July 2008 - Now our babies are arriving let's have a thread to talk about them...

[minipinkscottish]

Hi ladies
I know there are many of us still to pop but thought it would be nice to start a thread that we can come to once the LO's are here

Abbie is 4 weeks and 3 days old today and my due date isn't here yet

Abbie is doing great - eating and sleeping and very content. The feeding was hard going at first as it is very frequent with her being early but I think you actually get used to being tired

Someone (sorry can't remember who) was talking about bottle and bf together and nipple confusion. Well all the times I have bf I have done so exclusively even when it was very difficult - I am stubborn As Abbie was early and lost a good bit of weight the mw advised topping her up with ebm through a syringe. This was tough as I was bf then trying to express only to bf 1 hour later - so I gave her formula to top up. Giving her the milk in a syringe became difficult as they tended to spurt the milk too quickly at times. So I gave her a bottle to top up( Tommee Tippee - closer to nature) and it was great!!

I bf her all day and then top up after bf at night to get a bit longer sleep - it's working - she is putting on weight and no nipple confusion

sorry for huge post - hope you will all come over and join me!!!!!

I agree clic as u try to type and feed this morning

Abbie was supposed to have first jags yesterday but she had a slight temp so delayed till next week. she is fine though just got a few snuffles but put on 10oz this week and is now 9lb 2oz

minipinkscottish well done obviously good jersey milk on tap

I am having a hands free of piglet few minutes cos she is asleep so right now I can type

Afternoon all
Well, DH is siting watching the Olympics, cuddling a sleeping Orlaith and singing stupid songs with dd2 - who says men can't multi-task?? I've vacuumed the whole house (except the kitchen which is always a disaster and requires sweeping with a broom as it would probably burn out the vac) so feel justified in having 5 mins on MN.

Good news is that Orlaith's bili has dropped by nearly 100 units this week - yay! We'll have to go to the paeds again in a fortnight, but it's going the right way. AND she passed all her hearing tests too, so a successful week.

Reading everyone's posts about expressing, I used to be a waste of space for that too - could get 10ml in about 30 minutes using a hand pump. When I used those medula pumps in hosp, I was easily getting 30-40 mls in 15 minutes after my milk came in. And now I'm permanently leaking - as soon as she latches on on one side, the other one starts too. And even thinking about it as I type is making my milk come down. I don't know if it's because she's my thrid baby or if it was those industrial pumps that mde my boobs think I'm feeding twins . I haven't been expressing since we came home as I'm not fussed about her having a bottle and I'm too lazy busy to get round to it. Orlaith is still feeding all evening from about 8pm to 11.30pm but she's sleeping to at least 3am from this and last night slept from 11.30pm to 5am

isaidno, thanks for changing the spelling of Orlaith's name on the list

SK sorry to hear about your bad day. Hope your DP is being a bit more reasonable today. They just don't get it do they? They just don't seem to realise how difficult it is at home with the LOs all day when they've been cranky. DH seems to think sometimes that I'm on an extended holiday from work - yes, and I sit with my feet up all day relaxing, and get lots of sleep through the night . Could you suggest to your DP you can have 'nights out' at home, where he gets a take-away in, after the older dds have gone to bed, and you two spend some time together (OK, B will probably want to be there, but at least she won't be demanding you read stories to her)?

Oops, long post. DH now needs to go the loo, so I'm guessing dd3 will wake up and want some more milk, so best go get my boobs out. Have a good weekend, all.

Hi All,I too am very at 4 hours stretches os sleep -still only 1.5 - 2 hours here - alhtouhg Calvin's spots seem to have come to a head now so hoping he night settle dsown now. DD has been up at 2 -3 am every night for the past ages though too!!! Arggg!! I fit s is not one it is the other. Was ready for crying yesterday.

Managed a power wlak with the pram today then came back and took DD out with her Horsey reins for a wlak too. Also managed to use my pilates weights the last few days to try to tackle my bingo wings. Craving sweet things though as completely kanckered and drinking my way thorugh Wolfblass and Montes Alpha whites at the mo'. Styill a little excecise is better than nowt!

DISNEY - your life is just a huge crisis all the time mo wonder you are on meds FGS!!! Thank goodness you are all okay.

My littlie doens't snort so much as squeal and snuffuffle - I am so scared of him puking and chocking on it I hardly dare to sleep until he is settled!! What's it going to be like when they are teenagers and coming in pissed!!!! We'll be chekcing them every 5 mins to make sure they don't choke!!!

Well must go as DS calls = again - takr care all and TWINKLE and LAZYHIPPO - where are you - let us know you are okay pleasexxxx

HUBARB - how is your wifie and Skylar now?

apolgies for typos - lack of sleep -= carelessness and stuff.

Good news Poledra! I too had to express in hospital using big industrial extractor - I think that is also why I have way too much milk. Did you have to express and feed every 2 hours? I did - apparently it helps flush out all the billi ruben in his wee/poo. May have said this - but DH thought of naming him Billy Reuben...he is such a sad sack sometimes!!!

Good night!

Hi everyone,
Thought I should finally join the thread. I've been a bit absent for a while with all the stuff going on. Haven't had a chance to catch up yet, but I'm sure I will.

I'm still having to express all of Meda's feeds which is a bit tricky but we're coping. She's gaining weight really well so that was a relief. I've had two bouts of mastitis (still in the middle of the second one ) which has been a bit grim and I also had vaginal thrush for a while which really hurt my stitches. I'm loving being a mum though and we seem to be fairly lucky with the amount of sleep we get. Meda goes to sleep at about 7pm and stays down till about 1am and then wakes up again at 4am and then at 7am. Which is pretty good, although I'm sure it won't last. She is awake pretty much all day though.

I hope everyone else is OK!

Hi all,
Finally got a minute to post ...have tried to catch up several times but Stanley is really colicky so we've had screaming for hours most evenings
Also he has a tongue tie so has problems with the latch - we're hoping this is the cause of his belly aches cos at least it can be sorted quickly ...he has an appointment on weds.
LL - was it your ds that had a tongue tie? What probs did he have and did getting the tie divided help? I can't remember. Libra75 - I'm with you on the side sleeping ..S either has to be on his side or on his front on me or dp ...hates being on his back - not sure whether it's reflux or wind or just awkwardness! I must say I'm totally worn out having a colicky crying baby ...both dd's were so placid, I wasnt expecting this at all he's very lovely with it though and at least the nights aren't too bad, just the evenings.
A question for you all..how do you remember what times your LO fed ...all the feeds (particularly at night) get blurred into one and I forget whether it was last night or the night before when he woke at 3am iyswim. Do you write it down or just remember?

AggiePanther if you are breastfeeding or expressing try eating and drinking fennel it can help. Infacol is also great

OK a very quick post as a bit wrung out - quick question, any advice welcome...we've had a few rough days with Florence - spells of screaming, not settling, and wanting to feed lots, but then she'll suddenly go for several hours again. Last night fed lots all evening, then crashed out for a few hours then fed hourly until morning and was very unsettled. Two nights ago was exactly the reverse. During the day she'll do a good feed but then not settle, or feed little and often for a while, or then suddenly settle and sleep..
Could be a growth spurt, but it just seems so erratic and unpredicatable - presuming it's not a milk / supply issue primarily as that would be consistent all the time?? She seems completely 'all over the place'!She has got a slight cold.
I am sooo tired!!I'd forgotten just how stressful it is when they just scream and scream...
Sorry for moan, any thoughts?!

Sorry for your woes PJR. Can't offer any advice as it's not happened to me........yet!
Hope LO settles soon.

AP Yes is was L that had tongue tie. His was diagnosed properly at 15 days and he had his procedure at 18 days old. I couldn;t get him to latch into me even with nipple shields and even giving him a bottle caused problems. To be honest we still have problems with the bottle as now he can raise his tongue the bottle quite often goes underneath inadvertently and then he just spits his milk out. We have to make sure the teat goes in correctly or we end up in a right mess! Gave up the EBM at 4 weeks as my milk supply really dwindled despite taking Fenugreek supplements. I was really diappointed but it's work out better for us and at least Luke had 4 weeks worth of my milk even if it wasn't enough to sustain him and we regularly had to top up with formula.
Last week when he was weighed on Tuesday he'd put on 9 oz since being weighed the previous Thursday despite down sizing his bottles from 5oz to 4oz as he was nowhere near finishing them and it was such a waste. He weighed 9lb 5oz last Tuesday and last night we increased his bottles back up to 5oz as he was fully draining each one and he slept from midnight to 6am - result! It will be interesting to see what he weighs this Tuesday.
FYI
Birth weight - 6lb 4oz
5 days - 5lb 12 1/2oz (- 7 1/2 oz)
10 days - 6lb 4oz (+ 7 1/2 oz)
2 weeks - 6lb 6oz (+2oz)
3 weeks + 2 - 7lb 8oz (+ 1lb 2oz)
4 weeks + 1 - 8lb 1oz (+9oz)
5 weeks + 3 - 8lb 12oz (+11oz)
6 weeks + 1 - 9lb 5oz (+9oz)

With reagrds to winding problems we started off using infacol which didin't work with Luke so once he was a month we changed to gripe water. Much better results. We're still using it but not during every feed. Worried about L beciming too dependant on it to get his wind up.

hi ladies monday morning again and dh in scotland for the week and i have a busy week here with hospitals for ds and sam
not doing to bad bit tired though

sams weighs 8lb 5oz now at 5 wks old so he is growing at last
hes also trying to lift his head up which is something the doctors said he woudnt be able to do
and despite not being able to hear properly and deaf in one ear he lies under his baby gym looking away at all the hanging toys quite happily
we have been given vibrating toys from the hospital for us to put by his face and cheeks to feel to get him to turn his head an he doesnt respond to noises even loud ones also little hand held vibrating teddies for us to put in his hands to feel he lies there holding them must be a weird feeling
he can only move his head to the right he cant move his head to the left side at all so we are having to keep turning him to try to encourage neck movement
anyway enough of me and samuel
i hope you ladies and all babies are doing well im gonna try to read the posts from now and catch up
of to get dc breakfast

disney - you are doing a great job there with Sam - I know it can't be easy but it sounds as though you are a little stronger in yourself. Take care xxx

Abbie is a little star - soooooooooo good and content and sleeping 4-5 hours at night But am I getting any sleep? NO!!

Mackenzie is a nightmare.....he went to bed at 8.30pm and was up again at 12.20am till 2.15am and then Abbie was up from 3.00am till 3.20am then Mackenzie was up again at 6am and Abbie not up till 7.30am. My oldest son has ADHD and I am now suspecting this with Mackenzie...

Abbie crying and Mackenzie jumping on his brother so must go ............

Hi everyone - hope you don't mind me joining in this late in the day!

I had my ds, Connor, on July 12th so he's just over 4 weeks old. He was a bit early and weighed 6lb 9oz. Had him weighed last week on Tues and is now 7lb 5oz. So he's getting there steadily.

I've tried to read a few posts on here while Connor is having a nap and have seen that some of you are suffering the same probs that we are.

Connor just does not like sleeping at night! I was trying to exclusively breastfeed but it was becoming such a strain at night times as he takes so long on the breast and I was falling asleep! So we decided to offer a bottle of formula at 10pm after his bath to get him to sleep. He drinks it up quickly and fall asleep in his moses basket easily until about 1.30 - 2am. Then he wakes for a feed - I take about an hour and make sure he has drained both breasts, but as soon as I put him down he just starts fretting.

We ignore him for as long as poss and sometimes he'll drift off to sleep but will wake again within 45mins and want feeding again.

Its like this then until 7am. Today I was so exhausted I ended up giving another bottle of formula at 8am which has got him back to sleep until now.

How is everyone else dealing with this continuous nighttime waking? I am exhausted and am struggling with it. Every time he wakes again so early after the last time I start to cry (this really can't be helping my milk supply, can it??). I know there is no miracle cure to get him to go longer through the night, but suggestions are very welcome!!!

Sorry to just go on about me having gatecrashed your club, but am desperate for advice.

thanks in advance.

I find myself so jealous of the mums who say their LOs are sleeping for 4 hours stretches, I love my LO, I love the way he gurns and wiggles about and looks at me and just generally is but I just think if only I wasn't so tired I would enjoy this time we have together but at the moment I just think I am muddling thru.

NobbyD - you are not gatecrashing! Welcome and I hope someone has some advice there are some second/third/fourth timers on here who are great with the advice. All I can say is that you are not alone and just try to sleep as much during the day as you can (if you don't have more than one DC!)

Mini - Mackenzie might be a nightmare now but he sounds like he will have uni sorted with the ability to be up all day and night!!

DS - great to hear Sam is improving and hope the hospital trips goes well this week.

LL - I think infacol is causing Alex to be more sick so think will change to gripe water as well - which one do you use?

Poledra - great news about Orlaith's bili level

Rumpel - I love the little noises they make, but when you put them down you wish they would pipe down so you can go to sleep as well but as soon as they do stop there snuffling you have to check they are still breathing!!!

Ap - I started out writing it down but now have got to the stage in the middle of the night where I just plonk him on the boob and then back in the moses basket (or more likely fall asleep whilst he is eating!) I figure it doesn't really matter what time it is, if he wants to eat he wants to eat. Are you trying to follow a routine?

Sorry I haven't replied to lots of you but Alex is being adorable right now so going to go play with him. Welcome to all the newbies.

Morning all got 5 mins for a post big DDs at nursery, B asleep and I am waiting on the HV to come and weigh her although I can tell she is growing fine as she is nearly out all her newborn clothes.

Last night was 8pm feed then about an hours sleep then she was quite unsettled and fed and fussed until about 11pm. She was sound asleep so I placed her in her cot which is about 10 inches from me (bedside one) and she woke up, then I put her in with me cuddled up on her side and she fell asleep until 3.30am when she was really unsettled for a bit she finally fell asleep on me and that was her until 7am. Her sleeps etc still all over the place too and sometimes she just wants to be held even poor DP won't do it has to be me which is hard when you have two other DDs about.

I have had this with all 3 and I honestly believe you cannot spoil a baby at this age they are too primal they want held thats it and they are so young. I know though it's a phase that goes quickly once they take more of an interest in things around them you can put them down more and by the time they are starting to crawl everything gets better. It's only a few months and it flies by. I don't stress if she wants held and I can hold her I do it, if she wants to sleep with me she does. Oh she took 3 ozs from a bottle at the weekend must keep up the expressing and not be lazy.

They all sound completely the same don't they?

NobbyD - hello and welcoem gatecrash away Connor sounds completely normal, I haven't found a magic cure for the non sleeping baby, I just do whatever it takes to get as much sleep as possible, with us that's cosleeping. My DD2 didn't sleep all night until she was 12 months (sorry I know you don't want to hear that)

minipink - sounds like you are having a hard time too, it is hard when one of the others is up to and then you have the baby, best of all is when two are crying at once in different rooms and theres just you, who do you go to?

disney - glad Sam is growing too, looks like he is going to be a little fighter

libralady - you are so good with weights B has been weighed once since birth and she's 4 weeks. L seems to be doing really well too

purplejenny - sorry seems like normal newborn behaviour, probably a growth spurt but I have found they do the unsettled crying all the time thing from time to time, just do whatever you can to get through it.

Aggie - B seems to sleep better on her side at night too, oh I don't remember the feeds, couldn't tell you when she has them in a day only rough estimates, if she's up and gurning it's boob. Even the older ones shout "Mum boob" at me now

Heffa - nice to see you and well done on the expressing it's really hard work.

Right must be off where is the bloody HV?

hello all, been lurking...

Sky is now just over 3 weeks old and feeding A LOT. I call it truffling too!

NobbyD, the 45mins is about sleep cycles. So at the momentr he wakes but needs to suck to get back to sleep. I get around it by sleeping with ds sleeping on me - I don't think I'd get so much sleep (1-3hr stretches - ha, not SO MUCH sleep) if I tried to put him in his cot, he has occasionally slept there...

There is more about how newborns sleep at www.askdrsears.com

Morning all,

Gosh I'm so exhausted today, and I had a decent amount of sleep too, maybe that was the problem. Sam had his last feed at 9.30 (Usually wake him at 11 but didn't bother last night as he had a feed not so long ago) so I went to bed at 10, then he didn't wake until 4.45! I dn't know if it's because I woke him to feed every 3 hours yesterday so he was full enough to have a good sleep? I had heard that this helps so maybe?

Disney You do sound stronger I agree, and Sam sounds like he's got that from you! You clever mummy! Good luck this week without DH...

Minipink Did I miss something, so it's Abbie then, how lovely! DS1 is going through the same thing ATM, waking all the time, I put it down to jealousy and missing me during the day, he's etting really clingy t the moment. The novelty of having a baby has started to wear off I think!

Nobbyd Hello and welcome, I was having exactly the same problems, day and night with Sam, my milk just didn't seem enough and I was feeding all the time, and my older son (22 months) was getting ever so bored and annoyed as I couldn't 'play' So I made the decision last week to go on to the bottle.. I express every 3 hours and again when I get up in the night (I find I get more then) so Sam has alternate bottles of F an EBM, he now takes 20-30 mins to feed (not 1 hour!!) and is settled for 2-3 hours in the day, and best of all, someone else can take over if I want to go out or if DS1 is playing up.... Hope this helps...

Hello to everone else.. Rumple how's Calvin and his CP? I think Sam has it now!! I think we are the same person, similar things happen to us at the same time!! SK how you getting on with your P&T? Have you got your coccon yet? I love mine, We use the Cocoon for Sams day naps as it's easily transferabe.. BIL calls it 'Sam's Bag!!!

Has anyone started 'relations' again yet? I want to, but am abit just incase DH notices a difference 'down there' (Sorry if TMI)

HV just phoned to say she is running late and can she make it this afternoon so I have run around this morning cleaning and tidying and it would have been perfect to see her without the other 2 around now it will be afternoon the house will be trashed and there will be 2 toddlers bouncing on my head as I try to talk to her argh!!!!

Jodie - P&T is fab haven't used it much last week as kept having visitors but hoping to get out more this week, yes we got a cocoon they are fab B looks so cosy in it too.

As for relations haven't went there yet have been too sore down below and with the tear have wanted it to be totally healed, also still having a bit of yucky brown blood now and again so want to get that cleared up.

Hi all,

Thankyou Rumpel and others for remembering me!
Rumpel, did'nt realise you lived in Stirling, I used to live in Alloa and worked at Stirling Royal!
Skylar doing really well, 8lbs 14oz now, feeding well and starting to sleep for longer, nearly 4 hours solid last night.

Started back at work on saturday after pat. leave, feels really weird not being at home on nappy duty.

Have to go to jewellers today to get engraving done on the wee trinket I got for dw when widget was born.

www.anitacurtis.co.uk/jewellery.htm

Fantastic to deal with and very, very helpful, the quality is superb and beautiful touches like separate case, cleaning cloth and lovely wrapping......treat yourself!

right, must get back to work!

take care

the 'spongs

Thanks everyone for the advice. Its so good to know that connor isn't the only baby who doesn't sleep at night yet!

Jodie - I tried expressing this morning and thought I'd do same as you and give to him from a bottle but my expessor broke after I managed half an ounce! I still gave Connor the little bit from the bottle and he gulped it down. So I think its the way to go - will have to buy a new expressor now though!

Umlellala - I did think that the 45 mins thing was him waking up and needing help back to sleep. So I did the usual tapping, cuddling, shusshing stuff and still no settle. So thats when I gave in and fed him.

sweetkitty - have also tried to co-sleeping for a couple of hours and that works too - I was just worried that he'll learn the wrong sleep associations and never learn to get to sleep by himself.

Thanks again - best shove some food down me before ds wakes again for another feed. no doubt I will be back!

Nobby, please don't worry about sleep associations - or think of it this way: he is learning a positive sleep association (ie sleep is nice and lovely), you can teach them new things any time (once they are old enough and ready) IMOpinion and Experience...

So co-sleep/feed to sleep as much as you want at this age (or any age if youwant )

NobbyD - oh don't worry about sleep associations at this stage plenty of time to stress about that when they are older. I remember asking the exact same thing with my first on here, was told loads in RL I was spoiling DD1 by cosleeping and she would still be in our bed going to school. Well she went into her own bed and room at 15 months no problem as did DD2 at 12 months. IMHO it is one of lives little treasures waking up with a little newborn snuggled into you, I love it. IME as they become older they learn to get back to sleep without nursing or in the case of my DD2 I went on night time feeding strike at 12 months and after 2 nights she slept through. BUt a newborn is SO different to a 1yo on solids IYSWIM.

Welcome Nobby. My son Logan was also born on 12th July.

He's doing well on mixed bottle and breast feeding. He has a routine in the evening - breast feed followed by bottle from 6pm to 8pm every evening in a darkened room. Then sleep until 11 when he gets another bottle of formula. He's then down until 3 or 4 when he gets ebm then down again (often in bed with me) til 6 or 7am when he has another feeding frenzy - breast followed by bottle. During the day, he gets the breast as much as possible. Am using Infacol and am about to move on to giving him 6oz feeds - my milk supply has also gone up - just expressed 3.5 oz from one breast in 20 minutes this afternoon and am over the moon about that!