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!!!

hello folks. yet another fortnight gone by without me getting onto MN...! DS2 six weeks now - I have my check tomorrow. We're sort of getting into a routine - as far as you can when you've already got other kids - but settling him off to sleep is still something of a challenge (generally takes 2 hrs in the evening and then we end up with him in the sling). Tried the grobag for the first time tonight though, and he went down really well so he'll be sleeping in them until he learns to unzip them like his brother did!

suis, hope you get some respite soon - I'm sending you and LO some electronic sleep in the meantime.

Oh wow - sympathies to all those with babies who are feeding every hour/hour and a half. I remember what those growth spurts were like - no mater how much I said to myself 'I will remember what this is' each time they always took me by suprise and I would be there tearing my hair out going "What is wrong with you?" to DS!! Rest asured it does pass - take a few days but they do return to ther routines and normal habits. At present Ruth is an angel in the morning feeding for about 1/2 an hour and then straight back to sleep for two hours. The afternoon she is a bit more awake and wants a hold to go back to sleep and the evening she wants to feed for 20 mis, sleep 20 mins and starts again over and over between 7pm and 11pm - this is a 20 min break. This is tricky cos its when I want to get ds to bed and get my jobs done. But hey hum, things will have to stay undone for a few weeks until we can get an earlier 'bedtime' in place. I remember when DS was about 4mths we started to put him upstairs with the monitor on, after his feed around 7/8pm and to have our evening back to ourselves and it made a real big psychological difference. We got to have some time as a couple back and started to feel we could even go out for a short time after a while when we could be reasonably confident he wouldn't wake until 11pm ish. Its hard to strike the right balance between looking forward to the future when things are a bit more settled and savouring this moment when the baby is so new and delicious but hard work! Hope everyone has a good night - FFT

hi everyone! glad everyone is ok all be it a little tired.

yet again i wanted to ask your advice. when i bought a pushchair i had a little car so bought the smallest travel system i could find a graco mosaic. its very nice and i love it. however it is small and flimsey and unless ds2 is in the car seat i dont feel like he is 'secure' since having him i dont have to worry about fitting the pushchair in the car. dp takes it as he has changed jobs so i am walking everywhere. i dont want to keep him hunched up in the car seat to walk anywhere and wondered what pushchairs you have. r they rear facing and are there any you would recommend?

thanks

xxx

hi all,
haven't been on for ages, never get a moment anymore! bethany is now 6 weeks old and doing really well, she weighs 7lb now and adorable! My son is fantastic with her which i'm grateful for.
She is a very sicky baby and i get quite concerned that she is so sick but the health visitor says that as she is gaining weight it isn't doing her much harm. she has also said that she has a umbilical hernia and to mention it at our 6 week check which is on wed.
She crys quite alot too but i think she gets overtired and then finds it hard to settle.
I too wondered about breast size, i am still in my pregnancy bras and its been 6 weeks!! I wondered when they would go back to normal size!

Titchy, have you considered reflux? I know I bang on about it all the time but it's so common. DD1 used to cry all the time as she was being sick so much she was constantly hungry.

DH's 1st DD had a hernia too, she had a small op when she was about 2 to close it up.

hi everyone - rosa is five weeks old and am currently using eco-disposable nappies but i am thinking of using real nappies on her to save money, but find the choice totally overwhelming...does anyone use them and have any advice about which brands are any good?

Hi everyone, life in the peachy household is surviving.
The sale of the house is going from bad to worse as it looks like the two offers we have had have both gone pear shaped.
I really feel this is over shadowing us enjoying the first few weeks of our baby's life.
This morning Dh had to refuse entry to an estate agent who just turned up for a viewing as I was still in bed.
Things with maya however are going quite well we have good nights and bad.
I drove the car today (5 weeks post section) a bit naughty I know, it was OK we only went to sainsburys. I am desperate to get back in the car.
bubble bell I have a silver cross 3D it has a pram insert so baby can face you but turns in to a buggy.
It's a bit heavier than the mosaic 10kgs but is lighter than a lot of buggys. So far I am pleased with it.

Moosma I did wonder about reflux, what can be done about it and how is it diagnosed? when i spoke to the health visitor about her being sick there was no mention of it, yet she is sick after nearly every feed and for a good hour or so after, I've tried changing her milk but that just made her worse.

Hi, Titchy - if you only have one child the pushchairs that convert into prams/pramette are great for younger babies. Mine is a M+P Venezia but the Pliko's good too. The venezia is forward/rear facing as an pushchair too and you can use it with a car seat. It is expensive new (got mine second hand) and is heavy though! Would it be possible to make your mosaic cosier by using a buggy liner or sheepskin fleece? I was given a fleece and thought I wouldn't use it much but it turned out to be the most useful thing for softening up everything - pram, pushchair, floor, travel cot and bf cushion etc....

Dizzycat, we actually have someone in our thread who sells real nappies online so they're prob best to advise you (snugglebum). You need to consider your feeding method, drains and wash/dry facilities to really make a good decision. However, i got on really well with bimbles (v cute and quite quick to dry) and muslins (dead cheap and super quick to dry but bulky) as newborn nappies and motherease onesize for later on. Used the muslins at home and saved the slimme shaped bimbles for when we went out or had 'best clothes' on! I didn't like using the tumble dryer but could do so in an emergency. Having a separate wrap helps prevent leaks but all in ones/ pocket nappies are a bit quicker at change time. Sometimes the local council have a nappy 'library' where you borrow a variety to see which suits. HTH FFT

Peachy x posts, what a shame about the house. Isn't it typical how these things happen at a time when you most want to be calm and relaxed and to concentrate on your baby? I guess you're probably doing all the right things already. Well done for sending the estate agent away - had you let them in it might well have happened again. I bet this time he/she will be so embarassed in front of their client that they won't do that again. You said before that you ight lose your purchase becasue of delay - is this definite? I guess if you're back to square one you might think about delaying the move for a while until things calm down? Either way very annoying. Just remember Maya will be oblivious to all this and so its only you that's being bothered by it ( not sure if ive put that very well but hope you know what i mean)

Thanks FFT!

Titchy, DD1 was diagnosed as she went to hosp and spent the night for a different reason and they spotted it while was in, my HV hadn't said anything about it either. DD2 was diagnosed as I spotted it myself and told the dr she had it!

Ssee your GP and say she's being sick loads and it continues a long time after the feed so is more than just posseting. Does she arch her back after feeding too?

yes shes doing it at the moment, just fed her and she wiggles about like mad when i try and wind her.

Also does anyone know if an umbilical hernia can be caused by letting the baby cry too much? my mil says this is what causes it and i shouldn't let her cry. i've been looking on the internet but nothing i have read states this and i'm feeling terrible if this is true, even thou we have never left her to cry.

I don't know about the hernia being caused by crying, but it does sound like she has relux to me. You'll probably find that if she is diagnosed and has gaviscon that she will be a lot calmer and contented after feeds and cry less.

How do you give the gaviscon? I bought some in powder form that says mix with 15ml water and give on a spoon. Never get him to take that much!

Hi all,
Haven't read the thread so do hope you're all ok?
Everything is pretty much back to normal now in our house. Feeding going well and starting to sleep a little longer in the night too. Not all the way yet though. Have managed to get back to running now as well, felt as though I should get started. Pelvic floor is returning somewhat reluctantly though.
Struggling with the vaccination debate atm in our house.
Funny, it feels as if he's been here much longer than 5 weeks...anyone else feel like that?

Flowertot, I thought you could only get it on prescription? You have got the infant version haven't you, it has waaaay less sodium in it...

If you're bottle feeding you can just chuck it in and shake it. If you're bf-ing it's a bit trickier, but I used to mix it up with about 5mls boiled water (or you can used expressed milk) and give it in a syringe.

Morning All! Glad to catch up on all your news - sorry to hear of sore nips - also sorry about the house Peachy. Last thing you need.

As Jacob is 8 weeks on from most of the bubs here, I thought I'd offer some light at the end of the tunnel of sleepless nights!! Jacob has been sleeping through from 11pm until 7am or so for over a week now. He's had his first cold and that upset things temporarily, but he's fine again now. After weeks of interpreting his "happy face" we had his first proper, "definately not wind" smile on Mothers Day!

On the downside, I am in a miserable "nothing looks nice" phase. Can't get my hair to shine, clothes are either too big or too small and felt frustrated by the end of last week, bursting into tears on husband as I had not been anywhere except local shops and my parents house for 3 MONTHS!!! DH sent me to have coffee with a friend on Saturday afternoon and I was surprised to find I relaxed and felt better. Never thought I could leave Jacob for an evening or afternoon and be happy - not in a horrible way, just a smigeon of "me time". I am a horrible mother?!

On the broody topic, every health professional I come into contact with is obsessed with contraception. I've gone back on the pill to shut them up, despite the fact that Jacob is the ultimate contraception! I would love another baby, so maybe the pill is a good idea!

Experienced mums or those who've read more baby books than me, question! Jacob feeds lots from 9pm or so, stocking up for the night. How do we get him fed and into bed for 7pm, nipping up and feeding him at 11pm before losing the 11pm feed all together? I am anxious that we need to embark on the next phase of routine. I think I'm ready to be brave and have him upstairs without me now, so any advice on this new part of the routine would be much appreciated.

bubblebell - I can second the Mamas and Papas pliko pramette - I got one off ebay to use on the school run and it is fab! Still use my big pram when out walking though. I also think the Silver Cross 3D was a good one as well but couldn't get DH to agree - will be in the market for a new buggy next year though but will have to sell the big pram to pay forit! Yes I am a pramahoolic!

Thomas only had one feed in the night last night - 9pm and then 2am and then 6.45am!! He still only takes 2-3 oz but seems to 'stock up' in the day!

I also agree that HV's are all obsessed with contraception! Finally got appt at docs for 6 week check (at 8 weeks!!) but had to go today as had stomach pains - she reckons it is just internal bruising from the section (rtaken 5 weeks to appear??!!) but at least I have had it checked.

Gotta go - someone needs feeding again!

Bubblebell, I have a Phil & Ted and love it! The baby can face you if it's in a cocoon (add on carry cot type thing). It's rather expensive but if you plan on having another baby it will be worth it as it turns into a double.

maaza - the answer is time. over the next few weeks things will be more predictable. then from about 12wks (IME with ds) you can start working in a routine. but also i found that they'll only drop feeds when they're ready.

don't expect too much is all i can say. i was in a hurry to get ds into/onto the next phase and in the end i wasted a lot of time stressing about routines and things. time i should have spent enjoying him.

apologies for lack of capitals - dd is asleep on my left arm and it's a faff tp do them

Hi everyone, it's sooo hard getting on here at the moment, not so much DS2 who is two weeks old tomorrow, but DD, she has become very clingy and a bit "wet" since DS2 arrived, bless her, and is also suffering from a bit of a cold so feeling very sorry for herself. Charlie is a star, feeds like a dream, no sore nipples but I put that down to still feeding DD and sleeps wonderfully at night, at least 4 hours between feeds. Before you all get jelous let me assure you I was due one of these, the other two were such hard work!! Hope evryone is well and I hope to catch p soon!

Oh sbn I won't say I'm jealous as DD often does 10 hours at night! However last night she kept me up between 2 and 6.30 so I am very tired now

HI all, nice to catch up on whats been happening with all these new babies. We have had the scare of our lives - when Oscar was 2 weeks old he screamed all night one night and felt very hot so we took him to paedeatric assessment unit and to cut a long story short, after many nasty needles and a lumbar puncture (poor little mite) we were in for a week as he had menigitis. No-one can say how or when and after 7 days of very strong antibiotics seems to be OK now. We just have to wait and hope it has done no damage but initial signs are good.

It was awful being away from dd (21mths) for so long, esp at night but its over now and we're trying to move on and enjoy our lovely little man. Am therefore trying not o stress about the fact that hes a monster feeder and doesn't seem to go an hour withour rooting for breastmilk!
Best wishes to all xx