Nov 09 and we're feeling fine, feeding, burping, not enough sleeping - that's us!

[BeckyBendyLegs]

Just thought I'd better create a new thread.

Raggie how about a trip to Burford?

Oh good, glad i got it right about the bf. I did not express well with DD and only ever managed a small amount, which i kept seperate, only because she refused the bottle and i hated the thought of wasting more than a 1.5oz! (all i could express at that time). This time, i have expressed a few times, but only done one side, as Reuben feeds from one side at a time only more often than not, so when he has done this, i have expressed the other side. So, today, he had a feed and 10 mins later that side was v full again, and he was alseep, so i expressed both sides. 3oz on each side WOOT! And still had milk for him as he had a mammoth sleep. As it happened, as i expressed more than i thought i would, i kept them seperate as i only want to offer 30z at a time in case he refuses/does not take much from bottle, he has only taken 2.5oz so far.

But, now i am about to start expressing daily, to feed him one bottle a day. I am confused about how to get started properly. So, ideally i should express from both sides, but how do i do that without emptying a boob that he will then want? If i do it after a feed, there will be nothing to express? Do I just go in accepting that for one day, he will be feeding a bit more as there will be less to give him, so my milk supply increases the next day? Am i making any sense whatsoever?

am i MAD to suggest that i feel a little broody for another one? . not that i would even contemplate it, not now, but, i am looking at him thinking 'this cannot be my last can it?' and felt sad, then thought 'no, i really want to hold a newborn again, after he is grown a bit'. I have decided though it is not a desire for another baby, rather a desire to have a baby. always. Not 3-4-5 children, just a baby! I want him to stay like this forever, i think that would be ideal. But with longer naps. . I will not however, ever be wishing to be pregnant again, that memory has not passed enough yet!

Pav I feel broody for another one. Not just now of course! I keep looking at my bundle of joy and feel like he's growing so quickly already. If I could choose to have a girl next time then I would go for it. DH isn't keen on the idea of a 3rd and I'm not keen on the idea of pregnancy again, I found it tough this time around, so I imagine it wouldn't be any better the 3rd time around. So I guess this will be my last and I'm going to make the most of it!

DH is back home today after 6 days away from us. I haven't had the chance to miss him! I am looking forward to having him back With him being away, I've been fine tuning the bedtime routine with DS2, and it seems to be working. Its been hard to juggle DS1's bath and bed whilst I have been alone, so DS1 has a quick shower of a night now (baths at the wkend) it's much easier. I have found this week that co sleeping has more of less stopped, apart from the odd hour after a feed, I've also got away without a dummy of a night time, much to my relief as they are a pain when baby keeps losing it when trying to sleep. The only issue is a 6am wake up which I'm not liking at all. Need to work on this ASAP!

Lots of posts to catch up on. I will catch up today.

Hi guys

Haven't logged on for a few days. It's been a strange few days. I started taking Fluoxetine on Wednesday and strangely have started to feel better already although the insomnia continues but I am managing to get enough sleep just about using mind over matter! So now I am thinking I haven't got PND but just had a bit of a meltdown caused by Christmas, lack of sleep, stress of DH going back to work, stress of having three children, general anxiety, etc. The Fluoxetine is making me feel really spacey, sicky, and not helping with the insomnia at all so I'm wondering what to do. Do I continue to take it and trust the doctor's diagnosis or go back to him and suggest I stop taking it and see if I can cope by myself again? Anyone with any experience of this drug?

Toby is doing very well in the meantime, eight weeks now, and just lovely. Very, very restless at night though like many of your babies - we're thinking of moving him into his room as soon as he outgrows his basket in about two weeks. That's much earlier than I hoped as we had DS1 for 14 weeks and DS2 for 2 years with us!

Morning all. Been feeling a bit down the last couple of days, but I'm hoping it's just tiredness. 5 hours is a good night's sleep here, and then I have to function normally with DD in the day - how are we supposed to do that again?? I am in awe of those coping with 3 - I am exhausted with 2 DCs. I nearly had a panic attack on the bus on Friday with both of them and was really shaken afterwards.

Are anyone else's DCs in a tag team? DS goes to sleep after his early morning feed about ten mins before DD gets up... DD goes to bed at night, just as DS is beginning his cluster feed... it's even to the extent where DS is awake the whole time DD is at nursery (even though some days that's morning and some days afternoon). Is this some really clever way to make sure they each get plenty of attention or just a recipe for insanity?

trikken and maman DD started wetting herself after DS was born. It's just getting better now - she's 3. I'm not even going to try for dry nights for a good while yet.

fruit glad DH is back even though it sounds like you've been coping really well.

ninja Can you send me your address on facebook?

Baby crying again...

BBL x-posted. Glad you're feeling a bit better

Laugs I think I've had to be in survival mode the past week. No sleep here either. DS1 is 4 and I do get the odd hour to rest whilst he is playing or watching a DVD. It's the only way I can make it through the day! I will be passing DS1 to DH when he walks through the door and I will be heading to my bed

For those babies who don't sleep well in the day, we had this problem, until we bought a swing and DS happily has a good nap in his chair.

DS1 also had a few wet nights when baby was born, he has been dry since he was 2.5 yrs through the night. DH had to start lifting him out of bed for a wee before he went to bed. It didn't last too long and he is much more settled than he was 10 weeks ago - hoping the worst it over with.

BBL Good to hear from you. Glad to hear Toby is being a good baby for you, the nights are so hard! I have no answers on the pnd side of things, but am sure you'll get some good advice from our lovely ladies.

raggie our LO is probably too small for the reusables as well, but they're so much kinder to her bum that we strap em on anyway. Hopefully as she gets bigger we'll see fewer leaks.

We've had some backsliding on the sleep training. Maeve has been refusing the dummy entirely, so we can't use that to help her soothe herself. Overall though, she's gotten much more comfortable being in her moses basket, asleep or awake, which is progress! I keep the basket on the couch next to me, where she can see me while I'm on my computer or reading. It seems to help.

When I can't tell if she's breathing, I check her grip reflex

I asked another mum-friend once, When do you get to the point where you stop checking to see if they're breathing? And she said, "That is my assurance that you are good parents -and one of the reasons people insist on co-sleeping and maybe also one of the reasons people think to have two- just in case."

Pav, totally with you on the broodiness! A friend of mine with an 8-month-old tells me this is normal and will go away once LO starts teething

oops also meant to say...

BBL Sorry that the ADs haven't helped your insomnia Talk to your doctor? And thanks for the update. We're all thinking about you.

BBL I think it's normal once the tablets kick in to start questioning that there was a problem in the first place but I think that is a sign that they are working. Maybe you could talk to dr about changing them though if they make you feel ill, that's not going to help.

I still check my 12yr old is still breathing in his sleep (especially if he is not well) but I think I am on the neurotic side (well possibly camped right over in that land)

DP really wants another baby asap (he would like a girl this time too). I say if he does the pregnancy I'm happy to go ahead.

longwayaway I have another child, so you would think i know what is in store and that would put me off! I do not recall feeling broody after DD was born, i was quite happy with one thank you very much!

laugs my two are just like yours, similar age gap too i think isn't there? (3.5yrs). Reuben is just starting to find a resemblence of a sleep patter (not last night though) and it generally seems to be that he goes back to sleep after a period of wakefulness in the morning as DD wakes. It might be to do with getting some of his own time/her own time? Although with DH around i am being naughty and going back to sleep when DD gets up. Does your DD come in for cuddles in the morning, or do you get straight up with her? DH refuses to get up immediately with her, so she comes in for snuggles, which i actually love, but she is so besotted with Reuben she often wakes him 'AAAAAW LOOK MAMA! BABY ROOOOBEN IS SLEEEEEPING! LOOK AT HIS LIL HANDS THEY ARE SO CUUUUTE' she shouts with excitement! I am not sure who needs the space that early though, me, or Reuben

I am quite impressed and of those who are establishing a routine already with their LOs. 6wks in and i can just about get out of bed, get dressed and then go back to bed! that is my routine! I really do need to start changing that...Reuben has no routine really, he eats whenever he wants and there is no real pattern to this, although i have considered writing it down to see. He has much more periods of wakefulness, and i guess some semblence of a pattern at night, as in he cluster feeds every evening til about middnight, then sleep for about 3hours? I am just going with it. DD sort of put herself into a routine which we followed, so i sort of guessed hoped it would happen like that again. Do you think i should start a routine? (i change his nappy and put clean clothes on him around the time DD goes to bed? A start eh?!!).

BBL I am glad you are feeling much more able to cope with things. I would suggest it is the medication working right now, so i would not be too hasty to come off them and then find yourself back where you were. Give it some time for you to feel like this for a bit longer, and recognise your ability to cope then think about it. Also talk to GP if it is not helping with sleep as regardless how you feel, you do need to rest.
Problem is, he has been poorly this last week so any kind of pattern he might have had has not flourished. He was very uncomfortable last night what with his blocked nose and all. Neither of us got a wink of sleep, then he slept in his rocker from 7:30am-10am. Then he threw up his feed, and more it seems. The saline i guess is working a little, but not much. Poor little man, he shouts after the couging, sounds like he is saying 'OOOOOUCH".

We are seriously putting him into his cot, in our room. He really has not taken to the moses basket. He has slept more on my chest or next to me than anything else, has probably only managed 3-4 nights most in the basket, even then probably only 2 full nights in the basket. A friend offered to lend us hers, a snuggly one, but i think we might just do the cot and be done with it. Saves faffing.

oh i did a cut and paste and put it in all wrong, so that last post reads really badly

Oh Pav I know you have another child- should have said my friend's broodiness went away when her LO started teething. Oops.

morning all

raggie I sort of wake him at night for his bottle. I change his nappy so he's awake but duzy, then feed him. He normally guzzles most of it then falls back asleep.
He woke here at 6am unsettled too, huge nappy filling at 8am seemed to be why!

Going with the flow for daytime naps as happier having evenings sorted. Think he'd sleep longer if we were out with his pram - once the snow thaws a bit I'll try that.

pav I currently express at 10pm as that's the feed I'm replacing with a bottle. I also try in the morning after his feed as have lots of milk then. I feed first then express some. I store it in 2 or 3 oz batches in bm freezer bags.

BBL it's normal to feel odd at first on the tablets, both dh and I have been on them. Give it a few weeks before you change anything - your gp would say the same. Nausea etc should go in about a week and just leave you feeling a brighter version of yourself. You'll probably find after a few months of them you'll be much brighter and then think of stopping. They tend to give your own seratonin receptors a kick up the backside, and then they're ready to fly solo again after a while.

No more babies for me, but do get pangs of wishing for the oddest things - the feeling when your milk comes in (which was sore at the time!!) and knowing you can then feed a baby, pushing a baby into the world and the feeling of release when they come out. Mad that those feelings come with a lot of pain and my brain isn't remembering that part!!!
Am definitely taking the time to enjoy him as he's my last - has helped in a way having all the snow as it stops my natural instinct to rush around trying to get lots done. Blessing in disguise for me.

Going to look for a fleece for his pram/pushchair online today so I can snuggle him up and get out and about and also hopefully he'll nap in it at home [fingers crossed emoticon]

Pav I only decided on looking for some sort of routine when he hit 8 weeks so I wouldn't worry. They say by 8 weeks you should try and switch any night/day confusion as they start to take on more adult sleep cycles at that point. I think whatever works for you and keeps you sane is the key.

I've decided not to press any strict routine in the day - easier as I'm bf so if he catches me by surprise when I'm out I can still feed (although with DS1 I just took a spare bottle with me). The only thing I do now is try and make sure there's a good space in between feeds so he takes plenty at each one. I started this after the exhaustion of the 6 week cluster feed growth spurt. He calmed down one evening and I grabbed the opportunity. I do enjoy my evenings now with no little children around and it gives me time to rest and make more milk.

Re older dc's - we seem to have fallen into a pattern of DS1 being dh's responsibility and DS2 being mine in terms of waking time and bedtime. Works for us at the moment but guess it will have to change at some point!

longwayaway i just read my post back and it sounded pissy! Was not meant to be at ALL! I was attempting to be ironic in the 'thank you very much' in that i was not broody and yet had another one anyway! Not aimed at you. Problem with internet, tone does not always come across!

scarlotti, so if i express straight after a feed, there should be milk there? Reuben drinks and drinks and drinks until it appears that it is ALL gone...will it be that the first couple of times it will be only a small amount, then it will build up? I can't do evenings right now, as he is still cluster feeding until 11pm, although, i am starting to think that sometimes this is not food related but comfort related. Ideally, it is that last (what will be last) feed of the night that i replace with a bottle.

AH the 6 wk growth...that explains a lot...he is hungry ALL the time since yesterday afternoon and not settling today with boob..bang on 6 wks yesterday! Wow, that must be it i guess...

pav I am with you on the broodiness. I keep looking at Millie and thinking she is getting so big so quickly. I am already mourning my newborn, she is such a chunky thing and so gorgeous, I love her to bits and think it would be so nice to do it again when her and ds are bigger. Dh doesn't want anymore though and I know deep down that my feelings won't disappear no matter how many babies I have so maybe I should just stick to two. Like you I just can't imagine never having a new born again though.

Have managed to express 6oz of milk which I'm planning to use next weekend so that I can have a night out. Will express some more but have no idea how much she will need, she normally has one boob at a time but I will make sure I leave several big bottles for the pils when they babysit. Millie hasn't had a bottle yet so I'm hoping she doesn't refuse it. I'm working on the basis that if she's hungry enough she won't care how the milk comes and also that because someone else is feeding her she'll be more likely to take it. Fingers crossed!

I am so NOT feeling broody like the rest of you! DH has been for doctors appointment and was told it'll prob take up to 4 months by the time he gets 'done'. So the whole, let's wait until I have it done so we don't risk getting pg again went out the window last night . I

I will happily now wait for my little sisters to start popping them out then I can cuddles, kiss, stare at for ages without the sleepless nights

Ds has been really wingey lst couple of days. His favourite phrases seem to be "mummy, mummy," "I want, I want" and "No, No". Its driving me mad!

Pav the advice I've seen/read seems to say feed from one side, then express the other side, finishing the feed on the expressed side if need be.
I express at 10pm as I don't feed then, I use the bottle from the night before to actually feed him. I try and do it the same time so he gets the sleepy hormones still from my milk. I can get 6oz now in total (both sides) and it takes about 20 mins. It's increasing each evening.
I'm also sporadically pumping in the morning. That tends to be outside of a feed time - e.g. feed at 8am, pump at 9, feed at 11. In that situation I'd feed one side, pump the other then feed from the pumped side later on. If you're consistent with timings then your body produces the milk at those times, including the pumped ones.

helips is it worth giving a bottle a go once before you head out, for your own peace of mind if nothing else. I agree, if she's hungry she'll take it but you might worry while you're out if you're not sure.

TOK not broody here, just mourning the passing of each phase (slightly) once it's gone. Am also celebrating feeling like I'm my old self again though and well up for exercising and losing weight. Got some new make up for xmas and have the motivation to feel good - so nice as did wonder whether that feeling would ever come back.

Funny you should say that scarlotti, I was just looking up on the internet how soon after a csection you can start exercise. I don't think I can do much at the minute as my leg is still a bit funny from the birth, but I start physio next monday so hopefully it won't be long. I enjoy aerobics classes-probably because there is somebody motivating me and telling me what to do!

Hello,

BBL glad you are starting to feel a little better, would a mild sleeping pill help or is that not an option for you?

Definitely NOT feeling broody here! There will be NO more babies in the tigger household thank you!

We're thinking about moving at the minute as we seem to have out grown our house, but I love it here, my life is here and I can walk everywhere I need to, but I think I need to listen to my head over my heart for a change.

helips I went out last night and left some expressed milk, I fed before we left about 6.30pm, my friend gave him a bottle of 4oz about 9.30pm and then I fed him when we got home about 11.30pm. I had left another 4oz bottle which dh gave him today so as not to waste it! Help that helps. (he is 8 weeks now and usually only has 1 breast at each feed)

Glad to here some you have had to progress onto 3-6 months clothes at 2 months, I'm just starting to pack the 0-3 months away, (makes me feel a bit sad that my baby is growing up)

Right off to do ds1's homework, will try to pop in more often from now on.

Laugs have a relay race here too.. One gets up, feeds, sleeps,the other is up wanting brekkie..so I have to get up super early so i get to have a shower and get dressed. I have only had 2 hours in the last 2 months when both have been asleep during the day..its shattering..

My heart bleeds that my baby is growing so fast but NO way do I feel like being preggers. I'd love more kids but the trauma of the first months are not over and not easy to forget yet...

Here's a link to 50 photos printed for 1p each, if anyone wants.

scarlotti I can't wait to feel nice again either. I don't think I've ever felt so unattractive. But, my mum's paying for me to get my hair done as a Christmas present and I'm going to save up for some new clothes - there is a light at the end of the tunnel

I feel such a long way off having a night out, but it's reassuring to know others are managing it around 8 weeks. That's something to look forward to. Hope you enjoyed it tigger! pavlov your 'back to bed' routine sounds just perfect, stick with it while you can! DD went into her own routine at, I guess, about 2 months, so I'm hoping DS will too.

He has just gone to sleep - fingers crossed - having been up since 6am, with a couple of 20 min naps

scarlotti Any idea what time in the evening the sleepy hormones kick into the breast milk? Is it when we start feeling tired? I've been expressing first thing in the morning sometimes and then giving it to him in the evening to give me a break but maybe that's bad?

Agh - he's awake again!