December 2008 - Its not wind they are smiling.

[JamInMyWellies]

Here we go ladies Rosmerta suggestion.

Yeah he is DH today. He has to go to hospital today to have teeth out, so I am being nice to him.

What a miserable rainy day after yesterday?s lovely sunshine , oh well, going round to my friends this afternoon for a cuppa and baby gossip, so that will cheer me up - but I might have to drive the 1/4 mile rather than take the pram if the rain keeps up ( at laziness)

Mibbes I?ve read your thread about your BF pain and I feel so sorry for you, but so impressed at your strength in getting BF established in the first place and at continuing despite everything, I hope it gets sorted for you and FAST. (And PD, although I?m not in pain when feeding, I will still give some of your pillow tips a try as I?m not convinced I?m sitting correctly)

JJ so pleased that your DDs baptism went well and she behaved like a little angel for all the family

Indith sorry to hear about your DS night terrors, sound scary for him and very frustrating for you. Sending relaxing vibes to your little boy

Yay for trace?s life after childbirth! I?m now wondering which will come first ? DDs smile (or first steps!) or a lovely evening like that.

Kayz did DS1 stay in his bed all night? Hope so!

Jam I love the photo with your LO and the dog!!

Well off to get dressed whilst DD is snoozing, and hopefully will find time to tidy the house a little too. Have a good day everyone

Hi all, I've been trying to limit my time on MN to make sure I spend more time with ds1. Its still hard work but we've talked to him about ds2 & decided we just need to make sure that he gets time with either me or dh on his own.

Indith, nolda, trace & turnip if it helps a friend told me that once the older ones are used to the baby being around then they just start ignoring them until the baby starts laughing etc!

trace no advice on the piles I'm afraid but hooray on the takeaway & sex!

cat sorry you're still having a rough time. Have you tried a sleeping bag? Ds2 hated being swaddled but loves the bag. I think he still feels cocooned by it but his arms are free, he's settled a little easier since we've used it. Sorry if you've already thought of it

turnip sorry to hear about your schoolfriend

Morning...DS is full of cold (as am I) and struggling to feed or settle as he's not full enough iyswim. Anyone any tips for helping DS to feed (he's bf)?? He's only 8 wk and chemist that was too young for anything really...have tried saline drops but not much use!

SL I'm on the Herefordshire/ Worcestershire borders in Bishops Frome. If you are the same age as me (31) then we probably met many moons ago as I was at Lawnside (I'm not a spoilt brat, honestly) and we used to play the Chase at sport all the time. It's surprising that I still like walking the hills as I was made to do it every weekend from the age of 9 to 16!

I don't want to gloat....but, DD slept through from 11.30 to 7am last night in her moses basket. However, I am sure that this is a one off and due to the fact that she's got a cold and doesn't seem to feel like feeding. I'm actually a bit worried now as she has also slept all morning and only had 10 minutes on the boob at about 9 and has just taken only 1oz from the bottle before falling back to sleep. I'm presuming that she is too full of snot to care about feeding, but wondering whether I should ring the HV for advice.

daisy I'm at the tail end of ds having this awful cold - he wanted to feed but then got all worked up when he couldn't breath properley. He also had / has a terrible cough, which makes him vomit up all the milk if he coughs hard - then he's starving again 10 mins later.... I had him at the GP and they just suggested little feeds often which is not easy as he gets frustrated when I tried to get him to stop! He is just drying up now but still a bit snotty and still has the terrible cough. It's been a week, but the vomiting is not as bad and he only does on a rare occasion! Not fun - feel for you, but I would just do lots of mini feeds - not at all convenient I know

The other thing was he had NO wind at all while he was sick - and I know why now - he also had the runs - but now that has stopped and the wind has come back !! I know why now.....

OMG DS has had shocking nappies this morning I thought it might be the runs as it smelt a bit funny too. Will just keep feeding him when he wants. Tracksuit on and sofa here I come...

Well we had a shocker of a night last night - DS2 settled at 9.30 which was fine, up at 1 for a feed, then wouldn't resettle in the cot so came into our bed and threshed about for a bit, cat woke us up at 3 by yowling on the landing, then DS2 woke up for a feed at 4, then DS1 woke up at 5 and wouldn't resettle and ended up coming into our bed and kicking and wriggling for an hour.

We all fell into an exhausted sleep at 6 and then the alarm went off at 7 and we stumbled out of bed... worst night we've had for a long time and I feel like death warmed up today!

WG don't worry too much about the foremilk/hindmilk thing, occassionally they do have a scant feed and only take the foremilk, and then next feed will be richer to make up. If it's a long term thing then your supply will adjust so the balance is ok again.

Daisy this is a bit "ew" but my MW said when they are snotty the best/safest thing to do is suck it out using your mouth!! Haven't managed that myself yet I must say, but if you are desperate...

trace sympathy on the piles as I have one too - I didn't get any during the pregnancy and am a bit mystified why I've suddenly got one now. It's very painful!

Daisy dd has a cold too. Put a little vick/olbas/snuffle babe or whatever you have on a tissue in your bra for feeds. Also experiment with positions. dd prefers to be more upright for feeds at the moment, don't have to use "proper" positions. You can also squirt some milk up there and erm give their nose a good suck to clear it out (kind of like those aspirators)

having read tyv's post properly I feel less at sucking it out!

Hi Everyone

I hope you all had good weekends. Ours was busy at DD1 shamed us all by doing a big poo on the chair in the pub yesterday while we were having lunch. I have never been so embarrassed in my life and our poor friends (who have no kids) looked like they may choose voluntary sterilisation over a life like ours!

I am shattered today. I has friends round on Saturday night and did not go to bed until 1am and then last night both DDs woke and DD2 did not settle for three hours (our worst yet). I just want to sleep so bad but we have toddler group this afternoon. DD1's nanny is also coming over to try and give DD2 her bottle of expressed milk. We hope this works, the theory is that the nanny is a very experienced bottle-giver and will be more relaxed than DH and I so DD2 will happily suck away.

WG - DD2 had a few green poos last week. The HV said not to worry unless they are luminous green.

Cr*p, DD2 awake, back later...

trace boobs are feeling better No more bleeding... but still a bit cracked. I've been keeping the lansinoh on them. BFing is still an issue though... but we're working through that.

arti sorry but I couldn't suppress a snort at your DD's poo! We are struggling at potty training DS but there are moments when I am quite glad he is still mostly in nappies, and poos in pubs definitely qualify

I also know what you mean about putting off your childless friends, I fear my sister may never have children now I have traumatised her with my uncensored tales of labour/newborn sleep deprivation/toddler tantrums/general poo-related trauma.

Arti I am really sorry but I had to have a little giggle.

I'm sure babies smell dinner and then cry. DH isn't back from hospital yet as he had to get the bus, as he has had teeth out he said to get some dinner and he'll have some soup. As soon as I sit down DS2 woke up.

nice uplifting thread about breastfeeding for all those struggling

YV - DD1 isn't out of nappies yet! Somehow the poo worked its way up over the back of her nappy and onto the chair where it sat until I discovered it . Nothing like that has ever happened to us before.

I hope everyone is having good evenings with their lovely LOs. I am feeling a bit trapped tonight. I am not sure why. I just feel like I always have a newborn attached to by breast, or a toddler attached to my arm, and even when they are both asleep (like now) I feel it is ticking time bomb until it all starts again. Because DD2 won't take the bottle I see no liklihood of change. This is getting me down a little but the fact I even feel like this is getting me down even more. I wish I was someone who could unconditionally embrace the happy chaos of family life, and usually I am, but right now I am struggling. Maybe its exhasution, or hormones, who knows.

OMG Arti that is hilarious re: pub poo. I sympathize though I started toilet training ds1 2 mnths before our last trip home. I assumed it would be all doneand dusted by the time we went over, how wrong was I. He pooed on so many lovely carpets and couches it was a nightmare. I think I made friends who had babies fear they're future. , in the end I went for pull ups I swore I would never use them but now think they are the best invention, and that is straight from the mouth of a real nappy user.

I third the use of manual nasal suction, have seen many Japanese parents use it as it is quite normal over there. Used it for ds1 and was great for clearing his airway and getting him feeding.

I think if anyway does completely embrace it they are not true to themselves. I love being a mum am fanatical about breastfeeding and have thrown myself heart and sole into the care of my boys but I can't help feeling a bit claustrophobic at times and also a bit like I'm losing myself. I have my fingers crossed that after Saturday (6weeks) I will be able to express and ds2 will happily drink from the bottle (unlike his brother). If not Arti we can go slowly mad together.

arti - although i only have one and know so little, i completely understand. happy chaos of family life - great phrase - and easier said to embrace i than done. i am sure you are a supermum and you are completely natural for feeling a little overwhelmed - it is completely overwhelming.

dd has grizzled her way through the day, but has settled now albeit after a ginormous vom which seemed to arc over and land on me. suppose that will have repercussions as regards the rest of the night - it always seems a balancing act between wanting her to be asleep and knowing how much to wind/change etc which will probably wake her up. she's not going to remember one night where she went to bed with vom on her, is she?

dh and i are looking forward to an evening together watching heston blumenthal - we live on teh edge, we do.

oh, she's grizzling - here's hoping it isn't the beginning of something big.

daisy - when dd1 is all stuffed up we run the shower on hot with the bathroom door closed so it gets all steamy and sit in there for a while, and it usually helps to loosen things up and clear her out a bit - don't know if it would work on a newborn but maybe worth a try?
arti - sorry you're feeling crappy. I said the exact same thing to dh this evening about being trapped - I wanted (well, needed) to get on with washing up, making tomorrow's packed lunch, sorting out uniform etc, but couldn't put dd2 down because she woke up and cried if I wasn't cuddling her, so I felt really stuck. I really hope it works out for you with the nanny doing the bottle feed tomorrow

Phoebe has been a bit out of sorts today I think. She's not had any decent sleeps - all just little 10 minute naps on and off all day, and her feeds have been really short but really frequent, so we've had no pattern or routine at all! I rang GP about her smelly wee and although it's probably nothing, I need to take a sample in to the GP (easier said than done!). I said she was otherwise fine in herself, but after her bizarre day I'm wondering if she is fine or not! Oh well I'll see what the night holds and review the situation in the morning. SHe's just gone off to sleep in her cot so I'm off to bed myself - you never know when you're next shut-eye is going to come along so I make the most of every opportunity!
nighty night

Arti and anyone else Rosemerta mentioned a great book once before called What mothers do even when it feels like nothing. I can't recommend it enough. It kind of explained to me what I was feeling, and made sense of it.

WG don't worry about a bit of vomit on her. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who has gone to bed with vomit in her hair.

We may be coming down to London during the Feb school holidays as DH is on a job down there and we want to show Jordy off to our London family. So if we are would be good to try and organise a coffee morning or lunch with some of you lovely ladies.

DS2 has had a really funny day today. He has been really grumpy. He seems to be hungry so he gets fed, then falls asleep and I put him down to sleep and he wakes up again. It has been like it all day and as soon as he does go to sleep DS1 wakes him up.

Arti I feel much the same. Doesn't feel like there is a time that I don't have one or other of them. They are both asleep now but I know that when I go to bed dd will soon be at the breast, ds will wake up at some point (cannot wait for him to settle down again, his bed refusal and waking is just exhausting, far more than general daytime bolshiness) and I dread it. I had a bath tonight and shaved legs, sorted out the forest around my fanjo in an attempt to feel feminine. Tomorrow is the hunt for jeans as my old ones give me a muffin top but the size too big ones I have are huge and baggy and give me a saggy arse. Plus they relly need washing but are the only thing I have other than pjs.

Who was it who had sex? At only 4 weeks post natal I am not in a rush but I feel like I must make more of an effort with dh. He tries to kiss me, cuddle me etc, not in a have sex kind of way just ordinary affection but I just shy away from it. I just can't be doing with it, I spend all day and much of the night being touched in one way or an other, holding dd, feeding her, cuddling ds, doing housework with ds hanging off my leg...I can't take any more touching! I think he is starting to feel a bit alienated though no matter how much he says he understands.

Ther is, however, nothing wrong with putting babies to bed with a bit of vomit on them At least I hope not else both my dcs are scared for life.