Septermber 07 poppers.....please meet here!

[dal21]

Hi ladies - cannot see a thread for the sept ladies who have popped. Thought I would start one (hope I havent been totally blind and missed one already set up)

we can share our trials and tribulations of our LO's here!

sorry if i sound like a bossy old twat twit, just tell me and I'll stop, no offence taken or anything.

no offence taken at all

i mean i won't be offended if you tell me to 'go away'

i'm off now for the weekend, have a good one everyone.

Ooops, I read it wrong, getting distracted by crying son, have a good weekend.

Hi all

Just popping in to see how everyone is - hope you are all looking forward to the weekend and the clock change!! How hard is the school run going to feel on Monday morning!!!

anyway, we're doing ok here - like others still feeding every 3 hours ish and Toby doesn't seem to take very much, particularly today. Whenever he stops feeding today, he seems to scream in pain - not sure if it is wind, colic, blocked nose or something else. It's worrying being a mother isn't it? Wish they had some better way of communicating at times. can't quite believe that I've done all this before as well! Seem all fingers and thumbs this time around - particularly when BF out in public!

Anyway, must get to bed, so big hugs and peaceful nights to all
xxx

Morning all

Sophus - hope you mum's funeral went as well as possible and you got through the day ok. Thinking of you x x x

Purple - fantastic about Cerys's weight gain . Has her reflux settled a bit?

Laksa - brilliant about Bella's weight gain too - what a lot of clever babies and mums.

All those having feeding probs, windy, reflux colicky stuff - hope things are settling down for you.

kinki - thanks for breast shell advice, they are fab at collecting leaks at night in particular. Also at long lost twins - can I be the evil twin then?

Kyala (and Kinki) - How is potty training going? We are getting there I think - had almost a week of dry days now, though one of the DTs has suddenly decided she doesn't want to poo in her potty anymore and asks for a nappy when she wants to do a poo. Have started to go along with it now after a large "poo protest" in her knickers when I ignored her pleas for a nappy! Sure she will get there in the end.

Is it tonight or tommorow night the clocks go back? Am crap at remembering - turned up at work an hour early once, much to the other staff's amusement "There's always some twat who forgets - bit scary that its the sister in charge though" I have never lived it down

Hope you all have a good weekend x

Hi all, sorry I haven't had time to take part in this thread lately, but hope everybody is coping (that's about all you can hope for at this early stage, isn't it?!)

The post from cupcake78 caught my eye - Cupcake, have you tried switching formulas? DD (now 4yo) was very constipated on one formula (SMA) but we switched her to Aptamil and she was perfectly fine from then on. Different formula brands affect them all differently so it's worth trying another one.

Hello all, hope you're all having a good weekend? (well as best as possible?!). I've been reading everyday but haven't had a chance to post until now...

Nicki - glad you had a successful visit to your parents. As far as wind goes Cerys is awful, she just holds it all down but the infacol seems to be working for us so far, I guess every baby is different!

laksa - brill that Bella is putting on weight . I had just started using the tiger in the tree hold recently then you mentioned it, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but is always worth trying.

kelmcd, thinking of you working hard to get through the night! I accepted your friend request on facebook btw

LLL - we've been using the gaviscon too and I think it might be starting to work now, only thing is it makes Cerys's poo harder which can be difficult with the bag but its all fun!

kyala - well done on finding time to express! Have you considered buying something special for DD1 to do while you're feeding and name it as so? I know its hard to get out but if you do a special trip to the shops with her to get a colouring book or something 'for feeding time' and then you can admire her pictures/colouring (or whatever) from where you are sitting? If you make a big deal out of it, it might help?

fettle - glad it went well at the clinic, keep up the good work We've been getting genuine beams of smiles but only in the mornings - Cerys is definitely a morning person bless her. I'm dreading the school run on Monday morning too! I feel that I should be an expert being as this is my third time but my confidence is shot to bits - we're still figuring Cerys out whereas I had it licked by this time with DS and DD1.

MrsMar - great weight gain for Luca, how is the cream for the thrush going? Hope the wedding went well and that DH's speech got some laughs!

MrsFish - fabulous that Ben is putting on so much weight. I found that Cerys would only take an ounce to an ounce and a half a few weeks ago - 2ounces was a good feed. However the Gaviscon and ranitidine made her hungrier but she got tired quickly because the gaviscon makes the milk thicker. We've introduced the next stage of teats and that seems to have worked as she now takes anything from 2ozs to 3ozs per feed. Would it be worth trying that? I much preferred it to drip feeding lol!

Hammer - LOL at turning up for work an hour early . I believe the clocks go back tonight - shame babies can't tell the time but we can pretend we get an hour more sleep! Wonder how it will effect nighttimes...

diddle, cupcake and tinkjon - I remember you! Welcome to our thread, great to see you!

chattyhan - yay!!!! Lovely to see you too!!!

Well, as I say, we've tried the next teats up for Cerys and they seem to be working, albeit a bit messy at first. She has been so much more settled the last couple of days apart from a couple of 'episodes' with the reflux. I can tell when its bothering her now so at least I know what is coming and what to do and its generally late afternoon evening when it happens. We don't really know what her 'normal' is tbh because she's always had something wrong up to now but I think we're getting there.

She had a flush out (of her lower bowel that she's not using) on Thursday and when they put the tube down, she was pushing up some of the old meconium into the tube, I think it was a big relief for her. She didn't cry this time either but I think that was because I took DD1 with me and she adores her. She always calms her down with her music box, its so sweet to see!

Right, I'd better get on and try to do some tidying up before Cerys wakes from her nap .

Love and hugs to all including Hopey if you're reading xxxxxxx

PLP xxxx

WE are a very sleepy household today. Arben wasn't himself yesterday so we just kinda let him sleep and eat when and how much he wanted which meanta pretty sleepy day and not much food. However we managed to get him asleep in his cot by 9pm and gave him his dream feed about 11pm, another sucessful feed, but boy did we pay when he next woke up at 2.30am. Bless him he was still wide awake and wanting to play at 6am so Dh and i are pretty wacked today, he on the other hand is currently napping on our living room floor he still isn't quite right with a very slight temp and some vomitting Hope you are all having peacful weekends with lots of smiles it certainly does outweigh the sleepless nights (see new pics on profile)
take care and love to all x

Hi All

thanks for all your kind thoughts and messages. The funeral was as good as it can be, it wasn't at all distressing just very sad and moving.

Linus was a star from start to finish and can now add being breastfed in a crematorium to his list of public breastfeeding displays.

We stayed in a hotel the night before and he took it all in his stride, went straight to sleep after a bath in the sink and slept really well - i didn't!

He slept throughout the service and got cuddled an awful lot - it was like having my own personal comfort blanket with me.

Mum would have appreciated the service - very individual and funny at times - we all trooped out to Food Glorious Food from Oliver (my mother was a chef). We had a party afterwards and Linus just hung out gurgling on the floor or being passed around everyone who wanted a cuddle.

I was exhausted afterwards and when we got home, me and Linus went to bed and i snuggled and cuddled him all night and we both got about 9 hours sleep, which we really needed.

Mum's illness and death has been with us since before Linus was born so i think it is time for me to do my grieving but also to really spend some special time with him rather than always having half a mind on Mum.

~Once again thanks all, it has been a really tough time and i know that i still have buckets of sobbing to do. I miss mum more every day and have this ferocious urge to call her and just talk to her. But as my friend said after the funeral "you've done it now, and you never have to do it again."

xx

Hi all, hope you're having a good weekend

PLP: Thanks, good suggestion, aalthough I know for a fact that it'll be a case of dropping Lucy/breast pump and chasing DD2, trying to stop drawing on walls etc (DH had to use an eraser on the hall wall this afternoon!) Will take her for a little trip into town at some point this week and she can pick something though.

Sophus: Glad it all went well, sounds like it was a nice light-hearted event (LOL@ "Food, glorious, food")
I can't say I know what you're going through but now's probably the best time to start grieving but make sure you can discuss things with your HV etc, that way it'll be clear if it turns into PND or anything. Do you have anyone you can remenisce with about your mum? Like siblings etc? Try not to think about the illness and more about her life, I know it's often said that you should try and celebrate their lives, and it's probably really hard, but it sounds like good advice. (I'll shut up now )

Anywho, am expecting a bad night tonight, Lucy has slept really well all day, and last night she decided that she would start crying really loudly just after me feeding her loads and trying to go to bed, she eventually settled but wouldn't settle without the aid of my hand holding hers, very cute but rather a pain as the angle was quite uncomfortable, typical!

Right, I'm off, got to try and chill before bed, have a good one ladies
x

Hi all

Sophus - big hugs - your post brought tears to my eyes. It sounds as if it was the kind of funeral any mother would have loved - she'll be so proud of you and Linus. Linus sounds like he was a star too!I hope you are getting some quality time together on this rainy Sunday.

PLP - that's lovely the Cerys loves her sister - we're pretty sure that Toby gave his first proper, proper smile (no wind involved!!!), while he was being cuddled by DD - he definitely seems to love her singing, talking, stroking and cuddling him - so absolutely lovely. I was really worried before he was born, that I wouldn't have enough love for 2 of them, but it's amazing how your love grows isn't it?!

Anyway, I hope everyone else is doing ok. I'm so of those in a routine - we're still pretty much going with the flow - really can't remember what happened with DD, but it feels as if we were more organised with her. Anyone else find it harder to get 2nd child into a routine, as you have to work around your 1st DC's timings?!

Both DC were up at their usual time this morning - so it's been a long day! Early to bed for us all I think but for 3 nights now, Toby has only fed once between 10.30 and 6.00am - not bad going I think. Got our 6 week checks this week with HV and GP, can't quite believe it's been 6 weeks now!

xxx

Hi everyone - have had a quick skim through posts - but wont have chance to reply to all. Hope everyone is ok. Interesting that quite a few babies seemed to have started fussing over feeds - I saw mentioned somewhere that this is common around 6 week mark - anyone know much about it? Ryan has started fussing at the breast, and he never did before. Am going to head off and investigate. Have good evenings all, catch up properly (if ryan allows) tomorrow.

Hello everyone - hope you've had a good weekend. I actually got 5 1/2 hrs in a block last night which was amazing and our current record!

Sophus - so sorry to hear about your mum i can only imagine how hard these past weeks have been for you. i'm pleased the funeral went as well as it could and that Linus cooperated!

Alex is 6 weeks today and we're both at the docs on tues for our 6 week check. i'm shocked it's only 6 weeks it seems like such a long time ago now!

PLP - glad to hear cerys is doing well and that she adores her big sis ds1's favorite phrase at the moment is 'alex is annoying me'!

ds1 starts playgroup tomorrow and i plan to use the time to ...carve my pumpkin!

Hi everyone, I've had a read through but not much time to reply to all, I'm afraid.

Sophus, I'm so glad to hear the funeral went as well as can be expected. It sounds like it was a really lovely service.

Dal, that's really interesting about fussing at the breast. I've been having a nightmare with feeding Paul over the last few days (he's now five weeks) - he's started writhing around on the breast and then screaming as soon as he comes off. Also, we discovered on Wednesday that he hasn't been gaining any weight for the last week or two . After finding that out, we started giving him a full formula feed in the evening (I express at the same time), and he's really settled after it. But we've also given him top-ups of formula or EBM straight after a couple of his feeds during the day, and I'm surprised/alarmed that he takes at least 2oz very enthusiastically, and is much more settled afterwards. I'm now concerned that he's just not getting enough milk from me, and hasn't been for weeks, and that that's been the source of a lot of the crying. I really want to keep bfing, but I've got a feeling that full formula feeding might only be a matter of time at this rate...

Hope everyone has a good night.

Dal/Mrs Bumblebee - we need to get to the bottom of this.

Poor Toby is doing exactly that at the moment. Seeming to want milk more often than normal, but then writhing at the breast and refusing to latch on, screaming. he then cries/screams intermittently for quite a while, until he either falls asleep or manages to latch on successfully. The cycle starts again until he falls asleep.

DD started doing this around 6 weeks too, but I didnt' have the joy of MN back then and she continued to do it for about 4-6 weeks and I had no idea what was the wrong with her (neither did any health professional I spoke to - the worst time was when my GP & HV decided I must have PND and I was causing my child to cry! WTF!!! - needless to say, I didn't have PND, but that's the support you get - thankfully I live in a different area this time and my HV seems great. I'll speak to her at our 6 week appointment on Wednesday.

Perhaps Tiktok or someone similar would have some advice over on the breast-feeding threads?

Big waves to everyone else.
xxx

excuse my language by the way - just really upsets me when I think back on those few weeks, when I had no support from anyone other than my husband as we'd just moved to a new area far away from any friends or family.
xxx

Sorry but I just need to have a rant!

I've managed to pretend that I'm fine for the best part of the last week, especially with Cerys being more settled. However, we were changing her bag this evening and she was all happy and coo-ing/smiling but I put the bag on slightly wrong so I had to start again. She then started screaming the place down and I got myself in a right state. Why is it that every time she is happy with the whole process, I screw it all up and she ends up crying!? Sometimes I wonder why she had to have this problem - surely it would be better for her if she didn't have such a crap mum whose incapable of coping with all of this? I hate the fact that I can't cope, especially considering I have a very supportive DH and older DC's who are running around helping me all the time. I know what its like to not have that sort of support as my exp was ridiculously unsupportive to the extent that I felt like a single parent. But I coped back then - why can't I cope now? I'm sick of people telling me I'm doing really well when I'm falling apart inside. I'm sorry for being so selfish but I just needed to get that off my chest

sophus - I really feel for you and have been thinking of you lots. So glad that the day went as smoothly as it could. You're right to make time to grieve now as its so easy to avoid it and make it worse in the long run. Big hugs to you xx

I wish I could say something constructive about the latching on thing for all of you, hope you manage to get some help on here with it and sorry you had such a hard time last time fettle. Hats off to all of you for continuing to persevere...

Chattyhan, glad you got some sleep, hope it continues!

Hello dal, was wondering if you were OK!

Love the new pics kelmcd!

fettle - I remember that feeling when DD1 came along, I couldn't imagine loving two children but somehow it happened like magic!

kyala, hope you find the right activity for DD1, sounds like colouring isn't the right one lol! I'm sure you will find something perfect for her to do while mummy is feeding Lucy...

Well, I feel a bit better for getting that off my chest now but the floodgates have opened so I'm off to have a good cry...

plp, I was just having a quick read, I wasn't planning to add just now as its a silly time, but when I saw your post I just had to.

You did the right thing having a rant if you are feeling like that. I won't be so insensitive to say how well you are doing when as you say you are falling apart inside. I'm not walking in your shoes, how could I possibly know? But there is something else I DO know that I will remind you of (as sensitively as I can!).

And that is all the while you are managing to your own family's needs you come on here thinking and suppporting all of us. You give us not only your time, but your experience, help and friendship. And that is fact. I bet I'm not the only one who's noticed and benefited from this. I bet you're like this in rl. So those feelings of being a 'crap mum' and 'incompetent' are almost certainly just that - feelings, not fact. That's not to be dimissive of feelings, they can be big and ugly and hurt us very much. But please remember feelings aren't the same as fact. You can be feeling like you are crap, but you can still be a wonderful mum too. (Hope you're reading this too Hopey!) You can argue all you like that I'm speculating, but can I politely remind you of something you wrote earlier? You told us how lovely dd1 is with Cerys, how she can settle her and how much Cerys adores her. So, who exactly is dd1's role model? Who taught her to be so loving to her little sis? Who taught her how to settle her? Ummmm? You can't have such a loving family by being a crap mum.

I'll chase that up by saying though that I regularly call myself a crap mum too. I've told dh and a few friends that, and they all say 'course you're not, you're managing really well'. But I feel they aren't listening to me. I get really pissed off when they dismiss how I feel, bet you do too. So how about we become the founding members of the crap mum club. Exclusive membership for those who feel like they're crap at this motherhood business. All members are allowed to feel unashamedly crap, if that's what they want to, no matter how well they appear to be coping to others. Anyone care to join? Please excuse my inane waffling - I've had a drink or two tonight. (or 3 or 4)

Just today I was filling dh in with the Sept baby news. I told him that out of about 60 babies all were born alive and well. And there is a little girl called Cerys who was born with an incomplete bowel who needs surgery soon to fix it. Like he said it puts our moans about colic, hiccups and twisted neck into perspective. You've got a lot on your plate plp, you are allowed to wobble. Much love to you. x I'll post again when I'm a bit more sober.

Great post kinki - very eloquent for someone who has had a drink or four I agree with every word

hello - plp i was good, just at my mums for a few days and without internet connectivity. missed you guys!

have had texts from hopey and holly - holly had mastitis, but otherwise is ok.

re. the fussing at the breast; i definitely read that it is normal at this stage. will start thread on bfeeding topic to get more info on why. am not worried about how much milk ryan is getting; he is growing and producing mammoth poos, but it is just taking longer to feed him. he is feeding much more often at the moment, daytime feeds have lapsed back to 2 1/2 hr feeds. i wonder if it coincides with a growth spurt!

sophus - hugs, the funeral sounds lovely. make sure you take time for yourself now.

plp - you deserve to get that off your chest. and you are not a poor mother. as kinki says, you have way more to contend with than us and we are feeling overwhelmed at the best of times. i think you are doing a sterling job! and cerys is a very lucky girl to have you as her mum!

hugs to everyone.

here here kinki!!!!

big hugs PLP.
xxxx

posted on bfeeding about the increased fussiness. link below.

fussy feeding

I'm with kinki on that too.

see you soon, maybe after the big day though now.
which the 'in-laws' are now saying thet aren't coming to.....

HI everyone. Haven't been on for a while as I have tonsilitis and feel horrible. What makes it worse is partner is working away!

However Millie is doing well and BFing is okay.

However im with those that are experiencing the fussiness on the breast. Pleased it's not just me!