November 09 babies are growing up quick, and mummy's getting used to getting covered in sick!

[PreggoK8]

Hope this has worked...

Broodzilla, don't worry, I didn't get that message from your post . I'm trying washing and drying only because I thought any cream just keeps it moist and therefore more difficult to heal. The folds in the nappy area are usually red too but look so much better now that I have increased naked time.

wook, apparently they should have asked me in the hospital if we wanted the BCG which they didn't. The HV gave me a leaflet about it and told me where I could get it done. I read the leaflet, wanted to check out the indicated homepages, the first one didn't work, with the second link I ended up on the WHO site where I could see all the figures about the whole world... except the UK!
Next time she asked me if I had already done it. The question was so surprising that I first started to defend myself: They only do it once a month and this was the day of Paula's normal jabs so I didn't want to do it on the same day (according to the HV it would be possible, but who would first bring a 2 month old to the normal jab and then in the afternoon to the next one?), then I said, ok, but I'm not even sure if we want it. She asked where I was from (Austria, very low rate) and then she said, TB was on the increase in London. Me: I checked the homepage, there were no numbers about the UK. She: it increased 16% since last year in London. (from where exactely? If it was one person last year and 16 this year, I don't think this is a lot). I don't really remember the rest but in the end she said "Well, I don't want to pressurise you..."
I don't know her definition of pressurising someone but for me it felt a lot like it.

I guess, we will get it in the end as I don't know where Paula will travel in the future and it seems to be a very safe immunisation. But I really think immunisations are a difficult subject, lots of things went wrong, so I want to make an informed decision and she tried to scare me. As if she actually owned the company that produces the jab. (Someone actually said they get paid for each, don't know if this is true)

Ninja, what would actually happen if you never see a HV? My GP has their own and she runs the weekly baby clinic. I go there quite often, I guess to keep me busy and to meet other mums but what would happen if I never ever went there?

ninja I saw my hv on day 10 and I think once after that, and never since. Emmeline went for her injections, but that was just injections, no weighing or chat. She hasn't been weighed since she was about a month old! She just seems to be doing really well. With DD1 I had the hv, surestart and so on all over me as I had PND and so on (and I needed them, no idea how I would have coped without) so it is a relief to be able to trust my instinct this time.

lemontop, do you think Isaac wakes up because he is hungry? Paula wakes up quite often at the moment but definitely not because she is hungry. And I have noticed that a couple of weeks ago, one feed would probably have been enough because she only took a little. When I wanted to start using the tips of the book and reducing the feeds, she suddenly started to wake up more often and I feed her at least twice and she is usually quite hungry. (tbh I also use it to get her back to sleep when she seems wide awake)

meet-up so it's either Mon 7th or Tues 8th. Mon 7th would be best for me probably, does that fit with everyone else? I can try to get there for 12 but it might be tight, Ikea Bristol is about 3 hours away and I'd be more likely to be able to get out the door by 10 than 9!

Everyone has some opinion or other about child rearing, HV's included. I think the age of the person (HV or anyone else) also dictates the advice as they will have done things differently with their children.

lemon I can't remember how old your ds is, but if you do want to drop to just one feed a night he's big enough to handle it. You'll need to up the feeds during the day and then reduce the amount you give in the feed you want to drop. I wouldn't drop both feeds tbh as he's likely to need that one until he's weaning. You could just try upping the amount of formula in the day and see if he drops one of the night feeds himself.

preggo good news on finding a house

wook yes, I do think of the lost ones from time to time. It feels like I'm betraying Ioan almost, if that makes sense, but also makes me more grateful he's here.

I made cranberry and almond cookies with DS1 today - they're weightwatchers ones (2 points each) and so easy to make, perfect for little people to make. If anyone wants the recipe then let me know

sorry, x-posts with so many!

If you don't see your HV it's not an issue. They will visit you and do the required checks, which are in the very early weeks, and then you will be invited to a clinic for the other required checks. I think from memory they're around 18 months and then 3 years or so.

Ursi what is this BCG immunisation you are talking about? I immunise all the dc's as per guidelines and the only BCG I've come across is the one dd had at around age 13.

Okay, ladies, I need your collective wisdom -is this teething or what?

1. Grumbly lots of the day and chewing or wanting to feed most of the time.

1. Very unsettled night last night

1. Didn't nap all morning.

1. Not settling well tonight (normally totally silent from 7pm until 10pm)

He does have a very white tooth bud just below the surface of his bottom gum, but it hasn't broken through. Not excessively drooly or red cheeked, just a bit of a spit rash on his chin from dabbing his fingers on it. Tried giving him some Calpol at 5pm, doesn't seem to have helped.

Could it just be a growth spurt? He's still smiley on occasion, but lots of grumping generally. Suspect it's going to be a long night whatever the prognosis, but advice and experience welcome...

Venus sounds like Ioan to be honest, he's been unsettled at night a bit for about a week and the last two days have been out of kilter nap wise. How old is your DS?
Teething can unsettle them for a while before they come through, but the main symptoms are dribbling and nasty nappies. They tend to swallow a lot of the dribble and so their nappies get very watery.
Growth spurts tend to result in a lot of grumping and apparently the 4 month one is a corker as there is mental as well as phsyical milestones.

I do remember this bit with DS1 as I remember thinking 'where has my lovely smiley baby gone?'

Hey all, very jealous of the meet up..please take photos..PLEASE!

Don't get me started about DPs not knowing our workloads..I have 2 sick kids at the mo and its killing me..Charlotte has to go to hosp next week for 24 hours with a tube down her nose. She also has this awful hive thing going on in the mornings that disappears later on so the doc thinks I'm mad! anyway all in a days work eh??

Agree Brood I don't think its wise to give up on night feeds yet.

As for Sex..when do you guys find the time....!!??? maybe I'm being to lazy.

Ursi maybe you live in a high-risk area of London? That vaccine is certainly not offered here. Please, before you decide to have it done, do a search on BCG vaccine and Finland - they've just stopped giving it to babies!

Bristol meeters, looks like Mon or Tue then! Scarlotti lunchtimeish is fine by me... and come to think of it, it was always going to be unlikely that anyone would suggest anything for early evening as we all have babies to put to bed. (big DUH to me...)

Lukas and I are having a pyjama party again. So far, so good. His naps were all over the place today, but he fell asleep at 7 as usual - and has only stirred once, a few minutes ago. Am hoping for another good sleep tonight, but won't hold my breath...

Can I ask what you do the entertain the babies? Lukas has tummy time on his playmat, plays with the baby gym or sits in his bouncer and plays with the toybar on that or goes in the Jumpjump (but all these in total probably add up to just over an hour in any day), very occasionally he'll grab one of his other toys. His favourite games are tickle games, which we do all the time. I sometimes worry that I'm not stimulating him enough, but he's happiest in the sling or baby bjorn, hanging out and watching what I'm doing.

crossed posts!

Venus sounds exactly like what's been going on here.

(Does anyone know how long this goes on for? It seems to me that Lukas has been teething for weeks, and all we've got to show for it is a tiny teensy little speck of tooth (one of the "fangs" which aren't supposed to come yet anyway!) and the gums by the four front teeth are just really white and sharp. )

I've been using Bonjela. He hated the taste at first, but seems to now have worked out that it helps him, so he still pulls a face at the taste but then looks relieved. The teething rings I've got him are gathering dust but he enjoys chewing on muslin cloths.

scarlotti, bcg is against tuberculosis (sp?). I think in some parts of the UK it is no problem, but in London it is apparently on the increase. They should have offered me at birth but didn't. (I would have said no as I would not even have known what they are talking about). You get it in one arm, just under the skin and apparently it stays red for a couple of months. If you don't get it done the first year they will check first if you have already TB or not??? I think they recommend getting it depending on the area where you live in, if your parents are from a country with a high rate, if you want to travel in a country with high rate,...

broodzilla yey! come along too! And anyone else too! scarlotti and ninja i can do Monday 7th, that is good for me, best get my glasses fixed now, so i can see! ninja ooooh by the docks, how lovely! I am happy to meet at your place, and also happy to spend money i dont have meet in Ikea too. I can get there for 12 probably will take about 2.5hours in my bus car, and seeing as DH won't be driving! Not only does Ikea have a little play area, but it also has a proper play place where you can drop the children off if you want a break!

brood i did not complain about the coil at the time as i was so relieved it was out tbh. And when i asked what might have happened, she said that it happens sometimes. She said, unlike other contraceptions, when it does go wrong, it can go badly wrong. Problem is, she said 'period' should stop now, and it is heavier and i am rather sore. I sort of thought it would be, but not so bad, feels like i am going to have a very heavy period, that type of back pain and tummy pain.

Guess what DH did today? He took Reuben to get weighed!! While i stayed at chilled out! Except, i just sat and played bejewelled and before i knew it, he was back! Only took 20 mins as he was the first there, typical, i was expecting him to be gone at least an hour , And he offered, not me asking! I was so shocked

broodzilla, x-posted. You are scaring me but I will go and google it.
As for entertaining babies: Paula doesn't have a gym so very often I actually have to "give" her the toys to train the hands. We are singing a lot, she really likes it, especially nursery rhymes with movements like Itsy Bitsy Spider (sadly I do not really know any in German), watching me dance can be fun or apparently sometimes scary. We also do lots of things with her body, esp. the legs: cycling, "jumping",... she really likes that. And the best for her is lying without nappies, holding her toes or even licking them.
She also likes being in the sling and watching EVERYTHING.
I think you are doing enough stimulation, don't worry about that. As long as he seems happy, I think it's fine.
But you can always check out the babycentre-homepage they have lovely ideas for little games.

scarlotti No nasty nappies, so prob growth spurt then? James is just over 3mo, so prob due one. Let's hope they both get through it toot sweet.

brood I might try the Bonjela tomorrow if he's the same. Though that would mean he IS teething, not a growth spurt. Arrrgh!!
BTW it sounds like you're giving Lukas plenty of suitable entertainment, the babies would prob get exhausted and overstimulated if we didn't just let them mooch about and look at what we're doing for long periods.

Oh and meant to say, Reuben has not been sleeping AT ALL in the day atm, yesterday he was so alert it was unreal, a proper change in him, he wanted to roll, but could not, he did a proper laugh a sort of 'hnnnge' sound with a big smiley face, just the same sound DD did! And today, he has fed fed fed fed, cried fed fed fed cried fed fed laughed, kicked around on his mat, grabbed hold of some toys hanging from his play arch and tried kicking them with his feet, then got stuck and could not seem to let them go! then he fed and cried and fed and cried. Now, he has finally gone to sleep.

hvs i go once a month or so, mainly to satisfy my curiosity rather than any need to satisfy their own interest/nosiness! I am happy he is gaining good weight so i will not go again for another 4-6wks. With DD, i felt so crap about feeding that in the end i only went to the gp if there were any problems rather than the HV.

Ursi sorry didn't mean to scare you! It just seems that, at least in Finland, the consensus was that the cost/benefit (even on an individual level) was such that they stopped it... a few babies had nasty reactions, basically.

Pav Hooray for a positive DH story!

Oooh, I'm getting excited about the meet-up now. Also, have just remembered that MIL will be here Monday AND Tuesday.

Now, who's going to bring a ginormous inflatable boob so we all recognise each other?

Thanks for the reassurance about stimulation. I think I end up feeling guilty when he's watching me hang laundry or potter around, but you're right - they do get overstimulated easily. Also, he does let me know if he's bored. like at 5 AM when I'm-- pretending to sleep

Teething - i found bonjela not to be very effective. I found a lovely gel from USA called Nighttime Baby Orajel. it is very strong and it is not licensed over here. Did not know at the time i first bought it, DD was 5 months and teething badly when we visited family in New Mexico so i bought some in local toys r us, worked a treat! literally stopped her crying immediately. But it is 10% benzocaine compared to 0.5% of the active ingredient in bonjela. I only used it very very sparingly, and only when absolutely needed though. I used Anbesol liquid at other times but it did not cut it like the Orajel. I can get some sent over if anyone wants to try it.

Brood I don't do any more than you do for entertainment. I think that's plenty! Most dc's are happiest when they're just spending time with you - don't forget that everything you do is new to them as they've never seen it before. It's just like us visiting a new city and just wandering around soaking it all up

scarlotti i completely agree, just putting them in a sling and walking around the house, or putting them on the floor in the bathroom while you have a shower, a different song on the radio, or the play arch/mat moved into a different position/angle, literally just need to move it by a few inches around and across and it is all so different, a channel other than cbeebies. Reuben is often just spun around into a different position normally by dd while in his rocker if he gets a bit wingey and that sorts him right out!

(when i say put them on the floor in the bathroom, i don't mean just dump them on the floor, i mean in their rocker/bouncy chair or similar )

I was hoping Annabelle would love my baby-carrier, but tried her in it and she literally screamed so whipped her out pretty sharpish. I want to try her in it again but am scared it might hurt her.

trikken could you try tying her to you with a sheet? I did this with DD a few times when she was too big for the front carrier and i had not got another one (she was much bigger though , and i perched her on my hip, and only to walk around the house in, not to go shopping or anything 'public' , although Reuben prefers to be carried on my hip/side than in the carrier i have, i need more of a sling thing for him, a material one, rather than the mei tai that i have (which is also quite hot indoors as it is fur lined), think the mei tai will be fine when he is older and wanting to face outwards.

Pavlov your day sounds like mine... He's not one for napping normally anyway but today has been a nightmare! He gets so damn grumpy if he doesn't sleep, whereas normally he's very smiley and talkative.

Just got him down - again - so going to try to sleep. Hope you're all okay.

Well I fed Isaac at midnight and instead of feeding him at 3 DH brought him to our bed and he slept till 6 and waited till 6.30 to be fed HV was right! I'm feeling guilty for overfeeding him.

Lemontop I'm pleased he slept well for you last night. It's all a learning curve rearing children, they don't come with a manual You were doing what you felt was right. HV's are meant to be there for support but some of them of just so rude and make you question your ability as a parent. Don't feel guilty. We all can get things wrong from time to time