November 2017 - rocking and rolling - postnatal thread #1

[Zampa]

Link to old thread - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/3082493-November-2017-5-You-wait-ages-for-a-baby-then-3-come-along-at-once-Ante-post-natal-chat

Looking forward to sharing news of our babies as they reach their first milestones and grow into little people.

He was fine in the upright buggy and dh g it him a toy to play with on it so he was fine... e even fell asleep in It! He's struggling with napstoday bless him but he's now really giggling which just melts my heart! Hope you are all well x x x x x

Welcome @becki3! My daughter will be 17 weeks a week on Friday I am counting it down too and will start on baby rice I think, although DH and I have started talking about just being as relaxed as possible with what we give her, just keeping it varied etc, she is so interested in what we eat all the time it is so tempting to just offer her a bit of it so I can see that happening when we start weaning...what is your daughter’s name? There’s a spreadsheet somewhere of all our stats if you fancied adding yourself xx

@Durez Ah you’re making me want to try it soon! DH wants me to keep her just on milk until we are back from holiday in May as it is just easier having my boobs to take than all the sterilising bits etc. But we got her a bumbo seat today and she is so good at sitting up. I am sure she will have solids before May! Xx

Here she is in her bumbo this afternoon x

@buttery sorry Freddie is poorly. We’ve all got coughs too :( Going to take Matilda back to the GP tomorrow as she’s had it over a week and it isn’t getting any better. She always has the coughing fit when she’s deeply asleep! Poor things x

I really wouldn't rush to get your babies on solids. It's so much easier to feed them milk whether that's FF or BF. As soon as you start on solids it's a whole new set of stuff to lug round in your changing bag & your washing increases significantly! It also makes meal times more stressful as you worry about what to give them & then how much they actually eat & then have the joys of cleaning it all up. I am definitely in no rush and will be waiting until Iris is 6 months. If you wait until 6 months you can give them a much wider range of food too.

NHS guidelines recommend weaning at 6 months unless there are medical reasons such as reflux to do it earlier as their digestive systems aren't ready for solids. In a lot of areas HV will offer a weaning talk at around 4 months to guide you through when baby is ready, what to feed them etc. They promote baby led weaning as well which is great, really easy as there are no purées to prep, they eat regular food from the off, they feed themselves & if you're out you can just give them bits of what you're having. I did BLW with DS and it was great. It is messier & lots of it ends up on the floor but it was a lot of fun. There is a great BLW book that explains it all & provides some recipes and there is a great BLW Facebook page too.

Thanks @Topsy that’s great advice! Matilda has reflux and to be honest I’m just hoping when she starts having solids it will improve. I have such a bad fear of choking I don’t think I’ll be bold enough to give her proper solids for a while, just start off on puréed things. DH has told me I’m not allowed to rub off my neuroses on her 😬

I once read something that said the two things you need for weaning are wipe-clean walls and a dog

I think we'll be starting with baby rice, porridge, purees etc. I found weaning quite stressful last time worrying about choking.

We had a better night - only up every hour rather than every 20 mins! Freddie seems to have conjunctivitis now, can't get a docs appt so I'll see if the pharmacist can suggest anything. They say it should resolve itself but that never happened with DD, it always needed drops.

@buttery that’s so bad you can’t get in to the doctors, they should surely prioritise seeing a tiny baby :(
We saw the GP a minute ago about her cough but her chest is clear.

@hazandduck they offered me an appt at the end of the surgery but I'd have just had to sit and wait which I didn't fancy doing with a poorly baby. But I've tried again this afternoon and got lucky as they had a cancellation so we're off to the docs in a bit.
Good that her chest is clear haz, at least you're avoiding having to give her antibiotics. Hope the cough clears up soon, so horrible when they are poorly.

@Hazandduck Thank you so much! I hear you about the reflux, so many people have told me to get her on baby rice for it/start on purée! However, I think that it might be a bit hit and miss, depending on the little one. Mine is so intrigued when I eat, I'm always saying that she doesn't have long to go before she can have something other than milk.
@Topsyloulou You're right, breastfeeding has been so easy and convenient when I'm at home. HV has been really keen for me to get out and about. I have become a bit of a recluse since giving birth, and I must admit, I've been so embarrassed when feeding in public that it's made feel quite down about breastfeeding in general. Although, I am determined to keep going for the longest time, as I know that it's the best for her.

Ladies does your HV still visit you? I saw mine 3 times.. once before the birth, twice after, last time was at about 4/5 weeks & she didn't make another appointment just told me to go to the clinic for weigh ins. Just wondering if that's normal in your experience?

@theotherendofthesockportal any chance you could send me a pic of your bottle pls so when doc says they can't prescribe liquid on NHS I can show them an example of someone who has got it! (Don't need your personal details just label)

@lydiangel83 here you go! Good luck getting it

@DiscombobulatedWomble HV saw me twice, once when my little one was 6 days old, then when she was 6 weeks old. I have been to clinics since, as my home visits won't continue until she is 1 year old! Hope this helps!

Thanks @theotherendofthesockportal

We've been on phone to 111 with boiling hot distressed baby :( I think it was fever from third set of injections that she had earlier today, quite terrifying for new parents tho!

@DiscombobulatedWomble my visits were same as yours. I honk they only see you more if they think there is a reason to

Thanks Becki & Lydia good to know!

@Sock, lovely nails! I think that's about the only benefit from pregnancy that's stayed with me is much nicer & stronger nails! (Other than a gorgeous baby obviously) I am now getting spots again booo, and has anyone else been massively shocked by the hair loss!? I knew that we stopped losing the majority of it, then it mostly all falls at once, but honestly, I'm not sure how there is any hair left on my head!

@lydiangel83 This is the prescribing guidelines, point your gp towards it as it clearly says you need omeprazole suspension (liquid) but that they need to order it specially cks.nice.org.uk/gord-in-children#!scenario
Hope her temp comes down soon - it can be really scary. Our gp thinks Freddie's current illness is a cold mixed with a delayed reaction to his injections last Thursday.

@DiscombobulatedWomble thank you :) my hair is falling out an alarming rate too. Pregnancy is the gift that keeps giving eh?

@becki3 welcome :) I could never feed my first baby out in public and she wouldn't take a bottle (I'm ffing this time). I'd either just go out for an hour and a half ish and then come home or I'd feed in the car. I'd just drive somewhere, then quickly feed before going in but if she needed more I'd just say she was too distracted if people were around and then I'd nip out to the car. Would that work for you? I go to a buggy fit class at the moment, is there anything like that near you? It might work well because it's only an hour and babies stay in their buggies so don't usually need feeding (mostly they sleep).

My hair is also falling out - Freddie loves grabbing my hair and keeps pulling it out.

Went to the docs yesterday - he has conjunctivitis and has eye drops which have already made a big difference. In case it's useful to anyone else, gp said they can't prescribe anything for gooey eyes unless they are also red and swollen (which freddie's were). Pharmacists can't sell anything for babies over the counter but if you told them you were buying it for an adult they would and it's exactly the same stuff, chloramphenicol. I used to do that when my horse had an eye infection - gp said she'd done it for her dog!

@butterybollocks Thank you! Feeding her in the car would be a good option for me! I try to keep trips out to a short time too, as she's still a very hungry baby! I will have a look and see if there is buggy clubs near me, as that does sound great.

My hair has been falling out so much too, ended up going for the chop yesterday to feel normal!

Amelia has conjunctivitis at the moment, was told that I couldn't get drops for her and just to keep cleaning them. Her eyes are getting better, but it has been a slow process!

Thanks @butterybollocks that's really helpful xx

Happy Mother's Day, especially to those of you celebrating your first.