April 2009 - Chapter 3 - Let us round up the stragglers

[PuzzleRocks]

Ta da.

Oh yeah, Bicnod we have the angelcare alarm. It can be reassuring unless it goes off in the middle of the night which is has twice in the past 3 weeks! Unsurprisingly it's the alarm that was faulty rather than the baby

Don't you just love baby whining? Doesn't it make you feel all relaxed and happy?

Bleu, I feel your pain - O has been whiny ALL DAY he's currently lying on his playmat fed, burped, clean nappy, played with, rested (we just got back from a march around the streets so he could sleep in his buggy) and he's STILL whiny... oh well, tomorrow is another day...

Thanks Boff and brettgirl - will look into the baby alarm thing then... might be the way forward as currently getting bugger all sleep with O in our room...

Boff so but try not to think about what if's - it's difficult I know. She/he will always be with you. Sending lots of hugs your way.

So H has gone to sleep with a full tummy. Fingers crossed she won't poo it all out again in the next hour or so... feeling a bit down and lonely because DH is away on business all week so whatever happens, I'll have to cope with it on my own. Ah well. Better go to bed now because who knows what the night will bring. Hope everyone gets a good night's sleep.

Hey Boff. I would ask your GP if he can do you a prescription for either Gentisone HC (if your current one is for plain gent drops) or Sofradex. Seems pointless to continue with current ones. The other possibility is that it is fungal, or started of bacterial but the prolonged use of abx has lead to a fungal infection. Have they taken swabs? If not, poss ask if they can swab at your toilette session? Fungal ear infections are, I understand A Bugger.

Brett - I completely understand what you mean about the switch to ff contributing to your PND. Every time I think about doing it I can feel myself welling up. I know it's silly but I am so scared that if I start ff it will be the beginning of the end of breastfeeding, and if that happened I would feel such a failure. What if he's getting plenty of bm and there's something else wrong and I deprive him of all the benefits of bm? But what if he's not getting enough and he's just plain underfed? It would be so much easier if I could try ff for a couple of weeks to see the effect, and be able to go back to bf if it makes no difference.

Juwes, thanks for advice about ear drops. I will try to get the Sofradex ones.

Now thinking about Hugo, I really can't see how switching from perfectly formulated and dynamic human milk to a product designed for calves (albeit with minor adaptations) is going to do any good at all, tbh. I am sure it is more likely to be a)something metabolic, in which case ff can surely only make it worse, b) something anatomical such as the shape of the mouth, in which milk type is absolutely irrelevant or c)something insignificant which will resolve itself around the time of weaning and make you wonder why you were worried.

I am glad you are seeing the consultant though.

This was interesting, and mentions all the tests that can be done

Yes, it's difficult because nobody actually knows the cause. After all this time an urgent referral is obviously the best thing and he is putting some weight on after all and it seems sensible to get a professional opinion before changing anything. TBH in our case I think switching has done me far more harm than her. In terms of her it may well have been the right thing. It's very frustrating that it isn't something that you can try and go back to.

It may well as Boff said be nothing because the growth charts are only what the average baby does anyway - he may just catch up later.

Brett, hope you get some answers, even if it is that there is nothing actually wrong.

Bleu, glad your DH seems to be seeing the light a bit.

Boff, your DD's transformation makes me almost want to start the Flylady regime.

Well, isn't this just typical. After several nights of waking me up at 1am, Alex is still asleep at 3am. I, however, have been lying awake for hours trying to get my mind round the enormous amount of things still to be done before the move on Saturday. I am very behind, after my weekend of mastitis, and there are endless unconnected things to get done (service the car, arrange for Alex's 3mth checkup which is now well overdue, go for fanjo physio, feed Alex regularly...) in between manic packing. I have moved house about 12 times, and never has it been such chaos.

Good morning

I really must pull my finger out and get some blackout blinds for Ellens room. She has been up at 5.30 for the last two days. Thankfully she just wants Daddy.

Has anyone else seen Madagascar? Ellen can't stop singing "I like to move it move it" while shaking her bottom.

BB - Ouch. Did you just forget to put lotion on that one area?
Have you ever used P20? I love that stuff.

Schulte - How is H today? And you for that matter, you seem to have had worry after another lately.

Ju - I assume your Dad didn't mean to be offensive but bloody hell! Did you tell him how upsetting such remarks are?

WFH - I'm glad Orbit's colic is improving. Enjoy your house guests.

Bicnod - If they keep hassling you about CC, show them this or some other such research.

Fuck, Nuts, what the hell? I am so sorry sweetheart. I don't know what to say.

Nutty - I dont qute know what to say but just wanted you know I will be thinking of you. We will still be here when you feel up to/are able to come back (((hugs))).

Nuts - You have my email and mobile. Please use them any time, day or night, if you need an ear.

Oh Nutty. You know we're always here if you need us.

Hi all!

re: poo and jabs. After Isla has her first jabs DH was changing her and said "oh yes, post jab poos! I remember those!" SO if my DH noticed then it must have been a big thing. (personally I have no recollection of it with DS but then i was in a daze for a year or three and don't remember much!!)

sorry for those who are having weight gain issues. how are the babies in themselves? alert? developing? lots of wet and dirty nappies? It's difficult, especially when you BFing, because you can't gauge how much they are actually taking in. you start to doubt yourself. but there really is a very very very small percentage who don't have enough milk. you are doing great. just like adults, babies come in all shapes and sizes.

Brett - i'm sorry about the PND. I'm there with you babe. how did you get diagnosed? at my gps i always have to tell them i've got it. they never ever pick up on it [edinbrgh test is useless!!]

well, i didn;t end up going to my meeting. couldn't risk it. but something has come out since then. i think that was my shit quota for the week!

DH has lost his wedding ring in the house somewhere...driving me nuts trying to find it. i'm not good at keeping house. i'm untidy and a bit of a pack rat. i was like this when he married me...why is it such a surprise now?? oh and I DIDN;T LOSE THE EFFING THING...YOU DID!!! thank you. i feel better now.

typing one handed suuuuuuucks.

oh god nutty! i'm so sorry

Puzzle, thanks for asking. H is still pooing so I'm taking her to the docs this morning. I've been feeling a bit down lately because there always seems to be something wrong with one of the girls. Ah well. I suppose this is what it's going to be like for the next few years so I might as well get used to it.

Schulte - You do seem to have had more than a fair share. Here's to ensuing perfect health.

Purple - You know men can't be expected to look for things properly. Tis a biological phenomenon.

so sorry to hear that nutty. will ring as soon as i get a moment (currently feeding).

Oh shit nutty that's just so horrible we are all thinking of you.

Sorry for any confusion, Hannah's weight is actually fine, it is true that she is quite a thin baby but she's following the 25th centile and I was the same. It's me who has issues with feeding, not her. It was in the very early days she didn't put on weight rather than being a current problem.

Purple, my DH made me book an appointment at the doctors because of my horrible mood swings. I didn't have to tell the doctor I had PND though, she told me that . I've now got hv coming out tomorrow morning.

Must go, Hannah has woken up and is now screaming the place down

Oh Nutty love, I'm so sorry. If there's anything I can do, you have my number. Huge (((((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))))))

Boff, thanks for the link. I've been trying to restrain my Googling a bit, as I don't want to scare myself . I've been trying not to think of thinking of CF for weeks. Although his Guthrie came out as low risk, it doesn't rule it out. He seems to have quite thick saliva (though I have no baby-saliva frame of reference) and sometimes has mucus in his poos, and I can't help wondering if this could be thick secretions due to something like CF. But then, I imagine he would have had a chest infection by now. Who knows? This is why it is best not to think about it too much! It's definitely a case of my little bit of knowledge about such things being a dangerous thing! I've also been trying not to think of it as 'failure to thrive', as that's such an awful title, but I don't really think I can avoid that now. I also don't want to mention such thoughts to DH, as if I do, he will really panic.

I'm wondering whether he could have a milk protein allergy and I should try giving up dairy. This would be good fun as I am a bit of a dairy monster, So far today I have had a bowl of porridge made with milk, tea with milk, and a (milk) chocolate cupcake containing buttermilk, with cream-cheese butter frosting. I'm sooooo not designed for dietary restrictions!

Puzzle - I too was up with H at 5.30am, as he was wide awake. Perhaps it is the light, although a week ago he was sleeping until much later. He spent all of last night thrashing his arms and legs around like a loon. Not as bad as Sunday night, however, when at 3.30am he suddenly screamed like a cheerleader in a horror movie. I leapt up, obviously still asleep, and also started screaming (though I don't entirely remember this!). He did it 5 or 6 times and then settled back to sleep. Poor DH was terrified to wake to both of us screaming! Assume he must have had a bad dream (H, not DH ). My Mom had a helium balloon for her 60th birthday, and H spent much of the weekend being entertained by Grandad bobbing it around, so I wonder if he was being chased in his dream by a big ballon, like Patrick McGoohan in The Prisoner!

Surprise - practically drove past your house at the weekend on the way to The French Hen in Clent!

Ju - Perhaps he should shout at next weigh in.. "I am not a number!"

I must get blinds this weekend, it's mad that our sleep is being disturbed by the two year old and not the baby. Holly's an absolute dream