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??????

It's bananabump, bagpuss And I totally agree about the topups keeping you sane! Unfortunately I'm making a bit of a balls up of trying to get him in a routine! He's normally asleep for 8.30/9pm after his ff, but then wakes up when we go to bed, so we aren't getting the benefit of his good sleep. I know we could go to bed earlier but we're night owls, I just couldn't go to bed at 8.30!

Not familiar with GF's methods, bagpuss, but I've heard that she's in no way as mean as CV on that programme. If it's working for you both and doesn't feel too strict then why not, eh?

Off to the doctors in a bit, sposed to be having a coil fitted but I'm scared and I've bottled it, really don't want it done today. How can I get out of it?????

Morning all. Me and Nell have just done our first trip abroad Went to Spain - was dreading the flights but it was fine and she slept both ways! Nice to have another dose of summer.

BB - good luck with the coil fitting if you don't bottle it. I thought I might give the mini-pill a go, but haven't used it before and am worried about it affecting my milk (I know they say it doesn't).

Saw Bringing up Baby prog last night after recording it. Although I say each to their own, Claire's 'routine' seemed uncompromising and rather sad imo. Will watch it with interest as I guess my approach is more continuum though not consciously - just doing what feels right to me and her.

Am feeling so much more confident with Nell now she's nearly seven weeks - it does get easier for any of you with younger ones!

have had 2 lucky nights of feeding him at 10ish and him sleeping through to 7ish with just one awake and feeding period from about 3 to 4. has been fantastic but now i've said that he'll probably go back to more feeds tonight.

I am now starting to enjoy the hour he is up cause i feed him, put him back down and he lies awake looking round for 20 mins or so. i sit on the bed reading where he can see me, but without much talking to him so he knows its night time etc, and then he cries for another feed and normally goes to sleep the next time i put him down.

its the only time in the day that i get to read without feeling i should be doing other things.

the milk thing does amaze me cause the first night of sleeping a long time, i had really sore hard breasts, but the second night they were fine and had sorted themselves out.

hi annie - posts crossed.

some sunshine sounds great.

had my 6 week check yesterday (at 7 weeks) and have got the mini pill. why do you think it might affect your milk, cause that was one reason for me going with that?

i think i am between the dr spock and continuum one. really like using a sling at times but couldnt carry him all day. and i do like the mix of a buggy and a sling. liked the laid back attitude of the dr spock one but didnt like her saying you shouldnt inflict your breasts on other people in public. i amm all for breastfeeding in public - not shoving breasts in peoples faces but i'[ve never seen somebody do that - its always been discreet when i've seen (or done) it.

Hiya Conker. Yep, am same with sling. I love it and it gets her to sleep like nothing else, but I couldn't do it all day - would become a hunchback! Totally agree about the breastfeeding - I thought I'd be embarrassed but am increasingly okay about it the more I do it. It's either feeding in public or they have to put up with a screaming baby and I'm not prepared to let her holler! I'd be so shocked and annoyed if anyone ever said anythign to me. The sling is the easiest way to feed her as I can pull it up to give us greatest privacy. Don't understand the whole 'keep it to yourself' thing that gets trotted out. Why does anyone feel the need to look?!

I've given up on the idea of Nell sleeping in a cot for now and she sleeps with me. That way, she doesn't cry in the night, just snuffles for a feed and I get a reasonable night. Am hoping she'll let me know when she wants her own space.

Oh, re the milk thing, I don't know why I'm worrying about it - I just can't help think it must at some level pass through but am prob being over-cautious. There aren't many other good contraceptive choices when you're feeding anyway, so guess I'll use it.

had a good night last night, DD slept from 9.30pm till 3.30 pm which I think is brillant as DS still doesn't do that all the time. She was awake from 3.30am till 5am, (lots of feeding and winding) then I had to get her up at 8am to take DS tp pre-school. feel so much better today.

On the contraception thing, told DH that I think we should use bfing and he said I should be sectioned if I thought that ess the ball is in his court.

sorry, ess should be guess. Am trying to hold DD and type.

pink - my ds feeds around the same times of night as yours. A couple of times he has gone 6 hours but it didn't last. I was hopeful because dd started sleeping from 11pm til 5am every night from 5 weeks. I guess I'll just have to wait. I haven't tried the hungry baby milk yet. I think you're supposed to wait until they're on 10oz and still asking for more. I've just put ds back down to 5oz. He was on 6oz and was fine with it but has started to bring loads of it back up again all over me! He's not always finishing 5oz at the moment so I'm letting him tell me what he wants.

bagpuss - I know people who swear by the gf routine. I tried something similar with dd but she just wouldn't go into a routine. She slept when she wanted to sleep and only ever slept 10 hours a night so I could never put her to bed at 7pm. Even now she doesn't go to sleep til at least 8:30pm. I'm hoping ds will be a better sleeper. So far he's doing alright. I'm not bothering with trying a routine yet but he's now going back to sleep very easily after each night feed so he must know the difference between night and day now.

banana - I would love to go to bed at 9 so I could get a few hours sleep before the late feed. I can only go back to bed in the morning on the days dd is at my mum's which is only 2 day a week

Anyone else had their post natal check yet? I'm not complaining but I was expecting an internal examination as I had one after I'd had dd. The doctor felt my tummy, asked me if I was in any pain and then said I could go. He asked me what I was intending to use for contraception. We're just going to carry on with condoms.

GillL, had my postnatal check a few weeks ago. Went early as I needed to sort out my screening again for the partial molar I had last year. The "check" was worse than hopeless. She just asked if I felt ok. I was expecting at least for my blood pressure to be checked but nothing. As for the screening, she just gave me a number of the local hospital and told me to sort it out myself. Was a bit miffed as I had already tried to sort it out myself and its not trivial, a pregnancy after a partial molar can trigger a tumour to start. Might as well have not gone.

had my check this week too. was a bit dull - just bp checked. she didnt even feel my tummy. got mini pill and that was it, apart from cadging some dressings for my foot as hadnt got any from the hospital earlier in the week and as the stitches stay in for 2 weeks - would get a bit horrible if didnt change the dressing.

hello from zanzibar!
well we survived the flight here fine. but poor now lo has bit of cold and her snuffling kept me awake last night

gill- i was trying to follow gf, minus top ups, but lo will not settle alone. not since the early days. if she's even slightly awake when i put her into bed she'll lie there a while then start to call out and then cry. i've tried to leave her to settle but she just gets more upset so none of the routine is possible.

we don't have much of a routine really which is fine but tiring. lo wants to sleep after feeds but if i put her into bed asleep she wakes after 5 or 10 mins. in the sling she's asleep in seconds but then she'll only stay asleep there.. she's sleeping in sling now as i write!

luckily she hasn't been screaming in the evenings since we arrived here and sleeps from 10 or 11pm just wakes at 3ish for feed in our bed and straight back to sleep. she used to feed and sleep again at 6 or 7am till 10 but has stopped this week, shame!

so are any other babies settling to sleep in their cots alone?

also had 6 weeks check, gp uninterested, no bp check or anything. only looked at cs scar as i asked her to. got mini pill, haven't gotten around to starting it or any bedroom action.. am i the only 1? dp is getting desperate but i just don't feel up for it. don't know why, think just tiredness. i just want to sleep when i get to my bed!

itchy - glad you got home safely. Is it good to be back in your own house?

Ds settles on his own sometimes but not very often. He is quite easy to get to sleep though if he's actually tired. He hasn't slept in our bed for weeks as he seems quite happy in the cot.

Makes you wonder why they bother with the post natal check. I told dh that I wouldn't have full sex until I'd had my post natal check so the doctor could check I had healed properly. I've actually felt fine down there since a few days after the birth but I wanted to buy myself some time. I'd much rather go to sleep early but dh had been bugging me for weeks so we did it last night for the first time since before the baby was born. I think subconsiously I'd been gagging for it cos I had an erotic dream the night before last. I was expecting it to hurt but it didn't at all. It hurt a lot after dd was born but I think that was because I'd had a worse tear and stitches.

sex? you must be kidding!!!! SLEEP!! That and the fact that DH has a stinking cold.. don't want himi near me spluttering and coughing.. and really really dn't feel like it!

haha well done GillL, top effort in the bedroom stakes!! I've got my 6 week check on Tues and am fully prepared for nothing but a precursory "you ok?" from the Dr now. Have to confes that am not goin to start any form of contraception from now on I know you'll all think I'm mad probably, but it took two years for me to fall with Peanut so am just going to take my chances. Stupid ? Mabe but would rather have another one straight away than spend a long time trying and end up years down the line on IVF if possible.

Will probably regret saying this but Paddy does self settle. Last night he was wide awake when I put him down but it was late and I was ready for bed. I have just put him down since birth though which maybe helps. He's six weeks now though and more grizzly but am still just about to swaddle him up and stick him in his hammock !!

Are we going to think about another real life meet up sometime......????

Hi gals,

well after initial anxiety at returning to dusty house and leaking washing machine, power problems and all we're settling in fine.

It's hot and windy and Mila has had a snotty nose since first day, not helped by going from aircon rooms to outdoor humid winds but she's not too put out it seems. The evening screaming has stopped, fingers crossed, maybe was just a habit she's forgotten.

She's only sleeping in the sling in the day but there's no shortage of people to hold her. It's such a relief to be in a place where babies are abundant and it's commonplace for men and women young and old to care for them. Babies are never left to cryfor a second so she's swooped up at first murmur. I'll post a photo of her with Masai watchmen later.

glad to hear I'm not the only one giving dp despair, my dp had a nasty cold last week too eughh! good on you Gill!! I've put it on my to do list...
TT- I can totally understand where you're coming from. I just turned 34 and my minds full of calculations of future babies. We must be mad but Mila's so gorgeous and I'm feeling so content and fulfilled I'd love more babies but I need a bit of a gap. I have a friend who conceived while bfing at only 4 months! so it can happen.

I'm intrigued by your life in Zanzibar, Itchy! What made you settle there? Would love to see a pic of Mila with Masai men! Glad the flight went well - that was my main worry about going to Spain last week, was worried I'd get glaring looks if she cried all the way.

Yeah, I can understand where you're coming from TT too. I look at Nell and get really broody to have more already!

i'm another one that doesnt want to tempt fate but he does self settle very well at 10ish every night. in the middle of the night it takes him a bit longer, and sometimes a wee rock of the eco crib helps but i think i'm pretty lucky so far that way.

on the bedroom action front we've done it twice. first time really hurt but second was much better. i feel really bad knowing that things are a lot less tight now though. dh didnt cdomplain (just as well) but i know it felt totally different. will keep doing those pelvic floor exercises.

lo has his 6 week check today (at 8 weeks). gets his injections on thursday - anybodys has theirs yet?

am getting a sore nipple on the right side when feeding - might go and have a look on the breast feeding threads to see if anybody has advice.

I'm up for another rl meet up TT.

I've been thinking of when to have another. I'm 29 so plenty of time but I am planning to have 4. We're lucky that I conceive within a month or 2 of trying, as long as it's timed right within my cycle.

Ds won't be having his 8 week check until the end of October when he'll be 10 weeks. It's partly my fault for not registering him earlier and partly the surgery's fault for being busy. I really hate taking babies for injections. I made dh go for dd's last innoculation.

Getting busier on here again - we must all be adjusting!

Mine doesn't self settle - probably my fault for not putting him down (he really is going to be hated but DS1 and DD as that spoilt youngest one - giving in to all his demands already!).

Have absolutely no interest in the bedroom department - DH birthday on Saturday and this year his luck is most definately not in! The BF thing is really putting me off - would want to keep bra and pads on. How does everyone else cope with this?

Mine self settles in the day but that's cos I try to ignore him. It sounds awful but I can't get anything done and can't spend any time with dd if he's in my arms all day. Lately he's been feeding every 2 hours or so in the day so I would either be feeding him or getting him to sleep. It's not so bad though - he only cries for a minute or so and it's only cos he's tired.

I'm sure I would feel the same way if bfing loler. When my boobs were still sore are stopping dh and I had limited bedroom action and I kept my bra on. Dh wasn't bothered though - he was just desperate for anything.

To the others with older dcs - do you manage to get a lay in? I was up for nearly 2 hours settling ds from 4am this morning. I was pleased he had gone 5 1/2 hours since the last feed but he didn't seem to want to go back to sleep. Anyway, dd was up at 7:30 and I just let her do what she wanted until I got up around 10. I had no idea what she was up t

meant to say thanks for the Dentinox tip Iwantsleep - am using it as well as infacol and gripe water - so far haven't had a reapeat of the screaming for 5 hours solid.

Gill - we've got a tv with free view in a our room. We bring the kids covers into our room and make nests on the floor - keeps them quiet for a few hours at the weekend. I know lots of people take turns at lie ins at the weekend but me and dh just end up arguing about who had 5 mins longer than the other!

Hi guys, we've just got in from three days down south visiting dp's family and friends. Long journey home, we're all knackered! Whatever routine we may have been establishing has been wrecked by the time away and people constantly messing with him, and he's gotten a bit clingy to me now poor little sod!

Also didn't have many opportunities to breastfeed him what with lots of travelling, lots of sitting in people's front rooms doing polite chatting, and lots of little girls sitting with their faces a foot away from my boob as I'm trying to feed him so he's had more bottles than ever this weekend. Tomorrow I will sit and feed him all day to try and get my supply back up, joy.

Conkertree, James is having his jabs on thursday too, I sympathise. I think my health visitor will be there and she has offered to hold him while I stand outside and fret/cry/feel guilty for standing outside. Well, it's either that or stay in the room and burst into melodramatic tears, make a tit of myself and make James scared.

I assume doc will ask how I am at that appointment, but I've already been in and asked about contraception (though I bottled out of the coil fitting appointment cos I got cold feet) as dp and I were back at it after 3 weeks. I was oddly in the mood 3 days after the birth, I think because I was feeling so much better after feeling huge and achy for months! So our sex life is virtually back to normal if you don't count the inevitable interruptions from baby.

The weirdest thing is that when I asked dp "how is it now?" he said it feels better than before. I was like "huh?!?!?" lol I suspect the midwife stitched me up a bit tighter than she needed to! Maybe I should send her some flowers!

Anyway, on that rather rude note I'm off to bed. To sleep! Hope everyone had nice weekends, catch up tomorrow x

Hi Ya all

nice to read what you've all been up to, some have been up to more than others it seems

TT I'm not going on bc either, haven't needed it ever in the past, just used natural methods. myself and others i know have been much more fertile after a baby though so you may want to be a little cautious for a wee while, i will be

Gill - 4 fantastic that makes me optimistic i could cope with three if your talking 4 so soon.

J&GB- my nurse recommended b/f while getting injections, sounds like a good idea. I found ds was fine with his anyway and he had to have 3. I must admit i don't feel too guilty i have been through so much since TTC including about 24 blood tests and surgery,so i think they can cope with a little prick. but i'm not mean really i promise.

LL is sleeping in 4 hour stints at night, and mostly falls straight to sleep, so no complaints here. no smiles yet

morning - hope everyone is well.

we're off for our injections on thursday too (popular day) plus GP will do all the checks hips, spine etc. make usre you've got bottle of calpol in just in case. with DD1 she just did a wee cry then stopped very quickly then slept great all day and night.(my last gp said that it's better if they are given it in the bum cheek rather than the leg)

anyone else's wee one fast out-growing their moses basket? i don't think she'll last much longer in it...

gill - lie in? what's that?? don't think i've had one of them [past 7.30am since DD1 was born. i can't wait till i have trouble getting them out of bed in the morning or even better till they are bringing me breakfast in bed.

at all this talk of sex... I'll be going back on the mini pill at ome point.. might get the presciption at my 6 week check (at 8 weeks) next week.

ahh.. peace, Evie has just settled her self,with some grizzling for a snooze. She gets herself in such a state over drinking she screams and swallows loads of air.. durrrr..

I was going to ask something momentus... and I can't remember what it is..

oh yes.. I'd be up for a meet up... i'll get my rrequest in first.. tuesday and fridays I'm boy free.

Oh yes.... LIE IN??? ROFL !!! With a DH who has an internal alarm permanently set at 6.00am, and DS's "I want a wee wee" at 6.30.. the only time we get a lie in, is if my surrogate parents have DS for the night, and now any lie will be ruined by DD! Ne3ver mind, once they're teenagers, we can have all the lie ins we want.. they'll be ASLEEP!

Itchy - glad yougot home safely. Hope you are coping with the transition back to normal life and the heat etc.... can't wait to see the Masai warrior pictures!!