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

mustsleep I phoned for our appointment to register Andrew today too and was also told I needed to take his nhs number. Don't know where you'd get it from. Andrew's is on his hospital notes and every other page of red book.

i have had a shit day! Started badly when ds1 had a nightmare and fell out of bed in the middle of the night, he wouldn't settle then woke up again shortly after he did so we were awake for over 2 hours with him. Thankfully ds2 fed during that time and didn't wake up again but i was so tired when I woke up this morning. Then it was DHs first day back at work so I had the 2 of them on my own all day. This morning was fine as we went to toddler group but then ds1 managed to push all the wrong buttons for the rest of the day. He was nipping my head constantly, asking questions over and over again that he knew the answer to. Then I only managed about 20 min nap coz ds1 and 2 disn't coincide their sleeping very well. And then ds1 woke up when he was still tired so nipped my head and whined for the rest of the afternoon coz I wouldn't let him watch any more telly. We both ended up crying and once I started I couldn't stop for ages (it is the first time I've cried since ds2 was born 2 weeks ago so I knew it was coming at some point). Then ds1 wouldn't go to bed tonight coz he said he was scared, he kept getting up and trying to escape. It was part fear but part trying it on so was hard to know how to deal with it.
Oh and I've still got sore nipples when ds2 latches on and sometimes for longer in the middle of the night when I can't see what I'm doing. And I have a weird stitch like pain in my bladder (I think) when I poo and sometimes when I pee.

Sorry but needed to get that out. I've got a glass of wine now and am going to go and lie on the sofa for an hour until ds2 needs fed again.

Hi all, finally got 5 mins to join in! Maia's doing very well, she is a very greedy baby though! but I suppose she was born on the small side so.. looks like the joundice is finally going, she looks rosy now, still looks a lot like her brother, but starting to get her "own" face (couldn't believe she was a girl when she came out as she looked the photocopy of DS!!). And looks like she's got light hair like her mummy, so hopefully she'll end up looking a bit like me (after all, I've carried her for 9 months and still in a lot of pain down below for her!!). here she goes.. time for feeding...

oh debi rant away...sounds like you've had a lot to deal with today.

My baby's hungry too! Been feeding constantly since 4pm (but has still only done one poo today ). But I'm soooooooo tired. He won't be put down today either. Needs constant attention. Think it's a growth spurt...that's at about two weeks isn't it?

Starlight or BabyStarlettsBeatiful Same here. I don't use it. Lorea sleeps in a crib next to my bed. She likes to be swaddled and I don't feel she will be confortable or safe in the snugglenest. If I move her by mistake, she won't be able to turn around.

Hi all

Just checking in.

We have been home from scbu now for 5 nights and all is well apart from the breast feeding Fraser just would not latch on at all we were both getting abit stressed about it so ive decided to bottle feed but im am expressing so he is getting ebm every other bottle.

He drinks 3oz of milk every 3 hours he is a little piggy. ive just had him weighed at the hospital he went from 6lb 4oz to 7lb 6oz in 3 days the mw had to double check it was right.

Hi everyone, i am actually ttc no1 but have been a nanny for 12 years and just wanted to post a tip for all you new mums...

When your baby is crying and its not due to hunger or dirty nappy etc, hold your baby (not on your shoulder) and sit on an inflatable yoga ball then bounce up and down on it... Babies that i have looked after and friends babies have absolutely loved this... It send them straight off to sleep.

Hope this helps, if anyone tries it let me know how you get on xx

lollyheart I'm very impressed that you are finding the time to express milk with 3 small children in the house.

Having a better day today altho ds1 has still had a couple of strops and kicked up a fuss at nap time. i had to hold his door shut while holding ds2 who was screaming in my ear that he wanted fed. Thankfully he gave up after just a few minutes.

emmablemma why not bounce with baby on shoulder? Just because the head isn't as well supported? We put the yoga ball back in the loft as otherwise ds1 was going to break something with it but I can see it could work well to soothe them.

hi everyone

just incase anyone else needed to know you do not need your nhs number to register baby or even your notes or red book

we went in today and she just had a sheet of paper which she gave me with william's nhs number on it which you need to claim your child benefit

i do not have a child benefit claim form as i did not get a bounty pack but if this happens to anyone else youcan fill a form in online on the tax credits website and print it out and send it off

William is like a dream baby at the moment (touch wood) last night he started his last feed at 10.30 and then went down at midnight and did not get up until 4.30am and then went back to bed at 5am and then slept till seven!!

it's just seems so strange after the last two to have a non collicky baby

watch when dh starts nights he'll be awake all night every night

emmablemma i won;t bother trying that as i would prob fall off the ball lol

i found with ds and dd when they had collic the best way to get their wind up was to sit then on knee supporting head and holding in middle and sort do circular movements like they were hula hooping
William also tends to burp if i hold him under his arms and move him up and down (also tones arms )

starlight most definitely. I think I was in tears at some point everyday from Alfredo's birth up until about three days ago. He's now 16 days old.

After a slow start, the little chipmunk is still feeding hourly/half hourly. My nips are on fire. And boobs feel like they're filling up as soon as he comes off them. This is all good right?

Hoping tonight he sleeps a bit longer between feeds. My 'What to Expect in the first year' book says cluster feeding can last up to 48 hours. That means it should all slow down by 4pm tomorrow.

DH registered Alfredo yesterday. He's official!

same here, broke down yesterday in the bath, for no reason really... felt so stupid afterwards...

Just wanted to say hi I don't know if anyone can join this thread. My dd (Charlotte) was born on 9th Sept by emergency c section and she is my second child. We are getting on ok but she seems to cry whenever she is awake at the moment unless one of us is holding her. Am starting to feel really down as with my son I could get him into a routine much quicker and leave him to cry longer as there was just him. Does anyone else with more than one child feel the second gets away with more in the hope of not upseting your first?

so the wars are over and the house is mine once again.

all of us definitely aren't as chatty as we were before, but i guess thats due to our new additions.

Hi ofsted of course you can join our thread. I know what you mean about not letting the new baby cry as much incase the older child gets upset. I find during the day I can leave ds2 crying for a little while but won't dare at night or if ds1 is asleep in case he gets woken up.
I also got in a feeding routine quite quickly with ds1 but know that I won't have such a good routine with ds2 as he is going to have to fit in with ds1. Mind you it's not necessarily a bad thing to not have such a rigid routine.

I'm glad I'm not the only teary person. I haven't actually cried today but felt like it a few times. Then tonights bedtime drama was that ds1 did an almighty burp and then threw up all over the floor just before he went to bed. Think it was just that he ate too much dinner too quickly and some had got stuck so fingers crossed that's all it is.

Glad to hear you got your house back eandz enjoy the peace.

We registered Andrew today too so he is official too. Andrew Lewis we decided on in the end.

DH has a job interview tomorrow in Glasgow so please everyone keep their fingers crossed for that.

We're finally home from hospital so I've come on to post my birth story (copied from the antenatal thread for those of you unable to keep up with it now!).

After the event my mum (former midwife) said she had been expecting me to go into labour when she saw me on Thursday as she could see the bump had dropped and I kept having (painless) BH. Nice of her to warn me!

My waters broke unexpectedly after a day out having hair cuts and shopping. I was only in Mothercare 2 hours before - if it had happened earlier maybe we'd have got some free stuff! Meanwhile DH had been on nights and had had all of an hour and a half's sleep! He'd just gone back to bed for a nap before the next night shift (which of course he never did in the end!) when I called out from the loo that my waters had just broken, and then neither of us got any sleep on Saturday night. Poor DH was more knackered than I was and kept falling asleep on the floor of the recovery room! But that was later.....

After I posted here we went to hospital and sat and waited for a long time! They had already decided to do a CS as I was booked in for one but because it wasn't an emergency as such we weren't priority. They put me on IV antibiotics for the Strep B just in case the CS was more than 4 hours after my waters broke (in the event it was 8 hours). We were then bumped twice by people in labour who might need an emergency CS - in the event neither did but they had to keep the theatre free. Meanwhile I started getting contractions and of course I hadn't got the TENS machine as I hadn't expected to need it. So I managed without pain relief. They were painful but bearable and irregular but I was starting to get worried by the time they were finally ready for us as they were getting more painful and frequent! I was very nervous for the actual CS - terrified when the spinal block went in as she'd warned me if I moved I could end up paralysed (they have to tell you that but it's very rare!). It was very different from the emergency one - much calmer. The downside was my nerves because I was very aware of what was going on but the staff were brilliant and kept me informed every step of the way - so much better than last time. This time I wasn't sick and I didn't start shivering so when Dougie came out I was able to hold him straight away and I cuddled him while they stitched me up. We bonded straight away. He looks very different from DD but just as adorable and vulnerable. He loves me cuddling him horizontally (up my front between my breasts) and right now is cuddled up like that while I type. DD is in bed.

BF is going well. He first fed an hour after the op. We had problems initially with latching on - he would only do it on one breast - but now seems to be getting the hang of it. He's feeding about 9 times a day, more at night than the day but the MW said now we need to start waking him and feeding more often to clear the touch of jaundice. My nipples are already getting sore but are not as bad as they were on day 2 last time. I think the difference is that now I know what it feels like when he is latched on properly so they're probably not being quite as abused (plus last time DD bit me!). It doesn't really hurt once he's over the initial latch, which is how it should be.

DD is quite interested in him and often comes over to touch him. She also gave him a goodnight kiss! It's a relief to be home as she's been fine but she did miss me.

Recovery is going well. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't in pain but it's much less pain than last time - probably because there is no infection present this time. Also I had an electric bed which was wonderful!

It's silly but I'm actually quite pleased he came early. I somehow felt I was cheating by having a planned c-section at 39+1 - maybe he wouldn't be ready to come out? (my due date wasn't until 22 September). But in fact he's pre-empted me by being born at 38+6 so he clearly was ready after all!

Ofsted, welcome to our thread. Hope you're not an ofsted inspector though =)

Starlight, any kind of moodswings are to be expected for a fair while until the hormones settle down again.

Katie was weighed again today and had gained 14 ounzes in a week, so very much back on track and no need to worry about her weight now.

good god sassfrass 14 oz in a week!!

well ok i spoke too soon!! william was up most of the night last night

he was fine all day and was staying awake for alittle after each feed then just going to sleep on his own and then at the 10pm feed he was the same had a 4 oz bottle and then kept sucking his hand like he wanted more but when it was offered he cried and was pulling his legs up but no amount of burping would get he wind up - put him down twice for him to sleep for 20mins and then wake with wind the second time he had started sucking his hand again so dh took him down and gave him a bottle and he finally went off to sleep

and has been fine all morning again

it seems the wind must be building up during the day? any ideas ladies?

yay!!! just to let you all know my maternity allowance has finally been sorted out have just had a call about it today and they have decided the amount so now just have to wait for it to be confirmed !!

warning - if you're breastfeeding stay away from cauliflower. I had a fair bit yesterday and poor Katie had dreadful wind and tummy aches all through the night. I'd completely forgotten since last time that cauliflower can make babies gassy.

hello all...i'm loving having a newborn in the house again! My dd is sooo good and she's feeding brilliantly, i couldn't bf my ds so this is all so new but i'm really enjoying the time with her and the closeness.

mustsleep my ds had bad wind are you tried using infracol or anything like it? it helped mine and i also gave him a dummy which helped too....hope it settles for william soon it's horrible to see them uncomfortable x

I didn't realise there was a post-natal thread - doah.

Am bookmarking this now and will check in later.

Day 10 and I think we have come across the 1st growth spurt as Mac has been attached to me all day so far, and I can't see it changing. I forgot how nice (lots of cuddles and feeds) and annoying (constantly attached limpet) it can be.