Hi all, how is everyone? Have just read through everything since I last posted and I did not realise I had been away so long! It has been a hectic few weeks and I just never seem to have any time anymore, it is a little calmer today but I suspect it may be the eye in the storm with all things seasonal approaching!
Evie seems to be getting cuter by the day although she is ill again with another cold , it is the third she has had in 5 weeks! Tonight she is really really hot though which I don't like, am terrified she will be prone to convulsions like DS2 was as a baby although DS1 was fine so fingers crossed. On Monday she was playing with a little boy whose brother came down with chicken pox the following day so am really hoping she has not caught that although it would explain the new cold and today's high temp. She now waves, claps and dances on demand and seems to be using word sounds in context occasionally (Mum, Dad, ses (yes), tat (cat), dat (when asked "what've you got?") and today we had "wossiss" when holding something out). Still no joy with formula and due to struggling milk supplies (although still persevering) HV suggested giving her cows milk. She said as long as DD was getting a balanced diet it is fine from 6 months, I have been giving her some in the daytime and she will drink a bit from me but she takes quite a lot from DH on nights when I am at work so that is a relief, at least she won't starve when I eventually stop feeding!
I am amazed to hear so many of you talking about PND, it really is an awful thing. I can identify with so much of what you have all said, I recognise many of those feelings and am so so thankful that I dealt with them before they got too bad. I have also realised that my feelings of anxiety (and my OCD) will probably never completely go but if I can keep a check on them and notice when they begin to spiral beyond my control then I will be fine.
Suey, I am glad you are beginning to feel better and I hope that your DH continues to give you the support you need, it's sounds as though you reached a very low point. I also agree with others who link low milk with low mood, I notice I am more cheerful when my supply is up and lower when it is down.
Skid, how are things with your brother now? Glad DD's birthday was good, am sure she will love her doll's house once the pink tat all breaks! Bless her taking her birthday card to bed though, I love that age! I have also noticed teeth marks from DD's top teeth when she has been feeding lately so you're not the only one! You have my sympathies on your work situation, times are scary and I guess you have to cling to whatever job you can, glad your DH has found a bit though!
Louise, yay for your DD crawling! Evie definitely slept more when she started crawling, they wear themselves out I think! As for having another baby, only you can decide that. There is no 'right' age gap to have! I would definitely speak to someone about your feelings about the birth as it will help you whether you decide to have another baby or not.
Clairey, I am at your DS climbing from his highchair! I often leave DD while I pop to the kitchen for more food... Well done for his walking though, that's fab (and lol at BOOB BOOB BOOB!).
Clara, sounds like everything is manic for you at the moment!
Insy, yay! Congrats to you! I lost my first pregnancy and in all others experienced bleeding so have always told my bosses immediately I found out but asked them to keep it a secret from everyone else, would this be an option for you? It was very useful when I needed time off for emergency scans when I bled or to rest and also when I miscarried before having DD they were very understanding about the time off with no notice. As for names, if DD had been my 3rd boy we loved Arthur and George, not particularly unusual though!
Melly, sorry going back to work has been so awful for you, it is so so hard to leave them isn't it? Bless Kaesha hugging and kissing everything! I too find that I never get anything done. The to-do list is always longer than the time available to do it all (hence the increasingly sporadic posting on here). My fridge, however, is always full thanks to online shopping from Tesco, I usually get a code for money off from another thread on here each week too so that usually saves me the delivery and sometimes a bit more. Will post a link to it if you're interested?
BT, welcome back from Spain, glad you had a good time! You need to forget about the crap things you feel you did when DS was small, I doubt they really were crap at all they just feel that way to you. I was very much like that with DS1 but I was also fairly isolated (like you were), once I managed to get out and talk to other mothers I discovered that much of the stuff I was beating myself up about was the same for them too. Besides, there is nothing you can do about the past so don't waste time worrying about what you might not have done perfectly when you could be spending it with your gorgeous DS making his present great! (note to self, must listen to own advice...)
Ambi, yay for Lou's tooth and her lovely chattering! Evie will say "ap" or "bap" to me in answer to everything when we chat - so so cute!
Anyway, apologies for the essay! Hi to everyone I haven't mentioned, must go wake Evie for another dose of medicine xxx