October 08 - The Here and Now.

[CantSleepWontSleep]

The story so far....

10th Sept (Due 1st Oct) - loulou33 - Boy - Joe Louis David - 6lbs 12oz - Induction due to rhesus sensitivity, G&A.
12th Sept (Due 6th Oct) - iuseantiageingstuff - Boy - Fred William - 8lbs 13.5oz - Induction due to high BP.
14th Sept (Due 14th Oct) - twinklytoes - Boy - Samuel - 7lbs 4.5oz - Em C-Sec due to grade 4 PP.
16th Sept (Due 8th Oct) - Ksal - Girl - Emma Rae - 6lbs - Just beat induction for PE!
20th Sept (Due 8th Oct) - kookiegoddess - Girl - Reya Marie - - Induction due to OC, epidural, 3rd degree tear.
21st Sept (Due 5th Oct) - myjobismum - Girl - Naomi Caitlin - 5lbs 10oz - Fast and furious hospital birth.
22nd Sept (Due 10th Oct) - Lozza70 - Boy - Sander Gene - 7lbs 5oz - Em C-Sec due to raised BP and high ALTs from liver.
27th Sept (Due 1st Oct) - accessorizequeen - Boy twin - Felix - 6lbs 8oz -
27th Sept (Due 1st Oct) - accessorizequeen - Girl twin - Bridget - 7lbs 7oz -
1st Oct (Due 29th Sept) - WombFor1More - Boy - Harvey James - 8lbs 13oz - Homebirth, no pain relief.
2nd Oct (Due 4th Oct) - annwoo - Boy - TBA - 8lbs 7oz - Amazing birth!
2nd Oct (Due 30th Sept) - sambrads - Girl - Brooke - 7lbs 9.5oz -
2nd Oct (Due 12th Oct) - star6 - Boy - Quinlan - 5lbs 15oz - 36hr labour, ventouse and stitches.
2nd Oct (Due 8th Oct) - Alexa808 - Girl - Tienette - - Planned c-sec
3rd Oct (Due 5th Oct) - rosebury - Boy - Austin - 9lbs 2oz - Delivered at home by dh!
3rd Oct (Due 6th Oct) - Bethoo - Girl - Maia - 7lbs -
3rd Oct (Due 6th Oct) - hoff - Boy - Oliver - -
3rd Oct (Due 19th Oct) - MrsTittleMouse - Girl - - -
4th Oct (Due 2nd Oct) - 1sttimer80 - Boy - - -
4th Oct (Due 30th Sept) - Aubergenie - Boy - Stanley - 7lbs 12oz -
5th Oct (Due 29th Sept) - plusonemore - Boy - Alfie Thomas - 8lbs - Induction, epidural
5th Oct (Due 2nd Oct) - MrsBish - Girl - Rachel - 8lbs 8oz -
5th Oct (Due 4th Oct) - hedgepig - Boy - Oliver - 6lbs 3oz -
7th Oct (Due 23rd Oct) - Emmsy1 - Girl - Amy Louise - 5lbs 12oz -
7th Oct (Due 2nd Oct) - snowymum - Boy - Rowan Michael - - Home water birth
8th Oct (Due 6th Oct) - ronshar - Boy - William Dexter - 7lbs 11oz -
8th Oct (Due 20th Oct) - 07mumstheword - Girl - Freya Mae - 7lbs 12oz -
8th Oct (Due 16th Oct) - moodywren - Boy - Hayden - 6lbs 9.5oz - Homebirth
9th Oct (Due 27th Sept) - Pidge - Boy - Arthur - 8lbs 14oz - Homebirth
10th Oct (Due 1st Oct) - CantSleepWontSleep - Boy - Duncan Elliot - 8lbs 4oz - 4 day induction with 1 hour established labour!
11th Oct (Due 3rd Oct) - usuallytooshytochat - Girl - Megan Leah - 8lbs 2oz - Homebirth with ambulance crew!
12th Oct (Due 4th Oct) - pistachio - Boy - Thomas Fraser - 10lbs 2oz - Homebirth.

I think it gets easier the more you have as you worry less and i have a good routine with the elder 3, dd1 is 7 so she is very good running upstairs to get me wraps etc DD3 is cutting her back teeth at the moment so she is being very clingy which is making it a bit harder as she wants to be carried everywhere with me, so have been carrying the baby chair with dd4 in it and then going back and getting dd3 everytime i need to change rooms

Ooh I don't remember her saying that myjob - you have a good memory! Don't make any decisions just yet star - you will blank out most of the bad stuff and just remember the good in a few years!

Ds' cold in full force here. He's so snuffly that he can hardly breathe bless him, and sounds like he's snoring all the time! It's taking him longer to feed as a result, and the longest sleep he managed last night was 1 hr 15 mins! I wouldn't mind so much if it hadn't taken 1 hr 40 mins to feed and settle him for that sleep!

He's been feeding quite frequently today too. Can those of you who've been through the 6 week growth spurt recently describe the feeding pattern for me? Just looking to get an idea of whether this is it a few days early, or just cold related/that I have a greedy boy!

Some babies are just very dribbly star. I have a friend whose ds is nearly 3 and has always dribbled to the extent that he permanently has to wear a bib, whereas my dd never dribbled, even when teething.

up for midnight feed
csws dh and I would both like to adopt so thats an option for later. I honestly dont think I can do the birth again. mw told me after 6 weeks if i get my period i can use tampons. Thought i'd try as am still bleeding and was sick trying and couldnt use it Not sure how another baby could even be created.
poor baby with the cold! those are short sleeps!!! poor you!
im in 6 week growth spurt now. he just feeds a LOT and never goes more than an hour without feeding (except at night!)

sorry, that answer directed to myjob as well
jenwa i'm with you on skipping the birth

Hello! Sorry to hear some of you are struggling so badly with sleep. I've been co-sleeping and feeding lying down which has been great, but lying in the same position for hours on end is playing havoc with my back.

CSWS - My DS has a horrendous cold at the moment as well. It's horrible isn't it. It's gone from his head to his chest and I can feel his chest rattling when I hold him. The coughing fits are awful too.He's had horrible wind too, and I think it must be because he's taking in more air when feeding due to his blocked nose. I just feel so sorry for the little man.

I'm finding it difficult to identify particular growth spurts as it just seems to go in phases - some days he is feeding constantly and I'm stuck on the sofa all day.

A question for those of you who express - what breast pump do you use? I'm going to invest in one but have no idea what to go for. I'd appreciate any recommendations. Thanks!

Hi, been trying to keep up with you guys... haven't really had time to post tho!

Emma is 9 weeks now can't quite believe it. Breastfeeding is a bit of a trial, she feeds little and often (every hour or so) and we give her bottles at night so i get some rest. Thankfully i'm not getting the pain you are Star6 well done for sticking with it! She has taken a bottle pretty much from birth as she couldn't breast feed because she was early (I guess)... good thing is that until a few weeks ago it was all expressed milk. we top up with formula now as i just don't have time to express any more!

Sorry to hear about the probs you're having CSWS Aubergenie i have the Medela Swing breast pump - its pretty expensive but i've found it to be really good.

Any tips for getting her to sleep during the day (at least without me holding her?) as soon as i try to put her down, she wakes up and kicks off... i have tried moses basket in the living room and upstairs and also on the sofa and her playmat!

Have also added some pics to my profile

Hiya everyone,

Sorry dont think I have actually posted on her yet

Ds, was born on the 31st October, (due 20th) by induction. We called him Samuel Paul and he weighed in at 9lbs 11oz.

He is now 17 days old and weighs 10lb 8 1/2 oz.

Congrats tothrottle
ksal sometimes I put ds to sleep in his bouncy seat for a daytime nap. if he wakes i hit the vibrate button and he always goes back to sleep.

I was just at grocery store and he would NOT let me do the shopping!! I even sat down to feed him... he just fed then cried for more (after 30 min) Felt so to have the screaing child!

Hello,
My DD was born on 29 October but that's my first post here too.

Ksal, to get her to sleep during the day I put her in her Babybjorn and carry her around the house. She usually falls asleep in no time and that gives me the chance to tidy up a bit. After she's been asleep for a good 20-30 minutes nothing will wake her up and I can swaddle her and take her to her crib. She'll sleep through it.

tothrottle, I was wondering too "how do other mums do"? I just had a long and hurried walk home with a screaming pram and got myself some very compassionate looks from other pedestrians. It had always seemed to me that all babies slept like little angels when they're outside... Not mine!!

aubergenie I use the Ameda Lactaline double pump. I've also used the Medela mini electric, but that was very noisy & used to disturb dd if she was asleep.

Bouncycastle I think its luck of the draw whether they settle or not, dd would NEVER settle in her buggy, but ds usually does after 5 mins or so.... Mind you I've put a baby lambskin in his carrycot so that may make the difference.

We've had a mixed day here. Morning was good - we walked into town & did errands then both dcs had a nap. However this afternoon has been frustrating. Matthew has been feeding every 30 mins or so since 2pm (He won't stay on one boob longer than 10 mins, but just keeps wanting to switch over & over). Dd is just pushing the limits & ignoring me till I repeat something 5+ times & yell it at her. Plus dh said he'd be leaving his conference in London at 5 so would be home by now, but I've had a message that he's just leaving now. So I've got to do dd's bedtime with ds attached to my boob . I just keep repeating to myself that this phase will pass soon.... On the plus side Matthew has finally done a poo, after 3 days!!!!

Ekka is the ameda pump really good? Does it work as well as a hospital grade pump (or close to it?) I have avent ISIS IQ Uno... it's good but only one - I need a double for expressing when I'm back at work. Do you express a lot from the ameda pump?

Well, we survived dd's bedtime....

Star - hmmmmm, to be honest I don't think I've ever used a hospital grade pump so I can't really compare the ameda one. It compares favourably to the medela pumps I've used. I like the adjustable cycles which are supposed to mimic the baby's feeding pattern. Just a note - if you are going to use a double pump, I think an easy expression bra is worthwhile, though I do feel like a cow being milked!!!!

I've just started expressing as I'm hoping to go out for a xmas dinner in a couple of weeks. I don't get much, but then I never have, whatever pump I use (as well as the medela mimi electric & ameda pumps I've also got the tommee tippee manual pump). The only downside to the ameda pump is that it can't be microwave sterilised (but nor can the medela ones, at least not the one I have).

sorry its been a while since I've posted. so here's a catch up.....

the pain I had was a urine infection (GP thinks!) but couldn't be sure, antibs seemed to sort it.

sam is now 9weeks old. 8 week check, he weighed in at 12lb 6oz and was well over the last centile line on chart (he's being marked off from 36wks gest rather than starting at week 1). I did the neurotic mother thing at HV and asked if my ds was now classed as obese. she told me to remove the word from my volcabulary.

otherwise all is well, ds still sleeps for majority of day - only awake for 6hrs max, colic sorted and now no need for infacol but on 7-8 6oz bottles a day.

we're off to the orthopedic hospital tomorrow - ds needs a hip scan due to being breech until 33wks and dd1 has issues with her feet that means she wears night splints and ortho shoes to correct the shape of her foot.

oh, 8wk check picked up a slight squint which apparently can be caused through use of oxygen when in scbu. GP said to give it 6wks to correct and he'll re-check.

that was long, sorry.

Ekka - sorry to keep asking you about this (last question, promise!!) how much milk approx do you get when you express (and how long) with the ameda lactaline? It's in my online "shopping cart" as I've been considering which pump to purchase for when I return to work... .need a double!!

twinklytoes wow 6 hours! ds has never been awake a full 6 hours without at least a 10 minute nap in there... (but he's going to be 7 weeks thursday). DOes he sleep well at night?
Sorry... I'm SO sick of people asking me "does he sleep through the night?" ESPECIALLY people withOUT children... do you have ANY idea what that even means?

star officially a baby is 'sleeping through' when they go 6 straight hours through the night. so not much at all. my DD slept through at 9 weeks from 11pm-6pm and fully from 7pm-7am at about 4 months.
alex wakes twice for a feed atm and hes 4 1/2 weeks usually at 2-3am and 4-5am. but we are co-sleeping so i stick a nipple in and fall asleep when he's feeding.

alex threw up his entire breakfast down my back this morning when i was winding him it was in my hair and everything! yuck yuck.

baking cakes today with my DD. she's 2 and feeling a little left out so we're gonna get messy in the kitchen.

6am even!!

Star the max I've ever expressed with ANY pump is about 50 - 60ml in one go (and thats both sides added together) pretty pathetic really - good thing I don't need to rely on expressing to feed my ds or he'd starve! It scared me at first as I thought that what I expressed was a similar amount to what a baby would get, but given that dd survived 6 months exclusively bf, that clearly isn't the case! To be fair I don't express that regularly, I upgraded to the double pump this time round thinking that it would save time as I've clearly got less time with the two of them, but I've not been expressing much at all as I'm too busy with dd in the day and too shattered to stay awake and express at night. In fact the last few nights I've been co-sleeping so I can sleep while ds feeds .

lol at 11pm-6pm.
At the moment ds sleeps 8 or 9pm-12midnight, then 1-3am, then 4-6/6.30am. Trying to figure out how to bump up the 3am feed to 4 or 5 even

myjob sorry to hear about Naomi's gp visit. That must have been so scary! glad that everything turned out well in the end and hope she continues to improve

Hi all, have not been on MN for the last week or so and again loads to catch up on. Seems like loads of you have colds in your houses, must be really tough and extra scarey for you myjob when the dreaded M word is mentioned.

All okay here. Sander was 8 weeks yesterday and weighed 13 10 at the clinic I felt the same as you twinkly as he was only 37 weeks gest so I am in a bit of a panic that I am feeding him too much. Mum and MIL just keep saying he must be thriving but he will be in 3-6 months clothes in the next week or so! Not a huge amount of unbroken sleep here but have managed to get to 3 hours between feeds which is a big step forward. Had first vaccinations this morning so letting him sleep on my chest at the moment. Quite nice to sit watching tv smelling the top of his milky little head

myjob from what i've read, after 6 weeks it shouldnt affect your supply... someone wiser will advise im sure

not to bring up bad memories.... but what's the M word illness? and how do you know if your baby has it?