October '04 babies - Roll call!

[florenceuk]

OK, here is the list I have so far:

Eyelash (age 36) - DS3 arrived 5 October
Toots (age 37) - DD1 3 - DD2 arrived 5 October
Cazzybabs - DD born 7 October
sooz31 - DD arrived 7 October
Distracted - DS arrived 9 October
florenceuk (age 38) - DS 3 - DD arrived 13 October
Huppa, (age 37) dd now 21months - DS born 14 October
Bibiboo (age 25) DD arrived 15 October
Rickman - DS arrived 16 October
geoteach (age 33) - ds1 3 dd 10 months, DS2 born 16 October
Nailpolish - DD2 arrived 17 October
Piglit (age 36) - DS born 19 October
Miffy2 (age 35) - 22nd October dd 5 DS1 2 - DS2 arrived 22 October
Beansprout (age 35???) - 1 dsd (16). DS born 25 October
Bellie - DD arrived 30 October
Turtle35 (age 35) - DD arrived 31 October

I've taken this from the old pregnancy thread so there are some odd bits of info floating round eg age and other children. Excuse me if I've got any of this wrong, as my sleep-deprived brain barely capable of putting this list together! Any amendments please speak now, and we can start the new thread!

Congratulations on the big sleep Geogteach - fingers crossed he can perform again tonight.

Bellie glad you've got your wheels.

Rickman hope the sick bug has passed.

Huppa very relieved for you about the blood test.

Over at Toots Towers the feeding rollercoaster ride is running day and night. If I'm not talking or listening, I'm thinking about bf and being anxious about how it's all going to pan out. Was all for throwing in the towel yesterday, but today dd2 was feeding well from me, and seemed less ravenous when I gave her the supplement. I'm going to see the wonderful woman at Kings College Hospital tomorrow for some tips on making the most of what I've got, I love breastfeeding, and do want to carry on.

I should be in bed but??? Lots of hugs Toots - hope the feeding goes well and that you can carry on - keep us informed.

Hope everyone is feeling well. Poor DS woke us all up last night with croup - and then coughed all over his little sister today. My sympathy for him reduced somewhat when he "chopped" her off the breast with his hand (albeit rather gently) after he felt she'd had enough of my time and attention this morning .

DD still unsettled and will not go to sleep unless she is cuddled and preferably by Mummy. I'm finding this really hard to deal with and cope with DS as well - it seems she just ends up screaming no matter what I do, and it is getting on my nerves, I have to admit. Cazzybabs, how are you going? Also is it possible for babies to develop dummy confusion - as she seems to want her dummy but then just keeps pushing it out with her tongue and not sucking on it, and then crying?? Reread my GF to see what babies this age are meant to be doing and depress me a bit more (like feed 4-hrly, go through the night from 11pm and NOT require an hour of cuddling to go to sleep...)

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Sympathy for the croup florence that's horrible. Today DD gave DS2 a quick smack as he lay in his gym (he really seems to have taken to this despite being a 3rd child and therefore half the toys being missing!). 2nd night of 6 hours sleep last night, hope this is going to last however my other 2 who are normally in bed by 7 have started making a massive fuss over going to bed so you win some you loose some! Hope the feeding is going ok toots, bought some bottles yestaday and booked a massage so got to try and get DS2 to take it by monday, might help if I get the steriliser out of the loft and get started!

Aha!! I'm BACK!
Toots - hoping the feeding is going ok
Flo - that sounds hard, I have no suggestions, just a big hug for you
Hi to everyone else!

Ok here, sort of finding a routine. Having some pretty good days, but I have to concentrate and make sure I am doing everything right - know when Bean is hungry/tired etc otherwise he gets himself into a bit of a state, and boy, he can do state!

The 6 week check is an 8 week check round these parts but there are no appointments, so ours will be... a 10 week check! Is this a record?!

Hi Rickman.....glad you like your hug-a-bub

Well, we've all just had a completely miserable day - big dose of the vomiting bug. DS threw up last night, DH followed quickly and me this am. There is nothing worse than a household full of people all suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea. Then noticed that DS eyes were red and pus-sy so we're off to the doctors for eye drops - I think he threw up in his eye last night. So far DD is OK but it can't last!

Good to hear some of us are getting some more sleep!

huge sympathy florence, sounds vile, poor, poor you.
hurray for ds2 geogteach.

welcome back beansprout.

sling sounds good rickman.

DS2 had his jabs yestaday, I think DD was more distressed than he was!
Just realised i've booked a massage and facial for Monday when I should be at my 6 week check (which i've cancelled once already)thought i'd ask the wise meece for advice, which do I cancel!

geogteach - that´s a tough one. Have to say I´d be so depreesed if I had to cancel a massage and facial I´d be tempted to postpone (doesn´t sound as bad as cancel) the 6 week check. Could your dh possibly get time off to go instead of you?

Florence - hope things are improving.

Things pretty much the same as ever. DS still spends huge amounts af the day and night sleeping, but still never longer than 3 hours at one go.
Took him to have his passport photo taken today and it literally took 10 minutes to wake him up. I was amazed as DD always woke up at the drop of a pin. Had fun trying to hold him upright, but with me out of shot, but ended up with something reasonable in the end. Ridiculous really as he´ll look completely different in a few months time - never mind in 5 years when the passport expires.

Geogteach, if it were me, I'd take the massage and facial - all they seem to do at the six week check is weigh and measure them and check their hips, and your DS seems fine anyway! Reminds me, I have now enough points with Clarins to qualify for a free facial (only taken 3 yrs to get there) - must try and find some time to express so I can take it up before we head off to NZ.

Well glad to report that healthwise we are now much better although we all still seem to have lingering cold symptons - however my digestion has improved enough to tackle the mountain of chocolate in my cupboard (thanks to my Mum!) Just waiting to see if DD has caught it but so far so good!

So just back to the usual worries about trying to get DD to settle without being constantly held. She is having slightly longer periods of not fussing - today we managed to sort the washing (!) before she lost it. She is smiling and interacting with us all, just in fairly limited time intervals. Rickman, sorry didn't catch comment on sling before the vomiting bug hit us - I do have a Baby Bjorn which, although it is not as good, DD still screams in it (although she will eventually go off in it) so not sure whether to splash out another £50 on another. Friend has suggested a swing might help - any opinions???

Plus DD's sleeping pattern now goes something like 9pm-1am-4am-7am which I am finding quite tiring. We are actually off to a posh hotel over Xmas which was meant to be a treat, but I can't think how I'm actually going to eat anything given it takes an hour and half to get DD to sleep and there are no guarantees she will stay asleep...

BTW Huppa, how I did DD's passport photo was to lay her on a white sheet and use a digital camera. Then the photo shop cropped the photo. We had to wait until she was 6wks old though before she would actually keep her eyes open enough to take the photo! Passport application delayed though because the person who validated the form has a Irish passport - which has resulted in lots of extra questions - so be warned!

Geogteach - I would go for the massage too. My 6 week check is not going to be until 10 weeks so presumably there is nothing urgent!!

Flo - that does sound exhausting, hope you find a solution soon.

Bean has decided to go on an hourly snacking/grizzling schedule today, naturally with NO sleep. Yawn! Went to the work Xmas bash yesterday which, sadly, I thoroughly enjoyed. I do miss talking to grown ups sometimes...

Watcher bean - have emailed you.rxxxxxx

Ok, have adopted festive name in attempt to start to feel Christmassy... anyone join me?

(Not working so far. Dp has just come in with sd's xmas present, (a lap top) which I think costs a ridiculous amount of money that we can't afford. I'm sick of this vague sense of needing to compensate her for ds's existence. .
Told you I wasn't feeling festive!!!)

Well DS has had his check so its just me so I think i'll skip it. DS just had his first bottle in preparation for Monday which he wolfed down, something of a relief as DD wouldn't have one until 6 months, but it could have been a flook.
Flo, the sling, my yoga teacher was pushing the ones Rickman has but I wasn't sure my macrame was up to it! As for the swing a friend who had a DD a couple of weeks later than us got one second hand and has discarded it as her DS kept playing wth the switches and sending the thing doolaly so think if your DS might me similarly inclined

Hmm. Lap top. I agree, well OTT.
I have been asked by dp to provide him with a 512mb Audio Dream mp3 thingy for £99.99. Hmm again. Last time I checked I was made of flab, NOT money.

After triumph of an 11-7 sleep Wednesday night (how she do that all of a sudden? How?) Last night, despite laborious reconstruction of all previous conditions - lucky blankets, lucky pyjamas etc - was a two-waker with me hardly getting back to sleep in between. So tired today I went to ToysRus. Would never have done that in my right mind. Proof of insanity in shape of My Little Pony I appear to have brought home with me. Nurse! The Screens!

Anyone trimmed up yet? Might try and sort it tomorrow, although dp is currently decking the halls with piles of extremely important paper whenever he's at home, which I find fluffing infuriating.

Dp finally did his first night feed last night - hurrah! However, Bean then raised his game by wanting 2 feeds for the first time in ages, so I had to get up anyway - doh!!

Our broadband connection has been playing up loads recently so haven't been on here for ages!

Florence - I would recommend a swing, although they can be quite expensive even secondhand. I've seen a couple advertised for £35 and one for £45 but actually got mine for £10 from someone, which was really lucky. I didn't use it for first dd, but figured this time I would need everything possible with 2 of them and it has been a complete godsend! If I need to do something and haven't got time to hold ds (and he's fed up with baby gym, not tired, not hungry etc.) then I put him in the swing and he loves it. We use it so much as he finds it really soothing (his head does loll rather alarmingly when he drifts off to sleep in it though. Just one caution though - I am wondering if it is slightly less effective now he's older though, as he will now still cry sometimes in it (which he never did in the early days - it was absolutely guaranteed to stop him crying). However, it might not be his age, just that we've used it too much

We've had some longer sleeps too recently where ds has gone through until 7 am, but we've cheated rather and done the late night feed at 1 am. If we feed him at 12.00 pm then he was going through to 5-6 am (so he's quite a way off doing 11-7 really). Having done that for a week though he then threw in 2 nights last week where he woke up at 3 am and 4 am again .

Last night was the best though, he actually fed at 11.45 pm and then 7.30 am so there's hope (I'm sure it was a one off, but at least you can then see you'll get there in the end).

Geogteach - hope you got your massage today.

DD2 is growing fast but we have all come down with colds (AGAIN) which is slightly discusting as she gets attached to my breast with snot. She is doing less crying (touch wood) which is good, athogh dd1 seems to be trying to compete with Grace as to who can cry the most and the loudest.

Grace is a real nightowl. She seems to be awake between 8-1 - dozing on and off, but then will sleep till 6.30-7. I am tired as is dp - who is looking forward to sleeping at Xmas.

Well, DD has been sick with temperature and cough (see health thread) and very sad. Slept all night on me from 12-6, but woke up every time she was put down, so I have a very sore back. I also had some really weird dreams! Have spent almost all of yesterday and today with her on my lap which has driven DS mad. BUT she has just fallen asleep on the floor (bad Mummy was mumsnetting while DS off at a party) without crying which must be an absolute first - she must be exhausted! [update - up again 10 min later - her sleep cycles are incredibly short...] As an aside doctor said it was fine to use calpol at this age, so don't wait until midnight to ring emergency services to check!

So envious of all of you whose babes are sleeping longer - I think I'm going to be one of those whose babies keep waking up twice during the night until six months at least...

Florence - sorry to hear you´ve had such a crap couple of days, hopefully you´re over the worst now.
I think I´ll be joining you with a baby that is still up twice a night at 6 months - no improvement here at all.

Florence & Cazzybabs sorry to hear that dd 's are not so well - lets hope that they are better for Christmas and have not passed it to the rest of your families.
Bean - typical just when you think you have the solution they ruin it again!!

Well had the massage and facial and then legged it to the hospital and just played the dopey new mum who was running late! Unfortunately my 'mums' christmas dinner which was supposed to be tonight is cancelled as all the other mums have dreaded sickness bug which is doing the rounds. Bit gutting as my mum was babysitting and I was going to leave ds with a bottle (it worked alright this morning), very exciting.
Just an update for those who know, DH now has been offered a 3rd consultant post -the one he wanted - in the local hospital so no more commuting or on calls in the new year hooray!
Ds has been doing 10-4 with the odd night in between where he wakes up earlier so things are definately improving here too.

Hello all. Have to say, it's so reassuring to read your posts. We'll get there in the end!

Have been weeping quite a lot today. So bloody tired after one of those mega wonky nights, felt really rather down , although have had some fun lately and a lovely time at a neighbour's party on Saturday with both girls in tow, and all dressed up. Great fun.