December 2007: It's all worth it for the smiles.

[claraquitetirednow]

I've never started a new thread before - has this worked?

Pecka, sorry to hear about your probs. They just don't do what you want them to do they, and it makes you feel like a failure (well me anyway). I can't offer any advice, just sympathy.

Loucee - have realised that I can't give up the chocolate biscuits at the moment, and I'm beginning to put weight back on ! So yesterday I went running for the first time in a year, wore an extra heavy duty sports bra and a sports bra top too. I didn't go far, but it felt great to be doing it again. Then I came back home and undid all the good work by makeing some lemon drizzle cupcakes .

I feel good today though. My muscles ache from exercise rather than just from bad posture while night feeding. Anyone else got painful hands from lifting their babies? Or is it because DS seems to constantly want to be held up to practice walk in his active time.

Oh pecks, i'm so sorry you've got all these probs and i'm sorry you feel that it was the routine to blame.. I hope you can get the support and help you need.. Its such an emotive subject and ikwym caz10 about how you want something even more when told you can't have it.

Thingamajig, i'm still reeling from your ordeal. I am worried how this incident will affect your everyday lives, as you said you did not go to a party in case you were seen. That's awful!And after reading that your mil is a gp who knows the woman i can't believe that she did that. i am still so for you. Why don't you write a letter explaining how she's upset you?

Wizz, i am also putting weight back on But its unsuprising, on sat i ate a bag of toffee, 3 choc baskets complete with mini eggs! This week i'm stopping all crap entering my mouth and concentrating on healthy eating and going out for walks...

Beckle-hi! Yeah he's good thankyou! Still waiting on hearing from the uroligist (sp?) in manchester children's hosp but he's a healthy little man so i'm not too worried. I'm so glad i'm not the only one with the weaning..when you've already raised a healthy 8yr old who had baby rice from 3months, it makes it difficult to see what the probs are (but of course avoid all trigger foods and do it sensibly) I'll suss out my hv's view point on wed.. Hope your dd is feeling better btw

Skid, bt and all NE'ers I'll keep an eye on your meet up, i'm in the NW but have family over there (i was born in Newcastle!) so i might be able to make it, would be great to see you all

Ooo and Loucee,Lost is getting v good isn't it. D you know how many more eps in this season?Its meant to be a mini series this time but i'm not sure...

Pecka that thread upset me a bit too, ds feeds well but only when hungry and because my initial oversupply made feeding so uncomfortable for him he has never fed for comfort-I wish he would! It's so nice knowing that you can calm your baby down in that way but if I offer the breast when he is tired or after his vaccinations for example it just makes him cry harder! Plus it makes the whole going to sleep process a lot easier than the rocking/pacing I usually have to do!

Caz I know what you mean about your attitude changing once you actually have a baby, with dd I was "I'll give it a go..." and didn't think I'd feed for long at all but when she refused the breast (at 5 months) it really upset me. I used to cry when I saw other people breastfeeding! With ds I find myself being quite millitant about it (for myself, not other people strangely)and have to keep reminding myself that it doesn't really matter

Lizzer I think they say that solids before 17 weeks can overload the kidneys so that could be worth bearing in mind...

Caz - HVs can worry you can't they. One of my mum friends from my NCT class got told that her baby's head was too small. WTF! What are you supposed to do about that?

Glad bf is getting less painful though and there are worse smells than curry.

I've decided that I'm going to start giving DS a formula top up at lunchtime again. I think it's a reaction of guilt on my part because last week I tried a GF routine to try and get him to sleep better at night and gave him fewer feeds than he's used to. I think I may have starved the wee mite. Can't top up at bedtime because I tend to wake up in a pool of milk if I do. Have had to sleep with 2 muslins down my top!

Has anyone heard from Mixedmama at all? thought I saw her name in active convos yesterday but when I went back I couldn't find it (may have imagined it!)

hi everyone, thanks for supportive messages

had crap night last night in terms of breastfeeding as for one of the first times she wouldnt even take middle of the night feed from me.

its upsetting but i cant help noticing how when she has the bottles she is way more settled - i try not to pay too much attention to that but i cant deny that since friday and her refusing breast she has been sleeping better, smiling more etc etc

still such a dilemma!

suey, dundee- yes I would be up for a meet-up in London on Tue 15th in the afternoon.

loucee- I admire your sensible eating, I'm with Wizzska and Lizzer putting weight back on. Gah. It is spending way too much time on the sofa feeding (DD not me!) and never doing any of the old things like swimming or gym classes. I keep saying like a mantra, nine months on, nine months off- well, that gives me till August.

Pecka- I'm mixed feeding and mostly it works OK though of course I am rather sad about each ff. If DH is giving it I hover over the bottle saying, "not too much! stop when she isn't asking for it! don't feel like you have to give the whole bottle!". I also find it sooo depressing when sometimes she roars and pushes the boob away and only a bottle will pacify- it is incredibly hurtful in a way which doesn't seem rational, isn't it? No tips, just sympathy.

What is funny is the way that her ff intake varies between one and three bottles a day, and doesn't seem to correlate with her night waking. I did also hear someone say not to worry about how much they sleep in the day as it doesn't necessarily mean they'll sleep less at night- in fact, "sleep breeds sleep". Not sure if that's true or not.

It is a bit odd though putting her down after the final 10pm feed (sometimes a comfort suck, sometimes 6oz- why? the mysteries of babies ) as we never know whether she will wake at 0345 (this morning- ravenous) or 0730 (previous two mornings). No connection with how much she has eaten in the day. She is also like your LO Pecka in refusing to go back to sleep after the early morning feed- I have resorted to piling back into bed all together, but it's not particularly popular with her and it annoys DH. Let me know if you find any tips! I did think the advice on the thread you started about this and routines was pretty sound- thanks for starting that, it was helpful.

Right, back to the disgusting herbal nursing tea. I hope she is grateful in later life!

pecka sorry to hear about your struggles- i read the thread about comfort eating, but there is a logical side of me that thinks that may not be a good thing to foster? Millie will not eat if not hungry- she screams blue murder- but if tired (but not too tired) and hungry will almost fall asleep at the breast after bathtime. If i was using the breast to regularly confort her i would actually be worried about creating a comfort eater in later life. Just a thought. And don't beat yourself up about picking the wrong approach. If there was a single right approach we would all be doing it. Some babies are just going to be tough no matter what: you've just been unlucky.

can anyone remind me what age you can use bumbos from? i dont have the instructions to ours (DD's)

loucee was looking at them the other day - it says from 3 months , but also says when they can hold head up by themselves - mine is 12 weeks on friday and holds head well though bit wobbly when tired - I was gonna hold off few weeks as she won't be a full 3 months until the 28th??

oh and clairy Bristol is about half way between cardeiff and weston no?? So we could try meet there if easy for you to get too I don't know Bristol very well only the zoo and Ikea not sure if you know any decent places ?? Anyone else South west want to join us???

Afternoon ladies,

Hope you all are well. Had a lovely 'half' weekend at my parents place in Surrey. Left bright and early and got stuck in the annoying A40 traffic and a 3 hour journey ended up taking 5 hours!! . As a result we ended up staying only a few hours at my parent's and then back again for the drive home

LOL@ Clairybee's conversation with her DH

Wobbegong - Am with you on the mixed feeding, although I have DD2 on a routine, her night sleeps varies so one night she may wake up at 2am for a feed and onther nights she might sleep through until 5am.

Cuddled my friend 5 day old baby yesterday. Can't believe how big my DD2 looks in comparision even though she is only 12 weeks! LOL

Saw GP about my PND today and been told to keep taking the AD for another month. Told my MIL that I had PND and she said 'Be careful with the AD as I've seen some people go mad with taking it' ???? huh

Wobbegong - I've just read on your profile that you live near me. I live in Crouch End so very near. Fancy a meet up?

Caz - thanks for the post on the sleep thread I started.

Hi there, thanks for all the kind comments, we've had nothing but kindness and astonishment from all the other neighbours who we have told. I dont think that I do anything wrong with her so I wont be changing my habits, the party last weekend was going to be difficult logistically anyway.
We are planning a weekend "up country" as they say here in Cornwall, going to see DD's great granny, Great Aunt, my mum and some friends in Bristol where we used to live. DD is smiling and making lots of noises, she is a really happy baby now she can do a bit more.
Amani, usually ADs are recommended to be taken for 6 months after you feel better to reduce the risk of it coming back. If your not getting side effects then you might as well stay on them rather than risk getting down again when life is so tiring anyway.
I'm at your MIL.

Morning!

NE Mummies - Pecka, Skid and any others, do you want to meet up a week today?
Was thinking we could meet up in Durham or there abouts, any suggestions? Be nice to go to lunch somewhere and admire all our los

Ds is definitely sleeping longer at night, put him down at 7.30 after his bath (for the second time running he didn't cry when I washed his hair or after I got him out of the bath, I think getting bathed earlier when he is not as tired is doing the trick), he woke up at 10.30, 3.20 and 6.30! He is now having his morning nap allowing me to get breakfast, sort the washing out and of course MN
On the downside, GP confirmed he does have eczema and has given me some hydrocortisone cream. I've already been rubbing him down with lots of olive oil twice a day, and I had to put scratch mitts on him all the time as poor mite kept scratching his head! Put some of the HC cream on last night and this morning and it is already looking better. Hopefully it will clear up enough so I can stop using it tomorrow as it is pretty potent stuff. GP said to carry on with the olive oil as that will help keep it under control.
I wonder when he starts weaning whether he'll develop a taste for Italian food - he keeps licking it off his hands!

i got 2 of those dribble busters - they are very cool.

BT - i think evie has a bit of eczema on her forehead

yes please Wizzska- will CAT you

sorry I got you and Pecka partly muddled up in my thread- I blame the lack of sleep, which coincidentally is what we were posting about!

BT, cazzybabys- eczema here too. Probably inescapable as both DH and I suffered as LOs. Glad it is looking better BT.

wizzska, computer says no. can you maybe CAT me instead? cheers.

Hi - has anyone who is breastfeeding been trying to diet but been too hungry? And did it affect your milk? I have been trying vaguely to do WW's, with the extra 10 points allowed for breastfeeding but just felt hungry all the time and was starting to make me feel ill. Also was worried it would cause problems with milk supply.

Gave in big time yesterday and ate a large slice of M&S chocolate swiss roll with fresh cream filling

same clara- i tried before but it instantly affected my supply and i was ravenous. Have just started trying again this week and have taken a different angle than usual- I am eating a lot of red meat (for the protein) and fruit but cutting back on bread, eating between meals etc. I ahve always found that protein fills me up for longer. I do have a carb breakfast- usually granola and yoghurt or weetabix. i'll let you know how i go

Been doing SW, milk supply fine, still hungry at times, but it's when I've been too busy to eat! I tend to have more green days so I can fill up on pasta and jacket spuds.

Pecka, no advice for you really but huge sympathy. You are doing an amazing job with your DD and many people would have given up BF by now. In your position I would probably keep offering the breast but let her have formula when she prefers. There are many other ways to be close to your baby and I'm sure she still wants you for comfort even if not the breast IYSWIM?

Bouncing, poor Daniel and his excema, am glad the cream is doing him some good!

Cazzy, Evie has dry itchy skin on her forhead too but I think it is where it has dried out following a nice crop of spots. I am using Aqueous Cream on it and it seems to be helping. DS2 had the same thing and the Aqueous Cream sorted it out. Could that be similar to what your Evie has?

Am also beginning to get a little more room in my trousers Loucee! The jelly belly just sort of sits on top of them but it is not too bad if I remember to hold it in! My hips are definitely still further apart than they were though as there is not really any fat there but some trousers are still very tight round that part. DH says I have lost weight off my bum (he's not happy!) but I can't see it! Trouble is I still seem to have an addiction to cakes and chocs (esp Toblerones) so can't see myself losing any more weight. DH says I don't need to but I know that when I stop BFing I will go back to having no boobs and will be a bit of an odd shape, at the moment they are balancing out the hips and taking attention away from the belly!

Evie had her 10 week check today and is weighing in at 13lbs 3oz. She is slowly dropping down the chart but nothing drastic so am not too bothered. Have decided to stop the dream feed at night and see how she goes as the last few nights she has taken very little in the dream feed and also very little at the first thing in the morning feed. Last night she had a good dream feed but then barely took the foremilk this morning! HV said to put her to bed after last feed (9ish) and see how she goes, she could be ready to drop to 5 feeds in 24 hours. Has anyone else's LO dropped to 5 yet? Am going to see if I can get some of that nursing tea tomorrow just to make sure there is enough milk there. Am loving those dribblebusters too, might have to invest! Evie is loving her tummy time spinner, have put a pic on profile!