Sept 08: We'll soon be weaning, and of a full nights sleep we're dreaming ......

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

Hello ladies.

Pull up a chair, grab a biscuit and lets start talking about puree vs blw and sleep deprivation

Barnpot - oh you poor thing, must be such a scary and worrying time for you. Are they planning any more tests? Not knowing eactly what's happening and why must be very hard. thinking of you, x

barnpot - remember whatever the outcome, Els IS your perfect little boy. Sending you love and strength at this difficult time.

Sorry you're going through this barnpot, hope little Els is ok.

I've spent every spare waking moment this week working on a job application which I have now emailed off. It is now out of my hands. My brain has had a serious workout.

A's cough has gone from dry to chesty. Found out today that you can no longer buy cough mixture for chesty coughs for children. So am hoping it clears up in the next couple of days or it's off to the GPs.

Despite this, two nights ago he seemed to be fine and I experimented with witholding his 3am feed. He woke every hour but settled back to sleep within 5 minutes (and some gentle stroking from me). I didn't sleep a wink from 4am with my boobs growing heavier with each of A's wakings. But we made it to 7am when he woke ready to start the day and I gave him his first feed. And it was a proper feed - prior to this he'd hardly feed at all when waking up at 7. So I think we're doing the right thing.

Tried it again last night, he didn't wake as often and he settled a lot quicker when he did. But at 5:30 he started coughing and crying and I couldn't bare to hear him in distress so I fed him. Oh well, not a complete backward step.

Will try the same thing again tonight.

Splish the more the merrier! We could put our amazing non-sleeping babies together and see whether they bore one another to sleep.
My mother is currently upstairs trying to settle T after I gave up after 45 mins. He virtually nods off (in his cot, all nicely), then comes to, completely hysterical, for no apparent reason. it's astonishingly demoralising, stressful and boring (sitting in a dark room) all at the same time.

Ponymum it won't come as any kind of shock to you to know that I have a weight loss spreadsheet too! I've got a stone to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, which I really want to get to.

Barnpot how scary, poor you and E. Hope you are both doing ok.

DG I am supremely envious of your sleeping baby. The past 2 nights we have been back to 2 hourly feeds all night. Ridiculously frustrating as he goes 3-4 hourly during the day, and screams at me if I try to encourage him to have more.
I am so tired I don't even know how to begin tackling it. I think we need to start doing anything we can to stretch out the feed gap to at least 3 hourly at night (even if it means a few nights of cross baby), and keep him awake for a proper feed at each waking. Just need to come up with a strategy that me and DP can bear to stick to, and go for it.

Weaning is going really well - don't think a single thing has been swallowed yet, but there's plenty of sucking of fruit, ricecakes and cucumber going on! I keep having to forcibly restrain DP and my mother from 'helping' him a bit when he drops something, they both think I am mad for not spooning in purees (and so do I, a bit, but I just think this is the right thing to do for us, astonishingly), but are letting me get on with it for the most part.
T is so funny - when he little tray of bits is first presented to him, his first reaction is to lean further and further forward, till he lands face first on the table/food - actually picking up food is for timewasters! Luckily he then manages to sit up again and attempt to pick a fwe bits up.

barnpot thinking of you

NCt shit sale saga continues...got up early again (by that i mean dressed) to deliver stuff, go back to catch the end of the sale before collecting left over stuff- it looks liek the beginning of the sale- i cant actually believe anyone has been and bought anything! Apparently its because lots of poeple were selling. Well I'm sure I came home with about as much as I took (plus kerplunk that I bought for ds1) Grrrr have just decided to keep the best bits to give to my friends when they have kids and give the rest away, cant be bothered anymore. Such a waste of my time. And Alfie is still poorly, I am expecting another wakeful night

Plusone if I were you I would be so mad about the sale! I suppose that if you didn't know they had changed the date, how would all the people who were going to turn up and buy your stuff yesterday?

Barnpot - thinking of both you and Els.

hopefully your weaning sounds good. And I am glad I am not the only one with a weight loss chart.

How is weaning going for everyone else who has started? I am very curious to hear as we started today (one day early but DH is going away and didn't want to miss out). I decided to start with baby rice just to give me a bit of confidence that she can swallow something that comes from somewhere other than my front (I do realise it's not much in the way of food). Here's how it went: realised I had to hand express a tablespoonfull of breast milk to mix with the baby rice. Bummer, as I seem to have lost all ability to express. Managed to get about a teaspoonfull into the cup so just made up that amount. DD got the hang of it so quickly and even started to grab the spoon as it was coming towards her mouth. I think she really liked it! But the pain of expressing and her obvious keeness to put things in her mouth herself means that I will probably progress to finger food rather quicker than I thought! Perhaps in a week's time I'll be a complete BLW devotee!

hopefully did I say he was sleeping? oh no no no no. He is not sleeping. He is just not being feed between midnight and 5/6/7 (whichever I can hold out till), which I hope is a step on the path to sleeping through. He's never ever ever slept longer than 5 hours and never the 'right' 5 hours (i.e. when I'm sleeping). I just decided now he's 6 months, started weaning, it's about time I did something to help him sleep for longer. We're currently going backwards and he is sleeping less, but I have made a pact with DH that we will persist for two weeks and see if there's any improvement then. Otherwise it's back to the 2-3 nightly feeds.

This morning we made it till 6:40 before I fed him. However A woke up briefly at 1:30, 3:30, 4:30. Then at 5 he woke up and didn't go back to sleep properly till 6. Then was properly up and chipper, ready to start the day at 6:40.

Am exhausted. And waiting with baited breath to see if I get a 'thanks for your application' email from the woman I sent it to.

ponymum I'm trying to lose weight without any scales or a spreadsheet. I'm going by how many of my pre-pregnancy clothes I can fit into. Two weeks ago it was my 'fat' jeans (the baggy ones you wear for slumping round the house in). On Saturday I squeezed myself into my normal jeans! Still accessorised with copious amounts of muffin top, but a couple of months ago I couldn't get them up round my thighs so there's been some definite shrinkage.

Weaning is going well, A is beginning to swallow lumps - I think it's still by accident. But he is purposefully sucking the juice out of things (plums, strip of roast beef, apples).

thanks everyone, just feeling a bit deflated, its my birthday but I don't feel like celebrating. just so worried about him. the only test they did was the eeg but I don't thhink he had any dos while they were doing it, if they have any results then they will ring us if not he was due to see the paeds consultant on the 25th so will review him then.

Happy Birthday Barnpot . I won't say don't worry because that would be a stupid thing to say and no help to you whatsoever. Keep positive and stay hopeful, it will help you get through the times when you feel low about everything.

Here, have some birthday cake. It's got candles and icing, and no calories

Happy Birthday Barnpot, sorry it's such a worrying time for you.

Job app has been acknowledged. I really should stop thinking about it now. Am going to see current employer next week to see how much 'working from home' I can get away with if I return.

Hopefully C was waking every 2 hours last night as well. The night before she slept for about 4 hours to start, then woke lots once i went to bed. How is that fair?? She usually settles easily but only if fed, otherwise she works herself up,and I dread dd1 waking or I'd try some other soothing method. She falls asleepin the sling easily, but it's unusual for her to go to sleep on her own otherwise. Oh well, I'm sure it'll be ok one day

Barnpot did the doctors witness any of his episodes when he was in hospital? At least you haven't got too long to wait till your appointment.

Ponymum well done on the weight loss, v impressive, especially with your culinary prowess!

DG good luck with job application. I'm trying to see if there are any ways to make a bit of extra cash from home, like doing some market research or something.

With weaning, which is 2 weeks away now, the tongue poke reflex thing... C is always sticking her tongue out - does that mean she might find eating hard,or is she just making faces at me????

Happy birthday Barnpot. Eat lots of (real) cake to make yourself feel better, and try to keep your chin up - at least E is getting lots of investigation so you'll be able to get to the bottom of it soon.

DG you could have kept quiet there - I was geting ready to be really impressed with your sleeping baby! I have pretty much decided that we're going to do similar when T gets to 6 months and actually swallowing the odd bit of food - we're going to start out making the feeds 3 hourly at night, then build up from there to not feeding for at least 4 hours from the 'last' feed (i.e. the first one after he goes goes down at 8pm), and so on. I feel the same, that it's really OK to try to help him have better sleep at night at this stage,and he doesn't need to be feeding every 2 hours at night.

Last night was crap (2 hourly feeds), but he did do a monstrous explosion this morning (still like concrete though), and is now completely conked out in his chair next to me, and has been for 2 hours.
Have decided that if he's still constipated next week I'm going to talk to the doc about lactulose, because he is in so much pain when he finally poos - it's at least 30-40 mins of crying, straining and screeching every time he goes (about once every 4 days at the moment)

Oh, pics of T attempting rice cakes dipped in yoghurt going up on my profile in moment...

barnpot sorry to hear what your DS is going through. .

plusonemore Our NCT sale is only open for 90 mins and last time they stopped people buying because it was tidy up time, its a pity it can't be open for a whole afternoon! There is always loads of stuff left over. I did sell lots of my bigger stuff this time (baby bath & cot top changer), but the P&T cocoon didn't sell so I have to e-bay that.

Ex P is driving me mad (won't even bother with the details!). I am about to go begging to my family to ask for more help as I will crack up if I don't get some time to myself and a chance to get to the gym. I get help from them, but usually because I have something to do with one of the DC's on their own or doctors, no actual time for me to relax. I need exercise and a night out!

thinking of you too Barnpot

sorry to hear about the NCT sale plusonemore now you've got it all sorted could you not put it on ebay or even here?

Having a great time on the skiing hols - there's LOADS of snow. I thought I'd pop in while on Maebh duty in the chalet (and 'cos it takes SOOO long to catch up otherwise.)

DD1's really impressed with me on her skiing, the ski school skied down from the top of the mountain today. I'm very proud as last year she didn't get it at all.

With all the snow I'll have plenty of opportunity to practise off-piste tomorrow.

Have a feeling M will be really ready for weaning soon, she grabbed my bread out of my hand and was sucking and chewing it before I managed to get it back! 2 weeks to go.....

thinking of you too barnpot and E, hope the docs can get to the bottom of it soon.

we were getting on great with weaning, doing a mix of purees (only because I made them so want to use them up) and finger foods which he really seems to like- toast with avocado or banana prob the favourite. Or melon, he loves that.
But he now seems to have caught ds1s bug, he's had diarrheoa since last night (not continuously, just a few more times than he normally poos) and just woke up from a 2 hr sleep with a high temp. I gave him calpol and he just zonked on my shoulder and fell asleep again- he never does that. And he hasn't been interested in food at all today.
Only good thing is that he slept from 11-6 last night so I've had a bit of an energy boost to deal with them both.

barnpot So very sorry to hear of the worrying time you have had/are still having with little Els. Brought back lots of horid memories of ds1 and his health problems at that age Hope the appointment on 25th helps to get a diagnosis/treatment. Fits are scary arent they?. I once held my eldest nephew (who was a 27 week preemie) whilst he was having a grand mal siezure....not nice - he had lots of fits for quite a while...he is now 5 and fit as a horse!

meglet Good idea about asking your family....its amazing what a few child free hours (that dont involve shopping, cooking or cleaning) can do for you! Hop you get it sorted x

Eye is ok...thanks for all the sympathy. God knows I dont get any at home!!!

How in the world did we get to six months so quickly?

I KNOW!

M is 6 months old today (in weeks), so I think that makes Baby Starlight 6 months old in weeks tomorrow. I didn't put a question mark after that Starlight as you probably don't know Just nod if BS was born on a Tuesday!

ILTMIMI

It's been a journey and a half

Lovely sharing it with you all.

Hello ladies,

have not been on MS for a while. Well, I've been reading all your adventures while I feed, but never finding the time to post.

Barnpot hugs to you and E. It's so hard to see your little one distressed.

Digitalgirl, sending you lots of luck vibes both with the job application and present employers. May a fabulous work arrangement come your way. (And then let me know how you managed it!).

Ok, my latest scare (please advise, mothers of boys): Today I changed Diego's nappy at mothercare and noticed that his penis was slightly swollen and reddish. A milky, greeny discharge came out of it. I immediately called the doctor. He said it was most likely a fungal infection, and I could come over and pick up a prescription. I asked whether he was going to examine him and he replied that it would not be necessary. He prescribed a cream with fungicide and 1% cortisone. He did not give me a time duration for using it or any instructions.

Now, have any of your LOs had something like this? how have you treated it? AIBU to be very annoyed?

Hello all, so about poorly babies, poorly eyes, and the uselessness of nct sales and exPs. Feeling for all of you.
Ds is still troughing his food, he's put on a pound since he was weighed in hospital two weeks ago, sure is making up for lost time! Last night he had 9oz of sweet potato/formula mix. Plus all usual milk feeds. Yikes. He still can't sit up though, so we're feeding him in the (increasing filthy) bouncy chair. He screams within seconds in the bumbo or highchair. He's great at grabbing toys, but not food (have tried broc trees and carrot sticks) but he's still two weeks off being six months. Then the whole glorious world of meat and bread will open up to him! If only he'd be happy sitting somewhere to eat it

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY barnpot! Your MN friends think you're fab!

pacita I'd call the gp tomorrow and find out a bit more and how to use the cream.

pacita,I'd want the gp to actually have a look before deciding what the problem is - I'd go with Meglet's suggestion.

Barnpot happy birthday,hope you managed to enjoy the day

meglet and splish I actually called back to ask for instructions, but put the phone down none the wiser, as teh receptionist decided not to put me through, so she just transmitted what the doctor said. It was a bit like chinese whispers. He said that he would see me on Wednesday if the bubs was not better.

I call that rubbish treatment.