August 2007- More boys than girls? Our beautiful summer babies are arriving at last!

[bananabump]

Thought I'd start a thread to give somewhere for Jem, Washersaurus and Bresha to discuss their little ones and make all those of us waiting impatiently jealous!

Who will be next??????

HI Everyone,

Bagpuss - sorry to hear things are difficult at the moment. I am sure they will start to get better soon.

We are doing ok everything is going well at the moment. I've only had Alex weighed twice since he was born but the fact that he's feeding well and is about to burst out of his 0-3 month sleepsuits I know he's doing fine.

I've been keeping us busy and trying to get out and do something everyday but the time seems to be flying by I can't beleive DS will be 6 weeks old on Thursday !

Hi everyone

Bagpuss im so sorry things are like his for you at he moment, do hope that things get better, if it any help you can go to any clinic, the Vine have baby clinic on a Tuesday 1-2 and the Blackthone on a Thursday the same time. I have only had him weighed once aswell, am going to go this week but only because he still has sticky eyes!

Everything still the same here, still having emontial days but thats due to lack of sleep and trying to find more time to spend with ds1, dont feel as guilty now either, i suppose i just have to get settled into some routine.

This sounds mad i know but is anyone thinking about "trying' to get back in to some sought of shape, i found a activity called "pushymums" which involves postnatal exercise in local park while pushy the pram, seems really good!
Am going to start in a couple of weeks hopefully !

GBP - DS2 not been weighed since he was a week old (on being discharged by MW). When my fab HV came she didn't weigh him because he was asleep (know her really well from the other 2 kids - she has since left though). I asked HV how often I should get him weighed (just so the baby police don't get me ) she said that as long as he was weeing and pooing and growing out of clothes that she wouldn't be worried if she didn't see him again until his 8 -10 week checkup. Really can't face ds1 destroying the surgery while I strip DS2 so would imagine DS2 will be weighed at 8 wk check then not again till the 8 month one!

GBP, really feel for you. Is he pulling his weight with other things like taking DS out so you can relax a bit? My DH didn't take much notice of DD for a while but now she is more alert he seems more interested and has even started taking some photos. For the first few weeks though he didn't seem bothered and now will only change a nappy if we are really pushed for time an I insist. Hope things get better soon.

I do get DD weighed most weeks but thats because its a really nice friendly clinic with seats to sit and chat at after the weighing. Where we lived with DS it was always full of teenage mums and I had a really steep uphill walk home so hardly ever bothered. I think you know yourself when they are fine and when to ask for advice. You sound like you are doing everything right.

Thanks guys.... it is good to have a soudning board otherwise I think I would have gone mad now.

Evie settled well last night, and we had a pleasnat evening. All DH coulod say was "oh, she's settled well". I worked damn hard to make sure she was not over tired, and had fed well etc.

She was all bright and smiling this morning, and he actually spoke to her .

I think we'll get there. I can't forgive him for beeing horrible, but he has a habit of saying the things you should never say out loud.. I know if I said everything I think we would be divorced by now.

pink - I've definitely been thinking about getting back in shape. It's mainly because I'll be back at work at the end of November and none of my work clothes fit me. I really can't afford to buy a whole new wardrobe and I might as well start while I've got the time.

bagpuss - glad you had a better night. Hope it keeps on improving.

Pink - I started a post natal exercise group last week which I really enjoyed - probably spent more time rocking Alex to sleep than exercising though

Forgot to ask earlier, did anybody see bringing up baby last night? Can't stop thinking about the poor babies being subjected to the theories

And, I've got a BNIB Samsonite baby carrier, (i've won it). If anybody is interested they can have it for £15 plus postage (or offers). They retail for £45.
www.baby-travel.com/babycarrier.html

Hello, I watched that programme - the leaving the baby to cry made me cry! However that was before my 2 hours sleep last night. Think he is getting colic - he's started to scream for about an hour from 10 - 11 which was tough but bearable (mainly as hand him over to DH and try not to listen). Last night it went on and on and on. At midnight I took him downstairs and he finally went to sleep and stayed asleep at 4am. Not had this before - tryed infacol and gripe water (he loved that - not!). Any tips please am dreading tonight and DH away all next week.

Am seriously considering the leaving him in a room to scream it out as me holding him had no noticable effect at all.

My two never got on with infacol, have you tried Dentinox? Massaging their tummy usually helps too.

Really feel for you as DS had colic really badly for a while and can remember how tough it can be. If you are really struggling you could always contact cry-sis.

i saw that programme - as a parent i can't imagine not cuddling/not having eye contact/not picking baby up when they are crying etc. how could those parents go along with that advice???

i tried infacol last night for the first time (she takes ages to do a burp during the night and to see if it made her less of a noisy wriggler when sleeping). she took some milk - did a great big burp - took more milk then brought the whole lot up all over me, her and the bed - serves me right!

Hi guys, it's bananabump, I finally got round to namechanging! Haven't had a baby bump for 7 weeks so it's about time! Sorry I havent posted much, I was feeling a bit down and (stupid I know) ashamed that I'd started mix feeding. MN is a great site on the whole but one of the worst things about it is it makes you feel like a terrible person for giving formula, and I couldn't really be bothered with it (even though to be fair it seems to be some of the long established members who are the most militant about it, not the girls on this thread!) You know how you beat yourself up about things though, didn't need any help.

Anyway things are fine here, James is putting on weight nicely, now 2lb over his birth weight at 9lb 2oz, he has a little double chin and chubby cheeks coming, plus his legs and hands are getting round, he even has little tiny manboobs coming! So cute. Looks like a proper baby now instead of a little skinny tanned doll.

He's starting to smile a bit now, although they're still at odd times. He was beaming in the tummy tub the other day, and when I turned over in bed and found him awake, I said "Hello beautiful!" and he did a huge gummy smile. He does giggles in his sleep too!

Sorry to hear some of you have babies with bad wind/colic. I don't think James has colic, but he definitely suffers with wind badly. I just try to remember his infacol before a feed, stop halfway to wind him if I think he's taken in some air then wind him and keep him upright for a while until he's got it all up. If he's still windy after a bottle (mine says a definite "aaargh" when he's in pain with wind) I slosh a tiny bit of gripe water in his empty bottle, he guzzles it and I rub his tummy, that usually works.

BUT he loves the taste of everything- infacol, gripe water, baby vitamin drops, even boiled water- so it's easy with him. If your baby doesn't like gripe water perhaps you could mix it with a little milk? Or maybe it's being spoon fed they don't like. J didn't like that, that's why I put it in his bottle instead.

Anyway, off to feed the boy again, hope everyone's ok! x

hello strangers !! been offline since my last post and finally got my compiuter working again thank God !

It was indeed Paddy who lost weight so after a stressful week of worry and stuffing him every feed when we went back to clinic this week he'd put on 7oz so feel a huge sense of relief now.

Paddy was extremely windy for those with that problem. We give him 1/2 a teaspoob of gripewater before every feed and lately he's seemed a load better. Also we we've been to a baby osteopath so whether that's helped too

Hello all- i don't think I've posted in weeks but I have been reading all the posts avidly!
Hannah is now nearly 10 weeks old and very cute although having the same problems with wind, sleep, feeding etc that everyone seems to have.
We've gone down the mixed feeding route too. Started off with formula at
just the bedtime feed but getting a bit more frequent! Oh well. DH keeps harping on that shouldn't give up but he's not the one sitting there at 3 in the morning with a baby that just wants more and more and there is nothing more to give! My SIL is a GP and is very much 'Breast is Best' but then she had her children in the days when they were weaned at 3 months. She also has 2 of the most enormous teenagers you could meet (fat and tall!)
Hannah's bowel movements have become slightly erratic and she seems to be full of gas all the time. Tried Gripewater but just went everywhere so keep trying to remember to give her the Infacol. She will guzzle boiled water as well but keep forgetting to boil it!
Sleeping has become a bit of a nightmare in the last couple of weeks. She can be fast asleep in my arms but as soon as her head is a cm away from the mattress she will scream! I had put her in a sleeping bag but the last couple of nights I've half swaddled her and used sleep positioners and she has been much better again. Yesterday evening I was a bit strict and when she cried just kept going in a rocking the basket but not picking her up. Took 5 goes but worked in the end. I'm taking her to a cranial osteopath next week just to see if they can do anything to help the wind etc. As she was 4 weeks early and quite a quick labour I think it might help.
Sorry, a slightly long post!
Better go and put her in the garden now for 4 hours until she's allowed to be fed again

well i am confined to the sofa for a fewb days. went to get the mole on the sole of my foot checked and the consultant decided ton take it off there and then cause he had a cancelled appointment. glad i dont have to wit weeks but i can hardly walk just now.

is quite nice to have an excuse to sit and watch films all day without feeling guilty and i heard it can help boost your milk supply to do not very much and just feed lo every time he shows interest. (This is one of these times that i am very glad that i dont have a toddler to entertain too).

Anyway -had a really good night last night - only woke from 2.45 to 4 but apart from that was asleep from 10 to 7 so will try and do the same today in the evening to see if it works (just really keeping him awake and then giving him some kick time with no nappy before his bath etc).

I think he is probably a bit windy too as thrashes about sometimes in his cot after a feed, but he seems to calm down in a reasonably short period of time so havent tried giving him anything.

my2weegirls- he noticed a big change - had grown lots, lost some hair and his cheeks had plumped up a lot, so much less newborny looking than when he left. brought some nice wooden things from the markets and a mobile for lo.

i agree about that programme - couldnt believe that womans attitude, cause even other well known routine based methods only suggest leaving the baby to cry for 15 mins (as far as I know) not the four hours that she was saying, and especially not newborns. felt really sorry for the paretns, but if uit was me, i'd have said i wasnt doing it anymore - 6 months is a long time for an experiment that you are not happy with.

I know this is quite a while off, but while I remember, meant to ask you my2weegirls -since your first lo was on the 98th centile for weight, when did you start weaning her? I know there are lots of opinions on what is best but i would imagine its also partly dependent on how big they are as to how much food they need.

Back from a walk with the pushchair, about 15 grannies have told me how gorgeous he is in the space of an hour! lol They can't resist a little baby can they?

Oh don't get me started on that Bringing Up Baby programme.... I was shouting at the tv! I was really upset when they put that newborn out in the cold and shut the door, poor little sod goes from safe and warm in the womb to cold unsafe and unloved so the parents can have minimal disruption and their fucking wine...I felt like bashing the stupid woman over the head with her precious winebottle!

I blame the parents, CV (The horrible faux nurse guru) is a bitch but she admits this. She's doing a terrible thing but the parents are letting her. They could see it wasn't right, saying it didn't feel natural etc...even the little girl said it was stupid she couldn't cuddle her little sister!

I mean come on, if all your instincts are screaming that something ISN'T RIGHT, then you forget the tv crew, stuff the bossy witch who's orchestrating it, and go and get your baby! It's just sad what some people will do for 15 mins of fame. They'll never get that time back, it's tragic.

Personally I'd rather have a messy house, crumpled clothes, bags under my eyes and be up half the night feeding my baby and be able to cuddle and love him, than be "back to normal" and sit there drinking wine while my baby cries. Selfish bastards, why did they bother having children if they're such an inconvenience?

I'm definitely on team Spock myself!

Anyway, on a lighter note, I just saw this on the bbc website: link Good god, thatsa lotta baby!!! 17.5lb! Click on the pic to see the full image.

i'm just back from a walk along the canal and a barge about 10 mins away from the house has started selling lunches/coffees /cakes and breakfasts from 7.30 - think i might need to make a daily walk along the canal part of my day

banana - i'm with you on the dr spock. and it's lovely when complete strangers comment on how gorgeous your kids are. I was out with DD1 at the weekend and 2 older ladies commented on how angelic and gorgeous she looked (if only they knew!!)

conkertree - hope your foot ins't too painful. a few days lying on the couch sounds like bliss

i started weaning DD1 at 17 weeks (advice at that time was 16 weeks). she was showing all the signs that she was ready for something other than milk - holding head, interested in what i was eating, making chewing movements, wanting more and more milk (even on the hungry baby formula) etc. If DD2 shows the same signs then i would do it again before the recommended 24 weeks.

.....and you've just reminded me that DP wants to go looking for conkers at the weekend so that DD1 and him can play.... better find the arnica gel and get the mr bump cool pack in the fridge

Hi everyone

Haven't had time to read all the posts, will try to catch up later.

BB, so sorry you are feeling down. No one should make you feel guilty for your parenting choices. I've always done things my way and believed that anyone who disagrees can go and take a running jump as its not their child!

TT, so glad that you are feeling better about the weight. Does your clinic use the new WHO charts? Think that I'm going to start using them myself as our clinic uses the old ones.

www.who.int/nutrition/media_page/cht_wfa_boys_z_0_5.pdf

www.who.int/nutrition/media_page/cht_wfa_girls_z_0_5.pdf

loler - sorry to hear that you're not getting much sleep. Dd was a bit like that. I had to rock her for hours every evening.

Good to have you back banana - like the new name. I know what you mean about those women on the feeding forum. I don't understand why they're so anti formula feeding. You should just do what's best for you. You've got nothing to be ashamed of because you're doing what's best for you and you're baby. You're no good to James if you've had no sleep.

I think I must have the greediest baby. He's put on nearly 5lbs in the last 5 weeks. He's 11lb 11oz now and rapidly growing out of his clothes. I don't know where he's putting it because he's not at all chubby. Perhaps it's because he's grown so long so quickly. He's taking after his dad who is 6ft 7in.

Glad Patrick is putting on weight TT. Must be a relief.

Dd wasn't weaned until 6 months but then she was never very hungry and was only having 3oz feeds at 4 months old. I imagine ds will go earlier if he keeps growing at this rate. My sil has had 3 kids and has weaned them all around 12 weeks. I think that was mainly because she wasn't allowed to buy hungry baby milk with her milk tokens though. They're all fine though and it never did them any harm.

Hi All

had a quick read, and this will be a quick post .
Just had to comment on that link JamesandGB posted, that is incredible I have posted it to all my pg friends to scare them, arn't i mean thanks for posting it.

that program on TV you write about sounds horrid, how mean!

LL is turning into a big baby now about 12 pounds, don't know what will happen if he keeps going at this rate, but it's a nice change from having a completely opposite baby before.

Just a quick catch up , BB - as gillL said, you dont worry what anyone else says and do what is best for you and baby! Are all the boys growing at alarming weight, DS2 goes 10lb already and not even 5 weeks old!! He does seem to feed load, last night 11.45, 245 and then up at 5.30! - is growth spurt is lasting forever!
For those FF feeding is anyone using the hungry milk yet, did try it a few weeks ago but maybe to young but now his feeds dont seem to satisfy him and the longest he will go is 3 1/2 hours?

I haven't posted since dd2 was born (just haven't found the time). I will try to catch up at some point, although i'm not sure whether i should be on the sept one.

pinkrangerstartstowaddle

Dd2 is already 10lb 9oz and she is only 3 weeks (had a head start at being 9lb 2oz.

Jem1969

Can you let me know how you get on with the cranial osteopath as the HV has suggested we try this a dd2 does not/will not settle. She thought it might because she came very quickly (i was induced, had her in 2 hours).

Pink, funnily enough we were given an unopened tub of SMA hungry baby milk months ago, so we actually used that for ds's first bottle (administered bleary eyed and desperately as a last resort after feeding for what felt like a fortnight straight!) and it made him sleep for 5, nearly 6 hours, which was far too long for a newborn to go really. We have since bought him SMA gold and 4oz of that makes him sleep for about 3 1/2 hours.

How long does a really good bf make him sleep? Mine will only last about 2 hours usually, so 3 1/2 hours is great for me!

Had a bad night last night, he cried for about an hour before finally nodding off swaddled up on the sofa at 8.30pm. He slept til 12.30am which was just when we were getting into bed (grr) so I fed him and he slept til 3am, but then he was a right pain in the arse, falling asleep on the boob, couldn't wake him up, then crying two minutes after me lying down and getting warm.

This went on for two hours, so eventually I went to make a bottle while dp held James as he screamed, there were no clean bottles so I was stressed out rushing to wash and sterilise a bottle while J did that horrible desperate cry that makes you panic, managed to scald my boob, then didn't close the bottle properly and when I went to shake it, the milk exploded all over the kitchen.

Finally gave him the milk and he threw it up all over me.

Little blighter's falling asleep on my lap as I type. Alright for some!

ah ha... all you baby weighing freaks.... mine is now 12lb 6 oz... i struggled up to the clinic to get her weighed. Spent the rest of the morning regretting it as it was so busy. But never mind. (to put her weight in persepctive... DS was 12lb 5 at 4 weeks - Evie is 6 weeks!!!)

James&GB (?!!!!) - I know what you mean about the topping up. When my mum goes on about "well everyone I know says you houldn't have to top up"... I get really ccross. Giving her the one FF gives me a break, and gives me more confidence that the milk is there at other times. My mmilk still hasn't settled down some inghts I have to get up to express some off they are so engorged, and other nights don't feel like there is anythig there at all.

Re_ bringin up baby - OMG!! I didn't see the programme, but WHY would you sign up to something where you treated your child according to some cattle rearing expert FGS!! People think GF is extreme (she is my idol - she has given me my evenings back)... anyway.... To each their own i suppose.