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

My milk has come in this morning and with it the weepies! We had the night from hell up feeding continuously pretty much all night, then he wouldn't settle back down in the crib, only on me. In the end DH took him down to try and settle him and let me sleep. It was then that DH discovered he's pooed. So the poor little thing wasn't just refusing to settle, he was trying to tell us something! I can't believe we didn't check at the time. How guilty do I feel? . Then this morning my mum texted to say she hoped we'd had a good night and that she'd emailed my brothers to tell them about the birth. Well DH and I had been arguing about this very point last night as he hadn't been able to get the birth announcement out as he couldn't get the photos on to the computer and I was upset as it was important to me and he didn't seem that bothered. By now most people know anyway as we texted a lot at the time but my brothers didn't as both live abroad and one of them isn't on speaking terms with us (long story) so I really wanted the announcement to come from us. So I just started sobbing.....and that was the point that the midwife (plus student) turned up! Fortunately she was very nice (stand in one as the regular one is on holiday) and I felt a lot better after pouring out my heart to her.

Of course Dougie has been asleep all morning since but neither DH nor I have because we were awake by then and too keyed up to go back to sleep.

And I had the classic problem of trying to get him latched on to a very full boob this morning! I know now how to hand express a bit off if necessary but I did manage to get him to latch on eventually. We'll see what happens at the next feed in a minute as they are feeling very full again...... I remember with DD they always felt floppy after a feed but at the moment I guess they are probably just over stimulated from last night's feeding frenzy!

thanks mumiyumi haven't tried anything like that yet

my others were both collicy and tried infacol and colief and couldn't really see a difference maybe this time they will work - serves me right for thinking hewould be as easy as he has been so far

help - is my baby feeding enough? and stuff?
A was born 5 days ago. my proper milk has now come in. Fed about 2 hours first day total, day 2 nothing for 12 hours, but midwives watched us and decided he was just not hungry. He then fed 3 times in the evening/night for around 30 min each. Day 3 - fed about 5 times for 5 min or less each and midwives were about to help me express, when he decided he could be bothered and fed twice for 40 min each.
Day 4 - fed again under 5 min at a time in the day,midwife worried about jaundice but paed blood test convirmed normal levels. got home, read up on bf again, eventally managed 3 20 min feeds in the night with much better latch. spent yesterday trying to get him to take milk despite sudden floppy breasts - worried as he didn't seem to pee much.
Less worried now as milk came last night and he took 2 40-min feeds at night and one today so far, plus lots of pee and poo, but people keep talking about feeding every couple of hours and your baby will demand food, and while A will demand it, it's not that often. I've been blowing down his ear to keep him awake, and feeding him in not much clothes and changing him beforehand, and he's awake and alert a lot, but when he's not interested he's really not interested. Some times it's probably because he needs winding but other times he's happy, just not hungry.

Am I just being a paranoid first time mother? He's average weight but tall so is a bit skinny looking, and spent an hour in special care after going blue and floppy in the recovery area (ventouse delivery), so I'm worrying a bit more than I might otherwise. Plus the lack of sleep...

Midwife should be visiting sometime today, at least. (started this post yesterday morning...)

try not to worry too much. If he is weeing and pooing and by now his meconium is gone then there is no reason listen to any suggestion of 'give formula' or worry about jaundice though it sounds like he can be feeding more regularly.

Where is he when he is sleeping during the day? I would spend as much time with him skin to skin when he is asleep so that he can smell/feel/hear you when he comes into a light sleep. He ought to feed more often during the day with this stimulation. If he is in a cot/moses basket, touch him after 2 hrs and if he flinches (moro reflex), he will be easier to wake up than if he is out cold. If he is out cold, check again in 20-30 mins to see if he is in a light sleep and wake him for a feed.

At night, you can let him go 4 or 5 hrs between feeds.

Also, when he is actually feeding and his feeding is slowing down, do breast compressions to keep him feeding. It is more effective to keep him feeding than blowing and tickling etc.

Near the bottom of this thread there are some links I put on in response to Potxola's concerns about weight gain when her dd was around the same age on on Mon 08-Sep-08 16:13:19.

On the 13th? I also a linked to a breastfeeding log to print out.

ds2 had a worse night than usual too. He also had some wind stuck. Thankfully dh dealt him him for the hour or so he was up. Lets hope he didn't fall asleep in his interview today! He'll have slept on the flight up so should be ok though.

Off for a snooze now before health visitor comes.

thank you foxy and starlight! No-one has suggested formula, and the midwives have just been anxious that he is producing pee and poo - I was more worried yesterday when I hadn't seen any urine for a while but I think it just isn't obvious on yellowish nappy inserts! The paed also warned that he's meant to lose weight in the first few days, so as long as his first week was within some normal limit, no worry. I think he's less yellow today, too.

He's spending most of his time in someone's arms/on their lap - haven't managed to get him to spend more than 30 min in his basket yet!

spending time is someone's arms is different from skin to skin. {hoping that isn't insulting your intelligence.)

no prob foxy, just rushed posting. now one handed. have just handled my first projectile pee/poo combo rather well. still yelling, time to try skin to skin as he's too pissed off to fedd.

Hi NotCitrus - Foxy and Starlight's advice is spot on. Just to let you know I also worried that my DS wasn't weeing or pooing enough. Then, just in the last couple of days, he went through a massive feeding frenzy (almost without breaks) and we've been changing nappies almost hourly. So you'll be surprised how quickly the situation can turn around.

Today, Alfredo has finally calmed down. Have even managed to put him in his basket for a few hours. Hopefully he'll give us a few extra hours again tonight.

My big news today is that we went out for the first time with Alfredo in his pushchair! I walked all the way up to the shops and back (longest walk since the SPD hit) and we stopped off at a cafe where I actually managed to breastfeed for about 15 minutes. My first public feed!!! I feel another step closer to not being housebound by feeds!!

Hi all, our little boy - Jasper was bornon 9/9 coming in at a nice: 7lb 1oz.

oh dear I think DD is starting to get a bit colicky . She has been grumpy in the evenings for a couple of days. Come 7:30 it's non-stop feeding, crying, burping and faffing for a couple of hours. I have loads of milk so I can't beleive it's because she can't get enough.

The good news is that she has gained 6oz from her birth weight so at least the bf is still working out. It drives me mad with boredom though, I am not good at sitting down for long. Even though she feeds quite fast (5 mins average as my milk flows quickly) I still go a bit bonkers while sitting on the sofa. By the end of the day I feel really crumpled up and have tummy pains as I don't get to stretch out much when she is being grizzly. I'm going to book a massage for a months time I think, it will give me something to look forward to.

I'm a right moaning minnie today, sorry !

Hi No I am not an Ofsted Inspector I am a childminder!! I am bottle feeding my dd and she is taking about 50ml every 3-4hours. She seems to be quite moody and cries an awful lot but i am hoping that this is down to the fact that she has a cold at the moment (I don't know where she has got that from) and also when the surgeon cut her cheek during my emergency c section I think that the stitches have been getting on her nerves. We had to go to hospital today to have them removed so hopefully that should make her a bit happier. My ds is 3 tomorrow so we are off out for the day, I am determined to show him that things don't change just because sister is here but I think I must be mad, we are managing to get through the day without him having any major changes at the mo and as a result he really seems to love his sister. Can I just ask anyone else on this thread who had an emergency c section do you get really weepy whenever you think about it?

After a 3-hour waah fit as he and I lay skin/skin and eventually he burped enough to calm down, A has fed 3 times loads - and no pain at all as my milk is now running over so all he has to do is lap it up.

So good. Except now too much of a good thing as he's spewed up the last lot - but now fallen asleep. Hope this means less grizzling and easier burping in future???

Off to bed now as MrNC is having him until midnight, then he sleeps until the builders arrive, I hope.

Now, Maclaren XT or XLR pushchair? Parents offered to buy, both look good but wondering which better for my buggered hands? Is a kilo weight diff worth it?

NC, when the throw up like that, it is a lot less than it looks like. Take a tablespoon of water and splatter it on the floor as an experiment.

yeah pretty sure was just the last mouthful. doing another feed now, he's coming off every few min to burp then carrying on which seems good. hope for some kip tonight, so far he's been a v nocturnal baby. takes after dad...

while im here and A poos in new nappy, what do you do after a feed? I change nappy before, and then feed as long as can get anythong onto him, lots of repeat chances and swapping breasts.
Then he's sleepy but if he just lies anywhere other than my lap, he will yowl in 5 min as needs burping (will wait 30 min or longer on my lap). So try getting burps/farts from him, get some, check nappy if felt Those Sensations, put him down eventually, and he STILL yowls in a minute. And needs holding/rubbing for hours until he'll sleep a bit.

Normal? Or are there secrets leading to me getting sleep in more than 5 min bursts at night?

He yowls anywhere but on your lap because your body was the only thing he knew until a few days ago. It is 'home'. He really can't see past your body at this time. I know that co-sleeping isn't for everyone but it will help if you can feed him and keep him up tight next to you in bed.

Many bfc's say that we don't really need to burp bf babies ~ it is a Western thing.

But non-western babies are carried more during the day too. If you can get your hands on a stretchy wrap sling, it is a way of carrying a baby in an upright position so any wind comes up just by your pottering about doing your daily routine. A great advantage of wrap slings during the day is that at every stir you can feed him in the sling so you can start to get more feeds in during the day which will make him ask for less at night, hence turning around his body clock. this link shows how easy it is to put on a wrap and put in a tiny baby and then when they stir - before crying - adjust it into feeding position without taking it off and to latch them on.

I only changed dd's nappy when I had to. I was surviving from day to day at that time so it was a luxury for me to do that.

morning all

had a much better night last night

dh offered to do the lst feed so at 10pm he started the feed then Will was windy until midnight when he finally went down

i got up at 3am for his feed and he had 4oz in one go a quick burp and back to bed (i was literally up for half and hour if that) hope this is a regular thing

meglet that's what's happening here too at the last feed around 10 or 11 he starts getting windy and fussy

started trying cosleeping at 10 hours old - now at least have half a kingsize bed for him so not worried about rolling unlike hospital.
he did better last night, a few whole hours swaddled with his feet near my chest, head out away from my duvet. but still insists on verticallity a lot, with tense arched back and yowling if i dont sit him up.

just fed so vwere both off to bed again. will try feeding lotds today and see. midwife never showed up.

would like to try dling but back is totslly buggred atm, can't even sit in bed or pick anything off floor. im using pillows to slide A onto then picking whole thing up.

Fraser latched on for the first time last night and has been doing will ever since i had a 4 day break of trying to latch him on so i was really surprised he did it first go without a sheild
the only thing im worried about now is he getting anough milk i was exspressing so i have lots of milk but he was drinking 4oz of milk from a bottle i dont think he will be getting that from my boob in one feed.

all you need to do then lolly is to put him straight back on when he grizzles. swap sides as often as you feel it is necessary. soft 'floppy' breasts make milk faster than engorged ones. it may become tedious all this swapping if you think you ought to be doing something else more productive. But what can be more productive than making milk especially for you own baby? remote, magazines, biscuits, couch, cool drinks and oh, a dp/mum/ mate to be a dog's body because you are feeding the baby (and establishing your milk supply)

i had an emergency c section ofsted because i went into 'acute hypertensive crisis' which means my blood was crazy high.

the decision to have an emergency c section was soo sudden and the fact that i had become a little incoherent due to all the stress/pain i was in...my husband had taken control and was flipping through my birth plan trying to make decisions on my behalf...the whole situation makes me feel soo sad and my mind keeps replaying the actual terrified look on my husbands face, the desolate alone feeling i had even though he was right next to me...argh! i get very emotional thinking about it!

Eandz, I had an unexpted emergency c-section with dd1 and I remember the look on dh's face as they told him what wsa happening. I was just shaking uncontrollably at that point. Try to focus on your lovely baby though and think how the outcome was good.

Nappy changing - I tend to change Katie's nappy after a feed, she's then more happy and content and won't scream the house down because she's hungry. After the nappy change I then offer her the breast again and she usually have another good feed before falling asleep.

ofsted the surgeon cut your baby's cheek?? Is that common in a ceaserean? Hope the stitches come out soon.

Alfredo fed hourly to every two hours last night. Am exhausted.

Also getting a bit annoyed with my mum (bless her) wanting to wake him up and hold him and take him from me everytime she comes round (which is everyday). Am very, very grateful for her help around the house (she's been stocking up our fridge and cooking loads) and she was bloody amazing through the birth. But I feel like she keeps wanting to take Alfredo from me just so she can have a cuddle not because it's best for him and me. Am i being all pfb about this? Or should i listen to my maternal instincts that say he needs to be with his mama in order to be able to demand feed?