April 2007 - Where sleep and time alone are just a dim and distant memory......

[EllieK]

where clean clothes, make up and brushed hair before noon are a distant memory...

never did those before children Weeonion

well, clean clothes if i remembered to start the machine

good to see you btw, how are the Scotland contingent? Luce is amoungst you now

the scottish contingent are fine - we have a meetup on thursday which will be good. i was wondering if luce was headed up here... need to get in touch!
off to express again - its all milking in one form or another around here! i saw you mention clubbing on the other thread - v v my boobs are so big at the mo' - they enter a room long before i do! gone from 34b prepg to a whopping 40G.

bloody hell

that's Dippy proportions

i'll text Luce and see how she is, then email you her number

Hi Girls, not had much time to post lately but thinking of you. Weeonion, we´ve missed you, it´s great to see you around. at the boobs girl!! Woohoo!

Aaargh, monster calls me..MUST. FEED. MONSTER.

Back later.. maybe.

Hi Weeonion, lovely to see you. Massive norks indeed!

Ellie, well done for surviving the drive and christening, and you all look lovely.

Hi Maveta!! What's the weather like in Majorca. Our good friends have gone out there for the week.

Having a rough time again with K. She seems to be struggling with tummy pain, even though we spend an age burping her. Again this isn't happening everytime. She takes her feed, goes to sleep, but then half an hour or an hour later wakes up screaming. Just don't get it. May go back on to the Infacol again. Hey ho.

Hope everyone is well, and now have sunshine! Lovely here this a.m.

Need to go. See you all later lovelies. xx

Ellie, well done for getting through that huge drive & christening & sorry your mum upset you so much .

SOKL, is it worth trying the GP again for gaviscon?

Growth spurt seems to be over but struggling with BF again - let down fast so ds keeps coming off, tried different feeding position but got blocked ducts. Having to relatch him so many times each feed am back to getting sore nips. Bloody hell, am starting to get a bit fed up as every time I think I've cracked it with the feeding something goes wrong.

And where has summer gone, eh??

Hi all, am nearly an hour into my first day "on my own" as dp starts work today, soon have to do the first nappy plus feed without Mike (at home) or hospital staff (when Mike not there at hospital). We've had some very peaceful time this morning, I've even managed to read more than 30 pp of my trashy novel, but that doesn't sound like lasting.

Expecting my dad to visit later, I think he's going to be a much better grandfather than he was as a father (or husband) on performance so far.

Noises from the moses basket...

Hi everyone,
Ellie, well done for surviving the christening, sorry your mum upset you, but well done on the brownie points!
Everything much the same here, which is why I'm not posting much (only post when I want something!!)
T almost asleep in his bouncy chair, what are the chances I can move him to his basket and have a shower?
He is definitely an early bird, no matter when he was last fed/ changed, he gets up at half 6 at the latest wanting to be entertained. Might get better when he goes into his own room as he has blackout blinds.
I expressed 4oz in 20 minutes the other day (you knew I couldn't post without talking about expressing). Woke that night to find myself lying in a puddle of milk - it had soaked through breast pad and bra

elkie, good luck with first day on your own, it will all be fine! Hope you enjoy your Dad's visit.

Hi SOKL - sorry K is having probs again, no advice but thinking of you, it must be so hard. Weather here is lovely, well pretty windy the last few days but clear blue skies and people that actually leave their houses tell me it is warm

Have resolved to start sunning myself on the terrace for half an hour a day when dh is home for lunch but the wind has stopped me so far from putting this plan into action. A bit of sun on this pasty skin will do me the world of good I´m sure.. and hide a thousand blemishes at the same time!

Liath - really feel for you.. have you tried him sitting in front of you on your knee? I have fast letdown and find it is THE best position, he burps, farts and poos as he goes I´m still struggling with bf-ing to be honest and have had a couple of down days lately. I´m trying so hard to just get to a week on friday when we see the surgeon about his tt and I just hope they fix it. I´m not sure how much longer I can hold out. I feel like on the whole it´s easier but the latching is still so painful. My nips healed up then we got the thrush, got rid of the thrush and now my nips are cracked again and it is SO PAINFUL. Had a row with dh yesterday who said he thinks it´s ridiculous that I persevere with something so painful when we could just give him a bottle. And then had 4 week check up and the doc said he´s not gaining weight as he should (and in fact, as he had been up til now). Only gained 200g instead of 400g in the last fortnight. Which you can imagine made me feel like shit. He said it was prob the thrush but is refusing to accept the tt might play a part. Weigh-in next week to keep an eye on him. Am really worried I´m going to start getting pressure from all sides to just give up and ff. I never thought I would be so bothered about making this work but I really am.

Wow.. that was more than I meant to write and I have to go.. he´s getting very vocal.. xx

Morning all,
Hope everyone is well. Elkie am sure your first day will be fine. Ellie, well done on the christening.

Thanks for the posts re the feeding - am still struggling along with bfing and (fingers crossed & touch wood) I feel I may have turned a corner and the nips are starting to heal. Going to keep giving ebm in bottle occasionally to give them as much of a rest as poss.

Had a fun night last night - dh up with tummy bug. L decided to be an angel and sleep for 5.5 hours - I woke up after her usual 4 and couldn't get back to sleep... oh well, lunchtime nap today methinks!

Sorry not more personal, has taken me three attempts to finish this!

Hugs
x

Morning all. Just rushing in to catch up - see if I remember anything Big hello to those who have been away!

Weeonion - my boobs are pretty impressive too - if I could link a picture - I would just to give you some perspective and a jolly good laugh!

EllieK - sorry it was stressful with the Christening and your Mother - sometimes I feel down having no family around at all - then again sometimes it is easier isn't it. You did a fab job just getting there on your own - with 2 small boys and you looked great!

Sexlegsknacked - sorry K is unsettled again. My first DD was similar to K in terms of screaming in pain and all I can say is that is did pass (eventually) which is no good while you are in the middle of it but if you can remember that when it is really bad it might help to keep you sane.

elkidee - good luck for today I am sure you will sail through

maveta - sorry to hear bf is getting you down but you are doing a fab job at perservering. It does get better - honestly, try not to listen to others too much - they only mean well but can take your confidence away when you just need their support. Even on kid number 3 I have moments when I think what am I doing - (baby sucked on me continuously for about 3 hours Saturday night as she is sick with a cold - nearly put me over the edge of sanity). My nipps at 5 weeks are just feeling OK now - should be hard as steel you would think But I do know that you are rewarded down the track when suddenly it all clicks into place and you forget the pain etc. and just really enjoy it - well I did!

I have all 5 kids here on my own today None dressed yet! Baby is parked in front of washing machine and dryer in moses basket fast asleep. With the amount of washing we generate she will be there all day! Seems to be getting over her cold - just as well as she didn't sleep for 3 days and when awake cried - we only just coped, DP found it really hard as he could do nothng to help - it was just me and my nips that did the trick - ahhh! I had to miss my one social appointment of the week as she was too squaky to take - have another one in 4 days to look forward to!!! Sounds sad doesn't it

Better go and get the monkeys dressed as I can hear cars been raced down the stairs in rather alarming numbers!

Hugs maveta and bumble on bf. I think you're doing a fab job. Maveta, stick to your guns and don't be pressurised into giving it up. It's different if you want to stop, I am all for free will, but if you want to keep going then everyone around you should respect and support that decision.

When I had DD1, everyone said it would take 6 weeks to really get bf established and TBH it took until 8 weeks until I found it pain free (having sufferd mastisis, thrush, cracked cracked nips etc). Even at 8 weeks, I didn't love it, I just found it OK. It took until 13 weeks until I really enjoyed it. But then I adored it.

One of the things that really kept me going in the many dark moments was the thought that I really wanted more children and didn't want to spend a subsequent pg worrying about the pain / whether I'd be able to bf etc. And second time around it was certainly much easier, and I was really glad I'd persevered first time around and didn't need to go through all that heartache (not to mention physical pain) again. Even fourth time around it hasn't been pain free, but nips toughened up in only a few days.

Anyway, if you want to carry on, don't let other people stop you. Yes, weight gain is important, but the odd blip is OK. And you will get there. I hope they do something about the TT and that that helps resolve things for you. And WELL DONE for getting this far.

Wave to zazas - how are you? Had to laugh at your comment the other day at what a baby with older siblings can sleep through. It's so true. Ruby can sleep through WW3 going on around her.

SOKL - hope K is OK and feeding / winding better. And that you are feeling a bit brighter.

Ellie - well done on the christening and all that driving.

We are fine here. Summer is definitely here. By mid afternoon it's in the high 30s! Ruby is still sleeping ALL the time. It's lovely for me, but yesterday I did start to wonder if I'd inadvertently taken any medication that could have made her extra sleepy. I guess it's just a growth thing.

Speaking of medication, we are all on the threadworm liquid after I found some in DS's nappy yesterday. The joys of motherhood!! Ruby seems to have escaped (as do the rest of us so far) thank goodness. I really don't think I could cope with seeing threadworms in her nappy when she's s little. Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyuuuuuuuuuuuukkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.

Anyway, off to do a mountain of chores. See ya'all later

Hi ladies,

CB, sorry to hear about the threadworm - not pleasant! Hope R avoids them as do the rest of you! 30 degrees - wow! I hope you have air con.

Maveta, good on you for battling with the bfing.

Zaza's, how long was your dd1 suffering, and did you ever find out what was wrong?

Elkie, hope day 1 without Mike goes ok. I am sure it will. Sometimes I find it easier when dh is not around, as it is just me that has to make decisions etc.

Liath, I have my 6 week check up on Thursday, and am certainly going to mention K's problems then. It is such a shame, as we had not had any trouble for a week, and I thought all had settled down with her.
We are v lucky in that we do get long stretches of sleep at night, but I find it so upsetting when she is obviously in pain.

Bumble, hope your dh feels better soon and you don't come down with it!

Katy, you are the expressing queen!!

Hope everyone else is ok. Washing needing hanging out - exciting stuff eh!

Morning everyone

ellie you all look lovely. at your mums attitude.

elkiedee I'm sure everything will be fine today

WO at your boobs! Had mine measured last week, and I am a 34C/D (depends where I shop ). V proud as I used to be a 34A lol!

bumble know exactly what you mean about turning a corner. I def knew I had turned it this morning when a I dried myself after a shower, and it didn't hurt to rub my nipples dry (before I had to gently pat them!)

maveta agree with CB about sticking to your guns re bf. I really doubted my bf ability when W was 3 wks old. What made me stronger was when dh said maybe W should be ff. I became so determined to bf after he said that. (although he says he said it on purpose, because he knows that I like to prove him wrong)

liath think I might've had a blocked duct (one part of my boob was v hard, like a solid lump, and painful to touch) Had a shower and I massaged/expressed for ages. Hurt like hell, but felt so much better afterwards. And my let down is fast too - so I have a container ready to collect it if W comes off.

soklhope K settles soon. Its so frustrating (and heartbreaking) when we don't know whats wrong with them

octo and wcl Sorry but I can't make Bristol on 7th June W has his first lot of jabs.

Sorry if I've missed anyone Am thinking of you all.

Me and dh have thought that W is a strong baby. he proved us right yesterday morning when he rolled off the settee on to the floor Don't know who was crying the most - me or W!

My advice to all those who feel like getting in the car and running away - DO IT
Had an almighty row with dh a few wks ago, and ended up handing W to dh, grabbing the car keys and going. Not proud of it, and I only drove for about 5/10mins but OMG, I felt so much better for it.

sorry for the long post

Hello - won't be able to do a big personal post as my friend who offered to take DD1 this morning didn't turn up so she's here with me doing "writing" .... Nice to spend some time with her this morning hwile the other 2 are sleeping. We've been reading books & painting our toe nails and chatting - all v.girly - Tee! Hee!

Well Done you for getting through Sat Ellie hon - I'm sorry your mum upset you - I have v.similar problems with my psycho bitch of a mother, so every sympathy here - @ Brownie points too! Glad you survived anyway - I think you are v.brave!!

Well Done to all those persevering with BFing despite difficulties - you are all fab! Don't beat yourselves up though or get too exhausted - go with whatever feels right to you and is best for the mental & physical health of you and your wee ones!

You all rock - I am proud of how fantastically everyone is coping - me included. It's bloody hard work!!

I'm at work this PM, hoping boss will leave her laptop so I can chat some more and catch up properly - if P lets me, that is .......

hi

quick post. life seems to have become manic here. Sooooooo many people to see, all wanting to see more of or meet T still. I'm finding it so tireing. And T hasn't been sleeping well, 2hr feeds and all that.

Just wanted to say...

elkidee - have you thought about seeing a bf counsellor to help you with your latch???? I think it would really help you. NCT and La Leche have them i think. Also, I found these clips handy

maveta i had a tt induced crack on my nipple and it just wouldn't heal, then hv told me it was the thrush (that i thought had cleared) that was stopping it. Have been treating it and it's healing now. Could be the same for you? Also keeping it out in the air (looking like some mad woman round the house!!) and one of those silver breast pads really helped. I echo what everyone else has said to you. Keep going babe. You will get there. Sorry they've made you wait for the tt app. Consultant saw me straight away because he regarded it as so important.

SOKL - to you. You sound like it's been really tough. Hope today's better. You're doing really well and this crazy stage will pass soon. xxx

Hi everyone else - CB, WO and Runny good to see you. I'm sure I've missed lots, but need to go, bambino squalking on the bed. Oh, Ellen for crappy mum, I had one too and it's HARD. Hope Dippy's ok too and managing to get some rest etc. Oh, and Katy - lol at your expressing exploits. Right squalking is now screaming ...

Blaargh - have caught up but no brain to post! Thank god it isn't raining today.

Had an okay weekend but ended up shouting at DH when he dissapeared to the shed after lunch on Sun leaving me with yelling baby and trying to supervise N painting on a T-shirt with one hand. Sometimes it feels like the weekends are just like the week, but with one more person in the house to make it messy - DH will watch me struggling to do stuff while carrying O round, but not offer to help as I think he thinks I carry her too much and should just put her down and let her yell. I just find that the crying stresses me out too much, and is now starting to get to N to (she says: "she is really annoying me"). Came into the bedroom last night to O yelling on the bed, and DH lying next to her reading his audio magazine, whilst making no attempt to stop the crying at all

Right - moan over. Feel better for having got that off my chest! I seem to remember that this whole new baby lark is at it's worst just before it gets better, but after 9 weeks of feeding, yelling, no sleep, and not even going for a wee by myself, I am tempted to run for the hills!! Have to remind myself that O still has a cold (for roughly the last month now), and that must be part of what's making her so bloody grumpy.

Sorry to hear about those of you who are still struggling with breastfeeding - I echo what others have said - you must do what's best for you and your sanity, and any bf will have given your baby a good start.

Liath - you mentioned problems with on/off latching I think. Don't know if this is useful, but I sometimes find I need to hold Orla to my breast quite firmly to calm her down - I sort of grab her head in one hand, and her free hand in the other, and hang on!!

I am the opposite with feeding - after another agonized session with a bottle on Sunday, I've decided to stop trying for now as it just stresses us all out too much. I will just leave it until I want to swap her over to daytime ff at 5 months, and the go at it with a vengeance then, hopefully with support and help from DH, but I'm not holding out much hope.

I have found myself repeating Bugmum's comment about the first 12 weeks being the fourth trimester quite regularly when it gets bad recently, and I think that is a really useful way to think of it. However, I can't believe we are at 9 weeks already, but not sure what I will do if in 3 weeks time O is not miraculously happy and settled and playing happily under her babygym .

Morning all. Hope everyone has had a reasonable morning so far. I am having a really down and miserable day today. I know it was triggered by dh (again) and am trying to rationalise it and cheer myself up but am struggling. F was up a couple of times in the night which is more than usual for her (I know not loads compared to some). Anyway I got up to her, sorted her out, fed her then went back to sleep. Dh managed to sleep right through except for stirring once, looking at me then turning back over to start snoring again. I shouldnt stress over it but it bloody well pisses me off. I passed comment that he had yet another full night of sleep and he just said "I was waiting for that". AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH. Fucking men. I do love him but he winds me up to pitch sometimes. Just now and then it would be nice to feel supported. Bramshott, I really know where you are coming from. I will walk into the lounge where F is screaming her head off to find him sat there watching the TV and ignoring her completely. Drives me mad.

Ellie, glad the christening went ok, just a shame your mum had to go and spoil it.

WO, glad you are doing ok. My norks are bloody huge although not quite sure they would fill a G cup!!

SOKL, thinking of you chick. So frustrating and scary when you dont know whats wrong.

Elkie, hope your day is going well. I am sure will cope brilliantly.

Maveta, my heart goes out to you with the BF. Really hope that your appointment will sort things out. Good on you for persevering.

Sorry for my whinging, feels better to have got that off my chest!

Meant to say Bramshott, I am holding out for the magical 3 months too and hoping everything settles down!! F has had a cold for just over 3 weeks too and is more miserable because of it I am sure.