November 2007 - None-day Morning Lay Ins!

[RGPargy]

Hey ladies! Our thread was getting a bit long so i started a new one. Hope you dont mind!

Its called L&P- lemon and Piaroa 'World famous in New Zealand' and its fabulous.

RG, if you want to change to FF, do. I really do believe happy mummy, happy baby. And if Ellie doesn't seem that happy being bf, then it makes sense to start phasing it out. A friend of mine started by keeping the late feeds and morning feeds as bf, and ff the others, and eventually her supply dwindled altogether but it was a nice and relaxed changeover and mum and bub were both v happy... Having said that, DD went through a fussy phase a couple of weeks ago so maybe Ellie's in yet another phase?

LOM - I heard the lesson!

Loopy, am with you on the sleep front - urgh.

Trying to remember what other people have said... christening sounds great, Jet. Glad you all enjoyed it.

OK, making Nigella's pork chops with creamy mustard sauce for dinner and am salivating at thought. Fiona your dinner tomorrow sounds gorgeous! Yum!

Febes - your dinner sounds lush!!

Loopy - i really sympathise with DD3's sleeping pattern. You must be exhausted but you always seem to sound quite chirpy. It puts my whinging to shame!

LOM - Send Charming my love, hope to see her on here soon. Thanx for the fire safety tip! Do the firemen actually come to your house??

Choc - i wish it WERE a phase but she's been fussy at the boob for months now and i just think that when she's had enough she just wants comfort perhaps without the milk, which is why she stops when i give her a dummy. I might try the mixed feeding thing and see what happens. I'm thinking of giving her last feed of the night as a bottle and then if she wakes up during the night, i'll feed her myself or summat. What do you all think?

sarahlou - I didn't freeze too much!
You should be able to keep your milk supply steady, I breastfed DD until she was 14 months doing mixed feeding from about 8 months and never expressed at work as our facilities weren't so good then, but they're better now so I probably will.

LOM - I was accosted by a fireman in the street offering the free fire safety check ups, filled in the form and haven't heard anything, that was over a month ago! Think I will call them. Having said that, i conducted our own check of the smoke detectors by burning sausages last week!!

RG - your idea about mixed feeding sounds worth a try. I find BF at night easier than making up a bottle, and more often than not I think it's a comfort thing for William.

Febes - I love heirlooms. William's great great great aunt made the gown for her son. DH's dad was christened in it, as were DH and DH's sis, and my DD a few years ago.

RG - saw your thread, your idea of mixed feeding sounds good to me but as you have probably worked out from my questions earlier, I am certainly no expert! It is horrible when feed times turn into a battle. Is she the same in the middle of the night when she is tired? Sometimes Adam's nicest feeds are when he is really sleepy so he is not gulping and waving his arms around and popping off for a nosey.

Jet - Yes i agree that BF in the middle of the night would certainly be easier, especially as i've just read a thread about how you're supposed to make up bottles these days! It's good that you BF DD til 14 months!

Loopy - I agree that BFing at silly o'clock in the morning is much easier so i'll probably stick to that if i can. Maybe i could just FF when i go out or when i have guests over and just BF indoors. I might not mind that so much. Do you reckon that would work? How annoying for you that DH isn't as supportive as perhaps he could be. I too wanted to BF exclusively til 6 months but i think it's just mainly the public thing that's getting to me. I could express, but that's alot of hard work for little reward. I normally get between 1 and 2 oz per pump so if i went out for a couple of feeds i'd have to plan it weeks in advance so that i could express enough. I suppose i just want that Gold Medal for BF for six months and i dont feel i could get that if i mixed fed. One good thing tho is that DP knew i was fed up today and so i told him that i was fed up with BFing etc and he said i would get no hassle from him if i put DD onto FF. Some relief at least! Sorry, i'm really rambling aren't i.

Sarah - Yes she's the same in the middle of the night, or maybe slightly less vocal because she's tired. The only difference is that she's sleepy and snuggly and warm really!

Rg - Have you tried using nipple shields? They are half a sphere and hollow. There's hole in the back for your nipple and some small holes at the top to let the air flow. You put one on the non feeding bra at feeding time. They are good at collecting leaks which you can then use to supplement your expressing.

However, they do make you look a bit like Madonna in her Jean Paul Gaultier phase. Could be handy if some firemen happen to come round...

Loopy - Crossed posts. I absolutley agree with you.

Thanks guys, with all this talk of breast-feeding and firemen I now have visions of dousing flames with breast-milk, perhaps some that I collected earlier in a nipple shield?! My right breast would be the best one for the job I think .

P.S. RG - so lovely when your DP backs you up 100%, even when you didn't think you were worried about their reaction their unreserved support is a relief and a comfort .

Loopy - If i did do the odd FF, then i dont think it would be even once a day. My social life isn't that great yet!! Perhaps if i just express first thing in the morning on a daily basis i can at least have a supply of EBM that i could give DD when and if the need arises. Perhaps then i might not feel so pressurised. There are only 8 weeks left to weaning anyway and only 8 weeks left til DD reaches the Golden Halo age.... I do think you are right tho. If i have to give formula and it keeps me BF longer then yes, it's not so evil is it.

LOM - Yes i've tried those nipple things but i got absolutely zero leakage. I fed DD and was like "right let's see how much is in here!" expecting there to be loads but i was very disappointed when i held them up to discover they contained...... absolutely NOTHING!!! Thankfully they were only borrowed so i didn't waste any money on them.

Now, where are those firemen.......

Sarah - we could all line up with our right boobs at the ready i reckon!! And yes, it's great that DP is supportive, whatever i decide to do.

It would have to be my left boob - William has refused to feed from it all day, I could extinguish a bonfire at the mo!

DD used to do that to me too. In the end she fed from it in the middle of the night no problem.

Snap! I wonder what makes them favour one side over the other?

You sound like you have got it sussed now RG .

Right I am off to bed, hope you have a better night tonight Loopy. x

RG, sounds like a plan. Remember though- formula is just formula, not poison...

Interesting to hear about bf rates in the UK. In my NCT class, of the 6 who still meet, all initially bf and now only two of us do (babies all similar ages). For me, bf is way easier than ff - but it's a personal thing, it happens that DD is an efficient feeder, doesnt feed at night, gains weight easily, etc. Oh and refuses a bottle!!!

And... she used to prefer right breast too! but now couldnt care less, just launches herself at both as though has been starved.

Have a good day everyone!

Morning all!
RG - Glad you are feeling better with the feeding plan. Just remember when I was expressing each day and feeding I was only get 1 or 2 ozs as well. When I expressed at work I got loads more because I wasn't feeding her for those feeds. So if you give her a bottle of EBM you could try expresssing when you get home and you might get more.
Anabel also pulls on and off at the moment and fusses especially when we are out or I'm doing something else. I think after 4 months you have to feed them in a quieter manner otherwise they look around too much and get distracted.

Anabel has now slept through the night (12hours) for the past 2 nights so hopefully her jet lag is over now. Someone told me that it takes one day for every time zone you travel. Anyway its nice to get a full night sleep after 6 weeks of waking again especially when its been so cold in the night lately.

Hey ladies - all this talk of firemen is making me all unnecessary. They are coming over tomorrow afternoon...

We've both got rubbish colds. T had a long nap this am so I went back to bed a listened to Woman's Hour. I love Radio 4.

Febes - Glad you have a had good kip. Sounds like bliss.

Hi all, we have just got back from Callum's checkup at the hospital because he was prem. He now weighes 12lb 8oz and has put on 6oz in a month, thats with BF and food, so I defo. think that Callum is supposed to be small. He has dropped back down to the 2nd precentile, buut I don't care anymore,he is healthy and happy.

Well done sparkly and callum!! DD is about that weight and Callum would be her age if he was born full term so I think he's doing brilliantly.

Afternoon everyone

After having a really long think and discovering the new ways that you have to make up formula these days, i've decided NOT to give up BF. I will try and express a little each morning, just the once, and then i will hopefully have a small supply of EBM that i can use if i go out and dont want to feed in public or if PILs come round and i dont want to banish FIL to the garden lol. I have work mates coming round on Sunday and dont want to feed in front of them so i will keep expressing this week until i have enough for two or three feeds. So far i have enough for almost two so i'm not too far off. If i dont have any EBM then i will just use a carton of ready made formula, but that will be as an emergency/last resort thing really.

As people have reminded me, 6 months is only 8 weeks away and then she will be trying foods anyway. I think it's worth hanging in there deffo. I'm not sure what will happen when she gets to six months as i will be returning to work at the end of July but for now i'll just play it by ear. Who knows, she may still be a BF baby while i'm working 2 days a week!!

Thanx for all your encouragement and advice everyone.

Just got back from the doctors as Ellie's just had her third jab. I was dreading it more than she was i think. She had a little cry, but nothing major and nowhere near as bad as the first and second times she had her jabs. Such a brave little soldierette.

DS might actually have some work next week! He rang up some bricklayer/construction guy from Yell.com and apparently he has a job that starts on Friday or Monday and he'll ring him tomorrow to confirm. I've told DS that he really HAS to let him know that he's done a year at college bricklaying because he might actually be more use to the guy (rather than just being a labourer) if he knows he has been taught the basics of bricklaying. Fingers crossed he gets some work and we get to eat again! yay!!

LOM - let us know if the fireman's visit was worth putting make up on for

Sparkly - well done!

Febes - well done on the sleep! Ellie slept from 8pm til 4am last night and then again til 8am (i was awake before HER!!!).

RG - it's great to hear you sounding so positive again, and well done. I have to agree about the faff of making up bottles, I am just too lazy for all that!!!

LOM - enjoy your firemen

sparkly - my DD is a dainty one too. William weighs at 4 months what she weighed at 8 months, and she was 11 days late!

Febes - am so jealous of your sleep, hope it keeps going for you though

My friend had a baby girl last Tuesday, you might remember I made her a hospital survival pack. She phoned this morning and I think she's finding it tough as her little girl just won't sleep in her crib. Though last night she slept for 6 hours!!! So I think my friend felt a bit happier. We're going to visit at the weekend and take some provisions. I was going to take flowers but I think a shepherd's pie might be more useful at the mo!

William is obsessed with his feet. Whenever he's on the change mat he puts his legs straight in the air and grabs his feet. He even puts them inhis mouth! Oh to be that flexible again!!!