July 09 - Sore ladybits and melons for tits! [grin]

[Quiltedrose]

Ok so there's only 2 of us so far but felt duty bound as the first July delivery to start the thread off!

'Pop' in when you're ready!!

patchybob sorry to hear DP is so "helpful". It's really hard when they are on you all the time. DD2 is a hungry munch but going 3-3 1/2 hrs (except today when she fed all afternoon... oh yes and will all evening! .It's hard when they won't settle. Don't know what to suggest as was hopeless with dd1 and only managing this time cos it's going so well. Plus you've done it all before so know about not switching sides too early etc. Maybe someone else will have a better idea. Hope you can get it sorted.

mums of more than 1 Anyone finding juggling 2+ children a crazy prospect? DD2 was awake and screaming all afternoon after being repeatedly woken by DD1's attempts to "help" ie coming to me and saying "dd2 was sick so i've cleaned her" (dd1 is 3) and find dd2 unswaddled and bawling. Or find dd1 "singing" nursery rhymes to her while she's settling to sleep in a pitch, tone and volume that only a 3 yr old can manage! ARG!

Sorry patchybob - sounds hard. Hetty rarely feeds for less than 35/40 minutes and that's just one boob, so double for two. Then she goes down OK for 3 or 4 hours usually, but that's timing from the start of the feed rather than the end. Usually she falls asleep on the boob and I just slip out of her mouth. But it's easier on me/us as I only have the 1 to take care of. We often don't leave the bed until lunchtime .

MissP I was going to suggest you both got checked out again cos a pinched nip is the sign of an odd (if not 'wrong') latch, so glad you know what's going on now!

2DCs I'm finding that I'm the problem, even when DD1 is having an OK day. We can have lovely days together, but we have definite flash points - lack of co-operation when we're trying to get out of the house, and mealtimes being the main ones - that turn me into a tight-lipped stomping mean mummy with zero tolerance of anything, particularly threenager behaviour. My DD 'helps' too alibobble, usually by 'checking' to see if DD2 is awake, and in the process waking her up. She also wants to give her lots of cuddles, which should be lovely, but again not great when she's finally gone to sleep .

Patchy has Max always fed like this (I know it's not long, but still)? Cos it could be a wee growth spurt. It is really tough, particularly when loved ones aren't backing you up, but as I'm sure you know (and please don't think I'm being all BF preachy) the text book answer is to feed feed feed to make sure your supply is up to demand. If you're expressing 4oz per pumping session, chances are your DS is getting more cos a baby is way more efficient than a pump at extracting milk. One possible short-term thing you could do is try to fit another pumping session in somewhere (and with two other DCs to deal with that may not be possible) just to help with a supply boost if you think it definitely is hunger keeping him up, but also to give you another couple of ozs in hand should you need it. Would it be possible to drop the EBM feed for a couple of nights and feed him direct? Only asking cos night feeds are particularly important in getting Bfing established, and I vaguely remember reading somewhere that milk may be richer at night [looks to QueenFee to check] but I'm not confident about that - will scurry off to check peer support notes!

slings how's everyone getting on with theirs? Feeling like a right pro cos got DD2 on my back a couple of times last week - didn't do back carries til 7 months with DD1 [sling spod emoticon]

miss I haven't started driving lessons yet. I sent my old paper app off last wk to be changed for a new photo one and change my address details, so waiting for that back, I'm 6 wks post natal on tues so guess I can begin then! probably have to wait for my provisional first. Very excited, just hope I can do it.

ff I'm not worried, I am making them up and storing in the fridge for now and just stand them in boiling water for a min to take the chill off. If I were going out I would still do it how I have been as it's not often

well dp set off at 5 for his first shift back at work, dd is in bed (tho not asleep!) bill is asleep wahoo!
slings mij im loving mine, have got the moby one. as bill is now bigger im finding th hug hold with his feet dangling out and his head supported in one side of the shoulder fabric to be his favourite position, im going to try and feed in it tomorrow as it looks like dd is going to be back in the pushchair and he'll becarried in the sling!
gillyan im joining you on the weight loss thread would like to get down to 9 1/2 stone!
2dcs am finding dd's behaviour quite trying at the moment! she will just sit and scream if she doesnt get her own way. feel like all i do is shout at the minute, with lack of sleep comes lack of patience! any advice on how to control this beahviour very welcome!
patchybob dp has suggested this to me, he seems to think bottle feeding will stop him feeding so often so will slepp longer. my sister looked after dc's round here last night so we could go to cinema, had to leave a bottle which he took although fussed over...and guess what he didnt sleep any longer and still woke for his usual feeds through the night!
havd got the hv coming on monday to see us reguarding bill feeding. i think i may have sussed what the problem is, i think i have a fast let down. my milk spurts out everywhere when he's unsettled and doing his crying at the boob thing. when he starts crying and fussing i take him off milk goes everywhere and i mean everywhere! i put him over shoulder whilst trying to stem the flow and he will burp and quite happily go back on for a bit. he also only feed for about 15 minutes, nothing i do including changing his nappy wakes him to try snd get him to take more. however it does seem to be his 2 am feed where he is at his most fussy and sicky i have no idea why, was up from 2-4 this morning! i also seem to have one very leaky boob is this normal? i have to change it after every feed/other feed as its completely sodden!

ooh i meant that i have to change my breast pad every feed/other feed not my boob...now that would be a party trick!

typing 1 handed so excuse...
patchy i was also going to suggest it sounds like a growth spurt. you hormones for milk production are higher at night so this is the best time to do lots of feeds. also make sure you always offer both breasts and let him come off on his own even if he looks asleep as even the slow sucking stimulates it and will increase supply quicker. Alfie feeds for about an hour then settles for about 2 normally but when he had a growth spurt he was literall on an off all day. hope he settles fr you soon
multiples i have decided that babywearing is the way forward! I am using my sling so much i am about to buy another it reduces the 'help mummy' moments by other dc's somewhat its so frustrating when they are lying happlily and ds or dd wakes him with over enthusiastic pats rocks singing etc they mean well but....
mij on thatsubject i made a ring sling myself which is great but want to buy another - mine is a simple basic sling is it better with the padding or is it a con do you know?
i need to start exppressing milk ready for the 2 nights out i have planned hoping he doesnt refuse the bottle hes only had 1 so far...

Mij I went to 4 bf groups in the past week to check the latch (again and again). So I am so glad at least we have gotten to the bottom of the problem. Even when I attempt to feed in different positions the tongue nips a different part of the nipple IYKWIM so definitely a tt issue.

Cluster Feeding DS has been feeding from about 2:45pm today and we have just finished. He is now finally passed out. He was fine in the am and fed every 3 hours so I am hoping it is just him getting more milk for tomorrow. I get DH to give DS a bottle of EBM for his 11pmish feed. Is that bad? I'm sorry but I just need my sleep. DS1 and DD would see me go into meltdown mode if I didn't get a few hours in.

Weightloss
Gillyan I am definitely up for joining you.

Slings as my boobs are sore I have just gone back to using my Baby Bjorn and doing ok. Shame it is not more of a hammock sling but does the job.

lydia my dcs all had their fussing between 9pm and 2 ... must be the witching hours! i also have a fast let down and find that i have to burp alfie after the first fews sucks as he sort of splutters and gulps on it.

Oh yes
My DH too gets a bit irritated when DS cluster feeds...mainly as my role is to feed whilst he takes care of everything else for the household and our 2 DC's (dinner, baths, bedtime, food shopping, laundry etc) and he thinks I am setting DS2 for 'bad habits' e.g. snacking on me.

mispella I'm thinking of getting Joseph's tongue tie snipped but I don't know if I can handle seeing/hearing them do it, how bad is it? I think it would probably upset me more than Joseph, he's just so tiny
He's being bottle fed as he just couldn't latch on to boobs at all but I'm worried that it'll affect his speech along the line and figure if we were gonna do summat about it better sooner rather than later.

Hi everyone, thanks for the advice and support, I knew there would be the voices of reason out there! Everything you all say makes sense. I didn't know (even after 2 other children!!) that milk is richer at night. Well thats good as I fed him from 1.55am to 4.30am today!! Full of rich milk!! I just couldn't get him to sleep and he was wide awake.

He has always fed like this so I am not sure it is a growth spurt, but I know they have one at 3 weeks and he is 3 weeks tomorrow. I keep trying to tell dh that its such early days and the other 2 weren't brilliant either early on, but he just seems to have forgotten! Anyway he goes back to work tomorrow so I can try to sort it all out for myself!

Anyway, going to make the most of the weather today and get out and about, am sure that that will lift everyones spirits.

Thanks again for the help everyone, will keep you posted xxx

Regarding the night feeding and prolactin release and the whole night milk being richer, can anyone explain a bit? Hetty doesn't always wake for a night feed which is why I ask - by which I mean that she can sometimes launch herself into a both boob feed at midnight and then go through until 5am before waking again - now I wouldn't necessarily class midnight or 5am as a nighttime feed but is that just me being thick? I remember the importance of nighttime feeding for prolactin production from the antenatal classes, but exactly what is classed as nighttime in this respect? My concern is that Hetty very, very rarely wakes at what I would class as a mega-unsociable hour for a feed (infrequent night waking is also apparently a risk for SIDS so I'm double-bothered by this).

Oh just re read my post and I really want to reiterate that my DH is very PRO BF he just isn't pro me getting in a state...DS has been very grizzly today and just on and off the boob since 6:30am! I keep trying to remind myself that this is normal.

Hunny 2 of my DC's have had the tt snip (DD when she was 8 weeks and as you know DS2 at 6 days and he will have again this week at 4weeks +). The LO's really are fine. More traumatic for us mommies. [smile[ The mouth heals very fast apparently due to moist healing (?). Anyhow, that is what the NCT BF counsellor told me. Having noticed that DS1 (just turned 4) has a tt I wish I had known this when he was a baby. Not only did he not latch to feed when born (and I had to get someone privately to come to my home to sort this out),his speech was very delayed. He has since seen a speech therapist and has improved loads BUT it may have saved us a lot of concern and terrible tantrums from him due to frustration of not being able to communicate with us. Something to think about...

Jetli great question. My DS wakes anytime from 2:30am to 5am (most nights around the 4am mark) Does that count as 'night feeding'? Hope we get an answer....(Mij? QF?)

nightfeeds I count anything after about 9pm as a night feed! Did more strict routine with dd1 as was ff from quite early. I would def count 12am and 4am and 5am as night feeds. I count anything before 7am as still night time and treat it as a night feed to try and encourage dd2 that 5am is not the time to start the day! that said I am no expert. Perhaps it's because I actually need about 9hours sleep to function so bound to think anything past 10pm (my usual bed time) is the night!

slings glad I'm not alone in wondering whether to crack mine out. DD1 always wanted to be held and reaslise that's not an option with a 3 year old in tow. Have a tomy something or other (v like baby bjorn one) which is a faff to get them in but great when all set up. You're supposed to be able to feed with them in it but never worked out how with DD1. Anyone got a clue?

tried to find a link to show it but the Tomy Freestyle carrier that's out now looks different to the one I have. (prob less of a faff getting LO in it now!)

Hi all, well he is asleep so I thought I would make the most of it and come on here!!

Jetli I was wondering that about night feeds too. To me anything before 7am is night as I view it as uncivilised!! Ha Ha, how things have changed in the last 3 weeks!! DD is having huge lies in now that it is the holidays and I am up before her for once!!

Having Max weighed on tuesday. Looked at photos of when he was born and he has already changed so much and is a lot bigger, so I must be doing something right!!

Lydia and Activity weird about the leaky boob! My problem is that mine are always tingling, I keep saying it to the big dc and their response is "oh no, mummy's going to blow"

Anyway, hope to be able to come on here over the next few days, feel I have made up for lost time over the last couple of days....things must be improving! xx

btw ant one else's LO suffered from thrush? Just starting to get over it plus boobs feeling better after applying the nystatin to nips! (doc wouldn't give me anything so friend suggested it and it worked!)

Hi Ali - TheNatty is suffering from thrush - she has started a thread in breastfeeding. Did you get the Nystatin over the counter or on prescription?

Hello all...the dreaded diet/exercise starts tomorrow. Got my 6/8 wk check for Summer and my post natal check with doc in the morning...9am! What kind of tit sendsan appointment booked at that time of the morning to a woman for her 6 wk check! Got to get me, Summer and Grace out the door for about 8.30!!!!!

Grace is staying off nursery now and doesn't go back till she starts her pre-schools there in Sept! I'm finding it a dtruggle with 2 of them and Grace is used to being in nursery 3 dyas a week, wish the wetaher were better.

nightfeeds Me too, I class anything before 7am as nightime. Summer is so different from Grace, she's FF and has about 8 bottles a day about 5 full 40z ones and then she faffs and has about 2oz from the others. Grace was really easy and had a feed every 4 hrs but not Summer.

Still doing the bedtime routine which just consist's of a bath,bottle,cuddle and going to bed in her cot in her own room with low lights. Any feeds after that are done in her room in the low light and we speak in hushed voices to her and try not to change her unless she's dirty. Seems to be working as in she is staying awake longer in the day and ususally goes straight back to sleep at night ( apart from last night where she woke a 3am and was still awake at 4am )

She had a feed at 8pm tonight so think I might wake her up at 11/12 ish and 'dream feed' Anyone heard of dream feeding? I've never done it before, I usually let her wake up when she's ready but it will better if she takes the bottle at that time than waking at 1am etc.

Hi all, things are fab here, Zach is a little dream baby and seems to sleep for at least 20 hours a day! He is only up once a night for a feed which I was a bit worried about but the midwife said that's fine and he's put on a lb since birth so he must be feeding ok.

2dc's we went out into town for the first time today with both ds's, it went ok although we didn't have a clue how to unlock the pram so had to drive to the nearest pram shop to ask, d'oh! ds1 had a few meltdowns and refused lunch but then fell asleep so we managed a nice cuppa at least!

babys name we haven't registered zach yet, still have a week to do it but i keep having niggles about his name cos we've had a few looks. i don't feel used to his name yet, are you all used to your babies name or is it taking a while to flow easily? or is it just me?!

Evening ladies

Not too bad here, still feeling a bit poorly, got a lousy throat and a tickly cough that isn't helping.

Isaac is being a darling again, I cut out onions, garlic and lemonade from my diet and is colic is so much better at the moment. He is feeding loads at the moment, guessing a growth spurt but is still going well at night feeding at about 10.30pm, 2.30am and 5.30am. He is self-settling in his moses basket next to our bed after his feeds which is heaven after DD refusing to sleep unless she had a boob next to her cheek!

DD is coping well with being a big sister although she did try to feed him a banana the other day (you see why I never leave them in the same room together!!)

2 DC's I may be crazy but I took DD and DS to Morrisons on my own when DS was 11 days old I just felt I needed to get it out of the way. Now they both come with me to the shop no problem, I also walk into town with them. DD rides in her buggy and Isaac goes in his sling. If it's not too far, DD walks and Isaac goes in the pram.

BF out and about how is everyone getting on? i have no shame and bf DS whenever he needs, luckily we have a lot of bf friendly places down here so I have lots of places to go to. So far, the pub, cafe and library!

leaky boobs and fast let-down I have a ridiculously fast let down and Isaac is smart enough to pull off when it gets too much! I usually have one rag under his head and over my bra and one to catch the spray that hits him in the head! The minute I hear him (or another baby!) cry my boobs let-down and I also get a painful let down too - it is blooming annoying when trying to drive!!! Mind you it's great if you want to do a Dolly Parton impression!

cluster feeding Isaac seems to have his in the morning! I usually have to feed him on and off until about 10.30am from 6/7am.

ilikeyoursleeves We have had Isaac in mind for DS since I was about 4 months pg and it still sounds a bit weird at times

Right, it's about that time for more Mummy Milk so goodnight all, sweet dreams (if you get to that stage of sleep!!)

xxx

Sorry, not a proper response and haven't read all the posts, but in answer to a couple of skimmed questions:

nightfeeding my understanding is that the key period is between midnight and 6am. So it sounds like you're in the zone JetLi .

QueenFee do you mean padding on the rails or padding across the whole thing? I have a Hotsling pouch with a padded rail, and I like it for when you're using it for a hip-carry with a sitting-up baby as it stops the edge digging into their legs. I used it a few times in the cradle carry for DD2, but my boobs are bigger this time and can't really get her in comfortably without hurting one of us! But the padded bit does keep the outer edge away from the babe's face a bit when they're in the cradle position. But really I'm a wrap girl so I've been using the Kari-me and Didymos for even round-the-house carries.

Will try to come back soon to catch up on other posts!

Hello all hope everyone and babies are well. Samuel is now back to and past his birth weight by half an oz, he is 8lb 7.5 oz. Had my first day on my own with 2 kiddies, was little scary but got through it ok. house is a mess but did manage to clean the kitchen but some how they are both still wide awake

Still bf and doing ok but i am bottle as well, well sounds like its time for a feed again and hopefully DD will also be going to bed soon xx

Morning all
Sorry I don't get round to posting more often, but life is a bit busy here with 4DS's and school holidays.
Jack is now 6 weeks old and we are finally beginning to establish some kind of routine particularly with feeding. He's not particularly happy when he's made to wait for a feed, but it means I'm not glued to the sofa all day and we can get out and about a bit more. We're now feeding about 4 hourly in the daytime and he is feeding really well and much more settled in between.

beccabump I'm definitely into feeding anywhere and everywhere and would get quite hormonal if anyone challenged me on it. I am quite discreet, although Jack makes it fairly obvious by slurping and burping very loudly DS1 is very embarrassed by the whole BF process (he's 11) and was a liitle taken aback when I said I was going to feed him in MacDonalds the other day. ("Mum you are SO embarrassing" to which my standard reply is "Thank you" )

Have now got used to Jack's name, although it took a while. I was calling him by DS3's name for about 4 weeks. It still feels a bit weird as Jack sounds like a boy/man's name rather than a baby's name to me.

Must go and check on the DS's as it's all gone very quiet, NEVER a good sign ....