April 2005 babies!!!

[Gem1355]

Hi

Howz everyone doing?

Darcie is doing well but losing abit of weight after she put it on after inital weight loss but okay other than that.

would post a picture but don't know how!

it's gone all quiet here. i can hear the crickets.

Maya and I went to stay with a friend for 2 days. We were both going stir crazy being locked up together for so long. It was a great holiday and has been restful for both of us. Daddy comes home tomorrow and then it is the weekend.

Off for another jaunt next week. Another friend offered us free room and board for the week and I am really looking forward to it. Then Daddy comes home from Scotland permanently!!!!

He jobhunted and found a position to work from home. Now reality will truly set in for him. Heh, he.

Alux, that's really good news that your DH will be working from home. My DH also has his office at home. It is really nice to have the support throughout the day. DH does find it hard to shut himself away during the day. I just make sure that i go out and about for a few hours a day to give him a fighting chance of getting work done.

Gem - that's brilliant news, must be a relief for you.

Have to agree that having a DH that works from home is a blessing! It makes a big difference to just have someone there to hold the baby for five minutes when you need the loo!! I suspect our income will take a huge drop though as DH is definitely more interested in playing with DD than making money. Freya still doing really well - we have been sleep training this week to try and stop her from needing to be rocked to sleep. Been trying the pick up put down thing where you calm them when they cry but as soon as they stop put them down again (awake). It's gone really well and she has gone to sleep in her own room every night this week. Took about 20 pick ups the first night but only 1 tonight! V relieved as she is getting heavy and the constant carrying, rocking and patting every evening was killing my back!!
anyone elses babies got reflux? Freya throws up after every feed - one doc told me it goes after about a year and another said about 4 months. Really hoping it's more like 4 months. The idea of her throwing up solids is not appealing!

Well, not QUITE working from home. My mistake. He is working in the city nearest where we live. But after working away 4 nights a week, it SEEMS like working from home.

Maya goes down to her own cot in many states of awake and sleepiness with varying success. If I am really tired and need to rest, I go to bed - mostly during the daytime, and sleep with her. If she is really fussy at night, I tend to cuddle her to sleep and lay her down gently, if she is having a good day, I try to put her down when she is drowsy and let her settle herself. I need to do more of the latter like you Lucy.

Keep us posted on your success.

hi all - back from holiday - the most exhausting of my life to date, but fun too (in between times).

Just had a quick catch up. Delgirl glad you've joined us. Verso glad your GP sounds so good, hope it helps to take things one week at a time like this. Alux delighted your DH will be around more, you should find it all tonnes easier.

Everyone else sounds like you are doing great. I agree with Kelly about doing whatever suits the child to get to sleep etc. I tried so hard with DD1 not to feed to sleep, rock to sleep etc because that's what the books said and after a year or so wished I hadn't bothered. As someone on here (sorry can't remember who) said - just when you think you've got them in a routine it all changes anyway. Still, whatever works and I know GF etc. are a godsend for some. With DD2 I feed to sleep, rock, dance on my head etc etc etc and she seems very chilled...will no doubt turn into a demon child with the next change of wind though

anyway - must go and sort washing and water plants and sit in the sun with a coffee now

take care

MP

Hi everyone!

Hope u r all enjoying the weekend weather, i know i am! Darcie is just laying in her nappy fast asleep at the mo! its too hot for her at the mo i think! we r both well other than that!

forgot to add had Darcie weighed on friday and she is now 10lbs 15oz and is 57cms long!!!!

Great stats for Darcie, Gem! Sounds like she's thriving!

Sooooooo hot today. We've had the fan on all night and all day. Travelled back from a wedding yesterday. The motorway wasn't much fun AT ALL!!! Very very hot - and we forgot something and had to go all the way back for it, which meant we got home very late last night and Anneke ended up getting really upset and fractious. (She had been an angel on the way down, too.)

Am slightly paranoid that Anneke is gaining too fast (can that be a problem?!) because my MIL made some comments over the weekend about her being 'chubby'. Hmm. I know she gained a lot last week...

This is partly paranoia fuelled by the 'one bottle of formula at night' thing we have going. I am convinced DH is upping the quantity steadily, even though he knows I want it kept to a total minimum. (He also keeps 'forgetting' to use the milk I express and put in the fridge. Grrrrr. That's another story!)

Anyway - think I'll go to the clinic again this week and get her weighed. Probably worrying about nothing though!

Verso i wouldn't worry to much if Anneke is chubby, i prefer chubby babies, Darcie has got a double chin!!! As long as she is happy then doesn't really matter!

Mine have gone thru a change of wind cos of the heat. They are waking up at 4am for feeds again, irritable during the day, and far more difficult to settle in the eve. Anyone else's babies upset by the heat?

I also agree about chubby babies. I have one chubby and one skinny one, and the skinny one has looked so much better since he has put on a bit of weight! Chubby babies look liek babies, my skinnier dt looks so much more boyish rather than liek a baby! I don't think it is always completely to do with intake neither, as my skinny one takes more than his fatter twin!

Hi everyone - I've just had a quick scan of all the posts and there is so much to take in - I really must come on here more often! It seems like all the babes are thriving though even if some are finding things rather stressful - hope things get easier.

Alexander is a right little chunky monkey - he was 12lbs 2oz when I took him for his 6 week check a couple of weeks ago - not bad for a bf baby!! He must be a lot more than that now - he does not actually look that much smaller than my friends 4 month old! He still cluster feeds in the evening and then generally goes from 10pm to 5am which I am more than happy with at the moment particularly as the 5am feed is getting quicker and quicker.

We went camping in Croyde, Devon last weekend with a group of friends and their kids - fortunately we have quite a big tent so his travel cot fitted in it. Both he and dd slept like angels which enabled all the adults to sit outside drinking until well gone 11pm (only the night chill eventually drove us to bed!). It was really great to let my hair down with a group of adults again (was rather naughty with my alcohol intake but have done some research and it only seems to be a problem if you regularly drink heavily or regularly binge drink).

Hope everyone is coping with the heat - it's a nightmare in the SE isn't it.

Hi all - hope everyone is not too hot and bothered!!! Ryan had his jabs today - he only made a little cry and then went quiet and even smiled at the nurse!!!! (He'll learn )

Thought we'd cracked the sleeping through when he went from 10.30pm til 6.30am, but no he hasn't repeated it yet - still waking at 3.30am for a feed - not sure what else to do really - just waiting for him to give that feed up.

Is i hot enough for everyone!?!?! Jack is being relatively good, but due to the heat isnt sleeping much during the day.

I am sooooo of the those of you who's bubbas are sleeping for more than 3 hours at at time during the night. Jack is a little monkey - he goes from 12am to 3am then about 3.45am to 6am. I dont really know how to get him to sleep for longer. Surely by now (8wks) he should be able to go longer?? He is now getting more formula then breast, but that hasnt made any difference. I did by Gina Ford's book, but DH thinks its to rigid a routine. Not sure what to do. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated .

He is due to be weighed this week, we are expecting him to be about 13lbs.....!

it is far far too hot! and the pollen count doesn't help either . for those bf, anyone found an alternative to antihistimine?

anneke has had no sleep in the past 2 nights. sleeps eventually when i take her out in the pram. i'm dropping from exhaustion. dh got angry with me last night because i asked him not to forget to use the expressed milk and he felt i was attacking him.

he is tired, apparently.

don't know what to do. i got hv to visit yday wnd she says im doing really well.

feel awful.

Oh verso, it sounds like you are havign a tough time atm. Is it the heat stopping her form sleeping? I've had to put mine down in just a nappy, they've been playing up too. Me and my dp always end up at each others throats if we've had no sleep.
I'm sure you're doing fine. It is really hard, but things will get better soon.

thanks kelly. yes it's the heat - though last night she ended up too cold with the fan on. aargh.

thing is, dh gets 6 hours a night, becausehe's working and also has ms. i feel i cant ask him to do more than 8pm-11pm, because he's always complaining about being tired and i know fatigue makes the ms worse.

i said i might go and stay w a friend for a couple of nights (she has offered to take anneke while i catch up on sleep) but he said "you can't run away every time we have hot weather".

which is true, i suppose.

thing is, he gets loads of praise for all he does with her. had a fine time at the wedding showing off his baby. never mind that i was exhausted from the journey and sitting on the verandah while everyone had thir mea, breastfeeding. he took #her for 10 mins and everyone thought he was wonderful. i had her for the next 2 hours, outside, on my own.

to clarify - he gets 6 hours sleep a night. watches a from 8 to 11 while i get my three.

Hello - had a bit of a mare of a couple of weeks - there's a chair with my name on in the doctors! Started with me trapping dd fingers in car door - many x-rays later decided she was fine. other things include - oral thrush (still), dd has thrush, dh dropped Patrick off the bed, chest infections all around and a few more things! Feeling like quite an incompetant (SP?) mother at the moment.

I've got an appointment with the DR next week to discuss coils (I know contraception the last thing on everyones mind but can't stand the thought of periods!) - on radio two the doctor mentioned a coil with a hormone on that stopped periods after a couple of months, I didn't get the name. Has anyone heard anything good or bad about this?

Babywhispering seems to be working for us, the cluster feeding has extended the first night feed to about 5 hours. Can't seem to get him past 4 am though. Swaddling doesn't work for him, tryed it and sent him into screaming hissy fits - ended up with a purple face but fell straight to sleep after I unwrapped him from all the engery he had used - so it sort of worked!

Lucy - I'm also experiencing the delights of refux and projectile vomiting. Patrick can get it to go about 4 metres on a good day. Nearly hit someone when we were walking through town the other day. the lovely part was dd paddling in the pool of sick while I was cleaning up the baby! HV has said to ask the doctor about putting him on gaviscon- it's his 6 week check on Thurs so will try then.

I didn't know ur dh has ms, my dps mother has it too. It must make things even harder with a new baby. We have a fan on timer so that it goes off before the temp drops too much. It cost £50 out of Robert Dyas, but is well worth it.
I think it's one of the hard things about being a mother - you're expected to do it all, whereas dp isn't. I think you are doing really well to keep it all going when you are getting so little sleep.
Couldn't your friend take Anneke for an afternoon instead so you can have a good long nap?

Hello everyone. Hope you and all the babes are doing well. this is my first time on MN since DS2 was born! Sorry I haven't time to read the entire thread - I will try to catch up later with everyone's news!

DS2 is doing well. he is enormous! 9lb 3oz at birth and last time I had him weighed he was over 14lbs! Not sure what is in my BM!

DS1 is generally being a good big brother but the novelty has worn off now.

You may remenber my DH was assaulted on the eveing of DS2's birth. He is recovering well but will have scars on his face. He is taking antidepressants which seem to be helping. He is struggling a bit at work and I'm quite worried about him but he is making progress.

I will try to read thru' the thread later.

verso, you are doing very well considering the amount of sleep you are getting. i say go to your friend's. it's not running away - it's getting some sleep so go for it whilst the offer is still open.

oh, and wanted to say, yup somehow dp/dh's contribution are always regarded marvellous whilst the mum's contribution is well, what can i say? expected and hence overlooked?

Hi, had a bit of rubbish news today. Still bleeding post delivery (will be 10 weeks on Friday) and was sent for a scan today which showed I have retained products in my uterus. Have to go in for D&C tomorrow, glad they are doing it so quick but would prefer not to have to have general anasthetic with a little baby to look after. My mum is coming down to help with Freya so shouldn't be too bad - also they are doing it as a day surgery so no overnight stay!
Leggymamba, think the coil you mentioned is the Mirena. It is supposed to be very good and in most people periods stop completely. However in some women bleeding is constant and heavy and does not settle down for months. If it stays heavy you can always have it removed. I am definitely going to go for it. I love Freya dearly but the thought of having another one any time soon horrifies me! Let me know if you get Gaviscon and if it works, had another very vomity day today!
Verso - sorry you are feeling so rubbish - I agree that you should take up your friends offer. It's not running away because it's hot it is catching up on some much needed rest. I think everything seems ten times harder to deal with when you are knackered and sometimes one unbroken nights sleep can make all the difference. I ask my DH to do a full night of feeds for me about once every ten days and it really helps.
Strawberry glad your baby is well and hope DH continues getting better. Still can't believe such an awful thing happened the day DS was born!
Hope everyone else ok and not too hot!
p.s. Hot tip! bought brilliant clip on fan in Woolworths for 2.99. It has soft rubber blades so can't hurt baby and I clip it on Freyas buggy and car seat so she has air conditioning! It has really helped in this heat

sorry to hear about your surgery lucy. Hope it's gone ok and everything heals quickly afterwards.

We had fun at Centerparcs Elvedon though dd had a nasty cold/cough so so between her and jasper neither me nor my mum got much sleep, but we had fun anyway and after his 2nd week of swimming every day jasper now loves his bath He's doing well, still bang on the 50th centile line for weight which I'm quite pleased about as dd was up to the 91st by this stage! (having been 48th at birth!). But having said that I agree with kelly about chubby babies looking cuter than skinny ones, and now at 19m dd is perfectly proportioned - I think some babies are genetically programmed to be a bit roly poly then as soon as they start moving around they lose it. (No matter what our mothers say about overfeeding ) He's still waking for a nightfeed anywhere between 3 and 6 so I'm giving up on hoping he'll go through the night til after he's weaned - that way I won't be disappointed!

Verso - hope you're doing ok today. I totally agree about doing anything you can to make these first few weeks/months as bearable as possible. There are no prizes for being superwoman, we just have to get through it any way we can in my opnion, and that usually means accepting all the offers of help we can!

csa - does beconase help your hay fever at all? I had bad allergies in both my pregnancies and the dr said it was ok to use, so i assume it's ok while b/f too.

strawberry - I hadn't read about your dh being assaulted. How absolutely dreadful for you both. I'm glad to hear he's on the mend now.

Right - out to sit in the big paddling pool reading Heat while jasper sleeps and dd is at nursery!