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!

wizz - I have the same - starts off OK and then gets sore and I am pretty sure this is due to thrush (think my latch is OK and HV said it was good) - thrush also makes it hurt after a feed - sort of a tingling feeling but a painful one - do you have this?

fifi - lucky you! I can;t put ds down for a second

Hi Skid, am back home now. Day started ok (after another bad night) as ds went back to sleep after his morning feed so was able to get up and showered and get dd up. DS then woke up just as I was on phone trying to sort out his child benefit, fed, puked everywhere then has alternately winged and wailed since. Have had a little success since as have put him on playmat and successfully got him to take dummy (he normally rejects it) so he has been quiet for a few minutes at least. However dd is being a little madam and trying to kill him by climbing all over playmat and throwing her cup at him. So even though I've got him down I still can't do anything cos am policing dd!

Also how long are they meant to stay awake for at a time at this age? ds can be awake for up to 3.5 hours-and then usually only sleeps if I put him in the sling.

So much for my nice quiet placid baby who would happily sit in chair and self settle! Think was being a little unrealistic to hope for that after dd...don't think we make quiet babies!

Clairey - Ethan has started to stay awake more now, normally for about a hour or so before he drops back off. The first week i think we only saw him with his eyes open twice.
We have started putting him on the playmat in the evening just to try and keep him awake before bed but he's not impressed with it at all.

clairey I am still in my dressing gown with ds strapped to me wondering how on earth I am going to have a bath (shower still too sore on my boobs) before I pick up DD at 3pm! Thought it was supposed to be easy second time round!

Re how long they should stay awake I think there is huge variation between babies. I remember DD barely slept at all in the day time, just 20 mins a couple of times a day whereas DS sleeps almost all the time (probably because I don't let him out of his sling!) so I think 3.5 hours is completely normal as would be 10 mins as would be 6 hours...

BTW claraq - why do you want to stay awake for night feeds? Isn't sleeping during a night feed a good thing? I would love to be able to but am in agony (and can't get the hang of feeding lying down either)

ahhhh ds1 asleep ds2 grizzling, no break for me then!
ds1 has also discovered the joys of climbing whilst i feed, he can impressively make it half way up the book case but its no wonder ds2 is unsettled we have stop start feeding, poor guy doesn;t know whats going on, ds1 at childminders tomorrow, decided to give my self a chance to cope

will have to post later ds2 screaming now...

Wizz - I'm impressed you're still BF when it's so painful for you, I'd have reached for the bottle a long time ago.

HV is due soon, anyone else got a male one? Is it going to be weird? well we'll see.

Skid, i found the shower dilemma complicated. At first I tried to sneak in when dd was still asleep, but then leaking boobs in the shower and finding screaming baby when I get out was so unpleasant, so have resorted to feeding her, changing her and putting her on her playmat near the shower solves the prob long enough to get a decent shower. - although this probably doesn't help you as you've said you can't put him down.

I've had some books del'vd, one of which was recommended to Caz10 on a thread about amusing baby whilst they were awake, so will have a good read through this afternoon.

Ambi- If you find any good tips let us know!!
MIL has took ds1 out, and guess what, ds2 wont settle at all. I was planning on a nice long soak and to have a hot cup of tea with my book for half a hour, ah well, never mind eh!!

Hi everyone.
I have managed to get up, showered and dressed, fed, taken dd1 to childminder, fed again, been to Sainsburys, bathed dd2 (although not for long as she pooed in the bath so had to get her out...), fed again, fed myself, do one lot of washing and unpacked the dishwasher.

How's that for my first official day on my own (although dh has had a few days away before but I have usually had help from friends or family).

I think I am lucky as Martha seems to be a very easy going baby and is happy to be put down. She is upstairs at the moment sleeping in the bean bag. I am slightly worried that she sleeps too much but she does have quite long periods of being awake, often in the evening.

Skid I am nervous of falling asleep while feeding at night in case the baby sort of topples off the bed mid-feed! I have not mastered the art of feeding lying down so am sitting up in bed with her propped on a feeding cushion. Also I am now really trying to get her to sleep in her moses basket and last night was finally successful for the whole night (she only woke for one feed between 11pm and 6am although it took me an hour to re-settle her in the night). Sorry about the thrush - you really do sound like you are having a tough time of it. Good for you for carrying on. A friend of mine had a baby with tongue tie born about 2 weeks ago and I think she has had a few problems with feeding too.

Wizz I really hope the b/feeding counsellor can help you. I echo others in saying well done for carrying on. I found it agony for the first couple of weeks and am not sure I could have gone on if it didn't ease off. What have the health visitors said about his weight? Sometimes a stressful birth or early weeks can create a problem with your milk supply.

Suey I have been out and about with the baby since she was a few days old - I couldn't bear to be stuck in the house all day long. This week I intend to get back into dd1's social routine so dd2 will be dragged along to various playgroups etc.

claireybee I am also finding keeping dd1 away from the baby quite hard. She's generally really good but I know I can't trust her on her own in the same room. Not so bad today as she is at childminders but as from Wednesday I think it's all going to get a lot harder.....

Phew, well I've cheated on my first day 'on my own'! Dp came back at 11.45 for lunch so I got a shower while he held him, up until then I'd managed to wash the breakfast dishes and have a coffee (although, I didn't ask him to come back, promise... )

HV is due soon so I'm feeding ds like mad to get him to weigh more Don't know how I'd feel about a male hv, as long as he's easy to talk to I would think it would be ok. I'd rather have a friendly man than an old dragon. Spoke to mine on the phone and she seems nice enough...

Insy, bummer about your bath, hope you're 'allowed' one soon

Loucee, yipee! welcome home!!!

Skid and Wizz, if you are worried about thrush then try taking a probiotic supplement (not just a yoghurt drink but a really good supplement from health food shop) I always get thrush after ab's so was worried about it after mastitis, so I took the supplement tabs and so far so good and I finished ab's on sat morn...

Skid, you're right nothing else could go wrong, I hope it stays going right for you from now on, you've done so well

Wizz, you're doing so so well and don't stress about the odd top up of formula, I'm doing it myself after losing some supply and the pain of feeding, feel we're turning a corner too so hopefully will ditch it soon but I'm convinced i'm doing the right thing for him. Its between 1 and 3 oz a day usually so its not like a massive feed...of course I'm saying it like that but the guilt does play on my mind of course

So, as housemum pointed out, my ds won the chunkiest monkey award for the heaviest baby A friend asked me if i had stitches, i replied i'd have been worried if i hadn't!!! (thankfully healed really well, sorry if tmi!)

loucee re expressed milk at night- i fully empty my boobs just before going to bed and then after the first feed. the first morning i was dripping when i got up, but not since, although i am very full. i figure that as i am expressing the amount she is eating overnight, I have minimised any supply issue.
skid my bfc said that if they are only goiing 2 hours between feeds, they havent eaten enough and are just snacking. It has certainly worked for me to nappy change when she falls asleep at the breast and undress her- she usually takes another 10 mins of milk and lasts 3-4 hours between feeds. funny how everyone has different ideas,eh? i would have been driven totally nuts if millie was still eating every 2 hours

Wow Clara, I'm impressed! I've managed to get one load of washing done and hung up and the nappies are now in the machine now-playmat distracted ds long enough for me to get that done and I put dd in her cot for safety reasons!

Who else is using washables? Are you keeping on top of them? Is a bit of a shock washing them every other day at the moment(washed twice a week with dd only) but other than that I'm doing ok.

Am also hoping to get back into going to toddler groups this week-it makes dd so much easier if she is entertained 3 times a week! I do worry about ds picking up bugs from the toddlers but it is impossible to look after dd without going to toddlers, she is really sociable and gets frustrated if we don't go.

Have managed to get both babies asleep at the same time-result! ds is in the sling though and don't dare take him out in case he wakes up so am still fairly restricted, at least I've already had my shower though.

Insy, dd is also climbing everything while I have my hands full! She was on the dining table earlier and also climbed the stairs with her cup in hand. She is usually safe on the stairs but has just started trying to walk up them rather than crawl so slightly less safe than before!

She also seems to have developed a Bristol accent over the past week or so-says foive (five), noine (nine), loike (like)etc etc. Don't know where she got it from-we are near Bristol but none of our friends have the accent!

Hi everyone! Its so weird to be seeing everyone talking about their babies as real people and not as a bump!

I can't believe that Charlie is 3 weeks now! So scary how quick it has gone.
DD went back to nursery today so we've had mother and baby time which is lovely but missing dd strangely.

I've added a photo of LO if anyone interested.

Got HV in a min so will pop back later and have a read how everyone is getting on.

Well done to all you ladies managing without your dps - especially those who have older children.
So far getting a shower hasn't as yet been a problem, feed ds around 8am and dh goes in shower while i'm doing so. Then I put him in his Moses basket while I go in the shower. However not sure how it'll work once dh goes back to work!'
Wizz - so sorry to hear of your problems bfing, think you are fantastic to still keep it up despite all the problems. Definitely think you need to see bfc asap, hopefully she'll be avle to help you.
I'm going to start expressing in a few days, have been playing close attention to you ladies who have started.
As for ds he only seems to sleep, eat and do explosive poos! However he has been weighed and has gained 5 pounds on his birth weight. He is starting to have a few more periods of wakefulness but generally when he's awake he wants either feeding or cuddles!

Thumbs up for the coorie sling. It arrived today and she's fast asleep in it (looking ever so cute!) It's so much simpler than the babasling which drowned her.

Ambi - was that from Freedom Slings? I tried putting ds in it yesterday he was not happy!
Maybe try again in a few days...

Oh thank goodness, 4.00 and I can finally reheat and eat the soup that's been sitting on the table since 1.00 for my lunch. DS is finally asleep. Was scared to eat it while holding him in case I spilt it.

Bouncing - I've got a freedom sling and its great. DS loves it and sleeps like a dream when we go out.

Thanks for all the words of support everyone. It really helps.

Oh hell, now he's stirring again.

Hi all!

Skim reading in a sleep deprived state (aren't we all!) so apologies if i miss things..

wizz - have you had a BF advisor check your latch? I have been in agony, nipple ripped to bits, breast burning etc...on the verge of giving up...got it checked and it is getting better - it was my right boob and i am right handed, she said it's very common to have probs because of "handedness" ie you are awkward on one side. I am almost completely healed up now!

Has anyone tried giving EBM by cup? If so, what kind of cup?!!

Freedom sling - I got mine from a friend who swore by it - have only got DD in it once and she BAWLED going to try again though.

We are trying a nighttime "routine" - very loose but bath, then feed in bedroom, then DD (hoepfully) goes down 8-12/12ish in our (dark) bedroom. On a good night she then sleeps till 4/5ish after the midnight-ish feed. Other times she screams all night...

Then making sure I open blinds etc for her 8am-ish feed - ie "it's daytime now!!"

Clairybee our LOs are just a day apart, and no, mine does not have much awake time either - maybe 20 mins tops once a day if that. Amd i've noticed if she doesn't get to sleep soon enough she gets v hard to settle so I'm not pushing to keep her awake any longer

she's sleeping now though so i'm off to the sofa...

Hi all

Milk came in properly yesterday (day 3) and Im really sore today. Very engorged and when Mathilda is feeding, she feeds really well but not anywhere near enough to empty me!

Anyone got any thoughts?

coorie it does look similar to the freedom though.

Pecka - get a breast pump - it was utterly essential for me, helped relieve the engorgement, breasts were so hard poor ds had probs latching on. Expressed on each breast for a couple of minutes every couple of hours. Hot flannels helped, as did cold cabbage leaves down bra - though don't put on nipple. The ebm i offered in a small plastic 50ml cup, flexible so could shape to his mouth.

Caz - that's the bedtime routine we started on last night. It worked last night, hopefully that bodes well.

DS is doing a poo now. He screams and hates it. Anyone else's baby do this? Anything I can do to help him? I hate seeing his little face suffering. Have burped him after meals and tried infacol.

Aww wizz, bless him, DD screams out of the blue from completely settled then the explosion arrives and she settles again, and if she's not changed within 5 mins she starts again. I think she's really uncomfortable before she goes but is ok afterwards, is your ds different to this?

Ambi, glad you love the Coorie sling too, after reading your post yesterday I got mine out and used it when we went shopping today - DS slept for 2.5 hours in it! Only woken by putting him back in the car!

Think I've got problems with my scar. Had a really burning pain in the left side of it when I tried to feed DS lying down, it's swollen on that side now and I've had to start paracetomol as well. Think I'll go along to the Doctors in a day or two if its still the same but just wondered if anyone had any advice here? The right side has healed perfectly.

DD is at the childminders for the morning tomorrow, think DH, me and Fin will go to the shops again as want to look at cribs. Anyone else finding moving the moses basket up stairs/downstairs a hassle? I'd love to have a bed permanently upstairs for Fin so that when I take a shower I can pop him in it without having to take it upstairs first.
DH thinks a crib will be waste of money so might just go for a cot but that would be a squeaze by our bed.... Oh what's everyone else's sleeping arrangments?

We have teeny tiny house loucee so moving DDs moses basket is easy, only a choice of 2 rooms it can be in! Ours or front room! But that is still a faff so I can imagine stairs are even worse.

She is in it (on it's stand) at night right next to my side of the bed, and in it in the day time normally sitting on the table.

Feel a bit sorry for her, not much variety, but I suppose she doesn't even know!

Have been looking at that social baby book, would recommend it, v interesting and also mainly pictures, no heavy reading!

wizz - we're using infacol and finding it doesn't do a lot... going to try gripe water next week (can use from 4 wks) as look at colief and its a faff - I can't stay very awake for night feeds let alone expressing some milk to mix with it

caz10 - we used the doidy cup with ds1 for EBM, can get it from blooming marvelous as well

another day just the 3 of us - not bad, just ds2 wanted a feeding frenzy all day and I don't feel like I did anything nice with ds1 except forcing myself to do painting whilst ds2 had his one and only nap (and even that I rushed as didn't want ds2 to wake up whilst we had everything out ) the climbing thing is doing my head it tho... both asleep now so thats my cue to go to bed!