December 2009: for the sake of Auld Lang Sine

[LaDiDaDi]

Just thought that I would get this started before the ante-natal thread gets filled up, not that I've had much time to post since I had DS but others might be able to multi-task better than I can!

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Snitch- thanks for the sheet suggestion. I tried wrapping baby finch in hers whilst feeding and she seemed to settle in her crib much better.

You're welcome

We put Catherine to bed just after DS tonight - new bedtime routine - and prewarmed the crib with a hot water bottle. She's been sleeping soundly ever since

Must go join her....

congratulations lolianja and everyone one else! Lolijana - poor you - that sounds like a horrid experience. I hope you start to feel a bit better soon...

My little babe is 6 weeks now and still only going for between 3 and 4 hours between feeds...occasionally a bit longer but if she does 4 hours I am quite pleased. Which means one middle of the night feed around 1-2am and then another between 5 and 6. Most people in my nct class are having similar timings but in here everyone's babies seem to sleep longer at a younger age - any tips for me? she only takes 3-4oz at each feed, with 4 oz being a "good feed" (she has started taking that most of the time now in the past couple of says).

She weighs about 9lbs 3, or did on Monday. Perhaps once she eats more in one go she will sleep more? I can't try and extend her gaps in the night with a dummy etc as she is really hungry and spits it out straight away and screams with hunger! It's not too bad really though would be good if she did a bit longer at night!

Sorry to hear about the sick little ones - that must be so worrying for you! Persephone has ha a cold for over three weeks now but it seems not to have developed into anything more serious - it's just a bore and we have a cushion in her Moses basket as she can't sleep flat (also helps with the reflux thing along with infant gaviscon!)

Congrats littlemonkey & lolianja. Lolianja - sorry you had such a bad experience. Hope you're feeling better soon

Feeling lucky that ds2 has just got a cold with the cases of bronchiolitis on here. Hope all babies are feeling better soon & that the mums are managing ok with the lack of sleep a poorly baby brings.

Not sure how many bottle fed babies we've got but how much formula are they having? Shay is currently drinking 5oz every 3 hours apart from his 5 hours sleep which he's managed for 3 nights on the trot now. He quite frequently has 5oz & then looks for more & yesterday he wouldn't settle after a feed so I made him another bottle & after another 2oz he went to sleep perfectly content. He's 6 weeks old today & seems like a lot of milk to me

Claire, I think the basic rule is 2.5oz per lb of baby per day, so eg an 8lb baby would have 20oz in a day. DD2 always used to have 3oz/lb/day but she was sick a lot so not all of it stayed in!

Regan is 3 weeks today and has 4-5oz every 3.5-4 hours. Last night he woke at 11.30 and had 5oz, he then woke at 4 but was just a bit grumpy so have him his dummy and he went back to sleep till 5.30. He had 5oz but was wide awake and didn't go back to sleep till 7. Will have to try and juggle his feeds today as I like him to have a bath at 6.30 then bottle then bed at 7.
I try to remember that they only wake to be fed because they need it not to be a pain in the bum

Yes, it was bronchiolitis that Elizabeth had.

Her feeds are normally about 3 oz, last night she had 4 oz. Im trying to not to worry too much about quantities aslong as they are feeding and putting on weight then all is usually well.

Catherine slept for 8 hours last night!!!

Obviously not totally wise at 3 weeks old but when she did wake up she was bright and alert and contented - didn't cry when I changed her nappy, just looked around and coo-ed - and then fed really well. Only problem I had then was that she was wide awake at 3am and it took me another hour and a half to get her back to sleep again!

I'm not expecting it every night but 6 hours sleep all in a row was very much appreciated last night

Hope all the poorly Mums and babies are feeling better and that we all get some regular, proper sleep soon.

That's fantastic GS !

Ds didn't sleep for more than 3 hours last night but DD didn't wake up until ten past 9 so I sort of got a lie in by trying to sleep through dp getting up for work at 8.

think toby is over the worst of his bronchiolitis...... just not giving him any infacol as his burps are so huge with it he is sick and the coughing is ten times worse! Am not worried about how much he is sleeping at moment so long as he feeds he will get better. he did take 2 hours in the night to go back to sleep but was soooooo cute i didnt mind. To be honest i dont care if he is a bugger and hardly sleeps or is sick or has colic..... i have him and after seeing another friend have a miscarriage who so desperately wants a child i realise how lucky i am to have him......as i am sure all us ladies do! xx

Poor Elizabeth seems to have had a blocked nose her whole life, she is now a mouth breather...
When she feeds it makes her do these awful cough/burp type things, like she has been swimming under water and breathed in some of it.
She doesnt let it get her down though, she almost smiled today. Can hear everyone thinking "its wind" from here.

Congratulations lolianga - but what a scary birth you've had! Hope you are getting lots of help and are starting to reciver and welcome to the world Thomas and Daniel .

Sorry to hear about the other poorly lo's its so scary when they are so tiny...

Had a better night with DS2 last night, he had his unsettled time from 8-11pm so was ready for sleep by bedtime. Fed twice during the night but settled quickly which was such a relief as he was awake most of the night before and I was almost sick with tiredness... I just have to repeat "it will get easier, it will get easier..."

ABF ...... i am sure they can actyally smile now.....toby is 4 weeks and smiled when big sister tickled him today.

need to know if it is normal for them to only want their mummies and cry for anyone else...... my mums comment earlier was...... what do you do to your kids to make them like this............. needless to say i burst into tears. my dd was such hard work and this time it so much easier but he just wants me .

i just told her he is a baby not a fu##ing pass the parcel...... and that he is a good judge of character!!

Hi everyone. Yes my little one seems to be going through a "mummy is best" stage at 6 weeks. She usually takes 3-4oz per feed but sometimes a little more. Usually every 3-4 hours (but she has periods where she wants food every 2-2 1/2 hours sometimes, maybe catching up if she has taken less).

I have to say she is being a bit trying at the moment. She wakes up if I change her at night and can take hours to go back to sleep. Ie now - he woke at 6:30, I fed her then had to change her as she was so wet and an hour late she was still thrashing around on me grunting and flailing. She also enjoys her bath whilst in it but then screams and gets herself all worked up after it when I get her dressed. So have ditched this from bedtime routine as it seems to hinder rather than help.

But worst of all she is screaming non-stop (well, mainly) from 7-11 every night, having previously been a model baby. She had 2 nights like this over NY but this week
has done it every night. On Friday I managed to stop her before she started and held her all night (v hard to eat or anything!) until bedtime. However last night I
"stupidly" attempted to put her down - she slept for 20 mins soundly but then woke up and started screaming which continued the worst it has been, all eve. ItMakes me cross with her eventually and my husband and I invariably end up snapping at each other over her screams! Does anyone have any ideas?! It just seems endless and means we have no evening together and if we have guests it completely disrupts that too and I feel sorry for her getting so worked up...she also still has her bad cold so am having to suck stuff out of her nose several times a day.

Sorry I know this isn't serious compared to illness but I
feel a bit helpless and out of my depth despite lots of baby experience! Is this normal?! I just find myself thinking how it would all be so much better/easier if I didn't dread the evenings when the non-stop screaming starts and sometimes I wonder what I have done?! How terrible is that . Thanks for letting me rant...

Yey!! Catherine got weighed today and she's now 7lbs 6ozs which is above her birth weight of 7lbs 1oz so we've finally been discharged from the midwife

That's a gain of 11ozs in 12 days too which has done wonders for my breastfeeding confidence - she's got to be getting enough if she can put on almost an ounce a day! I was beginning to worry because she's not wanted to be put down for days now and always roots when I hold her so I wondered if she was just hungry. I'm pretty sure now that she's just been having a growth spurt but that my supply is keeping up.

so I know just how you feel Kings. Catherine always wants me cause I have the milk and then she'll feed but either be awake and cranky after wards or will sleep for 10 mins then wake up looking for more! - and it goes on for hours most nights

I was moaning to DH today that she never seems to just be awake and content for more than half an hour a day. The rest of the time she's asleep or feeding or crying.

DS is worrying me too. He still loves her but is getting increasingly fed up with her. He hates the crying and gets very angry when she's unsettled ad he seems to be grumpy and shouty all the time. He used to be such a lovely little boy and I'm finding myself getting very annoyed with him and his new behaviour.

I know it's all my fault though - he needs more attention - but how on earth am I going to give him that when DH goes back to work tomorrow - it's just going to get worse

Kingsroadie - could she have colic? They tend to scream at the same time with that. ds2 has been suffering although is getting better & dh & I have been doing a lot of snapping at each other. A screaming baby certainly doesn't bring out the best in anyone

ds2 went to sleep at 10 last night with very little fuss rather than crying until 1am & then slept until 0430 had another 6oz & went back to sleep for another 3 hours. If he starts doing that every night will be very happy.

Shay's definitely started smiling. Not the rictus grins when he has wind but proper little smiles. Heart meltingly gorgeous

Kingsroadie, myDS did the crying every evening thing. It was hell. If I can be honest even though Elizabeth getting took into hospital was scary I knew it was for her own good and that she wasnt in any danger they were just helping her deal with it, looking back Jake doing the crying thing was far more stressful and had me in tears many a time, (DH and I also did the snapping at each other) It gets better, he soon grew out of it.

Elizabeth is a mummys girl, Whereas Jake was content to lie in his swing or on his playmat, this little bundle of joy has to be cuddled and held, God help me tomorrow when DH goes to work!

Hi guys

Yes is seems like colic to me too. Although I do think she has something odd (maybe reflux) in that she pukes a lot if I don't give her gaviscon and if I lie her down even raised up in a cushion an hour or even two sometimes after eating she is sick. [sad and hiccoughs so violently she is also sick.a
Am going to mention all of this to the dr tmrw and my most recent idea is that perhaps milk allergy?! she has been incredibly blocked up and mucousy and snorty for 4 weeks now which seems excessive. we have to suck it all out of her nose at least twice a day and she wakes herself up because of it.

I have no idea when it will get better and she has also screamed all day today too which again makes me think there is more to it than just colic. sometimes she wants to feed but then gets upset and fusses and cries as if it hurts. anyway needless to say I am exhausted now and ver frustrated and sorry for her!

Goldensnitch that's great news! well done!

hi everyone! Hope you are all ok and congrats to the new arrivals. lolianja, many congrats on the arrival of the twins, but sorry you had such a difficult time of it. I hope you are soon feeling much better.

I just wanted to ask, in terms of being sick after a feed, in general is it because they are already full? My MW said that was why, and that essentially it is a good sign. I just wondrered, if you have a good feeding session and then they sick a lot of it up, and seem to want to feed again, should you feed them? I have been doing, but don't know if it's the right thing to do? Anna hasn't been weighed for quite a few days, as what with new year and then the bad weather the health visitor as not been for abou 10 days and so she hasn't been weighed since then. HV is coming on Tues, so keeping everything crossed she's put plenty of weight on.

Having to go to doctors next week as since having her, have had pain in the outside of my thighs.... seems to just be quite tender down the outside egde of each thigh...anyone else had this?

Thanks for the link MadMissy!

Sorry I've been quiet guys - DS2 went into hospital on 22nd Dec with bronchiolitis and got out 4th Jan. 8 days in intensive care; ventilated - the works.

We were supposed to go to DH's parents for Christmas; they were brilliant & brought turkey & all the trimmings to us, so DS1 didn't miss out. And luckily the hospital isn't far away.

Hope everyone is getting to grips with life with their new arrivals.

Hello ladies
Bluechampagne-How scary, theres been a few little ones had bronchiolitis this winter, poor mites, hope he is on the mend now.

goldenSnitch-Yeyy to Catherine gaining weight, you must be so relieved.

Kingsroadie-Your DD sounds like my DS, the screaming at night etc, i was using Infacol as he was having problems bringing his wind up, but im now trying Colief, its changed his poos from green(very common in windy/colicky babies apparently) back to normal yellowy ones, but they are much looser and stink to high heaven. Hes only drinking 4oz still and will go 2 and half-3 hours during the day and the same on a night, i wish hed take bigger feeds and then maybe hed sleep longer, but maybe the pain from the colic is stopping this?

bluechampagne - sorry your little one's been so poorly. Glad he's on the mend.

GS - that's great news. Must be a relief.

Kingsroadie - ds2 is similar to your dd although he does seem to be better than he was. Would be interested in what your dr has to say as dh keeps saying I should take ds2 to dr but I'm worried about looking paranoid. Don't feel like I'm coping very well with anything tbh.

Had blood test to check cholestorol last week & turns out it's 8.5 when the normal range is up to 6.5. Having cholestorol checked again in 2 weeks as well as liver function as the drugs for cholestorol can apparently affect your liver. Looks like I'll be on tablets for the rest of my life though according to dr. Better than getting heart disease obv but a bit of a depressing thought at 32 that I'll be on medication forever.

Thanks Claire & Annie - just had HV round and he has put on 1lb in the last 8 days! Moooo

BlueChampagne so sorry to hear about your lo, that must have been very scary but he's clearly on the mend now and making up for lost time with his weight!

Claire236 that's a bit of a bummer but at least it's been picked up on and you and your GP can do something about it.

DS feeds so often it's ridiculours, I feel like I've only got one arm as one is holding on to him all of the time. Will have to try to feed him in the Closer sling so that I can have two arms free. I can do quite a bit of stuff with one arm but some stuff is just impossible/dangerous.

The snow is starting to melt here, I'm hopeful that by the end of the week I might actually be able to take DS for a walk in his pram!

Oh and how much TV is your toddler watching at the moment?? [guilty emoticon]?