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!

This is why newborns are sooo cute they are designed that way to make up for the fact they are such bloody hard work!!
Got some infacol, as we ds had more nasty screaming fits after feeds, he has been ok after last couple of doses, very little wind!

Lizzer

havent seen you bf thread but my friend (a MW herself) had milk supply problems after mastitis. She said two things helped her, doing piggy back feeding (where the bsby lstches on and you quickly put a thin tube in the corner of their mouth that is attached to some formula so the suckling helps supply a\nd also her DR prescribed her domperidone which increased her supply. They say getting alot of skin to skin helps with supply too.

Wow Hlly, your baby sleeping through is just fanastic!

DD (23mths) is not taking any notice of what me or D|H tells her, she's doing smal naughty things which isnt too bad but they refuses to get coat on/get in buggy/nappy change etc - anyone got any advice?

Loucee - sounds like the terrible 2's I'm afraid - our Dd1 started things like that - not so much being really naughty just pushing us at every opportunity - we just try to reason (usually unsuccessfully), limit choices which always seemed to kick off a big conflict over what she wanted over us - give them a choice of 2 and then they think they are in charge! She's now 2y8mths and not so bad. ALso, the old supernanny naughty step really worked for us - at the moment we use the counting to 3 trick - If I get to 3 she's on the NS and although it gets very close pretty often, I've never actaully said 3 yet!

Melly re bottles etc for EBM - I used Avent for DD1 and also now doing EBM once a day with DD2 - neither of them had a problem and even though DD2 has wind issues, they're not causing any problem so far. We used the variable teats which are great too - saves constantly buying more -just alter the rotation of the teat/bottle as they get older - saves a fortune!

DD2 still great really - I think it is so much to do with me and my state of mind and physically too - as I'm more chilled and relaxed she seems to follow too. Still a bit iffy to settle in the evening and ended up getting a dummy the other day - didn't bother with DD1 and DH hates them but as with a few others of you, as it settles them and means you then can either spend time with siblings, or just chill yourself, I think that over rides the thoughts on dummies - and at the end of the day it's really only 3 and 4 yr olds that you see with them still in that gets my goat - not exactly a 5 week old!

How are people doing with weight gain by the way - DD2 seems to be following her piglet of a elder sister - from 7lb 4oz at birth was 11lb dead on at 5 weeks old - promting my wonderful DH to refer to me as a freishen (?) cow variety!!!

Having a brief time out from oDH and DD1 (with DD2 asleep) - need to get out of my mummy addled brain (or what's left of it) that I can have time away from them on my own and don't need to feel I have to hide away!

Beanstermummy I think I'm relieved you've said it's due to her age rather than being jealous of the new arrival. Although perhaps jealously would be shorter lived than the terrible twos! It's our first day on our own tomorrow as DH is back at work so although I know it'll be bloomin hard work I'm hoping we can settle into our 3 at home routine.
Your DD2's weight gain is fantastic! DS gets weighed on Wednesday so will see how he's getting on then.

Ok - so not sure if last night's technique worked or not. Normal night-time routine:

7/8ish bath
Half of bottle downstairs
Half of bottle in nursery
Put in cot
Cries on and off till 10/11ish
Give another feed
Eventually settles and sleeps till 6am/7am

This is great for the long sleep but the three hour crying is stressful. So... last night decided to try something new:

7pm bath
7.30pm full bottle downstairs
Put in bouncer chair
Slept till I woke her up at 9.30pm
Took to nursery and gave her another bottle
10pm settled straight away
Slept til 4am
Gave her a bottle but she wouldn't settle so had to bring her downstairs at 5am and she's slept on and off since then in her bouncer chair.

So.. no 3 hours of crying before bed but it means she doesn't sleep as long - I don't know which I should work on, which is best for both of us??

She's always awake when I put her in her cot so I know she can settle herself, so why does she struggle to do this when we try and put her in there after her bath... who knows!!

Also got to think about DH as he gets up for work at 4.30am so the late night crying is wearing him out.

Poor Holly has also had the snuffles for the past few days. HV told me to go to doctor who then said there was nothing we could do (helpful). And she hasn't had a poo since yesterday lunch so she's really cranky about that. Oh, don't you wish you could just wave a magic wand and make them feel all better.

By the way, has anyone been to a mother & baby group yet? HV advising me to go but the whole process seems a bit daunting. Should we be going this early?

Hi Hollybobs - it is difficult working out routines!
I went to a Bumps and Babies group before I had Daniel, haven't been back yet, but planning to go tomorrow, he'll be nearly 3 weeks old.
When you go to a mum and babies group depends on you - one mum brought her 2 week old, another couldn't get out until her lo was 5 weeks old!
Just see how you feel! Have you a friend with a baby who you could go along with? Maybe someone you met at an classes or at the baby clinic? That's what another friend of mine did.
I did my first public bf - during the service in church, ds was being awkward and wouldn't latch on at first, but he came off just in time for the next hymn

hi all

huge congrats to beckle and neuro... only MM left now?

lizzer - you poor thing getting mastitis twice. i had it a couple of weeks ago and feeding on the affected breast is truly agonising isn't it? i was reading that it can be caused by supporting your breast to tightly when bf - you squueze the breast which means some of the milk ducts get blocked eventually leading to mastitis? have you seen a bfc? might be worth doing in addition to the ABs?

caz10 - sounds like thrush to me. have you been to doc yet? There is some useful info on the breastfeedingnetwork.org about thrush treatements - the usual one prescribed didn;t work for me but the one they reccommend seems to have done the trick (although still a bit sore)

I agree that bf is both lovely and awful but it is true that 6 weeks in or so all the bad bit have generaLLY DISAPPEARED (oops) and it becomes easy and pleasurable so let's all persevere and reap the benefits. I am still not convinved I have a good latch as ds rarely comes off himself and feeds for 40mins+. should really phone a bfc but feel a bit embarrassed to do so - don;t know why, plus DS's weight gain is great (11lb at 4weeks) so feel like I have nothing to complain about...

loucee - our DD has been acting up too and I have put it down to jealousy and have been very indulgent with her and tried to give her loads of attention. Now DS is a bit older and feeding is a bit more predictable she seems a lot better as I can do more with her and ignore DS more (poor DS doesan;t get a look in unless he's crying!) - hopefully will be the same with your DD

amani - know what you mean about hating bf but honestly it is so much easier now (for me) than it was at 2 weeks. It does get better so soon and you are doing brilliantly to still be going when she is feeding so frequently - you will be so proud of yourself when it becomes easy

clairey and insy - have started with the washables now but they are a nightmare at night because he wees so much - have been using a shaped nappy eg motherease sandys with a muslin as a booster but he is soaking if he goes 4 hours between feeds - would also be great not to change his nappy at night if poss as he goes back to sleep more easily - any sugggestions? The terries are just too bulky for him and the wraps won;t fit round it anyway...

Wizz - congrats on first smile - hopefully makes it all worthwhile? Nearly?! My mum was uo this w/e and says Milo smiled at her but I don;t believe her! He does seem close though - I remember that being the turning point with DD - all the hardwork was finally rewarded!!!

Huge huge sympathies to suey and others with colicky babies - hope things improve soon for you

oh and meant to say - for people expressing or thinking of expressing, I have found that I can express much much more easilty in the morning - about 5oz in 10 mins (!) compared to the evening whe it takes about 45 mins..

hi all! well dd has put back on a bit of weight so that is good!

need yo go to MILs now but just wanted to ask loucee i forgot you were in scotland! we are about 40 mins from glasgow - not made it there yet but hope to soon! any recommendations on child friendly places, good changing facilities etc? debenhams down our way is fab but i don't like the one in town!

Insy, tis me with the calin bleu-it's a bit daunting at first isn't it? My top tip would be to look at the instructions on the website rather than the booklet and to use the cross carry tie but where you put the cross inside the belt rather than the traditional cross carry tie-it is far far easier to put baby in and out and means you don't have to keep retying. Sorry that doesn't make much sense, I mean this

Suey, Insy and whoever else, ds still has v bad wind which means he basically cries the whole time he is awake, it is demoralising but I just keep telling myself IT WILL END. On the plus side the past two nights he has settled after feeds without screaming and needing to be paced up and down for hours so does seem to be getting better. He has been in a lighter sleep than before though so has had a couple of extra feeds which means I haven't actually had any more sleep!

Skid I boost the nappies with microfibre cloths but they do still need changing every 4 hours or so, hopefully once he starts going longer between feeds he'll wee a bit less! Did you use washables for your dd too? I find ds wees tons more than dd did. For the terries I use this fold and then roll in around the legs. I find it quite neat although I do use a bigger wrap over it.

Holly-dd was 16 weeks before I braved baby groups but I took ds at 11 days! It's different though cos I am taking him to dd's toddler groups rather than baby groups(they won't let dd go with us to the baby groups which I fully understand but don't have anyone to take care of her).

DS had his BCG this morning-he really screamed! Especially as the first time it all squirted out again so he had to have it twice DD was with one of the nurses in the waiting area and came running through when she heard him cry like "what are you doing to my brother?!". The couple that went in before me managed to undress their baby, have the jab and dress it again without the baby even waking up

Oh and also Insy with the sling I find if I only hold onto the top edge I am less likely to get in a tangle or twist it when tying

hi all! can you all tell me how your babies go to sleep?

mathilda seems pretty unable to settle to sleep unless on the boob which neither of my other two did and its quite frustrating to say the least!

Douggie has only fallen asleep on the breast a couple of times due to his wind and I find myself wishing he would-so much easier! As it is he only sleeps if rocked/walked up and down-usually in the sling. Luckily he can then be transferred to cot!

Loucee ? I?ve been told to wait till my 6 wks check before going swimming (didn?t have cs so not sure what happens bout that but good time to ask GP) no advice about DD ? I have a DS who starts throwing things as soon as I start feeding DS2 so am struggling here as well ? DS2 4 wks now I think DS1 has worked out he?s here to stay!

Skid ? we?re back on disposables at the moment washing machine packed in (after we got hole in bathroom ceiling due to water leak so waiting for something else to go wrong to make it 3!) have you tried a terry booster or the microfiber cloth that clairey suggests (we get them cheap from Tesco)? Muslins aren?t that absorbent

Clairey ? the calin bleu wrap is fantastic ? I?ve ?worn? ds most of the weekend and at toddler group today I was able to play with ds1 which was lovely, Toby is so windy/colickly that I can?t just lie him down, also had a quite settled night with him last night ? he slept 5 hours from 7.30 ish which is a result ? maybe carrying him shifted all the wind?? I did look at the website after I got wrap as I found instruction booklet quite confusing, I recommend wrap to anyone with unsettled babies, especially if you have another lo already

Pecka ? Toby will only go to sleep if in my new sling, on my chest or on my boob ? ds1 was the same, we found you can break them of the habit when they are a little older?.

bouncingturtle & claireybee - thanks, think I'll try braving the groups next week. I only hope she'll be an angel while we're there and not the little devil she is at home

Last week I went to the health clinic and she weed on the scales - charming! Let's hope she's more of a lady when we go tomorrow.

Insy, ds is exactly the same and I'm just ordering another sling for when this one becomes too sicked on! I couldn't live without it now. I do find ds has slightly more settled nights if I've worn him lots during day, probably because he has been more comfortable and like you say, has shifted his wind. He doesn't like the cradle hold though so can't feed in it. Is also a godsend for being able to do things with dd, she and your ds1 are the same age so we are probably experiencing some of the same difficulties!

clairey - I bought the baba sling before ds2 was born but it only has a hammock hold for newborns which is why ds2 hates it, I've only tried the upright position but its working brilliantly, I have the fleece one tho and he seems very hot if we're at home(not that it seems to bother him) should I get a cooler one for indoors or is that over kill?
I find it is a brilliant hands free but is a bit like being pregnant again!

Hmmm you could be asking the wrong person because I am tempted to get the calin bleu gauze one for indoors AND another wrap (but maybe a moby as cheaper) for when this one is in the wash . What I do with ds is pull the belt down so just the cross is supporting him-he is still tiny enough to get away with that. Also if I am sitting down I open the whole thing up to cool us down a bit (but have to remember to pull it back across before standing up!)

Hi All, have been posting on another thread as well, but thought i'd pop in to let you know I had a little boy at home last weds. He's Patrick, utterly gorgeous and weighed 7lbs12. He's been a little star so far...just feeding and sleeping most of the time. He's been asleep in his hammock since about 12, last fed at about 11ish, it's now 3pm, DH has just put White Stripes on fairly loud in the front room, and he's still asleep!!! Wish he'd wake up, my boobs are like rock and feel about to explode!!! Mind you, I'm glad he can sleep through anything, DD needs to do some cornet practice when she gets home!!

Congrats to everyone..is anyone from Dec still waiting for their babies?

Caz - did you mean you are going to Glasgow today? if so my reply will be too late! If you're in the west end for lunch I really like Papparinos. Really baby/child friendly and easy changing facilities. John Lewis in town has good facilities as well but crap and expensive food. Where else... most places in Princes sq are all good with the changing facility on level 2 where most of the restaurants/cafes are too.

Insy/Skid it's tricky with these toddlers isn't it ! It's my first day alone with them both today and initially I thought not being able to drive would be the hardest thing but actually I don't think I would've been bothered to go in the car anyway! DD is also being really fussy with food and it's a battle every meal time.

Insy - how are you enjoying the P&Ts? I LOVE it but do find it hard to collapse and lift in the boot. At the moment DS falls asleep as soon as he's put in the cocoon and DD LOVES being up high. She even doesn't mind the rain cover which is fantastic as with her Maclaren she absolutely hated it .

I havent had a chance to have a proper catch up yet so sorry if im asking things that have already been asked

Has anyone heard anything from Mixedmam, she was getting induced on Friday wasnt she?

Pecka - Ethan used to settle much easier if he was lying on my chest for the first 2 weeks, but now i just put him down as soon as he's been fed and now he settles himself off in his moses basket within about 5 minutes and gets himself off to sleep.

He doesnt have a routine as such yet but its normally -
Bottle about 7pm
Bath about 8pm
Bottle about 10pm
Sleeps until about 2/3 then bottle
Bottle about 7.30am, 11am, then 3 ish.

loucee - i agree its hard going with the baby and a toddler. dd1 is at childminders today but just getting her ready to go is a stress. and when i pick her up in minute both she and the baby will want feeding at the same time....hmmmm.

we swaddled dd2 last night in a miracle blanket and it really helped - although she still wakes for a feed every three hours she goes back to sleep almost immediately and in her own bed and not in with me....result.

Thanks for the advice Skid and Loucee, Skid i do grab boob when feeding on left-i'll stop this now you've mentioned it. Loucee I didn't start thread in the end as it was sunday and not many on mn. I'm feeding (painfully but) fine on the infected one now and milk seems to be keeping up with his demands today so have cut down formula already. Phew, i had a massive panic attack last night that my milk would stop

Got the results of kidney scan-not good, but not any worse though have to have full bladder scan in a week then follow up with paed. Its hard to feel worried cos he's such a big healthy boybut it makes me to think he's got medical 'ishoos' and sort of not completely perfect, iyswim? but i know it could be far far worse, in the worst case scenario he's got another kidney that works fine

Claireyb, I'll buy more slings if you do! I'm so in love with the summery pretty ones on bigmama slings--forget fashion, wear babies instead!!

congrats popsie

baby calling, bye for now!!

insy if you still want to be eco friendly, there is a 100% biodegradable nappy called moltex oco, available from www.naturebotts.co.uk. which we are using for millie

suey - I had 2 packs of moltex for the first meconium bit but we've run out and I have to order them from my nappy lady in advance so it was a panic buy from boots to get us through - new pump arriving on Thursday and ds1 at childminders so I'll be fitting that straight away!

loucee - loving the P&T and ds doesn't mind being up high either - ds2 not so keen on cocoon (maybe I've spoilt him a bit by being in the sling? or he could just be a bit cold) I completely agree about folding it up tho, I find it flaps open when I lift it which makes it a bit awkward

clara - I was considering getting one of those blankets, I'm rubbish at swaddling, ds always seems to wriggle out of it and wake him self up, dh does it really well but is getting fed up of me waking him up to swaddle anyone remember or know roughly how lonw you swaddle for? ds1 slept on his front from 7 weeks so we (obviously) stopped then!

clairey - I might be tempted to get a gauze one, worn ds again all afternoon, its a bit weird to get used to tho as I feel like I should be 'doing' more with him - I need to read more on the positives of 'baby wearing' to convince myself, wish I'd had sling for ds1!