October 2007 - the golden piglets have landed

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I couldn't find a postnatal thread - not sure if I am just missing it with post-childbirth brain! Anyone else around??

Dreadful, dreadful day ... found out this morning that one of the girls I went to antenatal yoga with has lost her baby at term - words are just useless ... am feeling so for her and her family.

C has now got just days left to live - and his parents are getting all graspy over money, and threatening his partner (of 20+ years) with all sorts ... it all comes down to money - so

FT - am very impressed with your level of activity - I seem to be paralysed into complete inactivity at the moment.

I'm going to my first baby yoga session tomorrow - with the same teacher I did antenatal yoga with ... it's going to be really sad.

love to all.

ejt honey thats awful. Puts all our worries about sleepless nights and crying babies into perspective really...

at c's family behaving like that before he's even gone too! Some people have no shame.

Thinking of you and your family x

hi all - flying visit again, sorry not to read all posts.
really sorry ejt to hear your sad news - poor woman.

We sre generally doing ok... Ronan seems to feed constantly, so may have to start ff at night soon, as it is very tiring. He is getting lovely and chubby tho - looks bigger than 1 month.

Still having the 10 oclock screams... am just waiting for tonights, but not stressing too much over it now - I just let him get it out of his system, which tires him and me out!
He's starting to smile now - and you can forgive them anything when they do this can't you?
Hope everyone is well... xx

He doesn't sleep like that every night but it is great when he does. He got me up at six today but I would rather that than get up in the night. He has started to do wee smiles and they are the best thing ever.

Ejt that is awful... poor woman and her family... Since we had Rebecca I've been much more aware of how dangerous birth is - I keep thinking if I hadn't been being monitored due to induction, they wouldn't have discovered her distress so early, and anything could have happened. Thankfully it didn't but it's so scary.

And I can't believe how C's family are all behaving - shocking!

Stefka, bravo on the sleep thing. Rebecca slept 11-1.30, 2.30- 5.30, then 6.30 onwards. It takes an hour to feed and then get her to sleep and she seems to feed every three hours so I get two hours sleep in between. This is not a recipe for a longterm happy mummy. Oh and we had no wine last night in the house other than posh bottles given for a special occasion so I didn't want to dip into those. And I really wanted some wine... But then she was doing that annoying snacking thing so it's probably good that I didn't get any wine.

I've now written nearly 30 thank you cards and still a huge pile to go... Rebecca has the most beautiful clothes imaginable... and her mummy is scruffing around in tracksuit bottoms and t-shirts, because my maternity jeans fall below my C-section big knicker line and my other maternity trousers fall down too, but my normal ones are uncomfortably tight... I am not a fashion statement at the mo but my daughter is!

Dal, going out at night sounds fine to me - Rebecca seems to stay much warmer than me cos she's all wrapped up in her snowsuit etc... how is the ff going?

My aunt and uncle are coming to see Rebecca today - otherwise we're just going to chill, I think. We went out yesterday and Rebecca was stopped constantly by cooing passersby. It makes you so proud and privileged that you made this little being!

Have a good day, all...

EJT- (((((big hugs)))) that poor, poor woman....something similar happened to a woman who went to aquanatal with me; her little boy "Dexter" was born with a rare fatal genetic metablolic abnormality and I was admitted to the ward just as she was finally allowed to take the poor mite out of special care and take him home at 3 weeks old to die with his family...I didn't want to tell anyone on our antenatal thread about it because it was so upsetting paticulary for anyone about to give birth...my heart goes out to the that poor woman and her family. And at Cs family..some people have no humanity.

Dal- not going out at night is such an old fashioned idea...it stems from the days of coal fires and smoke filled air causing pea souper fogs.....crikey at this time of year you would be stuck indoors from 4pm if things were still that bad!

Stefka- I the good nights sleep we are 8 weeks in and still feeding at 10-11ish, 1-2ish, 4-5ish and 7-8ish

Choc- I know just what you mean when people stop and coo..it's just wonderful... I must admit I used to feel much the same when people used to stop and ask about my dog Thane (he's quite a striking unusual breed)but now get very miffed when people coo over the dog instead of the baby. Well done with the Thank you cards....Alex has had a whole (full size) wardrobe full of gifts from friends, family, neighbours, neighbours from our previous house, neighbours of my Mums,Dhs work mates, my pupils, my dog club class, my slimming world class and associates of all the above!!!! I'm ashamed to say that not a one of them has had a card to thank them...I just hope that they found my verbal thanks enough and accepted that I've not got as much time on my hands as I used to

Hope everyone has a good week...got to go the rainforest gym isnt doing its usual magic

For those of you struggling with the Thankyou cards thing - I can really recommend this site:

snapfish - you can even print a thank you message on it - all you have to then is post it!

Am seriously considering doing one of those for a Christmas card ... was going to make them (ha!)

Also with the sleep - Mairwen is doing the same as Rebecca, Choc ... have to say that my wardrobe sounds pretty similar to your too, Choc - although I do have some of my "fat" clothes that I can wear ... am not going to buy huge trousers to fit over my wobbly belly - will lose the weight, and buy myself a whole new wardrobe then!

Right, having some lunch, then going to sit and crochet.

Floria I am useless with thankyou cards too - have written one so far! I have the ones from snapofish too ejt! WHen I egt round to it...

Chos if you want my big over the tummy maternity jeans you are welcome - I think we are pretty similar sizes? I have just finished with them and they will be given away if you don't want them - I found them v comfy after my section...

Off to feed a hungry boy x

alicet - Got my hug-a-bub this morning... blimey, what a lot of material will have a look at the dvd tonight and see if I can figure it out

I sent the woman an email saying you had recommended her, and she said she had had 5 orders in the past couple of days, she was going to email you to thank you

Hi all - so sorry to hear the sad stories. hope everyone is ok;

I was reading the hugabub chat with interest - I've got a baby bjorn which is great but getting a bit sore on my back (using it a lot more than I did with DS) - a friend has a hugabub which she seems to love. So just wanted to ask, if anyone has one as well as a bjorn and if so, which is better??

also, to those who use dummies - are there any brands you would reccomend? I'm looking for one which is as close to a real nipple than possible. - any tips??

hope everyone else is ok - we're struggling on in our cycle of feed, painful wind, gripe water, throwing it all up, feeding again, no milk and mummy feeling useless and absolutely shattered - accompanied with lots of crying. Didn't have any of this with DS so am feeling like a total novice. again, any tips appreciated!

have a good evening everyone

hi all ...

baby yoga was fantastic - Mairwen only managed the first 15 minutes of actually doing the exercises before she wanted a comfort feed and a snooze, but we did lots of relaxation for the mums too!

I wrote a letter to the lady whose baby has died, and put it through her door - the baby was born last Tuesday, and died last Friday - just awful for them.

Nellie - I'd suggest that if the wind / throwing up is painful for your lo, then it may be reflux - try sitting Madeleine bolt upright on your lap, and stroking her back in an anti-clockwise direction when you're winding her. Also try helping the wind out by lying her on her back, holding the soles of her feet together (knees bent, obviously), and circling her legs around (clockwise) - it massages the tummy, and helps the wind out.

Going to run - ds has requested that I do stories.... night all!

Nellie - I have a baby bjorn and a hugabub. The hugabub wins hands down. My back kills in the baby bjorn but I can carry Adam no probs in the hugabub for several hours at a time. When he sleeps I tuck his head under the strap too so it really is totally hands free and I can get on with doing all the bits and pieces I need to including lifting Sam into and out of his cot, cooking, tidying and of course MN

As far as brands of dummies go I use avent - mainly because there is a cover to put over the teat so it doesn't get all manky in the change bag. No idea if there are any closer to a nipple or not!

Sam screaming so need to go settle him... back later

Oh and thanks MrsF for letting her know of my recommendations!

Hi All

I've been away for a few days at my parents so won't even try to catch up...just wanted a bit of advice. We discovered a lump in Jacob's groin area (on the right side just above his scrotum) this evening and have spoken to the midwife who said it sounds like a hernia. We're seeing the GP in the morning but in the meantime, I'm panicking!

Has anyone else had any experience with this and can you tell me a bit more about it!?

Colly I am a general surgeon so I know all about this. If he does have a hernia the doc you are seeing will prob recommend he has an operation to fix it. This is a VERY minor op though so try not to worry. The reason an op is recommended is that there are complications associated with leaving it alone that are potentially much more serious and would need an operation as an emergency. Of course it might not be a hernia (but it sounds like it) so try not to worry - I can answer any other questions you have later

Thanks so much Alice! I hate the thought of him needing an op but will try to remember that it's only minor...I may well come back with more questions after seeing the GP tomorrow. I'm panicking much less now though so thanks again

alicet - oh dear!!! not sure my 'magic plan' is that great really, its just worked for me twice in the past thats all!!! marcy is (and my other two were) really greedy and easily has more milk than she 'should' be having in a day. she gained 1lb 5 oz last week so i KNOW she is having enough milk, and when i feed her in the night then she is completely disinterested (is that a word?) in her bottle at 7am.
anyway, all i have done is tried giving her water instead and settling her with that. she then goes a few hours longer before waking again and then i give her milk. so she 'in theory' wakes nearer to 5am than 2 am for feeding. and then my other two just decided to go till 7am just a few days later. so, i tried it on fri and sat night and i eventually gave her milk about 5am and then last night she didnt wake till 4am and didnt even want any milk. she just pushed the bottle straight out and grinned at me!! so i just cuddled her and grinned back and put her down and she slept till 7am! so at least i know she doesnt actually NEED feeding in the night!! having said that, she now has a cold, so i will prob be up all night with her tonight!!!

i am so jealous of all of you who have lost weight!!! i still have 1 stone to go to get back to pre birth weight, and that was 1 stone over what i would like to be anyway...........so thats 2 stone to lose before xmas!!!!.......yeah right!!

as for dummies - i reckon the cherry teat ones are best cos personally they are the only type marcy can keep in, although when she does spit it out it goes quite a long way!!

Mairwen refuses to use a dummy, but will happily suck on a muslin / her hand / any piece of cloth she can get her hands on - strange child!

I have a calin bleu wrap sling - like the hug-a-bub, but cheaper! It's great (now that M is used to it!) and does mean that I can get on - she tends to go in it every day from about 415pm - which is when I go out to pick up Rhydian - she then nods off, and stays in it until she wakes up - usually about 5ish.

Am writing my Christmas wish list for dh ... think I fancy putting a decent night's sleep at the top!

V. worrying for you with your lo's hernia - hope alice has managed to put your mind at rest - it's really handy haveing a doctor as part of the group!

Back to my christmas list!

Colly of course you will worry - its part of being a mum - I would too. But objectively its nothing to worry about if you know what I mean! Very happy to be able to help and put your mind at rest - just give me a shout (either here or CAT me) if I can answer any more questions...

Greedy your magic plan does sound pretty magic! Adam doesn't seem to need as much milk when he feeds in the night. Will see what he weighs on Friday (taking much less at his feeds than cow and gate say he should on their formula) - if he is putting weight on may well give it a go!

ejt - full night's sleep top of my wish list too! And dh has been asking what I want so might tell him that!

Off to bed now - sleep well lovely ladies....

hi all, sorry i have been neglecting you all lately, had a few things going on, was burgled on Sat, well- someone sneaked into my house and stole my purse and some money while i was in the bath with Shannon that'll teach me to keep doors locked.

Shannon is doing great, she's a lovely baby, content most of the time, except evenings, she's been going from 8-9pm till 3 am but the rest of the time wants feeding every 3-4 hours.

ejt-so sorry for that poor lady. how awful

i really will try to be around more and catch up properly tommorrow

Nellie it sounds as though your LO could have reflux as ejt has said. However I was advised to keep Zoe upright after a feed so if ejt's advice isn't working for you you could try that, if you have a bouncy chair you could use that. Zoe used to throw up a lot (some days I felt like I had had a bath in milk) the GP perscribed her Carobel which is a thickener and since then she hardly throws up at all and is much easier to settle and seems much happier. HTH

J20 poor you, I am sure that was a horrible experience especially as you were in the house, hope you are ok.

Colly hope you aren't too worried and that your GP can put your mind at rest.

Hey everyone, hope you're not doing too bad. Ds is doing well, ff going well, still get the odd pang of guilt at stopping bf but know deep down was the right decision, i couldn't carry on like that. Ds's poo's have got smellier on formula, did a right hummer today . Well my boobs have just about calmed down from stopping bf, still a bit lumpy but nowhere near as sore, keeping my supportive bra on until they calm down completely though. It seems i get one pain after the other at the moment though, now i have really bad toothache in my wisdom tooth, have registered with the dentist as i hadn't already but they don't have any appointments until jan unless it's an emergency, not sure it's an emergency just yet, it just hurts a lot...
ejt, sorry to hear about the lady from your yoga class, thats such a horrible thing to have happned, brought a tear to my eye just reading about it, i can't imagine . J20 - at you getting burgled! whats the world coming to when you can't even take a bath without people stealing from you?!
Managed to get 2 more xmas pressies today, woo hoo, only about 1000 more to go, i really am going to try to do most of my xmas shopping online cause shopping in town is really quite annoying when people either get in your way or barge you out of the way - well thats my rant for the day. Anyway hope everyone is ok, really tired so off to feed ds and hopefully go to bed, catch ya later

Well the 11- 7 thing was short lived. Dareh just would not go to sleep last night and still got me up at six. I feel like a zombie. I am worried because he is feeding more and my breasts are not healed yet. I wasn't able to express much either this morning so I am not going to have a bottle for him to give me a break.

Ejt so sorry to hear about your friend - how awful. I am sure she will appreciate your letter. I got the jelonet - thank you so much for that.

Hi all

Colly, poor you with Jacob - I would worry too even when it's not something to be worried about; it's just the very idea of the baby suffering that really hits you, isn't it? I guess we've got this for life - when they're grown up it'll be heartache and money problems instead!

Ejt, I bet that letter was very difficult to write. Poor poor family. It beggars belief. Actually the whole birth thing is so miraculous that I feel really lucky to have Rebecca - we're all lucky, aren't we, to have these precious little beings even when they do keep us up at night...?

Stefka, I think sleep is going to be random at first. Mw told me it's harder to establish a routine when bf than with ff - don't know how true that is, but if it is, then it kind of makes sense. Keep at it. Have you tried the nipple shields temporarily?? I know some people think they're evil but they have worked for me and my mws were all v supportive of using them at least temporarily.

Dal, hello and stop feeling guilty!!! Stopping bf wasn't a selfish decision; it was made for all of you, Dylan too, because suffering mummy equals suffering babe.

Alice, would you want to come round later this week for lunch? I confess it could be chaos - Rebecca basically does not sleep AT ALL during the day, or if she does it's only after 4 pm (don't ask why... I don't know) and she isn't that keen on sitting on her own while we eat, but if we just have something like pizza then I can eat onehanded even if she's awake. Friday??

Health visitor coming today and I'm a bit nervous. I haven't heard anything positive about health visitors round here. I loved the community midwives - they have been brilliant - but am a bit scared of health visitors.

DH's last day at home with us before he goes back to work - he's sad. He's a very hands on daddy and he is more patient than I am, so it'll be hard without him!

OK, time to dry my hair. Have a good day everyone!

Hi all

Not read all posts yet but just to say that the hug a bug baby sling arrived yesterday (I only ordered it on Sat!!!) and IT IS FAB! Alice you are so right it makes life so much easier. Henry is all snug right next to me and I can clean, play with Ollie and cook dinner without a screaming baby.

Would definately recomend getting one.

off to read all the posts now as have 'hands free' as H is in the sling alseep.