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.

theprecious HE IS GORGEOUS!!!! but u know that already

Ive just put a new piccie of James on aswell!!

emmyb - that is such cute photo! Ds looks like Ian Hislop when he yawns.

Jennster - it look a long time to catch the smile. Whenever he sees the camera he pulls a very serious face. I was v pleased with myself.

Thanks all!

caroline, late reply but I am a southerner too (but northerner by birth - moved to Hampshire 10 years ago when I left uni, to be with my fella - now dh).

DD is blowing lots of bubbles too - she is 11 wks. She is also chewing her hand lots and crying out in her sleep. If she's teething it might mean I give up bf'ing earlier than I had planned, but would explain the sudden biting!

Sorry to hear some of you have been having bad times with your lo's recently.

It was DD's Baptism just over a week ago. It was probably one of the most stressful things before hand, but once we got to the church I relaxed and enjoyed it. Anyone else has their lo's Christened/Baptised yet?

DD had her first jabs 3 wks ago and hasn't been right since. She picked up a virus after the jabs (projectile vomitting had me phoning the docs in tears for an appointment ), then a cold. I'm hoping that she will be well by next Wednesday when the next ones are due. Good luck to those who's lo's are due jabs soon.

Hopefully now DD seems to be a bit better (although still snotty) I might actually manage to get on her a little more often.

EmmyB & the precious - your lo's are so cute!

I must work out how to add piccies to my profile so I can show DD off too... [thoughtful smiley]

Pulapula, we're planning a live-out nanny who would come here from 8.00 until 5.00 or so (although most seem to want to work at least ten hours a day, some are working 12). We're in Surrey and the average wage seems to be £80 net per day, pushing up to £95 for very experienced ones. It sounds a lot, I know, but putting two in nursery round here would be nearly the same amount, and I guess it's better for them to be together at home.

It does mean I'll be working for virtually nothing for a while - as DH keeps pointing out - but hopefully would at least keep me in the swim at work so that I could up my hours again in the future.

We saw another two really nices ones last night as well. Didn't expect it to be this hard to choose.

Cakehead, that's interesting. Our nursery is £37 a day so with 2 LOs going, I guess a nanny might not be much more expensive- I might look into it, although DD does enjoy nursery now.

DS has just had his 2nd jabs. He only cried a little last time, but was inconsolable this time, and next time its 3 jabs. Had to give him a comfort feed in the waiting room whilst we waited to see HV, although it was by then 3 hours since his last feed, so maybe that didn't help either! poor thing.

I know - we've just had the two jabs, one in each leg, and I couldn't believe it when they said next time it was three. I doublechecked DD's little red book and she only ever had two at a time. Three just seems so excessive!

The only thing to remember with nannies is that they quote in net, and you'd be adding their tax and NI to it on top. But it is a close-run thing all in all. I'm guessing I'll save on the Calpol - when DD went to nursery over winter when she was 6 months, she had every cold under the sun, literally one a week. But she's very healthy now, so I guess she got all her germs over with!

DD had her first set of jabs today. It's the most she's ever cried in the past 10 weeks (we have our jabs late here it seems.) I eventually got her to stop screaming after 5 minutes of sucking my finger. She was unsettled until bedtime, I had to give her a dummy even though she's not had one for weeks. Then when getting her ready for bed she did a succession of poos. 3 nappies in 20 minutes!
She fell asleep shortly after so I suspect she was more bothered about tummy pain than leg pain.

3 jabs will be fun...

I've just realised I never showed off piccies of her, so I've updated the ones on my profile. The black and white one was taken by my friend who's a professional photographer. She's done us a "storyboard" with images of her hand holding my finger, her foot, and her face. We've got big prints done of them, and for the first time ever I'm organised for Christmas!
I'm also going to try doing some hand and foot prints on canvases for the grandparents too. Although if anyone is interested I saw Tescos are doing paint-your-own mug or plate sets, so the Grandparents might get them instead.

Hello all. Good to hear all your news and that I am not the only southerner on the thread.
Sleeping through the night lasted one night only. He then got a cold and we were back to waking two or even three times a night. Improving again now though. We have just booked a holiday to Greece in October - I can't wait. Am now on the strictest diet you can imagine. 4 weeks to lose a stone - is it do-able do you think?

Caroline - let me know how you do it. I have a stone to go before my pre-pregnancy weight and am thinking for going away in November, but with bf'ing I thought dieting wasn't recommended?

I am no longer bf-ing - I am whispering in case the breast is best crew read this and come after me. So will only be starving myself.

Hi all, well we survived a wek on holiday (we only went to Weymouth) and had a great time - as much as is possible with two children!! Think DH was happy to be going back to work on the monday tbh!!
Am getting my hair cut tomorrow and then we're out tomorrow night!!! Am soooo looking forward to it - especially getting my hair cut - will be interesting to see how DH survivrs alone with the 2 children. Mini rant alert - he is very supportive and definitely pulls his weight around the house but this week I've really tried to get on top of the housework, washing and ironing whilst still entertaining the 2 year old and feed the 8week old and all I seem to get are little snide remarks about what hasn't been done..... this after he has spent a week with us on holiday and witnessed first hand how difficult things can be!!

On a positive note, lo is now sleeping consistently in the evening and I feel like a new woman just to be able to rest / catch up on ironing(!) / watch TV, make phone calls etc - hurrah!!!

And just to go back to a few messages having just caught up with everyone's news - I place my cutlery handle down so all the water can drip off and not on to the blade; I'm from norf London so would happily do a London meet up!!

Have a great weekend! xx

...there's a 'how-to-rear-your-child manual? ...where can I get a copy?

DD is 12 wks on Sunday and is definitely going through another growth spurt. She has been feeding every 1 1/2 to 2 hrs (with some snacks in between) and draining both boobs each time since yesterday, so is obviously trying to increase my milk supplies. Thankfully this didn't carry on during the night or I don't know what I would have done. Anyone got any tips to help increase my milk supply or should I just follow DD's lead and feed her when she asks for it as in theory she knows what she's doing?

keiralou glad u had a good holiday.
my dh is always making the same comments - he seems to think i can do all the housework whilst feeding dd If i wasn't bf'ing i would leave him alone with her for a whole day.

MelissaM - if you seem to be producing enough milk to keep DD happy, which it sounds like you are as she's still sleeping through the night then I think you just leave it up to her. My DD is only 10 weeks old but it's what I did when she went through this at 6 weeks and we had no problems. Just keep drinking and eating well so your body can keep up with the demand.

I'm celebrating 2 nights of full sleep. Thursday night DD went to bed at 7 as usual, but woke at 8:30 she'd had her injection the day before and I think they upset her tummy as she grizzled and was clingy all day. I tried settling her, tried giving her a quick feed at 9:30 but she was still wide awake. DP took her to give me a break then at 10pm she did a huge poo and was asleep before he'd finished the nappy change.
She didn't wake up till 6:30am!
Last night she went to sleep at 7, we woke her at 11 for a feed. She woke at 3:30 which is her normal time he grizzles were half-hearted so I decided to leave her a few minutes and she fell asleep again. Then she woke at 5:30, I popped downstairs for a drink and by the time I came back she was "starfished" so I went back to bed until 6:30 when she woke with insistant grumbles.

Fingers crossed it continues.

DD has also found her thumb today. As well as being her new favourite thing it's also mine as it's kept her occupied for hours!

Bilbio, ds finds his thumb only after slashing his face with his finger nails I MUST cut them soon.

Morning folks. Good for you venturing on holiday keiralou! And my sympathies to you and Melissa - while my DH doesn't moan about the housework he will wander around looking for clean clothes and looks surprised when I tell him they're not washed yet ... he does know how to work the machine ...

LO has been much better at nights - STILL colicky in the evenings but a predictable 6-10pm stint, he's usually finished howling by 11 and sleeps until around 3, then after a feed he might wake another once or twice before 7 which I can deal with. He's desperately seeking his thumb - his fist is constantly in his mouth - and I'm desperately trying to help him "just uncurl your fingers a bit ... this one's your thumb ... mmmmmmyummmmythumb ..... good boy!" - OH thinks I'm mad - little does he realise the sooner the thumb goes in the sooner my nipples regain some independence!

I can't believe our luck! A friend of our family has a timeshare in Loch Lomond. It's a 5 star luxury lodge. She can't go so she's letting us go instead... for free!
It's for a week but we're only going for 4 days, I feel bad asking my neighbour to look after my cats for longer (mental note - get the cats vaccinated so they can go to a cattery next time.)

I've only been to Scotland once, and that was when I did my Duke of Edinburgh award. I think a 5 star lodge might be a bit different to a tent in a field. Less midges for a start.

Jennster, yep DD has the scratched face to show for her effort. I've pulled her hands away a few times as she's appeared to be gouging her eyes out!

A question for all of you actually.
I've been putting a new mum pack together for my friend who's due in a week. Proper practical things that no one else will get her, but will make the first couple of weeks easier.
So far I've got a glass nail file. So less traumatic (for her) than nail clippers and they don't file a babies fingers like emery boards do. Also cotton wool, tommy tippee breast pads, Lansinoh nipple stuff, muslins (can never have enough), infacol, a medicine syringe, a sports bottle, olive oil, a nice notebook (to write down firsts), chocolate, biscuits and a card with the Mumsnet address (although I told her to spend the rest of this week keeping herself sane by reading the message boards.) I've ordered the Mumsnet book too but it's not arrived yet.
What else did you find essential in those first couple of weeks?
I'd love to get her a cordless phone, some DVD's and a spare TV remote but they're out of my budget.

HELP ME!

James has a cold. He had just got settled going to bed at6pm and waking for feeds thru night but going back to sleep afterwards. He was lovely. The past few days he has been struggling with his bottles and sneezing. Last night his breathing was chesty and I was lucky if I could get 1oz down him before he started to cry. I'd put him to sleep and he'd wake half an hour later. He is only 7 weeks old. I can't give him anything. The vapa rub I found in the medicine cupboard says not for use for children UNDER 5. (Dd has been using it for years and she is only 4)Can't use Calpol till he is two months old. I suffer badly from colds and become a right narky cow when I can't breathe so I feel for him I really do but what can I give him to help.