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

[lilyloo]

Will that do

Katy - I'm with you there on the lack of sleep! Ben was sleeping pretty well, only waking once at night, but now wakes at 12 and 3 for feeds, and then wakes regularly from 4. It's really starting to affect me!

My mother and baby groups are great at the moment - I go to two a week, and they've actually started to merge which is nice, so I'm making some really good friends. I'm so relieved about this as I've always struggled to make friends, and was worried about being a bit alone here, but we meet up at least twice a week, and usually go for a walk as well The only problem is with all the groups I don't get much time to go swimming or tidy the house!

I think Ben's having a bit of a developmental spurt at the moment - he learned to roll over back to front two weeks ago, and in the last couple of days he's managed to sit unsupported for up to 30 seconds. he's also much better at hand to eye co-ordination and at grabbing and holding things

Right got to go, Battlestar Galactica about to start!

Met a friend and we took our LOs to see the pets at the garden centre. Alek liked the aquariums. Bit like the TV which he finds fascinating at the moment. Not sure if this is a bad mum thing to do but we can park him in front of TV in his bouncy chair and DH and I can finally have our dinner at the same time.

Credit crunch means we can't sell our house, it would be first time buyers or people moving up from flats that would buy a little house like ours and they are the people who can't get mortgages at the moment.

Sleep worse this week due to de-swaddling efforts. I am so useless on lack of sleep!

Hi all,
Well we've given up on the baby rice, must be too early for her as she will NOT eat it so can't be ready yet.
I'm almost positive that Aaliyah has teeth coming, I can see a slight hint of white under her gums but she won't use a teether, just throws it away. I hope it won't make them worse for her.
She's found her voice and is driving us insane. She keeps squealing at us to entertain her and at 4 in the morning IS NOT SOMETHING I WANT TO DO!!
Knackered today and thinking of going to bed soon as she woke up at 2:10 and I had to re-swaddle her, then 3:30 and finally 4:05 at which point I gave up and put her in bed with us, she then gave me another hour (kicking the crap outta me though) and I finally gave up at 5 and got up with her.

I can't do meet-ups I'm afraid, we can't afford the petrol or anything at the mo, maybe when they stop charging £1.10 a litre I can think about it!!

We've not really had any huge development thingies. Aaliyah will sit aided very easily now and every now and then she'll sit herself forward slightly for 10-20 secs on her own. She's got rolling from belly to back down and can get from back to her side but not back to belly yet.

Hope your all ok.

Is reassuring to know everyone else lo's aren't great at sleeping at mo either !
I with you Ange i can't cope with no sleep either , i even wlkd to ds school today with both dd's which took an hour as i was falling asleep sat at home !
DD has woken once already since going to bed at 7 and she is squeaking again
Hope this isn't start of another bad night!

Hi guys,

Sorry but I'm kind of glad some of you are finding the going a little rough. I think it's almoct harder to get up for a night feed, even if it is only one, when you've had a few nights of decent sleep. And, Lucky, Iknow what you mean about the sqwauking! Sabela playing can almost be like her crying! In some ways I'm finding this bit as ahrd as the newborn bit. I do enjoy it loads though, but sometimes I even think I feel tirder than the newborn bit - although as I was sleeping for no more than an hour at a time, I doubt it!

Hi ladies Im sorry to hear so many of you are goign through tough times at the moment
My swim was good thanks Lillyloo though I realy ache now . Making a definate effort to go once a week now even if it kills me
nicky6 bit cold for the zoo just yet surely? I was going to suggest the V&A museum. Just a thought.
Yes the third lot of jabs is three injections if I remember rightly but then thats thelast one till theyre a year old.

We up already !
And was up 3 times in hte night
Am very tired !
Also have got lumps now in left breast so think i still have blockage there and it's painful am dreading this whole thing turning into mastitis now

hi lily, we're up too, have been for ages! (dh goes to work at 6.30) sorry to hear you're in pain... have you tried massaging gently from behind the lump towards the nipple area as you feed? that usually works for me. or you could try having a deep bath, and kneeling so your breast is facing the bottom of thebath iyswim, then massage as before. or try gravity feeding...lie dd down on the bed, and kneel above her to feed, if poss lining her bottom jaw up with the lumps, then massage as you feed...i say bed, cos it does look a little ridiculous, but is worth a try. heat pads can sometimes help too. hope you manage to clear the blockages.

Hi all, we're going swimming today. I'm so excited

Hi Lily, I did all as Dotsie says and my blocked duct / mastitis was gone in 2 days! also Ibuprofen helped. Plus I fed DS rugby hold, hot baths and flannels.

Last night I gaffa taped around the blackout blind in DS room and we had none of the pointless waking! Just fed at 12.30 and 4.30 and then asleep till 7.30 - good going for him! I was starting to suspect he was waking because it was getting too light. Do you think that would be affecting Ben at the moment Naetha?

Alek has 2nd jabs today too. We had just one evening of super clinginess after the first lot.

Well it's another MISERABLE day here in North London and I am feeling apprehensive - have told next door neighbour who has twins that I will look after one of them with Cerys this morning while she has quality time with other. Realise this is only what her life is like ALL the time, but I find Cerys MORE than enough to keep me occupied most of the time! Mind, with the weather as it is she may have decided it's not worth going out so all 5 of us could just stay in together and play.

Lily and Lucky - sorry to hear of money worries. t's a hard time isn't it and certainly living doesn't seem to be getting any cheaper.

Also sorry to hear about rough nights - I find after a couple of broken nights that I just get worried about stuff more - feel less optimistic and able to cope, and as if I'm no good. I have more resistance to normal vicissitudes on a full night.

JKS - you will always be Katy to me now I'm afraid!

Cerys's 3rd round of jabs next week - I really wanted to get them all in while I was not working. She will have a fit if it's 3 - the first makes her gasp but the 2nd outrages her - it's as if she says "1 might be an accident and i'd be brave but 2 means I am under attack and how dare you!!!!" When the 3rd comes along it will be nuclear!

Morning ladies.
Raining here too barristermum but then were not that far from you are we?
Had a bit of a funny night too. George generaly sleeps from 7.30-3am but last night he was fussing about 11.15 so I tried settleing him with his dummy but he was getting more fidgety so I changed his bum but to no avail so I warmed a bottle which he guzzled all in one did a couple of massive burps and went straight to sleep Woke again at 5am where he guzzled another bottle and slept till about 7.30. Think I might be introducing some baby rice in the next couple of weeks if he carries on like this.
Put a load of his clothes on Freecycle last night. Cant believe I wont be having any more to be handing it all down to again. Still hopefuly someone else can get as good a use out of it all as we did
We have black out blinds in the boys room but theyre pretty useless. They were both up at 6.20am because it was light already
I feel shattered today. Ho hum thats what parenthood is all about ladies.
Have a good day y'all

Dotsie , Ange great tips thanks
I have put ds warm wheat bag bear on it and that seems to have eased it a little, will try the feeding thing!
I now have red marks on it please tell me this is due to warm compress and not mastitis signs, they weren't there before i put the compress on. i do feel a bit run down but think that's tiredness more than anything!

Hi all V and A sounds good - where is it?????? and is there a separate thread??

Charlie was good for jabs but a bit fretful before bed time. But took bottle went down to sleep at 7.30 me and dh then went out ballroom dancing lesson and then for dinner - so nice.

I then did a dream feed at 11.15 and i had to actually wake her up this morning at 8.45!!!!!!! I had a complete night of sleep and feel human today. I know how lucky i am.

Am still experiencing some pain underneath not a lot just goes down inot my bumand leg. I am finding it really annoying as I should take it easier but i am such an active little soul that i cant.

Anyway hopefully time will eventually sort it out.

Me still with sore throat after my flu bug but definitely on the mend.

Hope everyone is feeling a bit better today and the sun starts shining so we can all get out and about with suntan

ewww.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=5b0d8b8d750db38a1a8315&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=e mail.

Hi ladies. Another montage for you to enkoy.
V&A museum is south kensington.
Ill do another thread for it a bit later. xx

Hi all - just braved the rain to go to baby clinic and get Amelie weighed - 13lb 7oz so still on the smaller side of average (which seems bizarre as she was my heaviest baby!) - HV agreed with the weaning (she's 17 weeks tomorrow and I've started on the rice and veg) - I said that I thought the current advice was to hold off until 6 mts and she was sceptical about that - she said that it while the WHO recommends it, that's based on babies all ovr the world, and there is a lot of difference between a 6 month European baby and a 6 month baby in Saharan Africa, in terms of size/development/nutrition requirements. She said I was right to wait until 4 months, and would now have plenty of time to get her to the 3 meals a day. If I was nearer 6 months, I'd have to work hard to get as many tastes in as poss while working up to 3 meals, as this is an ideal time to get babies used to different tastes. She actually encouraged me to give Millie more food as she's waking a lot at night. Just thought I'd share that in case anyone is struggling to put things off until 6 months, it's not cast in stone that you have to wait now (and if it was I was going to ignore the advice anyway... )

Well went to the docs and he was about as much use as chocolate teapot!
He basically looked at my breast under a lamp said it wasn't mastitis and to take paracetamol for the pain
So i am still in agony and no clearer to why.
But have been trying feeding dd over her on all fours and the lumps seem smaller so fingers crossed.

Also could you ladies whos lo's are sleeping through just quickly post your daily routine of naps and feeds on here as i am interested if it's Martha's lack of daily routine that could be contributing to the night waking!

Hi Lilyloo - I'M glad it's not mastitisI had these red lumps and I swear that a hot compress before feeding and a cold one afterwards cleared it up. Hope it gets better. It did hurt A LOT though. Sympathy.

On the naps thing - we don't really have a routine but Sabela has about 3 naps a day and goes to bed quite late. Sometimes the naps are 20 minutes and sometimes 90 (and sometimes 2, like yesterday ). She really hates sleeping - much too much to do!

She's started sleeping from about 10 til about 6. She sometimes wakes at 4.30 for a feed which kills me now I'm not used to it.

I do think that the 'the more they sleep, the more they sleep' rule works although some days she just won't sleep during hte day. But i also think that many babies don't sleep through the night until they're much, much older. Martha might just be one of those.

Gingeme - I'm glad you think blackout blinds are rubbish because I was just about to fork out on some. I'll be very glad not to spend the money.

Tired here too today. Baby woke in the night and then in the early morning. It's much worse when you've had a few good nights! I should be lying down now, but Sabela has become a 'cling-on' baby and I just feel the need for some 'me' time... or some folding the washing/ cleaning the bathroom time which is what passes for me time at the mo!

Hello,

Hope you all are well.

Not been on for a while as DD2 ear infection come back again and am finding it really tiring to cope with a demanding toddler and a sick baby.

On top of that DD1 nursery have increased their fees substantially and at the moment DD1 goes two sessions a week which is not too bad. But when both her and DD2 are in nursery (when I return to work Aug/Sep) we will feel the impact of the rise, so been trying (among the madness) to find another suitable nursery for the two of them, as waiting lists can be long....

Damn... it was just a 20 minute nap.
Hi Amani!

hi susi
how are you today? am finally having some peace with both dd asleep

Managed to get her down again! I'm fine. A bit tired.

How is DD's ear? It must be very tough. Ear infections hurt like hell, so she must be pretty grumpy . Not very nice for you. Are you happy with the way it's being treated?

Toby's been and had his jabs this afternoon. Was completely outraged at it all,cried for a bit, then turned and gave the nurse the most beautiful smile as we left. Bless!
Now fast asleep having chattered away to me in baby talk all the way home.

Yu lucky lucky thing, bEtterhalf - although DD wasn't bad either

Ladies, I need some help.

I had a different HV visit today and she thinks alot of the reason that Aaliyah won't settle day OR night is cos she has no routine. Also she's said that we're too quick to run to her when she's upset (in her basket) so I want your thoughts (if you have time)

When we put Aaliyah down she says we have to put her down awake and let her fall asleep naturally. So...... if (or when) she starts crying how long do I leave her before I go to soothe her and how do I soothe her? I assume I don't pick her up as that's rewarding the behaviour.

Also do you have any routines if so what kind of things do you do to pass the time?

Swimming was fun today - although she got a little upset when I tried going under the water with her. Only did it once for that reason. She looked SO cute in her little wetsuit.