Fab Feb 2009: attack of the zombie mums

[dinkystinky]

So here we all are, complete with babies and gro-bags under our eyes

hey there
glad to see you're all well and still chatting for England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and everywhere else you could care to mention.

We're pretty well here, though have a minor infection in the C-section scar, aggravated by knicker elastic I think and a rather rough cord skirt I wore at the weekend. I'm now on antibiotics - same ones as herbgarden and hopefully it will sort itself out asap. I don't think it's very bad - just a little bit of gunk - but I don't think you can be too careful in these situations.

Stanley is thriving and at 4 weeks weighed 10lb 11oz (on a birth weight of 8lb7oz) - all off the boob. I am absolutely pouring with milk, to the point that I wear a bra in bed (so I can put in breast pads and not wake up soaking wet). He feeds almost every waking moment and is expanding before our eyes. He is much quieter than his brother - except when he has wind in the evenings and is very snuggly.

I have been very naughty and put him straight in our bed - it was incredibly cold when he came back from hospital and it seemed mean to put him in the cot. Now thinking of ways of getting him out - a bit like chipping a barnacle off the bottom of a boat. It makes feeding very easy and means he never cries at night.

DS1 has been really relaxed about the whole thing - no sibling nastiness yet which is a blessing. I think the age gap has actually been a positive thing - something I worried about so much when I had a hard time TTC. He likes the fact we've had loads of visitors and all our friends have been really good - bringing presents for DS1 as well as the baby.

My trouble is that I now feel hideously broody all over again, which is sheer MADNESS at my age.

Sorry for lack of reading, just a flying visit to ask what people think of babies sleeping on their front? H slept terribly until he could roll himself onto his tummy and it looks like Sam prefers it too. Just wondered what everyones thoughts are?

DD doesn't like the flat on the back position much so I lie her on her side...mainly because she is sick so often and I am scared of her choking on it. Haven't tried the front except when she is asleep on top of me.

Wow MsLucy - you clearly have premium grade breast milk! That is quite some weight gain by little Stanley. Glad to hear things are good with DS1 too (remember you were finding it difficult dealing with him when you were pregnant so great he is being so good with his little brother). Danny started off in bed with me too - and comes in when he's being an insomniac - agree its hard trying to get them out (particularly if you're feeding so often).

Spotty- DS1 loves sleeping on his tummy (still does!) but we always put him down on his back as a little baby; once he could flip himself over we'd invariably find him sleeping on his front and as soon as we knew he could flip himself back we left him to it. I have met a few mums who had babies who slept on their front from the very beginning but personally I'd get paranoid about what would happen if they were sick on their fronts....

spotty, all of mine seem to hate their backs and with aaron it's been made even worse by the fact that in scbu he was allowed to sleep on his front on the grounds that he was on a respiration monitor anyway and anything that would keep him settled for the hours and hours and hours on end he spent in the incubator was a good thing.

i never let any of them sleep on their fronts anywhere but on top of me or next to me on the couch with my hand on their backs though as i'm far too paranoid. dd and ds1 leanred to roll qite early anway so it was only for a few months.

mslucy... wow! that's a brilliant weight. glad things are going well with ds1, it's lovely when they fall straight in love with the new baby isn't it? the only time all day aaron has been happy and content in his bouncer today was this morning with dd holding his hand and tickling him.... he was showering her with funny little baby smiles... was very sweet.

Hello everybody. Having thought I was over the worst of the visiting period, I have had random women dropping in this afternoon for coffee and cakes and to poke the baby - I barely know them but they are distant relatives or something....that's what it's like in Greece. So anyway, have been entertaining in the time slot I normally set aside for sleeping on the settee with Harry

Spotty Harry sleeps on his side, which he seems to like best, only on his front when he's on top of me. Being on his side seems to help his snuffles too, it just means that the sheet in his crib has dried snot/dribbles on it in the morning lovely

Off to the paediatricians tomorrow morning for his second ever check - I'll find out how much he weighs. After a shaky start with the BF and panic that he wasn't getting any food, I am now overloaded with milk to the extent that I have to sleep with a bra on too, MsLucy....and on a towel , and when I am out in public I have to constantly check that I don't have charming milk patches on my top. Hardly yummy mummy, eh? So anyway, hopefully he should be putting on a few pounds (he has a large double chin, so I imagine he is....).

BTW have decided to go for an old lady shopping trolley - they don't have them out here, so my lovely sister will have to bring one when she comes to visit in a few weeks. Maybe it could be her carry-on luggage...

Just skimming through really, don't have long, ds1 is infront of the tv but today has been a good day. I've not shouted once so having 10mins before I start dinner.
Spotty Luke sleeps on his side as he seem to settle better like that. I was awake throughout the first 2 nights with worry about CD, but all is ok.
My friend used to put her little baby to sleep on his belly and then turn him onto his front once he was asleep, could you do that?
Another friend of mine, made her dd sleep on her front from day 1 because she couldn't see the sense in laying on her back incase she choked if sick.
Did your mw say anything about SIDS when Sam had his heel prick test? Mine said they also test for something new now which is believed to be connected, high % of babies that have died of SIDS had this 'thing'. Sorry can't remember much about it. Do you still have the info leaflet?
Personally I think you have to do whatever you are comfortable with. AS long as you are aware of risks of overheating when sleeping on belly, and you are capable of making a sensible decision.......

Sorry I've been all me me me last 2 days! Will get back to personal replies.

Who thinks their baby has colic? Tbh, I tried lots of things like belly rubbing, lots of hugs, legs being moved in cycling motion but don't think there's too much that helps, think it's just time really, they outgrow it between 12 and 14 weeks. Hopefully herb or someone can help more. If I think of anything else or remember anything else that we did, I'll let you know.

Sleep on his belly and then turnonto his front when he was asleep? That doesn't make sense! Put to sleep on his belly and turned onto back when he was asleep!

What age do they tend to get colic? I've noticed that Luke seems very unsettled from now until about 9:30 so am going to try having him in the carrier on me this evening. I'm hoping it'll get better when I get around to planning his bedtime routine again.

Question about my toddler. A very long time ago, I moved story time from bedtime to the afternoon because he was getting too excited at bedtime and then wouldn't settle. I haven't managed story time for the past week or so, and am thinking that now he isn't settling anyway and I am laying on his floor until he goes to sleep, maybe I could read to him whilst I'm there anyway? Might give it a go later and see what happens.

Calico, Pempe - flat on back was defo out for both of mine, they hated it and both were initially mucousy so we use the side option too but it still doesn't work brilliantly.

Dinky - I was the same with ds1 but feel a bit more 'cavalier' this time round. Also Ds2 has yet to be sick....

PT - We've been the same so far, he spends most of the night on DH's chest on his tummy and can sleep up to 6hrs. Put him in his cot on his side or back and it is maximum 1.5hrs

I decided to experiment today and put him on his front for a nap as figured I could doze on the bed next to his crib and listen to him breathe check him regularly. He slept for 4 hours!! So i think I'll do it in the eveningswhen i can be with him and after the 11pm feed, try SMS's suggestion of turning him onto his back after he's asleep.

Thanks guys xx

PT. DS1 made Stanley smile yesterday - a proper smile not a wind smile.

He's also a front sleeper by choice - lying on top of me. It's rather lovely when he's small and it's cold - might be a bit of a mixed blessing when it's hot and he weighs 20lb (next week at the rate he's going).

I'm impressed by the weight gain too but then he does feed a HELLUVA lot, bless him.

He is a very lovely character - I am very lucky.

Chiled- fantastic birth story, well done. You must have a tremendous feeling of acomplishment after that!

Spotty- DS seems to prefer lying on his side when he's in the pram or on his front when lying on us. They never look very comfortable on their backs, their little legs just dangle in the air.

We had a very unsettled night last night, came downstairs with him at 3.30am and watched crap TV so he could whinge and not wake DH and DD.

MsLucy- it sounds like Frank and Stanley are quite similar, he's now over 10lbs too and is a real milk lover. I had to go and buy him some more babygros today as we are running out of things that fit. He seems to have a very placid character so far and is happy as long as he's sleeping or eating.

I should say placid as long as he's not got bellyache, then he's a screaming banshee until he manages an enormous fart and then all is right with the world

Something scary - DH came back from the hairdressers today and said that his friend there had told him his Dr said that from 6 weeks, if your baby wakes at night, (from 12pm to 8am) you shouldn't feed them, they're just doing it for attention - just give a little bit of water
Now, DH didn't really mention it as a serious suggestion for us, but he said he would ask the paed. tomorrow at our appointment if it was true. I told him if she agreed (and I bloody hope she doesn't) I most definitely would not be following that advice as it would be dangerous for the baby. No feed for 8 hours??? Please please reassure me that this is ridiculous and is another example of how crazy this country is?! I'm not just being stupid in thinking that a 6 week-old baby needs more regular feeds than that?

And night feeding stimulates milk production too!

PT, I find both the slings I linked to easier to put on and put the bub in than my Patapum! They also spread the weight more evenly. My sister had a Moby and I figured if she could figure out how to knot it I definitely could!

I don't know what's worse - starving a baby or the suggestion that a 6 week old baby would do anything "just for attention" (and implying that a baby seeking attention is a bad thing... If this gets out of hand I suggest you get yourself a copy of this book and you'll be able to argue in a scientific, rational way.

Hi all -

RE: sleeping on front, I've had madam on her stomach for daytime naps, not sure if brave enough to do it for nighttime, but she does sleep better on her front - especially if lying on one of us!!!

One of the reasons I think on stomach is better is because she has to turn her head to one side to be comfy. We took her to the Natural History Museum ysterday (first time in London/on a train/in a cab/in a musuem) and first time she projectile vommited - whilst lying on her back in her pram, and she chocked really badly - did't turn head to ine side - it went up like a fountain, and came straight back down again. I'm quite tempted to try her on her tummy at night, especially as we have one of those angel monitors...

We've just been to lakeside and my mum bought her a gorgeous wardrobe worth £300 and a bed(!) worth £450 for £120 for both, from HomeSense - it's so pretty, white with little flowers - and we're going to finally do her nursery. I drove over the QE2 bridge for the first time ever and I've got to do it again tomorrow when I go and pick up the furniture...

Can't believe she's a month old and we've got her a bed...

Pempe - that sounds like absolute rubbish. Unless you have a very large baby, who cluster feeds for England all day long, there is no way a 6 week old baby could go for 8 hours without a feed. I was pretty lucky as DS1 (monster cluster feeder and big baby to start off with) started to sleep for 8 hour stretches pretty early on - but even that was well after the 8 week mark! I agree you should definitely ignore that ridiculous bit of advice. Oh, and another 24/7 bra wearer and breast pad wearer here - I've also started spurting milk whenever DS1 cries so its all very soggy in the dinky household...

SMS - reintroducing bedtime stories (seeing as you're in there anyway) sounds like a really nice idea; DS1 may enjoy the quality time with you more now. And glad you had a better day today.

I was having this exact conversation about front sleeping with DH earlier. DS1 slept on his front as soon as he could roll over and I'm sure they're all comfier - cuts down on startling, eases wind etc.

But I'm not sure I'm brave enough - although may try side. Arthur has been in our bed since beginning and really want to move him into sleeping in his crib soon. He hasn't lasted more than 5 minutes so far and, lovely as co-sleeping is, I really would like some physical contact with my husband at some point.

oh and Pempe, that's nonsense surely. And quite dangerous I would think. Ignore men in hairdressers.

Pempe No way! Surely that is absolute bull! My friends dd slept thru from 7 weeks, from 11pm til about 7am, but it wasn't forced but even then my friend was worried about the lack of food even though her dd clearly didn't want or need it. I woke ds1 in the night, I set my alarm and everything! Not doing that this time in the hope Luke sleeps through quicker, but think 'I'd have a few choice words to throw around if a doc told me to leave my 6 week old without food if he needed it. Can they even understand the whole 'for attention thing? Don't they just cry because they need something? It is, after all their only way to comunicate with us.
MrsY Your mum got a good bargain there , it all sounds lovely.
My freaky neighbour came round at 5 asking if she could measure Luke's hands so she could knit him some mits, and also brought round another hat she'd done him. So it meant that I didn't manage to change ds1's bed or bath him as by the time she left I was feeding Luke and ds1 got too tired, he has fallen straight asleep which is good. Luke is really thrashy at the moment. He was quite restless this afternoon so he's been in the carrier for a bit which was nice, I put him back in it a while ago but that wouldn't even calm him. Is it colic?
FWIW, I'm definitely not brave enough to allow him to sleep on his front at any point, his side I'm not 100% happy about, but he settles like that so that's what we're doing. I'm now alternating sides because his head's going flat.

MOS there is someone screaming to talk to you over on Unanswered Messages

Grrrrrr. It's 5.30am and I've had 3 hours sleep (not all in one go). Ds1 was awake from 12-2am then DS2 woke up 15 mins after I'd finally gone to sleep. Now DS2 awake again for a feed & I just know he'll have an hour of windy screaming before conking out at which point Ds2 will be ready to get up and start the day.

sorry, that is very boring but I needed to share.

Pempe - mens opinions & pinch of salt springs to mind - that goes for many of the Health Visitors too do what you & your baby want every time

Sadly THOM I had 2 nights of that earlier this week - It's a killer! Hope it means you get a ultra quiet one tonight!

Mrsy - yay I'm not alone! Although I'm going to follow my babies lead it is nice to know that someone else does it iykwim!

After his 4 hour nap this afternoon, we put Sam on his front last night He slept 9.45 and got up at 3 for an hour feed and is still asleep. Sorry 'guidlines' but I'm going with what works, that is a cracking night sleep!