January 08 shiny new - year babys , tired mums and dads!

[lilyloo]

Will that do

Fragolina - LOOK AT THIS!!!^here

Yes I am on holiday. MIL´s mother just died though, so they´re going to have to fly off and we only just arrived. Everyone frantically packing therefore time for post.

Sabela a hit with the relatives and NO CRYING on trip ... Just wait for the return, I know....

Seriously Fragolina - it´s a great deal on that chair....

Hi all, had nice morning - coffee with laides from BF group. 2 of us have dogs and we're going to meet up and walk dogs and babies!

Dr wasn't interested in my awful rash yesterday - said am not allowed to take antihistamines (can make baby drowsy?). Sod that, have taken a piriton (and Alek still woke every 3 hours last night !) and it is loads less itchy, however in a strange development my right arm has now swollen up and elbow joint all puffy... bit fed up with things happening to my body that are out of my control TBH.

Weigh day today so am off to baby clinic. He should have topped the 13lb mark today!

PS Frag I have the Poang in our nursery, with a towel over it and cushions it is OK for night feeds, you can also rock LO in it. I also have the Ikea cot as the room is titchy and he made the transfer to it from moses basket no probs).

Gingeme good stuff on George sleeping in pop up cot in caravan. We going in couple of weeks to East coast and hoping Martha still fits in moses basket. We haven't had night away from home yet. Was caravan cold as am bit worried about that. Hope meet up goes well

madmouse great idea for colic 'weathering the storm' that's exactly right , glad to hear Nathan doing so well.

Mixedmama think Beller may be on the meet up today thread , not heard anything of others. Shame mrs mc doesn't get on any more her round ups were always helpful.

Lolo hope you ok

Like the easter name fluffy

Frag poor you them kind of nights really knock you.

Susie poor mil can't believe you mnet on hols. Glad journey went well with lo any tears ? Hope you can still have nice hol without il's.

Ange glad you getting out and about, good idea about walking dog. Mine pulls too much on lead to take her and pram though !

Well we just did injections and she was very upset and had plenty of real tears Have also got cerazette pill which doc said to have for 3 months before injection or implant which i am thinking of long term. Well better go DD1just woke Martha up looking at her plasters and she screaming now LL

Hi everyone

Poor Martha- I am dreading it when Ruby has hers injections, they are booked in for 1st April- not much of an April fool bless her!

Frag- I am having a couple of nights of constant feeding I think Ruby is having a growth spurt, are you bf as I just hump her into bed and feed her there, saves you sitting on your own, but she is still in our room so it is easier.

Gingeme you have inspired me to look at caravan holidays for this summer! Ruby loves her travel cot as she is sleeping in it now due to her being to mouch of a mover and groover during the night.

How is everyone coping with the post baby weight, I am putting weight on!!! I hate it can't bear to look at myself, getting me so down I have just eaten my way through 6 kitkats, gutted! I used to smoke and so the hunger pangs could be controlled!!!

Also is anyone having any trouble with their mil? Mine is driving me demented- she is being really competitive about when she sees Ruby, and thinks 4 times a week is OK- when do I have my life? Also we were discussing the christening last weekend and said that we were having an intimate affair, so just grandparents, great grandparents, aunties and some close friends, and she got mardy about us not inviting the extended family.. then when dh lefty the room she said 'we'll see'.. arrrrrrrrr!

Hi all

Nathan just went off to sleep, has been awake almost all morning. Yesterday he was sleeping so much that I worried (I always worry - wish I had enjoyed the peace and quiet ). Except in the evening of course - awake as normal, including a fractious hour from 10 to 11 when he wanted to feed but could not calm down enough.

This morning we have been to the baby cafe to have his latch checked as he swallows so much air, they say he is doing fine and also taught us how to feed rugby hold. My back loves it and I think Nathan loves it too as he finds it easier to look at me while he feeds. Amazingly there was a little girl a day older than him yet almost a kilo lighter, despite weighing more when she was born!

His cot has just arrived. Huge! Nathan looks big in his basket but that cot will swallow him whole!

Frag, hope appt with gynae goes well tomorrow.

Susie, not a nice thing to happen on your trip.

Hi bluebell, cross post. I started to put on weight too, despite losing some very quickly. I comfort ate so much when Nathan was ill, people kept bringing me chocolate and I ate it all.

I also put on far too much during pregnancy. I had my six week check on Friday and joined Weight Watchers straight away. I have lost over 6 stone with them before. I had to do it online this time (I prefer meetings)as all the meetings I can get to are at 6.30-7 pm. Ludicrous. They adjust the program when you breastfeed (extra points, eat your dairy, lose only 1 lb a week)so you can eat loads. It is helping me to eat properly and make better choices. I know I have already lost and I feel much better for it.

Hello Mums!

Sorry haven't posted for a while - been a bit busy as Magnus had a hernia op last Tuesday and has been teething for about 3 weeks. Sailed thru' the op - they even let him home same day, which is very unusual for 10 wks, especially as he's such a little chap. Delighted to say all went well and I managed to hold it together apart from after holding his hand when they put him under (sniff). He's been a total dynamo since the op which makes us feel a little sad as the hernia must have been bothering him, but we couldn't have done anything sooner, so we just have to accept that - he's forgotten anyway!

BIG news is he said his first word last night!! Yes, I know that seems v unlikely, but he's been trying really hard to say Hello for the last two weeks but could only vocalise the vowel sounds. We could see him practising with his tongue but he couldn't put it together. Then last night when we were getting him ready for his big sleep he looked up at me and said Hello! Well it came out more like egg-loaf but he was SO pleased with himself. He then repeated it and got far too excited and couldn't quite get it out properly after that, but he kept on trying. I was so proud and happy for him I burst into tears - daft Mummy!! He's done a few good approximations today as well. He's generally very vocal it has to be said - can't think where he gets it from...!

As to the rest - we're still on a mix of bf/ ebm/ formula although I've been upping the bf to get him thru' the op and teething etc. Dr Browns bottles and Infacol are really helping his wind. Has two big sleeps at night, from 6-12ish and 1-3.30ish but the rest of the day is one long cluster feed!!

Knackered, but great to hear everyone's hanging in there and doing so well for their los. Happy vibes to all!!

Hi ladies. Just got back from our meet up. The food was scrummy and it was lovely to see everyone and put faces to names though Ive forgotten most of them already
Lillyloo where abouts do you live? You could always borrow our pop up cot. Yes it was a bit cold but dh and I slept in the front room with the gas fire on low which was quite toasty. George was in his sleeping bag and vest and babygro and apart from his hands he was warm.
Moominmum sounds like your little man is coming on a treat keep up the good work.
madmouse they always look so tiny when you first put them in a cot don't they?
Well someone here is stinky bum so Ill say ttfn
I will try to put the pics on later.
Have a good day all x

Hi all...will try not to lose today's post, but of course so much has been happening there's no way I'll remember everything I want to reply to

Meetup was loads of fun - like Gingeme, I've forgotten most of the 'real' names straightaway...hardly surprising, I suppose, when we've spent the past 9 months or so thinking of each other by our MN names !! I just need to say 'Total respeck!' to MixedMama and Beansprout who came with 2 dcs, and Katie who travelled all the way into London !! So...who is organising the next North London meetup?? Bagsy not me

Moominmum - so glad Magnus' op went well, I know you've been really worried. about teething at 10 weeks tho, that's quite early, must be hard for you and him?

Madmouse - sounds like Nathan (and you) is doing brilliantly...it is quite a shock when you move them into a cot and they suddenly look little, but its even more of a shock how fast they fill the cot! I've got the same gulping air problem...its really annoying, isn't it?

Bluebell - this is my 2nd lo, and my MIL is still driving me up the wall...I had to get dh to have a (nice) quiet word explaining that a) one or two visits a week was more than enough and b) those visits needed to be less than an hour each time (after the last one when she didn't budge for 2 hours, even after T went to sleep...). Not much more you can do - on balance, its nicer to have interested/involved gp's than ones who don't want to know, isn't it? Know what you mean about the weight gain too

Fragolina - Susie and I obviously shop at the same places (breastpump and now the feeding chair!!). Kiddicare are great and delivery is super-fast. I've bought 2 chairs from them now (long story, not their fault!) and much prefer the one which reclines to the one which is fixed position. I think the difference was about £20. Both chairs are fab, and fantastic value for money And make a massive difference to my back, my boobs and the general ease of feeds...

Lilyloo - at dd1 waking Martha..I seem to spend half my time ushering ds away from a sleeping Tamara whilst trying not to say "don't wake the baby" more than once a day!!!

Naetha - enjoy the ghds!! Very ...am using a £20 set of remingtons at the moment but my hair isn't curly/frizzy enough (IYSWIM) to justify buying proper straighteners...

OK, nappy brain has kicked in, so can't remember anything else...hugs and kisses to everyone , catch up soon xxx

Morning all

Had our first textbook night with Ben last night - took him upstairs to bed at 7pm, gave him a feed and he was asleep with no tears by 7:30 (although he needed re-settling at 7:45 as the burp I couldn't get up earlier decided to make an appearance!). He then woke up at 11pm on the dot, then 3am, then was grizzling a bit at 6am (he often has a poo brewing at this time, and usually struggles to get it out) so came to sleep on my chest for the last hour.

Tonight he was very tired and he's gone down brilliantly at 6:45, and is absolutely sparked out now.

I really feel like we've turned a page, and hopefully most evenings/nights can be like this. I don't even mind him waking up to feed as it's stress free and he goes to sleep straight after. (In fact he barely wakes up - both 11pm and 3am feeds seem to be dreamfeeds!). The bit that does annoy me is the fact that I have to express in the middle of the night still! Not much fun spending 20 minutes tied up to the breast pump at 3:30am! Still, better than giving formula I guess

VictorVictoria and Madmouse - have you tried Dr Brown's bottles for colic? They're specifically anti-colic as they have a mechanism to prevent any air getting in the milk. I've just bought a couple from Asda (£9 for two, so not exactly cheap, but you can also get them from boots and a few other places) and used them for the first time tonight and not only were there no bubbles going up through the milk every time he took a break, but he sucked on them much better and didn't break suction. I think Gingeme uses them too. Fingers crossed he won't wake up at 6am with wind Failing that, have you considered cranial osteopathy? When Ben had very bad wind in the early days it helped a load, literally disappearing over the course of about three days. Madmouse - for you specifically, try checking stuff with the doctor first for colic - infacol and colief don't interact as such with the body in the same way as normal medicines do (the infacol just stays in the stomach and is a surfactant, and the colief is an enzyme that digests the lactose in milk - btw I still have half a bottle of colief begging if anyone wants it)so you may be able to try either or both.

Ho hum, what else...was meant to go swimming today, but didn't get round to it - will go tomorrow I think instead of my NCT group as I want to give it a go before the rush of the school holidays. Have even shaved my legs in anticipation

Ooh ooh have just booked a holiday at Center Parks in the Lake District! It's a long weekend in May and it cost us £225 for all three of us in an executive apartment right on the lakeside. I'm very excited - not only will it be our first holiday with Ben, it will still only be our third holiday together in seven years, and one of those was our honeymoon!

Anyway, head all over the place at the moment, and not making much sense! Hope you're all doing well, I'm feeling quite confident in my motherhood at the moment, and it feels good I hope the rest of you are feeling the same, or if not, will be soon!

PS Actually, thinking about it again, double respect to gingeme for bringing her dh (and her 3 littlest ones!) along to a mumsnet meetup...or maybe that should be respect for gingeme's dh for daring to come?!!

Bummer seemed to have missed a whole days worth of messages! (I thought it was just quiet!), just to say that I've got a Poang chair for feeding and it's very uncomfortable unless you have a couple of cushions - with the cushions it's absolutely great!

Also just wanted to say that Ben weighed in at 14lbs the other day at 10 weeks! My back is killing me!

evening all

back from meet-up safe and sound, twas fun, so glad i made the effort - tho i have to share my lack-of-shopping story,

walked back to car, yes i found it fine, henry asleep, he wakes up as we get in car, needs a nappy change & i need the loo, but we are stopping in 10mins for shopping trip at mothercare world (ooh and maybe ikea too!) so no probs....
get held up at roadworks, grr, henry crying, arrgh, get to mini roundabout JUST next to shops(mixedmama, you were right, it's called Ravendale ), as i pull up to roundabout see police car, nnooooo, closing road .
so go round roundabout, carry on driving, henry falls asleep, i (figuratively) cross my legs and we made it home by 4pm.
all fine, and henry fed almost constantly then fell asleep by 6.30.

really fab to meet up and get faces for names, weird tho how it felt totally reasonable to call someone fluffy/beansprout/gingeme but not laura or jackie/jacqui(sp?)or wendy (SO hope i've got those names right - poss
tho haven't worked out how to pronounce gingeme...ginge - me or gin - geme....

right, long enough post and i haven't replied to anyone sorry,

well done naetha

well it's been a long day - power cut at 5am and it's taken lots of shouting at electricity people about my baby turning blue with no heating, but finally we have power back on (generator outside bedroom window - sounds great ) with a promise to repair the fault "perhaps over the weekend".

was nice to meet ppl today (and lovely to be somewhere warm) - thanks to fluffy for organising

Hi Katy1 we were stuck in that traffic too on the way to Mothercare World. Got there eventualy with all my boys asleep. Got George some socks and David a toy as we had his parents evening yesterday and he is the highest achiever in his class plus he has no targets as he has reached all of them and his teacher says he is a joy to teach and is very polite (proud Mum emoticon). So it was the quickest visit to Mothercare world I have ever made all on my own
Good luck with your heating crisis mamachris. I hope baby doesn't freeze
Naetha my Dr Brown bottles are actualy still sealed in there packet. I bought them from Boots for £10.99. Does anyone want to buy them off me?
Barristermum your baby looks exactly like I imagined her too. A china doll. So beautiful.
I think were a clever bunch for producing such fantastic babys
Off to bed now before my fantastic baby wakes for his next feed.
I will get those pics on tommorrow though I think only two or three were any good.
Anyway night all xxx

Ooh before I forget does anyone fancy next meet up at the V&A museum? Ive been there a couple of times with my other Mums from my October thread and its very buggy friendly and the food is fab. Ill let you think about it.
Night again x

Lol I just have to post this before I go to bed...

Earlier tonight we had a lamb stir fry for dinner, with a liberal application of chinese 5-spice seasoning.

3 hours later I expressed my evening milk and instead of my usual 8-10oz I got 12oz and the first 8oz came in about 5 minutes! I checked up on the ingredients of the 5-spice and it's chock full of fennel, so for those of you that were in any doubt that it increases your milk supply, that's proof enough for me!

Over and out

Bluebell i lost weight initially but now stuck and previously when i have bf it has fallen off and i have been slimmer than pre preg but i am just so hungry this time , although shouldn't complain as i am back in my size ten, although have a def jelly belly now. My mil is lovely tbh however she lives in Leeds so is an hour away from us which i suppose prevents the dropping round.

Madmouse know what you mean about the cot it makes them seem tiny again. Will try that hold i think as my back killing me Martha was 10lb10 yesterday.

Moomin glad Magnus op went well and he is much happier. at him saying egg loaf. Getting lot's of coos here but no sense.

Gingeme thanks very much for offer but i in Lancashire so bit far away from you. Good idea about sleeping in front room but guess that means i have to give up double bed to dp

Fluffy glad your meet up went well , well done for organising it

Naetha hope swimming goes well , we have yet to try that. Can't believe what a good price you got for center parcs. We went to Sherwood forest , it's lovely very relaxing.

Katy poor you and Hery getting stuck in that traffic , what a good boy Henry was.

Mamachris hope your power still on. What a i bet that was can't believe it off so long. Hope they get it fixed.

Well poor Martha screamed the whole afternoon yesterday which was awful as she so rarely cries partly my fault though as i didn't give her the calpol straight after the injections and waited to see how she went on. She settled about an hour after she had that so tip there for those who haven't done injections yet! However we had great night from her settling at 7 then sleeping until 12 and 3 before getting up at 6.30

Anyone seen feedmenow news off the March thread ? (in bereavement) how it's just your worst nightmare isn't it ? Couldn't help but think of her when i was up feeding dd last night.

Hope everyone else ok >
We off to baby massage this afternoon, which will be our last bit of peace before easter hols!

ok i am not complaining but what to do about this -

charlie went down for sleep last night after 5.30pm feed slept til1 am then went to 4.30 am and at 10am is still asleep!!!

not complaining about the lengthy sleeps but this seems a bit weird - any ideas - and do i wake her up???

How old is she again Nicky ?

Good morning ladies.
No leave her to sleep nicky6. George slept briliantly last night too. Had his bottle at 7.30 in his cot and asleep by 8.15. Woke at 2am for his bottle back in his cot at 2.45 where he slept till 7.15
lillyloo we slept in the front room because we didnt know there was any other heating but we got chatting to a couple who said there were blow heaters in the bedrooms. We found them on the last night. Mind you the bedroom was small so the front room was the only room the pop up bed would fit in.
Good one Neatha

charlie is 8 weeks. actually have had a little read of baby whisperer and it seems that if they are doing 5-6 hours at a stretch then you are doing ok.

i didnt give her a dream feed last night either so really very good. am undecided about the dream feed - because surely at some point you just have to get them off that too. I did it one night and she slept throught til 4.

does anyone else have the problem of their routines going slightly out the window when their dh's are at home at the weekend???

Same as Martha then. Probably just preparing for a growth spurt so she needs the rest! Presume she up now She sounds as if she is doing great to go so long between feeds def nothing to be concerned about as long as she is putting on weight.
We find the daytime can go a bit haywire at weekends due to the higher noise level and more going in and out however i do stick to bedtime routine as i need my 'me' time ! So am just off to do bath and bed now before i open my bottle of wine great excuse for early start to the weekend!

Morning ladies.
Had the night from hell last night. dh settled George for bed at 7.30pm. All was fine and he was bottled and asleep by 8.15. He then woke at 12 took till 1.15 to bottle and wind him and he had a massive pooh too so I had to try to change him in near dark. He slept again till 3.15 where again it took about an hour or more to bottle and wind him. All became a blur after about an hour. Then he woke screaming at 6am with an extremely smelly and full up nappy which I changed as well as his babygro but he wouldnt go back to sleep and got more and more frustrated the more I tried to settle him so I havn't had much sleep and were going to the Transport museum today. Think Ill just find a warm comfy bus to sit on and have a snooze
Well I hope everyone had better nights.
Hope your all well x