January 2005 babies

[Pollyanna]

Hi - anyone fancy making up a thread for babies born this month? My dd (child no 4 ) was born on 6th Jan - I have had a rough time so far with feeding (cracked nipples etc) but things have started to improve now (I think). if only I could get her to sleep at night....

Suss, my DD is still having water and milk from bottles. I think there's a lot of pressure on us to move things along as quickly as we can. I'm not going to rush things. Our babies are going to be babies for such a short space of time and I intend to just let things take their course.I think it's very easy to worry about things too much(know I have!).
Incidently, she wont eat any lumps, still has about 30oz of milk a day but is happy, healthy, on 99th centile for height and 22lb.

Hi Suss and welcome... I can't relate to you about the crying thing at all - I don't think you're a bad person - in fact, I wish I had more resilliance against crying like you have. I struggle to listen to crying at all - had a policy with ds1 not to let him cry - didn't quite manage the same with ds2 cuz of the logistics their 18month age gap, but keep it to as little as possible - and maybe thats my biggest mothering downfall... I reached breaking point today - phoned hubbie at work to come and save me (I was a blubbering wreck!) - but I'm better now cuz I got an hour and a half nap thanx to dh.

About the concentrated starch thing (including potatoes!) - the nutrition fundi advises to stay away from it for the first year or until the back molars are present. Because starch digestion starts with an enzyme in saliva, which is mixed into the food by chewing only. Also, until the first molars are there, there is apparenly very little of this enzyme (ptyalin) produced by them. So, it means that the starch is not efficiently digested, which could result it digestive trouble when they are much older(teens) (things like irritable bowel etc) (as the gut is still adjusting to food in the first year)

Fairi - I had no idea about the starch thing - is it a well established finding? If so, why is there no advice against starchy foods in any of the weaning books. My dd loves mash potato but I'm now worried that we may have caused her permanent damage that we won't even know about until she's much older.
Honestly, is it a widely-held, proven theory or just a possibility?

ess about the bottle its just that I have heard that speech therapists say that it is better to drop the bottle asap as it may cause speech impediments. I don't know if that is if you let you child keep the bottle in their mouth all day (which I don't) or judt feeds!

The starch thing - I am sceptical as Henry makes enough saliva to put a labrador to shame. and he does chew stuff before he swallows, just with his gums not teeth. Molars don't come through til much later how in heavens name do you sustain a child without starch until two!

As for the bottles - my 2 year old (ds1) can't seem to go to sleep without his teat bottle - and while I have tried to move to a sip cup, he won't and am not prepared to fight cuz I do think he will eventually grow out of it. He actually puts himself to sleep. We have a strict rule that he does not lie down with his bottle (which can cause ear trouble), but he sits up in bed, with his teddy and drinks his bottle until he falls asleep. He talks impressively well for his age and pronouces some very hard words already, so I don't believe this thing about bottles causing speech trouble.

About the starch issue - I think the nutrtion lady has a point about it not being a good idea as a first food, but I disagree that it should not be used until they are one. Starch is more comlicated to digest, but it is definitely digestible. My view is that you don't use it until their little tummies have at least passed a weeks worth of simple and plain fruit or veg when you first introduce solids - after that, once their tummies are used to the different food, then introduce.

This reasoning is not as broadly known as I think it should be, but even still, most of us were probably fed baby cereal from early on. Granted, many people our age do have digestive trouble of some sort, but it is correctable by lifestyle changes and natural methods (often, anyway), so all is not lost if it is something you've given already.

My true belief about all this is: just trust your mothering instinct... your child is unique and no fundi's knowledge can really replace what your intuition can achieve if its properly listened to.

Agree with you fairi- no one knows our babies like us.Let's face it, they're not going to be 18 and still drinking from a bottle are they? (maybe they will be but not milk!).I think we are bombarded with too much conflicting information these days. Far better to go with what you feel is best for you and your baby.

I weaned ds on carrot he hated baby rice, the only thing he has refued to eat! I have given up trying at the momentwith a bottle and will try again in a few weeks. But I am sure that ds will be having a bedtime bottle for a long time yet!

Just popping back in for a catch up so hi everyone. I've now stopped bf completely and DS takes his bottle no problem and is even sleeping through the night now but my hormones are all over the place. I'm a moody, miserable cow and ache all over. Going to docs next week to see what she makes of it

Sorry to hear you're feeling crap Pagan. Hope the doc can solve it. Have you ever felt like this before or can you connect it to anyhthing (like stress or SAD or something)?

Glad you're getting a decent night's kip anyway.
Lily is much improved sleep-wise too - although not at the moment cos she has a cold.

Hi Pagan, Sounds like you need some good quality oils in your diet - (which are unheated and cold pressed) like some extra virgin olive oil in your salad dressing and cold pressed flax oil would be very helpful too (these good oils are what your body uses to produce hormones - amongst other things) - you very often get achy and you don't have enough (so your body is forced to make other plans!)

Interesting Fairi. We do use a lot of virgin olive oil but probably not enough. I've had to deal with a lot worse in the past and just got on with it. Would have a bit of a bubble then feel much better but I can't seem to cry as much now. What I do need is a bit of my old life back but I know it's never going to be the same again and I think I'm just having difficulty adjusting. I don't think it's PND coz I love my kids but I'm a SAHM with not much of a day support network and I'm just feeling it a bit more just now.

HI, sorry to jump the thread, but i am at my wits end with my nearly 9 month old DS!
He wont sit in his chair to have meals, i can't sit him on my knee or hold hi to winded, and he now is crying constantly. I cannot think of what it is that is bothering him, I check all of the usual things like nappy, too hot, too cold, hungry etc. He could be teething but i give him things to bite and pain relief.. and now i am getting so fed up with it. Is anyone else having problems like this, he has also started sreaming when he is crying and is making himself sick. Would a cranial osteopath help? or is he going through a phase?

Angelcake- is he like this all the time or just when you try to get him to eat? DOes he do it when he has milk as well?

I'm trying to work out if it's food-related or he doesn't like the high chair for some reason or if there's something else wrong. I mean, is he crying all the time ?

Ds usually is like it when eating food, he previously has been so well behaved that its come as a bit of a shock to the system! He just sits on the floor and cries sometimes, i'm thinking perhaps its a mixture of frustration at not being able to walk, teething and clingyness. If i go anywhere out of the room he gets into such a state, even if it is just to the kitchen next door. Do you think i should get a baby sling and try and carry him around when i need to go anywhere? Was also wondering if i should take him to some playgroups and if that might help too.

Angelcake - I can't really guess what's going on here. It could be just a clingy phase. How long has it been going on for? Is your Health VIsitor worth talking to? I think I would mention it if she's half way decent. Do you think it's food related or not?

Have to go again now but will check back in tonight. Hope you have a reasonable day with him today.

Its definitely worth going for cranio-sacral therapy (not cranio osteopathy) - Mine have had it and it did wonders for their various discomforts. Its a very gentle treatment which is just very balancing, regardless of what the real problem is. The other great thing about it is that it won't cause any harm or have nasty side effects.

Fairi- yes i am seriously thinking about it. Is it expensive?

DS has had a better day today, although he has been waking up during the night all week too. I am going to see HV and see what she says. I have also dug out some Gina Ford books in the hope of tweeking his routine a bit and seing if that helps! He is in a routine of sorts but not very strict.

thanks witchy and Fairi for your advice!

ds has it for his flat head - he did it to himself and for his dreadful daytime sleep ( he doesn't do very much but needs it). we pay about £40 a session in London, but it does help ds sleeps like a dream after each session and his head shape is improving, a combo of therapy and now not spending so much time on his back.

Angelcake - glad he's been a bit better today. Lily sometimes goes through clingy/grumpy phases when I can't work out what's bugging her. Thankfully it doesn't seem to last. Hopefully it will same for your ds - or at least hope the HV can advise or if you try the Cranio-sacral therapy, maybe that'll work.

Pagan - how are you doing today?

Speech-wise, what are your little ones doing now? Lily is not making many different sounds at all. I've heard her say DaDa noises & MaMa noises but not often and I don't think it was connected to anything - just random.

I'm based in South Africa - its not that expensive here - a direct exchange rate of 12 pounds!

Just wondered how everyone's little ones are getting on, I'm feeling a bit miserable today I'm starting to worry about going back to work and when I think about leaving my dd I just want to cry! Am I being silly? My dd was born at the end of January and she's still not crawling, just rolling around bless her! Don't know if any of your babies do the same. Anyway I hope everyone else is feeling better than me today.

Awh Luvlymum, feel for you. It wasn't pleasant going back to work I must admit but after having been back for 6 weeks now I feel that I'm kind of getting inot a routine again. It does help in my situation that I'm not full time anymore though. Would you be going back full time? (I have friends who have sucessfully gone back ft too )
E was born on the 20th and is not crawling either. She's rocking but just rolling everywhere too!!
Hope you're soon feeling better about work, if it is any help at all, this is the worst bit, once you're back you kind of just gert on with it where as now you have time to thinkmit through iyswim! x

Thanks dizzymama I am going back to work part-time, 3 days a week! but I really don't want to leave my dd at all, I'm worrying about childcare too. How many days do you work? Sounds like our babies are developing at the same pace physically!

Mine ds2 (born 5 Jan), has started getting around - catapillar crawl forwards - or proper all four crawling backwards! (he's trying to go forwards but keeps going the other way!) - but he seems to be more keen on trying to walk - which is not very helpful (apparently, we MUST encourage them to crawl properly first - it supposedly makes a big difference to their development (esp. for brain - with skills like reading and maths) and it is essential for developing spine strength. The last reason is why they also say to encourage them to crawl for as long as possible.

Otherwise, he is saying "Baba" otfen - in coversation, and "Mama" when he is wanting me.

Food wise - he much prefers soft finger foods - which he devours with his two bottom teeth. He is working on getting the four top teeth out at the same time.

I'm also interested to hear where your babies are developmentally.

Ds born 20th Jan pulls himself around on his tummy with his hands and then pushes with one foot and steers with the other its hysterical! Its apparently because we have wooden floors. I don't think he will crawl as he is now interested in pulling himself up after learning how get into a sitting position. I heard too that crawling is good for brain development - it apparently helps coordination and use of limbs indepedently. but I was told not to worry if they didn't crawl just don't force them to walk before they are ready. Foodwise we are mashing finger food into the table at present - I hope its a phase and we are still waiting for the top teeth to arrive!