January 2009 - "This is halloween, this is halloween, babies wake in the dead of night..."

[VerySpookyLennipillar]

A homage to the Nightmare Before Christmas song. DH obsessed with that film, we all (DD included) have to watch it on Christmas Eve.

Not read thread but came up on Dogs post.
Well ds1 was fine and then woke up after his sleep screaming. Took me half an hour to calm him down (very freaky) and then he managed to tell me his mouth hurt. Inside were lots of little red spots, like pen dots, and ulcers. He was also quite warm. Took him to emergency docs and they said probably hfm but as it's a virus there is nothing they can do, just calpol and neurofen. Ds1 has only just been right today and is finally eating and drinking again, 5 days later! All he could manage was ice cream, yogurt and custard.
Poor puppy, it is the most horrid thing ever and very little you can do, just lots of tlc.

oh dog sounds like a right pain with dp!!

gumps - hope he gets well soon

i have started eyeing up advent calendars for dd1 bought her a playmobile one last year looking @ a different plaumobile one for this year

tried looking @ brackens upper gum as she has both of her bottom middle teeth

What were the playmobil ones like Tink? I've been looking at those too

Catch up properly in a bit - got visitors.

Tree It sucks when DHs are insensitive, my DH can be like this too, he just doesn't think before he engages his mouth. Hope your hormones are settling. I have a friend who has just gone through IVF (unsuccessfully )and has been having a very emotional and hormonal time, but seems to be settling down... ohh just read further down the thread...glad your DH followed up with some reasoning (its only a matter of time before he is convinced ...my dh was similar...just rmeiond him of all the fun you could have trying and all the extra use you'll get out of your beautiful nappy collection)

Moose Well done with the dentist, he sounds like a nice one. Mine is a right grumpy old git. How is your tooth feeling today?

Tink How is B doing? I can sympathise with the poo, J's smells of vinegar , its vile, what's it all about?

Dog Sorry your washing machine is up the spout...we have a broken fridge and hoover at the moment...it always happens when you are super skint. Can empathise with the DP thing too, evenings do get pretty monotonous, DP works in the evenings and I sit either working or knitting in front of the tv, feel like a very unsexy 1950's house wife. Perhaps you should try and wake him by declaring 8-9pm naked hour or something?

Gumps Hope ds1 gets better soon , that sounds awful. Its a horrible feeling when you can't make them better instantly.

Have been halloweening today, dressed jude up as a pumpkin, he is the right shape for it so was easy. Lily refused to dress up as she has been a PITA from sunrise to sunset. But had a good time and caught up with some old friends and thier kids. Am feeling washed out, have had really really heavy periods since having coil fitted and have never had heavy ones in my life, so coil is coming out next week and we shall see what happens DS has his fouth tooth through, three on the bottom an done on the top, he looks like a little thug. Right going to watch eastenders and sip red wine and ignore cigarette cravings.

Evening all,

Mega post warning:

Mad hectic day here and dh out for the evening so have collapsed on the sofa with some Thorntons chocolate, the TV and a Christmassy home magazine.

All good with the boys at the dentist first thing, apparently they have perfect teeth [proud mummy emoticon]. After the dentists we walked to a local lane which is lined with 'conker' trees on both sides. Its a bit late in the year for finding conkers, but we kicked a lot of leaves about and searched under the edges of the brambles and in the end we managed to collect over 30 really big ones so the boys were well impressed.

Dd is still suffering really badly with her teeth - she was awake literally every 20 minutes last night and in the end we had to resort to calpol to get her to sleep for an hour. Twas slightly wearing to say the least.

Dog, I have been through a similar thing with dh in the past. I think most couples do at one time or another. This time of year is hard on a lot of people, dark nights, lots of bugs, financial stress in the run up to christmas - all of which add up to a pretty boring domestic picture. It doesn't help when you can't get babysitters so that the two of you can go out together and have some fun. It will come right though, things generally do. I tend to grit my teeth and aim for January and a new start for a new year. Hope ds doesn't get HFM.

Gumps, pleased to hear ds is feeling a bit better.

Tink/Lenni, I have been looking at Lego and Playmobil advent calendars. They have a few different ones on ebay that seem to be a bit cheaper than they are in the shops. I quite like the look of the Playmobil one with Father Christmas feeding the animal, but if I'm honest I think the boys would prefer one of the Lego ones. It does seem like a lot of money for an advent calendar, but I'm sure they would love it and I only intend to buy one between them (they always take turns opening the windows anyway).

Finally bit the bullet and started ds1 on a gluten free diet on Wednesday. Bought lots of nice things for him to eat and made sure to make a lot of his usual favourites using gluten free flour etc so it hasn't been a big change for him. I feel terrible though, he has been going through awful withdrawal symptoms, headaches, getting upset easily and sobbing and really foggy headed and finding it hard to concentrate. Apparently this is all fairly normal and actually indicates that there is a sensitivity/intolerance, but I feel terrible putting him through it. We are giving him probiotics as well and I think his digestion has been better, but he still has a bad stomach after his millet porridge, so am thinking there is a dairy intolerance there as well. I really don't want to take him off dairy though, as being veggie it would make it very hard and he would get really upset about the things he couldn't eat. We have to do something though, tracing it back he has never had normal digestion. He never once did a flushable nappy and has had soft/runny stools for practically his entire life with things getting increasingly worse in the past 12 months. We were also wondering whether it might help with his ASD type problems, but if it does help it will be as a bi-product of us sorting his digestion out rather than being the main reason for changing his diet.

Feel like I can't do right for doing wrong really. If I give him the gluten he suffers with his digestion (so effectively I am poisoning him) and if I remove it from his diet he suffers withdrawal symptoms.

Oooh Moose - sounds the pits mate. Its very early days, surely the withdrawal will go in time? KNowing how limited dairy free was for me, and will be for dd when she wants to eat out, at parties, and maybe even at school - I commend you. I really do. I hope you get good positve feedback form the efforts. Do you know how long it takes to see any changes? I guess a few months?

We have a playmobile calender somewhere, no idea if it has all it's bits though.

HKZ, you are a love. Thanks for the kind words [at to all of you of course] So no coil eh? So? No coil? No contraception? OOOOOH!

So a haard day here. Went to a little party that was lovely and then to the park for a spooky walk. DD1 tried soup for the first time in her 5 years, says she likes it but won't be eating it again. Shame as I make nice soup and it would be a cracking after school healthy snack.

DD1 has got very constipated again. I cried for her today. SHe shock and screamed in pain when doing it. It came over 3 movements and her anus really had to stretch so much. He colon is stockpiling, so this is like dd1 all over again.

I think my anxiety/depression is setting in you know. Dark thoughts. I can't just be upset at dd's constipation. I have to start imagining the suffering of abused babies and the similar pain they suffer. It's like torturing myself. I also just feel really pissed off and angry at stuff. Mainly laundry as it is my nemesis! Sorry for being so honest - it isn't pretty but that is my head when this horrible thing strikes.

On the positive, I have been under the bed.
I have cleared one Ikea bag of old clothes, sorted one to post out to help someone out [will prob cost what the clothes are worth], created an empty drawer - wow!, and stashed clothes in 1-1.5, 1.5-2, 2-3, 4-5 for Harriet under the bed. Hurrah!!

This period is torrential. Urgh.

don't let it get on top of you lady, you get yourself looked after, one way or another.

I'm a hormonal wreck today so won't attempt to catch up - meet up was lovely, had a lovely day but DD was her usual jackal and hyde self. I despair with her sometimes. She really pushes me all day long, and I assume all responsibility and vow to do better the next day and of course she is the same. I am nto sure I can survive the monotony much longer

On teh bf front, I'm down to evening, middle of night (x2) and morning feeds and seem to be going fine. Giving formula during the day. Am half considering just going back to bf as he's just making up for it during the night so getting less sleep. But I don't enjoy bf him during the day anymore so would only be doing it for his benefit. I still am not sure what to do.

Will have a look at calendars on ebay - thanks for the tip Tink.

Apparently the results from dairy can be very quick, inside a week anyway, it takes a lot longer to see results from gluten, but you see greater results more quickly if there is a bad intolerance iyswim. Interestingly my Mum and sister are both dairy intolerant and Mum has recently been told to give up gluten as they now thing her IBS is actually gluten intolerance, so it does seem like there might be a genetic link. The only positive sign we have seen so far is that the rough skin on his cheeks has disappeared. He has regularly developed rough, pimply red patches on his cheeks, nothing like eczema, not very visable, but rough, like sandpaper and obvious if you know its there. It often seems worse when he is going through a particularly bad time with his digestion and it has really significantly reduced in the last 48 hrs so we are hopeful that its a good sign of improvement.

Poor dd Tree. Its awful to see them suffering and be powerless to help them isn't it. Seems like you are having the opposite problem to us, my ds with the runs and your girls with constipation.

Sorry to hear you are feeling so low, I've got very upset by some of the horrible stuff in the news about children recently. I get really upset, cry, then go and hug my dcs. I get where you are coming from, you just feel so hopeless and helpless and angry all at the same time, then you start focussing your anger on things closer to home - like the laundry.

Well done on the sorting though, I tend to just collapse into a gibbering useless heap and get nothing useful done when I feel like that.

My poor dog is freaking out and doing a good impression of a crazy polar bear in a zoo pacing up and down the dog gate, thanks to all the fireworks going off tonight. I have given her some valerian tincture and when that didn't work, even tried some of dd's chammomila powders, still freaking out though.

OOOOh Moose

Valarian. I thought it might help ddd1, who is a wound spring, tries to take in all information, becomes overstimulated and gets anxious, nervous and jumpy. Whadyathink? It's more for me really , her constant apologising is doing my nut.

I went to try buy it, but the lady said she needed Mgnesium and sold me a ticture. DD hates the flavour and became all of the above about drinking it

Hmm, the valerian tincture I get is veterinary, so probably not the best for dd. It also smells foul so no chance she would take the human version.

Have you seen Bioforce Child Essence? I use their Euphrasia tincture (Eyebright) for ds1 and am sure that that's what improved his eye condition when nothing 'medical' seemed to help. We just pop his Euphrasia and Echinacea drops in some apple juice with his breakfast and he slurps it straight down.

Bioforce Passiflora might help, its good for stress, anxiety, nervious tension, nervous exhaustion.

Alternatively, have you looked at any of the Bach flower and Bush flower remedies? I have also used these on dogs with a great deal of success and as dogs can't 'expect' them to work it can't just have been a placebo effect.

Will look at those now Moose. Chers mi dear. I had been looking at their remedies and getting confused. I think I nearly bought thr whole jolly lot in an offer!

The lady in the shop said valarian might be too soporific for her. I my self see sleep as a positive!

Passiflora sounds good. Sounds like the effect gin and a good disco dance has on me. Or used to in't'old days. Tha knows.

I used bach flower rescue remedy when I went to the dentist on Thursday. Dh bought it for me and I think it must have helped as I was a lot calmer than I thought I would be.

the playmobile advent calendar with santa and the animals is the one dd1 had last year it is really nice. the boys probably would prefer the lego one i guess more to play with.

tree - sorry period bad and dark thought

mm - good luck with gluten diet

Sorry for no posts! Has been super busy here with family and guests.

Had such a lovely time at the meet-up... wish we all lived closer so we could do it more often. All the kids were wonderfully behaved I thought - LEnni I thought your DD was just gorgeous and I am sure you know her better than anyone, but from an outsider's pov she was just really sweet, well behaved, very loving and attached to you (in a good way though), and obviously very bright - just thought I would share as I am sure from the inside coping with two sometimes must get a bit overwhelming!

More later but for now - N hasn't pooed for about a week. Was just trying to strain one out now but with no success. Gave him a whole fig last night. Prune juice today I suppose. Should I go to the docs? Am surprised as he is still so breastfed.

morning all! beautiful day here, but we are mooching about at home as we have had two overstimulating days in a row (out for most of both days) and c had a total meltdown last night, couldn't go to sleep, wailed and wailed - it was just awful. she is looking utterly exhausted today so i think a day of regrouping is called for.

missj, the constipation thing is just dreadful, in c's case i think it's the formula. she has yoghurt with stewed prune every day and as much green veg as we can get down her, and we try to get her to drink plenty of water, but it doesn't help much. i sometimes hold c's legs up when she is straining, it gives her something to push against, and if things seem really dire, you can get a glycerin suppository from the pharmacy (i think it's glycerin, anyway) which sort of greases the way... [disgusted emoticon]

tree, i'm sorry you are so down. i hope it passes soon.

so, we mailed c's dad this morning to see if he is willing to try for a sibling for c. i think he's going to say no, but just want to move on now if we aren't going to try again - it's been on my mind this last week or so, and i find that i am surprisingly keen to do it all again. but the donating process is a drag for him and for his partner so i doubt he'll want to. we do have a beautiful daughter already, so i'm probably just being greedy (in a masochistic sort of way, iykwim)...

beautiful daughter is now demanding food with menaces, so better go...

To the constipated babies -I have learnt that you have have have to get fluid into them. Give fresh juice in a bottle if you have to, break all the rules. We were so strict with dd1 on the water and tiny amount of fresh squeezed orange for drinks. 5 years later she has ongoing chronic problems - what she needed was pints and pints of fluid. DD2 dietician and paed agree that between a filling and chronic constipation - the filling is less traumatic adn less of an impact on the in terms of nutrition and mentally.

Hatts has been passing hers for 2 days, amid screams of agony. Dr on Tuesday thankfully. A good sensible GP I have waited 2 weeks to see. Her poo isn't that hard, it is spongey. But it is big, very round. She passed one the size of a gobstopper. You can imagine how her tiny anus must have hurt. SO that is a sign the colon is already stretched and slow and storing without telling the brain to empty. So chronic constipation has arrived. Git.

I dunno what to worry about first at the moment.

Our car will be back next week. Oh good news at last.

Stripey - I hope you get the answer you want, whatever that may be. Sounds like a yes, but a no is within your comfort zone too. How does DP feel? You are not greedy, it is natural. C is such a lovely squasher who wouldn't want another?

I take dried prunes and simmer them in their own juice till it turns to treacle. Hatts will eat 2-4 icecube trays of it to get her 'moving'. Plus we replace a feed with water and pressed pear juice. I hate constipation. Hate it hate it.

at meet up news, glad it was so good though. x

hi ladies having a good day here bought dds wrapping paper to wrap up there xmas pressies

any thoughts :-

for the last three days bracken has had yellow runnier poos smell sweet
she is off any veg or meat when you try and give jar to her she pushes spoon away.
she is still drinking milk and will eat petit filous or friut puree???

assuming a bug

Tink - I say teething, if she is not puking.

Think this year will get dd1 a plantetarium and dd2 a wheelybug.
Aways wanted one for dd1 but got a like-a-bike instead. It is 3 years old and still used daily so best buy ever. Hope she lets dd2 have a go on it, she will have totally grown out of it by time dd2 is ready to get zooming, so have hopes.....

cheers tree - she has 2 bottom middle teeth
perhaps top one are going to come through soon ;p

wheelybugs look cool
i am getting bracken as one of her bday pressies elc wooden trike

Hi all

Have read, but have foggy brain so probably forgotten most already.

Been out on a girly day with Mum, elder sister and dd today. I went out with the intention of buying something for myself for a change - but failed dismally and ended up buying things for all 3 dcs - again!

Stripey, hope things work out for you.

Tink, dd gets an upset tum when she's teething, read somewhere that its because of all the extra dribble they are swallowing. She only has her bottom two teeth as well, but I think it looks as if she might be getting another bottom one and possibly her top two as well. She's also off her food at the moment. Did a bit better with solids today, but hasn't eaten anywhere near as much as usual and is still only taking very short bf then refusing the breast.

Had a bit of a breakthrough with ds1 this morning, he was in trouble for something, I got down to his level to tell him off and he looked me straight in the eye for the whole conversation! I was so shocked, I actually took a step back. Normally he will employ any tactic possible to avoid looking straight into your eyes, its something he really struggles with. We were honestly gobsmacked! He is on day 4 of being totally gluten free and it has given dh and I renewed resolve to stick with it and find ways to make it as easy as possible for him so that he wants to carry on as well. We were wavering after seeing him suffer going through withdrawal symptoms, but actually he has been much better today. No more tears, but very naughty, possibly an aggravation of symptoms as this is a well documented phenomenon. (Fortunately, dh and the dss had a 'boys day' today, so I didn't have to deal with the bad behaviour.)

Hi Moose, glad you saw that change in ds. It must be very rewarding and good to think he looked at you and heard you. In what way was he naughty today? Do you think the naughty side will be helped by the exclusion diet, or how he reacts and interacts - or are they very linked?

Hey Dog. Hows horse?

Hi Tree

Ds1 was hyperactive, like he was over-full of energy and really impish with it. Lots of charging about in the house, teasing his brother and really ott high jinks. Apparently its common in children when they exclude gluten, as the negative effect gluten has on them is similar to morphine (it dopes them up and spaces them out, thus disconnecting them from the rest of the world). When the gluten starts leaving the system, they have a sort of burst of energy and feel really alive, like they are just waking up from a long dopey sleep, hence the loony ott behaviour. Apparently it will settle down, he is just enjoying feeling better, which is a good thing really.

The theory is that the wheat (and in some cases milk) proteins cross through a leaky gut into the blood, then cross the blood brain barrier causing the doping effect and problems integrating with the rest of the world.

We have had lots of problems with ds1 in the past, because he just doesn't connect with what's going on around him. This causes all sorts of problems with misunderstandings on our part about why he does certain things and on his part about why he gets into trouble for things he sees as acceptable behaviour, usually because he doesn't 'get' how his behaviour impacts on others. Because he is always a bit spacey and locked inside his own head, he will interrupt people when they are speaking and answer back when challenged (obviously neither of these things go down well at school). He also has a tendency to go into meltdown when people don't understand where he is coming from and he can't get his point of view across and he will talk endlessly about whatever his current obsession is (usually a DS or computer game) without noticing that the listener is either not at all interested, or has never played the game rendering the conversation meaningless and totally one sided, so I get lots of conversations that start "Mummy, you know in Super Mario on level blah blah blah?" and when I say, "No ds1 I've never played Mario" he will just continue banging on about it at two hundred miles an hour with me unable to stop him or slow him down.

We are hoping that the exclusion diet will help to reconnect him with the world and enable him to learn the social skills that he lacks. Apparently, in some cases, once the gut has healed you can very slowly reintroduce gluten back into the diet, but you usually have to be totally gluten free for a couple of years first.

Its incredible how many products have gluten in that you wouldn't expect. Fortunately for us we mainly eat fresh fruit and veg so its not as hard on him as it might be if he was a total junk food addict.