October 2009 babies - Waving arms and gummy smiles make the sleepless nights worthwhile.

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Here we are on the other side-finally. Well done ladies!

On 2nd lot of AB's and they are suitable for BF so no expressing needed.

HC
x

Twinkle you had better be a fast runner!! LOL...I am just soooooo at your nights sleep! Long may it last

Just got back from the hospital with Freddie, I went to the Gp earlier and he they sent us in an ambulance, very scary. Gp wanted the pediatrition to check him over as his heart rate and breathing were a bit fast. Plus he could hear crackles in his chest and he had a temp. Oh and a rash on chest and shoulders.
It's prob a virus (isn't it always?).
He's also had green poos for the last 2 weeks, since he's had the cough/cold. If his nappies are still not right in another week they'll prob test for lactose intolerance. I hope the poos are green because of the virus and not that he's having cold symptoms cos he's intolerant iyswim.

What a day, glad to be home.

Twinkle and at your sleep, I am so jealous!Interesting, what you say about mini growth spurts, I think Joseph is having one now. He fed all day yesterday and is very sleepy today.

ruby Sorry to hear things are tough. Am not enjoying the bf either to be honest, it seems to be all the time at the moment and I can never seem to get out.Am going slightly mad cooped up in the house all the time.Well done on getting this far.

Calypso your poor neighbour! Good luck with th bf counsellor. I've got trouble feeding from one particular side as well. The nipple is quite flat now my milk supply is established and I have to spend a bit of time drawing it out before each feed. Because I anticipate pain, I'm v tense feeding from that side-we realised at bf csfe last wek that when I'm distracted and not thinking about it, Joseph latches on fine, no pain.

Iggly That book sounds v interesting

felixis Hello, welcome and congratulations! I also have a baby that wants to be on me all ther time (and similar sleep challenges). Just muddle through as best you can-I keep telling myself it will get easier. Don't let anyone force their views on you-smile sweetly and say "hmm, thats interesting. I read books and discard most of the info, gratefully accept any advice and see if it works. The only thing I won't tolerate is my mam or MIL standing over me while bf "just to see how I'm getting on" I'm 36, not 16!

Joseph has fed and slept pretty much all day on me(growth spurt?!) and screamed his head off when he went to his nanna. MIL not phased by it at all though. He's had a good kick about on his new playmat but other than that, quiet. Slightly scared re tomorrow-8 week check and immunisations.He's such a tiddler compared to some of the babies here, just 9lb 6, although v v long.

Baby Whisperer shush-pat technique still being used here with good results. Must admit that I didn't agree with a lot of the book and this is the only big thing I've taken from it but hey, it works so long may it continue!

Love to all x

princessmel xpost.Poor Freddie and how frightening for you all. Did hospital give you anything for him? Sending speedy get well vibes.

They said he can have 2ml of calpol , last week gp said he could have 0.8-1ml. When I mentioned this to the hospital doc he said 'we're more generous!!'

Princessmel what a scare, hope its just a virus but if not then at least they are keen to find the problem....Faith had very green nappies about a month ago, they just cleared up & the HV said its commom , hope they clear up soon xx

princess how scary, I hope Freddie gets better soon!

HT, yes it is a good book - I will try and remember to post updates on each "development week" (next one is 12).
Good luck with tomorrow. Try and be brave for Joseph - it is over very quickly. I had to breathe calmly to as to not let William realise I was wound up!!!

I'm thinking of starting a bath/bed routine with William in a couple of weeks as I've heard they start to like a routine at about 3 months. Does anyone think it's worth it? (I'll probably go with William's timings rather than try to impose a set time)

I am covered in sick & poo.....

princessmel-how worrying for you, hope Freddie gets better soon.

twinkle-thanks for the list and I am not in the slightest.

felixis-hello and welcome, it is great on here. Matthew was a clingy baby who screamed if he wasn't attached to me until 6 weeks when he improved so much.

Sorry that some of you are suffering whilst BF. You are all doing so well.

Matthew seems OK today after yesterdays jabs. Have managed to express some milk ready for my night out on Saturday when I hope he will take a bottle. Question is, how much should I put in a bottle? He will be just over 9 weeks and I have no idea how much he drinks.

Spooks next so must go. Big wave to everyone else.

HC
x

HC check out the kellymom site for amounts to pump. I'd leave more just in case, as when we tried William with expressed milk, he wanted more as it was his night feed...

littlepea oh dear! sounds like a bit of a catastrophe.

princessmel so sorry to hear about freddie, it must have been so scary for you, hope he is a bit better today.

ht hope Joseph is ok for his jabs today.

Jabs went ok, he screamed blue murder though.He was such a happy smiley thing before he went in, even gurgling in the car(which he hates).

I'm copying the next bit from my post in Feeding, apologies for my laziness.

Update: DS has just been weighed at the surgery on old fashioned scales before having his 8 week jabs. He's put on only 1 ounce. (was last weighed last Friday). HV concerned and wants me to go back to bf cafe again next week so that the bf counsellor can check feeding. She's then going to come out to the house next Friday. Doctor remarked that he seemed happy and alert but that he was very long with not a lot of meat on his legs.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I'm also a bit hacked off that everything I say at the bf group seems to make it's way back to the hv and is written in my red book. Is it worth getting a bf counsellor from NCT/La Leche to come out and observe latch? At the very least it may feel like I can talk freely, I don't feel I can at bf cafe any more.

I'm so upset, I don't know what else I can do. I seem to spend all my time feeding and he's still not "thriving."

Hope everyone else is ok. x

HT you're not doing anything wrong! He is gaining weight and growing, just very slowly. If he was hungry he would be screaming and rooting for food all the time. You mention that he was weighed on old scales at the surgery and that he's weighed on mobile scales. Can you point out that this is not an accurate way of measuring him. Mobile scales are not accurate coz they need to be calibrated every time they are moved and who knows when your surgery scales were last checked. Think about when you move the bathroom scales around to get the kindest result You're better off being measured on one set of static scales, esp while the increments he's gaining are so small.

ht bf counsellors should be treating all conversations with you as confidential and should ask which info you are happy for the hv to be told.

You could try the ABM (association of breastfeeding mothers) they have a national helpline and may visit you at home, they're usually pretty good.

I also agree with smallone it may be a case of different scales. And he's not losing weight so I still don't think you need to be overly worried.

HT-agree with the others that you aren't doing anything wrong, far from it. No wonder you feel so frustrated and upset. I feel that they are being overly cautious. My DD2 only gained small amounts each time and had sparrow legs but nobody commented. She now has my chunky legs. Infact, I stopped going to the clinic as I knew she was growing, slowly. She is fine and healthy.

HC
x

HT - happy and alert sounds good to me! you aren't doing anything wrong

princess - how is freddie today?

littlepea - how are you doing?

HC - how is the sleeping (dare i ask?!)

igg;y - no idea re a bedtime routine. Ruby cluster feeds all evening so no point trying to do bath and bed just yet. Am praying cluster feeding may end at 3 months if not before or i will have gone crazy

Ruby didn't settle until midnight last night but then slept until five ish

Hi to everyone and hope you are all doing ok

weather grim but we still managed a walk out

xx

hi all,

charlie is so poorly, coughing and being sick because of it gp says it is a virus so nothing we can do. he looks so ill, red eyes all watery. hope it passes soon.

feeling so hungry at the moment, feel like i am always rumbling! really trying to keep what i am eating under control as i have a night out in a few weeks but am struggling.

am going to check on charlie again now as i worry every time i put him for a nap

pm - how is freddie?

Thanks everyone. Still really upset-my mum has reamed me out for not going out straight away and getting formula as he's clearly not growing.

Twinklegreen-interesting what yiu say about confidentiality. I don't remember being asked. Hv and bf counsellor share an office. Details of her visit were written up in my red book. The HV today also knew what I'd discussed at the bf cafe.

hello

he's sleepy and not feeding much. only a few sucks then he sleeps again.

his breathing was really fast earlier and i was thinking about going back in, but he fell asleep and his breathing slowed down.

I wish i had a gp here with me all the time

he;s just a teeny feed after sleeping since his last one at 1 ish. and is asleep again.
want him to be better.

bad typing, am holding him.

princess - if you are at all worried just take him to A & E

wish him better

Matthew is having his 2nd nosebleed, had one the other day and now I'm worried it is something to do with his fall last week. It is only from the right nostril, perhaps it is to do with his cold.

princess, can you take him to a&e?

I hope Matthew's ok hc.

I'm worried about William getting I'll. I know I can't protect him against everything but I do wish his grandparents/aunts would stop visiting with coughs/colds and cheerily announce it after they've touched/kissed him

Princessmel gosh, poor little Freddie, sounds so stressful for you, fingers crossed for him to get well soon.

Same for you devils, wish Charlie a speedy recovery X

Twinklegreen about sick and poo

felixis {waves} welcome

HC Annalise was having about 60ml (2oz) until 3 days ago when she uped to 110ml! I pump until boob is empty and I noticed that I had been usually pumping around 80ml but suddenly was producing 130ml, so I think pump as much as you can?

HT I am COMPLETELY having the same experience at you Annalise has put on less weight in 2 weeks than the min expectation for 1 week (3.7oz). It SO frustrating, I mean why feed 3am-7am non-stop for it to go... where?! I nearly cried when the midwife popped her on the scales. She's dropped from 45th to 2nd percentile (at 9weeks) on BF growth charts, but I'm going to give it one more week before I go to the HV (who I've managed to avoid since the birth, don't feel any affinity with), as I don't feel that Annalise is unhealthy so very reluctant to consider supplementing with formula. For better or worse the midwife suggested that I wake Annalise up more often during the night to feed, so I'm waving so long to my much-needed 5hr sleep stints.

I have however had a BIG BREAKTHROUGH (so big it really does deserve the CAPS!) in the vomiting side of things; I've started to feed Annalise sitting her very upright, which is tricky since she is small and floppy and I'm experimenting with cusions to make myself comfy, but since I've started doing this (over 24hrs) she hasn't been sick once! She's brought up 'spit-up' but BLISS, I haven't gone through 5 total clothes changes and 10 muslins! YAY!! I'm really hoping that this will also contribute to a better weight-gain next week.

Morning all! Feeling a bit sorry for myself this morning as two really bad nights. Last night looked promising as William went to sleep quickly at 8pm only to be woken by wind an hour later... It descended from there to him crying inconsolably from 2am - 3am. He's feeding every two hours from 8pm - 4am... Then sleeps 4am 8am.

Argh!!! It's hell! I really think we have the worse sleeper ever and have no idea how to sort it (as it's getting worse not better )

I spent most of last night crying hysterically. Luckily DH stepped in. William's never cried like that so I was completely freaked as nothing I did would calm him.

Anyway I hope you ladies have had better
nights sleep. I try not to get envious of babies who only wake to feed

calypso that's great news! Glad you've found something to help