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!

I think the odd bout of sickness is normal. James was sick after every feed for the first few days and still now occasionally. Funnily enough I was also projectile-vomited on for the first time last night. Must be something in the air!

tamlin The bottom branches of our tree are groaning under the weight of decorations at DD's height

southerbelle Leah sounds gorgeous. I too am trying to come up with some convincing stocking presents for James, considering he will be 21 days old and interested in nothing more than milk. I have stolen Claire's idea about the hand/footprints. Have also bought a hardback book of nursery rhymes and songs, some of those plastic keys to shake and a cuddly mouse. Will DD suspect something is amiss if I fill the rest of the stocking with nappies?

claire I have become seriously addicted to chocolate, cakes, biscuits... I do actually think my body needs the sugar. I tasted my milk yesterday (trying to suck my nipple into a good shape for James) and it is ridiculously sweet, so maybe that is why (that, or my sugar laden diet is making my milk sweeter )

Laugs Toby is getting a nappy, a packet of wipes, some sudocream, three rattles and two pairs of socks from Father Christmas! I've wrapped them all up!

Hello all,

Thank you so much for all the get well wishes for Henry, we still don't know what was/is wrong with him but will fill you all in.
Monday and Tuesday he wasn't feeding as normal, Tuesday night he was sick after every feed and developed a temp, his cry became high pitched, he was too weak to take a huge feed. Wednesday morning we went to dp who was worried so sent us to children's ward at local hospital, once there Henry fell asleep (after a short feed) so dr decided he was ok and sent us home once home the sickness continued and he started to cry out in pain after coughing. We decided to see how he went over night. He slept all night without a feed (just a couple of whimpers) in the morning he seemed a bit better. Lunch time he threw up all over me and then cried all afternoon finally by tea time dh decided to call back the children's ward as he he now hadn't been awake properly for over a day without screaming, his temp still high, his throat sounded painful and every other feed was coming back. The dr we spoke to was lovely but said she sorry but the ward shuts at 5 so she couldn't us but insisted we go to A&E. At A&E we saw a lovely nurse who agreed he wasn't right so got a dr who's opening line was ..... "I don't do babies" he then tried to get the nurse to pass us onto the out of hours team, they refused as we had already been checked into A&E. Eventually the dr agreed to listen to his check and took a 1 second look at his throat and said he is fine, he'll feed when he is ready, then he said if you need us in the night call the out of hours or the city hospital as we really don't know about babies here!
So anyway we came home feeling like he thought we'd made everything up, thankfully after a few days of a strange cry and chesty sounding cough Henry seems to be on the mend, although he still brings up most feeds, due I think to alot of flem. My hv has been wonderful and has phoned me most days to check on him and is coming to visit tomorrow to check his weight.

Congratulations ninja sounds like you have a very healthy baby boy!

Brood thanks for the co-sleeping info, since Henry has been poorly dh has been downstairs and Henry in with me all night, its nice to have some reassurance.

Sorry this is such a long me me me post, will catch up and chat soon.

Ninja I'm sorry your labor ended with an emcs but I'm seriously impressed at your 15 hours without pain relief and your 10lb 15oz baby!

Laugs I'm laughing at the idea of using your Wii fit to weight the LO... I would totally be doing that if we had one! (A Wii fit, that is...)

Tigger Glad your HV has been checking in on Henry - so frustrating not to get help when you really need it.

Thanks for the co-sleeping info, Brood, very useful.

I was supposed to get a visit from our HV today but she missed our appt. I agreed to go see her during the baby clinic at the surgery this afternoon, since it's around the corner from our house. I guess I was supposed to request to see my HV specifically but I didn't think of it. Instead, after 20 minutes of sitting in a waiting room full of screaming babies, I saw the nursery nurse and she just weighed the LO and whinged a lot about the new red books. She doesn't know how to fill them out, apparently So I left feeling tired and flummoxed and worrying about a bunch of things that I'd meant to ask my HV about but forgot to bring up with the nurse amidst the confusion

Maeve has just regained her birth weight (all of 6 lbs 10 oz) and the nurse seemed a bit concerned, as she's three weeks old on Wed. I guess I should just be feeding her more often? She's always happy to eat...

longwayaway she's gaining weight and that is important and the main thing. Don't worry, esp if she is happy to eat.

It is evening and here I am with a baby strapped to my chest staring at me with his big beautiful eyes. He was hysetrical ten mins ago! Evenings and babies do not mix. I really struggled to make the DSs their tea tonight as Toby has been really cranky since about 5pm.

longwayaway I am having to wake James for nearly every feed as it seems he would just sleep given half a chance. I was worried about this, but the BF advisor just said it's early days and fine and to carry on waking him for each feed. How often does Maeve feed? I was told it's ok to do every 4 hours during the day and can leave it a bit longer at night.

(I think when they say every 4 hrs that's from the start of one feed to the start of the next feed. Some of our feeds last 1.5hr though , so not as big a break as it sounds)

ps Wish I hadn't discovered you can weigh babies on Wii Fit. It will do nothing for my already neurotic nature. Last night I was saying to DH 'I can't believe no-one's developed a laptop that doubles up as weighing scales'.

becky having your baby strapped to your chest is the best thing ever isn't it? I like having a little peek down to say hello.

It is lovely

DD is still awake and crying, DS is awake and crying, DH is out, and I am knackered.

Reuben has, to be fair, jumped from 25th to 5oth centile, so clearly has reasons for feeding continously, but it is draining, and I just want everyone to just shut up!

I have soooo much to do before the weekend, and I have done only 2 things on my list of like 20 things to do today. I think I am going to need to go back through the list and prioritise what actually will get done at all.

I would quite like Reuben to sleep. He has hardly slept all day, and when he did, I was getting DD from nursery.

Sorry. Very mememe. I am for the most part loving this being a mum to 2, just right now, want some space. Tomorrow it will be fine again.

Pav Can you wake DH? My sympathies

Thanks, BBL, I should know better than to worry.

Laugs I feed her at least every three hours - plus after every nappy change, because she finds those really upsetting. She doesn't play around, either - feeds last ~20 minutes and she's like a little machine, all business, until the last 5 minutes or so, when she drops off into her milk coma. Occasionally I wake her up to feed but it's usually not necessary - she's "very alert", everyone says. As in, awake all the fricking time! I guess that's where all those calories are going

Evening all

tigger hope henry feels a bit better soon. good to know you've got some support from your health visitor,

Isaac's been really unsettled and crying all evening since about 4pm. He's finally gone off to sleep now in his pram in the kitchen so I'm going to sleep on the sofa till he wakes as don't want to disturb him. I've stopped giving him stuff for colic over the last few days so it might be that or he might just be having a grumpy day. I'm fasting for my GTT tomorrow.

haven't been posting for a couple of days, will try to catch up later but I keep forgetting one thing:
I think it was you lemontop who asked about carpal tunnel syndrome. I didn't really suffer from it during pregnancy, just slightly swollen ankles. But it is the same now. As you I have difficulties to push myself up and sometimes my hands or arm are really numb. But this feels more like having problems to wake up.

tigger glad little Henry is getting better. Can't believe how you were treated at a & e, at the doctor saying they didn't do babies.

pavlov I know how you feel, had exact same thing the other night when dh was out, it's like they can sense you are on your own and think right lets annoy mummy! Hope you managed to get some peace in the end!

I am so tired today. Millie woke up at 11pm last night with trapped wind and proceeded to wake up every 15 mins until 1am. Then ds woke up and would not go back to sleep. We brought him into bed with us but he kicked and wriggled about so much we put him back in his room and dh stayed with him until he fell asleep at almost 3am! I couldn't sleep though as could hear ds crying. Then Millie needed feeding and a nappy change and I think i got to sleep about 4am. Then had to be up at 7am to get ds to nursery, yawn! Dh is out on a work do tonight and I am dreading having to deal with them on my own

Same here - when I am on my own the DSs play up something chronic. It is as if they are challenging me to put them ahead of Toby to see what I would do. Even if they aren't aware that they are doing that, that's what it feels like.

Helips poor you. I know that feeling about dealing with them on your own. It's very hard at this age and I know that feeling of dread. I can't remember how old your DS is. Is it worth offering him a reward for being good while daddy is out? I've used a reward system for the DSs for getting ready for school really quickly in the mornings. We go to the Spar shop on the way home for a lollipop if we've had a good morning. Ok so we've been every day so far but they have been pretty good!

We had a good night. Toby woke 1.45 and 5.10 for milk but then took an age to settle (6.30am) and only slept 45 mins before I had to get him up for school run, etc. Does anyone else's baby cry in their sleep? Toby cried at 4.20am and I went to him and he was fast asleep. He did it again ten mins later and again ten mins later, each time he was fast asleep when I got to him (we're talking from bed to moses basket - three footsteps). Or was he just waking briefly?

Another tired mummy here. Ioan has started to wake at 2am and 5am, instead of just once at 3 or 4. The only thing I can think is that he is now needing more milk but isn't taking it in during the day. We've still on snacking for 10 mins at a time and not having longer feeds.
Any advice on how I can get him to feed for longer?
Am getting clumsy from lack of sleep - tipped a cup of coffee over myself earlier!

BBL yes we get crying in his sleep. Proper screaming too that lasts for 30 secs or a minute. I've stood and watched him and he doesn't wake at all!!

Ioan didn't settle this morning either from about 6am ... turns out his nappy was soaking wet. Guess I do need to drag my tired body out of bed at the 2am feed to change him even if he isn't dirty. Sigh. Let's hope it wakes him enough to feed some more then!

In the same camp with dc's playing up when on my own. DD is doing her mocks at the moment so also needs us. She looked after Ioan yesterday so I could go to nursery and DS seemed really chuffed I came on my own, without his baby, poor lamb.

PC is working again - yey!!!

Ninja wow - welcome to Alfred and I hope you're feeling okay.

Tigger so sorry to hear the hospital haven't been particularly helpful. I hope Henry recovers fully soon.

Becky Bryn is cranky between 9pm and 11pm every night without fail. And sometimes he lets out a single cry or something in the night, but is absolutely fine. Health visitor has said its normal

Bryn will be five weeks old tomorrow, I can't believe how quickly its gone. The last two days he's got into a two hourly routine, and has been settling again at night after a bad few days.

I went back to the antenatal group yesterday to show him off say hi to everyone. They ended up asking to stay and talking about labour / birth / breast feeding, as the health visitor who was running the class has decided I'm a good role model for the younger girls for some reason

After we went to get a few more silly little things for DPs stocking (so far he has a mini pack of condoms, a lego Christmas tree, a snowman soap, a rubber duck, a candy cane and a wind up car) then was time for a feed, so went into the nearest place, which happened to be M&S. Sat in the cafe and some cow woman sat there pointing, glaring and shaking her head at me. I grinned and waved Am vaugely proud of myself.

Welcome back erika and well done for showing that silly woman what's what. I can't believe there are still people behaving like that...

We had a good night after Sunday's projectile vomit showdown -Rosa went down about 9pm and didn't wake until 3!! Actually it was really me waking her as I thought her little tummy must be so empty and I'd woken at 12 and 1ish expecting her to be awake too. Who was saying sleep is the best drug...?

She's having another wee nap now after MW visit where we found out she's put on nearly a pound in a week - she's just shy of 9lbs now.

helips and pav thinking of you and BBL as well as all you other double or triple mummies out there. I REALLY have no idea how you do it. One is so exhausting enough!

One thing that utterly baffles me - how in the world do I get both of them ready for bed at once? At the moment, DH is wrangling the toddler into the bath and then into his pyjamas while I bathe, breastfeed, and settle the baby, but I'm very aware that DH's next trip to the US is for two weeks in January - and that's frighteningly close. Ideally, I'd like the baby to go down at 6.30 pm and the toddler at 7.30, but when I'm on my own, it tends to be - toddler goes to bed shrieking and unwashed at 7.45 pm, baby goes down much later having been stimulated by his brother's screaming!

Arthur is still waking twice a night - usually 1 am and 4 am - but it beats four or five times a night, so I am not complaining.

Tamlin we can't get them all to bed at the same time either. DH baths the DSs while I wonder around with Toby in the sling. Then he baths Toby while I read a story to the DSs and then Toby has last feed and bed after DSs in bed. Then we eat together at about 8.45pm and then I go to bed! The two nights I've been without DH I've got my mum one night and MIL another to help and do the DSs for me. But if I had to do it on my own I think the DSs wouldn't get their nightly bath and they'd have to 'help' me bath Toby instead. They don't need a bath every night really. It's just routine.

erika what a stroppy woman!
raggie great news on the weight gain.
Tamlin I think I'm struggling with the twice a night as I've only had to do once a night for so long. Am sure I'll get used to it once it seems the norm
I have a baby seat I've bought for the bath in the hope that I can bathe the DS's at the same time. Haven't tried it yet but will do soon. Figure that DS1 can then swim and play in the bath whilst I dry and dress DS2. Luckily DS1 is 4 so can dress himself into his pj's. Am hoping I can manage to read a story and feed at the same time. DH has a few nights out coming up so we'll see if my assumptions are true ... can you see a disaster waiting to happen?!!

We haven't bathed DS1 nightly for a while as he doesn't really need it, but I think we probably will start now as it will keep him occupied whilst I bath DS2!

Am going to follow you lovely ladies' example and start putting DS2 to bed I think. We have friends coming over to see him tonight so it will have to start tomorrow. Do you find it easy to wake your babies for the 10pm feed then if they're already in bed?
So far we've just been sitting downstairs watching tv while Ioan is in his chair dozing, but he seems to get woken up now by the noises so it's time for him to go to bed properly now.

highly recommend a 10pm dream feed, DD slept from 6:30-1:30 as we gave her 4ozs at 10 while she slept! not sure if it was because she was asleep or that we changed to mamm bottle but she took a bootle to which she previously protested!

10pm feed worked with DS1, who was a very hungry baby, but not DS2 who just wasn't fussed. We haven't tried it for DS3.

Hi All,

I'm hoping you're well. I thought I'd pop on to give my birth story and then try to catch up.

I'd been wondering what a contraction felt like and on Monday night I got one. Well, a niggle, but things were finally starting. At my second sweep on Tuesday morning mw scored the cervix at 8/10 readiness for labour, so I got told to go for a walk and be ready. We had a lovely walk around Chipping Norton, then lunch at home and a walk around our village and things suddenly started niggling.

I started timing them about 15.00 and they were very irregular, 10, 15, 5 mins, so just made myself comfy in our bedroom with the TENS on and waited. The mw suggested a bath and paracetamol but the bath seemed to only irritate me; it all became too much around 9 o'clock and we were told to meet the mw in Chipping Norton unit at 10. The cx on the way there nearly made me puke.

She checked baby's heart and oh my god I heard it slow down. It was really upsetting. She immediately contacted Horton hospital in Banbury and that was that for my lovely plans for a labour in Chippy. We got admitted to the Horton and put on a monitor for the baby's heart for 20 mins. Funny thing was when I was shuffling towards the door they wheeled a woman on a chair, her waters had broken and she was supporting herself by her hands, not able to sit. When I was getting on the bed we heard a howl and the baby was born, all five minutes.

Lucy's heart was slowing down with each contraction, but then recovering well (the recovery pattern was what they were looking for), I was only dilated about a centimetre, so not really in labour, yeah right, so we got put in a private suite to wait it out. Telly on for dh, tens on for me, on we went. But it did finally get to the point that I could not take it any longer, was getting exhausted and scared I'd not have the strength to push her out when the time came so when offered an injection so that I could sleep a bit, I took it. We had to go into a delivery room for that. They also had gas and air there and I don't think I got to sleep at all but the g&a really did seem to improve things pain-wise.

Still not dilating, they decided that it may speed things up to have the waters broken. And that's pretty much when it all kicked off in the unpleasantness for us. The breaking of the waters was brutal and had little effect. A monitor had to be attached to the baby's head which was a second horrible event that left me weeping like a loon. Poor dh had to witness all that and help me through all the pain. He did so well, but unfortunately it was all just too much, I couldn't take it anymore, so went for an epi; not sure what time that was, but it was light outside. The first attempt failed ? there were traces of blood in there, the second one went in fine and things calmed down after that, thankfully.

With little progress still, it was decided that a syntocin drip could bring on some stronger contractions and get things going. This was put in for three hours, but in the end I didn't progress past three centimetres. At that point the staff decided that there really was no shifting her and we were advised to go for the cut. Somebody noticed that the epi line popped out of my back so that had to be done again and we were off to the theatre.

Lucy Jadwiga [iadviga] was born at 16.15 weighing 2.96kg (6lb 8oz), watched over by her dad, as mama was in a bit of a state. I remember being scared a lot and crying a lot, especially when I heard her for the first time. They dangled her above me but all I got to see were some tiny toes before they took her to be cleaned up and checked. She was in perfect health and given to dh to hold while her weeping mother got stitched. She looked bewildered at what the damn fuss was all about and promptly pooed on dh's hand. Then we got a cuddle, a feed and I was wheeled into the ward with her sleeping tummy down on my chest.

It wasn't at all what I had in mind for welcoming her into this world. I'm still getting over the fact that whatever that was, it wasn't even 'proper' labour. It later occurred that she was bearing down face first, not the top of her head, so things would probably have never progressed properly.

I hated the fact that I had to go through a c-section but as days go by it seems to be more and more forgotten. In the end I have the most precious little girl, our little monkey that makes us shake our heads in wonder every time we look at her, we still can't believe we made her. How she got here is much less important.

Skorpion I'm sorry to hear you didn't get the birth you wanted, but also so pleased to hear that little Lucy has arrived safe and well.

Skorpion what an ordeal. I hope you're recovering well after all of that. Make sure you take it easy.

By the way, I also had to have the syntocin drip because I wasn't progressing. Not proper labour? PAH. It felt like labour for sure.

I know I'm a few weeks behind some of you but I'm amazed, shocked and highly impressed that some of these babies have bedtimes. My plan is to keep him up late to try and get a run of sleep when I want it in the middle of the night: 1am-7am is my aim. Not sure it's going to work.

Toby woke at 5pm this evening in a HUGE grump. So I pick him up and cuddle him. Screaming. DS2 decides at this point to do a poo ... in his pants. So picture me sat on the bathroom floor, holding screaming baby in one arm, wiping a very pooey bottom in the other. Oh my. It was one of those 'why me?' moments that's for sure. Toby happy now lying on his changing mat. He quite likes it on there.