September 08 - Just ladies with babies

[pacita]

I thought I'd start a new thread before we run out of space...

mella - exclusively bfed DS1 til he was 7-8mo (a mix of bf and ff after that, but maily bf til my boobs became inexistant and he lost interest at 11.5months) and period started back at 5.5 months (was told it would be aaaaages, but no....), so this time I'm kind of thinking it'll be anytime...

Starlight - I'm glad you took my experience in the way it was intended. I've seen so many things get turned on their head on MN that I don't always post my experience/opinion!!

imoscarsmum - it's lovely when they don't cry everytime you put them down isn't it? I love cuddles, but sometimes it's nice to enjoy them when they aren't attached! I've found the bouncy chair (aka poo chair) is really helping at the moment. I put M in it and put him on the worksurface when I'm doing things in the kitchen, or bring him the bathroom with me when I have a shower. He won't stay in it for ages, but just long enough for me to get things done.

ponymum I have spent endless evenings putting C's dummy back in her mouth just to settle her. I have no answers for you but DP and I just have C in between us on the sofa from 8 - 11pm and take it in turns to keep her settled. Sometimes she nurses on me, which we both love (as ff). Whatever it takes really to keep her calm and happy. This time will pass so I'm not even thinking about putting her to bed on her own yet - that'll come later.
I guess just do whatever makes your LO happy and your life bearable - constantly putting a dummy into a tiny mouth is hell (IMO) but I'd rather do it sitting down on the sfa than leaning over a cot.

Does this help you? Probably not as I am rambling I think. I'll shut up.

ponymum We use a dummy, it helps Jess to settle especially at night. I have heard that dentists say that it will not affect childrens teeth development/growth until their adult teeth come in - i do not know how true this is however.

Mella - re-periods - it was not until i was only BF once in the morning and once in the evening that my periods started (DD1 was then 9 months old). The chances are that you will follow the same pattern as last time.

DD1 had a terrible temperature yesterday and was sick this morning - spent the morning washing sheets and PJs and attempting to dry them around the house (weather outside is so windy that the sheets would not last a minute on the line). Trying to make sure she keeps away from DD2 - last thing i need is a baby with a tummy bug

mella my periods came back after about 6 months with ds1 who by that time was having 1 or 2 ff a day. BUT this time it's gone a bit weird. I had what I presume was a light period that started when ds2 was 8 weeks old exactly and lasted about 4 days. Then at the weekend I seem to have got another light period even though ds2 is only 10 weeks today. So I have no idea what my body is doing.

No dilemma this morning about how much to feed ds2 during the night as he didn't wake up till 6.30am! Then I thought I'll just lie here a minute while he wakes up properly and the next thing I knew it was 7.10 and he was starting to wake again. Fingers crossed he keeps it up.

ponymum t only uses a dummy occasionally, but i think dummies are pretty useful things once you get past the shoving them back in stage. however, if you go cold turkey it's not like you'll traumatise her long term though!

random question - those of you with babies that cry at bed/nap time (so... all of you) - if your baby cries on being put into the cot, is he/she comforted when lifted out and cuddled? t is increasingly crying at nap time (doesn't appear to be hunger or tummy ache), and won't be consoled by cuddles or anything, so keeping him on me/near me doesn't make him calm down/sleep. any thoughts? any kind of stimulation (cuddles, singing) seems to make it worse, but i hate the idea of just sitting there while he screams...

hopefully, when Diego is unhappy and fractious in the way you describe the only way he'll settle is in the sling. I regularly do all my housework with him in the sling. Generally he falls asleep, but now he's beginning to stay awake a bit longer and seems to enjoy being jiggled about as I clean/cook/make beds.

Another random question: do your LOs farts smell? D is exclusively breast fed, but boy, does he do smelly farts. They're not like adult smelly farts, they're a bit like milk gone off, or maybe a milk and methane cocktail type thing. I wonder if this is related to his infrequent pooing.

Also, he has really terrible cradle cap that extends to his forehead. His skin is really really dry and flaky on his face and his body is full of ver tiny red spots that look like a rash. Anyone having similar skin problems. and could this be eczema? I've been putting lots of aqueous cream on him to keep him moisturised, but does any one have any other ideas?

And before I forget, I actually do have a poo chair, only it does not seem to do the trick! Bah.

LOL, I just re-read my post and the description of poor Diego that it conveys is truly frightening: a scaly stinky baby! He's a cutie, really...

mellabella mine came back at 4 months despite exclusuivel;y bf OFTEN

starlight that 40 mins sounds like a sleep cycle, so maybe baby starlight can be persuaded to go to sleep in another way (i wobble the moses basket!). I'mwith you and have bed and moses basket periods of the night.

potoxla lorea's bedtime and sleep habits sound likr maebh's.

when i'm awake in the night feeding or settling m, i find it reasuurring that the chances are that one of you is doing the same!

just spoken to SIL, my nephew was born last night, she says he is very sleepy and last fed about 7am- thats 8 hours ago!! Its got me worried...hope he feeds soon

+1 has she tried skin to skin? it worked for me... Hoping he perks up soon.

plusone T had a couple of long stints like this immediately after birth - one the first night, and one later the next day (after I had a morphine injection shortly before a feed, don't know if that made a difference?). However, he totally made up for it after the first 24 hours!

plusone dd1 was the same - not interested in feeding the first night after a lond labour and delivery. Hope it improves soon

thanks for everyone's replies. i chatted with my mum and she said hers came back at 6 weeks back in the day. looks like i've been blessed with my mum's ultra fertile-ness and no breaks from aunt flo visits for this gal.

*not really that angry about it but thought the colour was quite appropriate.

thanks all, it wasnt a bad labour by the souns-3 hours start to finish! just worried that she isnt worried and might not wake him enough but it is her 3rd so hopefully she knows what she is doing ha ha!!

advice, please.... dd feeds well, but she's never done the nipple to nose/open mouth thing, just finds the nipple and sucks it in, IYKWIM. but the last couple of days, even if the nipple is in her mouth she still cries looking for it really desperate, and then she finally starts sucking but as soon as she looses it again, wailing starts again...

bizarly enough m feeds really well at night, but rubbish in the day - a but like your lo sunflower but in addition she loses the vacuum on EVERY suck! like you we're lazy, starlight and m's putting onloads of weight so i guess i don't need to worry.

she also rarely sucks before let down, just puts the nipple in her mouth and waits for the milk to flow in

Come on, some of you must share the inconsolable baby problem? Am I the only one whose baby hates having a cuddle?

hopefully - a cuddle definitely doesn't always settle Frank if he's already pissed off.

What does always work is being walked around the flat over my shoulder (so tiring...) or facing outwards. A nice sitting down cuddle on the sofa is rarely well-received...

Pacita - Frank's skin was just like that until this week, now his face is becoming smooth again (we didn't use anything on his face, but aqueous cream and Oilatum on his body). He has red spots on the top of his chest which are either a continuation of his face spots or a reaction to all the milk/posset that collects in his neck folds . Following a rec on this board, wed have started putting Sudacrem on the folds.

hopefully if C won't settle in her cot, generally the only thing to do is pick her up and cuddle her. If that doesn't help (and she's not hungry or wet etc) then it's either over-tired or bored. For either, I put her on a big v-shaped pillow we have as sometimes that does the trick and she falls asleep (not bothered that she's not in cot, whatever works) or I try her in her mamas & papas swing, which she loves.

If she still won't settle then it's generally between 8pm and 11pm and all we can do is hoild her on the sofa with dummy.

I am lucky that at her 11pm feed she normally goes straight to sleep afterwards and I've given up trying to enforce daytime naps in the cot. Oh, she will sleep if taken out for a walk in pram or if put in wilkienet - last resort depending on my energy levels/the weather.

Hopefully, sometimes a mummy-cuddle does not satisfy at all, which makes me quite . About an hour ago E was inconsolable then all of sudden smiled like there was nothing wrong at all; must have just been a cranky moment. Now she is in the baby bouncer gurgling and cooing at herself.

pacita Charlotte's face does have quite a few spots. HV said it was milk spots and hormones and not to worry. She also has a slight rash at the back of her head under her hair. Again, probably just 'newness' and we're keeping an eye on it but it doesn't bother her.

She had milk spots on her body but they totally cleared up once we started using olive oil on her after baths. Olive oil too heavy for her face though.

Mellabella, with dd1 it took 6 months before I had a period, this time I had one at about two months after the birth, but I think that was caused by the contraceptive implant.

Hopefully, when Katie is overtired she will cry no matter what we do. I now make a big effort not to let her get to that stage even if it means that she is never awake for more than an hour.