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

[Debs75goldrings]

So what were we all doing this time last year?

Pacita - the reasons for less feeds are:

The composition of bm changes. For instance, the composition of formula stays the same, so to satisy the baby you have to keep giving more formula. I believe that the volume a bf baby takes when they are say 10 weeks old isn't much different from when they are 20 weeks old, however the composition of the milk has changed.

As the baby gets older they will become more proficient at feeding, so they take more in less time.

Babies become more tolerant of having empty stomachs, so they can go longer between feeds.

I hope this goes someway to answering your question

DP and I talk about the next one a lot. It is very alarming, I didn?t imagine I would be in any rush! We originally thought we?d have at least a 2.5-3 year age gap, but we may rethink, depending on how T settles into toddlerdom and whether I go back to work (motivation to conceive quicker to go back on mat leave!)
Carrie I am exactly he opposite ? I loved being pregnant, but didn?t relish the newborn bit in any way. And as you say DG, I want to spend a bit more time with T when it?s not stressful before thinking about another.

Pacita I had to buy the smaller nipple attachment for the medela pump. Mine aren?t tiny by any means, but the attachment that came with the pump was way too big.

Ponymum hooray on the thrush! I am so impressed with the way you have persevered, it is incredible. LOL at your pear shape dilemma ? if it?s any consolation I am much the same (probably worse, I am vast)!
My diet officially starts tomorrow ? DP and I are going to take turns to exercise after T?s 7pm feed each evening, and I am going to cut back on the snacks and make sure I go for a decent walk every day. Also going to try not to make so much macaroni cheese etc for dinner. Hoping that this will start the weight loss, and I can cut back more once I?m in the swing of it.

T woke every 2 hours for the last 2 nights . However, he was completely uninterested in feeding, just seemed really stressed. He had the poo explosion from hell today though, complete with tar like ?plug? which had probably been blocking everything up, followed by progressively more runny mini explosions over the next few hours. He still has the one bottle of formula in the night, and I think the ?plug? was the remnants of the old recipe Hipp Organic formula, which seemed to make him far more constipated than the new recipe (even when we got the scoop sizes sorted out). We have got rid of all the old recipe stuff and only use the new stuff, so hoping that this won?t happen again. Much as I love the break that the formula gives me, the occasionally irritating period like this is a pain! Motivation to continue exclusive BF longer with the next one I suppose
He was a star during the day this weekend though ? went to a family party yesterday and he was so smiley and happy, snoozed in his seat during lunch, was generally brilliant in all ways. Same again today at SIL?s house.

ILTMIMI, cheers for the explanation.

Pony I loved your account of the Scottish holiday - it sounds like the kind of thing that befalls the Pacita household on a regular basis. Touch wood though, we've not been sick yet.

I'm waiting eagerly for the day when Diego becomes a proficient feeder! Today I've followed the "siesta with baby" tip and spent two hours feeding/sleeping laying down in the sofa. Well I tried to sleep, Diego chewed on my nipples and made urgent noises when I did not pay enough attention. I am not sure how much of it was feeding and how much was just sucking, but if it stimulates my production, so be it.

The Daily Express - latest news: 20ml. More pathetic than yesterday, but perhaps not as pathetic as tomorrow? I am glad that foxy has labelled the medela minipump as pants, otherwise I'd be feeling highly inadequate. Mind you, today I also tried with the tommy tippee manual and it was even worse.

Hopefully, what smaller nipple attachment did you get for the medela pump?

Pacita here. I think the one that comes with the pump as standard is medium, but might be worth phoning to check. I couldn't get anything with the medium attachment, but managed a bit more with the small. If you navigate around the site they also have other breast attachments (softer ones or soemthing, not sure)

Cheers Hopefully.

ninja, I mostly followed the advice provided on this thread! Specifically the Dr Jack Newman thrush protocol. But I really do credit the flucanazole with a lot of the success. I also used the grapefruit seed extract wash, but not the gentian violet.

Next PG? Oh, I would love it. Got to be sensible though. Work (well, I really mean income ), my age, and history of SPD are all tricky factors. Really really want two kids though.

Shall we start placing bets on who will be first? eandz must be a front runner, and I reckon carrieon will start ttc sooner than she admits (). Plus there must be some dark horses in the race. Can't wait for the first announcement!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARrrrrrrrgggggg, wrote a long post as you've all been so busy and lost everything!!!

anyway, pacita I've always used my manual avent and done well, but borrowed the medela mini electric as I was started to get painful arm (reoccurring problem) but I don't know if it was coincidence but only got half the usual amount I got with the manual one, plus my nipples were in agony for days afterwards (but didn't know about the different sizes, so maybe that was the problem)

ponymum glad about the thrush, and sorry about the hols, but at the same time it must have been nice sitting in front of the fire and relax!

meglet good to hear about the couselling, a peaceful environment will be better for all of you, whatever happens.

Always thought that we would stop at 2, though sometimes I'd say 3. DP only wanted 2 if one boy and one girl, so he's "done". Now I think I'd love another one but maybe it's because I look at DS and see him so big and think how quickly they grow. This pregnancy wasn't easy because of the exhaustion and painful pelvis joints, so hated walking and standing, and definetly I don't want to go through another VB, as I'm still suffering 18wks on (so that I still get my miserable cry moments, followed by anger at the consultant/MW who didn't realised I was pushing in vain).

got the wii fit yesterday, so will see if it's any good, otherwise wil have to find a dvd... starting tomorrow...

foxy - what's the lightest and narrowest sling?

Starlight - Was it you who had the Close sling and it was slipping? Mine slips like hell now, DD ends up around my knees somewhere it's really racking me off.

Foxy - You seem to be the person to speak to about slings! What sling would you recommend for our babies now? DD is 13lb, my Close sling started slipping at about 12lb, I can't bare to put her in it anymore. I have a Baby Bjorn which obv. doesn't slip although I do find it's not the most comfortable on the sholders. I want a nice feminine wrap anyway, not some bloody great big backpack type thing on my front!

Hi all, just finished typing a big message and then it all vanished!!!

so in short Jessicas doing very well, teething, very active, loves being entertained, still BF, sleeping well ~(she slept 9 hours straight through the other night ). would love another baby but hated being pregnant so much. we may consider adoption. we also may be moving to south wales so who knows what the next couple of years will hold.

the original post was better than this version! you all sound like you are getting on fine can't believe that we are talking weaning already

No dark horse here. As much as the girls are lovely to have. I don't want to be pg again and as much as I love dd2's babyhood right now. I won't be repeating it again either.

It depends on how long you want a sling for. ONe of the lightest at the moment is the Calin Bleu gauze. It won't last till toddlerhood though and I favour the German Style Weave ones (GSW) for comfort and longevity.

Have you ever taken the rings off your Close and restrung them? I read a thread with the same problem and it turned out the person didn't have them re threaded correctly.

As far as lighter and cost effective ones you can have an (expensive) Didymos Elise. There are also different wrapping styles which use less fabric so less 'bandaging' to make you hot. (Shorter sling too)

There is a style called the Short Cross Carry which is cooler.

3 ways of doing the short cross carry

cool hip cross carry I am yet to learn this one.

If you want something with buckles like a BabyBjorn but way more comfy for you and the baby, then look at the Connecta or Sleepy Nico. These will last into toddlerhood. Connecta is in the mumsnet reviews. My friend Didylicious reviewed it and she has at least 4! She made me a sling addict by the way so be warned.

Pacita what ILTMIMI said about feeds is right.

try cuddling on the couch again today.

i am so utterly depressed by this night time thing. T is happily going 3 hours throughout the day, no problem whatsoever. he is also happily sleeping during the evenig )well, in the pram in the sitting room, being jiggled occasionally). but during the night he is waking every two hours, and has done 3 nights running. i am on my knees.
he doesn't especially seem hungry, although he'll have a half hearted feed. he also doesn't really feed to sleep (dozes for a bit then pings awake within a few minutes) so can't easily get him back to sleep that way. dp and i don't have the will or energy to do something like pick up/put down during the night, but bringing him into our bed doesn't appease him at all - he gets furious and just lies there screaming!
I am [sad and seriously exhausted.

Hopefully, I don't really know what to say. I know what I would do, now that I am on no. 2. I don't feel like I can make suggestions as our parenting styles differ so much. Let me know if you want me to offer ideas, even if offline. take care. foxy.

Tragically, I think the problem is actually just wind, as he's farting loads every time he's picked up, but the only way he'll resettle is with a feed (not too concerned about this though, I figure he'll stop the feeding in the night once the wind improves), but any thought appreciated!
He settled at 6am, woke up at 6:10, settled at 6:20, woke at 7, and I gave up and got up! I can't believe he's getting enough sleep either, poor chap. Going to do lots of bicycling the legs etc today in the hope of eliminating as much as possible.

have you heard of a 'tummy tub'? excellent for wind.

I've heard of them, didn't know they were good for wind, thanks! I think one of my NCT friends has one, I'll ask to borrow it.
Ha, he's just farted nearly non-stop for 5 minutes while feeding! Think that's why feeding works at night - it relaxes him enough to get all the wind out.

It's so stupid that the reason we have the wind problem (I think) is through not being careful with changes in the formula, which we only give him so I can have a break during the night! I know once the wind is sorted I'll be grateful for it again, but at the moment it is highly annoying a little ironic.

fill it 'deep' and hold him by the chin and nape and let him cycle away in the water.

pacita ask D's gp for aveeno lotion on prescription. excellent for eczema

foxy have been using aveeno for the past month. (I heard about it on MN).it's been absolutely brilliant, but me giving up Any milk products has actually made it go away almost completely!

BTW did Your LOs get eczema terribly after jabs?

dd1's eczema is related to egg and dairy allergy: hereditary

dd2 deffo had it before jabs but nothing like dd1's. it is just about gone for now

hopefully really sorry about your wakeful LO. Have you tried infacol or the like to reduce wind?