March 2007 - even though it hasn't actually arrived, some of us have (iyswim)

[CallieNewMum]

Here we go girls - Amie, Kiwi, Dixia, Flannelettepyjamas, we can start comparing motherhood notes on this one and wait for the others to arrive one by one. Although I suspect the other thread will be our home until there's critical mass. To those of you still waiting to join the post-natal people - get a move on!!

Lovely pictures Mossy! Bertie looks adorable.
My sis had all that drip palava in her first labour, I don't envy you that's for sure, but it's all over now!
I just read about that batty mw...unbelievable! definately let someone know of her misinformation. It's her job to know better!
If I were you I would take up residence in a bf thread now cuz there seems to be some fantastic people on here for bf advice. This is my fourth and I still don't know much- just what works for me I guess.
Hasan seldom takes more than one breastfull at a time. So when he seems hungry I'm forever feeling my boobs to see which one is heavier as I forget which side I'm on!

rosy I'm exactly the same.. dh says i look like Les Dawson when he used to dress up as a woman - when I'm feeling which boob to use that is... hopefully he doesn't mean I just look like him in general

Mossy - love the pics - cute thumb sucking... Samuel desperatly tries to get his thumb in but still can't quite manage it

Off to express some milk - very dodgy looking sore/red patch on right boob... do NOT want mastitis again

Oh... and Jay... Samuel is exactly the same still - constantly wanting feeding... I feel like a total Jersey cow...

Thanks for advice everyone. I have talked about it with the health visitor and she's been good. It was a bit tramatic, as I went in very late and was sort of left to it in a room until pushing stage. But they took away the gas and air saying it was not focusing me so I had to push for two hours with no pain relief and afterwards I began to feel a bit tramatised.
People had said since they were wrong to take away the gas and air, I agree but at the time I did'nt know what was happening. When I think about it I just want to cry as it was very scary. DH is proud IO did it all with no pain relief but I had to make him understand it is not without a emotional cost to me.

Oh Chocpenny, therre is no medal for suffering without pain relief. I think only a bloke could say something so stupid. I mean men are well known for having a high pain threshold right? .
Tbh I have never found G&A usful when pushing.

Mossy, I wouldn't bother counting feeds etc. Feed him when he cries. Give one boob, he'll prob fall asleep, hooray. When he next wakes and is looking for food offer him the other boob. That's what I do anyways.

Super pics too, I must get round to putting a couple of mine up.

Muppet - PMSL at you ss Les Dawson

get some hot towels or something on that red patch pronto!

Mossy - so brill to have you back

How heavy was Bertie again?

When Monti drops off one boob I tend to stick him back on the same boob quick just to see if its finished (sometimes he just falls alseep) then when it seems done, swith him over to other boob - often with a burp and waking him up in between. Feeds take 40 mins but he then is so full he'll go 3 hrs to the next one.

Diva - sorry to hear your whole house seems to be ill - you have enough on your plate with a newborn

sorry have lost the plot now and forgotten what everyone else said

Oh Monti is a dream too

runnigal - my nether felt better after stitches dissolved too

well done Jay !!!!

ive half caught up,will have to read the rest of the posts later on.it seems alot of people are still hormonal,i thought i was going a bit mad yesterday when i came home from the park in tears cos it was sunny so there were hundreds of slim women walking around with small clothes on and there was me with my huge belly hanging over the jeans id just managed to squeeze into.ive put 6lb on since i gave birth.i dont know if im eating too much or if its the mirena coil.i hate being fat.

Elsie is still feedind less than she was and still has a runny bum,but last night she slept from 9pm-1.30am then from 2-6.30,so shes getting there.

bloody b***d next door were strangling cats again last nightit'd all been quiet since the environmental health wrote to them.dp said it went on till 1am.

she really doesnt want to p**s me off now im not pregnant anymore.i dont think i'd behave in a reasonable manner if she woke any of my children at night now.

Lovely to have you back mossie

Kitty/jay/theblonde - I'm not loved up either. And this baby was so wanted so I feel a bit guilty about it but he just doesn't sleep! He was awake from 5pm till midnight on Friday and 7 till 11.30 last night. And carrying him isn't good enough - the only thing that stops him screaming is being glued to my boob. Follow that with waking every 2 hours at night and you've got a very stressed out teary weary mum.

We were out all yesterday afternoon and the day before and I wonder if it gets him too over-stimulated so then he just can't sleep when he gets home. So tonight we're starting a proper bedtime routine as my mate Aoife swears by it. Also if I'm out in the afternoon and dealing with him all evening then I don't have any time to myself at all. I keep telling myself that it's going to get better. It's got to hasn't it?

ps miraculously Elliot is now lying in his moses basket gurgling to himself! Just to make me into a liar

Oh no Diva, that's not what you want, perhaps another letter from the EH is in order?

Sazzy, I know just how you feel. I've got Ronnie in a sling atm and he isn't crying, although he's cranking himself up.
More often than not only my poor, sore boobs will do.
The bit I'm finding hardest is the absolutely no time away from children, no time to myself, no time to eat, wash, rest etc.

Oh it's enough to drive me to drink

sazzy FWIW I detest book driven you know who routines but I swear a baby that sleeps better in the day settles better at night.
i only know this the hard way with ds1 who was an APPALLING sleeper. slept 20 mins out of every hour and was attached to one boob for the other 40 minutes - not doing either of those, then he was screaming...
A bedtime routine saved his life and I say that sincerely I was close to hurling him out of a window, so demented was I.
What I did with dd was wind down slowly at 4pm, quiet feed upstairs in dimmed room, to get him soothed, then a good cuddle, sling ride fo half an hour, then a quick bath, although they scream thru it, it does help wear them out.
Then another good feed. I then popped dd in her cot (tummy down I swear I know it's not smiled upon but none of my kids ever would sleep on their backs) she would cry but I would lay next to her and pat then stroke her back and gently talk about crap to her until she nodded off, if she cried for very long or got really loud I picked her up to settle her then gently lay her back down.
I would never leave her if she were genuinely shrieking, but you get to know their tired whiny cry very quickly.

Not controlled crying by the way which I deeply disagree with for under 18 mths, more of an assisting them to let themselves give in to sleep.

I feel for you esp being on your own, that's what it was like with ds1 I was single and I wonder how I coped some days.

I started this with Finn in wk 2
Now he is a piece of cake to settle at night and he sleeps great in the day.

Mossie gorgeous pics, image on Finn with the thumb sucking too!

HV told me on her visit that they say one side per feed now, to avoid colic? So poop baby back on the same boob, not sure if this is nationwide
I do this anyway as oversupplied but worth thinking about once you've got the hang of it.

Jaysecond Finn also feeds every 2 hrs some days, and yep wants it every hour some days, you cannot get anything bloody done and then Finn just pukes it up anyway, drives me mad.

It will get better, wait til 6 wks and see if he has settled by then...

sazzy - it's quite normal for them to want to cluster feed (i.e. feed almost continuously for several hours) in the evenings at this age - so don't panic, it's not something you (or he) are doing worng. It's a phase, and it will pass. Honest!

read a bit more..not all of it though,i just wanted to say to fox-its strange but i dont even like ff in public,i make sure i go out between feeds so that i can enjoy feeding Elsie in the comfort of my own home.

who mentioned third child syndrome?my robbie was a chilled out baby,all loving and gorgeous.hes still easy going he just has excess energy,but he sleeps from 7pm-6am every night without question so its not too bad.his middle name is laurence,after my late father.

i registered Elsie when she was 4 days old!

Ooh piffle I think I love you. We started at 5 and I got him down by just gone 7!

He did his usual hysterical screaming when I put him down but I just carried on shhing and comforting him and he eventually went to sleep. Normally it's later and I'm knackered and so just give up and start schlepping him about.

Lunarsea - I wouldn't mind if he was actually feeding but he isn't - he's just hanging around on my boob and comfort suckling.

I'm off to have a glass of wine and a nice dinner to celebrate.

Can't remember who was asking about cracked nipples but I've finally managed to cure mine. Lansinoh before and after EVERY feed and wear a breast pad with a little dotted on it to protect it between feeds. And the bit that actually healed it was to expose it to air whenever you can. I've been wandering around with my boob out for the last 4 days

Hello girls! Hope you are all well. With the boob thing, I can never tell either which one is which so I put my wedding ring on the hand which I have got to start with next. My norks are so enormous now that it is the only way to tell which to use! With DD2, I am trying to let her feed for as long as she can, as she sleeps better on a full tank. If she nods off mid feed, I jiggle her a bit or change her nappy to wake her up. I usually offer the 2nd boob as well, but start with that the next time. A kind of crop rotation of the bosoms, if you like.

She is zonked out in her basket now so I have a few mins to myself! DD1 has been a handful today and DH was at work. I am shattered but have a glass of wine on the go so feel OK.

Kitty, I am that no one is looking after you. Can you get the older children to help out with the little ones a bit? Could your DP make the odd brew? Sending love to you honey.

Diva, I agree another letter from EH needed. Can you update them on Elsie and explain how urgent it is?

Hats off to you Sazzy for keeping it together at the moment. How are you feeling post CS now? Have you found some groups to go to in W Hampstead? I found life with DD1 very hard until I discovered a baby group and made some local friends. They saved my sanity on many occasions and are good mates now. Thinking of you XXXX

Mossy, Bertie is GORGEOUS! What a beautiful boy! And you look very well for someone who has just had a baby. Hope it is all going well for you. There are some top people on the BF threads if you need advice - I seem to spend half my MN time checking out what is going on there! Occasionally the breast / bottle thing kicks off but I just steer clear of those.

Hello to everyone else - hope you are doing well. Sorry I can't remember everyone's news. getting the pen out to make a list is a bit beyond me at the moment.

Hope you all have a restful night and get some kip in XXXXXXX

Just had another quick look....agree with the blonde about waking them up at this very early stage. I know that you never want to wake a sleeping baby, but if your baby had a rough birth or is a bit jaundiced, then they are often very dopey for the first few days and are too tired to bother feeding. THis means you produce less so it gets harder and the circle continues. Plus you end up with MW and HV coming round, which means staying in all day waiting for the 5 min inaccurate weigh in on their hanging scales! DD2 was very jaundiced and I set the alarm (boo! Hiss!) for 4 am so that she would get a feed in. A pain to do but worth it in the long run .

Sazzy am thrilled it worked for you
Now dd is 4.5 she puts herself to bed so worth sticking with LOL
Go get your glass of wine (Finn goes apeshit tummywise if I touch white wine but can handle lager no worries )

As for using the wedding ring - I was doing that but have lost so much sodding weight that my gorgeous Tiffany engagement ring keeps falling off so I've put it back in it's box. I now (classy bird me) stuff a tissue down the side I've just fed off...

WE got 4 hrs last night between feeds
well...
10-1
1-4
4-8

Amazingly enough the 2 other kids also slept in
bliss.........................

Finn has calmed down feeding today, seems to go longer between feeds and takes in more, without needing to be on and off it every 5 mins.
which is lucky as that is a really crap phase
Dolly at setting alarm for 4am....

Quick question for those who are breastfeeding - has anyone started expressing yet?

think ive finally caught up with everyone

Elsie has only been feeding evey 4 hours today and taking 2-3 oz per feed.i hope she hasnt got this sore throat thing.my throat is starting to hurt,i hope it realises i just dont have time to be ill.

ive just spent the last 1.5 hours trying to settle her and now shes crying again.i burst into tears at dp before cos i dont think its fair that i ahve to sit there trying to settle the baby when hes on the pc.

kitty-be honest,do you run around trying to be superwoman cos you genuinley have no choice or is it cos you know you should ask for help but are too proud to?i only ask cos i know im in the latter camp when it comes to dp especially.he was very ill and had to give in and take himself off to bed for a few hours the other day,but i know for a fact if i get that bad i'll be shovelling paracetamol down my throat and insisting i have to get on with it,cos nobody forced me to have 5 kids so i should just shut up and put up

my mother is coming up at the end of next month and im determined that Elsie will be going to bed at 7.30pm by then and hopefully i can get my mum to babysit and me and dp can go on our second date

i can dream.....

piffle-im ver of oyur weightloss!

although im sure id lose a few pounds if my flippin' norks got the message that im not bf and stopped producing milk.

theblonde, i have started expressing, in fact i expressed a bottles worth (well 40ZS) in the second week, and since then have done a few more, when i remember. Jens takes the bottle really well, better than his sis at this age, and i havnt found he has any nipple confusion. WHEN i get into a routine i intend on expressing a cpl of times a day, that way DH can do the 10 pm feed of an evening and i dont need to worry!

Lunar you are more than welcome to have my cream, like i said, i have used it a cpl of times so it is open, but youd never know! email me your address and i will send it to you. ( my email, [email protected] )

Glad that i am not the only one having issues with their little newborns, you do kinda think what am i doing wrong, this kid screams all the time.... i guess at the end of the day the poor wee thing is just adjusting to real life and his screaming, non sleeping constant feeding syndrome will subside. trying not to wish his life away, but am looking forward to the 6 /12 week mark and hopefully a change in his behaviour!

right off to have forty winks while hes asleep! spk more later xxxxxxx

ive finally had a chance to look at everyones baby pics

they are all soooo cute

mossie-how very dare you be the same age as me and look about 19!!!

i have temporarily put a couple of pics up

Diva you also look about 19!

Diva, I never imagined you as blond . Isn't it strange the images you get of people. To me you had very dark hair .
I think I run around because I can see all the things that need doing and I know they won't get done if I don't do them. I get the kids to tidy their mess. The most irritating thing for me now is dd3. She's just into everything all the time. She's a lovely , wonderful, loving and funny little girl and she's still very much my baby and i know this is completely normal for her age, but it means I can't leave the baby for 1 second when she's up. Today o turned my back to get on with dinner and saw her repeatedly smack the bay on the head. First of many times eh?

You know I was discussing this feeding, screaming lark with dp today. We were running through the children and how they were. I've had screamers, suckers and a couple that were peaceful angels from the start. I've come to the conclusion that you get hat you're given iyswim.
Saying that a friend of mine has put me in touch with a friend of hers who comes to your house to do cranial osteopathy. I'm def going to get her to come and look at Ronnie as I suspect he has probs to do with how he was born.

Today for example Ronnie started wanting constant boob from about 2pm and finally went to sleep at 9pm not good at all. He'll sleep now for hours and only wake once tonight, which is great, I suppose.

Sazzy, so glad you had a better evening, long may it continue. Routines do help.

Sorry, what a moan up thanks for listening. You all sound like you are doing brilliantly despite all the difficulties .

Diva - you look really young too!!!

well we had a chilled out day - after stress of getting out of the house, we went to chiswick house park and chilled on a picnic rug for hours - managed to feed monti without feeling too self concious {can'tr spell today) and hang out with suejonez and her lovely ds. DH and DS1 kicked a ball around (like men are s'posed to )

Monti is still a dream - that 3rd baby syndrome thingy

kitty - i find it hard having the kids "in my face" all the time too. DS1 and DD are now competing for attention with monti so I constantly have three kids all around me and its driving me bloody crazy. sounds horrible but sometimes I feel like just saying "just shut up and go away for 10 minutes - so I can THINK!!!!" aarrgghh

don't know what's worse - having to get up at 6am to get ready for school run, or having them all at home

no, I do love them really - I do, I do....

dolly i love your last posts BTW

you feed like me - I like to ensure monti has all the hindmilk stuff and has completely finished with booby 1, then he takes a snack from booby 2 - next time I have to crop rotate TBH I fill him until he possets to ensure a decent gap between feeds