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!

Hello again!

MrsMc - best of luck, hope you'll be holding minimc soon!

Awen - poor you and poor dcs! These things happen, hope you are all better soon.

Got Daniel weighed today he is now 7lb 8oz, 1lb 2oz over his birth weight! Guess he is making up for lost time!

evening folks. My mummy addled brain is struggling to keep track of all your news and issues etc so apologies for non-personal replies to things.

Swaddling seems to be working for us brilliantly - realised that when she ended up being put down from us so of wrapped up in a blanket it worked better then down then being simply covered. Decided to really give it a go so have one of those Miracle Blankets from Mothercare - well in fact I now have 2 coz they really are miracles!! Slightly worried that she'll get so used to it that she won't then sleep without it but for now she really is settling well.

Washables v Disposables - we've got Tots Bots but must admit to still using Pampers - have said when she really is in a good routine we'll switch - maybe just during the day but not sure yet

Bras - really arse over tit (scuze the pun ) on this issue - am around a 42 D (normally 38 B) but getting nowhere with M&S or Mothercare - and no idea where to start looking up here in the sticks of Scotland - any advice??

Routine - she's sort of managed herself to be honest - really feel unfair to DD1 as BF was so traumatic for me for the first few weeks that I reckon I must was so cruel as I really did the 4hr bit ridgidly. This time I've been more flexible and as things were going well allowed DD2 to feed whenever - but even then I think unconcsiously tried to get her to go 4 hrs at least. The last few days she's actually dropped one feed so is going (ish): 4am, 8am, 1pm, 6pm (EBM), 11pm. after 6pm feed we have been trying to have real play time and bath (not every day - bad mummy ) and tonight I gave her a bit of a top up at 7.30 and she's just gone down now pretty easily. I think coz she is such a piglet and is now over 11lbs she's taking a good amount each time and so is able to go 4 or 5 hrs. Remind me of this though when I write that I've been up all night coz routine has gone all to pot! My older sister did say that with a toddler around as well as the new LO things do fall into a routine more easily as you sort of have to really due to their already established routine.

Slings - have just got a Calin Bleu one myself off eBay and reading your posts can't wait for it to arrive - also have found SlingMeet.co.uk which seems to be a small forum site purely to sort out meet ups for mums - and advice on slings etc - meet for me in Stirling is in 2 weeks so I'll let you know what occurs - for me it simply another way of meeting folks - really hard when you are usually working full time to actually meet people during the day - and we're off to local Baby Massage class tomorrow - any one else doing this?

Anyway, since little Bug is asleep and DH is currently battling big bug over bedtime reading selection (no doubt Dora as usual!!) I'll be off to sort out some food and more importantly a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc

Hope you are all good - is it just me whose brain has died by the way????????? Concentration span is now that of a drug addicted gold fish

I have had sex - am working on breastfeeding stops concception...i know it doesn't always but you have to be quite unlucky esp when you are completly bf...(I can't believe this is the 1st thing i have posted

i am being smiled at by a smiley baby,....she is so damn cute and so easy. I forgive her not sleeping in her cot - i have kind of given up with the cot sleeping thing.

congrats cazzybabs! think you are the first?! Think I'll be the last, god what a thought!! DH would get covered in milk anyway, seems to flow out whenever nipples are touched, getting dressed a nightmare!! One wrong move with the bra and it's a flood!

Oh, beanstermummy let me know how sling meet goes if it's before the 24th? glasgow is my nearest one but it's still a bit of a trek, so would hate to go if it's no good ...think it will be though. I just ordered the calin blue one...oops must stop internet shopping

speaking of which bras - i have always found the figleaves site v g, lots of variety.

dd a bit wee for our miracle blankets yet, but she won't sleep without being swaddled, so they will be a miracle indeed when she is bigger!

God it was ages ago before Chrsitmas - it is not that bad...TBH have to keep dh happy else there will be no 4th baby (a few years into the future)..

I am ill too and I am never ill. All my teahching immunity clearly worn off! I say ill - I have a runny nose and a sore throat.

Fifi - haven't had sex yet but think this will be the week! last time with normal delivery I felt weird but as I had a section this time I'm just bothered about being comfy around scar etc.

caz yes Silverburn has great facilities, cant wait til all the shops have opened. Didnt know about a sling meet, it's a Thurs so DD will be at the childminder so might come along. Where abouts are you? I'm the other side of E.K

Lizzer sorry that the scan wasnt better news, hope everything is ok. When will you find out more?

Beanster most impressed with your feeding times, ours are more like 3.30am, 6.30am, 9.30am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm, 11pm!

Walked into town today to the Dr (wanted to see me when ABs finished) and I asked him about driving post section and he said I could drive if I felt ok to ! YAY that's fab as it's 1 mile downhill town which means a 1 mile uphill walk home which with double buggy is hard going!

Wow just had first proper smile from DS (okay I was stroking his cheek but he then did it agasin!!)

Hello and good morning!
Not quite as good a night as the previous one, after 3am feed ds took ages to settle. Then he threw most of his 5am feed up! He seems happy enough, wide awake and being cuddled by his daddy (who he won't see again until Friday night )
Dh and I went and got a disposable nappy trial pack - we got a totbots nappy, couple of terries, 4 wraps, a onelife nappy, liners, fleece liners, booster pad(at least I think that is what it is!), nappy nippas, pail and tea tree oil, for £35 (apparently should be about £70) from the council. They offer discounts if you buy from local distributors. Only problem is the instructions aren't great for some of it so I need to find some idiots guide to washables!
Sex still off the agenda, still having a very light bleed, hopefully that'll tail off completely in a few days.
Cazzy - by the way bfing is only 92% effective at preventing contraception - don't forget that ovulation occurs before your period, so if you have a period and you had had sex in the couple of weeks before it you had a lucky escape! Unless it won't be that big deal if you fall pg again.
Am going to try sling again today!

Caz ? I agree with clairey it will save your life! I?m a complete convert, I only bought it on Sat and its great ? I paid £34 and got it from big mama slings, I?m on line now to order a cotton one for indoors

Ambi ? I need to find out about contraception too, I never had a good experience on the pill and since we want more (dh thinks maybe 4 would be nice so am going to take advantage before it wears off!) I don?t want to take hormones, I was going to ask about coil at 6 week check (in 2 wks)

Fifi ? we?re having sex, few days after ds was born because it didn?t feel as scary as last time as no stitches

Awen ? you?re not doing a crappy job! I hope it gets better soon x

Ok now off to buy a miracle blanket for swaddling too, thanks for advice suey, I try and wrap him up like that but I just don?t seem to have enough material to wrap under his bum ds was up in the night and I?m feeding him but I just not sure he?s hungry, during the day he feeds for about 30-40mins and at night its 10 mins before he?s asleep again and then awake again with wind! This morning we reswaddled and left him to moan a bit and he slept for another hour and half before I fed again because I wasn?t sure if he needed it and I didn?t want to starve him?. Hoping a blanket will help as he never stops wriggling

bouncing - the nappies bit of MN has some experienced reusable users on for advice if you need it

hi all

let's see if I can remember everythign I was going to say...

re swaddling - we have done this since birth with ds and he settles like a dream. I have read that you should stop at about 1 month but am ignoring that advice. Think they will let you know when to stop when they are struggling to get free as soon as you swaddle them. Think we carried on till about 3 months with dd

insy and clairey - yes we did use washables with dd as well ( you wouldn;t know from how clueless I'm being) - we have some microfibre cloths as boosters but they aren;t sufficient either. Think we will use a disposable at night until he is a bit bigger and we can use a terry of something more substantial as a booster. He never poos at night so it seems a real shame to wake him up for a change. Insy hope washing machine is fixed soon in the meantime I find Nature eco disposables brilliant (from Boots or Waitrose)

slings - I have a mobywrap cotton sling which is great inside but am thinking about gettina fleece one for outside.. still not as much as a double buggy so I shouldn't feel guilty

think we have thrush AGAIN - nipples are bright pink and killing me will go to bf group this week and se what they say. I'm sure it was painless by this stage with DD

routine: am waiting for DS to find his own, atm it is something like feeds at: 7.30am, 10am, 12.30pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6.30pm, 8pm, 11pm (EBM), 2.30am, 5am
Jesus that's a lot of feeds and he is 11lb so capable of taking in a lot at each feed - will have to have a stern word with him

right am goign to try and put a pic on my profile because he is VERY cute

ps thanks for the terry fold link clairey - looks v. complicated but will give it a go!

Hello, just popping on to say thanks to everyone's kind words re:ds kidney prob. Hospital apt just come through for 11 feb. Buzzy, thanks for the offer, that's really kind,i'll let you know if i have any q's for your friend after the apt. Clara, yes i hope it will be the same for me and ds. He doesn't look ill or is in any pain so fingers crossed he stays that way

Just going to catch up on all your msgs now - I didn't come online y'day and boy is there a lot of catching up to do

Oh and when did your lo's first 'proper' smile? ds is 3w and no signs yet..I can't wait though!

Sorry, terrible grammar there in that last sentence

Skid - sounds like the same amount of feeding I'm doing. At the moment DD2 haas gone back to feeding every 1 - 1.5 hr for 10 mins, unless if I take her for a drive in the car and this knocks her out for 2 hrs.

Anyone eles boobs feel softer now? Also what does it mean when my LO tugs on my boobs when feeding? She seems to be doing that when she is cluster feeding in the evening.

By the way Mixedmam had a baby boy on 11th Jan at 1126pm, 11 days late. Weight 8 pounds 12 ounces. Both mum and baby Ediz are well.

Skid there are clearer instructions on one of the other nappy websites but I can't remember which one! kittykins? Took me ages to getright but once I did the satisfaction was immense! Find it much better for fit and containment than the other folds I've tried.

Caz, my milk doesn't just flow out, it shoots out! Undid bra last night to feed ds and sprayed the other end of the sofa!

Swaddling-am very jealous of those of you who find it works. DS hates it and fights his way out within seconds! Thought he'd like it considering he likes being all cosy in the sling so much but no.

Had a v bad night last night. DS was v unsettled all evening, finally slept around 9. woke at 11.20, up til 12. woke at 2 and was v v unsettled til 5.30!!!!Almost lost the plot! Is so frustrating when nothing you do settles them...

clairey v quick one - is the moby sling the same as calin bleu? seems to be cheaper on line.... (I need to order a cotton one today )

skid - just picked up washing m/c pump, about to feed ds and then strap him in sling and get it fitted! hurray! will be washing clothes for the next week tho, we have a massive pile now!

Insy - any idea how to remove the wheel from a P&T? Gota puncture in my left wheel and will need to fix as need to go out later. the instruction leaflet is filed away

8Amani* - tugging at your boob, sort or wrestling with it? My DS does that as well and I'm sure it's because he has tummy ache from having too much of a full belly (also after cluster feeding). Or could it be trapped wind?
My boobs have been soft from a few days which worried me but everyone assured me it was fine and it has been. Just your body settling down to your baby#s needs. With my DD it didn't happen until 10 wks

Lizzer I am sure I got a proper smile last night 3.5wks old but it hasn't been repeated so not sure if it was wind. Can't wait until it's gummy smiles all the time, think DD did them at 6wks.

Has anyone LO not lost their belly button yet? DS is 3.5 wks old and it's still on (it's a small lump as they cut the long stem and clamp off when we came home from hosp). HV assured me it's fine that some take longer to come off but I can't wait til it's off and worry there's a problem with it (a friend's little boy had to have his surgically removed as didn't come away properly).

Going to try and get 40 winks, DS slept really well last night but I feel so tired.
Hope everyone else is well

Insy it's exactly the same design but is like tshirt material. Cooler than the fleece but hotter than the gauze...

clairey/insy - have you got a link to the slings you're mentioning? I have 3 slings so shouldn't even look at any more but I would love a nosey!

Loucee - it more like a tug and twisting at the same time. It makes me wonder of I am producing enough milk..??

Congratulations to Mixedmama
Is that everyone over here now??

Lizzer - Im sure Ethan has been smiling for few days now and he's 5 weeks tomorrow , where has that time gone?

ambi - my ds did the clamp on nipple tug thing, its stopped since I took him to the chiropractor

loucee - press the silver hub in and pull wheel off (already had a puncture too) and sling link is here

clairey - thanks I might go for the gauze then... now need to decide on a colour - getting into this baby wearing thing!

sorry amani - not ambi

Amani DS does same thing. I know it's not because we don't have enough milk (I thought that but if I take DS off and squeeze boob milk squirt out) I think it's either belly ache from full tummy (as they've been cluster feeding) or them getting impatient with having to work hard to get the milk out (I don't feel a let down during the period he gets frustrated and his jaw is always doing small movements unlike the big chomps when he's getting the freely flowing milk).

Insy DOh! Thanks for helping me, just took it off and will pop round a friend's later and hope it's repairable and wont need to tube.
Sling looks great.
Did you take your DS to chiro for specific problems or just to get checked over? I'm in two minds whether to take DS to osteopath or chiro as he really favours lying on one side (the way he was in my womb - only reason i know is that MW always said his back was down my right side and his 2 cuts from emergency delivery fit in with that too)

Lizzer - dd is 6 weeks on Sunday and still not sure if I have seen a proper smile Although if I stroke her cheeks she gives me one but I think that's cheating!!

claireybee - I know how you feel when lo won't settle. I thought we'd got into quite a good routine but had a bad day yesterday. She was awake for most of the afternoon, couldn't settle her to have a nap so by the time bedtime came she was inconsolable. But when they're overtired like that there's not really much I find I can do. We usually put her in the nursery and see if she can calm herself down (might sound a bit harsh but we feel if she's going to scream whatever we do, then there's no point letting it wind us up) she then generally cries it out after 20/30 mins (although it seems like forever!!). She cried from 9.30 til 10pm last night and then fell asleep til 6.30am this morning!!

Good luck for 11 Feb Lizzer - I've still to receive follow-up appmt for Beatrix, supposed to be 6 weeks from last scan.

Congrats MixedMama!

My boobs def a bit softer now, don't get rock hard. Although more comfy the downside is that I'm not "forced" into expressing so have to make sure I remember otherwise supplies will dwindle!

I'm pretty sure DD1 didn't smile until about 6 weeks but today I was convinced I got a smile from DD2 and yesterday I thought I caught her smiling at DD1. She's only 2.5 weeks so t'would be very early but she has been very alert and able to focus on my face almost from day 1 and def copies other facial expressions like making a pursed lips O with her mouth.