January 09 - 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4......and we're off

[fourlittlestockingedfeet]

Here's a brand new thread for the early party poppers!

Don't know Spink, having never been there but hope you are all sorted soon. TBH I'd probably go again since you've been through the mill lately and last thing you need is for it to come back.

hi all, last night my little one only took a very small feed at the times he normally takes a full feed.

he stirred around 10.30pm, 1.30am, 5ish and each time only took a little feed. however at 6am this morning, he took a full feed.

my little one is 5 weeks old. could this be the start of his dropping off a night feed?

he ate a lot between 4pm and 8pm.

hkz - what were those special teats you are using? Think I may try them as DD never liked the avent ones.

H now going three hourly through night and day... boobs absolutely killing me at night though . You can't win!

dog please tell Elkie big hugs from the thread if you get a chance. I didn't realise she was in hospital.

rray I used the nipple shield all yesterday and this morning fed for the first time without it, and it did feel a lot better, but I think I need another day or so using it as I can still see the crack. When I got the nipple shield out of the package I was convinced it was the wrong size as it was much bigger than my real nipple, but luckily the midwife came yesterday and helped me get LO onto it - even though it totally filled his little mouth, he latched on fine and went for it with his usual gusto!

Interesting article on lying down feeding MM, thanks - but confusing as at one point they seem to be suggesting the research was done on women actually lying flat - when I do it lying down, I am on my side... surely it would be impossible lying flat unless you had spectacularly flexible and long boobs?! Or am I missing something?

I think I need to persevere more with putting Nye down for a nap - he takes ages to settle, and seems to get more and more upset, until I give up and put him in the sling.. of course am aware that this doesn't help when it comes to the next time! But it means I never get a break - the sling is great, but he is still pretty heavy and I can't just run around the house getting stuff sorted out when he's in it. Off to try now... wish me luck!

miss J; it is with the mum on her back... its called the breast crawl

here its a bit long but stick with it; very lovely ending!

hi flf, how about expressing so that you give your boobs a bit of a break?

dog, you are lucky with your babies! how many weeks is your little one?

heron; nice idea but need the sleep! did it last time and got loads of milk, but it just teaches the boobs to fill again at that time. generally I tough it out and after a couple of days they realise the schedule has changed... they are just a bit slow !!

Hi all,

Roll on the end of half-term. Boys have lost interest and patience in/with each other, cue many arguments and a couple of fights. Nasty Mummy promptly removed one of each of their Funkeys and peace has reigned since.

I was going to try and get out for at least a walk with them this afternoon, but have been nursing a nasty headache all day after a night of alternating between chills and sweats. I'm thinking its probably hormone related but feel really bleugh!

Still haven't bought a compact fold pushchair and need one urgently now. I was absolutely sure I was getting a Petite Star Zia 4, but as the cocoon/carrycot is only designed for the first 3 months, I can't help feeling it might be a waste of money and I'd be better off going for a Maclaren type stroller instead. Ideally I would love a pushchair that faces in or out, but they all seem to be way too pricey for us at the moment. Have looked at the Britax Visio and Chicco 4 Me which are both reversible but the Visio is only reversible in lie flat/carrycot mode, which again is only usable for a very limited length of time and the Chicco is just too expensive. I am tempted to buy the Baby Jogger City Mini as we already have the car seat adapter with our City Classic, they get fantastic reviews from everyone and having already got one of their pushchairs I'm confident about the build and quality.

Really need to make a decision and order one for quick delivery by the end of today. But am being hopeless and indecisive. Gah!

Oh and we are still arguing about what type of car to get as well. I want a Picasso, he wants a Multipla so we are at stalemate! (Tried our child seats in a Zafira and an Almera Tino but they wouldn't fit in either!)

i need advice please. do you wait until your little one cries out ready to eat to feed him or when he is due to feed and still sleeping, do you give him a feed?

flf that's a lovely video! I love the cheering in the background when the baby finally latches on! Well maybe I should try the lying down with LO on top of me; has anyone else tried this?

heron I wait until LO cries; 'never wake a sleeping baby' is my motto! Although sometimes I have to if we are going out, and then he's super-cranky until we get into the car and then he falls asleep again.

MM I have the same concern about buying a buggy/ travel system (have been researching all your recommendations) in that I would really like one that faces inwards - but they are so expensive! Need a new car really, as my Honda civic is 2 door and there's an airbag in the front passenger side - it's breaking my back getting him into the back seat.

So tried to put him down in his moses basket after feeding - he was still awake but had yawned 3 times, so tucked him up and he sucked his hands a bit and really seemed to be falling asleep - then 5 minutes later he started yelling - I tried to comfort him without picking him up, and then tried picking him up but not feeding him, but no luck. So had to feed more at which point he falls asleep promptly after 2 sucks (so obviously not hungry), tried to put him down again... no luck... couldn't face any more nipple abuse so now he is back in his sling, sleeping soundly.

I feel really worn out by my inability to get him to sleep! I just want an hour's break away from my baby... ! Am watching brief encounter and entertaining myself on the net though, so I suppose it's not so bad. How do any of you manage with more than one baby?!

I wish, wish, wish that men could BF too!

MissJackson- when my DD was a baby she was exactly the same, wouldn't be put down, hated being horizontal in fact! It does get a lot easier. When you are able to express you'll start feeling a bit less constrained to your DS, I do now I know there is milk in the fridge if he needs it. A whole new world of possibility (and sore boobs in a different way!) opens up. Have you tried settling him with a dummy? It's not without its own pitfalls but might give you a bit of help getting a break during the day. We always used a dummy for daytime naps with DD and it used to get her off quickly, although if I wanted her to have a long sleep like at night I'd try and settle her without it if I could since otherwise we'd have the whole issue of if it fell out in the night. I find with DS that if DH picks him up he'll settle back to sleep without feeding, but if I pick him up he wants milk!

FLF - also watched the video and noticed the cheering. Thank you I don't normally bother with them as result of very slow broadband but that was worth the wait.

LenniEd yes, am going to try expressing on Friday morning - out early tomorrow so won't complicate things! Have also tried a dummy and it does help sometimes, but I've managed to lose the avent one he likes, and he is absolutely refusing to go for the tommy tippee (weird shape?) alternative...

Am going to have another go now!

MissJ also meant to say you could get your DH to take DS for a walk or a ride in the car for an hour so you get a rest. I found it so hard with my first to suddenly be so depended on after so many years of relatively little responsibility. I found getting out to baby groups helped as there was always someone else who could hold my DD for a minute while I drank a cup of tea or went to the loo!

x-posts there - that's funny, my DS doesn't like the tommy tippee one either! If you do find he gets hooked on one kind then stockpile them as they seem to change them all the time. I once spent about 10 days hunting down a particular type of dummy for DD who was willfully rejecting all the others!

MissJ the cheapest one that does rear facing/pramette that I could find was a special offer on the Britax Viso here

Its £99.00 which is impressive as its at least double that everywhere else.

Only thing is think I read somewhere you can't fold it when its in pram mode, but now I can't find where I read it and think I may be getting it confused with another pushchair.

Excellent reviews for it here am quite tempted really.

Oh, almost forgot to say - have you thought of trying him in a swing. DD didn't like being laid flat at first but we discovered if we put her in our Graco swing with the seat on vibrate and the heartbeat sound on quiet we end up having to wake her as she just seems to sleep on and on. We have this swing and althoug its on the large size (need it to keep DD out up out of the dogs way) would highly recommend it.

We have a 2/3 door coupe as well (Toyota Corolla), although we don't have an airbag in the front, which is lucky as DS1 has to go in the passenger seat on his high back booster at the moment. Its a nightmare getting an infant seat into the back isn't it. We have a Graco Junior Baby and base and we have to twist it around all over the shop to get it past the front seats. Also I have to squish between the 2 child seats in the back if we all go out together, so needless to say my desire/need to get a new car is greater/more urgent than DHs! (Everyone gets their own seat in our car except me! Harrumph!)

Thanks MM, wow that is cheap! I am seriously tempted. Should really consult with OH who is out all day.

One of the reviews said to fold it up you have to take the pram liner out, maybe that's what you were thinking of?

Thanks LenniEd for stockpiling tip - funny that your DS doesn't buy the tommy tippee one either!

Managed to make spag bol with LO in sling! My back hurts....

flf- the bottles I used are NUK ones, I have found a chemist in hackney that stocks them, think you can buy them off the internet too, will have a look and link for you.

Liked the breast crawl vid, will give it a try.

MissJ- Can sympathise with you, DS does not settle well in his crib. It pretty much took me all afternoon yesterday and today to try, and in the end I gave up! The only way I can get him to sleep in there s if I out him in asleep, am going to persevere with putting him down, picking him up if he cries, calm him, put him back, reassure him if he cries...repeat as necessary. I remember doing it endlessly for two days with DD when she was about 4 or 5 weeks and after two days of hell she settled and has been an ace sleeper ever since. I just haven't had the patience to keep trying this time..far too tired!
DS only takes the avent dummies too! I bought a few packets and have already lost half of them, with the help of DD I think...

FLF- Here's the link for the NUK bottles

Evening ladies, been a while since i've managed to mn so just catching up with everything.

For various reasons lo is now totally ff which I still have pangs of guilt about but he is thriving and putting on loads of weight - he's on the 91st centile on his charts so think he is going to be a whopper.
I'd second any praise for the baby whisperer book, we aren't following it religiously but it was a breakthrough when we realised which cry meant 'i'm tired' rather than 'i'm hungry'. We also tried swaddling him when he started yawning to get him settled and it worked straight away, even though it means sometimes he goes in his crib wide awake he soon settles himself. If we don't catch him though he starts screaming. Unfortunately the grandparents just assume that a) if he is awake even if he is yawning he must want to go in babygym/ musical bouncy chair etc and then b) when he cries its because he is hungry so stuff him full of milk.

moosemama you feeling better today? It could be something totally different, but just to warn you that when I had mastitis the first sign was really bad chills and then fever - hadn't had any blocked ducts or anything else to warn me before then.

Have a good night all with lots of sleep

thanks hkz!

miss j - H settles really well on a pillow - may be worth a try, just don't leave them where they can roll off onto a hard surface!

HKZ are these the ones you have? seems there are a few options which are all differently priced!