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.

will try that.
to top it off he has oral thrush too

Also, propping the cot or Moses basket can help them being too snuffily. Midwife told me an angle of 45 degrees should do it. We use a Karvol vapouriser which is great for DD1, but can't remember what age it's from.

Typhoonsmum saline nasal drops about £2max from pharmacies, ditto steam, but a little easier if you can get your bathroom/shower steamy to hold baby.

Typhoonsmum - we just had our first cold and I found a few things helped to ease it for DD. They were: saline nasal drops (you can get these over the counter from your local pharmacy), one of those aspirator things where you suction the gunk out of the nose (horrible but effective!) and raising the head end of the cot. After trying these we has a great night's sleep!

We've just booked up to go to visit my sister in the USA! We're going in November and DD will be four months old. I'm not too worried about the journey (maybe I should be!) but can't help wondering if all my hard efforts at getting her to sleep from 7pm to 7am will be ruined by the time difference. If anyone has any experience of this would be grateful for any tips!!!

It's wet and horrible morning here in Surrey today - perfect for a trip to the supermarket! Hope you all have more exciting days than me!!

typhoonsmum, try running a very hot shower and sitting in the bathroom with him, might be easier than using a bowl?

And bilblio, what about some arnica for any bruising?

Oh yeah those snot suckers are great!

Lovely autumn morning here. Can't go out because my 2 pairs of trousers that fit are drying.

Bilblio - Get her practicing an online supermarket delivery or prepare her a bolognaise or shepherds pie to stick in her freezer?

A question for Bilblio (as it sounds like you have a grizzler too) and others,

DS now consistently "sleeps through" til 7.30am although we do give him a bottle feed and a nappy change around 11pm.

However, he is still in our room (in his big cot now), but we tend to hear him when he comes into light sleep as he generally starts grizling. We usually jump up quick, stick a dummy in and hope he doesn't wake up, but sometimes this seems to disturb him more, especially if we reswaddle him too if his hands have escaped. Do you think we should leave him alone and see what happens? It's just that once I'm awake, I can't sleep through the grizling as I end up stressing that he'll just wake up. If he was in another room, I'd probably not get disturbed. Last night I slept fine til 4am, but DH heard him at 12, 1.30, 2.15 and 3am (you can see they are on a 45 min cycle so probably just DS cycling through light/deep sleep). I worry that we're perpetuating things by always sticking the dummy in, so he starts to look for something to suck when in light sleep. Any advice or experiences are welcomed. I don't feel quite ready to put him in his own room yet...

We're also still swaddling but he's breaking out still so may have to just stop soon, especially as he's now 14 weeks and getting better at finding his hand/thumb.

Hi everyone
Glad everyone seems to be managing ok. I feel like I haven't been on here for AGES!
I'm in South manchester if there's still a plan for a meet up. I'm happy to drive most places around the NW.
As always, I'm SO relieved to read through the posts to find out everyone is having similar (good and bad) experiences. My LO is a petal, but currently refusing my left side as it's like a tap... great for expressing tho!
Anyway, hello to all and take care!

The snuffly nose hasn't been to bad today but my concern is he won't take his bottles. He has thrush on his mouth and lips and I'm not sure if that is why he won't drink the milk. Since tea time last night he has had about 12 oz of milk.
He doesn't seem too bothered about it and is currently playing on the floor under his baby gym. I'm more concerned than he is. I've never had oral thrush. Is it sore. Should I give him some calpol. Pharmacy gave me some Daktarin gel for his mouth and said it'll clear up in a few days. Got snuffle babe and karvol for his stuffy nose.

Calling all northerners,

If you are all happy to email me at timandpaulaATblueyonderDOTcoDOTuk then I can set up an email group and we can discuss where and when to meet up.

Thanks for the sympathy CSB

Bilblio - how about a swaddle blanket and a dummy. I know loads of us on here have found swaddling fantastic, and a dummy can help when really needed, and don't cost too much.

Catstar - in awe at you booking trip to states. Hope all goes well. No tips sorry - haven't been there so have no clue how to avoid jet lag/keep to routine. Have a great time though.

Those aspirator things are great as are the saline nasal drops. DD has had a cold on and off for two weeks now but luckily hasn't been too bad with it - just a bit snuffly and occasionally sick (trying to bring up phlegm we think). Have also discovered snufflebabe (like a mild vicks) but can't use that until 3 mths unless check with gp or hv first.

Pulapula - I would try leaving your ds to settle himself in the night. How old is he now? we don't swaddle dd at all now, just tuck her in well with a sheet and blanket, but leaving her arms free (she doesn't like her arms trapped and this disturbs her more than waving them around). Also if you keep putting his dummy back in, he might start getting very upset when he wakes without it. Shouldn't take long to get him used to not having it though and you will then start to get a better nights sleep (hopefully). good luck

DS is a lot better today. When he refused to take the second bottle in a row I got an emergency appointment at the GP. She prescribed some Nystatin and a low dose of paracetomol for him. When we got home he was screaming for a bottle which he drank. Then he slept for 11 hours. Woke this morning and his mouth looks so much better. Still has the white spots at the back of his tongue and mouth but the front and his lips are clear. He took his bottle this morning no problem and has actually had a nap this morning. (something he hasn't done in about 2 weeks) I feel so stupid for not realising he had thrush in the first place. I stupidly thought that it was just milk residual in his mouth. I could kick myself.

typhoonsmum - don't feel bad, I didn't know dd had thrush either for a while. The main thing is you have the nastatin to clear it up. Don't be afraid to call up again at the end of teh course if he still has the spots. DD had to have two lots as she passed it on to me as well and I wasn't been treated until I saw a different doc. Oh and then she got it on her bum too - watch out for nasty inflamed nappy rash - if ds gets this too ask for nastatin cream for his bum. Think yourself lucky your bottle feeding as it is v v painful if you catch in you nips. ouch!

Pulapula - just emailed you about the meet up.
As for the grizzling during the night. I tend to leave her be if she wakes, usually she falls asleep again with in a few minutes. If she doesn't then the grizzles get more insistent and I have to investigate, it's usually that she's done a poo. I'm lucky in some ways that DP doesn't work so I don't have to worry about disturbed nights.
We've not been swaddling her for a couple of weeks though as I found it was getting harder and harder to settle her at night as she was fighting to get free and waking herself up more. Or she'd get her legs free and be cold. We've started using grobags and she seems much happier, settling herself with her thumb.
Have I mentioned how much I love her thumb?

Thanks for all the suggestions for things for my friend. Some of them she's gone off to buy herself, like the arnica and raspberry leaf tea tablets. And I've got a nice bag of things for her with a list explaining why some of the things are useful.

Off to Scotland tomorrow. Everything is packed by the front door... I hope... we're bound to forget something. I plan on setting off about 10:30 after DD has fed. Which probably means we'll finally leave the house about midday

Hello JAM I'm still about. Brouse MN all the time as have a laptop in the lounge on the arm of a comfy settee while feeding.

Not sure if I posted about this, but ds was weighed for the first time since he was 11 days, 2 weeks ago at his 8 week check. He was 1oz off 5lbs heavier than his birth weight. He's moved up from 50th to 75th centile!

Managed to get to postnatal exercise yesterday, and although I didn't get much done with ds crying, but we did manage to do the baby massage at the end.

Hi there, I'm lurking too. We seem to have got DD into a pretty smooth nighttime pattern now - she's in her cot by 6.45 (in fact, she's normally howling with tiredness for the last hour of her day) and then we give her a top-up feed at 10.00 or so, but she only takes 40ml, then she goes through to 6 or 7.

DD1 was SO not like this, I can't tell you. By three months with my first baby, I was sitting up half the night and grabbing four or five hours sleep if I was lucky. It just shows how different they all are and proves that if you're having a rough time with your first, it doesn't mean that your next one will be so tricky!

James is 200% better. Nystatin is fab. keeping an eyeon his bum to check for nappy rash but him seeems ok. He is ALMOST sleeping thru as well. He went from 7pm to 4am the other night. IfI wake him for a bottle later at night say 10pm then bmaybe he'll go thru.

We are down by 7.30, dream feed about 11, then he goes through to between 3.30-5. The later he goes through to, the less likely he is to go back down easily. He then sleeps 'til 7.30. Wondering if I should just leave him to wake earlier without the dream feed and see if that helps him go back down through to 7.30. Think the darker mornings will help soon though.

And daytime naps! Huh. Sleep is for the weak during the day. Can't get a regular daytime sleep going at all.

Just getting breakfast, although ds is crying. I'm meant to be on a diet, but breakfast just keeps getting later and later. If I don't grab it now it will bugger up my day. Not even had a cup of tea yet. God I'm horrible when I'm hungry. Just had a massive arguement with dh. I'm a control freak apparently.