Sept 08 - newborns, milk, nappies and all the rest ....

[Sassafrass]

Hope noone minds me starting our post natal thread now that the babies are arriving so quickly.

Arrivals!
28-May - Johnworf ? Katherine, 1lb 8oz
30-June ? KashaSarrasin ? Felix, 1.39kg
26-July - Jenbot - DD, 3lb 6oz
11-Aug - Crabby - Lilah 2.34kg
13-Aug - Sassafrass - Katie Rose, 7lb 2oz
20-Aug - Sunshinemummy - Effy Marilyn, 6lb 3oz
22-Aug - Talia1 - Anna, 6lb 2oz
26-Aug - Jenpet - Samuel, 3.166 kilos (about 6lb10oz?)
28-Aug - Potxola - Lorea, 7lb 6oz
31-Aug - Digitalgirl - Alfredo, 7lbs
1-Sept - Debithescot - Andrew, 8lb 10oz

Just popping in briefly...
Ds was weighed today (day 5) and he is bang on his birth weight - exact even to the half ounce! So proud of him
I'm so glad I saw the bfc yesterday, really encouraged me and I've been taking on board her handy hints today. I'm also a bit of a leaky tap on one side - have to shove a muslin down whichever side I'm not feeding from, and sleep on a towel at night...as well as wearing breastpads and a bra. Better too much than too little I suppose!
I'm a bit worried that I'm not experiencing the thing of loving dd more Not that I love her less, I think I'm just a bit wrapped up in newborny things, and dh is doing all the toddler stuff! I'm sure it'll come though. Sometimes she just seems like a big person who is liable to jump on the little one and I worry for him instead of enjoying them both. I'm sure it'll change once dh goes back to work and I'm in charge of both the dcs.

Anyway, the out-laws are here wreaking merry havoc in the kitchen so better go supervise...

the piccys are now on profile

I love the first one biglips - she's really bonny on that third one.

I've put a couple on my profile too

Saw hv today and shes a bit worried about the lack of poo, if Robyn not pooed by thursday have to ring mw who wants me to express if she hasn't put weight on. All this worry, can't remember all this with other 2.

Slept in this mornuing, Mum woke me up 4o mins late and both kids were up eating, was really knackered as woke with dp as he got up for work.

Started leaking loads and need the breast pads now. My sis had to use 3 and sleep on towels and still change the bed every day so am counting myself lucky.

Robyn just done 2 huge sneezes and is chewing with a bemused look on her face, very strange

she is 11 days now, feel like i am feeding non-stop sometimes and msking sure she drains one side so she is gwtting the fatty stuff

I'm so confused about breastfeeding...my dd is feeding approx every 2-3 hrs day time and 4ish hrs night but she only feeds for about 10-15mins with breaks. Her nappies went a bit green and she needs winding after each feed but breast fed babies aren't supposed to get trapped wind and the poo's down to too much foremilk?....
I don't know if i should change what i'm doing she is generally a contented baby only cries for a feed in the night if i'm taking too long to change her......When she's feeding she gulps it down so will she still be getting some hind milk even though she's not sucking for 30 mins? sorry to have gone on a bit!!
I'm also feeling sooo much love for my ds and feel awful when i have to tell him i can't do something as dealing with dd, but luckily he adores his new sister and helps out at bath/nappy change etc. I'm dreading him starting pre school nxt wk...i just no they'll be tears...mine not his!!

Sorry for such a long post...maybe i should wait till after the hv has weighed her on fri to see what i should do.

Any advice gratefully received

Hi everyone. Sorry about being scarce. I have been super busy with dd1's broken leg on top of a NB. Dh was in Leeds yesterday for a thorough health checkup (he is fit as a fiddle, apparently above average for a man his age.)

DD1 spent Sat night in hospital under observation and I spent saturday there with DD2, only hours old, keeping her company as she was pretty distressed after having her leg assessed and plastered and wanting her mummy.

I didn't get home till after 8pm, absolutely shattered considering I had been awake since 2.30 am, giving birth!

hopefully you sound like you are having hte kind of experience I had the first time round in many ways.

I don't want to go on or be preachy and give you 'more advice' as I am sure getting it from too many sources adds to the confusion you are feeling. All I want to say is that the book 'Baby Bliss' by Harvey Karp was a turning point for me. I really recommend getting it from Amazon today. It is an easy read and very reassuring for this stage of a baby's life.

The best thing about it is that it is very easily read and such a revelation that even I 'got it' through the mental fug I was living in at the time.

Sounds like a growth spurt starlight

Mumiyumi I second having a baby who needs burping on the breast - and she also feeds in 10 - 15 mins. She's puttting on weight so I just know it's cos I've got good stuff in there [wink}

gosh im in tears now!.....the graze is really getting me down as been i have been having showers every day and then since 2 days ago ive started to put sudacrem on it and having a 3 mins sit in the salty baths. Otherwise im so happy but knackered!

Hi biglips - my grazes have really been hurting too but two weeks on I can just about have a pee without having to pour water over myself as I go so there is progress! However, my stitches are apparently 'gaping' which doesn't help.

My midwife said salty baths didn't help (though frankly so much of what m/ws say sound like folklore to me anyway so if it helps keep doing it). But she recommended tea tree oil in the bath and in themid-pee jug of water and I definitely think that is having a good effect. Send someone to the Body Shop for you!

In other news, does anyone have any advice for slowing down a fast flow? Frank seems somewhat overwhelmed at the start of a feed and all the gulping can make him 'bob off' the boob. Which is stressful as he is having new trouble latching on at the moment anyway.

search kellymom.com with fast letdown/oversupply as key words.

don't stress over green poos and foremilk. wear sunglasses while changing nappies.

Woohoo, ds2 has put on 3oz in 3 days. This is the first weight gain since he was born (22 days ago!) I am so relieved, I can't tell you.

Ladies with grazes - have you tried lavender oil? It has worked for me.

Well, HV weighed Teddy and he has put on a paltry 6oz in 9 days. She said that's fine for now, but we're hoping it will increase again when she comes on friday.

The new issue is getting teddy to sleep - I am going spare having him sleeping on me (can't sleep as am terrified), and DP can only walk the floor with him for a few more nights, as he's back to work on Monday. We're desperately trying to settle him in his cot, but he is supremely unimpressed with us, and has barely stopped screaming since 8am (don't worry, we're not leaving him to scream or anything, just putting him down every time he gets close to sleep). Poor chap is then struggling to stay awake when I feed him. Am hoping that eventually he will nod off in his basket, but it's not looking optimistic so far...

Still no sleep for teddy

have you got a swing seat you could try? One that swings for you I mean. Worked for my ds

Hi girls. I have missed you.
One world: Knackered! Lorea has a cold and sleeps during the day. During the night wakes up as soon as I put her down.

I refused to have her in my bed: yesterday I woke up and her hand was trapped underneath me. No way I am risking and accident.

I bought the miracle blanket and that stopped her from waking up with the moro reflex. but she tends to do a number 2 at night and I wake her up when I remove the blanket to change her, so I have just bought the swaddleme to see if I am lucky.

I will keep you informed.
I forgot to say, she is beautiful and she is growing well. I am very happy with my little girl.

biglips try washing and hair drying your bits after you've been to the loo - this turned around the comfort of my nether regions over the weekend. I think each time I rubbed them dry I just irritated them. I know it sounds odd, but they get really dry with the hair dryer.

hopefully I agree with starlight. 6oz is fine. I know some HV advice can be a bit daft but mine said they would hope to see 4-8oz a week - even that was flexible. Try not to panic, a 6oz gain is more than ok.

Re; Swing seats, we have a Fisher Price swing seat for DD. I tried it when we were deperate and she cried for a couple of minutes then fell fast asleep for an hour. It usually works like clockwork now, i often pop her in when I want to eat my dinner. It calsm both of us down .

"The Treadmills just got faster"

lol foxy at changing nappies with sunglasses on.

potoxla I've got the swaddleme blanket (fleece one from Blooming marvelous) and use it during the day as Andrew sleeps so much better swaddled up. I was using a smallish blanket but he just wriggled out of it so this one is good. Also it's easy to change nappy without getting him out if you need to do that. At night I tend to use a proper shawl (one of them my granny knitted when I was born) but that's too warm for during the day as it goes round him a couple of times.
During the night we change Andrew's nappy when he has finished on one side then swaddle him up again and give him a bit more from the other side. He does often poo during the 2nd part of the feed but I usually just leave it as he only tends to do fairly small poos and his bum isn't red at all.

Got my fingers crossed today that Andrew will sleep as well tonight as usual as I am trying him on 4 hour feeds during the day instead of 3. I've been having to wake him for every feed pretty much for the past week or so so I thought I'd try leaving him to sleep a bit longer to see if 4 hrly feeds during the day will affect him at night. It will mean 1 less feed but we'll see what happens.