Sept 08 - Is it day or night?

[lollyheart]

Hope no one minds me starting a new thread?

I'm very excited - just expressed for the first time (with a dual electric) - I got 4 oz (half an hour after feeding on one side) - that's OK isn't it? DD's only 4 weeks, but seems to be well established in bf so I thought I might get DH to give it a try tonight. Any advice?

MW just signed me off - I was quite sad as she was lovely, she asked me if I'd 'done the deed' with DH yet - I haven't, has anyone else not? Ihave to say it HURT first time last time, but maybe it's the time (I sound so romantic don't I )

Think white noise is helping to keep DD asleep, as long as it doesn't drive me mad.

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Oops thats [http://www.amazon.co.uk/tots-bots/s/qid=1224503657/ref=sr_pg_1?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=tots%20bots&rh= i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Atots%20bots&page=1 here]]

I give up!! this time maybe?

foxytocin - that's interesting about not needing to burp bf babies. I do it as a sort of reflex action after feeds, but would be nice to know if I'm wasting my time! My mother is absolutely obsessed with wind and swears every time Arthur cries that he's windy. Whereas in my experience he mostly cries when he's tired.

We're making some progress with the pain levels on feeds - one side is pretty much ok for 10 minute after the initial latch on agony. The other side is still bleeding and raw skin, but hopefully will start improving soon too.

Arthur is still in newborn sleepy mode at night - three nights in a row he only woke once between 10 and 7.30, but the last two nights he's woken twice, so I think he's becoming more alert and our days of getting enough sleep are numbered!

Foxytocin I only know about poo so much as ds has had serious bowel trouble and so has my friends daughter. We have spent many a day talking about poo. Think I might be a bit anally fixated after 9 years of changing ds's nappies several times a day, quite glad I have a different child to change. You were right about them not knowing quite how to poo, she seemed to not know what she was doing but now several poos later we get a red face a puff and pant and a full nappy.

Wewill probably talk about poo for years, I prefer that to baby puke.

what am I doing wrong? I can only express 60ml (2.5 oz) after half an hour of pumping. ninja I am very . I did it this morning an hour after his morning feed (which was already topped-up with 60ml from yesterday's EBM) AND did it from both boobs.

Looks like I'll have to express for several days just to have enough for one feed, which does not fill me with hope.

The good news is, DS took to the bottle absolutely fine. I had already started nursing him, and then broke him off mid-suck to give to DH who then bottle fed him. He was still hungry so I let him nurse again. He went from boob to bottle to boob with no trouble at all! So despite our rocky start teaching him to breastfeed in the first place it seems that one bottle has not undone 7 weeks of hard work. I'm thinking to make sure he gets a bottle feed maybe twice a week so that when I do decide to venture out for more than one hour he won't starve to death! Also, am thinking ahead to going back to work. Even though I'm hoping he'll be at least 7 months I imagine he might need to odd bottle in between whatever solids he's managing to wolf down at that age.

jenpet well done on your progress with sam. Even though DS is already 7 weeks, I think we're a long way off him sleeping through from 11 till 7. We have to get him out of our bed first!

I do think most of last night's feeds were 10 minute snacks. He also decided 4am was playtime - so even though there was no crying I had to walk him round the bedroom till he felt sleepy. Think the powercut we had last night threw our usual routine (DH and I played Scrabble by candlelight whilst DS slept on my mum's chest).

moonlight you are so right about expressing when the tingly pain comes (digital this might help you too?) usually it takes me 10 mins to get 2 to 3oz from both, did it this morning with the let down pains and it practically poured out of one- got 4oz in 5 mins! although nothing much from other but then pain had only been in one side. will try to control it!

foxy have to say that if i didn't burp DD after bf then she brings it all up (and i mean it all) her latch is fine but just very very windy. its highly tempting just to put her down after she falls asleep at the breast - but after getting drenched a few times i burp her now even if it means waking her. you are lucky to have a wee one that does not need burped too much

Someone was talking abut having sex 19 days after giving birth - you are super brave! after dd1 i think we tried at about 6 weeks and it took ages to get really confident again - kept expecting to tear less torn this time but will not be giving it ago much earlier than that this time

Afternoon all. Hope you don't mind but I have a couple of issues/questions and hope one of you will be kind enough to help or offer an opinion.

1. My lochia finally went away about 4 days ago (DD is almost 5 weeks) but today has come back, but now looks more like period blood than the lochia i was getting. i have also had mild period pains today. Is it posible that I am having my period already? I can't quite belive it, as I only gave birth 4 weeks and 5 days ago - anyone know if this is possible?

1. I will start this with an apology - I am truly sorry if this upsets anyone suffering from lack of slep at night but I am worried about that DD is getting too much sleep and is not developing properly.

She is ff so i expected her to sleep better than if bf, but with literally 2 exceptions DD has slept through from around 11.30pm to 6.30/7am since she was 3 days old. She sleeps after every feed during the day too and then comes awake after her 7pm feed and stays up (generally crying though) from around 8pm till her last dreamfeed at 11. DP and I are concerned that as she is not as awake as we expected, there could be something wrong. We have tried keeping her awake in the afternoon to see if it helps with the evening crying but it doesn't. I am extremely aware that most new mums would love a full nights sleep and should just count myself bloody lucky but I can't help thinking that no baby sleeps through from birth, or am i just being silly? Thanks

Oh, meant to say too -
I worry i should be playing/stimulating DD with toys, books etc so whoever mentioned worrying about it is not alone. I'm thinking DD needs very simple, short bursts of activity though (if she wakes up long wnough though!). love ther idea of a balloon - will try that,

Also, having had huge issues with not bf and feeling v guilty, at 4.5 weeks DD has decided to finally latch on! She will only latch for about 10mins prior to her bottle of ff and comes off when she can't get much but at least she's having a go now (at birth, she wouldn;t go near them!). not expecting to bf fully but at least if she gets a bit of 'me', it'll do her good.

Imo I can't help you with your sleep question but just wanted to give my congratulations on getting your DD to latch on, I admire your perseverance a nd it's great that you've both been rewarded!

As for the playing - I asked that question first but no one really seems to know, I think that just pulling silly faces at them and blowing raspberries etc is more than enough at this stage, I think at 4 weeks they can only see 30cm in front of them anyway, in as much as they are only very young and I don't think they're developed enough to handle or need a great deal of stimulation.

Moonlight - My answers to your questions (been meaning to do this for ages!)
Q1 - I am 5 week exactly post-birth and my lochia has all but gone, whatever comes now is just a brown gunk. I have heard of people still bleeding 2 months post-birth but I don't know about it being red. I think maybe you should speak with GP or could you phone NHS Direct as they may be able to give advice and you won't have to go out of the house!

Q2 - Me and DP had sex when I was a week over due and I think it's put him off for life, he hasn't mentioned sex once since!!! Does he know you're still bleeding? Maybe if you suggested to your DP that the room afterwards would resemble something out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre he might back off a bit?!

Q3 - Becaroo has been on but I've still not seen Hopefully, I hope she's ok.

Q4 - I have just bought a Close sling so I may be able to comment on the slippage issue, but I hope mine doesn't do it!

Q5 - In my opinion EandZ needs to take a more laid back approach to her hair, mine gets washed twice a week, and that's when it gets brushed as well! The 'birds nest do' is the new black in this household!

DG I can recommemd a dual elecric pump and a good tv programme, I think it's about being relaxed enough to let down. I let down all the time tho'.

imoscarsmum that's amazing that you're managing to get some boob action, well done. I would just enjoy the sleep, I have known friend's babies who've done this. Is your dd putting on plenty of weight?

Thanks lollipop . I'm booking my 6 week check up for friday so will talk about it there!

Imoscarsmum Enjoy it. In all likeliness the sleep pattern will change anyway at some point, but it might not. Well done for the bfing sips!

digitalgirl Find some time to yourself, relax and think of things that make you go 'Mmmmmm'. This could be imagining your newborn feeding, eating a big piece of carrot cake, getting into a bed with crisp clean sheets, sexy thoughts, anything really, - THEN express! It should help!

yummm... i'm thinking about pigging out again in my next pregnancy. i'm soo hungry.

imoscarsmum great work with the bf! I am dealing with my second very sleepy baby. Only really awake reliably 8-9am and 9:30pm til midnight! Dd didn't even have those awake times! He does wake for a feed overnight though. I found with dd that at a couple of months old she suddenly woke up and didn't just drift off at the drop of a hat, and then the fun and games began!

pacita I don't have much opportunity to get ds to self-settle (see above about sleepiness) but I follow the thing of making sure he has a full tummy, and has had some awake time. I look for the yawns so he goes to bed before he's got overtired. I wrap him in his blanket and we have wind-down cuddles in a darkened bedroom, so he's put in bed calm, sleepy, but awake. If he starts screaming I pick him up (still in the low light, with no talking) and put him over my shoulder incase its wind. Once he's breathing peacefully and is calm and sleepy again, I put him slowly back in bed. I have to be very disciplined about walking away as there will be inevitably be some fussing and a bit of crying, but obviously letting them get hysterical is counter-productive. I've read/heard that babies sleep patterns change to become more like adults at around 3 months, so teaching them to self-settle before that time is easier than training them after. But that's just what I do, based on things I've read that seemed to make sense to me.

On the topic of play, an email thing I get from babycentre (I think) said 'baby's favourite play thing is you!' which I found really helpful with my pfb who I thought I should be entertaining and stimulating every minute of the day. Having a chat with them, pulling faces, and letting them see strong contrasting colours is stimulation enough at this age. Overstimulating them is far more of a liklihood I think.

whoever put yesterday that the let-down is like having your nipples in a vice, you couldn't have put it better! Each time its happened today I've remembered that and its made me smirk! Seriously considering putting dh's nipples in a vice, I feel its what a sensitive new millennium guy should experience...

Carrieon your self-settle routing sounds good. DP is dealing with a screaming baby in his cot as we speak, rocking and singing, but he just won't settle.

As to the letdown reflect, I have not experienced it at all - baby is almost three weeks. Is this normal?

Ninja yes DD is putting on weight, though is still in 25%ile on weight charts (she was 8.5lb last week at 4 weeks, up from a birth weight of 7lb 15 oz).
Sounds like I should stop worrying and enjoy her...she's been a little angel today and gave a huge smile when in the bath with her daddy so I'm feeling good.

Eandz relax, don't worry about your hair. Your LO won't care and DH will still think you're a goddess for giving him a child . You had a c section like me I think? My mw said that you should wait at least 2 years to recover fom the op before you conceive again - could be a load of but you never know.

pacita We all have it, but we don't all feel it or recognise it.

If you haven't fed for ages and ages and then hear your lo crying, it'll probably be the strongest then. Throbing or tingling, or aching.

Carrieon I have the vice let down and Moonlight it could be just after I've fed! I'm sure they weren't that bad last time.

DH reckons that we should try a dummy with DD, she just wants to suck if she's awake and sometimes seems upset by the by-product of milk

have u been using any nips cream? as i was using Lansinoh whilst pumping - fab stuff!....now i dont need it anymore

My dp is on his paternity leave since yesterday for a week .....AT LAST!!!!