MAY 07 Post natal - This time a year ago it was all just beginning, look at us now...........................

[Mrsjaffabiffa]

Morning........

sorry TYG meant to give you a bit of encouragement re feeding, am just a bit obsessed that A is not getting enough food from me.

Dont worry about DD1, I was one of 4 girls and when myself and elder sister were little my parents didnt have enough money to send us to loads of things or private schools but by the time the others came along they were more financially stable. Thats just the way it goes dont feel guilty about it.

TYG, that will be great if S can get into the cricket club, both my niece and nephew play for a team in the UK. They are 10 and 13 and they love it. Don't feel bad about what you are able to do now compared to when S was small. I have 4 sisters, 2 brothers, only one of my brothers is younger than me. I have twin sisters who are 12 years older than me. They do remember the differences in what we could do as kids but are certainly never resentful about it. They are more pleased about having the opportunities at a later date, for example university, first cars, holidays etc.... We have never been treated the same it has always been a case of who needs what? My younger brother went to private school, I didn't want to so I didn't. It hasn't done me any harm. (I think) Apart from the obvious lack of being able to spell
S will understand I'm sure, just give her the chances now to follow what she wants to do if you can.

I'm sure the babies are getting enough food, they would damn well tell you if they were not. Have faith and trust your little one they are very clever.

She may be clever but she can't quite manage " I think I'd like lunch instead of Dinner today mummy"
So is it Breakfast, lunch or Dinner. I don't know when to give Jorja her one meal a day. How long before I go on to 2 meals? Jeasus you'd think I hadn't done this twice already but I can't remember.

Thanks. I know you're all right, it's just hard to feel balanced sometimes. I was quite a nice Mammy yesterday and made lots of goodies and sent both DD and DH off with a box of things to share at school/ work.

LG&T - You'd be proud of me. Used up the old bananas in muffins and a banana loaf and made a yummy lemon syrup loaf, which was very much like a lemon drizzle cake I think. Just polished off the last bit of that. YUM! I was bake-tastic yesterday.

TYG - remember what a fabulous job you have done so far in bringing up S, she wont be resentful I'm sure. I'm also one of 4 with 9 years between me and my spoilt little sister and I don't feel resentful of all that lovely extra time she had with my mum and the tuba lessons and the running training and the bedroom to herself, nope no way.

Rosyth? Really LG&T how funny, i used to go to ballet lessons in Rosyth. Sadly my scottish accent has become 'southernified' but I can do a mean impression of a Glasgow accent when pushed.

GOOD LUCK ABBY for today, hope it went well and you enjoyed yourself.

MrsJB, i really should be giving J another meal I think, but I just can't fit it in . I think i may try baby cereal in the morning but i need to be a darn sight more organised.

I just took the perfect baby to Taunton to go shopping and the only time he is not perfect is when we are shopping. Yell, yell, cup of coffee and booby snack, yell, yell. I got fed up of hearing 'ooo 'es not 'appy is he?' 'do you think if he was happy he would be turning puce and yelling like that?' I wanted to shout back, but I didn't. So I took him home.

I was going to type a scintillating and witty little post but on account of feeling- and this is a technical term- Bloody Awful, I will instead type:

Fuckety doo dah.

Fuckety doo dah is witty enough for me.

MrsJB - I meant to say - I found that A responded well to her first "meals" after her first nap, so say, 11.30am ish. I'd do her feed when she woke up and then give her half an hour and then give her a bit of mush.

For Cam - Now I'm doing that and a "tea" at around 4 or 5, depending on naps/ level of afternoon grumpiness.

The way I see it, that's "brunch" and "tea" and when I need to up to three meals, then it won't be hard to move both back a little to fit in "breakfast" at say, 8am, after morning feed, but before morning nap.

Does that make sense? Obv you need to fit it in with your day, but you see where I'm going with it.

I faffed about putting porridge in the food processor this morning to make it like a powder (like baby rice) and then couldn't get the consistency right and A got so pissed off fed up waiting, that she didn't want any when I finally did sort it out. Oh well. Try again tomorrow.

Has anyone else noticed that their babies won't nap outside of the cot/ bed now? It was so easy when I could just pop her in the pram for a nap. Now she wakes up after 10 mins unless I'm out walking. Dammit. Her room is too far away... Lazy, lazy, lazy.

Are you not feeling so good SOH? Or lack of sleep?

Yep I see where you are TYG, J naps for about half an hour after/during the school run and when he wakes up we are normally 'somewhere' and not at home.. then he naps again around 11.30 to 1 or 2 ish, I guess I could give him something then when he wakes and after I have picked up ds1 from pre-school, as we are normally at home then.He then has his tea at 5ish. Breakfast is difficult because sometimes he doesn't wake up til 7.30 and then has a large amount of booby so would presumably be too full for any mush at 8ish.. ho hum its not easy. Likewise he seems to be perfectly content with just having his tea and a bottle before bed as he is only waking once now. So maybe I'll continue as we are for a couple of weeks more....

Oh I haven't been to bed and it's turned me into a person I don't really like. Haven't seen dh all weekend and the first morning we get together in a while and we're both so bloody knackered that I'm a snippy witch and he's grumping about the place. Started doing that ridiculous thing I'm sure all married couples do when they're tired where we make stupid and hurtful generalisations out of sheer fatigue. For example, I remind dh that he needs to put a clean nappy on dd before he dresses her and he declares 'ooh you always criticise the way I parent'. Or M fills her nappy as soon as I put it on and I sigh 'why do you always do that'. She obviously doesn't always do that but I'm in some mire of martyrdom that I frankly do not like on myself.

Am Bad Mummy too as have spent most of the day leaving M under gyms and in bouncy chairs because I'm so knackered I can't manage the interactive, fun, storytelling, throwing in the air and generally frolicking mummy role I usually aim for. And worst of all I'm counting down the hours till her bedtime when I can eat fudge, drink tea and fall asleep. I think wishing hours of her life away is unforgivable.

I think the one consistent emotion across all mothers is guilt.

Going to try and play with M for a while. She's a neglected wee urchin today.

Yours,

TheSnippyWitch
Norfolk

Will he eat cold stuff, Cam? I bought food pots with lids for when I need to go out. I put the frozen cubes of mush in and if she'll be eating a lot later, I leave them to defrost in there, or start them off in the microwave before I go.

DH was on about finding some way of stopping A rolling/ wriggling off her changing table, but I think a rug for the floor would be a better idea and change her there, where she can't fall.

Going to have to start thinking baby-proof. Just stuff like not having wires around the floor (she tried to put laptop charger in mouth earlier) and closing the door if I'm not right beside her in a room. She can wriggle backwards a little now, so could surprise me soon by wriggling to the stairs, or the cellar door. Eek. Even the kitchen has two steps down into it.

Ho hum. Back to watching Rebus. Thank goodness for Sky+.

SOH - leaving her under her gym etc some of the time is good for her. She's learning independent play. It's very important. Whilst you want her to grow up loved and happy, which she obviously is; she's also of an age where she can learn to have fun on her own.

A sometimes plays for up to an hour, more or less alone and when she gets fed up then she comes to me for cuddles and entertainment. I mean, I know you're very continuum concept, but honestly, "real life" has to happen too. Even if you don't do housework and stuff whilst M is up and like to spend the whole day with her; "real life" can be days like today, when you're just too blardy knackered to move. Or indeed, for people who have other children to mind - babies have to be left to get on with it sometimes. It's not going to affect her development. Really.

Afternoon ladies

Guilt is the single most hideous emotion all mothers are afflicted with. It sucks.

The stopping bf is going erm...slowly. Im just too damn busy. He has had his jabs today too so feel awful and have been letting him snack whenever he whimpers. Bless him.

I give B brekkie at 8 now before i leave for school, he loves it. Fave meal of the day i think, they have all loved cereal.

TYG you are going to need stair gates galore then in 6 months! When i read your post i though you were going to say a rug on the floor to catch her!!! Thought that was a little harsh

On the guilt with siblings i too have spoilt younger siblings. I dont hold it against my parents at all that they waited till we had moved out before embarking on a fabbo holiday to Disney Land I totally understand though and have the same guilt now with my own. S will be fine If not send her over here and she will soon see how much time and what a devoted mammy she has. >

Off to make the tea, B grumpy though so not sure how far i will get. Poor neglected other children.

I did realise whilst typing about the rug that I'd better say, "on which to change her", rather than just leaving it open ended.

A is having a very grumpy day. She's been trying all day to roll from back to front, is getting about 90% over and giving up and getting mucho frustrated and shouting at me.

Bottle feeding is er... not going at all today. I'm going to do bedtime with a bottle of formula from now on me thinks, and see how the milk supply goes. Have put away the pump. Not going to bother with it unless I'm out/ away for more than one feed. Have ordered some additional bottles and teats for Fussy Madam.

Does anyone use Breast Flow bottles or want to try them? I have three bottles and only tried one of them a couple of times. Can post if anyone would like them. twelveyeargap at googlemail dot com

Just saw that old thread about not needing to sterilise is back up. Hurrah. I'd forgotten about that.

Hi everyone, I'm back and i survived. Despite the class from hell I have made it through my first day and Ruby was an agel for the cm of course. Just a flying visit as I'm about to cook/pack the bags for tomorrow/mark books/prepare work etc etc. Oh the joys of being a working mum!

yes talk to me about sterilising, do we really need to? I only do the bottles and do it in cold water solution as we don't have a microwave (close your mouths please). Toys, spoons, plates etc, clean but its not the end of the world if they fall on the floor, I reckon 2 kids survived the germs of Africa without much sterilising, so Somerset must be clean heaven in comparison. Certainly no giant land snails to munch, that's for sure.

SOH, I sure wish I had left dd to her own devices a little more often as she refused to play independently until about oh last week Naturally I still feel guilty about not spending enought time with her, guilt guilt guilt.

lol at the rug, I too thought you were going to place it strategically to cushion little A should she tumble Not that we think that badly of you you understand.

What cereal do you give B LG&T? How are you managing without Hugs?

I've got pots with lids, TYG, the problem is more that when we are out and about in the morning we tend to be doing something like food shopping, general shopping, aerobics (me obviously not J) and jobs where there is not enough time to stop and feed him I need to get more organised.

Where's the thread about sterilising TYG. I'm not great at it. Was religious with H and then not so good with M and am positively rubbish with J.
I only do her bottles. Shant bother with spoons, bowls etc... didn't do M any harm not doing them. Would be really interested to have a look at the thread though.

Good morning all.

Just to confirm before I start blathering on about all sorts of other nonsense, I have no problem whatsoever with independent play. In fact M finds me positively dull and often much prefers a grub about on the floor with the Cookie Monster (new favourite toy to suck to death). What I was feeling guilty about yesterday was the fact that she was playing with stuff designed to keep her quiet and amused while I stared vacantly into space. I was abdicating my responsibilities to the God of plastic tat.

Ended up with a raging migraine yesterday due to lack of sleep, no liquid and no food all day. Me and M went to bed at 5pm, she woke at 11 and 3 for food and otherwise we both slept until 6.30. That's a farking brilliant night.

Tis chilly this morning. I realised about half an hour ago that I couldn't put any more layers on my chubby little offspring lest she actually turn into a ball and roll away. The heating is officially on.

Gawd I'm dreading babyproofing. M can wiggle backwards a bit too and has commando crawl down to a fine art. Unfortunately the elderly relatives that own our house like to collect crap nick nacks and things with sharp corners. We also have two very steep flights of stairs, live next to an unfenced river and have a balcony on the first floor. Really need to move.

re sterilising. You don't need to. Tis all a myth. Will try and find the thread. Basically microbiologists will tell you to either use the dishwasher if you have one or wash with hot, soapy water and leave to air dry. Actually better for children that way. I don't sterilise my boobs at all.

Hooooraaaay no steriliser needed then at all? Can i pack it away? Did i spend £25 on ebay for nothing? Will manage to regain a whole side of my tiny compact kitchen if i can!

B was v grumpy from his nasty 3 lots of jabs yesterday, nurofened him and packed him off to bed and he woke at 7!!!!

Dishyblonde B has the Hipp Organic apple, orange and bannana cereal suitable from 4 months with no gluten. He loves it. J must join him. I gave B carrots the other day, green beans the next and a mixed cube of them both the next, guess what? If you mix the two together they apparantly become poison Babies....

Work this morning, wonder how many there will be today. Tis pissing it down with rain and i am still wearing flip flops, must must get some boots. Really like flip flops though Perhaps they could invent water proof ones?

Cant spell, red pen me 97%

M has her 3 jabs today. Please don't let it bother her. The others were fine, wouldn't know she'd had them.

LG&T consider yourself covered in pen. Where can we stay nearish you? Fancy a self-catering cottage and am going to search for one in Hampshire somewhere but wondered if you had any recommendations?

Had multiple nightmares about vaccinations last night. Hate it.

thread about sterilising

Well apparently just talking about giving up breastfeeding makes your periods come back. FFS.

I haven't had a period in about 4 years. Got a Mirena coil, which stopped my periods, had it removed and got pregnant, breastfed... Managed to find some Tampax at the back of a cupboard last night. Not very farkin' happy about it.

I appear to have killed the thread...

We're frightened it's catching!

I have heard that after bf periods can still be erratic, so one period and then nothing for months on end.

[hopeful]

Sorry I disappeared. Took M for her final jabs. After all the worry about them she didn't even notice. Laughed through them all. It's the chubbiness, has deadened her nerves.

You do know chocolate is obligatory during a period? And you've got years of hormonal chocolate to catch up on. There, a silver lining.

You could be right there, about the chocolate. I did make myself a lemon loaf thingy and eat ALMOST HALF.

Glad M was ok. Bless her. A had hers early last week and whilst she didn't notice the first one, she wailed for the second two. She still has bruises.

It blardy well is catching, I too am getting those tell tale signs Stroppy, me? No way. Eat chocolate, me? No way give it to me now.

I'm glad M was ok. Chubbiness, don't you just love it? especially when you give them a good old kiss under the layers of their chin and they do that oh-so-cute baby chuckle. I could (almost) have another one...