January 08 - shiny new-year babies!

[Naetha]

Thought I'd start this thread now as I think there's already a couple of people to go on it, and I know there'll be an awful lot more!!

Will update when I get a chance

Thanks all for your comments on dummies. I am reassured that I will be able to get rid of it. Great to see you on this thread mrsmcjnr-both graduates of the pregnancy after miscarriage thread!
Dd was awake and yelling between 7pm and midnight last night BUT then slept from midnight to 6.30!! I couldn't believe it. Am sure it was a one off fluke but boy was it nice...

hi all. hope all's well.
Gingeme, your niece's comments made me smile. my dd (age 10) is the opposite...constantly giving all visitors chapter and verse about how mum is breast feeding, and how she'll do the same when she has babies! (hope to goodness she isn't in too much of a rush for that one...don't want to be labelled 'Granny' yet thankyou!) v sweet, but i could do with slightly less of the emphasis! oh well, bring on the next generation of breast-feeding mothers!

Nathaea & Lilyloo, a meet up sometime would be grand. Hebden or Leeds is fine, although will have to fit it in with the school run. my email is dottiesue73 at yahoo . co . uk if you want to get in touch. Any other northern lasses around?

right, big kids have been sent to bed, so peace and quiet downstairs. dh being a grumpy sod, so think i'll go and give Patrick a bath.

is it flippin cold everywhere? was down to -3 before i went to bed last night, and already 0 degrees tonight. brrrrr!

congrats Mrs Mcjnr. he's gorgeous!

Sorry, another gatecrasher.

Just wanted to say a huge congratulations to MrsMcJnr - another chum from the ttc threads (I hope you remember me!!)

Congrats to all of you.

Thank you!

congratulations MrsMc - he's lovely!

Naetha - I have been told it's easier for baby to digest if you mix bm and f. Don't know if that's true. there seem to be so many opinions! thanks for advice and reassurance.

lol gingeme - well done you!

Evening all! hope you're all ok, Mrs Mc nice to hear from you, he's gorgeous!!! Can't wait to meet him, give me a couple of weeks and Alex and i will jump through on the train and meet you somewhere nice in Princes St for cake?
Anyway, had a nice day, went to PIL's for brunch this morning, fil has bought a bloody great rocking horse "as an heirloom" for dd1 (and Alex!) which is totally gorgeous, and is lovely of him but we'll need to build an extention to have somewhere to put it!!
Alex is fine, although she took her 8pm feed too fast and threw it all up over me, the chair, herself...... yuck! baby puke is kinda sticky, isn't it? Sleeping now though.... i expect she'll be hungry later though, it was quite a spectacular shower!!
Hope everyone well, madmouse it's fantatic to see you on here, and don't knock the routine thing.... you might find it usefull for the first couple of days when he's home and you have a house full of visitors?! Don't get me wrong, i'm not a routine junkie, could never leave a hungry baby to cry etc, but it is kinda possible to encourage them to be hungry at regular intervals, which can make your life easier!
fluffy, don't stress about the extra pounds, darling!!! curvy is fab in a mother of 2, at least thats what dh told me today (lovely man!!) and at a comfy 12 you're hardly huge!! (reckon we're about the same size, can you tell? managed to get size 10 denim skirt on today, but picked the skirt very carefully!! it's the most forgiving size 10 i've got and merely put it on for ego boost!)Even my stick-thin-weight-obsessed mother (that's another story!) told me i wasn't looking too bad for 1 week on... i nearly fainted form shock!
Anyway guys, hope it's a good night for everyone! lolo xx

MrsMc! Great to see you and your Xavier is absolutely gorgeous!

Have to eat my words after yesterday's post, Nathan was a bit unsettled today and took some work to get him to sleep, not used to that. This evening he got so upset and frantic after breast feeding that we gave him a top-up by bottle (expressed milk) and that eventually did the trick. The problem is that we both find it difficult when he gets really upset as the last time he did that was before he started having seizures so it is a bit of a psychological hurdle to get over. But then suddenly he is asleep in your arms and then in his cot and all is well

Nathan is rid of his feeding tube and is now completely wireless! The hospital flat (for practice runs - you play family with the nurses next door just in case) is booked for Tuesday night and if all goes well it is home on Wednesday! I think the consultant and I have a comfortable understanding that we are managing my anxiety rather than my baby's medical needs . I am however finally getting excited about taking him home, although I am sure I will find it tough at first. Luckily you will all be there with common sense advice wontcha!?

Morning all
Hi Mrs Mc good to hear from you.
Great news MM about coming home, can imagine it feels daunting but am sure it will be fine and we can offer all the virtual support you need.
Gingeme you are doing well to keep persevering i am managin about half night with Martha in our bed and half in basket so not too bad.
Well did my first public bf yesterday at an Italian when we went out for sil birthday. It was fine no one noticed, waiter even chatting to baby don't think he realised!
Hope everyone ok am hoping to get out and about lot's this week as it half term here so will go stir crazy if i stuck in with all 3 dc's.
Hope everyone else ok!

Happy One month to all the Janies
Another gatecrasher here.
Hi MrsMc, I was worried about you, been looking all over, so good to see you back. Hope you don't feel to overwhelmed with little Xavier, love the name CONGRAT's

madmouse - great news that you will soon be home! We spent the first week in hospital too, and while it was scary to come home, it was great to finally be free of tube feeding and the routine disappeared within about 5 minutes! Althought perhaps if you're already tube and wire free, it will last a bit longer with you?

Hi everyone! I've missed you all, and glad to hear your news. Madmouse, its wonderful that Nathan's doing so much better, and I hope you get to have him home soon.

Like everyone else, Tana and I are still figuring out her eating/sleeping habits, as they seem to change by the day! Managing to bf - although wish someone had prepared me for how difficult and frustrating (and painful!!) it can be in the early days. She's fine though, and putting on weight although she seems to vomit greater amounts than could possibly fit inside her

Feel totally zombified with the sleep deprivation, and (never thought it was possible) but am actually too tired to have sex , my poor dh!

hugs to all, and I promise to post more when I'm able to get more sleep (hmm, maybe I won't have time then, as we'll be making up for all the nookie we didn't have! )

well a week since the last post and lots has happened tongue tie cut and breast feeding improved however my infection so much worse that now on very strong antibiotics 2 different sets very strong and making little charlie very poorly so have decided to knock it on the head as would need to express for 10 days and tip it down the sink and then hope she goes back on at the end so now completely on formula as of yesterday - and although lots of torment along the way now all fine.

My mum just arrived so have to go

Hi all,

Been having some nice woodland walks this week with DS in the baby carrier.

Naetha, my Alek sounds much like your Ben was at 3 weeks if I recall. He has turned into a total Klingon and it's hard work and several tries to get him down in his basket (makes him sound like our dog - who is a bit neglected at the mo). He seems to have a lot of troubles with wind He won't burp but it seems to hurt farting and pooing! Not turned into proper screaming colic thankfully though. Infacol seeming to help so far.

HV came today and he had gained 8 oz in a week after nearly regaining his birthweight by last week. So that is my proof that he is a hungry baby!! but also pleased, as I have no let down or leaking, reassuring that my milk supply must be OK after all.... We are still give him one bottle FF at night as he gets so hungry by then and still not having much luck expressing.

I have such a lovely BF nurse (on the NHS !!) it is good to have reassurance that you're doing OK!

Nicky hope you are on the mend soon and thats the most important thing, sorting feeding out is one less thing to stress about.

MM I am overly anxious about anything to do with my own DS ... I just think you are doing incredibly well.

Would love to meet the other northerners sometime, I have friends in both Leeds and Hebden Bridge! still a few weeks before i can drive though!

Nice to hear from you at last MrsMc, look forward to your birth story when you have time! Although time has no real meaning for us at the moment!

Hi Fragolina love your FB pix of Tana.

hey mrsmc welcome back

madmouse - so good to hear from you, hope the flat night tomorrow goes well

re a catch up, there is a list further back, maybe someone with time on their hands (hahahaha) could find it and update???

right, feeling majorly chuffed right now, ds1 in bed asleep as usual on time, and, big step, ds2 in crib just after him asleep with monitor on
that was an hour and a half ago
of course it will all go wrong soon enough and i may just have been lucky with timing tonight but it feels like a major step towards civilisation to have a bedtime and evenings back

ok ok enough crowing, will head off to calm down now!

hi to everyone

Hey ladies ? my DS has been feeding solidly since 7, I feel like a milking machine! I hope I am in for a better night tonight, shattered!

Thanks Bouncing I?ll be trying to find the Success After MC thread after this to catch up with you and the others, hope all is well with you

Hey Gingeme, thanks how are things going with George? I haven?t found the BF easy and I am having to use nipple protectors at the mo to let my damaged nips heal but I think we are over the worst and I do intend to persevere!

VV ? lovely to see you here and I take it all went ok? You were in my thoughts! So you had a DD! Congratulations! What is her name? I?ve had a few nights like the one you had last night ? mine last night was hell ? slept 11 ? 12.30 then awake from 12.30am ? 4.30am and then awake every 1 ½ hrs after that

Thanks Dotsie how old is Patrick and has he always liked the bath? Xavier hates being naked

Ahh sexonlegs thanks hon how are you these days? X

Hey Susiemj how are things with you and Sabela now?

Wow lolo! I?m impressed that you are out and about so soon, I am being a bit of a hermit still, going too far seems too big a deal for me at the mo, I?m sure I?ll be up for it soon though my DH is on week 3 of 4 weeks off so we?ve been having a lovely babymoon!

Madmouse ? many congratulations on the arrival of Nathan! reading between the lines, it sounds like things have been a bit hard for you, sending hugs.

Hey Lilyloo ? well done on the public BF!

Sorry I worried you Uki xx

Fragolina ? sex, good god, forgotten all about that but then again, we tried that so often to get LO to arrive that maybe we?ve had this year?s quota!

Hey Nicky6 ? sounds like you are having a tough time, sending hugs and hoping things get much easier now x

Angechica ? my DS sounds very like yours just now ? especially in the evenings! Would love to have the use of both arms again!

Hi MrsMc, updates again, excellent . To say things have not been easy for us is an understatement. Having a baby in intensive care not knowing whether you get to keep him is not something I wish even on the devil himself. We will have to see how Nathan pans out in terms of special needs (whether he will see and whether his fits return etc), but for now I am going to enjoy my gorgeous baby and try not to worry too much.

Sorry to hear that you are finding BF tough. In the midst of all other worries BF and expressing is something that has gone smoothly so far. Wait until Nathan discovers it is on tap and not rationed to every four hours . I hope you find it worthwhile in the end.

Nicky, sorry to hear you are having such a tough time, not as if your delivery etc was so easy was it. Hope you find the time and space to enjoy your lo.

Angechica, at woodland walks, sounds idyllic.

Katy, nice to hear you are doing so well

Hi everyone else!

Beller how are you am missing you! And pussycatmomma?

hi mrsmc

patrick will be 6 weeks on weds...already! can't quite believe how quickly it's gone! he finds having a bath (technically a basin!) quite a pleasant experience i think...doesn't complain anyway! will have to graduate to using the bath soon i think, the basin's getting a bit small now!

hope the feeding gets a bit easier...give it time, and find your local baby cafe..having the support of other bf mums, and a trained mw/hv is invaluable! Lansinoh lanolin is really good for sore nipples, although pricey at around £10 per tube. worth it if you're really sore. Have you got someone to check your positioning? sometimes a small change can make the world of difference.

Are you co-sleeping or using a moses basket/cot/crib etc? ds1 was a pickle to get to settle on his own: i found co-sleeping was the only way forward, and quite often the best way to get him to go to sleep was snuggled on my chest. Patrick loves this too

have you tried using a sling when he won't settle? i find all of mine have gone to sleep quite quickly in the sling, and it does give aching arms a bit of a break.

off to bed! got to get everyone up for work/school at 7 and need some shut-eye!

night all

Hi all - Just wondering if I remembered to post this. It's a website showing videos of positioning the baby. Theyt're much more helpful than others I've seen. They show the kind of tiny changes in positioning Dotsie is talking about. It has really helped me. I can really tell the difference. MrsMc's post reminded me. Hope bf going well MrsMc. I think it's going well here but I'm a bit lacking in confidence. I always think I'm not doing something right even though objectively it's all going swimmingly! ???

I also found this on the Ameda website. I founf their tips on expressing good and the information they give is really useful and ressuring. If you're expressing anyone - give it a whirl.

Sorry no time for a catch up but wanted to pass these on to you while I remembered.

6 week check today!

p.s. If you're a bit freaked by the picture on the Jack Newman website - so was I! The videos are less surprising.

orning ladies. Had a lovely loved up day yesterday my friend got married. It was a lovely registery office wedding,same one that we got married in, and they both cried when they said their vowels.
Had a terrible night with George though. Had him in bed with me most of the night. DH out now buying a dummy. Dont want to be a human dummy any more.Literaly from about 5am till 7 he was on my breast. Every time I tried to move he cried. Im exhausted today!
Cant make 26th for a meet uo Ihave got my 6 week check up at 1.30
Well I hope you are all fine. xxx

Thought I'd nip on here while DD is (supposedly) asleep. 6 week check up today and all is fine - which is a relief! I'd had a second degree tear and all felt ok but good to have it confirmed. Now we can think about getting back to "normal relations".....
It occurred to me that if we made a mistake on the contraception, we could land up having two children born in 2008 - the thought was enough to make my blood run cold!

Anyway, DD is now crying so must run.
MrsMc - glad to see you and hope your LO settles into a more day time than night time routine soon!
Hello to everyone else too !

Welcome back MrsMc - we missed you

Lolo - there's no way we're the same size...wish we were, but I'm lucky to squeeze into my larger 12s (not 10's !) 3 weeks after having Tamara...and my mum (who like yours is weight obsessed but unlike yours has been fighting a losing battle for the last 20 years) has even commented on how large I look !! Grr...oh well, giving myself until the end of 2008 to shed the full 2 stone (being realistic here)

MadMouse - amazing to hear Nathan is coming home - so delighted for all of you! And well done on keeping your milk going - that must have taken a lot of commitment

Nicky - switching to formula sounds v sensible - bfing is all very well but only when it works.

Fragolina - welcome back too! How was your MILs visit? Know what you mean about the bf-ing...you sort of wish someone had been a bit more honest in advance of baby #1! Altho if they had, perhaps no-one would even attempt to bf?

Not even thinking about nookie yet (ok, I am, but only in a "not on your nellie!" kind of way) - I suppose T is only 3 weeks old but I suspect we'll be waaaaay past the 6 week mark before marital relations resume. At least this time we're both a bit more relaxed about it as we know it will happen again at some point!! (Probably! )

Katy - I had a similar evening to you last night, right up until the 'right, that's both kids in bed, its only 7.45pm, I've done well, time for a glass of wine' moment. Then Tamara decided to spend the next 2 hours crying every time I left her in her crib, leaving me legging it up and down the stairs every 10 mins to settle her. Irritatingly, she stopped crying every time I walked into the room - and I knew she wasn't windy, hungry, hot, cold etc etc. Sods law it was the first night dh has had to work late so I was on my own, desperately trying to make some dinner at the same time. In true 2nd child style, at 9.30 I've had enough and just left her to cry for a few minutes. Magic - 3 minutes later she was fast asleep...dh woke her for an 11pm bottle and then she slept through until her next feed at 4.30am. Hurrah!! (Although I am still wracked with guilt for leaving her to cry, of course )

Gingeme - honestly, dummies aren't so bad. In fact,they're marvellous for the first few months before the lo's are able to get their fingers/thumbs into their mouths in a controlled way. I think the trick is just to wean them onto something else (thumb, comfort toy etc) before they get too old to mind Mind you, it might take a bit of perserverence to convince George that he should use the dummy instead of mum, as I'm sure you're a lot warmer and snugglier

Susie - thanks for the links, they look really useful. I'm feeding about once a night most of the time, occasionally twice, but because I'm mostly only doing 1 feed between 8pm and 7am, I've got stupid amounts of milk in the mornings. Although that seems to be settling down a bit now

Aargh...I started writing this at 2pm, and now its 6pm...so sorry if its hopelessly out of date! Time to go and feed Tamara and sort out ds's dinner...no rest for the wicked .

Love to all, Fluffy xxx

PS Sorry, not had a chance to sort out a 'meeting in north london' thread on meetups, will try to do it tonight or tomorrow...!

Ladies, out of interest anyone here ever tried anything to do with the Baby Whisperer methods. I've not read it but was thinking of ordering it as have started to read interesting things here on MN about it.

Might help with DS getting overtired which is starting to freak me out.

Also any tip son getting them to accept a dummy as DS often refuses his especially when he is already worked up...

Sometimes I just feel so clueless!

Just thought I'd pass on advice from health visitor about settling baby into crib/ cot at night.
She recommended putting in a hot water bottle for half an hour BEFORE baby gets in, taking it out just before you put baby in. Also, wrapping a sheet thats used in the cot around your body for a couple of hours before baby's bedtime..
You then put baby into a nice warm cosy cot and put sheet/ blanket over them that you have had wrapped around you. Baby is warm and snuggly and thinks still with mum as blanket smells of you!
Its working like a dream for me, so thought I'd pass on the info.

Ange - we're a fully Baby Whisperer'ed up household, verging on the 'expert' these days . DS1 (now 2.5) has been BW'ed since he was 5 days old and DH had had enough of not having a clue what we were doing with him...I'd read the (big) book just before having him but then forgot everything in a haze of post-natal hormones and exhaustion.

DH being a very organised solicitor type proceeded to mark up all the relevant bits of the book with colour-coded post it notes. 2.5 years on and the book has helped with everything - weaning, toddler tantrums, toilet training, sleeping, the lot!

Tamara (3 weeks today), is responding well to it as well. The nice thing is that it provides a routine but not a 'schedule', so the day has some sort of shape to it, but nothing prescriptive so can be flexible to suit the needs of mother and baby. The best thing about the book (IMO) is that it really helps us to translate all the different baby cues (different cries, physical signs etc) to understand what our baby needs. Oh, and its good at 'problem solving'..you know 'i've got to 5 weeks and my baby has suddenly started/stopped doing x,y or z' .

Gosh..thats a bit of a rave review isn't it . I'm not on commission, honest!!!

But please remember, these things are all subjective...just because I think the BW is amazing doesn't mean it will suit everyone - if you're going to use a book, you need to find one which matches your natural parenting style (Fluffy tries to say this neutrally whilst admitting that she relies on a laid-back but definitely parent-in-control approach !!!)

Fragolina lovely to see you back

Nicky hope things improve for you soon.

Ange would be great if you could make meet up, that's 4 of us now including Naetha and Dotsie. P.S tips for dummy try the cherry teat ones they tend to stay in better, although it takes a few attempts when lo are upset.

Well done Katy you sound v. organised

Good to see you back Mrs Mc hope the bf improves soon, you sound determined though , well done.

MM hope Nathan doing ok.

Dotsie any ideas for meet up ?

Susie at the pic!

Gingeme hope George better tonight, we had rough night here too. Hopefully dummy will help. Am hoping Martha's two explosions in her two nice new babygro's today will mean better night tonight

bw glad 6 week check ok

good advice betterhalf will try it and let you know!

Agree Fluffy r/e bw i have it from dd2 and find if you are selective with it and don't be obsessed with it then their are some good tips esp the cue stuff.

Well hope evryone else ok. Have finally started to put some outfits on Martha now as she is growing so quickly and she has been bought so much, i haven't had to get her anything. But have kept her in babygro's this time for longer as i just think they look so comfy. Anyone else's lo's have better wardrobes than them ? As for socks she must be getting on for 50 pair and the only ones that stay on are towelling ones from Asda!