May 2008 Babies....food glorious food....hot sausage and mustard!!!

[LuckyPumpkin74]

New thread as it's Nov so our babies are all hitting 6 months!

P.S After how many pages do we start a new thread? This one is starting to take ages to load....

MM

Hey guys!!

MM - I think it's 1000 posts before a new thread is needed.... DS had that sort of eye infection.. Docs gave him eyedrops (which I think were antibiotic) and it cleared it up in a matter of hours! Hope your LO is feeling better soon! Also, DS isn't a huge fan of crawling (but can when he's determined to get something) but, my god does he love to stand!! He can't actually manage it alone yet, but I can safely confirm I don't have to worry about bingo wings!! He'd have me bending down so that he can scuttle along all day long if my back could take the pain!!!

Fairemoo and deemented - do you guys live close to each other? Or did I read that you are in different countries? Sorry, still trying to catch up!! I am so thick sometimes - it took me about 5 minutes to work out 'gawjus'!

LM - I do agree with your sentiments about working etc., but I do think once you stop work completely it's really difficult to get back into it (or get anyone to give you a break!). I've finally got a regular contract, which isn't masses of money, but regular and something I can do from home etc., But it would have been so much easier if I'd not taken a career break in the first place... Anyway, just my thoughts!

Hope everyone is well and had good weekends.

DH has to go back to work FT tomorrow so I'm on my own again from 6am tomorrow...

We've had a lovely day today - DSD2 and DS at the Natural History museum!

HM xx

LOL haribosmummy, we do live in different places. I live in Scotland and she... does not LOL We know each other from another forum

monkeysmama there are still loads of benefits to breastfeeding past six months, really the same benefits as breastfeeding at all, including less chance of allergies, decreased risk of various cancers in mother.

This:
"In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:

• 29% of energy requirements
• 43% of protein requirements
• 36% of calcium requirements
• 75% of vitamin A requirements
• 76% of folate requirements
• 94% of vitamin B12 requirements
• 60% of vitamin C requirements "

was taken from this page at kellymom.com about extended breastfeeding (usually defined as past two years, but obviously all those benefits are there past six months too), alongside LOADS more benefits.

There's also the comforting thing. I don't just nurse DD for nutrition, but also to comfort her when she is upset, or tired. Of course there are other ways to do this, but this works for us.

And I'm lazy . I had many goals along the way, but the main one was to get to a year so I never had to faf around with formula and bottles. Now she is approaching 8 months, I think "I can't believe I only have four months left til I am at my goal" and realise that I am no where near ready to stop yet so unless something really starts getting me down, I think we'll be going for a while yet.

Oh and as far as I remember, I think the WHO's guidelines are to breastfeed for at least two years.

Oh thanks fairemoo... Baiyu Are you def. doing the Scottish Moonwalk? I've just realised there are still places and am SERIOUSLY thinking of signing up... I am already doing the LOndon one in May, but think the Scottish one must be great!

I'm afraid I haven't BF DS for a number of months now, but I think if it's working for you, then fair dues to continue. My DS certainly got a lot of comfort from BFing and I continued for quite some weeks after my milk had dried up as it comforted him so much.

monkeysmama Breastmilk will clear up the eye infection (sounds like conjunctivitis). DS has had it twice. The first time he was using antibiotic eye cream for 4 weeks unti it eventually cleared up. The second time a midwife recommended breastmilk and it cleared up in a day.

DS is talking!!! He has been saying "mummum" and "dada" for a month or two but since last week he has been saying "ByeBye" when he waves goodbye and has since added "patpat" when he is patting something and "Pss" when he sees the cat. I am so chuffed. My DD has hearing loss and didn't get her hearing aids until she was about 17 months old so we didn't have this level of speech until much later. I could cry!!!

I am with all the working mums who aren't enjoying being back. I like what I do (teaching) but I am getting used to not being with them (I started back at the start of Dec) which is just stinking. I loved being home and now I am being drawn into my work duties. Stinking, minging crapola.

faeriemoo thanks very much for that link. I agree with the comfort comments and with your last paragraph - I can see myself bfing for over 12 months.

HM thanks for the antibiotic suggestion and Mocat thanks for the breastmilk suggestion. I will try and squeeze some in the eye direction now.

Night ladies
MM

DT2 has a manky eye too - will try that breastmilk trick!

Sympathies with you all on going back to work - I hate it that the govt 'bribes' mums into going back to work with tax credits and the like. They should be doing more to help us stay at home to look after our own kids not forcing us out to work! I am lucky, DH earns too much for us to get any tax credits so after childcare is paid for it is not worth me working more than one day a week, so I hope my employers (I am a journalist) will agree to me going back just one day. Not going back till July though .

I don't have breathing monitor and must admit I hardly check on the DTs at all now . Sometimes if I get up in the night to go the loo I might stick my head round their doors to check I can hear breathing. And before I go to bed at night I check too. They are sleeping pretty much 7pm until 7.30/8am so we are very lucky too (had to do CC with them tho!)

DT2 got her first tooth today (DT1 got his first one a few days ago). They are not crawling yet but want to stand up all the time too!

Mocat, it is lovely to hear about your LO talking. DT1 can say Hiya and Mama (not sure he knows exactly what he is saying yet tho!).

DS can say MAMA but only does when he's in a stress and wants something... Lucky old me!!!

*Neetztwinz8 - am in awe of anyone who copes with twins!

Night all...

DD can say 'mama' (or 'mamamamamam' when she wants something LOL), 'hiya' and 'bubba' (which seems to be her word for when she is wanting boob.

niknak sorry to hear about the chicken pox..eeek!

haribo agree with you totally about the career break thing. If I left my profession for more than 2 years, I'd have to re-train (3 year degree)!!!! Even though I have been qualified nearly 13 years!
I was just making the point to fuzzypeach cos she said she would ^rather be at home and was not much better off financially working. (hope I've got that bit right FP*??) I am def all for working (only part time!) I personally would find it very hard being a SAHM, much harder work than actually going to work IMHO.

Agree with the breast milk in the eye trick...it's like magic!!!! And also quite amusing to try!!

I also stopped BFing months ago. I'd have liked to have kept going but seeing as we had formual in him on day one due to low weight/jaundice/blood sugar issues, and the fact that he wouldn't latch AT ALL for about a week (he was a month early) it was always mixed feeding and I think that sealed the lid of the coffin very early on if you know what I mean. I'm glad I gave him 2 months of some boob anyway and hopefully it'll go better if I have a second baby. Altho' I'd have had to have stopped at about 5 months anyway for going back to work as my hours are totally incompatible with expressing (and anyway I could never express more than about 20ml anyway)
DS has been crawling all round the ground floor of the house this morning! He says mamamama and dadadada and babababa but doesn't really say mama specifically yet. Very cute though!
God, neenztwinz I don't know how you do it! Twins was my nightmare before they confirmed it was only 1 at the 12 week scan! just the thought of coping with 2! You must be super woman! Still, I'm sure it's lovely to watch them together. What do you do about feeding solids? Does one get impatient while you feed the other or do you kind of do the 2 at the same time? And are you BFing? can you BF them both at the same time (sorry, total ignoramus)

Macaco - Totally agree with you... My DS was mixed fed from day one too (because it was advised as he was only 6lbs8oz and came down with jaundice) and I do think that's a nail in the coffin, so to speak!

LM - Yes, it's hard to get back into things... When I took my career break, it was to go to the west coast of the US, have a break and get married.. It just worked out that DH had some time off work... DS wasn't expected so my career break has been slightly longer than planned!!!! I don't think it would have been hard to get back to work if I didn't have DS, but the industry I work in is very male dominated and you aren't allowed to ask for flexible hours etc., for childcare... I've been lucky to be able to take time to get set up as freelance (and not to have to worry if I have a slow month, IYSWIM). I have no clue what I'd do if that wasn't the case.... To be fair, I find being a SAHM a breeze (except today, cos DH has gone back to work and the DSDs have gone back to school and Ddog is still with my parents so I'm here alone with DS for the first time in almost a month!) but I think everyone's situation is different...

Niknak - How are you?? Hope the CP isn't too bad!

HM xx

Twins are not that bad - I think you have to be quite tough on them from the start though to get them well-trained! They have to learn to wait so it makes them quite patient (when they were young I used to put one in the bouncy chair and rock him/her with my feet while I fed the other).

I tried my best but I did have to leave them to cry quite a lot if I was dealing with the other. I think that has been good for them though . I BF them exclusively which I am really proud of, but I have my mum and sisters to thank for that really cos they have BFed ten babies between them so what they don't know about BFing is not worth knowing!

So I had all the support I needed and when the HV suggested I top Esther up with formula cos she didnt put much weight on at first (4lb 8oz born and just 5lb after four weeks) I just ignored her and E got the hang of it eventually. She was just weak and needed building up. I knew giving any formula would have a devastating effect on my supply (which needed even more work than normal if I was going to BF twins) so I just ignored her. It makes me sad when I hear of mums who were told to top up with formula when that is rarely necessary. It is great if it works for you but I think all too often it is the fast track to fully FF. Which again is fine if that is what you want but sad if not!

With weaning I just sit them in their high chairs next to each other, with one bowl and two spoons and it's just one spoonful for one, then one for the other. Actually I find that if one finishes first and I am just left feeding one, I have to wait ages before each mouthful is finished (normally I would just be feeding the other so wouldn't notice IYSWIM!)

I do feel sad sometimes that I miss out on some things with one baby if I am doing something with the other - they have to share that special baby time and so do I, but the advantages are that I got two babies out of the way with one pregnancy, plus the sleepless nights and weaning stresses etc are all out of the way together, and everyone makes such a fuss of us everywhere we go!

I have to say I do feel a bit sad that I wasn't able to BF ds for very long and that he was topped up with formula from about day 3 but there was nothing i could do as it was for medical reasons, by the time he came home from hospital after 2 weeks it was just too much hard work trying to get BF fully established. I feel it's such a shame as initially it was going well, but like the others have said when you have that early unplanned intervention it's really hard, I know it's better that he got better and everything but i do feel i missed out a bit on early bonding because of it.

neenztwinz - welcome, sounds like you're doing really well with your twins, they look gorgeous on your profile.

Hello to everyone else!

where is everyone?

I'm here... Just got no news

DH back in Russia, DSDs back at school, so I'm getting used to being here alone again...

DS had his 8 month check yesterday, though, and scored top marks!!! He now weighs 8.5Kg and is 71cms long... What a clever boy!!!

HM Xx

gnaah just posted and lost it.

Just bought our group 1 car seat so just parted with huge (well to me anyway) amounts of cash. We went for the maxi cosi priorifix in the end as it seemed to be about the safest of the ones availbale here in Spain. Think we can get away with the group 0 a teeny bit longer , which will give me time to work out how to install this new one.
Also heard from the jané supplier that my rain hood for the push chair is finally in so we cna at last go out on cloudy days without fear and getting wet if it rains. Hooray! How's everyone else?

Hi guys... Am going to start a new MAY thread, as it seems it's not just MonkeysMama who is struggling to load this page - Flick can't post either (she apologises for the lack of posts!)

So, I'm going to start another thread and see if that causes less problems - will post the new link here...

HM xx

New thread here