NOV 09 - once the lights are out and the last baby has arrived safe and fine, see you here on cloud nine!

[Broodzilla]

I've just realized we're now under the "being a parent" header. I've got stage freight!

on a positive note...while we may not be able to walk, talk or sleep at least we no longer have to..

indegistion
wee 17 times a nite
and can bend over!

and back to current problems of the day..
anyone having probs getting baby to suck anything other than boob...have been breastfeeding for 2 weeks and want to give a bottle of formula but she gags if anything goes in her mouth, wont take dummy either, not a huge prob yet but dont have to be compeltely housebound, tried avent and tomme tippe bottles

indigestion even..

southern, I really admire you for bringing two children to bed on your own.
I don't have any experience with piles but I think drinking lots of water, eating cereals, dried fruits and linseeds (those are really helpful) would help at least your constipation and therefore the piles less painful.
My husband is still at work and I didn't even have dinner. Now I am too tired to prepare anything. I will regret it at night I guess.
I am really looking forward to Paula sleeping on other places than me.

forgot to ask: is anyone taking vitamin supplements? I used to do so during the 3rd trimester and I am considering of starting again. My lifestyle is really unhealthy at the moment, my daily vitamin intake is about 0 at the moment but I am eating far too much sweets. (I would have thought the unhealthiest lifestyle is supposed to be during studies, cheap food, too much nightlife,... not as a caring, loving mum )

weston I have that list too!

Soft cheese, bending over, sleeping on my back, no more sciatica, plopping down on our couch! which was super uncomfortable while I was heavily pregnant... by the end only my exercise ball was comfy to sit on.

And can I just say that I much prefer new mum glow to the "pregnant woman" glow? Might just be me, but I feel SO much more attractive now.

Ursi, I eat really badly too. I'm so tired that all I'm craving is cheap sugars. I'm trying to keep a stock of brazil nuts and apples in the house (stuff I can eat on the run) but I'm still not doing terrifically.

Btw, I nursed my baby on the aeroplane during takeoff and landing. If you're sitting next to your husband, it's not too hard to cover up the other side with a muslin or blanket or something. If the person sitting on the other side of you gets offended, then yay, you get an empty seat next to you for the rest of the flight!

THANK YOU for all your reassurance about DHs. It really helps, honestly. I kind of assumed everything would be fine as we have never argued about anything before, and now I find myself being snappy and resentful, assuming he will take the hint. Had a bit of chat and he did eventually get dinner ready etc and has offered to get up in the night. It's just there's no point, because the only time he did, he was nursing Sam and fell asleep which now means I don't trust him to stay awake/look after him properly! Grrrrr.

Brood I think I have hidden the names on FB - have cut them from the original page and posted them in our Discussions section. I had had the same thought, actually. And that is exactly how I have been feeling - sand and infuriated and alone which is not how I had imagined his paternity leave - I thought we would be a gloriously happy little family, cooing etc... Thank-you for making me feel I am not the only one!

Usi I am taking the pregnacare breastfeeding supplements. Only because I am not eating v well and thought they might be useful.

Oh, and YAY for camembert, parma ham and 'new mum' glow - even though I look more knackered than I ever have in my life, I still feel a ton more attractive!

uri I am also taking vits - feeling like a zombie can't be good for immune system and after DS2 was born I picked up every little bug going for six months so trying to ward this off this time!

Oh god what am I doing here? Got to start Operation Get Everyone To School...

Tamlin, thanks for the advice. I've heard that bf during take off and landing would be the best but I thought you are not allowed and you have to have them on your lap with the baby seat belt on. That's why I thought of giving her a bottle. I would have no problem to breastfeed in public. Luckily, Austrians and Germans do not seem to have any sense of shame. (This may be shocking but we even go naked to mixed saunas )

And thanks for all the vitamin advice. I was just a bit worried that too much vitamins might not be good either. But they are designed for breastfeeding too, so I guess, I just have to (I just had a dream about them being too huge to get swallowed). BBL, this is exactly what I am worried of... I usually pick up everything, strangly almost nothing since the beginning of pregnancy and it is really not the right time to start again with my bad habit.
I hope you got everybody ready for school (but as long as you keep mentioning daily baths here, I have no doubt that you manage your 3 kids easily)

Oh, and forgot: Paula is 4 weeks today. It's just amazing. But more than ever she seems to need to be in my arms. So far the trick with my t-shirt of last night in the moses basket is not working and as soon as I take her off my shoulder (to put her on the other shoulder!), she wakes up and cries as if something really terrible happened)

good idea with the vitamins, I should take some too, my diet is appalling.

am slightly annoyed, ds was supposed to be going to playschool, but is hailing here and i had no rain cover for the pram so Annabelle would have got absolutely soaked and ds would have needed a new outfit by the time we walked down so I decided it wasnt worth it. Ds is also grumpy this morning, he has the 'I wants' today, am hoping that by telling him nana wont come over later unless he behaves will get him to behave a bit better.

Annabelle is sleeping a lot better at night, only really waking me for feeds every 3/4 hours. She does seem to love sleeping in my arms more, but try to gently put her in the moses basket once she has dropped off. Also she was weighed by the HV yesterday, she is back to her original weight of 9 pounds 14 which is good as the last couple of times she has lost weight.

weston I use bottles (tommee tippee closer to nature) and a dummy (mam 0-6 months) as Ioan needs to suck even after a full tummy. He does gag sometimes, so I tend to rub the teat just inside the roof of his mouth. I think if I just try and put it in, his tongue gets caught up and makes him gag, or he's expecting my nipple and so gags. If I brush his lip and then rub the tip on his mouth he seems to acccept it. It soothes him enough to get off to sleep then it drops out. I'm presuming it's just because his mouth is so small

Not taking vits here but had thought about it. Pregnacare do bf ones although I'll probably just get a general combined one.

Enjoying having my body back here for sure, had retained so much water during pregnancy. Can't believe how small my ankles now look!!

ursi I'm sure you can bf on a plane - I can't see how they could stop you!

Oopps sounded a right grump in my last post eventhough I seem to be getting more sleep than some of you! Finaly yesterday finished realy well, ds1 had a much better day at school, plus ds2 slept loads in the afternoon so had hours of quality tme with ds1 and he was lovely!

I'm lucky with dp as with ds1 he looked after the baby all by himelf every friday when i was at work so i know he can change a nappy! Still have to spell it out when i need help.

Ursi the baby seatbelt is just a strp that goes through your seatbelt and around babys tummy soi had no problems bf during take off + landing (infact the fligt was so short he stayed there the entire time. So you managed to get a photo, i'm dreading it!

Gosh can't believe some of you have 4-week plus babies now! Toby is struggling to settle in the daytime too now although sleeps on the school runs fine! Just tried him in the basket as FIL is picking up DS2 this lunchtime to give me a break - was quiet - oh oh not happy - better go rescue him! Oh - quiet again. Hmmm.

I feel such a mix of emtions at the moment - total love for this little man yet no time to really appreciate him when the DSs are around but I also miss doing as much as I can with the DSs when Toby is awake. I know things will settle down in a few weeks when everyone is used to each other and the new routine of life with a baby but at the moment it feels like such chaos - house is just such a tip. And I need to get on and buy some Christmas presents!!!!

scarlotti, I just meant during take off and landing as we have to use the belt. Thought the baby has to face forward like adults. I guess I've only written half of my thought (But you didn't expect me to write down everything clearly on a postnatal thread, did you? )
Thanks maman for letting me know that you can still bf even with the baby seatbelt on. That makes everything a lot easier

ursi ah, I see what you mean now. No brain cells here to try and think anything through more than what's been written!!
I took DS1 on a flight when he was 3 months and he lay in my arms on take off/landing even with the strap on so I think you'll be fine.

Ioan is 3.5 weeks now and the time is flying by. Am already starting to worry that time will run out and I'll have to go back to work must snap out of it as I'll depress myself. Finding it harder today as DS1 has a friend coming back from nursery so I have demands on my time - I feel as though I'm having to fit Ioan around me rather than the other way around. Know that's life but it feels awful to say speed up his feed so I have time for a shower etc. Just want to stay in new baby mode and forget the world!
BBL am with you exactly with the mixed emotions. DD is now ill and I barely have time to take her a drink let alone anything else. She's 15 but that makes it worse somehow as she's old enough to take care of herself so falls through the cracks.

I know I'm so sleep-deprived that I'm getting loopy, but is that photograph of Ed Milliband freaking out anybody else? He looks like he's going to eat my baby with a nice Chianti and some fava beans.

Oh yes, the old i-need-me-time-argument. sheesh. I think what drives it home to dhs in the end is having a toddler. dh gets more attached once baby interacts, and the kids go to them more (just leave it to the kids, my mom said when i complained to her). Plus, dh gets left alone with the kid every now and then, which is better than anything else in conveying how much work it is.
I have an excellent relationship book called '8 loving actions' by susan page. not very cool to read selfhelp books, but it really has some good advise on how to balance giving and taking in a relationship.

dh has one more day of regular work before his break....can't wait. After snapping at dd1 yesterday all day I finally packed us all into bed and watched tv all afternoon. Just too tired to function. Esme gets up every 2 h, and headaches and the full moon keep me up the rest of the time. Anybody relse hav those freakish full-moon-issues? Really not helpful...

I have felt the same as you Scarlotti over the last couple of days. Lots of emotions running very high. I've been doing all the feeding and for some reason DH feels sleep deprived , nothing to do with the X Box that he's making the most of when I'm in bed before he is. DS1 has become very demanding and I'm forever telling him off which I haven't had to do very much since he went through some terrible 2's. He has lost interest in all his toys and won't play when at home, answering me back all the time, and not listening to me. He is great with his new brother but I'm the enemy most of the time. I've had to get tough today and he's getting no treats for now and we're doing a reward chart to attempt some better behaviour. I feel so guilty that i'm unable to give him my full attention at times. I'm sure he will settle with some patience from me. I'm thankful he has pre-school a few days a week which refreshes me and gives him some fun time with his friends.

I feel silly saying this, but DH has made it clear he doesn't want anymore children. I didn't enjoy being pregnant (well for the 1st and 3rd trimester!) with all the sickness, aches and pains, I also felt after my second labour that I never wanted to go through it ever again! Not sure if its my hormones, but I feel a twinge of sadness that this is possibly my last baby and I want to hang on to every moment with him. I'm not sure how serious DH is about all this. It's a bit early to talk about a 3rd child. I understand he's concerns, we're not getting any younger, house would be over run, finances would be tight, and it will take us longer to get our life back. I would love a big family. Oh well I'm sure I'm not the only Mummy that feels like this..

oh sorry, missed a page and chat moving on..never mind.

I eat crap too and gain weight which is depressing. Dreaming of diets, which is waaay off.
just so fed up with ill-fitting frumpy clothes and all.

Fruitpastels your post could have been written by me. my ds is behaving exactly the same way yours is, am the enemy at the moment. plus we are having major food issues, he wont eat hardly any proper food and is constantly whinging for junk food which i havent even got. It's getting me down as id love to be able to make a proper family meal that everyone will tuck into.

I too have been feeling a little sad that this will be my last baby even tho I really really wouldnt like to be pregnant again and think realistically two children is enough for us.

Isaac is 9 weeks old today . I can't believe how quickly the time has gone and am panicking a bit that we haven't got anywhere near establishing a nap routine. (God I hate that word!) He just won't let me put him down to sleep so I've got him in his sling again, where he's sleeping very peacefully. He managed a whopping half hour in his moses basket last night but then slept well in our bed so at least I got a bit of rest. My FIL just rang and when I said everything was fine as long as we let Isaac sleep wherever he wanted he told me 'ooh you don't want to do that'. I know! but have tried every way of getting him to sleep in his pram or basket without success.

It's weird cos in real terms he's only supposed to be 3 weeks old and then I wouldn't be worrying.

I've got a tummy upset, in a downwards direction (tmi sorry) I was fine then now I'm not so fine. A friend is going to pick up DS1 for me as I daren't leave the house now! I get about a nanosecond warning

Toby had better have a good nap after his next feed... I hope so.

BBL, I hope it is only one of this one day things!
Pauls is... well was finally sleeping in her moses basket... for 15min so far but I just heard a little voice, hopefully she is dreaming.
Lemontop, 9weeks, wow time passes so quickly. BUT I was hoping that sleeping thing will eventually get better.
Fruit and Trikken, my husband wants a football team (and sometimes I am worried he might be serious). But at least he wants another girl! (I think he had prefered a boy before we had Paula, it's all about football. But the way she poos, pees and vomits, she is more likely to become a football player than a ballet dancer anyway) and a boy too. Names: Sarah and David. Don't know, if I will ever get a chance to discuss that. He even told the HV who wanted to talk about contraception, that we want the second child rather sooner than later . Apparently it is just too easy with only one child.