we did it, we did it, the babies are here, now come and join us and we will give you a cheer!!!!

[Dozymare]

Hope this works

thought i would start a thread for those of us already in the heady World of motherhood, so we can share the trials and tribulations of the early days....

I shall start with my birth story and hope other's follow and I haven't started a dud thread

As you know I was dreading a 3rd CS, almost to the point where I was having panic attacks - we went in on the Thursday and after waiting for an EMC we were taken to theatre where I was DELIGHTED to recognise the aneathatist (sp!!) who helped deliver DS2. Now, one of my major fears about a 3rd CS was the fact that having had a "perfect" excperience with DS2, it6 wouldn't be possible to experience the same thing again...I was wroing, it was better The whole thing was started at 1315 and Tallulah was born at 1344 weighing 7lbs 2oz. She has a shock of dark hair but seems so small compared to the boys who were 9 and 10lbs respectively. The care I recieved was absolutely 2nd to none - no complaints or gripes.........So far so good.........

HOWEVER.........my god, do you forget the pain of breastfeeding before the milk comes in - I am in absolute agony and have had to top up with aptamil as the poor wee thing is so, so hungry...I am literally BF for up to 2 hours (the point of pain in both udders ) and then topping up with Aptamil. She guzzles 30ml and then settles.......As for sleep - sleep is for wimps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone. Just bookmarking this page - hope to get some time to catch up and post properly soon. The Monkey house are muddling through at the moment. Cecily is gorgeous, but sleeping is cheating in her book. She's clearly destined to be a party animal!
Hope everyone is coping OK, particularly all you other first-timers. Motherhood is both spectactularly bewildering and amazingly rewarding so far.
Love to everyone xxx

lurking today a bit...obs and big big {{{{hugs}}}}} with some hot chocolate and cake thrown in for good measure. Wish there was something I could do to help you out.

Rosa....he cries before and during a poo; all is calm afterwards. He has been better today. Still up from 2am till 5am though.

I'm thinking of co-sleeping to see if it helps, but not sure how it works with respect to changing boobs? Do you roll over and feed from the other side or just let the baby feed from the same side all night? I'm worried that if he is in the middle, then DH will squash him (if I ever let him back in the bed that is )

Leaky we've been doing lots of co-sleeping - and DH has instinctively moved to the far side of the bed. We do have a 6ft bed though. We've had to do this a few times when she just wouldn't settle in her moses basket, and we had to get some sleep, so fed in bed followed by sleep.

Lacks, I co-sleep, get in the other side of the bed to feed baby on the other side, but dh is not in with me. I don't really sleep properly when they are feeding as have to burp after, but it is more restful lying down and just very cosy...

hI ALL - CHOC How did the new routine go??!! Hopefully well????????

leakylacks are oyu OK? Not like you to lurk??!!

SParkle left a comment on your facebook - Am very jealous oyu are in 0-3m clothes, can't wait for Tiger to pack the weight on so she can wear her "outfits" rather than her sleepsuits we bulk bought in sainsburys to fit our wee girl.....

OMG - just seen the C4 NEWS HEADLINES, AND Woolies has gone BUST! No more pick and mnix

I am doing well - surprisingly so and Tiger really is a superstar. I keep waiting for it to all come crashing down around me..even back on my own this week has been fine. It is not as if I have angel kids either, both my DS's are HARD work.

Hi to everyone else

dozy donr be too jealous lol. sophie went straight into 0-3months, and i think we will have a max of 4 weeks wear in them. she is soooo long.

think i have anther supersizer on my hands.

Hello,
I hope I'm in the right place. We had a baby boy, 7lb 10oz, on 5th November, he's called Theo. He's lovely! He was due on the 18th Nov, but came early, and fast, and painfully! He's just getting better at breast feeding, having not considered it interesting for several days at the beginning! I had to hand express colostrum into a syringe in hospital, with a midwife hoovering it up into a syringe and we fed it to him from the syringe. Didn't feel like my most dignified moment...but it worked. However, he got dehydrated quite badly and had a few days on formula. We left hospital feeding him expressed breast milk from a cup (!) and then eventually got him latching on using nipple shields. it felt like a breakthrough then but am now trying to wean him off them for fear of my milk drying up which apparently ends up happening - cue a LOT of screaming and frantic head wiggling, and eventually a few reproachful sucks at the breast. But I've managed three feeds without them now, and am feeling like a genius!
Just to say hello to you all really, and I hear that this is a great place to feel less like you're all alone in a confusing world, so i hope that might be the case!

sparkletoes - gorg pics of your kiddies .

obs - Sure the feeding pattern will sort out soon. Still only early days. Well I've got my GF book (not had chance to read though) and been trying for a couple of days now to do the basic principle of getting Alyssa to have more feed at 10/11pm to last until early hours. So basically one feed in the night.

She managed it Mon night but last night (tues) didn't wake for feed at 10/11, think we messed timings and feeds up in the day, so I went to bed 10.30 (too late I know) to feed her at 12.30 then 3.45am and I got up to shower at 7.30am so done before DS woke as dont want to leave him on his own with Alyssa whilst I have a shower. Then she didnt wake until gone 8am when I woke her which according to GF is too late but I was trying to get me and DS ready first to go shopping for the day.

To be honest DH is supposed to do the 10/11pm feed but I'm not sure how persistent he is at getting the milk down Alyssa and I dont think he wakes her for the feed. I would wake her and if she fell asleep during the feed I would change her nappy or something to wake her up to get more milk in her.

But dont know how to approach the subject with DH as he gets really defensive when I mention anything and says "i cant do anything right can I". Typical example ... Alyssa has two lots of drops, saline (salt water?) for nose and other for her eyes. DH let me have a lie in and during this time put the saline in her eyes not just her nose . In his defence the boxes are the same and he says he got one from each box but typical thing of I explain something he says "yeh, yeh I know" then does it wrong and then gets upset when I tell him so!

Also succumbed and bought and used a dummy for Alyssa . To be used when nothing else works as not a big fan of them anyway and plan on getting rid asap. Jury is still out from the one test whether it made a difference.

Anyway must go and try to chill for a couple of hours before bed.

Hi to Belinda

Welcome to our wee thread and congratulations on the birth of Theo; lovely name . It sounds like you have had a rough start to your BFing, but well done for persevering with it. I've had a few latching issues with my DS, Finlay who was born on 1st November, but we are getting there slowly and have had a couple of really good feeds over the last day or two...the best one so far was today in the passenger seat of the car in Tesco car park

Dozy.....nothing wrong as such, I'm just a bit dazed and confused with the lack of sleep, and also can't post with a screaming baby in my ear, but I can still read . He is in the middle of the to do that he usually has at 2-5am....fingers crossed this is it for tonight and we will get a peaceful night!! Thanks for asking though lovely; you are a sweetie

We went to the preview of our photo session and have spent a fecking fortune on a big portrait of the three kids together and then individual little ones of each of them. We decided to dip into our savings to do it. The one of Fin is gorgeous and features Pinkyminkee's blanket . Hopefully we can scan them and I'll post them on my profile.

Hana; your names are lovely...welcome Felix

vbab, I thought you typed that you had bought a used dummy!! We have some but Fin refuses it point blank or gives it two sucks and then spits out. I've also used them sparingly and my older two had decided they didn't need them after about three months. Once Fin is latching properly consistently then we'll try again.

Evening all

Dozy So far so good, he was in bed by 7.10 and is still sleeping - fingers crossed he lasts till 9.45!!! I spent a lot of time feeding him tonight - between 6-7 to make sure he was fully fed, as sometimes I think I have finished too early and then he cries after 10-15 mins for more. I am v impatient so I am trying to spend more time doing the evening routine - I have been doing su doku whilst feeding him which passes the time but can only manage it when he's on my left breast!!

I am going to be very if this "gf-lite" quoting Dozy works.

Daisy when I co-sleep I just move M from one side of me to the other, and I put a pillow next to him if he's on the edge side, to stop him falling off the bed, and I put my arm round him if he's on the other side to protect him from DH, although DH always stays on the far side of the bed (we have a kingsize which helps). One of the MW said to me to top and tail in the bed so LO was always at the edge and not in between you but I prefer the other way.

Welcome to this thread Monkey. As a fellow first timer you speak such true words - it has been an emotional rollercoaster for me so far!

welcome Belinda - are you also a first timer? This site has been such a support for me during pregnancy and now, I don't know how any mum could cope without it!

Lovely name Hana I really like Felix!!

vbab I was totally against dummies pre-DS (first time I have said DS on here!!) but now I am firmly in the camp of - do whatever works!!! DH is going to buy one soon as we think ours might be a sucky baby and we want one around just in case. Sorry your DH is being a plonker - sounds like you are managing 3 kids .

Evening everyone

Belinda welcome to our thread. It sounds like you are doing fantastically well - I am sure a lot of people wouldn't have persevered as long as you have!

Sparks glad you are ok - I have been thinking and worrying about you. Gorgeous photos and, would you believe, we have exactly the same rocker

Vbab glad Alyssa is better but saline in her eyes?? Ouch - did she not scream the house down??

Hanaflower Felix is a lovely name - glad it suits him so you can use it!

Monkey welcome and hope to hear your birth story soon. The photos on FB are just lovely

Hi to everyone else!

Sam is still janudiced so is sleeping a lot and not eating very much....which is frustrating and worrying! I have tried all the tricks to wake him up for a feed (nappy changing, lying him on our wooden floors etc - even DS1 coming back from nursery and shouting 'wake up' in his ear very loudly this afternoon did not do the trick ) but it would appear if the lad wants to sleep, he WILL sleep!! MW is coming again tomorrow to check his weight loss/gain and may have to take some bloods if he has not gained any. Even when he is awake and feeds, he takes 2oz and then jams his lips shut like superglue!!

Don't get me wrong - the fact he is sleeping so much is great but I was reading the Baby Whisperer book today and there was a little section on jaundiced babies - it said don't be fooled into thinking you have a good sleeper as it is the jaundice that is making them sleep so no doubt it will all go pear-shaped once he is better.

lol at GF-lite

thanks for the advice on co-sleeping. I used to do it, of sorts with DS and had him under a blanket, but on top of the duvet.....but he was FF by then so didn't need to factor in the feeding.

I'm not sure what it is about co-sleeping though; it just doesn't feel natural to me, and given his windiness not sure it'll make any difference to the quality of sleep that I get.

and I meant to say earlier......

My baby is growing up . He is wearing a 0-3mo sleepsuit as he is too long for some of his newborn stuff already

Hi everyone, welcome Belinda

DD has been feeding well but her cord stump is a bit oozy and bleeds which I didn't remember DSs cord doing so got MW to check it and its nearly off, thank goodness, I do think its a manky thing!
I am sick of DH as he has had a couple of extra days off (rang and said he wasn't coming in!) as I had nasty tummy cramps yesterday morning so on-call MW said to check with GP in case of infection so now I'm on ABs which taste foul! Bleeding seems to have almost stopped whereas as Dr said she'd expect it to be heavier if infection present. DD only 1wk today so it shouldn't have stopped yet should it?
Had a horrible afternoon on Monday, I think all 3 of us were in tears at one point, I couldn't seem to do what either of them wanted from me. DS was really struggling to shift his cold and adjust to not being an only, I was shattered and DH was at work. He's back at work tomorrow so fingers crossed.

Enough of me,
Hello all new babies, never used a dummy, co-sleeping in this house is feeding lying down facing whichever boob with arm round DD to protect from edge of bed/DH and putting her back in her hammock when I wake.
Although I did scare myself that she'd got too warm and am making an effort to sit up to feed at night atm
Hope you're having a better time now Obs, and that Alyssa is getting better vbab

daisy i find co-sleeping much easier in terms of feeding as i feed lying down with M on his side and so when he's finished he falls off and then burps himself (as he's on his side). Even though he sleeps in his moses basket now i still bring him to bed for a feed so i can stay relaxed (and sometimes we both fall asleep!)

ok, will try and give it a go tonight and see how we go!

yorky, when are you bringing DD up to meet the rellies?

We (me+2DC!) are moving to Leeds from lunchtime Dec9, DH will do the packing/unloading stuff, meet him at new house Thursday or Friday that week, depending how long it takes to make a bed ready for me to fall into!
Where shall we meet for coffee?

is anyone else totally in love with their baby? i dont know if its last baby syndrome, but i can arely put sophie down. she is currently asleep on me and ikeep kissing the top of her head and her cheeks. she is utterly adorable, and i want to clone her so i can have loads just like her.

dont get me wrong, i love my other girls just as much, but i feel so differently this time. no stressw and v v happy.

hi would love to join, dd was born, my dc2 on 5th nov. feeling bit weird about a few things. dd was born at home by mistake, midwife and paramedics turned up for the placenta!

welcome chocbiscuits thats another choc mummy for the thread!!

Morning everyone
welcome Belinda and chocbiscuits.
no change in our evening shenanigans.
never mind. am off to run myslef a radox bath and eat a bar of cadburys chocolate with nuts - that someone kindly sent me for secret stork - which i put in a 'too safe' a place.
bath and chocolate. makes you forget all sh*t

Hello all
Hope you are getting some sleep, oblomov

hi to chocbiscuits and Belinda misdee I know eaxctly what you mean- but I was like this with DD1 as well (she was supposed to b my last one, after all)

We all have the flu. Except DH, and DS is coming out the other side having brought it here from school. I feel like I'm going up and down in a lift when I walk anywhere.

leaky photos sound lovely!