August 2016 - early arrivals to the newborn cuddles & graveyard feeding shifts

[rumisyum]

So many August bus babies have arrived already! Anyone else fancy a chat during night feeds or wondering what to make of the contents of tiny nappies? Might as well get comfortable...

Hg, last night, our first night home, I cried most of the night because I couldn't get her to latch on. It seemed so easy at the hospital, but I guess I had a nurse to help me any time she didn't latch. I was distraught last night. She was crying with hunger and I just couldn't do it. I felt so awful. This morning still not interested, it's like she only goes for it if my nipple is really pointy/erect. If not, she'll make it but no latch. I started pumping it this morning and feeding her with a syringe. I'm so sleep deprived too, about 2hrs a night since sat...

I'm so sorry things are proving difficult with feeding hg & fizzy. That must be so stressful. But these are such early days as well & a hurdle of this sort at the start really doesn't mean the end of the line for breastfeeding if it's what you want. You're both doing a great job helping your little ones get what they need.

Hello 1 and all!
fizzy and hg mine wasn't latching at all and I'm now giving top ups. I was in a state yesterday and this morn. Midwife came today and she was the one I saw for antinatal care so she knows my mental health background. She's reassured me that I'm not a complete failure and gave the amazing news that Ash has put on weight!
A diddy 4lb 9 now but all on track.
We can do this! (Please remind me at 3am)

Ah, 3am. DD has a long feed/wakeful period/poo productive period from about 3. Would be OK if DS hadn't gotten a cold - he was up till 1am, just wouldn't settle. DH was in with him, but he's such a loud creature that I couldn't sleep through the racket. I am knackered & have already had a bit of a cry this morning. Plus my milk's come in, so I'm walking about with a pair of sore melons. Day 3/4 - always the worst! Soon may it pass.

Ah, 3am. DD has a long feed/wakeful period/poo productive period from about 3. Would be OK if DS hadn't gotten a cold - he was up till 1am, just wouldn't settle. DH was in with him, but he's such a loud creature that I couldn't sleep through the racket. I am knackered & have already had a bit of a cry this morning. Plus my milk's come in, so I'm walking about with a pair of sore melons. Day 3/4 - always the worst! Soon may it pass.

Yup I was also up 2-4. She wanted to feed but she didn't... She's developed a painful habit of whacking me in the nipple.
Now she's sweetness and light doing skin to skin with daddy.

Can I just say how well we're all doing? We all have diddy babies to look after, as well as child birth to recover from. It's not always easy but we're doing it!

DD has been cluster feeding for the past few days. It's fine but makes it v difficult to spend any meaningful time with DS. He's only just 3 so doesn't fully understand all the changes that have suddenly happened. Poor scone.

Our neighbours are preparing for an epic boozy party (judging by the colossal volume of booze currently in big floppy buckets in their garden) Am slightly dreading the inevitable racket!

You're so right, biscuits! > How old is your little one now? I remember the cluster feeding well from last time! And how was the neighbours' party last night? Hopefully not too much of a racket!

My boobs seem to be starting to settle down & I've regained proper perspective on life & my sense of humour, so I think that day 3/4 hormonal madness has mostly passed for me. Phew! But I have just realised that a funny feeling in one of my feet may be due to a bit of nerve damage from birth. Hopefully that will start to settle down soon too!

DD is 2.5 wks old (18 days I think)
Cluster feeding is still happening; mostly in the late afternoon and early evening. I remember DS being the same and having the fear that DH and I would never eat a meal together again as we either tag teamed cuddling DS and gobbling dinner or I would end up eating dinner while I fed DS, trying not to drop food in his head!

Neighbour's party didn't happen. So either they are just over prepared for a bash today/tonight, or they cancelled it. I would guess the former...

Am listening to DS reciting snippets of Fox in Socks while he plays in his room. V funny!

How is everyone else doing?

Hi all, just checking in for when the time comes 39+1 I hope you are all enjoying mummy hood

DD aced her day 5 weigh in today - not only had she not lost any weight, she's gained! Feeding like a champ. No wonder I'm so knackered.

She also seems way more chilled out than my son. I can put her down! And she stays there, sleeping or quietly looking around! I keep holding her cause I want to - I'm definitely not having more kids, so I want to savour the newborn cuddles. But he was having none of this lying down on his own nonsense for weeks & weeks. Seems quite extraordinary, really.

DS's cold, which has kept him up much of the night every night since we brought DD home, has finally improved & he slept through last night! So much easier only having one to wake up (repeatedly) for. So it's a good day over here.

Hope everyone else is doing well!

After worrying about DD's weight loss (13% on day 4), we were up to 4% yesterday (day 8). We're clearly doing something right! Feeling less down about giving her formula, just having to deal with the cluster feeding, dodgy latch and constantly expressing. Midwives and the hospital have been incredibly supportive though, so DH and I are feeling much more positive than we were a few days ago.

Well done hg!
Keep enjoying those cuddles rum
Is anyone else struggling to eat? My OH is on at me to, but I really can't face food.

I'm starving! I'm assuming that's because cluster feeding is about to get going with a vengeance...

Briliantly well done, hgleslie! So glad things are on the up now.

I've lost all interest in food. I remember this from last time. Food is just fuel in my head at the moment. DH asks what I'd like for dinner and I really don't care I wish I did - it's so good of him to cook all the time, and be asking me so often what I'd like.

But my water consumption has gone through the roof - presumably because of all the bf-ing!

And well done mini-HG and mini-Rum on such good weight gain! That's brilliant :)

Also agree that second baby is a much more chilled out experience than the first. It is a novelty here also to be able to put DD down without masses of crying. But also just want to cuddle her as much as possible!

I'm constantly starving, but then again so is DS2..I can't decide whether I'm actually just greedy or whether I do in fact need that extra chocolate biscuit to keep my milk up! I might have to start thinking about healthier snacks I guess

Great news on the weight gain Hg and rumi. Not sure if I'm a bit apprehensive about ours tomorrow - they kept us in almost a week between my recovery and DS1 weight loss (not quite 10% I think) last time. They thought he had an infection, so started antibiotics and kept us in for 4 days while they waited for the results to come through. All fine thank goodness and I guess it's better to be safe than sorry..

DS2 is of the not put down variety. He's probably spent a total of less than an hour today not being held by either myself or my OH. He's also been feeding non-stop all day and very very sleepy. I'm less worried about the feeding, but can't remember if the sleepiness is normal? Or possibly because he's a fair bit earlier than DS1 was (38+2 vs 40+12)? Or maybe just because our house is always quite warm and being on us all the time must make him warmer and sleepier??

Dear DD, projectile poo in the early hrs is not what I ordered!

Ho hum

Whoops, biscuits! Hope it wasn't too messy!

If he's feeding loads then the sleepiness probably isn't much to worry about longtime? It might be if it was interfering with his feeding? Hopefully they can reassure you about that at your check tomorrow.

Longtime - sleepiness is prob fine if feeds and nappies are regular. But ask your MW/HV if you're worried.

Projectile poo was fairly epic: her clothes, blanket and our duvet. We have a busy washing machine this morning.

DH has taken DS swimming. I should be resting but little miss hungry horace is feeding again and I dearly want a shower at somepoint this am too!

Oh man, that is messy! Why do epic poosplosions always happen in the middle of the night?

Hope you got your shower! I'm currently in the park watching DH chase DS around. It's quite nice having a summer baby, now that I'm done enduring a summer pregnancy!

I reckon because we're less alert and slower to respond to leaky babies in the middle of the night. Well, that's my excuse anyway.

Got my shower :) Haven't really sat down until now though so am knackered. It feels like we're still learning how to be a family of toddler and newborn in such a way that toddler is entertained and exercised (makes him sounds like a dog or something doesn't it?!) and baby is able to be fed on demand, cuddled as necessary and popped in pram or sling the rest of the time. We don't always want to divide and conquer but it does make life easier. Tricky!

DS is 10 days old (already! sob!) and today is my first day on my own with both kids. So of course I had his hearing screen at 9.30 this morning at the local hospital. And of course last night was easily the worst night so far - he needed a poo and couldn't quite manage it, and boy did we hear about it! Poor DH has to get up at 5.30 for work - at 2am (when DS was still squiggling and whinging) he went and got in with DD, who promptly woke up and had to be resettled.
But by some miracle we made it up and out on time this morning, DS's hearing screen was fine, DH sounded pretty chipper on the phone just now despite total lack of sleep, and we've nowhere else to be for the rest of the day, so things could be worse! Bought DD a new sticker/activity book so she's happily entertained with that and kids' TV, DS is asleep on me, and I'm really, really enjoying my first coffee of the day. Feeling pretty good all in! Hope everyone else is getting on ok and settling in to life with the new additions

Well done Coco! My first solo day with two is this Friday. I'm planning playdates to help with the sanity levels.

Just had our last midwife visit and we have aced DD's weigh-in. She is 7lbs now!! She's 3wks old tomorrow :) I'm so chuffed with her and me and my boobs Would also explain why I've felt so knackered over the past few days.