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

[Mrsjaffabiffa]

Morning........

Hi all, have had a better few days with Jack thank you. His sleeping is slightly better - in as much that he hasnt come into our bed. He woke at 12, 4 & 7 so thats not too bad. Ella has slept through the last two nights so i am feeling a bit more rested and a little less stressed.

Thank you for all your kind comments I think i had just gotten to the end of my tether with him. I am now trying to be really positive with him in the hope that we can turn the corner. I also think that the problem is coming from nursery. One of the other mums is having similar problems and it seems to be because the room of 12 kids is made up of 9 boys and 3 girls...... all the boys run riot all day and it seems to be coming home with them.

MrsJB, how are you all today? How did H take the sad news?

Julie, you know that the P&T makes sense I got mine from this site www.pramworld.co.uk/index.html?pageTitle=Phil_and_Teds&pageDesc=&action=search&submit=go&maincatID=0 &searchtype=catID&quicksearch=219 its 420 for the p&t, doubles kit, raincover & cocoon

Lups, of course i will keep in touch. There is always time for a KK

Scoot, did you want those moving house notelets?

No one has come forward to claim the nice chunky knit cardi i seem to have stolen..... its from next size 3-6mths.....

AM, great to hear that things are a bit better your end. Ella sounds like such a superstar baby! Do all little boys come with a search and destroy element? The idea of 9 of them at once makes the eyes water somewhat.

Soh, forgot to say, am glad the parcel arrived.

When i was at clinic on Monday there was a lady in there whos dd was born on my edd (3rd May) she was asking about weaning and the hv suggested blw even at 4.5mths old!! she was saying when having an apple cut a slice off for baby and let them hold it. they may just lick it - am sure that the Tank would 'just' lick . So perhaps you dont have to wait til 6mths........

Ahhh Lazytown. the most ANNOYING programme EVER. Yet ds thinks it is great. That bloosy Stephanie drives me mad - she is actually 16 now!!

Ella has her moments..... I think she is sleeping better because she is having a formula bottle at bed time. I feed her at 6pm and then bottle at 7.30pm. If she wakes in the night then i feed her but the formula is now starting to go down a treat

thanks AM am looking for somewhere that sells it so I can try it out in store.

SOH glad to have you back to your old self,

AM I too am doing a bottle of formula and it works a treat but I'm giving it to A at dreamfeed time 2 nights all through so far lets hope it continues - although I am sure it will all go wrong next week as we are having A circumcised.

Right had better get on there is an ominous smell coming from the floor - I believe its called Archie's arse

J is currently chatting to the washing machine

Good to hear you sounding a bit more upbeat April. I'm afraid boys just go on getting louder and more boisterous but oh how they love their mums

SOH, you don't have to puree and puree it, you can leave it a little lumpy, babies have an automatic gag reflex and if it is too big they kind of go purple in the face for a moment and then it comes back out, on second thoughts you might not be too comfortable with that! Don't spend hours worrying about to wean or not to wean, just do it when you feel ready for it. I am much lazier than you are and even I have succombed!

Lazy town??? Never seen it but have often seen the mustachioed Sportacus and thought that he cut quite a dashing figure. Thank goodness we don't have cbeebies

Oh TYG, J also makes that odd kind of funny face with the first two spoonfuls then he gets into it a bit, saying that he's not so interested today, but we have red cheeks, runny nose and screaming waking fits last night, which all mean one thing - a tooth is on its way, what joy, hope it comes through quickly.

Abby have things calmed down a bit now?

Hi guys, yes things are better now thanks. R eventually fell asleep in her car seat in the hall with a blanket over the top to make it dark. If there was a stubborness award, that girl would win it!
AM glad you're having a better time with J and SOH glad to hear you're feeling so much better. I actually got R to eat 2 icecubes worth of sweet potatao today. I just gave her the whole bottle first and then she ate it no problem.

Hi all.

We're all sick in the MKG house. I'm sick, Cruz is miserable and Mateo is pretty much back to his normal self. Mateo has been sleeping in his big-boy bed for a week now and he really likes it. He has a new story that I have to read him every time he goes to sleep. All I have to say is "Let's go read Marta" (a story about a cow that rides a bicycle) and he goes up the stairs and gets into bed. I've been off work for the past 3 days and Cruz has been sucking me dry since. He even fell asleep next to me last night clutching my nipple in his hand as if he was saying, "Mama don't go away from me anymore" We put an offer in on a house and we should hear back sometime tomorrow about whether it was accepted or not. I hope we get it. It is a Victorian with a gorgeous staircase, stained glass windows and the most hideous kitchen ever imaged (will be our first project)OK gotta go, mucousy kids are screaming, and all I want to do is hide in my bed.

Hello all...........

Thank you for your kind words about Marmite. Can't believe how upsett we've all been over a cat. Harrison took the news badly, poor thing. I didn't sleep a wink last night worrying about how to tell him. He came down this morning and as usual said where's Marmite? I took a deep breath and said, sweetheart I'm sorry but I have something sad to tell you. Marmite was very poorly last night and we had to take him to the animal hospital. He was so poorly that I'm afraid he died. That means he's gone to sleep forever and he won't wake up again. God so far in the things you have to break to your children that was the hardest thing I've had to do. He's a bright lad and understood, he said he'd heard him crying last night before we took him and with that he burst into tears. He sobbed and sobbed, when he'd calmed down he asked where he was? We had him in his box at home so that we could put him under the apple tree in the garden. He wanted to see him so dh took him to see him, H stroked him and sobbed some more. It was heart breaking and I'm now crying re-writting it. They buried him in his blanket before school this morning, and we all cried some more. H has been upset on and off all day apparently and the first thing he did when we got home was run to the apple tree to talk to him. He's just been to say goodnight before bed too and came back crying. I'm hoping tomorrow will be a new day and I'm sure his pain will ease each day but it's hard seeing him upset. Maddie doesn't understand and just keeps saying, Marmite died, which upsets H some more.
ho hum, you can't win them all though, it's just another hurdle to make us all stronger.

I hope everyone is ok, I'm off dancing this evening. line dancing, lol It's my excuse for some me time and some excersise.

hi all, seems they have forgotten at least for today, we have no phone but internet is intact for today so your stuck with me for tnite at least

My landlord sent us a nice letter threatening to kick us out if we didnt pay our back rent - silly arse!! we have it all and i would gladly like to shove it somewhere dark - he will be so pleased when with his rent he gets a letter telling him that we need the hole in the roof fixed, the loft insulated - as there is none, and the front door replaced as its so rotten that when it rains it swells up so you cant open the door, and the back door needs replacing as it is so rotten it lets in rain when there is heavy rain!! Portugal is looking so appealing atm

On a positive note my little (well not so little) baby is now sleeping 12 hours, dinner at 5.00, last milk at 6.30 bed at 7.00 and wakes up at 7.00 gets milk at 7.15am, ohhh i am blessed, i was giving him a dream feed at 11, but the other night i was so tired i went to bed and thought i would just feed him when he woke which used to be about 3am if i left him, but he never woke and it has been like that ever since

Abbey - A has both, but tbh he will probably live in snowsuits, he was bundled up in one today - looked like a big teddy bear

SOH I did watch that last night and was soooo shocked, it really is abuse, i have nothing against letting a baby cry for a bit - especially if you have other children - but that was outrageous, my hv suggested i put A in the garden when he was really hungry to try and eek him out a bit - guess what no way and now he eats and sleeps like a dream, on the weaning front just do what feels right for you - i must say that to me it sounds like tank is well and truly ready but you have to feel comfortable with it - i knew arlen would be fine starting as early as he was, its just what your happy with as a mother, just read on a bit further Arlen was 3.5 months when hv suggested weaning him 1 meal a day - also alot of his meals arent totally pureed especially with carrot or banana - get a annabel Karmel hand blender takes all the work out of it

MJB so sorry to hear about your kitten, poor little mite, at least you were brave enough to allow him not to suffer for too long - big hugs to you

AM glad you had a better night - life always looks better when your well slept, dont feel bad about having some time to yourself, we all need it here and there

MKG sorry you are all ill, hope you feel better soon

Cant believe how cold it has got all of a sudden, i hate being cold, have put A to bed in one of those fleecy all in ones, his little arms and hands were just too cold in a grobag, might go back to them once we start putting the heating on

Right hopefully see you all tomorrow if not will be back as soon as possible, thanks for all your kind messages, we will be out of this mess soon, at least my dp is now coming out of his depression - feels like i have a new man thats the biggest relief tbh - it has left us financially ruined but we're all well and happy and thats the main thing

Lups glad you are still here and at the big wee man's sleeping.

Mrs JB have been in tears reading your post, lots of love to your family.

Lups quick one as far as I can remember you are entitled to withhold rent if your landlord is refusing to repair your property.

Thanks julie I will bear that in mind, we havent yet mentioned the repairs to him but the house has been in this condition since we moved in - he has taken it over from his dad who died so i think he sees it as a pita

Evening all

Its good to see lots of us still battling sleep issues. Lexie has been a good sleeper to an extent really, and we had finally broken the 'sleeping with mummy and daddy' habit. But since the bloody rash, we're back to square one. Mainly cos I let her back in with us and she was taken to a & e two nights in a row which has totally thrown her off and she was completely hysterical before bed tonight, and so was I for that matter. Which doesn't help anyone, I do realise.

Anyone got an advice for daddies that are feeling a bit upset cos baby only wants mummy? Dh was still being a bit weird with me cos I asked my mum to come to a & e with us on Monday night. He just handles stressful situations totally differently to me, I am a hugely emotional person, where he detaches himself a bit and tells me to 'get a grip' and starts having a go at me for any reason he can think of. His new thing is, 'she just wants you'. I do seem to be in favour at the moment, but surely she'll have phases where she just wants her dad too! Its making home life really strained, whereas before this last week I really felt like we were pulling together and a real team. Now I feel like we're poles apart again and consequently my mum is supporting me again. I'm terrified to start the sleep training (i.e. getting her back into her own bed) again tonight as I can't bear arguments at 4am.

I'm worried that we'll be like this every time we have a stress with her forever. I need him to envelop os both and support me. Support us.

when will i get some sleep again? ive got a constant tiredness headache.
week before last we were on hols. and if baby woke up a little bit more during night i put it down to being in new place.
last week Freddie had chicken pox. and i was so worried about fever, being covered in spots etc etc that i didnt even notice how much he was awake at night. in fact i think i would have been getting up anyway to check he was ok and take temperature etc.
anyway now hes over that and most of spots have dropped off now but hes not sleeping well.
he has bottle of formula at bedtime (has about 8 oz!) goes til 12.15. i feed him. wakes again at 1.30 i soothe him back. wakes again at 3.35 i feed him, again at 5 something i sooth him. then awake at 7.15. blowing raspberries, and gives me the biggest smile when i go to pick him up!
before all this he would sleep 7 til 3 4 or 5 sometimes. would only wake once in the night.
what can i do to get him to sleep longer at night?
hes 16 weeks old. now in own cot in own room. is bfed apart from one bottle of forumla at bedtime.

im so tired i dont feel like doing anything during the day. then i feel guilty for not doing things, going to mother baby things, and generally feel like im turning into a crap mother.

mum suggested babyrice, my sister says no its too early. i just dont know whats for the best?

There are a couple of things that it could be MID, when ds or dd have had their sleep pattern interupted it can sometimes take a few weeks to get back to what they were doing before hand. Also i think at 16 weeks there is another growth spurt/developmental change, coupled with this they are starting to become more mobile (rolling over, thrashing legs and arms etc etc). All this change in growth and mobility will mean that they are using more energy therefore making them hungry more often. The only thing that i can suggest it to try F with a little rice and if he chew your hand off then great and if he isnt bothered/doesnt want it then maybe he is still getting over his pox and is just trying to get back into his old routine. I have been weaning Ella for the last month and her sleep levels got better and then worse - i took this as a sign that she needed more than one meal a day - then better and worse - cue all 3 meals - and also added a bottle of formula at night time to see how that worked. As a result we have had 3 nights in a row where she has slept through (even last night despite being full of snot) - ds on the other hand is another story

I hope my waffling makes sense......

madeindevon, the 16 week growth spurt is the most difficult. M's lasted 2 weeks and she fed, fed, fed, fed, fed. It's the most common reason why people wean too early because they think their baby is ready but it's just the mother of all growth spurts. I can't advise really as M never sleeps but the best advice for growth spurts is to be baby led ie feed as much as he wants and try to increase the amount he has during the day, especially the evening to try and get a longer stretch at night. And sleep whenever he sleeps. I kept repeating to myself 'this too is a phase'. It lasts longer than the other spurts too, usually nearer weeks than days. When he comes out the other side he will probably have learnt some new tricks, he just needs the fuel to boost him.

Definitely don't give rice yet, he's still too tiny. Good luck and hang on in there.

Pinjenny I think all of our babies are just entering the stage where they begin to realise that they are separate from us. It's a huge shock to their system and they start to become more clingy to us. They had 9 months in us, spend 4 months or so thinking they're still part of us and then realise that mummy actually does leave the room and you can't see/feel/hear/smell her anymore. It is just a phase and one that she will come out the other side of. Could you try making a fuss when he comes in but keep her with you? ie'Look Lexie, it's Daddy, look at Daddy pulling silly faces [cue Daddy pulling faces]' and work up to 'look Daddy's going to play with you [hand her over but stay and keep the chatter going]'. Reassure him that it's normal and soon she'll be such a Daddy's Girl that he'll be craving a free minute. My dh also takes M out for an hour every day, to the supermarket, for a walk, to look at the ducks etc.

You may also notice her becoming very shy around other people and family members and clinging to you for support.

And talk to each other about support and why you rang your Mum. Explain exactly how frightened you were. When I broke down on DH explaining that I didn't go through a 24hr nightmare labour to have the best thing ever to happen to us just to sit back and relax when I'm terrified she's going to be taken away again- he cottoned on that I was very scared.

Heloooooooo

LG&T, bit brief today . But helllllllooooooooooo back atcha.

Do you realise I still have your birthday present here? How useless am I? I will post it today! How's the brood?

ok thank you and thank you.
my instinct is to try and "ride it out" for a few weeks and hope it gets better.
only after that try the rice if nothing has changed. it cant be good for Freddie not having a long sleep either can it?

i just wish i had more help at times like this. dh is gone by 6 in the morning and not been getting home til gone 7. so hes even missing bath time and bedtime feed which he used to do. i cant even be glad weekend is around the corner as he wont be here then either.

So much to catch up on and i only vanished for a day (shopping to be done )

SOH im so relieved to see you back, have been worrying about you. I know why you torture yourself over doing the best for M and i wont play them down. Her delivery was awful and im sure not a day goes past when you dont think about it, but you must remember it was not your fault. M is fine, a healthy happy little bundle just getting through the normal baby hurdles, albeit nasty ones. She is developing at a phenomenal (sp?) rate and you are guiding her through it fantastically. Just remember that she will guide you too, it is M who will be your leader in most things related to her. The books and advice (extremely varied) are just guides too and the advice we are given for everything to do with babies\pregnancy changes all the time. No one really knows what they are doing. The best person to make decisions like this is you and your baby. Please, please dont torture yourself at every milestone, M is a credit to you and she will love her mommy and be thankful for it all when she is a big girl (next week )

AM im very glad you are feeling better today, it is a phase (dreaded word) and he will be lovely soon. All mine are very mommy loving

MrsJB poor little marmite, im so sorry for you. When the bunnies we had were foxnapped at xmas the twins took it the worst and Sam was very upset. They didnt take long to get over it though, the promise of new bunnies made it better i think.

MID i think it is probably just going to take a while to get him back in to a routine, i would give it another few days. Try soothing him rather than feeding him in the night unless he gets beyond the comfort zone and demands food. It will get better.

Lups your blardy landlord sounds like a knob jockey, lets hope he sorts the place out for you soon. Hope you get back online quick, we will miss you.

Have forgotten what else has been posted will go and re read

Aaaaahhhhhh yes that devil incarnate woman on the telly Im mean WTF was that about, surely child abuse charges will be bought against her after that? DH was watching it with me and was horrified to see that not only was she spouting this twaddle but being paid a £1000 a day for it!!!! Clearly a world gone mad. I couldnt turn it off, it was like watching a horror movie i had to see the end to see if the bad guy\gohst\ghoul gets it, sadly she did not

"im Sportacus", "no im Sportacus" etc... It has been done in Lazytown between Robbie Rotten (impersonating Sportacus) and Sportacus. Of course the kids flippin love it

Now PinkJenny i have had a few episodes before whereby my darling child (insert any of them here) would refuse me in favour of Daddy It goes round and round, now im quite grateful when they ask for him. "please change my nappy\wipe my bum", "who would you like to do it" says mommy, "daddy", said the child Just remind of moment like these to come.