April 2007 - Every thread of wit has been extrapulated from me i'm afraid... I have a newborn baby!

[ellenkpa]

.

Just popping in to say hello and to ask a question.

Spookily it was about baby acne. George has gone from having a few pimples on his chin where he dribbles milk to having them on his jawline and cheeks-forehead (not so big/noticable). They don't look like a rash. I was going to ask if I should go to the doctor about it or just leave them be? Some stuff I've read online says to leave them and not to put anything on them. How long can I expect them to last? A few weeks or months or longer?

Sorry for self indulgent post. V. short of time but do hope you are all well.

Liath - did you mean Canesten cream for baby acne or eczema?

Just a quick one as heading to bed.

Meant to say eca, huge hugs to you, as it sounds like you are in agony. Hope you feel better soon.

K has been awful this evening. Fell asleep at 7.00 and woke at 8.00 and has been crying ever since. We have given in early and are giving her another bottle, but the cry is as if she is in pain. There is no wind in her, and it is like it comes in spasms. It is awful, and also bloody annoying!

Never mind.

Hope everyone is ok. Lots of love to you all and see you in the morning. xx

Eddas - it was the PILs who bought the trampoline (they are loaded ). Em had a little trampoline like the one you've bought, but at 5 she has totally out-grown it, and as she is now able to do some 'tricks' on the trampoline we thought a bigger one would be a good idea. She absolutely loves the thing (and it tires her out - hurrah!).

Bramshott - I can so totally relate to your comments about an outfit for a special occasion - the PILs have their joint 60th b'day party this w/e and I have spent the last hour trying on the limited clothing options I have (including some of the smarter maternity clothes I own). I have come to the conclusion that I am very fat and everything looks shit. And I know my MIL has spent an age choosing the perfect outfit and that my (skinny) SIL will just look effortlessly glam, and I will look dowdy and crap. BAHHHHHHHH. I don't really know what to do. I should just think 'sod-it' and not worry, afterall I'll spend half the day hiding away b'fing (am not prepared to do it in front of all PIL's friends and they're all old and posh and I can't be doing with any comments). Should probably just get myself one of these to wear and be done with it.

Another suggestion for helping with dry skin is good old olive oil. Honestly! Sophie had dreadful flaky dry skin on her face after she was born and olive oil worked wonders (afterall it's totally natural, no additives etc etc).

Would be good to meet up again. We love West Wittering!

evening ladies

yvie - ds1 uses oilatum bath, and diprobase for his eczema - keeps it really under control. (plus its a great moisturiser for me too, use it everywhere inc my face)

bramshott - maybe you should take a spare top? a friend of mine went to another friends wedding when her dd1 was about 10 months old. the dd threw up just after the photos were taken, and the only thing my friend had to change into was a t-shirt top and jeans! I've got a wedding at the end of June, and I still don't know what I'm wearing!

Lesley, it was for the acne - it usually clears on its own but I used it on dd as hers got quite bad & was all over her face then started on her chest too.

Still ahven't bathed ds - he's a month old. What a smeg head I am. He's had a flannel waved at hime a few times. I'm telling myself it's good for his skin not to be bathed rather than I'm a lazy mummy.

LOL at tent pic EM!! That'll be me! Nutty, yes, had planned to take a change of clothes for all of us, but thanks for reminding me. Am secretly hoping she will throw up on me in first 10 mins so I can change into jeans and then spend the whole day saying "of course I had a fantastic outfit on but Orla has thrown up all over it"

My evening without DH has been pretty good so far - Got Niamh into bed with minimum fuss (she's still excited by her new disney princess bedside light!), and Orla slept a little bit earlier so I could eat, then we've just been camped out on the sofa since 8.30 thinking "sod the bedtime routine"!

Heading off soon - hope everyone gets a good night. After the evening from hell last night, Orla did in fact sleep from 11.30 - 4 as I think she'd knackered herself out with all the screaming. Wonder what we're in for tonight . . .

Sorry, Runny, not Nutty - doh!

night sokl - poor K sounds tough with her. hope the late shift is a bit easier xx

EM - ROFL at "I have come to the conclusion that I am very fat and everything looks shit." I know that feeling well, it was especially strong when I was trying on size 20 tops in M&S and they still didn't go round my boobs!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel for you all with weddings to go to BUT you can make yourself feel better in the knowledge that I have to go to a wedding in July and have to be a bridesmaid in a strapless dress and the reception is in tents in a field very tasteful but it's looking like the only place I will be able to strip off the flipping dress and bf will be the portaloos or the car. WHY DID I SAY YES?????????????????????????????? I'm starting negociations for straps on that dress asap!!!!!

dummies oh yes, yes! used one with DS for going to sleep only, until he was about 2. Despite all my endless fretting about giving it up, one day he just said 'no dummy' and that was that.

Rachel has reflux, and a dummy helps. Infant Gaviscon - well I don't know if it works or not, but what really works is giving formula (just an ounce or two) if and when she starts to scream after a feed.

I'm loving, loving breastfeeding, although my system is quite complicated. You'd all have such a laugh if you could see me. I woke on my 46th birthday, to do a breastfeed, I wonder how many 46 year old women did that? Anyway, I digress. One side flows like the river Ganges, so I put a shell on that side, collect it up and give it at the end of the feed. Sometimes, there is so much, I just put a bottle in my bra, then put the top on, and feed her.

We switched from demand feeding to Gina Ford, two days ago, -OH WHAT BLISS! long sleepy nights, happy, contented baby - what more could a girl ask? We did the Gina Ford thing with DS who is now almost 3, and we are still reaping the rewards.

I have to admit that we are a teeny bit lax about sterilising, I do it and put the bottles together, and all the bf paraphinalia goes into a plastic bag, which is then put in my mobile feeding station ( a big food container with a handle). I always have some bottles of water, empty bottles, dummy, shells, shields and Gaviscon, bibs, muslins, breastpads) all in this carrier, so whatever I need is to hand.

I'm so loving pushing my pram around again, it is lovely where we live, practically open countryside. I adore the house being full of all the baby stuff too.

So, we are all done now? All the babies have arrived safe and sound? Well done everyone.

SOKL - I sent it to that address - just "replied to all". It has got my telephone numbers on it but we're in the BT book as E Haines in SO19 9HP... Have eaten at the Robin Hood in Durley recently: a bit pricey, but a nice country pub not too far out of Hedge End, any other suggestions welcome though.

SE Ladies meet-up generally sounds good and with enough warning I can probs arrange a mid-weeker! I don't think there's a car big enough to organise a Southampton car-share is there??!!

LesleyR - just saw your question which I can answer to get me back on this thread(!) sorry if others have answered. The spots are from your hormones and will go on their own. Don't bother to use anything on them. Rose had them (getting worse and worse) for about 2 weeks and they are now on the way out. She is just over 5 weeks.

Hello everyone! Had rotten day with her today but I must say, on the whole she is a lovely little thing who gives me a fairly easy life....

Back to catching up on everyone else....

Hi all, Waspelly, I am wondering if the email has gone to Ellie if you pressed reply to all, as she is the only sender iyswim. Ayway, I'll look you up in the phone book.

Hi too mmk - lovely to see you.

How is Rachel with the reflux? What symptoms are you getting? Did th GP give out Gaviscon straight away or did you fight for it?

Dh has a terrible time of it at the 9.00 feed - she didn't go to sleep until 11.00 and he had to give her an extra 2 oz's to send her off. Normally if we do that she pukes it back as she is just too full.

Also, BOTTLEFEEDING MUMS, how many ounces are your babes having each day roughly? K is taking far more than the tin recommends!

Anyway, hope you are all well. Need to inhale breakfast and get in the shower as someone is squaking!

See you later. xx

Morning all.
Had a difficult evening as kept feeding ds, getting him settled to sleep only for him to wake up again, fix his beady eyes on my boobs and start squawking again. He then slept from midnight to 6am so must have been stocking up for a long sleep. My poor ravaged boobs were a bit sore so I fell asleep without doing my bra up and woke up SOAKED in milk - yuk.

Keep trying a dummy but he just spits it out again!

MMK, good to see you and so pleased for you that BF is going well .

Hello everyone,
eca, the wedding sounds like it's going to be stressful!
liath, sorry you had such a bad evening.
We've had a bad couple of days with T, not sleeping, just screaming, but he slept fairly well last night, hopefully the worst of it is over. Aren't babies meant to sleep at least 12 hours? There's no way he's getting that!

Oh Liath - isn´t it horrible when you wake up covered in milk? I HATE sleeping with my bra on and my nipples are so sensitive with the thrush that sometimes it hurts and I just have to leave it off but then I´m half the night half awake, waiting to feel that first damp patch so I can leap up and wake my bra and pads on. How glamorous. Lucky dh is totally sex deprived and gagging for it or I´d never turn him on again

Hi Katy and SOKL! Good too see you too MMK.. been a while, no? Glad it sounds like it´s going well.

We had a HIDEOUS night with N. Well really we´re very spoilt in general with him so I´m not sure we really know what a bad night is, but we had a bad night for him, at least. We abandoned the bottle of ebm for the 4/5am feed so it was back to my boobs. It took 20 MINUTES to latch him on, milk everywhere, him screaming and fighting me the whole way. Then the same on the other boob. I was almost in tears, this really only happens at this feed, can anyone help with why this is? It´s normally a good 5 hours since his last feed, could it be that my boobs are too full? Should I try expressing a wee bit before offering him? I can´t do that feed much more if it doesn´t improve because it makes me feel like I´m losing my mind. And my will to live. And dh is pretty tired of the nightly drama too.

Anyway we finally got him down at about 6.30am but he just grizzled and grizzled and moaned and groaned. Slept on top of dh but woke up when put back in his basket. Slept on top of me but woke up when put back in his basket. He´s eaten again now and is STILL grizzling. This is really unlike him. Think he´s going to be left at grandma´s for an hour or so this morning...

Maveta, I used to have similar problems with that 4am feed as my boobs were engorged and ds couldn't latch on so I'd hand express for a bit to soften the area around the areola. I think my supply is more established now as the boobs tend not to be as engorged any more so hang in there!

maveta, I'm convinced that's why T has problems with the evening feeds, when he has quite a long sleep in the afternoon. It takes ages to latch him on, he moves his head and screams, then even when he latches on he comes off with a face full of milk, screaming.

hmmm.. okay, I´ll try and hand express a bit first and see if that helps at all. It just makes for a miserable experience for all of us at the moment..

so nice to come on here and find we aren´t alone with these little obstacles, it really does help keep me sane!

Do you find once he's on, it's OK? Or is he still coming off a lot and screaming?

Expressing like a ... well, a cow! Good for me, anyway!
Have about 20ml so far, pathetic, but up to now have only ever wetted the container!
Now, not to knock it over...

I guess so.. I mean it´ll seem like he´s on a few times and then he slips off again until he finally gets it. I can´t believe I´ve only been doing this for 3 weeks, it feels like an eternity. Getting to 6/8 weeks when it is supposed to get better seems like FOREVER away (and some people say it doesn´t get better til 12 WEEKS!!)

Hello all. Another one here with a squawky baby who would not settle last night and wanted to feed non-stop. I too have bloody sore nips. Of course DP was out last night and she pretty much screamed on and off from 6 - 11pm except when I took her to the swimming pool for DD swim club where she was perfect and everyone said oh how lovely she is! Because I was dealing with her - the other 2 didn't make it to bed until 10pm - they were rather tired this morning for school.

I have theory that if they gulp rather than suck the milk from your breast it makes them uncomfortable (wind?) and then everything goes pear shape. This seems to happen in the evenings for me - either she is tired or I am or my milk flows too fast but it is when I don't stop her from doing this that I have BIG problems. I was also having problems with that middle of the night feed where she wouldn't latch on (can't bf lying down like I could with the others as she has a high palette and can't / won't open her mouth very wide and get a decent grip) so we have to sit ram rod straight and get the nip right in there but... things have improved this week and she is now 4 weeks old today - so maybe it is a maturity thing? I know it is much better as DP is now pretty much sleeping through the feeds while before he would wake and wonder what the hell I was doing to his baby!!! I would echo also that your boobs do seem to soften somewhat which makes it easier.

By the way does anyone want a box of Boots Disposable Breast Pads - free of charge including P&P? I just do not leak a drop - not one little smidgen of one ever (strange?) and I have these here and don't know what to do with them... More than happy to send them to someone who might use them? Let me know.

Hello YvieE...hope your little one's skin clears up.

Maveta - have not got some swaddlebees nappies (so cute! saw you recommended them on another thread) - just washing them at the moment. Do you find that they leak around the leg?

Oh no baby awake and I haven't finished......

hi all! Long time no see!(or rather speak!) just a fly by visit as HV coming in a min. Finally plucked up the energy to turn the computer on!

sexonknackeredlegs - coco takes way more than the tin suggests - plus she's on hungrier milk. she takes between 4-6oz each feed (with exceptions) and as a result gained well over a pound in her first fortnight ha ha! she's like her mum - she likes her grub! HV said this was ok tho so i ain't worried - and my mum said i was exactly the same.

Hope every1 is coping ok. Will pop back l8r

char n coco xxxxxxxxx

Hmm - dilemma time. Dd is at nursery, DH asleep after his night shift. Ds has fed and is snuggled up on my chest. Have lots of housework to do.

Do I -
a) put lovely snuggly baby in his carry cot and get off my *rse and do house work?
b) sit and enjoy having lovely snuggly baby on my chest?

Hmmmmm.....