June 2008 - The Olympics are here and Mums deserve gold medals

[ThePenguinProject]

Thought I'd start a new thread before we ran out of space! Couldn't remember the exact name suggestion so have paraphrased, the sentiment is still the same though...

essie..are you really a triad expert? ... will keep dh away as he is fascinated (as am I in a more rational way).

btw dd up adn smiling still despite later bathtime/feed routine.. I get the feeling she has one over on her parents already at age 9 weeks... the pattern of things to come I suspect

Ahhah, Calpol, had been wondering about that myself. Isla has her first jabs in the morning
GF, strange thing, but where you in Bath on Monday? I saw a baby that looked just like storm ?

Poppy, yes, really! But triads in Celtic literature, not the Chinese mafia-type gang. (!) Is your DH (and you) interested in my type of triads?? And if yes, why? (As in, background in Celtic literature or something?)
I have a book out on the topic. Currently 682,649 in the Amazon sales rank.

And I've almost outed myself. Never mind! Rolf already knows who I am as do several London ladies!

Also for Poppy and all those enslaved to routines : got Iestyn to sleep at 8.30, but he woke up for a feed at 10.15. Gina Ford's 7pm sleep time is a long way off!

Essie, ive only just realised that you are from North Wales. Bit Slack to have only just hit in. My best freind is from Anglesey and has a 18 month old daughter whome they are trying to bring up bilingual. Are you doing the bilingual thing yourself?? The Kiddie i know is doing really well!

Hi All - Have just emailed the London Ladies to apologise for being a bit crap re: communication this week. Been feeling a bit blue. I think I'm finding the adjustment to this new life harder than I expected and I still feel a mess physically too. Back to the gym for me next week! It's had an impact on DH and I. So as he's off work this week we're spending some time just the three of us - partly doing up the house so that I'm happier on those days stuck at home. Hence the lack of posting (thank you for missing me BDQ!).

8 week jabs - Ryder was absolutely fine on the day (last Thursday) so we didn't need any calpol, although I bought some just in case. He's been a bit unsettled over the last few days, but that could be because I have been too....

Routines - We still don't have one and it's still working out very well for us. Ryder actually slept thru the night from about 4-7 weeks. At about 7 weeks it went downhill and he'd have 2 or 3 nightime feeds, but now we're back to just one wake up which is getting later and later. Currently we're looking at anytime btw 4.45 & 6.30am and he will then usually go back to sleep or be quiet in his cot until about 8am. His moses basket is in the front room with us until we go to bed. He drops off anytime from 8pm onwards. Sometimes about 8pm, in which case I dream feed him at 11/11.30pm, othertimes he might stay awake and his last feed will be about 10.30pm. I know I'm incredibly lucky - however it can make for a very active (and noisy) daytime baby who feeds alot!

Love the coloured muslin idea - definitely a good one. Everyone loves my ikea ones because they are bright and colourful. (BTW Ikea cafes have special bf-ing areas, really cool!). I'd agree at about £2 each or £5 for a pack of 3? Once you see how much demand there is, you could then put the prices up?

I'm now terrified that Ryder will wake up hourly tonight now I've admitted how lucky I am! Oh well, perhaps the blues will go away now I've admitted to them too [hopeful emoticon]. Better go to bed now as Dh is waiting...Night All!

hello all. now regretting the 'no routine' or rather not putting her down for naps in cot. she sleeps fine at nght in cot in her room, but not during day. starting to get to point where she's distured so not getting enough daytime sleep and tired and grumpy. must work on this

no time to read. feeling bit crap today - fed up of being sahm. bug time. but no chance of change so feeling pretty trapped right now sorry. 9 years is a long time.

PP and Ernest, really sorry you're both feeling so down . Can't really offer much useful advice to either of you, but just sending virtual hugs.

ernest/pp - really sympathise re teh blues as have them on/off myself (esp when stuck upstair doing fruitless task fo trying to settle edie in evening...)...its weird -not that dont love her but wonder what happened to my life. Am still seeing counsellor which helps as think some of it related to how much went thru

essie...am going off to stalk you -but as planning (if i'm alloweD) to poss gatecrash a london meet up (I'm in sw london)..

going for jabs in an hour (well edie is)..think will just have calpol ready as can only take 2 doses and dont want to waste any if edie really does need it later. but fingers crossed she'll be fine like ryder was ... most of antenatal group seem to have been ok

Penguin, Ernest, also Poppy - well, I was there last week, really blue, hence not posting much. (penguin I was also making DH suffer as I threatened to leave him, giving him custody of Iestyn, but only after Christmas then I'd have done my bit on the breastfeeding. Strange, irrational...) I find it really important to be part of the group here, because I really am struggling; I do love Iestyn but when he's crying non-stop and refusing to sleep, I'm not convinced I always like him - and sometimes I'm, quite annoyed because I can't get on with my work, and do things I enjoy. I feel...compromised, maybe? And I see no way out, perhaps. And it's BOOOOOORING!
But in case everyone thinks I'm down in the dumps again, there are good bits, and I'm ok really. Sleep makes the difference for me. DH does the night feed at least once a week (spare room), so I get to sleep alone in the bed and I wake up loving Iestyn to bits.

Speaking of sleep... DH almost did the night feed last night, but I wasn't feeling too bad (haircut does it too, clearly!) so we were together. Just as well, because Iestyn woke at 10.30pm, 2am, 4am, 6am, 9am. Total crap, and hasn't been this bad since he was 3 weeks old. Was it Alipalli who had a similar night recently? Please tell me it's a one off and not total regression!!

Poppy stalk away! I'm in SW London - so where are you? I'm Tooting Bec. We could meet for a spoddy chat about triads without boring everyone else! Hope all goes well with the jabs. I didn't give Iestyn anything before, but had to afterwards because he was in pain. (I recognise that cry now - and heard it the other day when he scratched his own head with his fingernails, drawing blood. It was heartbreaking, and I managed to settle him eventually by feeding him. I then went to cut the offending fingernails, and...took a chunk out of his finger, starting the whole screaming thing off again. )

Re muslin squares - here for 12 for £9.99. I've got a pack and they are much bigger/thicker than others that I've bought/been given from the high street.

PP glad you're back - loads of sympathy, I'm finding it quite hard to adjust too. With the weather and everything I've felt a bit trapped at home. I also find it really frustrating being stuck at home all day but not being able to catch up on chores. The house is a mess - I know everyone says leave the housework but I hate living in a tip. Perhaps I should spend less time on MN? I do only keep up with this thread now - no time for anything else.

Did manage to get out for a walk for an hour today though!

ERnest sounds like you're having a shitty day. Hope it gets better!

Essie I get bored too. The other day the idea of plonking S in

We're a cheery bunch today

Part of my post disappeared... It should say plonking S in nursery and going back to work was really appealling.

Sounds like there are a lot of jabs going on today, Jonathan is having his this afternoon, he has spent the morning sleeping getting up the energy to scream all afternoon I reckon!

DH has been off this week and it's been lovely to have someone else around the house, I went for lunch with my colleagues yesterday and DH looked after him on his own for the first time, he got on fine.

Finally went to Bravissimo yesterday after recommendations on here, was wearing a 36D, now a 34F!

No real routine here yet, going to try to get into more of a pattern next week once DH is back at work and J has recovered from his jabs, still sleeping well at night, usually 10.30 / 11 ish until 5 or 6 so in some ways reluctant to rock the boat and try and get him into a routine.

The bright muslins sound like a great idea, Asda do cheap white ones, 3 for £3 and they seem much better quality than the more expensive ones from boots, hope this helps!

Hope people aren't feeling too down today, I'm finding it hard when I do actually get to socialise with people as I don't seem to have much to talk about these days other than babies! Feel a bit boring, plus my brain seems to have melted and my memory is rubbish these days.

I have some of the printed muslins from Boots and they're rubbish!

Hi everyone

Sorry that so many of you are feeling down. I agree with the general sentiment that it's boring. I look forward to DS (aged 2.9) getting back so that I have someone to talk to! And then we spend three hours talking about fire engines and I'm climbing the walls!

Penguin, very impressed with yu for going to the gym. I hope you have a nice week with your DH, and feel more yourself and more of a couple.

I did the Gina thing really strictly with DS (he was, as Sponge says, one of those babies who snapped into it) but it's much harder with Dorothy. She's being sick less, which means that I let her cry more but it kills me - and then I feel guilty for rocking her / feeding her / dummying her to sleep.

Oh there she goes! Awake again. So much for her 2.5 hour lunchtime nap!

DQ - know what you mean about catching up with chores, our house is a tip and it gets me down, going to get DH to watch J this afternoon while I try and get a bit of cleaning done.

I also hate having clutter. Including baby clutter! I'm sick of muslins draped on furniture!

I know I need to loosen up, but hey, tidying up gives me a sense of equilibrium!

Sorry to hear some of you have been feeling low,

I have been suffering with blocked duct/onset of mastitis again . I got through the night but it was hard - fever - the whole works, but today I've spent the day, either in the warm shower, dangling boobs over ds3's face, massaging,sleeping, drinking loads of water and weeing lots.

Result is that the fever has subsided, still VERY sore and excruciating when he feeds but it is much better when I warm up the breast just before, as then he doesn't suck so hard. I am still feeling rough but a lot better, and dh has been nursing me!

Poor you, Debs. Puts me feeling a bit glum into perspective really. And a gold star for keeping going with the breastfeeding too.

any idea why it's flared up Deb?

essie I'm in twickenham...and know exactly what you mean about wanting your own time...part of my desire to go back to work is not out of any great lurve of my job but more to get some time and space to do myown thing (on train) and talk about somehting not baby related... also with you re baby crap being everywhere (tried to keep one room free of it)...and I'm no housewife

deb so sorry to hear about your mastitis.. think you're very brave to soldier on - and glad dh tending you. is this the second time you've had it?

on jabs, edie was dead brave as hardly cried at all (is there a proud mum emoticon )... has seemed ok so far as been checking her temp - bit grizzly at lunchtime feed but thats not so unusual - seems more sleepy tis afternoon but that is probably cos I indulged her by letting her nap on me rather than in her cot

Essie the hideous sleep regression was a one off (well sort of). Nights are currently very unpredictable, so can range from 1 wake up to 3, and from 15 minute feeds and back to sleep to 1 hour 20 mins; poo everywhere; complete clothes change, and multiple feeds (like last night) [sigh] Maybe this wouldn't happen if we had a routine, but Peter is quite a determined chap, and definitely has ideas of his own about going to sleep, feeding etc. Even my MIL has declared herself at a loss as to what I should do.

So, what I have done is put Gina and the Baby Whisperer away on a top shelf, and I am trying to go with the flow...This is slightly against the grain as I think my natural tendency is for order, but hey, Peter is a big, bouncing baby and looks fairly contented most of the time. What unnerves me is when RL people offer opinions like "Are you feeding him AGAIN". This has happened twice with male friends. One is a father but works in the City and rarely sees his kids, the other doesn't have children, so really their opinions count for very little. I feel annoyed with myself that their comments rattle around in my head though.

Lots of people seem to be feeling blue at the moment. I am on holiday next week, so looking forward to that is keeping me perky. UDC I liked your posting about fire engines, it made me smile. I did wake up this morning and find myself thinking about how samey today was likely to be. Infact it has been good, as I had coffee with someone from NCT [greedy]; went shopping and bought some boots ; and registered myself and Peter at the library [smug]. Felt like a pushy parent talking to the librarian about reading with a 10 week old, however it's apparently quite the thing, and they have a weekly session for babies where everyone claps and sings or something. I will try it out in a couple of weeks and let you know.

When I was at university there was a concept called five week blues, where everyone was knackered, hadn't done enough work and had spent too much money. Generally we ended up being either ill, or depressed, or both. When I did a ski season the same thing happened at the end of January. I wonder whether we have hit the equivalent for having a baby? What do you think?

Think you could be right alipalli! Essie I know what you mean, having order about the place gives me a sense of equilibrium. I'm not even obsessively tidy, but the fact that I cant see room to fit anything in over the next few days really stresses me out. I'm now already a month behind my study schedule and I have an extra exam to do in November (resit - ) that I hadn't planned for and it all just seems a bit much! Oh and wedding anniversary soon and no babysitter.

Deb feel bad for moaning when you've had such a rough night. Hope it clears up soon.

Right, 5 minute break over - time to put the dinner on. This thread keeps me sane I think!

Allipalli we went with the flow both times and it has worked, DD got into hers straight away and Sebastian is just getting into his, daytimes have been all over the place but he is finally settling down into a night time routine, tonight we went for a bath at 6, me Basil and Edie and then he had a feed and went to bed, they will find their own routine eventually. Good luck.

PS just to make things worse apparently the sleep deprivation really kicks in at 3 months

To try and combat my misery I forced myself to go out every day no matter what, rain or shine. It really helps. I had to be very brave! Today I spent the whole day at a friends house miles away. She refuses to drive in London so I did the mountain and mohammed thing and had to get three trains there and back! It was worth it though as it filled the entire day and I got to see my friend and her cute 6 month old and it reminded me that in 3.5 months Luke will be able to respnd more to me and entrtain himself

Virtual hugs to all in pain - been there (as you may remember from previous posts!)x