February 2007 Post Natal Club

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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!!!

Maya can now be seen on my profile (proud mummy moment)

aww she is gorgeous

As are your two lovely boys

awww thanks

Lovely pictures Bubblebell and Peachygirl. I keep forgetting to look and see if people have put their LO on their profiles. I too am getting broody. I was thinking today (whilst DS was asleep) that maybe it's ok to have 4 children. He's whinged all afternoon so now I'm thinking that one is enough

Is everyone starting to feel more human again? DS is 5 weeks old today and we went for a lovely walk yesterday (2.5 miles) but I have to say that my lady bits are aching again today. When can I expect to be back to normal?

There may be fewer posts but at least it makes it quicker to catch up with everyone. I'm LOL at the broody ones, DH and I have often thought about three children and I'm just starting to think it might be possible but I have stuck to a 'one at a time' argument. I think that the hormones definitely have a part to play in the feelings but that doesn't make them less real! As for looking after two - help - I thought my user name might give away how busy I thought I was with ds, it only gets easier until they start to move andyrobo - then they discover a whole new world of dangerous or undesirable activities for you to constantly need to stop! I'm finding it really hard especially when DH is at work in the evening - a couple of times a week. A couple of times when I'm feeding Ruth DS has actually hit me, very close to Ruth's head, because I can't pick him up or go where he wants me to. The rest of the time he's just curious and has been giving her his toys or trying to pat her on her tummy. Trouble is he's a bit rough for a bbay that's only just a week old. I have now put our play pen back up so I can leave her in her bouncy cradle or moses basket in there while DS gallops around the house. Any tips anyone?
I must say I'm also enjoying not being pg anymore - bending down walking around being able to pick DS up easily - all great stuff. Really starting to feel better today for the first time. Bf is also getting better - Suzi2 - I think it was you who said you were generous up top? (Forgive me if I'm wrong) Which bra/top are you wearing? I'm wondering if my bra could be responsible for my between feed breast pain? When I loosen off the straps to the point of my 32J?K boobs dragging on the floor it seems a lot better but I was rather hoping to have something a bit more supportive or I'll look dreadful for the duration of bf!

I can sympathise FFT - DS is 19 months and is a handful. We're also had some hitting, plenty of tantrums and sometimes he's very rough with Isla... not sure if it's intentional or not! I feel I'm neglecting him as DD is either feeding, crying in my arms or sleeping in my arms. I'm lucky though that I have a lot of family around to help out. My only tip is to feed sitting on the floor - that way I'm at DSs level for interacting.

Yep - I'm a J/K cup but finding them a bit neat too! I had a blocked duct a couple of weeks back as the seam had been pressing. I wear the Royce Jasmine. I did think it was the only one on the market in these sizes but I've just noticed the nct do one so I'm going to try it out too.

It is really quiet on here! Not much to say but just 'bumping' us to the top! Ordered some new bottle teats today as DS has such a strong suck that he falls asleep part of the way through a bottle - thus needing anither one 2 hours later. It is all trial and error at the moment, but we will get there.

Greetings from tropical Brum! Ruth has got a bit of a sore, oozy umbilical cord so I popped her up to the midwives office earlier - they said its fine but needs some air so we're baking coz I've wacked the heating up.

Not much happening here either. But this is a good thing as it's a day when I have both DS and DD with me so that's just the way i want it. CBBC is occupying DS and DD is sleeping - bliss. Thanks for the info re bras Suzi2- I'm wearing the jasmine too (although these are last times and are completely worn out!). I went into bravissimo yesterday and they do their own range of nursing bras - in floral print! but only go up to an H cup - so disappointing. I might try the NCT one too - do you think you'll get the fitter to visit? I'm loath to buy a bra without a proper fitting so think that I will. Hope everythings going well for everyone

Hi, things with baby are Ok here, I'm almost positive that she has a heat rash. I'm going to try to get into the Docs tomorrow. She is completely her nomal self, feeding and pooing well and is not agitated, hence I am not panicking.
She has had a cool bath and is just wearing her vest, I think we have been a bit enthusiatic with layers.

Things with the house however have gone bonkers!!
We may have lost our buyer (he's currently in Ghana sorting out a family berevement and talking to banks out there) and the house is back on the market. We had another offer today for £1000 more and have another 'very keen' viewer coming tonight..
Whatever we choose to do It may mean we lose the house we want to buy. But selling ours is more important to us at the moment. I did start a thread and recieved a bit of mumsnet love here I'll update it tomorrow.

Peachygirl, sounds hectic about the house. I hope you manage to get it all sorted. Have you got the tropical heat from FFT in Brum? We've had quite a nice day today. I played truant from the baby clinic and went to meet people for coffee instead. Only problem is that I can't go to the clinic next week either so I'll probably have the HV phoning me up to see if everything is ok. I found out yesterday that they don't do a 6 week baby check here, they do it at 8 week to tie it in with the vaccinations. DS is fine so far but don't you think it strange that they don't check them earlier? Maybe the thinking is that if there is a problem then the HV will pick it up?
Hope everybody's feeding is going ok (How are the teats going Andyrobo?) and that the nights are getting easier. Catch up with you all again soon.

I have been so busy and doing far too much and I feel my milk supply has suffered. Boobs never feel full anymore and baby always really hungry. Is there any way I can restore it without resprting to bottle?
I have a hand breast pump but can't get much out as he has sucked them so dry! Are electric ones any better or just faster? I don't beleive there is much there to pump to be honest and don't want to buy one needlessly.
Any advice much appreciated!

Flowertot - hi there. I am a real novice to the whole BF thing but I've read somewhere that eating lots of oats (as in porridge oats) is meant to be good for milk supply. Also I think just letting your LO feed as often as they want with lots of skin to skin is meant to help your body make more milk. I think it's meant to be much harder to express milk than for your baby to get it so don't panic. How old is your LO?
Mine is nearly 6 weeks and is sleeping loads today. I've got the opposite problem to you because he's sleeping now when my body wants to feed. I think I'll have to go and express some because it's getting really sore. Pity I can't send some over for your LO

Hi Flowertot, I don't know how old your baby is but is it possible he is going through a growth spurt? This might account for feeling 'out of milk'. I wouldn't worry about your breasts feeling soft as I recall they do go softer after a while - its just your body becoming more efficient at producing the milk during the feed rather than in between. If your baby has 'drained your breast' you won't produce anything when expressing but the stimulation of the pump will help more milk to be produced over the next few hours - or you could just let your baby do the job for you! HTH FFT

Finally made it here - just haven't had a chance since Kit was born two weeks ago. He's a good baby so far and we've even managed to establish a bit of a routine. It's a little hit and miss as he's only two weeks old, but it gives us some means of structuring our day and means a few things get done as well as looking after him. Not quite sure how I'll manage next week when hubby goes back to work and I'm flying solo but will cross that bridge when I get to it.

I couldn't even contemplate thinking about another baby at this point! I never intended to have more than one and at this point I still don't, but you never know - I may change my mind. I'm loving my little boy and just want to concentrate on enjoying his every moment - thoughts of anything else just aren't in my head right now.

I had to abandon the breastfeeding after the first week. Kit was a big baby (8lb 4oz) considering I weighed just under 7 stone pre-pregnancy and was 'all baby' throughout the pregnancy. Consequently he has a big appetite and by the evening I seemed to run out of milk despite tring to feed him regularly throughout the day. He also has a very strong suck and feeding him was toe-curlingly painful if I'm totally honest. I didn't enjoy it and he was starving. Switched to bottle feeding now and we are both much happier. I do feel a bit guilty but he had all my colostrum (I know because I had to hand express it and feed it to him with a syringe as he hadn't learned to suck at that point) and a week's worth of breast milk so at least he had a good start. He's regained his birth weight and seems to be thriving so I'm happy.

How long do boobs take to get back to pre-pregnancy size (or do they)? Mine seem to look smaller but I'm still bulging out of my pre-pregnancy bras. I had a C-section as he was undiagnosed breech so I guess it'll take me longer to get back to my pre-pregnancy shape than if I'd had a normal birth? Tummy is just a tiny pot now but I know women who are back in their normal clothes two weeks after the birth. I gained no weight in pregnancy at all - it was literally all baby, as he weighed 8lb 4oz and I'm 5'1" and only weighed just under 7 stone when he was conceived. Still can't believe (and nor can anyone I know) that I managed to have such a large baby - I was the smallest in my antenatal class and so far I've had the largest baby! All those negative articles I read about exercise in pregnancy and low birthweight babies have been blown out of the water!

Hubby is going out tomorrow night and I will be on my own with Kit for pretty much the first time since we came home from hospital. Quite scary but I guess I'll be in that position next week so need to get used to it! I can't imagine life without him now even though I'm still adjusting to life WITH him (if that makes sense).

Did anyone else cry lots after the birth? About 4-5 days post-birth I was an emotional wreck - which I found quite unnerving although I was assured it was perfectly normal. There's a lot no-one prepares you for.

just a quick note for flowertot... firstly once your milk is well established it's quite normal not to have that full feeling all the time. Very unnerving though! And babies take LOADS of growth spurts the first few months so it sounds like that's what is happening with your little one. If you feed on demand your baby will increase your supply to his needs. Boobs are never empty - they don't store a whole feed, they make it on demand as the feed is ongoing. Things should calm down again in a few days. Just make sure that in the meantime you don't feed on schedule or limit times.

Thanks everyone that was really helpful. Will just keep on with it then. He certainly seems to be growing alright - so I imagine he is getting enough. Was a bit paranoid that I should be feeding every three hours too rather than demand, but he doesn't seem to work like that. He throws up so much would rather feed little and often rather than overload him.

You'll both work out some sort of pattern/schedule soon flowertot. I remember that about 8 wks DS started to be more predictable. Though those growth spurts would still throw us completely!

oh jesus h christ ! after 2 days of feeding every 1.5 to 2 hours day time and every 4 at night, Sandy has now excelled himself and been up since 1am. He's been fed 6 times in 9 hours and not taken more than a 20min nap all night. He did this all day yesterday too. He can't have slept more than about 7 hours in the last 40.

I've checked him for all signs of illness and he seems fine, so I'm assuming it's a growth spurt, but this is harsh, and just when we seemed to have some sort of routine beginning.

Suis I've had a terrible night too, Maya wouldn't settle in the basket, feeding til 1 then 2 then 4ish then 6. I'm exhausted she is bright and perky

Isla has entire 24 hour periods of not sleeping more than 20 mins. I think DS keeps her awake and then she's overtired at night. Feeding every 1.5-2 hours and 4 hours overnight sounds like bliss to me! Isla still feeds every 1-2 hours and a maximum of 3 overnight and then takes a good hour or so of crying to settle again. She's generally very needy and grumpy and rarely settles out of my arms. Just hoping the osteopath sorts her out. I deserve an easy baby after DS lol. Mind you, he was a total joy from 5 months onwards so it won't be that long.

Suis, how can you feed every hour? When I was bf-ing it took an hour per feed! Do you wind him each time? I find that DD often stops half way through a feed so I wind her and she has a load more then goes much longer in between.

Currantbun, glad you're ok with the bottle feeding, I struggled to bf too and although the midwives were very supportive I was made to feel a bit guilty for stopping, they can be very pushy about it. And yes, crying lots is perfectly normal, I did for at least the first week. It's called the baby blues and as long as it passes it nothing to worry about!

Bloody typical... when DP was free to take the sleepless wee boy from me for a few hours he immediately nodded off and slept for the same 3 hours daytime that I got ! Just preparing to be up all night again I suppose.

MoosMa - I am trying to wind him, but v little ever comes up. Though my new strategy is to wake him up a bit when he nods off on the breast and keep putting him back on till he really really doesn't want anymore, in the hopes that that might make him sleep for longer than 10-15 mins after the feed. Last couple of days he's been feeding for about 30mins, sleeping for 10-15 and then wanting back on, hence every hour.

CB - I had the crying as well... from about day 5 to 9 I could hardly stop. I even found myself sobbing at an episode of Futurama (Leela found her parents ). It did pass though. Now it's only sleep deprivation and living in the squalid house of "no time for housework" that reduces me to teats (sp. - one track mind typo)

I can however confirm that I am now getting more sleep than when I was pregnant. The dreadful restless leg syndrome has almost completely disappeared as soon as I had Alexander, so even with all noght crying spells I am still getting more rest than before he was born. weird.

Happy mother's day, especially to the first timers who haven't had one before! I hope your DHs are all looking after you and your LOs and you're all having lie-ins!

Just time for a quick line before I head off for a bath and then bed! Don't seem to stay up any alter that 10pm these days!

Thomas is in the basket next to me shuffling and muttering, but appears to be asleep! He is still feeding every 2 hours during the day, but excelled himslef to a 4 hour gap between feeds last night - bottle at 9.20pm and back to sleep by 10pm and then woke at 2am. Half an hour laterback down until 5.30am and then 45 mins later back to sleep! I stayed in bed until 8am - dd was busy making me a card with daddy downstairs - which came with flowers and a huge bar of choccie!

Apart from that - jsut another normal day in the robo household - DH watching football, and me cooking and cleaning! Nothing changes around here.