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!!

Natty its been 2 and a half weeks for me and I can no longer feel my stiches - have you had them checked. (mine did start hurting more when the stiches started pulling but went when they dissolved)

Alfie is having a growth spurt I think as I have been pinned to the sofa yesterday and today feeding feeding feeding. Very tiresome.

It was dds 5th birthday party at home yesterday and I woke up with a dreadfull migrane - just what you need when you have a housefull of kids comeing. All went off smoothly thankfully.

Alfie wakes about 3 times a night and has started being really windy. I have found infacol really helps. DS had colic till he was 15 months so I am an expert in methods of bringing it up. I find keep changing position helps - often it comes up when you pass them to DH! Sitting with their back to you and hands on their tummy rocking works well as does sitting them upright on your knee and holding their chin so their back is really straight.
Anyone else finding it difficult to get on here or is it just me? (time wise rather than IT problems )

queenfee, some of them have dissolved, i still have a few there, mostly the ones on the inside ifuswim?
not had them checked recently, but im gonna give it till next weekend then get DH to remove them (well cut them and let them work their own way out)

charlie has slept and fed all evening, i reckon he is growing too

Hi everyone

natty what exactley do you do re your routine?

Summer was fed 8.30 am (full) 10.30am (20z) - 12.30pm (full) 3.45pm (2oz) - 7pm - (full) 9.15pm (full) 12.40am (full) 4am (3oz) 7.30am (2oz)

This in 9 feeds over 24 hrs! I thought it was supposed to be 6 bottles a day? Not all were full bottles - Full = 4oz. This is my econd baby and I know that there isn't anything else she wants other than feeding. Ihave tried spacing them out a bit but there is NOTHING other than milk she wants. She only cries when she is hungry, she stays awake for longish periods through the day too and is quite happy and content.

She is only sleeping for about 2 hrs between the longer spaced ut feeds and sometimes not at all when she has one feed and then another quickly after.

If i rememeber right DD! used to go 4 hrs from start of one feed till start of another.

I'm not too bothered as it's early days - Summer is 4 wks old on Tues - and I know she is clearly wanting feeding.

Any ideas?

my routine is loosely based around the GF routine, but ive adapted it to fit in an extra feed as i have a hungry baby, and a shorter morning nap as he prefers a long afternoon one.
i find having 3 feeds in quick succession in the evening means he sleeps well at night, waking for maybe 2 feeds at most between 10 and 7. (obv if he woke for more i would feed him)

i do:

7am: full feed (both breasts)
8.30: swaddle and put down for a nap
9.30: wake, wash and dress
10: half feed (breast last used)
11: half feed (other breast)
11.15-2: swaddle and put down for a nap
2: full feed (both breasts)
5: half feed (breast last used)
6: half feed (other breast)
6.15: bath and massage
6.30: dress and swaddle
7pm: full feed (both breasts)
10: DH's feed (either expressed or formula)
10-7: demand fed (co-sleeping)

we are not strict tho, like yesterday he fell out of routine because he was really tired in the morning after a bad night of hourly feeds. to be honest the naps wont be enforced for a few months as he is too little. but structuring the feeds helps alot cos then i know he is feeding often enough. (he was going 4-5 hours and only have 4 feeds a day and midwife told me to wake him more often for feeds)

he has put so much weight on this week cant wait to have him weighed hes got chunky legs now

I am just feeding Summer when she wants and tonight have just tried to not feed her for half an hr when she wanted it as i thought I could guess when she'd next feed - about midnight if I'm lucky - I don't try to get her to sleep either I just fee dher and then cuddle her for abit and fit in her baths etc. In the day I put her in her bouncer after a feed if she is awake and on her playmat and then sometimes let her sleep a bit in/on them. In the evening I put her to sleep in her moses basket downstairs or her crib if I;m upstairs. She doesn't stay awake very long really. The only ohter thing I do is wake her if she has gone almost 4 hrs in the day without a feed.

Hope I'm doing the right thing, just going with the flow really.

I'm getting her weighed tomorrow. HV was supposed to come one day last day wk but no-one did so I have had to chase them up and they can't send anyone out but I can go to a clinic tomorrow. Worringly they said it will be the last clininc as all the HV and associated staff are being relocated to deal with swine flu????!!!!!

Anyone else concerned about swine flu??

I was ill over the weekend no idea if it was swine flu or not as I didn't have time to find out Felt absolutely though.

I am demand feeding Alfie but he has helfully settled into a 3 hourly routine day and night (except for his extra feeding all day yesterday but as he is nealry 3 weeks that is normal in BF babies to increase milk supply) He is usually awake on and off for 2 hours in am /pm and basically sleeps the rest of the time. He has started being really sick now though. Due a weigh in tomorrow so will talk to HV as wondering if he has reflux. He was that sick down me tonight I had to strip and bath us both this evening (and as DD and DS1 were awake them too!!!)

hi everyone, im also another one going with the flow. he seems to have stopped the 3 hour gaps and gone back down to 2 hours! i cluster feed at night before bed but unfortunately it doesnt make him sleep longer!
feeding wise its got a lot better my nipples are nearly healed hurrah! he's also put on 1lb 3oz in 9 days which the hv thiks is good considering we've had some problems with feeding!
have done a couple of trips out with baby and dd. really wishing we'd got a double buggy now as i had no idea how hard it is to looka fter a pram and a demanding 2 year old when out! anyone recommend one?? although dp will be so cross if i decide to get one!
on a rubbish note though, my cervix problem i had at beginning of pregnancy(prolapsed cervix) seems to be back im so uncomfortable and feel like i my have a water infection too! off to doctors on thursday, im fed up of dropping my knickers!
still havent breast fed when out n about yet, i nip out after ive fed him and dont stay out for more than 2 hours! my friend was in our cafe nero the toher day and a woman was asked to leave as she was breast feeding, my friend was gobsmacked and its made me even more nervous!

Lydia!
i would just refuse to move. i ask them if they would kick out a mother with a bottle. when they say no i just say well these are my bottles..
i have breast fed in KFC, mothercare, Mcdonalds, and on the bus so far.. this little man is feeding when he likes, all routine out the window atm im going to try again in a few weeks.
all babies are differant eh? my daughter went into a routine easily from birth, yet my first son took 8 weeks to settle into one.

nipples nearly healed, still dry tho

So shocked at that story lydia - that's terrible.
No such problems here as Hetty refuses the breast now so I'm frantically pumping (one electric and one manual) and she's getting EBM in a bottle. Emotionally I'm in bits about the whole thing and just keep falling apart into floods of tears. And I'm dreading DP going back to work on Monday.
BF counsellor coming tomorrow and we'll go back to the drop-in on Thursday and see what we can do (if anything) to resolve the problem. I opened a thread in feeding and getting some good advice there too. The pumping makes me really sleepy so I feel like I'm either on the pump or on the settee asleep.
I guess on the plus side, it does mean there is some semblance of routine in this house as I'm trying to pump every 3 hours and we're not letting DD go more than 4 without a bottle. I managed to get ahead of her today too so I have a feed in reserve now. I saw the herbalist this afternoon and she said to carry on and finish the raspberry leaf as that aids lactation and helps produce good rich milk - which is a bonus as I wondered what to do with the rest of the bottle of tablets I had

Just a reminder to anyone who needs it (I almost forgot) - if you rented a TENS machine then it'll need to go back

jetli where abouts are u babe? if ur near me maybe we could meet up, been following your thread in breastfeeding. bless you, you are having an awful time wish i could help more xx

activity put your little finger in the corner of his mouth to break the suction. take him off as often as his latch is poor and he will soon get the message. get in contact with your local breastfeeding gruops too they are full of usefull info - and mums who have been through it too! good luck

lydia i cant manage without my double. i have had a few diff ones over the years and have to say the powertwin i have now is amazing to push in comparison you should be able to pick up a second hand one for £50-80 on ebay dont pay more than £230 new even though the rrp is more than £500!

feeding in public. as long as you are discreet i would be suprised if you are challenged. in nearly 3 years of bf i have never been and have fed in all sorts of places! look out for your local bf friendly premises scheme most councils run where they have a sign to say they support bf. google it as its different in diff areas. in wales it is a pink and white heart and if you are cjallenged when feeding on their premises the staff are trained to back you up x

JetLi so sorry to hear you've hit a problem. I think we're both in the People's Republic... you know where I mean (being mysterious again) and I'm a peer supporter, so once you've seen the BFing councillor (btw, do you know who it is? I've got lots of local contacts should you need additional help) if you'd like a sympathetic ear I'd be more than happy to meet up. If you want to PM me with your email or other contact details, don't hestitate .

Joseph is in a bit of a routine now, he's havin 4oz approx every 3 hours and I just let him sleep when he is tired but tends to be awake most of the morning and sleeps quite a bit in the afternoon.

I'm tryin to get him in a proper bedtime routine now but I'm havin a nightmare getting him to sleep. He will usually sleep through the day without any probs but it's like he is fighting going to sleep at nights, I can see him drifting off to sleep and then he peaks to check that I'm still there. My friend said to just put him down and leave him but I can't stand listening to him cry, it just seems cruel to me. I've given him a dummy which he loves but then he cries when he loses it. He's totally fine during the night, just feeds and goes back to sleep it's just the initial getting him to sleep that's the prob. Any suggestions?

tongue tie I can't remember who said their LO had this? The HV spotted that he has it the other day which explains why he wouldn't latch on to my boob and also why he is such a messy eater. I'm a bit annoyed that they didn't notice it at the hospital tho, several MW's even noticed that he wasn't opening his mouth wide enough but didn't think to check for tongue tie! My sister had it and she later had probs with her speach and they thought it might be connected so not sure whether to get it snipped.

feeding in* public - they were discussing this on GMTV last week, maybe tell the person that you'll stop feeding your baby and let them listen to your baby crying. If they suggest that u feed ur baby in the toilets then ask if they would like to eat their lunch in the toilet!
I'll admit that it makes me uncomfortable when women sit with their boobs out feeding but a majority of women are so discreet about it that often u can hardly even tell they are feeding.

hunny have u tried bath and massage b4 bed? are u swaddling him?

Hi

jetli sorry you're so upset.

lydia I'm shocked too at your friend being told to leave a cafe! WTF! If I were still breast feedig and someone told me to leave I would seriuosly consider squirting my ample boob at them! On a serious note, are u still feeding rugby ball style and is that why u worry about feeding in public?

Saw the HV yesterday and Summer is now 9lb 30z she was 4 wks yesterday and was 8lb at birth so she's bang on.

When I got to the medical centre ( all the surgeries in Macclesfield have been combined in a massive building ) There were signs stopping you from using one entrance unless you were a flu patient the reason being infection control! Scary. I know quite a few people now round here who have it. I'm not fussed if I get it I;m just terrifed for the kids with them being so young!

Had a good night last night, Summer was fed at 9.15 and slept till 2am - she had a meesly 2oz and was back to sleep for 2.20am ( I am taking this as a good sign that she doesn't seem to need that much milk over night ) then she woke again at 5.10 and then 8.30 - she's just gone to sleep!

I've just thought this morning that I hadn't taken any pics of her for over a week so I put her on a lovely blanket on my bed and have got some gorgeous shots of her. She only 4 weeks but over the last few days she has started to smile at me and Simon.

Hope you are all doing okay and enjoying the new babies

Hi everyone
Jetli How are you doing? I had the same bf prob w/DS1 and paid for a lactation consultant to come over my home to get him on the breast. It worked having the one on one. There is a website called express yourself mums that has a list of lact cons around the country. TBH I only ended up bf him for 4 1/2 month (and it was mixed in the end) but it was something.

BF for me still utter agony so not having the greatest time. I went to an NCT run bf group today. They checked my latch and nothing to work on there. DS still isn't using his tongue well and she reckons as his mouth gets better and his tongue is exercised more it will improve. Until then it is PAINFUL! On the plus side, he is satisfied and doing lots of heavy wet nappies and poo's. Thank goodness...Just crap that I am doing the 'right thing' and I am still having pain.

Natty my ladies bits after stitches seem fine already. I reckon the throbbing pain stopped after a week and I am hardly even bleeding. I do occasionally get a twinge down there but other than that I am fine. I may even start exercising again - when I find a mo' of course.

Hunny all my DC's have had tongue tie. DS1 did not have it removed as we only just know now (he's 4 next week). He speech was delayed and sounded quite gibberishy to start with so I would look into getting it sorted.

Need to wake DS now for a feed - I am full of dread..............

Evening all - thanks for all the messages of support and offers of help. mij the lady who came out to me today is called Sue Slowey (I think that's how it is spelt), and yes I'm in the People's Republic . I'll PM you once I work out how - those local contacts would be great. Thanks missp and thenatty as well.
With Sue's help, we managed to get Hetty latched in a biological nurturing position this lunchtime, and also she's been on and off the breast all evening (after a bit of EBM via bottle) so I'm chuffed to bits here (if a wee bit sore ). DP and me have had a good cuddle and a snog just now and I'm feeling altogether more positive and human tonight. DD is sound asleep so I'm cautiously optimistic about a nightime snuggle and feed in bed, which would be heavenly, but if not, the EBM is ready to go. I have 40 squillion pillows at the ready to get propped up on.

I got an infection in my c section wound and have ab's.

Noah still isn't back to his birth weight yet at 13 days old. He has put on though so it's not like he's losing weight. He's now 8lb 2.5oz (birth weight 8lb 10oz). Mw said she'll leave it while Monday to get up to his birth weight and if he doesn't reach it she'll have to re admit him to hospital. She was reluctant to send him up there today because some babies just put weight on in their own time and he is otherwise well ie. good colour, active baby, weeing and pooing lots. We've decided to start giving him a bottle of formula on an evening to help get his weight up.

Hope everyone's doing ok

JetLi very big at getting latched - yes the biological nurturing thing can often be the only thing that works, shame not more people know about it! If you want to PM, I think you have to use the C-A-M system but never done it myself. If you change your settings to accept messages from other people, I can try to mail you if that's easier.

maternity towels wanted to pass on a good midwife tip - don't use Always sanitary towels once you get sick of maternity pads (and you will) cos the gauzey covering can snag on stiches, grazes etc etc.

DD1 is being a bit less vile to DP, but still definitely insecure (and she's generally very confident so it's been a bit of a shock) and wanting me to do lots of stuff for her, making sure she's on my lap a lot of time DD2 is (which is mostly doable) etc. Her sleep is still shite, but we're muddling through.

wind anyone tried the yoga/massage way of bringing on a prize-winning fart? Apparently there's an adult yoga move that makes almost everyone trump and it works sometimes for both DDs - lying on your back and bringing knees in towards chest and doing a little rock forwards and backwards. quite easy to do on a newborn. Alternatively, lying them across your knees so there's gentle pressure on the stomach, or using the 'colic hold', have a look here for someone else's pic of how it's done. DD1 would only calm down if she was held that way for months, and DD2 likes it if she has, ahem, digestive issues. It's also quite easy on the back - can safely make a cuppa like that!

Pheonix - sounds like your mw is being very sensible. Just feed feed feed and he will prob be fine - his weight has been consistantly increasing after all. One of my mums at the group i run has been re admitted for this and that is all they are doing with her at the mo x good luck - go on Noah

Alfie was 10lb 5 on tue so has now climbed up to the 91st centile (from the 50th) my dd did this also. On the downside he seems to be suffering from colic and is very sick (possibly too greedy??? )

Been out to Llandudno beach today with DH and the kids had a lovely time enjoying being out as a family. Weather held out too so great result!

jetli glad you are getting good help x

Phoenix ouch re your infection! Not great so I hope u get through it ok. How is your DS doing? I bet he goes through a spurt soon and packs on the weight. Don't worry too much as at least he has put some weight on.

Jetli HOORAY! It really does help to have someone physically come out and help you. So glad you got the support.

Queenfee you are so lucky to be having family days out. My DH has had to take on every bit of freelance work that is thrown his way and we haven't had more than 2 days with him so far (bar the weekends but he has been helping cooking/cleaning then for me or else we would be starving in a filthy flat). I am starting to feel a bit irritated by it but with the recession and him not have a perm job I have to remind myself that at least he has some work and is earning. Just such crap timing!

BF I can't wait for it to get better. I am going back to the bf group next Wed to see if they can improve the latch yet again. DS's bloody tongue just keeps nicking my nipples. So annoying as everything we are doing is right. It is just an anatomy issue (small mouth and tongue still needs to learn to extend itself). It's so frustrating!!!

Weight I am very surprised - I am eating more than ever (mainly chocs and biscuits) and I have had a result. I can fit into pair of my s12 pre pregnancy jeans. They are bootleg and stretchy and my jelly pokes over but still...

Mij oops, I bought Always thin pads. I think I am fine downstairs but best to get another brand when I run out.

Hope it doesn't shower all bloody day again - I am desperate to get out.

Morning all

phoenix hope the infection clears up, mine is looking good now after all the treatment. Try not to worry about Noahs weight, Summer wasn't back to her birth weight at 16 days and the MWs still discharded me, 2 days later she was still 3oz short of birth weight. 2 weeks later was when I next had her weighed and she was 1lb 3oz over her birth weight.

I'm off to buy some clothes that fit today, I'll have to give up on trying to get in trousers that fit. I have the blood clot still on my tum so it is still swollen and with all the baby belly anyway and not being able to exercise yet....size 18 trousers here I come.

Going to purchase a waterproof jacket too as you can't hold a brolly and push a pram and keep an I on a 3.6 yr old! I want one that folds up into a bag and with a hood or something. I'm feeling very organised today, going to go and get my photos done for my provisional license and I AM going to learn to drive! DPs car sits at home all day as he walks to walk and with 2 kids now I just won't begetting anywhere fast without driving.

Summer is being good as gold.

great idea about hte rain coat. I think I shall follow suit. Sorry to hear about various people suffering with infections and BF troubles. I can sympathise. DD1 was a NIGHTMARE! DD2 seems to have got the hang straight away but it really does seem to be luck of the draw. I know I was getting DD1 latched on ok etc as had every midwife/help come to see me and still couldn't manage. Gave up after 10 weeks of hell but dd2, I can honestly say I'm enjoying it. Maybe because I have to ignore her most of the day and play with DD1 so nice to have cuddles when we feed.

My DD1's sleep also totally out of whack. She's so tired all the time and very clingy. Never mind. Trying to teach DH that saying things like "you really like your sister don't you?" is not helpful cos she can hardly say no! At 3 she's really noticed the change to her routine but I guess it was always to be expected.