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!!

Mossy - its normal for BF to bloody well hurt for the first few weeks TBH. Its quite common to get horrid pussy scabs on your nipples at first, which then drop off (often in baby's mouth ) and then you get a kind of new tougher nipple emerging! Mine have hurt every time and it deos get better after about 3 weeks or so. Some people never have a sore nip, but most people do at first.

Keep putting the lanisoh on before and after feeds and let your nips dry off in the air after each feed - if possible, go topless (or wear a loose baggy top with no bra) between feeds as mush as possible to help them heal quickly. Breast milk smeared on them after a feed helps to.

It will get better I promise!

The latch is the most important thing in allowing them to heal, otherwise you'll be creating new cracks each time you feed.

foxy - my brestfriend is on loan to me and I suspect it's an old model - it's got a really long velcro strip rather than a clip. I'm obviously not the only person who's ended up taping the the bloody thing up!

No I haven't left the house with it - where do you put it? It's huge! I hate it so much I hide it when Elliot's gone to bed for the evening. But it is comfy for prolonged bfing. LOL @ sofa

Does anyone else have cats? If you do, does your cat keep trying to have a cuddle when you're bfing? I've got the baby on one side of the brestfriend and the cat sitting on the other half the time.

My nipples were both sore for 2 and 1/2 weeks but now it's fine. Now I'm making gallons of milk and eating buckets of grub and pints of water to make it with...like a big old cow But I'm eating loads of healthy yummy food and staying off chocolate and rubbish [proud of self emoticon]

Ooh I'm tired...must crawl into bed, been a crazy non stop day which involved me putting £30 of petrol in the car and then discovering my purse was in the house

Foxy/Sazzy - no velcro on my pillow as far as I can see apart from on the random pocket. It is huge and I certainly don't take it anywhere with me.

Mossie - try to find a bf person locally or call the helplines. They are really good. Is it sore when the baby is feeding? If you think your latch isn't great pop him off and relatch.
I am still doing this at 4 weeks
it does get better though, first 6 weeks are the worst.
With every feed they grow so the little mouths and tummies get bigger

mossie i just put the wipes in an old huggies container - you know the large tubs that wipes come in. you could use an old tupperware container. for out and about - just use a ziploc bag.

when feeding in public - i find shirt and baby cover enough. i had to use a muslin after a while as dd2 was so nosy - she would turn her head to look at something whilst still latched on - owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!

another friend who was rather modest used to use one of these....

here

Hi everyone,

morocco-Deanna is 7 weeks today and Im still waitng for AF to arrive,I read that it can take up to 10 weeks.

Well Deanna has been okay since our scare the other night.It really frightened me at the time though but Im okay now.
Its defnitely hard living with parents as my mum keeps interfering all the time.We have a home visit soon to put us on the active list for accommodation,so hopefully in the next 6 months we should be moving out.
Deanna did really well last night,she slept from 8.30 to 2.30 then 3 till 7 this morning.Could be going through the night soon

shanks at Deanne's sleep! Monti qwoke me again at 1am, 4am and 7am....

Rosy - I'm eating at least 1 bar of Green and Blacks a day - I really have to stop buying it as, like you, I am a real addict where chocolate is concerened

re. BF in public - its really helpful to have another adult with you I find/found - makes you a lot less self consious. Eids that cape is rather conspicuous isn't it? I would stare at anyone wearing that cape as I'd be trying to work out what it was!

Sazzy/Blonde - I took that brest friend out once but never again after it won the wrestling match. Will take my pillow like mossy's from now on - trouble is it has no carry handle. The brest fried kind of hung from the back of the buggy but not very well IFSWIM

Kitty - how are you coping with the school run and Ronnie - is DH or your Mum helping ferry the kids to school in the morning?

Morning All

Deanna is sleeping well, Joseph is a bit like Monti, Fox, but we're getting there.. last night was 11 1:45 but took an age to settle.. then at 6ish.

Joseph still seems to be an eating machine, and I am trying to get him into some kind of routine, but even at 9 weeks this seems such an arduous task ATM.. I'll stick with it though.

Still no smile.. starting to get a little worried, should I be? He looks at us and follows us with his eyes etc, sometimes I swear I see a smile in his eyes, not sure if its just wishful thinking..

Amie - Monti smiled twice in one day at 5 weeks but now just stares - although his eyes often smile too IFSWIM - he just likes to follow us round with his stare. I guess some babies are just more smiley. I wouldn't worry as long as he seems alert generally...

Thanks fox... I just read something too about premature babies about having two dates so to speak, one when they were born and one were they were expected to be born, tho Joseph was born at "38" weeks and classed as term I had my doubts all along about my dates as I wasn't sure when I conceived due to irregular periods because of my PCOS. So I think maybe Joe was born a little bit under 38 weeks, esp as he was such a tiny dot... so I should not be too worried if if he is a little slow in his development as he may not be as far a long as I should not be considering him to be a 9 week old baby but maybe 6 for example... if any of that makes sense!

Morning all from a snotty and thoroughly dejected Piffle
I've got osdding sinus
Wose dp appears to be coming down with man flu
He was moaning about his sore throat last night (ds and I have suffered in quiet for 3 days with ours)
I said of FGS suck a strepsil and get on with it, we all have had to. He looked very alarmed.
Am worried Finn is getting it, he is snuffly, very tired and feeding little and more often. Is very snuggly though which is gorgeous.
I thought bf would protect him - was it jensen who had a really bad cold on here a week or so ago?
Tips anyone?
I eould normally sledge through sinus with paracetamol but wonder if to nip it in the bud I should get antibiotics as I realy cannot afford to be sick for days on end.

Mossie bf feels like burning needles on first suck for about 3 wks, I say that and have never had a cracked nip, but it still makes you suck your breath in and say bad words

Are you airing your boobs plenty, that helps esp in the sun... yes I know with all that spare time you have right

Finn has a salmon patch/red stork mark over his right eye, am told they fade over 18 mths, but ones on the back of the neck or under hair line are permanent - dd has one under her goldilocks.

well my hoover has been taken for recall repair so my house is truly a pit.

Finn is smiling he is 4 wks, dd did not smile until 8 wks. It does vary ds1 was born smiling. I did see smiles in Finns eyes long before the mouth did the deed.
Also PERIODS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????????????????
Am fully bf but also still have post birth bleeding.
Am getting rather hacked off with it, scant as it is....

Piffle I have a "discharge" still at 6 weeks - sort of watery and either pink or yellow - very, very annoying as am also Bfing

Amie - you could be right re. the dates. I thought prems "caught up" much later on, so maybe Joseph is 6 weeks rather than 9 weeks?

I seem to remember that DD smiled loads and still does, DS1 on the other hand never smiled and is still surly

mines still red, varies, nothing for two days then a return, usually just need panty liner though.
Never bled for this long before. was all over in 2 wks with dd

I preventing a return to a sex life too

I bled on and off for 6 weeks... straight into a really heavy period, which wasn't fun!

Amie - do you fancy a coffee in town sometime? I've lost your email though - mine's gill AT (ignorethisbit) gmx DOT co DOT uk

piffle-Elsie has had 2 colds sofar.i have those nose drops for her as she struggles to ffed with her bunged up nose.they are meant to have your immunity for the first 3 months even if not bf so they normally fight it off quite fast.

i bled off and on for weeks after dd2 and i didnt get AF till she was 12 weeks-and that was with being ff from birth.ds2 was 10 weeks when i got AF the first time.

amie-my HV with dd2 always told me to expect her to be 4 weeks behind as she was 2 weeks early and was in hospital for 2 weeks.i think she was about 8 weeks when she first smiled.this might sound like a stupid question but do you talk to him and smile at him?

Elsie always gives dp a huge smile when he picks her up now.i just get an expectant open gob

all this talk of periods is making me wish i'd never got this coili remember feeling overjoyed when AF arrived after ds and dd2,like i was getting back to normal again.plus the pregnancy weight started dropping off me when my periods came back.its not fair,I want a period!

Lunar - that sounds fun. I will mail you.

Diva - thanks for the info, no one told us any of this at the hospital. Not a silly question at all, but yes I do talk to him and smile, try my best to interact with him, but at times it doesn't feel the most natural of things! But I do, I was evening explaining to himn how kettles worked in a sing song manner while we were waiting for it to warm up ready for his feed! You do talk jibberish at times to them don't you?

Mossy don't forget it you are unlatching Bertie to slip a little finger in to break the suction.

Eidsvold, Haven't seen that cape idea, it looks good in theory but do think I'd rather wear a scarf or shawl that blends in with my outfit. I'm often wearing a shalwar kamiz in the summer anyway...perfect for breastfeeding. Loose trousers, an overdress and matching 'debutta' or shawl which is ideal for the job.

Well I'm still staining a bit at 5 weeks. I usually don't get a period until 9 or 10 months.

Diva I was contemplating the mirena coil and hearing your difficulties is putting me off...

shalwar kameez

Well thanks everyone for the bfing advice, I feel a bit more confident about it now, I'm gonna ask the mw tomorrow when she comes to check my stitches, and if she isn't so knowledgeable I'll ring one of the helplines and take it from there.

Foxy my hair is naturally dark blonde; I've given nature a helping hand! However I'm gonna dye it pillar box red soon with a la riche hair dye - fancy doing something a bit crazy while I'm on mat leave as I'll not get the chance when I have to start working again!!

Sazzy I have a cat but all the pets are staying out of my way at the moment. I am ashamed to say I had a bit of a sleep deprived tantrum the other day and shouted and screamed at the animals, felt awful afterwards.

Rosy you've reminded me, I bought some chocolate in the Tesco yesterday... haven't eaten it yet...

Blonde it's sore when he latches on, but not when he's sucking, which is why I reckon it's the latch and not an infection or something.

Eids I'll try that with a tupperware container, for when I'm upstairs, started doing the flask thing, and have set up a "changing station" in the cot (as he's in the moses basket atm).

Shanks glad Deanna is okay! What a shock it must have been!

Amie I'm sure little Joseph will smile for you soon Ikwym about talking gibberish, dh was telling Bertie all about how rubbish England were at cricket yesterday in a sing song voice!!

Piffle sorry you're not feeling so well. I came down with a cold in hosi and it hasn't quite cleared yet... but it doesn't sound as bad as yours.

Diva how does the mirena coil work then, by stopping your periods?

Right dh just made delicious bacon and brie paninni... ahhhh, so nice to eat brie again!!!

See Mossy you are obviously not a chocoholic, there's no way I'd have choccy in the house that I bought yesterday...it wouldn't last that long! And if it was green and blacks Fox? one bar a day would not be enough for me!

must be strong sigh...oh well, got plenty of mouldy cheese in fridge

Rosy... it is Green & Blacks that I have in, just to make you ! The ultra dark chocolate one... now how long can I hold out for??

Ooh I think about five seconds... I'll just go and get the bar now!

Rosy I promise I'll think of you when I'm eating it!!

the mirena coil works by stopping your production of natural lubrication making penetration impossible and also by making you fat so you loose your sex drive....well,thats my experience of it sofar

its meant to stop the sperm getting in in the first place or by making the lining of your womb thinner so an egg cant implant.it also stops ovulation in some women.

rosy-read that thread kitty linked me to the other day,some women have had problems with it whereas others have found it wonderful.

amie-i used to feel like an idiot talking to ds1,it didnt feel natural atall.now i talk endless rubbish to Elsie and dd2(dd2 talks back in her own way though now)and dont give it a second thought.when ds2 started nursery and i was still pregnant with dd2,i used to find myself talking to myself at homecos id got so used to having a little person around all the time.