jan 09; dream feeds, sod mummy's needs, shes on her knees...the one where it all starts to get better (hopefully)!

[fourlittlefeet]

here we are; a bit early, but one more task done. tick

Hmmmm, well the injections were fine (he has very chubby legs) but at the post-natal check he did a massive pee all over the doctor . Never liked her anyway!
Bit grizzly this afternoon at family time but nothing compared to DD and the horror she has become in the last few weeks. Think she has finally realised we are not sending the baby back and he is here for good. Have only just managed through bribery and corruption to get her back to sleeping through (last week we got to the stage where me and her were in my bed and DH was in her bed with a lovely Fifi duvet!).
I know what you mean Lenni about independence, can't wait in a way but also trying to enjoy Zach whilst he is lovely and small. Think I'm just going to get ultra broody when they are both at school so I would also like DH to get snip but don't know if he is old enough.
dog Love the name Isla, pleased it all went well for you. Would have loved a homebirth but house not that big, so had waterbirth at midwife unit.

P.s I have found the facebook group and requested to join if you guys will have me!

givethedogAhomebirth i was told it is 99% effective, i don't think there is a controception that is 100%. It lasts for 3 years, then i have to go back and get it changed. Once you have it though, they don't like you to have it taken out (unless there are major problems) because it is expensive to the NHS. I was told if i bleed alot, i should wait at least 6 months because thats how long it can take to settle down. You don't have to have it replaced after 3 years if you don't want to and your fertility returns to normal when it's out. It is a good form of controception if you know you don't want anymore babies or want a long gap between them and you don't have to remember to take anything everyday. They did keep mentioning the coil though but i have heard so many bad things about it that i want to stay clear of that.

LenniEd you are so right about finding a new independence when they turn 2. Even though my dd is at a very testing age right now (2.5) i love her company and the fact that she talks to me now.

It seems almost everyone is given their little ones a feed at 10-11pm and putting them down for them to have a feed at about 3am then at 6-7am. It's nice to know we are in the same boat. I would like some unbroken sleep though soon!

i agree msSparkle, we are all in the same boat. i would love to get rid of that 3am feed tho!

for those of you bottle feeding, how much does your LO take at the 11pm feed? the 3am feed?

my LO takes about 5 ounces. it is a struggle tho, cos he is so sleepy and windy!

moose, how is your LO's reflux?

Hi

Don't know where the day went today. This is the first time I've had chance to pick up the laptop.

DD had her 6 week check this morning. HV is very happy with her. She is now 9lb 13 oz (7lb 8oz when born) and just a little higher than her original growth curve.

Had my PND questionnaire and a long discussion about how I am coping. General consensus was that I am teetering but currently aware of the potential and in control of it. I have been quite tearful and excessively tired and emotional over the past few days, but am aware that its something I need to deal with and hopefully I have the coping strategies to do it this time after all the therapy I had last time. She also felt a certain amount of tearfulness etc is only to be expected after the trauma of last week.

heron thanks for asking. The reflux seems to have settled down a bit and returned to being silent but not bothering her as much. She is doing a lot better with her sleep wedge and positioner and we are being careful to make sure she has plenty of 'upright time' after every feed and making sure she is always on a slight incline for nappy changes and playmat time. I am still off dairy as well, so that might be make a difference.

hkz sorry to hear LO is still so poorly. Hope you all feel better soon.

We have been trying to adjust DDs feeds a bit, as she sleeps well at night but then crams feeds in during the day to make up for it. How many feeds a day is everyone giving? I read somewhere it should be 8-10. DD currently has 8 including a larger EBM bottle last thing and I was worried that if she went longer between feeds during the day she would end up with less than 8 in a day. Its totally exhausting me though as the longest she is going from the start of one feed to the start of the next during the day is 2 and a quarter hours.

She has been taking a feed either at 11 or 12 (would like to bring this back to at least 10.30 as it is killing DH staying awake to give her a bottle) then sleeping for 6 hours then taking a large feed and sleeping for another 4 hours before starting the 2 to 2 1/4 hour marathon.

ray am trying the darkened room & swaddling for naps approach but no luck - although we did much better today with small nap during mum & baby group in the morning, and big nap at 1-3pm (I woke him up at 3 rather than let him sleep on) - and he's now been down since 7pm so fingers crossed he will make it till midnight. It's hard because we are out and about so much so he gets his naps all over the place and never gets into the routine of going down in his cot at the same time every day. Thanks LenniEd for brilliant comment, LOL at thought of a 15 yr old getting up for warm milk and a cry.

Also LOL chefswife at 'poke the beast' - we say 'don't wake the baby dragon' for same reason.

So tonight we drove all the way to Brecon (nearest cinema - 30 mins drive!) to watch slumdog millionaire, taking Nye with us. Perhaps it was stupid, but I thought I could just breastfeed him in the dark if he woke up and we would leave if he started crying. But the manager wouldn't let us in! The nearest mum & baby cinema only happens once a month in Newport, which is an hour away. It's times like these that I desperately miss London where the beautiful art deco cinema at the end of my road has mum & baby screenings once a week... oh well. I have to remind myself of the many benefits of living here in the middle of nowhere... which right now I am failing to remember!

missJ fingers crossed things work for you. when i'm out and about i try and time it so any time i am in the car, its during a "nap" time, as there is NO chance of keeping her awake in the car. I've got lots of Squeaky and rustly toys to keep her awake when i can, and like i said, that baby TV is a god Send.

tink Esme has ALL her naps in her moses basket in a darkened room when we are home. If we are out, well in her pram. We have a sheepskin liner in there which she loves.

Heron Esme is soley breastfed at the moment. i have expressed a few bottles here and there for OH to give, but not many. The only suggestion i have, is how much is you LO sleeping in the day? I know it sound mean, but i don't believe in the not waking a sleeping baby thing. She is so little i feel like she needs guiding into learning what is day and night. i never wake her suddenly, i open the curtains, and unswaddle her, and she comes around herself.

dog sunshine didn't last to afternoon, is now VERY wet and windy and horrible evening!!! Blurgh!

Pat Our LO's do indeed seem to have taken themselves into a similar routine! Glad it works well for you. Esme seems like a really content baby for knowing whats coming next.

miss J, were you near the rio in kingsland road?

flf no, near the phoenix in east finchley, but very similar to the rio!

thanks ray, I will keep plugging away and hopefully one of these days he will realise that sleep can be a lovely thing!

ps MM I am the same as you with daytime feeds - not longer than 2 hours between them; I am like a milk machine!

yeah for mum and baby cinema. we have one here that goes once a week. there's a new superhero movie coming out that i hope they'll show but usually its movie's like 'confessions of a shopaholic' which is sort of a good, cheap laugh.

i thought about DD's 'routine' and realized she does have one, she just won't lay in her crib. screams bloody murder. i think the mattress is uncomfortable but DH says that rubbish. hmmm.

my nice day with DH and DD ended with me being able to go to the grocery store by myself... i went all out and headed over to the big SuperStore and cruised around, enjoying my freedom. amazing how great it can feel just going out for butter and a lemon and some cereal by your self.

aargh too much to take in!
ds is on a growth spurt- last 2 days has fed non-stop, a complete monster. consequently not much sleep, and had svt at 1am this morning. didn't last too long this time- prob 10 mins.
dd's tantrums are getting worse at bedtime- and she has been having night terrors- what fun....
no routine yet- thought pattern was emerging, but last 2 days all haywire.

argh is right peach

Lol- he has a spot (baby acne, thankfully clearing up) right on his ear lobe, which looks just like an earring and keeps making me laugh when I feed him!

Well the HV has just been round and weighed Zach and he is now 14lb 3, and is effectively out of most of his 0-3 months clothes, what a monster! I asked if it was possible to overfeed but she said unlikely. I do wonder how he gets it all though, he only seems to take about 5 minutes per feed, although like you moose he does seem to feed every 2 hours in the day.
I don't really mind this though since he sleeps so well at night. Last feed at 9.30 again last night and he woke at 4.30 briefly and then 7.45.
I must be producing full-fat cream or something, must cut out all that cheese and chocolate .
Peach, lol at the ear spot! Zach had quite bad baby acne a few weeks ago, It cleared up about 6 weeks and he was lovely and smooth again. Wonder if it means they will be spotty teenagers?
The big news though is no poo yesterday, for the first day since he was born, guess I should be pleased but its so unusual for him I'm just worried. Never looked forward to a dirty nappy so much in my life!

p.s Don't think I am going to go for the coil after chatting to someone yesterday whose lovely little boy was conceived whilst on it. Don't like the idea of period-like pains after the agony of after-pains. I'm thinking celibacy at the moment

Second the celibacy. Anyone else not 'got round' to having sex yet? DS is 8 weeks today so I really should be recovered but just don't feel that way inclined. Think it's the bf hormones doing it. I am just going to have to bite the bullet and am sure it'll all be ok...

No poo for DS on mon/tues AM either Pat - he filled his nappy and his vest last night though... hope your DSs poo turns up in less dramatic fashion - ick!

My DS hasn't had a poo for a few days, I think Saturday, I'm getting a bit concerned about it but hope he'll make up for it soon, though no doubt it will be icky once he does.

This is our first day alone without appointments or going out scheduled. With DS1 I found such days terrifying but so far so good today, I think it's good to have a bit of a rest! I am intending to go to the local library and perhaps the park cafe this afternoon. DS2 is having a nap after a lot of on-off feeding between about 5 am and 12 noon today. He seems to me like he's growing and well, but I will find out what the scales say etc tomorrow.

Did the morning school run for the first time this morning and it all went really smoothly. DD went from 11.00 bottle to 4.50 am and then I woke her at 7.30 to make sure she was fed and not likely to scream for a feed in the playground.

After the school run I walked to the local shops in the sunshine and then back through the park, it was really nice to be out in the fresh air and feeling relaxed.

Since then she has been feeding every two hours again. Either she'll slow down or we are looking at several extra feeds today!

Got parents evening tonight and am really nervous as there are several 'issues' we need to discuss with DS1s teacher and apparently she told DH she has some important 'issues' to discuss with us. (Nice of her to tell us that a week ago so we had time to fret about it!) It could just be that she has concerns about the same things we do, but I don't think so somehow.

Well I've just sat down for the first time other than feeding DD today, so am going to watch Diagnosis Murder until its time to fetch the DSs, I have a giant cup of coffee (with soya milk of course) and a slice of dairy free chocolate brownie and am going to make the most of the next ten minutes until she wants a feed - again!

Just missed your post books. Thanks, am actually feeling much better today, must be the sunshine!

Well, guess what I found when I opened up his nappy! Not only that but I obviously changed him too soon, as I heard him do more as I did up his clean nappy. He then weed all over the changing mat, but fortunately I'd positioned him and moved his clothes out of the way to avoid further mess.

Oh yes... the fountains of poo....
DS has gone from 8 or 9 a day to once every 30 hours or so... just huge volumes coming out, eek!
I remember panicking over dd not pooing- gp says not a problem until 7 days ....

EVERYONE SOUNDS LIKE they are getting on great guns
just had brackens 6 week check all great
she now weighs 9lbs 10ozs has gained 4.5ozs in 1.5 weeks was 8lbs 7 ozs @ birth.
bracken has 2ozs @ the 11pm feed and 1oz @ 3am and 6am feed.
have started putting upstairs to sleep again in moses in the dark there is 2 much going on down here for her 2 sleep.
what do people do @ night
bracken stays in the loundge with us till 11pm when we take her up with us.

Poowatch update, the fountains of poo occured at lunchtime today, horrendous but at least I do not have to worry anymore.Least not for another 48 hours . Funnily enough he also weed all over himself and the mat, just as I was clearing it all up!
Lenni Zach also 8 weeks today and I have also not given in to any of DH's requests. Not that there have been many, he is just as knackered as I am and I think he is REALLY scared about knocking me up again. I agree that the bf hormones must be putting out the fires so to speak cos I had a very high sex-drive when pregnant this time.
Tink we let Zach sleep on the sofa on his feeding pillow in the early evening or stick him upstairs in moses basket. I then take him up at 9.30, feed him and put him down. Sometimes go to bed myself depending on how knackered I feel. Glad your check went ok.