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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Alibobins DS2 still has a bit of a cough but otherwise fine. Think he was on oxygen (varying amounts) for 12 days (ventilated for 6).

Claire I do hope you get some sleep. Can you get a friend over for a cup of tea and a chat just to give you some company? I'm more prone to tears/irritability if I don't get enough caffeine.

Goldensnith so sorry to hear all your groundwork isn't paying off yet. Hope you can get out and about soon so you can do some different things specifically for DS. We have delayed potty training DS1; the theory seems to be there but no inclination to put into practice!

Claire236 - could you make a plan of how you'll manage until your dh gets back? Things to do to cope with the tiredness. When I was really tired (slept 4hrs in a block last night so feel better!) I just had coffee, got up & ready early. When I couldn't even rest for 5mins in the day as had sick kids at home I made sure I kept going by having some treats - a good book, some biscuits. Be nice to yourself as it's hard work.

Claire236 - so sorry to hear of all the screaming.

I have had a tough week too with it all. The Dr agreed she seemed to have reflux and prescribed her ranitadine to try and neutralise the acid - haven't noticed much difference but will keep giving it to her as it can't hurt. Your little one also sounds like he might have reflux too? I have switched her formula to enfamil - from the States and not that common. It has helped a lot with puking and I think also wth pain. It is thickened wth rice startch and thickens in her tummy apparently. All good EXCEPT
she had an awful day yesterday - seemed in pain, straining, wouldn't sleep, if she drifted off she would wake up and cry again - I was so sad for her and at my wits end. Anyway tmi alert but the reason was she was terribly constipated wth the formula due to rice starch - she was crying in pain as she pooed (I took her nappy off and rubbed tummy to help) and an actual poo came out. And was so big it made her little bottom bleed. I wa sso so sad for her. Anwway I put a lo of sudocrem on and then gave her some water and also some water which has had prunes soaked in it. she then pooed again at 3am and there were hard ones first and then she did a more normal one but it was still a bit like toothpaste...so am still giving the prune water and hoping she will get used to the formula as it's really helpng her. Poor thing. I then gave her a aptamil feed again as I felt so bad and she puked a lot of it up. So he enfamil really works but I can't bear her to be constipated so badly again.

So perhaps give it a try? You can get it on prescription actually so am going to ask Dr when I go for her 8 week jabs in 10 days time. Also I think she needs a bit more of a routine than I was giving her so have started that loosely to day and she seems bettter. she slept all evening last night in her moses basket - really really hope she does it again.

Also sympathise re husband being away - mine has been working so hard at the moment (corporate lawyer) and is very late home at night and tonight may be in the office all night and will also have to work tmrw. I really could do with him in the evening after a tiring day and last weekend he was working so I didn't get a break at all. Also feel sorry for him as he hasn't seen the babe much at all.

Really hope you are okay and I do know how you are feeling - have been crying a bit these past few days...

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Had a slightly better night although he did scream for an hour solid & didn't sleep for more than 2 hours at a ttime but I got 2 lots of sleep rather than just the one so feel slightly more human. Did find myself wondering why I'd wanted another baby at about 3am. Was comparing my pre-pregnancy life with both my pregnant & current one & struggling to find anyway in which my life is better now. Then felt horribly guilty for poor ds2 who deserves so much better. He's asleep at the moment & I dread him waking up as I know he'll start crying almost the second his eyes open.

kingsroadie - Awful isn't it. Fortunately my dh is back now & will be doing the night shift so I can get some sleep. Saw GP the other day & he prescribed infant Gaviscon which has definitely made a difference. He's more settled & has only been sick a few times & isn't bringing up anywhere near as much when he is sick. Dr said the gaviscon thickens the milk so don't want to try a formula which does the same thing just yet particularly as his poos are already firmer & he always seems to struggle to poo so don't want to make that even worse. Seems like it might be a case of finding a balance between sick & constipation that we can live with. Hoping both our los grow out of it very, very soon.

I've lost it today and DS is now wearing a pair of Night time pull ups because I cannot cope anymore.

He's wet 2 sets of trousers, pants and socks and pee'd on his toybox twice as well as all over the bathroom floor and has left poo on his bedroom carpet!

I'm finding it hard enough to keep up with everything without having to do an entire load of pee soaked clothes every single day.

He's been potty trained for 9 months - he knows how to use to loo. Why is he not even mentioning it till after wards!!!

I'm making such a fuck up of this

GS, you are not making a fuck up of it! This is a really difficult time for you and ds.

I got really annoyed, ridiculously ou of proportion, by dd yesterday because she wouldn't listen to me and do as I asked when she was in the bath. I ended up pulling her out of it and tbh because I didn't want to hurt my own tummy I was probably a bit rough with her . I find dd soo much harder work than ds, who is quite an easy baby if he is near a nipple, that it's making me feel really guilty for my rather negative feelings about dd. I keep wondering if I didn't bond as well with her as I have with ds or if I fucked up by going back to work full-time when she was 9 months.

How have you dealt with the toiletting stuff? It's incredibly frustrating when you know that they can go to the loo but are choosing not to.

I've tried various tactics - probably not stuck with one for long enough though. I've said "Oh Dear" and changed him, I've reverted back to potty training rewards and given him a jelly bean for each toilet trip, I've told him he's naughty and must use the loo and this afternoon I burst into tears I even put him back in a nappy!

It's been 4 or 5 days now and it's really wearing me down. I have enough washing to do to keep up with the normal stuff and Catherine's things and now I have almost a whole load of wee soaked clothes to wash everyday too. Not to mention cleaning the floors!!

I've certianly fucked up today. I just keep trying to remember that tomorrow is another day and another fresh start. I'm still drrading it though. Thank goodness DH is home for the weekend!

Haha, yesterday evening dd wet on the sofa! To be fair to her though she was laughing and laughing and I think that sh couldn't help it rather than doing it deliberately but still bloody annoying.

Really tired this morning and it is chucking it down with rain, not going for a walk with the pram today, won't even be out for a trip to the shop in the car unless the rain eases but going to a bday party this afternoon so we will get out of the house for that. What is everyone else planning for the weekend?

Haven't even got dressed today!

Got up with DS at 6am (he'd been up since half 5 but then so was Catherine as she needed a feed after sleeping for 6.5 hours!!!) and put blinking "Robots" on for him again so I could snooze on the sofa while she was asleep in the Moses basket. DH then got up and took DS to the pet shop for some rabbit food and then to his Mums. I dragged myself off the sofa at about 10.30 and haven't done a lot since.

Am now still in my PJ's and am planing on ordering pizza when DS goes to bed.

Proper lazy day and just what I needed.

We've had no toilet issues at all today either!

So glad it's Sunday tomorrow. Mum's coming down tomorrow night and staying over to help me on Monday too so I'm hoping she'll be up for taking DS into the pool for his swimming lesson 'cause he'd love that. I definitely want to have a full 6 weeks of healing before I take my section wound into a pool full of toddler pee!!

LaDiDaDi My DS has been asking for warm milk all the time, which I think is the same as your DD wanting to eat everytime the little one does!
clare236 With the infant gaviscon, dont mix it with Cow and Gate comfort because you'll just end up with one big lump of gloopy mess! But mixed with regular baby milk it is a godsend and really sorted my DS out.

My weekend is a mix of one of my kids throwing up, another with it the other end & my eldests winter boots have fallen apart so I have to get new ones tomorrow. Lots of laundry to do & things to sort out. Snow almost all gone - hurrah!

The only snow left in our garden is the remnents of Jakes snowman!

Elizabeth slept very well last night, hopefully she'll repeat it tonight.

Her snuffly nose is back again Im hoping it doesnt get any worse.

snow finally gone here! so we may go out today as meant to be good weather

GS sounds like he's doing it for attention to me. you need a hige hug and pat on the back
you are doing fine just keep telling yourself ok!
is there anyway you can spend some time alone with just him? (i know that sounds mad!) you will ne exhausted but i think think that all this potty issues is his way to get you alone.
dd2 is attention seeking by screaming all the time and generally being tad naughty but thats her reaching for attention. any attention when is good for them sadly good or bad

ds has been quite snuffly and hes not the quietest of sleeping babys as it is!

We spent some time with the 4 of us in DS's bedroom yesterday playing with Happyland while Catherine slept on DH's lap which was lovely and then I managed to get her fed in time to get in the bath with DS and read him his bedtime story in the evening which he seemed to like. I got lots of cuddles

But last night was a nightmare. Catherine slept for no longer than 40 minutes between 9 and 3am DS got up at about 1am in tears and climbed into bed with me and actually fell asleep which he never does!

Luckily, my MIL phoned this morning and asked if she could take DS to play with his cousins at my SIL's house. He's excited cause he loves his cousins and DH and I are thrilled cause it means that once Catherine sleep again, we can have a nap too

I love my MIL today

ABF ..... have you got a humidifier..... since we got ours Tobys snuffles have pretty much gone and he is clearer at night so sleeps a bit better..... ours was only £25 from argos and works fine...... i turn it up if he starts snuffling!!!!

I wish I could run away today with the kids..... its dp thats the problem in our house...... constantly putting me down and getting at me..... he is still sleeping downstairs due to snoring and so getting sleep when i am up every few hours so am tired. he says it is my problem cos i cant sleep through his awful snoring otherwise he would be there. Getting fed up of him doing the doting dad routine when anyone is there then doing nothing the rest of the time!!

On a lighter note tobys smiles are ace and make it all worthwhile!!

hi everyone, still not caught up but have skimmed the last few pages. Bluechampagne your ds must have been really poorley. DD was on the verge of being ventalated but it never got that far and she soon came round, she was only in 5 days and it felt like a lifetime.

Alibobins dd now seems fine but does have a cough, which is worse when she is crying.

kingsrodie where did you hear aout the prune water? my dd seems to have pooing issues but when she goes is still normal so i dont know what to do about it.

DD2 seems to feed all day (2 hourly at the most) but does go for long spells in the night so not so bad here. I have a blocked milk duct though (i think self diagnosed from past mumsnet threads) so am in pain.Going to see GP tomorrow to see if she has any suggestions.

Re older children, dd has developed a whine she uses when DD2 is crying. Other than that she is not too bad, she still refuses to call her by her name or even try but just uses 'that' instead.

ABF - I did wonder if that mught be the affect of Comfort formula & Gaviscon mixed together.

GS - glad you're having a better day today. We've had a few problems with ds1 who seems to really improve with some one on one attention. Difficult with how ds2 has been though.

sparkly - sorry your dh isn't being supportive. Does he know how you feel? Had words with my dh as I didn't feel supported & while he didn't agree with me he has made an effort & I feel much more positive.

ds2 seems to have settled with the Gaviscon. Last night he slept from 2330-0315 then had a bottle (well 3oz of one) & went straight back to sleep for another 3 hours. Had lots of smiles today & I now know that I totally adore him whereas I was doubting whether I actually loved him at all. The joys of sleep deprivation. The flip side of having felt so terrible is I now feel practically euphoric. Touching lots of wood as I type however

damnit - re prune water - can't remember where I read it but there are books and websites recommending a bit of prune juice (obv this also works for adults) so I decided to try a waeker version of prune juice by making the prune water. It seems to help her. And normal water between feeds. You can also give a bit of sugar water too - well, if you want to - lots wouldn't agree. 4oz water to half a teaspoon of brown sugar. I was so desperate as she was so upset that I tried it. TBH frut juice is sugar water too and that's what loosens it all up anyway. She did two poos last night which was good - they were normal (well, pasty, but not hard). We are now mixing 3:1 enfamil with aptamil and it seems to be a bit better whilst still helping her reflux.

God, am rabbiting on about my daughter's poo on the internet. Haha.

Claire236 - glad you're feelng better and go mummies and babies - we're all doing well!

Thanks kingsroadie, i might try it if things dont improve, but i think she does doesnt like going not that she has a problem because its too hard. However she does seem to have imrpoved a bit lately so maybee she is getting use to it.

OMG i have just realised Ebony has gone 8 hours tonight between her feeds. well at least non stop feeding through the day has some benefits.

Elizabeth seems to have gotten all mixed up, she will sleep from 8pm till 2am and then wake up again at half 5 for another top up. I need to get her into the habit of doing it the other way!! Any ideas on how to get her to swap it round?!

Anyone else have to go out to school am & pm? It's hard working getting up & out when I could just sleep!!

Mybox im with you on that! i've gone from pm drops to the am drop at infants ohhhhh i miss sleep

Hello all sorry haven't read through yet

lacey is doing well, putting weight on, sleeping 1130-630 at night. Still exc bf. The other dc like her though mimi tries to smack her sometimes and screeches every time I get my boob out to feed!