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

[PuzzleRocks]

Ta da.

Hmmmm - some of that sounds like I'm feeling, other bits don't. Thirsty - check, from bf. Tired - check, but you sound off the scale. Hormonal mood swings - check.

Throw uppy, headaches etc, they don't sound right.

Have you considered diabetes? Sounds rubbish, but giving birth and bf do really take it out of you - are you taking a multi vitamin or anything? Might be worth doing that just to build yourself up a bit?

Really hope you feel better soon

I'm still taking pregnacare vitamins (though in all honesty I don't remember every day may 3 or 4 days out of 7...so perhaps I should try to be more consistent)
I did wonder about diabetes or thyroid...but not sure.

Stressed new mum! That you are, Bleu, though the waking up feeling physically sick 8/10 doesn't quite add up for me. Your GP doesn't sound very sympathetic, esp if you've come away feeling it's 'nothingness' when it obviously isn't. Can you see another doc?

WFH's DS is so very clever - amazing what they pick up without you even realising. Little sponges.

Boff - sounds like you did the right thing calmly laying down the law straight away, though lol at the 8pm/8am mixup.

Hello Frekkles, nice to meet you, and happy camping

Schulte - squeezing onto tube and trains in rush hour, yikes, esp with pram! How long is the journey? Have you got a babysling?

Ju - ooh yum I love madeleines. DH does all the cooking round here, as it stresses me out. I'm ok though if I can follow a recipe to the letter, so a bit of homebaking might surprise him. And I need to learn more for when DD is a bit older. When I was pregnant DH bought me a family cookbook (the dozens of gourmet ones on the shelves are his) and inscribed it "Just making sure if I'm out 'dot' gets fed." Resolve to try harder to be less rubbish at cooking.

Oops can hear grizzling, hungry monster, must attend.

Bleu - I have thyroid issues but don't recognise any of the symptoms you've listed, apart from tiredness. Poor you. Insist on another blood test?

Bleu, I think you should get another opinion. Being tired, hormonal and thirsty is definitely normal, but feeling sick and being pale etc. doesn't sound like nothing to me.

Boff, I too used to pinch the occasional quid from my mum's purse when I was a kid . Sounds like your DS won't be doing it again in a hurry though!

to everyone's LOs who've got swine flu - hope they're better soon.

Feeling very at the moment because DH and I have been arguing like cat and dog for weeks now and this morning we had an almighty bust up. DH has been very 'busy' with work recently (though IMO he's been spending a lot of time faffing about and not actually achieving anything...), so I've been left looking after A about 90% of the time. I'm completely knackered because A was up around 10 times again last night (which DH slept through! ) so this morning I really wanted to just go into town for a couple of hours to wind down and have a bit of peace. So I asked him if he would look after A for a while. We then had a massive argument over him being busy all the time and not doing his fair share (he doesn't have a paid full-time job at the moment, but has a grant to carry out a project, so can be very flexible about when he works). In the end I stomped out and left him with no choice. Was that a bit OTT?

also have questions about maxi cosi seat placed in the middle here any thoughts/stories would be appreciated

Bleu, I am surprised the GP didn't check for a thyroid problem with those symptoms. It's terribly common after a birth, and the one thing about thyroid disease is that you end up having loads of random symptoms that seem to make no sense until you get your thyroxine regulated and they go away.

I get the tired/thirsty/mood swings thing. I got the pale and breathless thing after having DD. I also got aching wrists, some gynae problems and funnily enough my hearing deteriorated, plus I used to put on about 5lbs in a week sometimes.

Sometimes it helps to go to a GP who is sympathetic towards looking at thyroid blood results as well as symptoms. You may be on the threshold of being low/high for you, and a very low dose of something might help move you towards normal.

Yeah I've got an aching wrist too which I was categorically told was because I'm not used to lifting the baby and it's being strained... I almost dropped my plate the other evening though because it gave out on me because the pain was too great I couldn't hold on...only Dh's quick reactions saved my dinner from being lost (well except the beans -which I wasn't looking forward to anyway )

I am feeling a little... um... 'pushed aside' perhaps is the right wording. I know that a lot of things are my body 'getting back in order/shape' but how much stuff do you have to put up with? I do wonder if I'm just being a big baby, but in all honesty I don't feel right and it's not like some days are good and some are bad it's pretty much like long forecasted rain- just a bunch of blah with occasional heavier showers which make me rather stay in bed...

Thyroid wrist pain tends to be a bit like RSI-type pain. With me my little fingers didn't work properly and the other fingers were a bit stiff as well. However more typically people get problems with the thumb and index finger, so I was unusual. It's all to do with increased fluid levels causing pressure on the radial and ulnal nerves.

I'd insist on a thyroid test and if possible even compare it to levels when pg, if you had them tested then (they may have done).

Funnily enough Bleu, after about 6-8 weeks postpartum, you should feel largely back to normal, apart from excess weight, leaky boobs and the normal tiredness from having interrupted sleep, that kind of thing. If you feel so wrong then there is most likely a problem. Don't let blokes tell you otherwise!! If it's not PND then it needs further investigation.

Interesting...it is the index and thumb that are the problem; I think I may go back again. I'll request a different doctor too as I always seem to get the same guy. Maybe I'll actually make an appointment rather than just 'walking in' because I've had enough too...

Ask at reception whether there is a particular doctor who is good with thyroid problems. That might help.

If you have more than a handful of these symptoms, then a GP ought to listen to you

I've got like every other of the hypothyroidism stuff... things i never even thought could be possible problems...very interesting. I shall at least call it to their attention.

Bleu - How awful for your cousin. Stories like that really make me count my blessings.
I also think you need to demand to be taken seriously by you GP.

Kali - Not OTT, sound slike he needed a short sharp shock to me. I hope you get more help in the future.

Frekkles - You sound really happy. It's lovely.

Evening girls... I'm down at my mum and dad's this week and Oscar is loving playing with his big cousins (my brother and sister live nearby with their LOs)

I took him swimming today for the first time and he loved it - even dunked his head under a couple of times and he was fine... I'm thinking of doing some sort of swimming classes with him - anyone else doing that? Any recommendations?

Right - quick catch up before mum and dad come back with fish and chips (yum yum)

Schulte - I always cry at the doc, don't feel bad about that ever. Great news about Hazel's heart. I think worrying about everything is just part of the deal when you're a new mummy unfortunately - I too worry about everything

Juw - sometimes I don't leave the house for days on end. Sometimes I plan to just stay in for a few days. We're new mummies, we can do what we like. Oscar talks with the bookshelves and the hall light and he chats away to the fridge, so he's clearly getting all he needs in terms of building social skills

JumJane - hello sorry haven't said hello before... I am cauliflower head

Boff - I hope I handle Oscar in the future as fantastically as you handled your DS. How was he the next day?

Bleu - could you see a different GP? Waking up feeling sick every morning is clearly not right.

On the subject of poos (seems to have been a bit of discussion around what's normal) - Oscar poos between 6 and 8 times a day and they are always VERY runny (nice). They are usually yellow but sometimes a bit green. I think anywhere between 0 and 8 poos a day is normal at this stage. Some of my antenatal group friends' babies poo as much as Oscar and some poo once every 2 or 3 days... I believe there is a wide spectrum of pooing normality...

I am feeling a bit smug as I went for a run yesterday for the first time since I was 20 weeks pregnant and managed 4.4km without stopping I have managed to counterbalance the smugness with self-loathing today however as I troughed maltesers, cake, chocolate bar, cheese and more cake - and am about to eat fish and chips oh well.

Still haven't had a chance to stalk you all on facebook but from what I've seen of people's profile pics so far you're a lovely looking bunch

Bicnod, thanks for the compliment. He apologised to me very nicely again, and told me he loved me. He played with his brother a lot better again today, and his behaviour was somewhat improved, although a little teenagerish around the edges. He made a nice supper of sandwiches for the two of them on request, and helped me to put away the ironing. He even spontaneously used deoderant instead of me nagging him. I think I may be able to keep him out of borstal yet.

I am also eating total crap at the moment, btw. Please can everyone encourage me to keep on with the core foods and organise my eating better? Otherwise I will have to buy an entire new work wardrobe in a few weeks' time, plus I am feeling very self-conscious about being so large.

BTW we have just found out my grown up nephew has some kind of degenerative neurological condition, and we don't know what it is. He has to have genetic testing. We thought it was his asperger's and when he started falling over his own feet, we just kept telling him off! Does anyone know anything about this type of thing?

Hi folks - just the usual dash in and dash out. Only read back a wee bit so no doubt missed lots, but Boffin - sounds like you handled the nicking money very well. Guess most kids do it at some point.

We're off to Iona for a week on Sat (and camping on Friday - could be a disaster, but hopefully not). Iona should be lovely as long as it doesnt rain all week.

Angus doesnt poo for a day or two and then has three or four poos in a row.

Will try and pop on this week a bit and see how you all are properly.

Boffin Mum - in haste, I know very little about degenerative neurological conditions, but a close friend of DPs has one. He was diagnosed about 15 years ago (when he was about 20? Maybe earlier, I wasn't around then) and although now his walking is impaired (he uses a walker on wheels for balance), he still continues to live life to the full, and in fact got married this year (that was the wedding in Austria I couldn't go to because Orbit was tiny).

So although it might not be the same thing, I just wanted to let you know that I had come across one where the person in question is still a happy, thriving individual

Hope your nephew's case is mild and sending big hugs xxxx

Hello all

Am barely keeping up at the moment - oh no DS1 just menacing E on the baby gym. Thought it was too good to be true when I managed to put him down for 5 mins.

Bleu if your wrist is RSI, then I've had that for years. Physio is excellent, everything else is hopeless and splinting is downright bad for it - can tell you more if it turns out to be RSI and you need to know.

Right must go

some advice if you will ladies!

meant to be going to the wickerman festival today.

Harris and I have had a cold since monday. He's not desperately ill still smily, but he's snuffly, sneezing and coughing a little, all he's interested in doing is suckling and falling asleep on me.

Should i go? bearing in mind i'll be camping and the forecast is for rain. obviously i'll keep him warm and dry in the bell tent, and we're camping backstage so it's not so busy and has better facilities. and i'll feed him and carru him in a sling constantly as much as he likes and needs.

but somehow it doesn't feel right to go. it's his first cold so i'm not sure what's normal really, saw the health visitor yesterday who just said he's fine, alert and all. Just feed him and cuddle him and he'll get better.

what to do?

Waves to all.

frekkles you need to do what feels right. I'd probably go but then that's my comfort zone. You need to do what you feel is right

Bit jealous of the festival

GoingToAFestivalNextYearTiggaxx

So much to do today. Mom and Aunt are coming to stay for a little over a week...need to clear off beds or they'll be sleeping on the floor...

Nutty not swine flu too poor you guys.