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.

princess, glad to hear LO is sleeping better.

Had a few days of greeny nappies, read up on mumsnet and am going to keep him on one boob till he's finished it to see if that helps. Also had loads of dairy in France so maybe that was the cause. Don't you love mn? I'd be panicking about green poo but 5mins on mn makes you feel 100% better.

c-section scar - mine is OK. Am back into some of my normal clothes, but not sure my belly will ever be the same again. Feels like blancmange as someone on here said. Is it worth trying to fix it?

myfairone - what did your HV means about the idea of fore and hind milk being "old fashioned"?

stellyp - I read you can put them on their sides if you kinda wedge them in so they don't fall forwards. App some babies sleep much better on their sides. When ds does, when he' s in bed next to me, his nappy always leaks!

own room poll: ds is in with us, he does make a racket sometimes! DH can't wait for him to go into his own room but as I do all the night feeds I've told him to bog off. So I guess he'll go in his own room when night feeds finish - when is that?

and happy friday everyone!

Justaboutmanaging - LOL at the bath.
We have our LO in with us. We only moved our DD into her own room at about a year old when we discovered we were expecting another baby. She was such a good sleeper we sort of forgot she was there.

Hello everyone! I have made it my mission over the last week to read this thread so I am caught up on everyone's news and can finally start posting again!

Doris and MMN - so sorry to hear about the CF diagnosis - I hope you are able to find support on here and elsewhere. There are other MNers on here who have children with CF - ShinyHappyPeopleHoldingHands is one that I know of, her ds is about 12/13 iirc. Do ask for advice/info, people love to help

Twoplusone - Glad the op went ok - in the midst of my reading I missed what the op was for - was it to do with reflux? Hope all is now back to normal for you now.

There were so many other comments I wanted to make to various posters ... I should have made notes !!Anyhow I wish you all well with your little ones.

Ds2 is now 5 and a half weeks old and putting on weight beautifully. I haven't had him weighed for a while (Neglected Subsequent Child Syndrome ) but I can tell just by looking at him that he is growing and putting on weight at an alarming rate! Out of the four, he has been the easiest baby of them all. He now has most of his feeds down to about 15/20 mins duration which seems to carry him through for at least three hours - I guess his suck has become more efficient. He is still in his moses basket but I don't think he will be for long! I kind of loosely swaddle him in a blanket but leave his arms so he can wiggle them out (he likes to wave them above his head too!).

If left to his own devices he would have his longest, deepest sleep in the middle of the day - like yours, Caroline! - but I don't let him go more than three hours during the day or I find he "makes up" for it by feeding a lot during the night. Fortunately he now seems to be gradually changing his bodyclock - I used to always have to wake him around lunchtime and mid-afternoon for a feed, but now about half the time he wakes naturally. The payoff is that he is sleeping for longer periods at night - last night he slept from 10.30pm to 4.30am, and then only fed for 15 mins, and back to sleep until 7.30am.

In terms of settling him etc - he doesn't get a bath every day/evening, just when I can fit it in around the others/feeds/meals etc! I tend to just go with the flow - he still will often clusterfeed of an evening (I am so glad I live in a bungalow - forever traipsing back and forth to the bedroom!). However some nights he will be full, dry, tired but still not going to sleep. So then I will put him in his moses basket and leave him to cry. I don't think it's cruel - have done it with all my kids and they are all great sleepers! He will scream for no more than five minutes, then drop off - and will have a deep, long sleep after that. I think it's hard to leave him - goes against your instincts after all! - but it really works for us.

OK that'll do for now!!

Hi everyone - reassuring to see that everyone else's baby is as bonkers as mine! Feeding like it's gone out of fashion and refusing to sleep of an evening! Finally crashed out at about 1.30am last night, but sleeps like a trooper from then until, well, now!

Own room poll: She starts off in her own room when we finally get her to sleep, then when she wakes for a feed, she comes in with us... so bit of both really. But it is nice not to have to tiptoe around while we're getting in to bed!

Gotta go - will catch up properly soon

LO is in our room, but only loosely - he starts in our bed, then when he's properly asleep he goes into the cot, then if that fails or if he wakes again he usually ends up in what will eventually be his own room but on the floor on a futon with me! We don't really have a room for him yet - is this neglected first child syndrome?

OWN ROOM POLL; DS is in our room and will be until probably 6 months or longer as I would rather he woke me up than dd. She is too young to go into 3rd bedroom as it's on 2nd floor, and they will have to share for a while. Right now he sleeps in a crib at night and a moses basket during the day, but found he has been sleeping much better in his sister's cot during the day. Not sure why...

TWO NIGHTS OF FIVE HOURS UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP.

I feel semi human. The past two nights he has got really upset and screams most of the evening. He sounded hungry even tho he'd only had a bottle two hours previously. I gave up and made him a small 2oz feed which he drank and was out for the count. From 10 - 4.30 last night and 11.30 - 4.30 the night before.
Noticed yesterday he was very constipated. May explain the screams of an evening actually. That seems to have cleared today and he is a lovely baby.

Sorry last post was me in disguise. Wrote another thread and wasn't sure what the reaction wouldbe so changed my name and forgot to change it back

On the own room poll, DD is in with us, I think she's only seen her room a couple of times. DP sleeps in there when she's having a windy night... I'm thinking of suggesting he stays up to settle her some nights while I escape.
We've actually got her into a reasonable routine most nights, she cluster feeds from 5pm till about 7 I change her and swaddle her about 6:30 then she falls asleep on me. We have the carrycot downstairs during the day, so once she's asleep I pop her in that. I'll often go to bed about 8 or 9, DP is in his studio so listens to her through the monitors. At 11 he changes her, and brings her to me for a feed, then she'll usually wake at 4am, then 6:30am.

I'm expecting tonight to be bad though she didn't settle yesterday till after the 11pm feed, then she slept most of today. We've tried everything to wake her, but she will sleep through anything when she's asleep. It's a fantastic trait when we want to socialise with friends, but rubbish on days like today.

With the feeding it sounds like I'm doing the same. The MW said to do 1 boob at each feed, if she wants to go back on within an hour offer the same boob. In the evening when she's cluster feeding I massage my boob until it feels really empty, then I'll offer the other boob. I've found DD starts squealing and fidgeting with frustration when it gets very empty too, so I offer the other before she bites my nipples off!

Hi all -

As usual lots happening on here!

On the room poll: LO sleeps in with us, which is a bit of a pain because she's bleedin' noisy at times and because of tip toeing around. However I feed her in bed with me... so quite like the handiness. I'm hinking she'll probs go to her own room 3/4 month stage? Or when we can no longer bear it!

On the green poo front: LO had a few weeks of this (when she was about 3 weeks old) and I did feed her more on one side to ensure she got to the hind milk. However ultimately I was told that as long as they're continuing to gain weight, don't worry about it. I also read that variously growth spurts, wind and green food can also cause this. Kellymom was a pretty good resource and I also posted on the bfing section of Mnet. Green poo hasn't reappeared except for one random nappy a week or so ago.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Look after yourselves.

Oh and the sex.

I also intrepidly tried it (about 4/5 weeks in) and it was fairly sore. I didn't even have stitches but did have a small tear. I didn't even know where the tear was exactly until we had sex...

I don't think the whole experience was helped by me wondering 'am I still the same?' 'will it still be good for him/me?'. We did use some lube and I would recommend this Sorry if TMI!

I would not worry about the sex thing. I think it is really a good thing that the spirit was willing but the flesh weak. The flesh grows stronger..... however eventually.

Morning all!

Well my LO slept from 8 till 1 and then woke again at 5. I managed to sleep in between and feel semi human! (thats better than the 'death warmed up feel' of the past few weeks

Being the curious creature that I am, decided to try to have sex again. Off I went to Sainsbury's (no, didnt have sex in the supermarket!) but bought a pack of nappies and a tube of KY....a young couple infront spotted the KY and had a good laugh about it before turning round and seeing me standing there looking like cr*p with a newborn baby...needless to say they stopped laughing and turned away!
It hurt at first but felt okay....feel much more relieved now and has helped me to feel 'normal' again.

happy saturday everyone! big hugs

Even though DD was asleep most of yesterday and I predicted a bad night it was actually really good.
DD was awake feeding between about 5pm and 8pm then slept until midnight, DP changed her, I fed her and she was back asleep by 12:45 and slept till 5:30. I fed her again, and she slept till 7:30.
I feel human!
Today she's sleeping loads again, even when I put her down, and I'm not sure whether it's something to worry about. She's feeding really well and quite happy when she is awake (if she isn't grizzling for food) but after 4 weeks of her being wide awake all day this is totally out of character.

She's 6 weeks old, DP thinks as they are supposed to grow when they sleep that's why it is. Anyone else got any experience of this?
Should I stop worrying and make the most of the opportunity to sleep?

I feel vile today. We all have heavy colds and I haven't felt this ill for ages (don't normally get poorly!). Ds1 and ds2 have been little troopers though - both coughing and sneezing and snuffling but still eating and sleeping well. Ds2 went from 10.30pm to 5.15 am this morning, then fed for most of the morning, and is sound asleep again now. I wish I was !

Snap miaou, but not that bad. DS and DD both are not well with coughs and sneezes but not excessively snotty, I am on the verge but seem to be holding it off. Only thing is I've pulled a muscle or something in my neck. It's so stiff I can't drive. Have taken some anti-inflammatories, but it has progressively got worse over a week. Winding ds over my shoulder is almost impossible now.

Have a good weekend everybody.

Miaou, Jennster, sorry that you don't feel well. Its hard enough coping with a new baby when you feel well...hope you all feel better soon.

Bilblio - We are never happy are we!? Sounds to me like LO is just settling down. If its any help, a friend of mine said her DS seemed to turn a corner at 6 weeks and really settled into a routine. If the feeding is okay then I would say thats all it is...make the most of it!

Oh don't worry kyte - I did the same thing to ds1 when he was a baby! It is so easy to do. Apparently the best thing to do is file them with a special baby nail file whilst they are asleep (I used to nibble them off when he was feeding but apparently you might damage the nail bed doing that). I bet every parent has done it at some stage, it's just so easy to do!

Oh and don't bother with plasters - it will heal much quicker and more effectively if left uncovered

Morning folks! Sorry to hear some of you are ill - keep it to yourselves, do you hear! I can't even begin to imagine doing all this with a cold to deal with so power to you.

Well, LO has been sleeping better during the day and going down quicker in the evening but my big problem is getting him back to sleep after night feeds. He's having a last feed at 10ish then waking at 1/4/7 or more frequently so not ideal, and he seems to think it's party time when he's finished feeding. I keep the lights dim/don't speak/don't change him etc but even if he does nod off on me I can't get him into the cot . Of course, I also have no patience at 3am and so probably put him down too quickly. [sigh emoticon].

I also had a bit of a nark at DP yesterday because I had been looking forward all week to having him around to help me at the weekend, because 6 weeks of waking 3 hourly and recovering from a big op has got me quite chronically tired now. He said he'd look after LO so chucked him in his bouncy chair and spent the weekend playing on the PC. I ended up spending my 'free' time (ie couple of hours between feeds) scrubbing the dog pee off the kitchen carpet, washing the kitchen down, doing 5 loads of laundry so DP has clean things for work, and generally washing up/cleaning/tidying. Don't get me wrong, DP does anything I ask, but I have to ask. The other day he poked a basket full of wet washing and asked me if it needed to be hung out to dry - I mean, WTF? "No dear, the baby likes wearing soggy vests" or "Well, maybe we should just wash it twice, put it back in the machine" . He keeps telling me to sleep while he's looking after LO but I had to explain that although I know he'd look after the baby no probs I wouldn't wake up to find he'd done the laundry and cleaned the windows, so would be as well doing it myself while I had the chance!

So, eventually I pointed out that since LO was born I still do 90% of the cooking and tidying, all of the cleaning and laundry, and also all the feeds and changing and settling of LO. I also sleep on the futon through the week if LO is wakeful so DP rests before work. Since LO was born all the extra DP has to do is make his own sandwiches in the mornings because I don't have time any more! I think making the point that the ONLY thing that I alone can do is feed LO and he could be helping me with all the rest of it has finally sunk in though - he made lunch yesterday, cut the grass and brought me tea this morning, AND he got up to help my try and settle LO in the night. Sometimes men really do need it spelled out for them, don't they - I mean, now he's been told he feels very guilty, but 24 hours ago he was (apparently) oblivious that there was a problem. Bloody idiot

Sorry, this turned into rant-orama. Sleep deprived and for some reason I have engorged boobs again - that's my excuse!

Hope you're all feeling cheery today and that you're getting more sunshine than I am here

csb - I went on strike once. I just stopped doing things. What's for dinner? I don't know dear what are you cooking me? We've run out of loo roll! Well dear why didn't you buy any when you went to the supermsrket, Oh yeah you haven't been for weeks....And then suddenly life was so much easier for me. Dh is brilliant now...although not quite as brilliant as me

Oh and dh and I have taken the end of a finger and toe off!