December 2008 Coven - white light and basket cases

[EffiePerine]

Seeing as LadyT broke the thread...

hello everyone,
A late one for jj's poll. Ds sleeps in his own room, since about 3 months. No real noticable difference between his sleeping there and in the moses basket in our room, though I think i do sleep better with him in his own room. He goes to sleep between 7 and 8 and sleeps til 7 or 8 in the morning, usually waking once between 2 and 5 for a feed, but sometimes twice at e.g 2 and 6.

Oh and he is a cot napper, he will also nap well in the sling but not so well in the pushchair or car. I don't think we could easily do what LadyT does and take him out in the evening as I don't think he'd sleep in a restaurant in the car seat. WE did try once to drive home at his sleep time for 2.5 hrs, and he slept the first hour then woke up and kicked off. So a bit of a pain really.

jj sorry it is so difficult for you at the moment. I have everything crossed that everything will get easier for you soon. Babies are so different, you seem to have got a super alert wriggly one, probably means she will be super brainy. That's what my mum's HV visitor told my mum when my brother was a baby and a PITA (she said "Is there anyone intelligent in your family?" - my mum was insulted ). My mum also told her that no-one would get to find out if he was intelligent, as she was tempted to put him in the dustbin. Apparently the HV kept coming round to see my mum after that, just to check on her!

arti your holiday sounds amazing. I could do with a holiday.

LadyT yes, they are a lot younger than your DD. Bisou's DS is a big lad though!

spot that is a real bummer as I am at my cousin's wedding on Friday otherwise I would have loved a coffee. Won't be back on Sat either, otherwise Ely would have been fab too. Not been to Ely for ages.

Gah, DS seems to have changed from a poo every 4 days to a 3 a day boy. The third one of today has just arrived. Bummer!

Oh and we had a nice weekend, went swimming with DS for the first time, he loved it! And had friends round and I had way too much cheerfulness. DH did try to tell everyone that my mumsnet friends called it cheerfulness, fortunately no-one was listening to him

Right better go and see to the poo. My life is so glam.

hey SL - can you explain to me what gear you need for taking a baby swimming - am v confused about swim nappies and whether they are used on their own or with a normal nappy on underneath etc.

trying desperately to find a swim class, but they all seem to take babies from 6 months. thinking of taking madam on my own, but a little daunted by that.

We used a disposable swim nappy and swim shorts (4 quid from sainsburys) I am confused about whether both are necessary but that seemed fine. I think you can just use the nappies but I wasn't sure. I was surprised how easy it was but I suppose there was 2 of us. Would prob be more fun with someone else with a baby - maybe we could have a mn swimming meetup?!

Hello Ladies!

Sorry JJ to hear you are having a rough go at the moment. I hope everything starts to look up soon.

Anyone know what to do for a constipated baby?? It's been 3 days now and he is miserable. Grunting, crying and just plain grumpy.I'm sure that it has to do with us trying a little bit of rice cereal this past week. We've tried giving him water but he straight refuses it once he figures out it's not milk. Any ideas on how to help get things moving along???

DS hips are fine, although he did manage to wee all over the Doctor doing the scan. To b e fair he thought it was quite funny, DS thought it was hilarious and gave his best gummy grin

jump so sorry you are having such a rough time of it. I think we have all been through it at times. DS has been a foul and grumpy baby for nearly a week now, no napping in the day, shocking sleeps at night. Yet last night he went 3 hourly, and today had a record 2 hour nap in cot I'd like to think its the start of something but I knnow he'll do what the hell he wants. It will pass and you just have to stay focused on the fact you are doing a FANTASTIC job

trace hope you are feeling brighter my dear I was so tired yesterday I almost burst into tears during a hymn at church

Arti & ladyT welcome back and glad you had a god time

That would be 'good' time - church on the brain!!!

Arti that place sounds amazing what was the name of it again? Maybe we need to do that instead of mamaheaven. Not sure if DS1 will cope with me going away for mamaheaven, mentioned that I was going to go down to London overnight (catching up with a preggers friend) and that he would stay home with daddy and have a boys night, poor little muppet burst into tears and sobbed that he would miss me too much. Not sure how I'm going to get around that now.

Lady I would get away as leave DD as much as you can as it clearly gets harder as they get older or maybe it us because I didn't leave him enough that he is like this. Glad the weather was good for you. We used to take DS1 out to Dinner and pubs with us all the time again the benefits of a baby who prefered sleeping in his pushchair. He would often wake for his late night feed then I would order dessert knowing I wouldn't be disturbed. The mastitis is on the mend and still have the ABs on hand if I need them another time. It has taken a little longer to clear up than previous episodes I think because I was late starting the remedies. I have a slight sore throat and feel a bit fluey but not sure if that is related or somethng separate.

I think DS2 is feeling a little under the weather too, he had been a proper grouch today not feeding well sleeping for about 15 mins for naps and just wanting to be held all day. I had a massive outburst at poor DH today which ended with me in tears, DH looking very scared and DS1 offering to sing me a song and play the guitar. It started with needing to go to Costco but I think was really about feeling fluey, tired, sore boobed and sick of screaming baby noises. But it did clear the air a bit and we had a nice afternoon even if was spent shopping and having a coffee at Costco with all the Derby dregs. Also DS2 had a really good sleep in the sling and had a huge feed when we got home and is now asleep. DH is putting DS1 to sleep.

Daisy glad scan was ok LOL about the strategically placed wee incident.

WG only put a swim nappy on if the pool is a little cool you might want a baby wetsuit but otherwise a swim nappy alone is enough. You can get disposable ones or non disposable. Do not put a normal disposable nappy on, remember they are designed to absorb fluid and believe we they do so quite well. I put DS1 in one then popped him in a friends paddling pool on holidays, his nappy nearly absorbed the whole pool poor thing couldn't stand up the nappy was so heavy!

Trace you poor thing, but how lovely of the baby group lady and what a good HV very common sense answer. So often they spout out such tripe that is completely unhelpful but that one has a good head I hope you can see her more. I think you were meant to go to that group this morning.

I'm a little excited I'm going to baby yoga tomorrow for the first time with ds2 I used to go all the time with ds1 from when he was about 12 weeks so is nice to finally get started with ds2 and have some us time. I go to postnatal pilates when I can but there is a lovely lady there who watches the babies and keeps them occupied in the hall while the mums do the pilates so it's not for the babies just the mums. Whereas this is for mums to do with the babies. Should be good. Apparently it is 1hr yoga and 30 mins of cups of tea and nattering. Then DS1 has gym in the afternoon which I also like as there are some quite funny mums there that I like to catch up with.

Sorry WG there should be a full stop after 'swim nappy on'. It reads a bit like you should only put the swim nappy on if the pool is cool, which would be weird. Hope it makes sense now.

VG

Hellooo! Big wave from Essex (currently raining). No chance in hell of cathcing up properly, have just skimmed the last page or so. Glad the hols went well Arti and LadyT. JJ: a big hug and a large glass of something interesting.

Well, we're in and just about unpacked bar about 8 boxes of books we don't have shelves for . DS1 loves all the space and the garden but has been v clingy and screamy (not keen on change). He's come down with a cough as well, but will heopfully be up and about soon. The house is lovely (good thing too as I hadn't seen it before DH signed the lease), the gardne is overgrown but pretty big and the bathroom is about the same size as our old bedroom. Feels oddly like returning to real life, having rooms to move about in and a clothes line to dry the washing - and cupboards. I love the cupboards. And I love the nice men at the railway station who found the bag I left on the train and the nice women at playgroup this morning (bloody miles away, next time we're getting the bus) who returned my changing mat, DS1's cup and the toys I'd left behind.

DS1 is v v keen on having his own room and a new bed (no probs getting him out of the cot) but he has taken to waking at 5:30 as the sun comes in through the window. DS2 is now in teh crib (slightly more room than the moses basket) and is waking lots. DH is cycling everywhere and I am walking and gardening and we are both most tired but pretty content . Now if anyone fancies a trip to Colchester...

veggie glad the mastitis is clearing up. Baby yoga sounds like fun. Might look for something like that round here

DD jumped in a pool when she was about 18mth old in a normal nappy. It was almost at her ankles by the time we fished her out

Well, DS took the bottle again. Tonight DH gave it to him and he took it with a little less fussing than last night. Is that a light I see at the end of the tunnel?

Daisy, good going on the bottle, fingers crossed it continues

Effie, hello! Glad the move went well & that ds1 is adjusting

Both boys out like lights tonight. Feeling a bit daft, dh has gone out to meet some friends & is having his first alcoholic drink in 6 months, so am a bit worried as to what might happen .

effie Good to hear that the move has gone well. Such a stressful thing at the best of times but with LO's added to the mix!

veggie glad you and dh had a good chat and cleared the air . Hope you're feeling in better health tomorrow and that ds2 allows you some good sleep.

WG for dd1 we used disposable swim nappies either on their own or with a swimming costume. When I signed her up for a baby class we got her a washable nappy and costume in one that didn't need any kind of nappy underneath. There are different things available. I've popped a pic on my profile of Phoebe last week in her swimwear - that was before she went in the water and got thoroughly miserable!

P rolled over today! I put her to sleep on her front and when I went to get her she was on her back, then I pit her to play on her front and she rolled over for me to see Hasn't managed back to front yet but all in good time!

Effie glad the move went well. It sounds lovely where you are now.

Daisy congrats on the bottle again!

I'm off to bed now because I have that puffy stingy eye fuzzy head thing going on when you've spent too much of the day crying!

P has had a good day so I'm hoping she'll give me a bit more rest tonight (is that a pig I see flying past the window?)

night night xxx

Hi spot not sure I can do this weekend, as may have family visiting, but how can I contact you, SL, or JJ to possible arrange another meetup ? I cant post my email addresses here as they are both, doh, my name as I have no imagination.

I have DH logged into facebook, as he has an account - but I there are seriously loads of "Mummies December 2008"groups, so I wouldnt know which to join anyway...

Happy new house, Effie. I hope all is going well and that the house will be a happy one for you all.

Veggie, boo to mastitis but lovely to hear you sounding so chipper.

WG, if you go to Jojo they have the most ADORABLE swimmies for babies with nappy built in. Exceedingly cute and will contain all accidents. I would love a class to do some cool underwater stuff (like the nirvana baby of some years back) but just a bit of bobbing in the baby pool is a good intro.

Well done Mr Tilly on the marathon. What a result!

LAdyT, glad Rouen was fun. If you only have the one baby, please make the most of it and get out and about as much as poss while they are small. We hoicked DD1 over lots of italy in her buggy, with DH's jacket providing a useful screen to plunge her into darknes and off to sleep. We then carried on as though we were baby free. Once they get a bit bigger, they get more difficult (cue memories of walking round Cordoba at 10.30pm with a non sleeping 2.5 year old saying "but I'm not sleepy, mummy") so grab it while you can.

JJ, huge sympathies on the sleep. We don't have much of a routine here (quelle surprise) but DS gets taken in the buggy / car and sleeps at will in the day. Usually has a big one at least once. We feed at 6ish while the girls are winding down, then he is parked in his carseat / on the mat downstairs while I get them to bed. When I come down, I either feed him more if awake thne put to bed, or just put to bed. He has ano feed when I go to bed (about 11) and then at least one in the night, and often several. I really do think it's luck of the draw what your baby is like at any age. I was a basket case with DD1 and she was jolly hard work. Am extremely laid back with DD2 and DS as babies: she was a dream (12 -6 from 8 weeks) and he is much harder, although I've done nothing different. This too will pass. Am thihnking of you and sending calming vibes to young S in the Fens.

Definitely second / third the mobile napping - you will never get to enjoy the lovely sunshine if you are tethered to cot naps.

Trace, I thnk you should go and offer your wisdom at the PND meeting. You write about it with huge empathy and understanding - I think the group would be really lucky to have you and would be greatly enhanced by your presence.

Daisy, sorry it's been so hard, hope you tyrn a corner soon.

Kim, constipation in such a young one is not my forte - I think you could try warm water and tummy massage, but I am not really sure. I'm sure one of the other mums will have some wisdom shortly.

Hello everyone else, hope you are all doing well.
HAd a top day, just pottering, making shepherd's pie, feeding M and playing with him. I was sad this am that he's getting so big and OLD (5 months on Friday), but I suppose that that is to be expected. It really does zip past you, this baby lark, so I am trying to cherish the good parts and gloss over the hard parts. Easier said than done sometimes but I can try.

glad the move went well Effie.

JJ, I think 4-6 months is often a tough time with babies regarding sleeping, routines etc (well it certainly was for me with my other two.) I think unless you are in the middle of looking after a small baby, it is hard to understand the intensity of how bloody knackering it can be.

Trace will email you - my Mum and sister are part of the study I think. It's a lovely idea for you to go along to the PND group. If you're doubtful about it think about whether you 5 years ago would have wanted to see someone who came out the other side. The thoughts you've shared with us here are so sensitive and kind.

JJ I've only just realised that DD doesn't really sleep in the cot during the day - but that's becuase we're generally out and about. Like arti I find it really useful that she sleeps in the pram so I can do other stuff [there really should be a selfish mother emoticon].

Effie so glad the move went well. House sounds lovely. When we first moved from our flat it took me weeks to get used to novelty of stairs.

Am feeling a bit teary this evening. Went to Dr this morning as I have a lump in my breast that I thought was just to do with stopping BF but it hasn't gone down. She's referred me to the consultant. I should get a scan/appt within 2 weeks. And I know that the chances of it being something sinister are very small - but my Mum has had breast cancer, and my aunt died of ovarian cancer last summer. Was fine when the DCs were around. But just is a bit quiet now. And have spent whole day telling DH it's nothing to worry about. Am resolutely not googling symptoms....

Hello all,

Sorry to hear your nights have been bad JJ. A late entry for your poll but DD sleeps in her cot in our room and wakes once or twice between 6.30pm and 7am.

Thanks for the dress advice everyone. I've gone for a white cardie with red shoes and necklace. I also got a lovely feathery head thing too, I love it! Where would I get spanx from? I can't order them on-line as there isn't time.

veggie I wore my mac out today too! Hope you feel better soon.

tilly Thanks for the steriliser idea. Well done for your DH on completing the marathon. Is he going to be a drunken mess later?!

trace DD had a gooey eye v similar to what you describe and the HV said it was likely to be a blocked tear duct. She advised bathing with cooled boiled water.

I think you should go to the PND group. You have such a lot of wisdom that someone in the midst of PND would really appreciate.

It is very true what you were saying about having to hold so many thoughts and plans in your head whereas men just focus on one thing at a time. Hope P sleeps better tonight and you feel more upbeat tomorrow.

daisy Very funny about your DS weeing on the Dr!

effie Glad you are getting settled in OK. It sounds like a great house.

kim If you are using formula could you just put a sprinkle in the water to give it some flavour. I know you are not meant to water down feeds but if you only give a small amount, is that bad?

ladyT I've seen those bag steriliser things, are they OK, not too chemically? Do you rinse the bottles afterwards? Glad to hear you had a good break, enjoy your meal out tonight. How's your house buying going?

DD has been really hard work this afternoon, refusing to nap and getting more and more tired and badtempered. She seems to be forcing herself to stay awake in case she misses anything. major I hope you are right and that things settle down at 6 months. I'm shattered.

Oh lal I'm so sorry to hear that. Don't google as you'll worry yourself into a state. I wish I could write something lovely and conforting to make you feel better. Sending you lots of love and hugs.

lal nice glass of wine, some chocolate and a big hug from me. This happened to a friend of mine and it was a cyst. It is much more likely to be that than the other.

Thanks both - am going to take large glass of whisky to bath (which is like wine - right? ) and DH is on night duty. Have cheered up a bit having watched Jon Stewart. Hope everyone has good nights.

jolly DH and I were just discussing if it was okay to do that (water down the feed). DS is due for more jabs tomorrow so I think I'll ask the HV when we get there. He's just been so pitiful today.

Evening all, thank you for your lovely lovely support and for putting up with my weighing down the basket a bit much recently...

she's asleep now with the white noise spot and lal suggested womwomwoming away in the background, will see if it helps [fingers crossed]. We did get to swimming in the end, she really enjoyed it (lots of smiles) and no nappy incidents (we have a washable one from Boots). Got home and fed her to sleep - she was due a feed anyway - and we both had a 2 hour snooze on the grown up bed after which I felt a lot cheerier and so did she. I did an experiment with DH's help and tried her with a bit of pureed veg, but the tongue thrust reflex is still definitely there so two big fingers indeed to DH's colleague ( veggie!). She went to bed a bit later than usual so might hold off a bit on her first waking up, fingers crossed some more... Have made a decision that tomorrow, if I can't get her to sleep within half an hour of looking like she needs a nap then she must have got a second wind and will play with her instead of doing the stressful 'please sleep' thing, it just winds us both up. Maybe she's just a baby that doesn't like sleep - SL is certainly right that she's a wriggly little blighter so maybe it is a sign of intelligence rather than PITAness

guys you're all lovely and wonderful. We need a group hug icon, or at least a tearful mum very grateful for support of pals with similar babies icon. Will finish off the sleep survey tomorrow and catch up on everyone (lots of exciting stuff going on it seems! esp Effie and the move and LadyT's glamorous travels) but am off to bed now to catch up on lost snooze, praying to be a bit cheerier tomorrow morning and able to offer a bit of support back to JB and Sybil and Indith and everyone else who's finding it a struggle at the moment as well. And as ever, massive massive admiration for those of you doing this with more than one LO.

oh and finally, just spoke to my bro and SIL who are expecting a little bro or sis for my nephew in November! so the day has turned out well in the long run...