July 2007 - yet starting in June!

[Jamantha]

Well, I can't see a post natal July 2007 thread, so will start this, even though Charlotte, my DD was born 4.5 weeks early in June. I'm sure the other July ladies will be along soon enough.

Have had 2 nights at home now. Yesterday afternoon was fairly distressing as Charlotte wouldn't latch on, and if she did she wouldn't suck. But have got loan of electric pump from hospital, and support from midwives and now managing with comination of breast, expressed and formula milk, sometimes all three in the same feed. Finding it quite emotional, with all the issues associated with feeding one's baby, but trying to stay calm as found out yesterday that getting self into a state doesn't help anyone.

Dh has just gone out to get some things we're still missing, and I'm putting my feet up for a bit. Phil & Ted has just arrived so we might try a stroll down to the ante natal class tonight!

Any how, hope there are lots of lovely birth stories to come from July ladies, and that we can swap advice, give each other moral support etc over the coming weeks and months.

Haven't really exercised yet, 9 weeks on. Did go swimming with DD1 but she's still in armbands so that just entails me bobbing along next to her. For those of us with c-sections, was told not to run or do anything like an aerobics class for at least six months, as tummy muscles have to heal up. Hurrah! I don't do either, but I'm delighted to have an official 'OK' not to!

Haven't managed to put LO down all day. She only wants to nod off when she's being held. All rather odd as DD1 used to go down like a dream. And having said that, having sneaked her into her cot a few moments ago and started running myself a bath, can now hear her squealing in protest that she's on her own in her cot! See ya...

MFO - Sounds like you've already been doing exercise with your other half!

Spent weekend in York. We had a brilliant time. The weather was fabulous, food good, well behaved dd, even if we did end up sleeping on the blow up bed in the living room while dd slept in the cot in the bedroom. The apartment was lovely and right in the centre.

Just been to manchester to see genetic councellor about breast cancer risk. Err quite high but nothing I didn't expect.

We are starting to think about starting a routine now ds is goin on 6 weeks. We used a tape called babysoothe which helped dd settle and get used to sleeping in crib. I borrowed it from a friend last time, but have ordered it for myself this time.

Goodness, what excellent news about no exercise for 6 months following a section ... yippee! Maybe I'm interpreting that too widely though ... ... I feel quite up to doing some exercise now though because without all the weight of the pregnancy I feel fabulous!

LO is gaining weight apace - he put on 1lb 1oz in 9 days, then a further 10oz in the following 5 days. Nursery nurse who comes to weigh him on behalf of HV quite impressed. He's only 10lb 10oz now but he's filling most of his 0-3 months clothes so will be going into baggy sleepsuits any time now. All hail boobjuice.

We're going for his hip scan today (he was breech and so they check their hips routinely). Hopefully it will simply be a case of reassuring us. Don't fancy him having to wear one of those horrible harness thingies. However, we'll just deal with whatever happens when it happens.

Hope you all have a good day and for those of us with sections, take it easy now!

Just had James weighed. He is now 9lb 5ozs. He is only 18 days old. He was 7lb 14oz born.
Is that too much of a weight gain

Anyone got any tips on how to get LO to go to sleep in her basket?? Or anywhere else but on us? Its such a battle at the moment. She screams if we try and put her down in the day, and at night we finally manage to get her to sleep about 11. Shes then up about 6 in the morning. I really don't think shes getting enough sleep and its really frustating spending 5 or 6 hours trying to get her settled at nights. I'd give her a formula feed in the evening if she'd take a bottle but at the moment she won't. Please tell me what you girls did to overcome this. We are going to try her straight in her cot tomorrow but I don't think it will make a difference. I've cryed so much about it over the last 2 weeks because I just can't settle her. I know eventually 'it will get easier' but it really doesn't help right now.
Am really down about it. Its my birthday today and DH and I even had to get the meal we'd ordered in the restuarant, wrapped up into take away as LO wouldn't sleep.

Have you tried wrapping them up tight in a blanket. It works on DS. I don't like doing it because it is too hot to be wrapped up like that. He is sweating like anything but won't settle unless he is swaddled.

Princess - Happy birthday. Sorry your meal did not go to plan. I wonder if your LO won't drop off on his/her own (sorry forget which sex) because you are both tense, sort of anticipating a struggle to get him to go to sleep. They seem to pick these things up.

Typhoonsmum - in this warm weather I swaddle my LO in a muslin square, so not too hot.

Depending on heat lo wears just a nappy or a vest. We use those swaddle b
sheets frommothercare. I got them in a nearly new sale.

Princess - my LO is exactly the same, even at 9 weeks. I spend all day trying to sneakily put her down, but it doesn't work. DD1 was the same too, and I can't remember when it changed, but eventually it did. She's a good sleeper now and goes down for her naps quite happily - even chatting away to herself for an hour if she doesn't drop off.
But that doesn't help you right now, I know.
Have you tried gro-bags? Can be easier to put them down as they don't feel the coolness of the sheets suddenly waking them up. Might be worth a try. Some people I know put hot water bottles on the mattress to warm it up before they lay their babies down (taking the hot water bottle away, obviously, when you do put them down!)
Sorry you're having a grim birthday, though.

princess - another vote for swaddling, give it a try. I read Harvey Karp's baby bliss book and it really helped us.

also - how many nappy changes are people doing a day? DS nappies always seem to be pooey, maybe I should change him more often?

Hello everyone- well, 7.45 we swaddled and....

....Shes still asleep! YEY! I know its only one night but already I feel calmer and less stressed and I've had a nice birthday evening!

Thank you all!

theprecious- changing every few hours with main feeds and then if I know shes done a poo(shes very vocal down below so never in any doubt- sorry if tmi!!!) At night we were told not to worry about changing her unless she was uncomfy. I usually end up changing her at early morning feed (between 4 and 6) because I think its quite long enough to go without changing.

Hope everyone is getting on ok!

XX

A huge hoorah for swaddling! A friend of mine bought me a brilliant swaddling blanket from Jojo Maman. Its jersey cotton and you can get them really cozy and tight in it. My LO will not sleep unless he is swaddled...although I have to leave his arms out because he likes to put those above his head!
Glad you enjoyed your birthday princess...try not to get too stressed about it..its all going to be fine (says she who cried for the first month!!!!)

I'm starting to feel almost human again! Took LO and my dog for a walk yesterday and I actually enjoyed it! Of course the dog dived into the lake and got caught in a fishing line but whats new!

Hope everyone had a good night and feel fine today...big hugs

PPS - glad your birthday turned out OK - I can't advise as I have the same problem (hence I still spend many nights sleeping on a futon on the floor with LO who will feed to sleep with me but won't go in cot). If I go to bed early and feed LO to sleep in bed with me then OH can often manage to get him into his cot later on without waking him but generally if I do it it's a disaster. I've tried swaddling but he detests it and screams twice as loud Don't let it upset you - it's just because he associates you closely with feeding (that's what I tell myself anyway!)

theprecious - I change last thing before the last feed at my bedtime then I've started leaving it until 6-7am for the next one unless he seems uncomfy. Nappy changing just wakes him right up and has him crying and grumpy so on balance he's happier without! I do put a smear of sudocrem on at the last change though, and so far no rash

Well his hip scan was fine and he behaved perfectly. The consultant's advice was to forget all about it now, his hips are normal, so that's really great to know. Shame he spent last night screaming at me. He's got into the habit of feeding to sleep which I don't mind but it's developed into comfort-sucking to sleep. WHen he's tired and not hungry the sucking is lazy and the latch slips and it makes my nipples hurt soooo much but unlatching him wakes him and I have to go back to square one so I'm stuck! Wish he'd take a dummy but he hates it - infuriating !

LOL Kyte, my dd (still feels weird typing that!) got flapjack crumbs all over her within half an hour of being born and nothing much has changed since then! Last week it was pieces of omelette. I remember with ds being really embarrassed to find a big chunk of baguette crust in the folds of his neck several hours after I'd had anything to eat. I am trying to convince myself that being covered in my leftovers will encourage them to have a healthy interest in food later in life...

I wish I knew the answer to everyone's worries over sleep patterns and feeding, all I can say is somehow you just get there. I was driven spare by ds when he was this age and now at 23 months he is good as gold. These babies of ours are very new to this world and don't really know how they're meant to behave but they all get there in the end with a bit of help... Hang on in there!

Kyte, the boychild is a frequent feeder too, and I'm working on that by not changing breasts as often. I have a four hour rule, if he wants another feed within four hours of 'starting' a new boob, he gets it back. It means he gets more hindmilk and he is starting to go longer between feeds once he gives in and goes to sleep. I just have to convince him that it's not entirely necessary to be attached to the boob to go to sleep.

Hope that helps.

Agnes

Hi there my LO really has a bad case of the windy pops...i've tried burping her after each feed and i mean each feed! We've tried infacol, brown sugar and water and we've been giving her gripe water to date. I've found gripe water to be the best so far. Last nite my OH and i had a good night's sleep because i decided to put LO on her side, it helped her bring the wind out better from the other end and it had me in stitches. My question is, is it wrong for babies to sleep on their sides. my LO is 8wks4

LOL Kyte re food. DS has a curry stained babygro

Stellyp- my health visitor recommended putting them to sleep on their side sometimes. Something to do with them not getting a flat head.

Got my DD weighed today. Last weds she was 8lb 9 and today she is.... 9lb 12!!! Shes put on over a pound in 8 days!! I didn't think it was possible. Maybe shes been having a growth spurt which will account for the lack of sleep!!

Hope everyone is OK- going to try swaddling again tonight fingers crossed!

Ohhh- happy today as well as LO will now take a bottle of expressed milk awake! YEY!!!
x

pps - you have rocket fuel boob juice. Clearly lo was building up your supply. Don't spoil it and supplement with formula

Definitely not going to use formula now. Will express and feed EBM from bottle sometimes but no formula! Hurray!

Morning all, well I have been trying a new routine and it seems to be working for us.
I give LO a bath and then take him into his room with the lights dimmed and put his PJ's on. I feed him (even if he is sleepy I still stick the nipple in his mouth!) and then after winding him I swaddle him and pop the dummy in (he is a sucky baby) and then rock him to sleep tapping his butt....When he is asleep I place him in his moses basket.

THis has worked for the past 3 nights so I'm going to go with it.

Im laughing at the crumbs comment, I bet the HV see some things you know!

Kyte - I questioned foremilk and hindmilk with two different HV. One said that there is no such thing as fore and hind milk and that it was an old fashioned way of looking at it....and the other said that if the baby only snacks on one breast then make that the breast you start the baby off with next time.

Princess - how did it go last night?

Kyte,

My DS had green nappies for around 3 weeks, and I was worried about the foremilk/ hindmilk thing although my HV said green nappies was probably more a sign of wind. I read on another thread that anti-biotics and iron tablets could cause green nappies, and when I stopped my iron tablets, the green nappies stopped!

But I agree that making sure LO "empties" one breast before going onto the other is a good plan, rather than switching every feed. I tend to feed DS from both boobs each feed, and always start the next feed on the one I last fed on. If you have a pump, you could even do a day or two where you feed LO from one boob, and just express from the other- that way you know LO isn't just snacking on the foremilk. If LO isn't gaining weight, then this could be a sign of too much foremilk.

MFO- I'm glad you've found a routine that works for your LO. I am a big fan of bedtime routines- and I'm sure LOs sleep better as they wind-down properly and learn that it is time for a nice long sleep!

NOW FOR A QUICK POLL - I am interested to know how many LOs are sleeping in their own room, and how many still in your rooms. With DD we kept her in our room until 5 months, as we thought we were disturbing her sleep, and she slept much better in the nursery. We are thinking of moving DS at 4 months (or when he stops feeding in the night if that comes sooner- wishful thinking!).