September 08 Remember what we were doing this time last year?[wink]

[Debs75goldrings]

So what were we all doing this time last year?

foxy, I hope Alice gets better. You seem to be a very calmed and composed mum, as I'd already probably be freaking out some way or another (read below). Did you end up having any Christmas celebrations at all?

digi, Alfredo sounds really grown up. Diego is only just starting to really take an interest in toys and trying to grab them.

Ok, I had another scare today. I wonder if this makes me a neurotic mum - so I'll tell you the story and you be the judge:

Diego, who is generally quite content and sociable, was rather crabby today. This afternoon, he (for the first time ever) refused the breast. He would take it in his mouth and release it screaming. He would do this again and again. This freaked me out big time, but I decided to take him out for a walk so that he could calm down, and also have a bit of a sleep because he had only had a short nap in the morning today.

He fell asleep while walking, but woke up when we got back home. He was whimpering or crying, and I attempted to feed him again, as it had been a few hours since the last feed by now. He would go for the breast hungrily, put it in his mouth and scream.He did this for a few times and I finally manually expressed some milk into his mouth, and at this point he started feeding without any problem. Bizarre or what??

I have been reading about babies refusing the breast online, and it seems that it can be one of a few different things (or combination thereof):

1. Patience: the letdown is not quick enough and the greedy guy gets pissed off
2. I smell different
3. he's teething and his gums feel uncomfortable

I am thinking that it's a combination of teeth, overtiredness and impatience, but who knows?

Has anybody had a similar experience, and should I not worry too much?

pacita have you tried winding him? Alfredo fusses like this whenever he's got a bad case of wind. If he's not tired then I usually put him on his tummy for 5 minutes and he does a big burp or a huge fart. Or sometimes I do the 'windy dance' where I lie him on his back and move his legs around till he farts. Or sometimes a vigorous bounce helps. If no luck, then it's the Infacol for him.

The thing is he'll still keep trying to feed throughout all of this even though it hurts and he pulls off within seconds. I think he thinks that feeding will make the pain go away, but mummy knows best!

i've had this a little bit and have put it down to what i've eaten- either chilli or garlic. its like he remembers its gonna taste funny as soon as he latches on! agree it could also be sore tummy too. hope he gets over it soon try not to worry

Pacita - As Digitalgirl said, my DD does that either when she's windy, too full, or more recently at the beginning of every feed because she's too impatient to wait for the letdown. I let her suck until she starts crying, insert the dummy and then wait until I feel the letdown, then off we go. She does it mid-feed sometimes too so again I use the dummy for five or six sucks then back on to breast and she tends to be fine. When she was younger she always used to try and feed even when she had horrific colic/wind, but I got used to seeing the signs and using the dummy instead of trying to get her to feed.

Merry Christmas from the Caribbean

Foxy I see your appartment in AD with the flu and I match you a cruise ship, in the caribbean with chicken pox (baby starlight, not me). I hope your DD is feeling better now.

Hopefully I think you're a fantastic mother.

ninja and Splish I hope your DPs make sensible NY resolutions.

Kasha Lovely to hear from you!

Not sure when I will be back online, but just wanted to say that I hope all you Sept 08 ladies had a lovely Christmas and are surviving any unwanted advice from family members !

I think I'll save the Moldies thread for some light entertainment when it doesn't cost the earth to log on. You guys are worth the expense, but something tells me them on that thread won't be!

Merry Christmas Starlight.

Alice keeps improving. They prescribed a lovely cough syrup called Prospan for her cough. It is herbal and made in Germany. It has the sweetness and consistency of maple syrup but not that flavour.

I am still feeling all stuffy and painful in the head. I just had a long hot shower to steam my sinuses which has improved things somewhat.

the moldies stuff was entertaining as well as revealing little we didn't already know. (but is will be nice to know that 'they' can't shout 'there is no clique on MN' anymore.)

foxy my head is stuffed up too . Good idea about having a shower though, I'll do that in a minute.

DD has a snotty nose, again. Roll on spring time when these colds should stop.

Thanks ladies for your reassurance: the wind thing is so obvious, yet I didn't really give it much thought. Plus, yes, the flavour of my milk probably changed due to greek diet (probably for the better, if I'm honest).

Jesus, Starlight, what do you do in a caribbean cruise with a baby who's got chickenpox?

Diego seems really happy today, which is good, and his poo is mucousy, which would seem to validate the teething issue.

At any rate, good day to you all.

pacita I am only a calm mummy because it is my 2nd.

sorry to hear that dd has chicken pox , starlight.

head still seems to be improving. when dh comes home tonight, I am giving him both kids and will head down to the sauna which is here in the block of flats.

Glad to hear Diego is happy today pacita the change in your diet could have affected his digestion.

Sorry to hear BS has chicken pox starlight.

Sauna sounds lovely foxy I'd love a half hour session myself to sweat out all the chocolate and mince pies I've been scoffing.

Alfredo is officially growth spurting. He's been attached to my boob for the last hour and has now fallen asleep on my shoulder. He was also waking up to feed every 1.5 - 2 hours last night, but I was mentally prepared for that so somehow it wasn't too bad. I think that's the trick to getting through these unsettled nights - anticipate them and expect to be woken every hour and a half or so then it's somehow easier to deal with.

So pleased it's the holidays and I don't have to feel guilty for vegging on sofa with A. New Year I promise to be a more active mother and find interesting activities for A to do now he's a little bit more aware of his surroundings. I also pledge to stop eating so much cake and start shifting this baby weight. I've gone up two dress sizes.

Glad to hear you hsve survived xmas and sorry to hear so many have been ill. As a child i was almost always ill over xmas and mum said it was awful. Trying to get shopping with a sick child is no fun. Nor is realising you have run out of calpol on xmas eve and shops are shut for 3 days.
Robyn has a cold but we are coping.

She has got this habit of holding her head right back and doesn't seem happy leaning forward or snuggling in to my shoulder. any ideas as to why?
We are also getting lots of drool, she chews her fists lots and dribbles constantly. Could the dreaded teeth be about to make an appearance. She likes to chomp don't fancy bitten nipples.

Hope you have a lovely New Year. For most of us we have been carrying in one way or the other our lo's for a full year now. Lets hope the next year holds as much joy.

Off to see if there are any due sept 2009 threads yet.

Starlight - Really sorry to hear that your LO has chickenpox, what a poor little darling, and what a pain for you too when you're supposed to be on holiday, what a palver.

Debs - My DD does that now, she only snuggles in if she's really tired and in need of a sleep. I think she's doing it because she wants to look around, she much prefers lying on me on her back or sitting up on my legs so that she can see. One good thing about it is that I don't feel so bad when I don't give her much tummy time because she's more than capable of pushing herself away from me so she's still building her strength up!

I've never felt the need to go on many other parts of MN, I used to but I got sick of it very quickly because you can't say a thing without someone jumping down your throat and it did seem quite cliqueeeee to me, so now I stick to this thread and the nappies forum where people are lovely rather than constantly spoiling for a fight and I am a lot happier.

Foxy - glad Alice seems to be a bit better. I have the sinus thing too - my head and face are soooo painful - can't even really do the hot shower steam thing, as we haven'tr painted the bathroom yet, it's still got lots of bare plaster, so trying not to let the room steam up too much

Big excitement - at last have a plumbed in sink and also a working hob - first time of fully functioning kitchen since C was born!

I braved the Next sale today - total madness. What I really wanted was a nice snug all-in-1 coat thing for next size up, 3-6months, as dd1 was in summer clothes then, so I don't have anything. Anyone know if any shop has them on sale?

Debs, Diego has started doing that. I also think that it's because he wants to see the world around. He is happy to be held close if you hold him looking outwards, using one hand as a seat, as it were...

hi ladies,

sorry to heat about your ill LOs, hope they all get better soon (and their mummies too)

pacita, M's done the same thing today - she was veeeery windy and got better after a tummy session. We had fun tonight in the bath though, I took her in with me and she loved being on her tummy, laughing very loudly and trying to climb to her "food" , so she fed in the bath (only fed an hour earlier but had a bad afternoon before that), and kept on laughing and feeding, I think she finds feeding in the bath a bit of a game... xmas was nice, just the 4 of us, though I really missed my extended family, probably because they haven't met M yet (in fact, the two grandads haven't met her yet!), but I'm hoping to spend xmas in italy next year (and at least 3 weeks in august, just before I go back to work). And DS's drumkit in not that bad, once the door is closed, I can't hear it!

splish - that was so brave, DP wanted to go round the shops but I couldn't face it! (well, it meant getting out of pj and wash my hair...). glad your kitchen is working now, hope your P's situation improves too

foxy -really of sauna...

debs - M's always done that with her head, especially when first born she could sleep hours like that; if she naps on the armachair, she tends to bend her head back too as she's on a big soft cushion... it looks so uncomfortable, but she's fine...

Hope you all had a lovely christmas. Katie spent most of christmas snuggled up with her granddad, My fil has a certain way with babies. Her favourite present was the very crinkly and shiny red wrapping paper round someone elses present. We've saved it for her and she loves holding it and making noise.

E's favourite presents have been the soft dragonfly with crinkly wings and nice mouth-sized fuzzy feet, and a brilliant garden tools set where there's a soft trowel and gardening fork that she totally loves!

(Belated) Happy Christmas everyone! I can't imagine how I would have survived the past year without you all. Lollipop to support me in the overdue club, Starlight to reassure me that it will probably all be OK, Foxy (and starlight again) to ask about BF and everyone else to offer a million words of wisdom and experience. Yay for MN!

T was brilliant over xmas at my parents'. He kept waking at 3:30am, but think that was due to my parents' insanely cold house, but coped incredibly well with being passed from pillar to post during the day - millions of people turned up to admire him. Got some lovely presents, as well as some truly horrendous ones (including my personal favourite, a fabulously vile toy moose/ornament thing wearing a russian hat, with a label on it saying 'unsuitable for children'. What was the great aunt thinking? And why must the vile present always come from the great aunt?)

Also wondering about teething - T doesn't seem distressed, but is getting fussier about his feeds, and is dribbling loads, sucking his fists a bit and occasionally is a bit pink of cheek. He's still a happy chappy though, so guess I don't need to give him any teething powder or anything yet?

T has developed a fascination with his daddy, and will smile at almost no one else. Whenever DP walks in the room, T just beams and beams and beams, and does these pathetic little squeaky noises of excitement, and the most anyone else can get from him is a grudging smile! It's rather cute.

Ooh, sling question! Is there a sling you can BF with? SIL is expecting number 2, and while she doesn't want to sling it the whole time, she likes the idea of having her hands free to play with DS1 (3 years when she's due) while she sits and feeds DC2. I know nothing about slings, but does such a thing exist?

hopefully - I've bf using both pouch sling and wrap sling (like the one I had in London) , had M in the wrap sling feeding while making pancakes for DS, so a sling would be my best buy suggestion to anyone with a toddler/small child, it's been a blessing for us! I also tried lollipop's close sling, which was brilliant, especially for newborn, less fuss to put on than a wrap. All the slings I got came with instructions for bf.

M's constantly chewing/dribbling and got the rosiest cheeks ever. she's always full of smiles, but as soon as DS comes in our room in the morning, usually as I'm feeding her, she has the biggest smile (in fact, she'll only interrumpt a feed for him!!) - I'm so glad, as you can see DS feeling more like a big brother now that she can interract with him and shows so much interest in him!!!

well......... I have finally cracked over the bf and we are gradually moving onto ff in this house. it all got too much for me on xmas day evening and I decided to bite the bullet and stop exclusively bf DD. . DD's sleep was getting so bad and I was getting worn out and depressed so at least the pressure is off me a bit now she can be ff. As a treat I am going to yoga in the morning, I need something to cheer me up. goodness knows my body needs a good stretch.

I took DD to the park in the sling today, she was awake nearly all the way around and saw the ducks .

Good to hear most of you had goos Christmasses - Starlight and Foxy sorry to hear about the illnesses.

We were at my parents' house with visits from both sisters and my 5 nieces. We had the normal combination of lots of food, some entertainment and a few arguments (3 sisters - BAD idea )

M charmed everyone with her smiles that light up her face and her chilled out nature (are we really her parents? ). She also made me very happy by sleeping/cooing happily through both big family meals.

The only dampner on the festivities was that my gran was taken into hospital on Christmas day and died just after midnight. She was 93 and getting more confused so it's hard to not think she's had a good run of it - it was good to have all the family around at the time. She's survived by my 99 year old Grandma on the other side!

Hope you're all continuing to enjoy the festive season

ninja sorry to hear about your Grandma.

Thanks Christmasflower - I loved the look of the wrap sling you had, will tell her about that and the pouch one.
Must be so lovely to see your DCs developing a relationship!

Ninj sorry about your grandmother. Even if they've had a long and fulfilled life, it's always hard to lose a family member.

Oh Ninja, so sorry to hear of your Grandma's passing. 93 is a bloody good innings though and what a lovely ending to such a long life to have all the family around her. I hope you are keeping your spirits up.