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!

hi all, just heard about david cameron losing their eldest son. i have a little boy about that age and the thought of losing him, well, it does not bear thinking about.

i am not into politics but am thinking of them as parents.

1.5oz good for first time MissJ - you will soon start producing more milk and tomorrow will prob get more.

Hadn't heard about David Cameron heron, sounds very sad.

hi books, are you in london? if so, i know someone very good.

i am getting so emotional thinking about how some parents have to go through life after losing child. it does not help that this day is grey!

books - look at the kellymom site too

Heron, it is terrible isn't it. One of our friends just lost her baby at 5 months pregnant. and another friend was pregnant with twins and one of them died during childbirth last month. Makes everything seem so fragile. I am over-squeezing the dcs at the moment, losing a child doesn't bear thinking about.

Books can you phone your community midwives office and ask them about a lactation person? There might be an NHS one, if not they should know if there is a local LLL/NCT counsellor..

hi ladies :0)

hey tink how are you doing?

spink, me too, i plan to give DS an extra big hug when i pick him up from school!

had a lovey bath with LO.

Hi

Dog, you are not a wimp, its exhausting enough having a new baby without fighting off an infection as well. Just think how hard your body is having to work!

Thanks again for the monitor info. Have ordered the snuza baby from annawiz. Paid for next day delivery, I only ordered it late last night though so it should be here sometime tomorrow.

I'm afraid I cried when I heard about David Cameron's little boy. He was the same age as DS1 and I just couldn't bear to think about it.

Had a bit of a scary moment this afternoon when the air ambulance flew low over our house and landed on the playing field at my sons' school across the road! I was paranoid that with the week I've had the phone was going to ring any second and had visions of running down the road in my slippers carrying DD to find one of my sons badly injured.

Apparently one of the junior boys injured his back and after a thorough check over they decided he could be tranferred to hospital in a normal ambulance. I feel so sorry for his parents, they must've been frantic.

There was much excitement at hometime, all the kids were so excited about seeing a helicopter up close!

Spoke to HV and GP over the phone today and between the two of them they have decided to prescribe Infant Gaviscon for DD. HV said she had heard of other apnea cases that were caused by acid reflux and suggested gaviscon and a sleep wedge. GP wasn't too keen at first as he said medication for reflux is usually instigated by the hospital but agreed it was probably worth trying gaviscon in the first instance so left a prescription at reception which unfortunately I can't collect until tomorrow.

Actually I'm really relieved he did, because DD has been terrible this afternoon. She's been really arching her back and screaming out in pain as well as choking on refluxed milk. She's also been doing the most horrendous acidic smelling nappies which I think must be related to an overproduction of acid. It breaks my heart to see her in such obvious pain and distress and there doesn't seem to be much I can do to help her except cuddle and comfort her on my shoulder or chest until the pain eases.

Hi, just a flying visit. Hope all is well.

Esme being a pickle tonight and for some reason doesn't wasnt to settle. she is fed, nappy clean, etc, OH thinks we should let her cry it out a bit, but its So hard when they are so upset! Have been just sitting and ssshhh and patting her (she doesnt have wind, or anything, isn't hot or cold (even checked thermometer) so she knows i'm there, without picking her up!!! She has snoozed off again, for now... So we'll see!

Hope all is well, off to london tomo to meet my sister for lunch. didn't want to take LO on underground, so she'll meet us at Liverpool St where my train comes in. Taking her in sling- Buggy too much hassle!

Hi Ray

Elizabeth was a bit like that this afternoon (before all the acid trouble started). I think she just wanted attention though as she would cry until I went over to her and then smile and coo at me! She then decided to up her game and cry if I didn't pick her up, but stop and gaze about with a big grin on her face if I did! (Really helpful of her considering I had 3 lots of homework with one DS and two sets with the other to get through, plus a tonne of housework and the tea to cook!) I guess sometimes only a cuddle with Mum will do!

She seems to have worked through the acid thing now, thank goodness. Fed her about an hour ago and she's been sleeping on her side next to me ever since making contented baby noises (very cute).

Enjoy your trip to London. I think you're very brave travelling there with bubs. I am such a chicken. My little (little LOL 28 yr old!) sister has lived in London for nearly 10 years now and I have to confess I have never been to visit her as I just can't face the travel or the busy city chaos!

I went out for breakfast with DH this morning after Elizabeth's hip scan. It would have been lovely if he hadn't had to disappear to check his emails and then read a report for work the entire time we were there! I sat there with Elizabeth thinking I may as well have gone on my own and he could've gone back to work and saved the holiday time!

hi spink great thanks. bracken is doing really well still guzzling 2ozs 2hrly.
rray - bracken is like this sometimes does it when she is bored and wants a change of scenery in day and early evening. sometimes does @ night we just leave her in moses basket and she settles herself

Morning,

Well, after another terrible night (DD was properly sick first on me then in DH's face!) I am sat here willing the van to arrive with DDs new breathing monitor and in the meantime have ordered a cot wedge and side sleeping support combination from baby refluxers on next day delivery for tomorrow. I think I will have to cut out dairy from my diet as well to see if that improves things. Its not easy for a vegetarian to do but both my sisters and my niece are lactose intolerant so worth a try I think. (No chocolate! )

Actually I'm feeling really low today. I chose to exclusively breastfeed as its supposed to be best for your baby and it was fine with the boys, but now I dread feeding her as she has usually only just settled after being in pain from the previous feed and I feel like my feeding her is hurting rather than helping or comforting her.

Its so awful seeing her in so much pain especially as there's nothing I can do to help. She has aways been such a happy smiley baby up till now. She smells acidic/yeasty all the time as well so she's definitely over producing acid.

On top of that the house is a tip and the washing is totally out of control as I'm spending all my time soothing DD (am still in PJs at the moment).

Just answered door - monitor has arrived so am off to set it up if I can puy DD down for long enough.

only got a sec but saw your post moose and HAD to come on & tell you that you don't have to give up chocolate - green & blacks dark choc is dairy free! here is a link to their FAQs which tell you all about it

hi moose, my LO has reflux and has been on medication since friday night last week. he also takes infant gaviscon. after 2 days the difference was obvious. the medication he takes are called ratinidine and domperidone.

good luck, it is hard i know. even now i have to be so careful to wait for the milk to go down before trying to wind him or he throws up big time. and then i feel like such a failure!

moose - i am dairy free and veggie - it's a pita but dd's digestion seems better already (cut out the dairy last friday). m&s fairtrade dark chocolate is dairy free and delicious. sadly, also cut down hugely on caffeine so not much of it for me... now only having one cup of proper tea in the morning. she seems less resistant to sleeping after two days of this, though still not exactly embracing it.... we have borrowed a swinging crib and she is currently sleeping in it for the first time. thanks to everybody for the suggestions re sleeping - anybody else runs into this issue, if you still have a birthing ball, bouncing on it gently while holding lo seems to work pretty well.

so i seem to have a blocked duct in one of my breasts - it's really quite painful. off for a hot bath to see if it helps.

Thanks folks. I actually love the vegan chocolate bars from the health store in town, they do quite a big range, but it's not the same as sending DH to the local shop at 9 o'clock at night because I fancy some chocolate. I will just have to try and be more organised and get a stock in, but will probably just stuff myself with them and run out really quickly (I have absolutely no willpower ).

DD has been a nightmare practically all day today. The only respite I got was when she was in the buggy on the school run this afternoon. I have got literally nothing done except feeding and soothing her so the house is still in total chaos but with even more dirty dishes!

That said, she has settled more quickly after her last two feeds and I felt happier about putting her in the swing with the seat on vibrate now she's got the new monitor on. I actually managed to do the boys homework with them without my little parrot girl on my shoulder this evening (my back is killing me from constantly carrying her on the same shoulder).

Dog the monitor is great, really simple to use and I feel much happier putting her down to sleep in her swing and putting her in her car seat now (was particularly paranoid about her breathing in her car seat before).

stripey I only drink decaff and as I only get time for about 2 cups a day now (usually cold) I don't think caffeine is an issue for me, but cheese, that's a different matter! We do buy cheezly (sp?) but its just not the same and hopeless to cook with. How strict are you being with cutting out the dairy? Are you just avoiding milk, cheese etc or actually reading the packets on everything to make sure there's no milk in the ingredients? I thought I'd just try cutting out the obvious milky culprits to start with and see if there is any improvement. I suppose its fortunate that we already buy soya spread, soya milk, alpro yofus and cheese alternatives and we obviously have quorn etc in the freezer. I will seriously miss cheese though.

DH read an article recently all about how humans are not designed to digest cows milk and how bad it is for us and that, coupled with some seriously nasty info on dairy farming etc, has made him really cut down on dairy already (hence all the soya in the house). In all good conscience, I should probably have cut down when he did anyway, but I'm afraid I love creamy food and couldn't bear the thought of giving it all up (especially as I was pregnant at the time and felt I was already having to avoid far too many drinks and foods). Maybe this is my punishment, although its DD that's bearing the brunt of it.

Its such a shock her being like this as she was such an easy baby for the first five weeks. Also, the boys were never like this, they both had colic, DS2 really badly, but at least it was only in the evenings and I had DH here to share the load.

Stripey forgot to say, do you have a breast pump? If at all possible express off the affected side after every feed to make sure the ducts are completely emptied.

Also, try to make sure you are gently massaging the affected breast as she is feeding to help the milk flow in the right direction.

While you are in the bath, try applying warm flannels to the affected area and gently expressing into the warm water - this really seemed to help me when I was feeding DS1 and got a blocked duct.

Ignore me if you knew all this already, I seem to have lost track of who are the more experienced breastfeeders on the thread.

Books you moan and rant as much as you need to. It'll help you feel better and give everyone else on here a break from my whingeing!