December 2007 - Santa's come early for some of us...

[Housemum]

Thought I'd start off the new thread as I've never started one before - congratulations to those of you who are on here now - hope I'll be joing you in the not-too-distant future!

wizzka - expressing a bit might help relieve the blocked ducts?

clairey - ds1 has just settled down again and isn't waking when ds2 does, we're just keeping our fingers crossed it stays like that. ds2 only just starting to take the bottle - I gave him some expressed milk tonight and he didn't cope with it very well, got very windy and it took longer to feed him from that so not sure it'd be fair on dh just yet to have to cope with that in the night! ps don't feel guilty about getting dh to help in the night, I'm finding work was a lot easier than two little ones!

We've been getting a lot of farting the last day or so and it does make Bea quite uncomfortable. She is such a placid wee thing most of the time. I have been farting alot too (sorry if TMI!) so figure we're both suffering the same prob - need to figure out what's causing it with me. Poss too much carbs, bread etc as its been so nice to be able to EAT again after the bad indigestion during PG.

Thanks for replies about tummies. Think I'm slowly looking a little less PG - of course DD1 keeps commenting on my big tummy and making jokes about how I must PG. You can trust a 5yo to be honest!!! I have 10kg to go to get back to pre-PG (1.5 stone).

I don't really think there's any relationship between bottle feeding / BF and sleeping. Except maybe you know how much they've drunk during the day so can try and aim for them to get their fill and avoid hunger-wakenings. But suspect that's pretty dodgy too as a theory.

We don't smell ds poo - we hear him, big squirty ones
It's actually quite funny. Doesn't seem to bother him though!

hi everyone
interesting to read about weight loss - was wondering how everyone was getting on but also laughing that we all care about this - it's the fault of all the Heat etc magazines and their obsession with thin clebs!

Anyway I have lost about 20lbs since the birth and have about a stone left to get back to pre-pregnancy weight. Would like to lose about another 7lbs after that so will be hitting weightwatchers at some point. Up until now the weight has fallen off me but it seems to have slowed now. Possibly because of all the junk i am consuming (although like Suey I am certainly not as hungry as i was at the end of pregnancy).

All those with farty/windy babies: we have had this problem and dd2 has had these horrific screaming fits in the late evening but we have started using Infacol and it does seemed to have helped a bit. It could just be something babies have to go through though as their digestive systems settle down.

Breastfed in public for the 1st time today (in the cafe at our local little airport of all places....), which was fine. Not sure why it's a bigger deal this time than it was last time. I just seem to remember getting on with it before. Hopefully now I have done it once I will feel happier doing it again.

Anyway as my dh has just said, the beast is stirring so better go get my boobs out. Good luck with the night ahead everyone...

PS Suey - am SOOOOOO jealous of your night nanny, it sounds like bliss!

lol @ the explosive poos and snap Cant believe the sounds coming from his little bottom!

He has been on frantic feeding frenzy since last night. Pretty much every hour. Nipples are a little sore but lanisoh is a real help. Still very painful down below but on lots of painkillers. Cant wait till feeling better

Weight thing.. not in pre preg clothes yet and am making do with old slobby tracky bottomms and summer maternity 3/4 lengths. Have a stone to loss before back to pre preg but is the tone that needs sorting. Boobs are massive now. Struggling to fit in the 34J bra! Sure that will calm down with time tho.

Samuels jaundice is much improved. Will post some morepix

hi again ladies

well its nice to be back although only borrowin me friends laptop

but to cut a long story short at 28 wks i found dp was cheatin with his ex (not sure if anyone remebers the tale my best friend ran off with my hubby and i was now with her husband) anyway soon as i found out i packed my stuff and left has been really hard as had to find a house etc, we managed to stay friendly as i just didnt have the energy when pregnant to row etc with him.

on the weight thing i managed ( i think with all the stress) not to put on any weight during pregnancy, so once i gave birth i lost a stone over night and have since lost another 5lbs, bfing helped i think.

Zethan seems to feed alomost constantly during the day i cant keep track, but has been giving me some really good nights for about a week going 12-7 for last 7 nights, seems to like havin abath about half ten and a long feed in darkened bedroom and then goes down in his basket and dont hear a thing (sorry to all those having bad nights) although saying that i think i might have a wakeful night tonight as he hasnt fed much today, and what he had projected everywhere.

can i ask bfding mums how sicky there babes are i bf dd1 but not dd2 and have forgotten as was 8 yrs since, really enjoying bfing and hope its not something im eating that makin him sick, i was under the impression bm didnt make babies as sick as formula, dont know where i heard that btw way just in my head.

oh need to change me name so if you different you know why

Sorry to hear that M4G, but sounds like you are doing brilliantly well. On the subject of fathers, I sent the father of my LO an email yesterday to let him know she'd been born and was quite surprised to get an immediate response after nearly 8 months of silence! Anyway, he said he was going to drop by some of his daughter's old baby clothes some time - so I guess that's a positive sign that he at least acknowledges her. I'd like her to know who her father is even if he has little to do with her and his name's not on her birth cert. I'd also like her to know her other half-sister too, at least when she gets older. Funnily enough his daughter is only 6 months younger than my DD1.

Also sent an email to my estranged father to let him know - long story but suffice to say I don't want a reconciliation with him but did think he should know. He would have found out anyway as have remained in touch with his brother's family and sent them a Xmas card.

Families eh, why are they so complicated!!!???

Feeling rather low this morning , got to 11am and I still hadn't got breakfast on, Daniel was crying to be fed and went downstairs to pull washing out of machine and there is loads of pots to do and empty yoghurt pots on the side. Was so that DH had not put them in the bin that I smashed a plate on the floor Really pissed off at myself and DH for not noticing that I was running around like a blue arsed fly this morning. DS is now fed and is asleep upstairs, so have had my breakfast and feel abit calmer. Didn't help that dss was being a whiny little so-and-so this morning, even Dh lost patience with him. Thank God he is going back to his mum's - Dh is taking him back their now. It is lovely he is so fond of his brother but he has been so wearing, I'm trying to recover physically from Daniel's birth, trying to bring some kind of vague order to things so we can actually get things done and all dss has been for me is a spanner in the works. I have had absolutely zero tolerance for his tantrums and whining and his insolence towards DH (he's like this with his mum too). Most of the time he has been pretty good, but I just cannot cope when he starts causing DH because I feel I need Dh more than he does atm until I get my emotional equilibrium back. Orginally dss was only staying with until Thursday and dh's db offered to take him back to his mums, but dh and dss's mum arranged for him to stay until today, without even consultating me. But it's not as though I could tell them no, cause then I look like the evil sm. I can't seem to get through to dh how I feel it's not that I want to push dss away, it's just i am extremely thin skinned at the moment.
Sorry turned into a bit of a depressing post here.
Hope everyone else is ok.

Hi Bouncing. Its good to vent on MN isn't it!! How old is DSS? Do you think you could be suffering from a lack of sunlight? When DD1 was born (in London) at about 6 weeks I got so fed up with depressing weather that I went and booked us a week in the cheapest warm place (last minute package deal) I could find. I knew we wouldn't be able to do much but I just wanted some sun. Ended up in some kind of villa/apartments near to Faro - wasn't flash but OK and had a decent pool and was HOT. Ended up just reading most of the time but did enjoy the change of scene and local food. And it was really quite cheap as didn't spend much out there other than on groceries (and hired a car).

Anyway hope your day improves . I'm off back to bed now after feeding Beatrix and expressing. 2am here, hoping she lasts through to 5am at least.

Oh yes. it is good to rant. DH is back and I've told him that dss needs to tidy his toys away before he leaves. They didn't do it this morning as DH got up late (ds kept him up most of last night - I'd passed out feeding him ) so fair enough but he could be a bit tidier. He's nearly 7. His mum is pretty strict with regards to keeping his room tidy and not having toys everywhere, so I don't see why it should be any different here. I trod on a piece of lego in the lounge and nearly lost my balance - I was carrying Daniel and nearly dropped him on the coffee table

rant rant here too...DD awake ALL night...spent from 10pm-4.45am feeding, soothing etc while she cried and cried and cried. She would drop off with me holding her then go off like a bomb everytime we put her down...dreading tonight now...

thankfully DH took her out in the pram for an hour or so this morning so I got a wee bit of kip

Can't take my hats off enough to those of you who are dealing with newborns plus older children...

Sorry to hear that some of you are having a hard time
The test for me will be monday when dp is back to work, even though he's done next to nothing over the past 3 weeks its good to just have him here.
So i would expect some rant's from me over the next few weeks
Mil is taking DS1 out for a couple of hours on Monday though so it will break me in gently to being on my own with the 2 of them.
Ethan was much more settled last night, he even slept in his moses basket all night and didnt need to be co-sleeping at all.

Rant here too dp in his lunacy has just picked ds up from his 'big afternoon nap' to try him our in our new sling we've just got, needless to say it didn't work and ds is now unsettled and a bit pissed off... Grrrrrr - if he wasn't making tea then I would just not be speaking to him, I mean who wakes up a sleeping newborn????!!!!

sorry to hear from you ladies suffering from sleepless night....fingers crossed it will get better.

Spoke to mw yesterday and i explained i was feeding dd2 every 1 and a half hours and that she was bringing up milk each time I feed her. She reckons it's because she being overfed and recomened trying to strect the feeding out to every 2 hrs....going to be a bit of a challenge as dd2 cries like anything when she is a hungry bunny....

Am just 0.5 stones away from pre-pre weight. All the bf, running around after dd1 and just abut having time to eat is taking it's toll.....

hi everyone

caz, have you tried swaddling your DD AND PUTTING HER TO SLEEP ON HER SIDE? I KNOW WE'RE SUPPOSED TO PUT THEM ON THEIR backs (oops sorry for caps i'm using my phone again!) but Dd and now DS only settle on their sides.
those with windy babies have to tried gentle abdonomen massage whilst bringing thei legs upto their tummy? a nursery nurse showed me that with Dd and it helped alot as did colycynthis grnaules (availble from boots).

good news from Doc tonight , said we can go home after last dose of antibiotics tomorrow! will be so glad to get canula out of DS's foot, it cant be comfortable.

how are the sling wearers getting on? i havent tried DS in mine yet but will do in the next couple of wks.

i am too scared to stand on scales! size wise i am too fat for old clothes so intend to try and get some of the sale tail ends next wk - just a few items to let me move out of maternity wear.

Loucee funny you should say that, DH is in with DD at the mo, swaddling her and settling her on her side after we looked at this book:
social baby

Have to say I can still hear her roaring...!

But it makes sense, we will persevere...

We are using the colocynth granules too - she still doesn't sleep, but certainly is not a windy baby so who knows?!

I have a freedom sling - DD seemed to hate it! But I think she thought she was getting fed in that position and then nothing came, if you know what I mean!

OH - so proud, I expressed 2oz with my TT pump this afternoon! Was just really to try it and also to reduce some of the pain/pressure in my sore sore norks! BFC recommended that until latching on is effortless for DD and myself that we should give her any EBM by cup..might try it later if need be.

If it wasn't so painful and stressful this BF lark would be fascinating!

Oh and PS STEP AWAY FROM THE SCALES!! Who cares!! My thinking is that it took us 9mths to put it on, so that is my target for getting it back off!

loucee - we;re not having much luck with the sling, ds hates the baba sling which I'd prefer him to be in but not too bad in baby bjorn when we're out and about but can't use that as a hands free round house as I can't see round him! will have to try baba sling again...
great news from doc

good luck for monday fifi - I'm sure it'll be fine, we didn't have too bad a time on friday just the 3 of us although when ds1 had his nap ds2 wanted feeding not great timing I could have done with the catch up - we did have a toddler group to go to as well and the other mums kept ds1 very entertained which was lovely because I could sit back with a cup of tea

I'm also not one to stand on scales - in fact I don't own any - am back in some of my more forgiving pre preg trousers but got a little tummy to tone up... new years resolution is to get out and running so that'll help
Caz - I think you are so right with 9 months on 9 months off, plus I think it can't be good for bfeeding to be dieting/exercising too much (hey thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it!) ds2 needs those extra calories

Hello everyone, Happy New Year!!
Sorry have just speed read and caught up, but now can't remember who said what.
Whoever said about being in tears when weeing, I totally sympathise, turned out that I had a urinary infection and have had to go on antibiotics which have fixed it all thank god as was awful.
I too have a little jelly blamange like belly but have lost a stone since Kaesha arrived 3 weeks ago and can fit in my baggy jeans but not my snug size 10 jeans, think they'll take a while longer!!!
Gotta go now as little lady hungry, hugs everyone xxxxxx

Terrible mummy that I am, I gave LO her first bath tonight at 7 days old . And in doing so I noticed that she has a real pot belly going on above her little stick legs. I can't remember - do all newborn babies look like this?? I guess I'm slightly paranoid given her history and the scans etc! Thanks.

Hi everyone, adding myself in!

Have put my birth story on the birth announcements thread. Hope everyone is well, going to have a read through and catch up as soon as Mathilda gives my boob a rest..........................

Pecka xxx

Hailbop - Boy 2 Dec (due 1/12)
Wizzska - Boy, Rory, Due 2nd Dec, arrived 2nd Dec, 8 lb 5
Bimblin - Boy, Alexander, due 14/12, 4th Dec 8lb 2oz
RGPargy Ellie Rose 5 Dec Due (27/11) 8lb 6oz
Loopymumsy Orla, 5 Dec 30/11/07
CHOCOLATEPEANUT Joe 5/12 (due 01/12)
NBG - Ethan 6/12 (due 28/11)
SarahPT Boy 6/12 (due 2/12)
Beanstermummy Girl 6/12 (due 30/11)
VNMum - Caitlin Louise 8/12
Caz10 Ella 9/12 (Due 12/12)
Claireybee Douggie 10/12 (due 10/12)
Claraq Martha Erin 11/12 (Due 01/12)
Shells 12/12/07 - Roisin Eleanor (due 6/12)
Littleoldme 12/12 Thomas James 7lb 9oz Due 28/11)
Fifisworld Ethan 13/12 (Due 17/12)
Mellymooks - 13/12 Kaesha Ophelia (Due 7/12) 7lb3oz
Louise76 - 13/12 (due 9/12) Ailsa 8lb 5.5oz
Mad4Girlsplus1 - 13/12 BOY Zethan 7lb 10oz
Cazzybabs 14/12 Evelyn Mary (Due 30/11)
Skidaddle - 14/12 Milo (due 11/12) 8lb9oz
Insywinsyspider - 16/12 Toby Simon (due 11/12) 8lb5oz
bambino1andbump Charlie 16/12 Due 15/12
Ambi - Louise, 17/12 (Due 4/12) 6lb 4oz
Suey2 Millicent Kate 21/12 (Due 10/12)8lb10oz
BunnyBaby - Michael Peter 21/12 (Due 28/11) 8lb 15oz
Amani 22/12 baby GIRL(Due 30/12)
Lizzer - 22/12 Dexter Robin 10lb4oz (Due 10/12)
FurryFox - 23/12 (Due 10/12) Imogen Holly 7lb 14oz
Lucy/Loucee 23/12 (due 17/12/07) Finlay 8lb 12oz
Thingamajig 25/12 (due 21/12) Matilda Margaret 6lb4oz
Curlygirly 25/12 (due 24/12) Lois Maisy 7lb 14oz
Bouncingturtle 27/12 (due 23/12) Daniel Edward 6lb 6oz
Awen 27/12 (due 31/12) Samuel Owen 8lb 14oz (VBAC)
Macdoodle 28/12 (due 26/12) Lily (no middle name decided yet) 8lb120z planned section for breech
Chloemegjess - 29/12 (due 23/12) Elouise 6lb 6oz
Ozzymoomoo - 30/12 (due 30/12)Ruby Michelle 8lb
Buzzybee 30/12 (due 22/12) Beatrix Amelia, 7lb 11oz
Peckarollover 4.1.09 (due 26.12) Mathilda Alice, 6lb 6oz

Buzzy it sounds normal to me, the tummy tends to round out before the legs etc. If worried get it checked though.

Loucee I'm finding my wrap sling a godsend, is often the quickest way to settle ds and saves armache as well as being able to get on with stuff once he is asleep. He hates the pouch sling though-much prefers being upright so haven't used the cradle hold tie in the wrap (which is a bit of a pita as was hoping to use sling to bf in too!). Also means I haven't had to use scary double buggy yet! Walked quite far the other day and barely knew I was wearing him-back and shoulders absolutely fine.

Caz that book looks interesting. Must admit dd would only ever sleep on her tummy and have been putting ds on his side from birth. When he wouln't settle the other night I put him on his tummy too and he slept for 4 hours! Both of mine have been able to lift and turn their heads from birth though so I worry slightly less than if they were completely floppy babies. Still persevering with ds on his back for now though...

Bouncing, are you feeling any better today? I had a day like that where ds just fed and fed all morning and I started obsessing about the mess in the house until I was really angry. Hard not to stress isn't it?

Fifi, I'll be on tomorrow to compare notes on how we are coping alone with our 2 under 2's! In a way I think it might be easier once I'm back in my normal routine with dd iykwim? DH has been v helpful but he does also get in the way a bit and creates A LOT of mess!

Hello all, i've calmed down now

Congratulations pecka! I still remember the shaky start you both had - what a little miracle

Caz10, i think i might orde that book, looks interesting + gives me something elseto do whilst feeding! (apart from mning and ebay!)

Ok i'm going to give my honest opinion of wrap sling. I'm completely split on how i feel about it! On the one hand its great for getting stuff done round the house but at the same time i feel a massive and awkward as i did when pg and bending over to get the washing out is a cumbersome (Sp?) task all over again.BTW I think i've bought the ugliest one as well which doesn't help as it makes me look and feel dowdy and huge (again)

Also what do you do when you go out Claireyb? Do you wrap ds up in a snowsuit and then the wrap? Do you wear your coat under or over the wrap as I don't think mine would fit over the wrap as it comes down over my shouders and is bulky at the back..

hi all

sounds like we're all in the same boat with our angelic newborns all turning into real babies! think i now have ductal thrush which means feeding is agonising again and dh is going back to work tomorrow - so will be on comparing notes too...

caz10 - sounds like a horrendous night you poor thing. DS was up from 2am-5am and i though that was bad..

another sling fan here although it is hard to do anything that requires bending but def makes life easier

congrats pecka and mad4 and sorry to hear about your dp mad4 - sounds like you are doing brilliantly in the circs

chins up everyone - things will settle down soon.... i hope

Insy, DD doesn't like the babasling either, she seems really crushed and uncomfortable, but perhaps that's something to do with the position I've put her in, she hopefully will prefer the coorie which should be with us next week.

I think she's on a growth spurt at the mo as she wants feeding every 1-2 hrs, It's blardy exhausting and frustrating (how do you cope amani?) It's not too bad during the night thankfully as shes still feeding at 10pm/2am/6am/9am which I can cope with but during the day she's screaming for a feed every hour or so then just suckling a bit then falling asleep which is more like soothing than feeding. Bring back the 4 hourly real feeds from a few days ago! I hope this doesn't last or I can see me moving onto formula so she gets a proper feed instead of the comfort suckling.

She seems to be growing a bit too as she's out of some of her tiny baby clothes now. Will find out her weight on Monday with my first appt with my (MALE) health visitor. Other than that nothing interesting here at all, but am looking forward to our first girly shopping trip on weds (my birthday) to the Trafford Centre - she'll probably sleep through it though.

Clairey - After today im glad dp is going back to work. I had quite a bad night last night, ethan decided to stay awake for a couple of hours through the night so i let him lie on the bed next to me so i could settle him.
I think i had about 2 hours sleep in total last night and the night before, not really coz of Ethan but i've got a bad shoulder and just cant get comfortable at all.
Anyway, dp woke up this morning at 10 and i asked him if he'd go downstairs with the ds's so i could have a nap, he said he was still tired. So i was left to do all the house and look after ds's while he slept, he got up at 12.15 so i said i was going to have a bath and relax for half a hour, but no he wanted a shower first, now he's building the new wardrobes i got for the nursery, so i still havent had anytime to myself, i feel like im running on empty