jacob's tube, he lost weight, 3 times. My left boob stopped producing milk all together and so he was just using the right hand side. Eventually, the right hand side just felt empty and he lost weight again. Being a prem baby, it was too risky so we've had to go onto bottles. I was very disappointed but relieved when after 5 days he'd gained 10 ounces. He's so much happier and I feel less stressed. I console myself with the fact that he had breast milk for the first 5 weeks, which is when he needed it most.

hey - just thought i would come and say hi to all you february-ers from the january-ers! can't believe my LO is 6 weeks already!!! congrats to you all and hope you enjoy your LO's. x x x

Thanks UrbanD, hope you are getting on ok!

Have reverted back to old name from Plumpbump, folks.

Hi Maazaa (going to take me a while to get used to you not being plumpbump) I might have to change my name to Jellybelly because I seem to have lost weight from everywhere else but still have a nice Winnie the Pooh rounded belly. I was wondering how you were getting on and whether you'd have time to post on here. Glad to hear that Jacob is putting on weight now. You've not had it easy at all and as you say, if you've been expressing for 5 weeks that's really good and you have to go with what works for you best.
Hi back to urbandryad - I guess time will go quickly for us all as day and night seem to merge somewhat. I saw an 11 week old yesterday who was laughing and smiling and can't imagine DS being like that in 9 weeks!
Hope everyone has a good weekend. I think we're not going to do very much but then DH is back to work on Tue. Not sure I'll make it out of my PJs before next weekend!

Hello ladies

Thought it was about time I signed up for this - while DD, Isla Maisie (born 7 Feb), is having a little sleep. She prefers to sleep in my arms so it is quite an achievement to have got her in the Moses basket. Can't promise I'll log on too often, but good to know I have company if I do!

xx

Hello Smudge and Soundbites! Have been catching up on the news on the other thread - hasn't everyone chosen lovely names! It's so exciting - I can't believe we've kept our thread going and now so many babies are here!

Jacob, DH and I are very well. He's such a calm, placid boy. I think he learnt self soothing and sleeping through noise and light whilst in SCBU so we're reaping the benefits! He's pretty much doing four hourly feeds. I've been doing the graveyard shifts as DH is back at work, but tonight, I'm getting a full night and DH is doing the night feed! I might even have a glass of wine! We're so relaxed now we're home and so relieved about him gaining weight. Thanks, Smudge for your kind words re BF. I am disappointed but that's nothing compared to the stress of him getting no milk from me.

How's everyone feeling? Have the stitches/ aches and pains gone yet? I felt like I'd done a marathon for days after giving birth!

Morning all. Well I knew the bubble would burst. Last night wasn't our best. DS seemed to feed the whole night and sleep for about 2 mins. Needless to say the nips are a bit sore this am! How's everyone else doing? I'm very jealous of your 4 hours Maazaa (and your whole night sleep last night) I hope you feel better for it. DH goes back to work on Tue so I've tried to do all the night stuff myself so it's not so much of a shock. Saying that, I was desperate for the loo and DS wouldn't settle so gave him to DH to cuddle. I wonder if he'll have any recollection of that?
I'm still aching quite a bit. I'm pretty sure it's because I'm not the kind of person who can just sit down and take it easy so I'm trying to do too much. DH is good and will get round to most things but it just takes so long [impatient emoticon] and is sometimes easier to do it yourself. I'm still bleeding quite a bit too - how long is that supposed to last? Right I'm going to try and put DS in his bouncy chair now, wish me luck!

Helloooooooo (echoes back to me with no sign of anyone else around)
I was just logging on to see how everyone else was and see that mine is still the last post. Hope it is not because everyone is up to their eyes in nappies and washing with a screaming baby but that you have lots of lovely visitors bringing cake, homemade casseroles and presents for you. These visitors would stay just the right amount of time, look after themselves and wash up before they go! I had a bit of a scare yesterday and ended up back in hospital as I started bleeding quite badly. They couldn't see a reason so sent me home again but gave me a bit of a shock. Last day of DH paternity leave today . Have fun everyone

Know how you feel smudgemum... 3 hours broken sleep a day is killing me! Mind you, got a 4 hour stretch last night so hope it's not a fluke. Only problem is that she took it from 4am to 8am and DS got up at 7am. So when DH is back at work I'll need to get up. Really don't know how I'll manage with 2 of them. DS is really wild and stroppy at the moment and throws himself around a lot. Really worried he'll hurt Isla (unintentionally!).

Had a complete wobble a few days ago. Isla hadn't pooed since the first 2 days of giant meconium poos. Not normal for a baby her age. MW said to give it 5 days (which was yesterday) before the hospital would see her. fStarted to query that the breastfeeding wasn't going that well and she wasn't fixing as well as I thought etc. Had a lot of the babyblues and really doubted my ability to feed her. Anyway, all turned good yesterday when she gave us a MASSIVE yellow poo. DS was a weekly pooer, but not this early on so it really knocked me.

And can I just say that these bloody hormones have got me so jittery and nervous. And convinced that DS hates me. At least this time I know it's hormones!

Hi just popping in to show my face. Things are OK here Maya seems to be doing well. I'm tired but we are all happy, although slghtly obsessed with how much she is feeding (peachy takes a deep breath ... and relax)
Hope you and your babies are all well

Peachy - feeding obsession never seems to end! Nor does poo obsession in my case! Are you still getting the breastfeeding going? basically, you can't feed too much to start with. But don't stress if she really isn't interested when you try. Just keep trying.

Hi suzi,
she is doing OK I am offering the breast regularly and she is latching on for about 20 mins at a time.My boobs aren't sore which I'm taking as a good sign
she has fed like this twice today so I think I'm happy with that and she then had a bit of a nuzzle but wasn't too interested which I think was looking for comfort after a bath and being covered in olive oil (which everyone said she would enjoy!!)
I agree about the nappies too I get worried that she hasn't had a wee.
On a positive note we went for a walk round the block with the buggy yesterday which was really nice, bit of fresh air for us all!! My parents arrive today and we thought we might walk and meet them at the station (10 min walk) I think they will be quite tickled with that.
Plus things with the house move are hotting up with completion and exchange dates being mentioned.

Did you meet your parents Peachy? I've got a LO who doesn't want to be put down today. I think I've already fed him about 8 times and he's still not really settled. DS has got quite dry skin and MW suggested olive oil or almond oil. We tried olive oil first and it worked fine but he smelt like we were going to cook him so we got the almond oil! First day on my own today (DH back at work) but I've already had my sister in law phone and the health visitor round so not doing badly. Hope everyone else is getting on alright.

Hello over here - thought I would pop in - my hours on MN and the pc seem to have diminished to 5 mins a day to try to catch up!

Thomas and I are getting on well - slow sart with the feeding - Bubblebell I am one of those NOT breastfeeding - bottles and formula over here!! He is a greedy guts but takes an hour for a feed, and then generally goes down for a sleep! Usually when I pick up the pc he wakes up, but not at the moment!

Getting used to the sleeples nights - I head off to bed around 9, DH does the 10 / 11 feed and then brings him up to bed, and then Thomas wakes around 1or 2 for a feed, and then again at 5 or 6. DH is taking dd to school and picking her up - I ventured out today for the first time since coming home at the weekend - only to Mothercare (5 mins car journey!). This child has no babygros as we expected him to be over 10lb, so had held back on clothes - loads of 0-3 and larger stuff, but he is small!!

Better go - nap time for me looms! Will try to post piccies on my profile - if I can figure it out!

Hi all, we did go to meet my parents and they are smittten with Maya.
So far today has been a great feeding day. Overnight we fed at 12ish then 4ish and again at 9ish and twice again and have had sleeps and wet nappies too hooray.
I fed lying down in bed and it really seemed to work.
Still early days but looking good!!
Well done for getting out andyrobo
we're doing the olive oil too smudgemum but she doesn't like it much!

hi everyone

hope all is well.

Harvey is 2 weeks old today and is now weighing in at 10lb 8oz

still breast feeding and bottle feeding but find he will only last an hour between feeds and is never full but with a bottle will go 2 - 3. im in 2 minds as to wether to just bottle feed but feel that the midwives/hv make me feel guilty. my dp just says its my decision and find myself in conflict.

would it be better to put him on formula he is a big hungry baby and it will satisfy him more and give me enough time to r and r for ds1 who is feeling a little neglected.

or do i continue breast feeding? which has obvious benefits and stops me feeling guilty

sorry for the rant

just wanted some advice.
xxx

Hi Bubble

I argued with myself re breast feeding v bottle. In our case, the combination of my breast milk diminishing, Jacob being premature and losing weight several times, we didn't have much choice. However, IMO opinion it IS a choice and you shouldn't feel guilty if you give up BF. People say it gets easier after a few weeks. BF with formula top up seems to be a good idea - you could always express milk into the bottle if you want the LO to have the goodness for longer?

Is lovely reading everyone's posts. Can't believe Jacob is 7 weeks old today! We have the HV coming tomorrow so keep your fingers crossed from another weight gain. We've had a flurry of visitors since being home. Dh's paternity leave of one day a week for five weeks is working well, after having the first week off. I look forward to long weekends and it gives us a day to recover if we've had lots of people over on Saturday/Sunday.

Re Pooing, we got lots of conflicting advice in hospital from the SCBU nurses, however it seems that breast fed babies can poo anything from every day to once a week! They also said to expect it to be yellow and runny, whereas bottle fed babies poo most days and are more solid. I never thought I would be so interested in poos, nor hear myself cheering congratualtions of "GOOD BOOOOYYYY!!!" when he burps after a feed! Such a learning curve!!!

Maazaa I know what you mean about the GOOOOD BOYYYYYYY!! everytime they do big burps! Thomas seems to do really large ones that must hurt him - they are right from the belly! He is also suffering with hiccups, which are supposed to be harmless - but it looks all wrong seeing his whole body moving like that!

I am feelling ok - had my staples out yesterday and I am trying not to do to much - but sitting around all day (well in between feeds) does not suit me! I have put a load of washing in, taken it out and then put tea (as provided by my mum) in the oven - not too much in m opinion, but my midwife and mother would not be too impressed!!

hello folks - great to see people joining us from the 'other side'. Evan had been pretty good for the first two weeks but is now a bit unsettled - basically doesn't like to sleep anywhere except in our arms or in the sling or the pram, unless he's absolutely totally whacked out and fed to bursting. So plenty of walking around with whinging baby trying to figure out what to try next. And it means that I don't really get any free time to get on to MN or anything else... We'll get there eventually but it's a bit wearing at times - especially late evening. Roll on six weeks when things will hopefully have sorted out a bit.

Well I'd like a small round of applause pleae, because today I got up, fed and changed one baby at 7.30am, left him in cot kicking under mobile and went to shop to get breakfast stuff and money out for Mister Twisters. Got back to house in 20 mins, Dh & kids still asleep. Made breakfast, got clothes together for my other 2, dressed baby, fed kids, got myself dressed (with make-up) and out of the door by 9.15am!
Ta daa!
Luca is doing pretty good really, sleeping with us still, and I now have to sleep in the middle of him n Dh as 'someone' is getting a little jealous of the lack of bed snuggling .
He's feeding pretty well at 11, 2-3, and 6-7am. Not bad really, am getting used to the lack of sleep. Don't want Dh to go back to work though (Mon).
Dh doing most ofthe nappies and burping, bless 'im. The washing is mountainous it has to be said, never expected it to increase by just this much.
Ok...boobs leaking profusely...gotta go!

Sorkycake thunderous applause from up North! I was impressed with myself yesterday for just getting myself up, showered, breakfested and dressed, DS bathed, fed and dressed and washed the kitchen floor by 9.30. You beat me though and with 2 other children!
Babydriver I think we had the same. DS fed and went straight back to sleep for the first 2 weeks but now fights it during the day. He's still settling at night though so I'm not complaining too much. Saying that, he's absolutely zonked out this morning (I fed him skin to skin after I'd had a shower and he really settled quickly. I just wrapped him in a blanket and have left him). Only thing is that we're supposed to be going out in about half an hour - seems a shame to wake him! Take it easy Andyrobo. Easier said than done I know. I didn't have a CS but was stiched up quite well down below. Even though it ached to stand up I still couldn't just sit still and would just........ an hour later I'd eventually sit down!

DD slept last night from 10:30 - midnight, 12:30 - 3:00, 3:30 - 5:30 and then 5:30 - 8:30!!! Bliss! Don't feel much better for lots of sleep though! She still only settles in the bed next to me for any length of time. She'll go in her hammock for about an hour but seems to wake if she hits a light sleep cycle.

We are having major tantrums with DS. I think it's just an age thing (he's 18 months) rather than jealousy or anything. My goodness it's trying. I'm quite worried about how I'll cope with a milk monster permenantly attached to my boob and an 18 month old who is throwing himself around, screaming and hitting things!

Hi Suis, glad you had a better night. DS was really whingy yesterday evening but slep well last night. I don't have any practical suggestions re tantrumming 18 month old and milk monster baby. If you could strap DD onto your boob so she can't pull the nipple too much you could then walk around and sort out DS (Sorry said it wasn't practical really!)
I'm going to try and do some ironing now, I managed one shirt before DS woke up. I decided that I can BF whilst on MN but not do the ironing! Have a good day everyone and a lovely weekend. We're going away to stay with DH's aunt - wish us luck!

Hello all, I've graduated! Tabetha is now on her 3rd day in the world and is doing nicely. I think she's a little bit jaundiced today but only a tiny bit. We're having a few ups and downs with feeding, she either takes 25 mins or 3 hours to get a decent feed and settle but she isn't good at sleeping in her own bed at night. She's ok in the day when it's warm but she gets cold hands in the night and has been in with me. I'm getting too tired for that now though, I'm worried I'll squish/suffocate her so will be asking the mw for advice when she visits later.

Sorry I haven't read back on all of your posts, I'm off back to bed now as mum has taken DD1 out for a walk

Can I ask a delicate weighty question of those who have had their babies for a few weeks??

have any of you lost much of the weight you gained while pg? I know that Thomas is only 9 days old, but I was wondering how soon the weight drops off, and does your belly get less each week? It is probably a bit more difficult for me having has a section because I can't exercise for at least 6 weeks - pram pushing is to be tried next week to the corner shop!!

We are going through a restless stage at the moment - he is not sleeping too well in his moses basket, but would love to snuggle and sleep in your arms all day long given the change - I keep putting him down, then pickning him up 20 mimns later when he is grumpy and so it goes on until the next feed!