August 05 Babies!!!

[blossom2]

I thought i might be the first one ....

Name: Charlotte
Birth date: 7 July 2005 (@ 37.5wks)
Time: 4.41pm
Weight & length: 3.2kg, 47 cms
Where: Sainte Felicitie, Paris
Experience: Very quick labour, had epidural, no tearing or cutting, no stitches, baby and mother doing really well ...

can't wait to hear from everyone else ...

[Azure]

My only comment for the day is breast pads - why are they so useless? I'm thinking the Mothercare ones in particular - small circles with itchy sides which refuse to stay in place. I'm not exactly big-breasted (well, when not breastfeeding) so I've no idea how larger ladies cope. Looks like I had better try some more expensive brands.

[Azure]

Josey, sorry your DH has had to go so far away. DH is off next week, but only to Athens for 4 days. Dazie - sounds typical.

[Dazie]

I completely agree on the breast pad thing, Ive found johnson and johnson are very good well they should be for 2.99 for 30! They have a little sticky pad on to keep them in place and a little hollow bit for your nipple.

Josey - Thinking of you!

[colinandcaitlinsmommy]

Hi all. Sorry to hear of your bfing pain, Josey.

Caitlin's doing well. She's 8 lb 3 oz and doing very good at feeding. She's doing much better than Colin at sleeping, usually only waking up twice a night. However I'm very tired, because Colin's taken to waking up at night and wandering around, so even when he doesn't wake up, every noise I hear makes me wake up because I think it is him up and around. DH is snoring and jumping in his sleep a lot, too, and that's driving me crazy.

DH doesn't have to leave, but he's had so many of his assistants out with health problems, he's having to work about 60-70 hours a week, so not really getting much help from him. Everything was caught up the 1st few weeks, but not now.

Caitlin's eating constantly now, too. She's either asleep or eating, and that's it. Hopefully its just a growing spurt???? I feel bad because all I do is sit in my chair feeding her.

[moschops]

i phoned last week to see how my claim for maternity allowance was going, to be told everyone who works in the office processing them is off ill. as Lemmy was early i missed four weeks wages so i really need to know if i'm going to get the MA, because if not i need to seriously reshuffle finances.

and to make matters worse.....our bath has a crack in the bottom and has been slowly soaking through....it needs replacing asap as dp's new business venture is beneath our bathroom and full of expensive equipment....and to top it all off my washing machine broke down yesterday. i've had ten years out of it so shouldn't complain, but it's lousy timing we now have to find the money (and time) to buy a new one.

not having a very good week emotionally........it all seems to be getting to me this week

[Miaou]

Aw moschops, what a horrible week! You have my sympathies - I couldn't live without my washing machine or bath.

c&csmommy - glad to hear Caitlin is doing so well. Don't worry, you'll get through that "constant feeding" stage fairly soon - Calum is now six weeks old and is now sleeping for long periods between feeds (and spending a lot of time awake too!), so it passes fairly quickly.

Josey, hope you are doing ok on your own.

Azure, I've got washable breastpads, which I find are pretty good - they're nice and soft, but I did find that they "stuck" to me a bit at first. They've not leaked on me and they stay in place really well, but I don't leak much anyway.

I'm now down to one feed during the night - and for the first time Calum slept 5 hours between feeds! He is still asleep just now too.

I was wondering if we should do a postnatal stats thread, like we did for our antenatal thread, with info in like blossom posted in her first post on here- what do you think?

[Azure]

Thanks for the hints on breast pads - maybe I'll try the re-usable. Miaou, a statistics thread sounds good, particularly as there is such a range of birthdates. Moschops, sorry to hear about the problems you're having - what bad timing. I couldn't survive without my washing machine - I've gone from doing a weekly whites wash to one five-six times a week.

Took DS2 to the baby clinic for the first time yesterday. His weight from birth has increased by exactly a kilo (3.16 to 4.16), which is 6 lbs 15 oz to 9 lbs 3 oz. Unfortunately he has also come out in milk spots, which aren't very attractive. DS1 had the same, and I really hope DS2 doesn't develop the horrible cradle cap DS1 had.

[Miaou]

Azure, ds has come out in spots too - I was advised to rub olive oil on them once they have come out in "heads" as the skin can get quite dry then. Both dds had milk spots and horrendous cradle cap so now I'm waiting for that to start too

I've started a stats thread here so come on everyone, add your details!

[moschops]

Lemmy has now decided that none of us need to sleep!!

he was awake all yesterday (after being awake all night too) and i spent most of yesterday on the settee in floods of tears as i was so tired and he just would not settle unless i was holding hm.

then last night he slept from 10 till 1.30,woke for a feed....it took me till 3.20 to get him to settle in his cot, then he woke up at 4.15 for another feed and didn't go to sleep till 6.30 (for half an hour) and then wanted feeding again. he's in my arms now but just won't settle anywhere else.

i expected motherhood to be hard work but this is just so much harder than i anticipated.......i keep telling myself i should be grateful he isn't screaming while he's awake. he just seems very interested in the world..........


i'm starting to get really annoyed with people telling me to sleep when my baby does

[kate100]

MOschops, it could be a growth spurt, things may settle down soon. I know what you mean about the advice, it can drive you up the wall sometimes, just nod and smile and then ignore it.

Azure I know what you mean about the breast pads, I feel as if I'm constantly itching, will try the different ones suggested here.

DS2 is very spotty too, much more so than I remember DS1 being, but he doesn't have such bad cradle cap. Will try the olive oil to see if it helps.

Only one more week in plaster for ds1 and then we start the fun task of getting him to walk again, could be interesting. I can't wait to bath him, it's becoming a case of don't get too close to the plastered leg as it smells so bad!!!

Got my post-natal check tomorrow and ds2 has his first development check. I'm sure it will be along the lines of 'are you having anymore?' and puzzled looks when I say no. My aunt even asked me if I was going to try for a girl next time!!! As if I should be dissappointed by my boys. I'm getting a bit cross with it. Anyone else experienced negative reactions to having 2 of the same sex? I've been really surprised, but my SIL who has 3 boys says she got it all the time.
Anyway, I'm sure that DS2 and I are in good health so it should be quick.

[Miaou]

Kate, I got asked several times if I was "trying for a boy" this time as I had two dds, and since having ds hav had lots of comments along the lines of "how nice, now you've got a boy", and the one that particularly irks me, "dh must be so pleased" . Well, no more pleased than when the dds were born!!

[Miaou]

moschops, I second the growth spurt theory, particularly if he is wanting to feed a lot - my hv warned me about this. She said expect it to last only 24 hours though.

[josey]

moschops thinking of you sorry you are having such a ruff time of it - is your mum of mil near by that they might take pitty and take away wash and iron your stuff for you?! i know i would try my hand at that probably with my Gran that sound awful inflicting washing on an old lady but she is a fantastic ironer!
Have you tryed taking him to bed and just lying down yourself with him on your chest i did that on Tuesday cause i was so drained and i acutally got a couple of hours kip hope you have a better night tonigh

wow kate100 6 week check aleady i cant believe time has come round so quick.

I have been using the lansinoh breast pads along with the cream like goo - pads are really good they are slim you cant see then through clothing fit have sticky bit and fill the full size of a DD cup and seem super absorbant i dont notice i have them on and they dont rip at my poor still very sore right nipple - im affraid i dont know how much i paid for them but i got 66 in a box and dont think they were different from the johnstons ones,got them in mothercare.

Dont have the milk spot problem but still have bad eyes waiting for swab results to come back meantime have to keep clean with saline solution

have been managing to get emails from DH so a bit more settled and DD slept well last night 10-2 then 2.30 - 5.30 6-8.30 woke long enough to get clothes on for school run then nodded off let me get breakfast when we got back before she woke for feed we are getting a bit of a routine and im managing better than i thought i would

[colinandcaitlinsmommy]

Mosschops--So sorry you're having a rough sleeping time. DS never managed to put together a longer stretch than 1 1/2 hours his first few months, and most of the time it was only about 45 min. I remember sitting in the dr. office for his 1 mo. checkup crying my eyes out because there wasn't anything he could do to make DS sleep longer. Hope it gets better.

I swear Caitlin only spent about 20 min. yesterday of her awake time not eating. I think she's eating so much she's making herself sick. We finally gave her a pacifier, sorry dummy, at about 8:30 last night, and that seemed to satisfy her. Maybe she's like DS and just likes to suck on things? Feeling very frustrated right now. Poor DS is very jealous, because I didn't get to spend hardly any time with him, and the time I did spend came with a baby attached to me.

[moschops]

ds has been a bit more settled this afternoon, and due to bad weather dp got in from work earlier than expected and ordered me into the bath (even though it leaks!) so i feel much better for having had a relaxing soak.

ds is greedy and seems to bring up a lot of milk after his feeds, especially when we lay him down. he's creating a lot of washing as a result but MIL came and picked a load up today......dp's nan should be moving into sheltered accomodation soon and will need to get rid of her washing machine. as she does one or two washes a week we've decided it's a good idea if MIL does her washing and we have the machine asap.

i phoned a friend this morning and we had a good chat so i feel better............just need to get back into driving lessons and get myself a licence so i can get out and about.

[blossom2]

HI everyone

so sorry you're having a bad time Moschops. every one keeps telling me it will get better and it does .

Charlotte is being trained to sleep in the evenings and things are going well. For the past 5 nights, she seems to have a 'nap' after her bath for 30/45 mins and then is wake but very tired for about 45mins-1hr and then will sleep until about 3am, then awake at 6am. I can't complain really.

My concern is that i'm not convinced she is eating enough, although her weight gain is really good (a good 12lbs at 9wks). when we give her bottle, she'll only take 1-2oz max, even if she hasnt fed for 3 hrs. She seems to have fallen into a 3 hr feeding routine and spends only 5-10mins on each breast each feed.

Come to think about it I'm pretty lucky. Although she can only stay awake for 1hr -1.5 hrs from when she last woke up. I hope this lenghtens as she gets older.

She is a little angel though and very interactive now. lots of smiles and giggles, unless she's tired or hungry. Although now beginning to cry when she wants company!

[blossom2]

Oh my other dilemma is that i have loads of EBM in the freezer and don't know how we're going to get them back to the UK with us ...

[Azure]

Glad sleeping is falling into place Blossom. No suggestions for the EBM, Are you moving back to the UK? Bad time yesterday - when DH got home from work at 9.30pm (so much for his promised work-life balance) I burst into tears. I swear everytime I get within sight of our house after picking DS1 up from school DS2 starts to cry and doesn't stop until way after DS1 goes to bed. Last night I had to hold DS2 for almost 6 hours with him refusing to sleep. Poor DS1 - I can't do anything with him without a baby attached or one wailing. This morning I've been trying to put DS2 down for his nap when still slightly awake (as you're meant to) but it's been completely unsuccessful. My groceries were delivered an hour ago and I still haven't put them away (I'm typing this one-handed, baby at the breast).

[Dazie]

We are just about managing the school run now with ds1, but he is a nightmare when he comes home Ive just been told that he isnt going to speak to me anymore, you would think he was 14 not 4! Dd is quite happy but is still feeling a little left out usually because ds2 is being fed constantly.

Ds2 is covered from head to toe in milk spots I am sure it is the weather, when he gets hot and a little sweaty he seems to come out in more and more. Dh keeps telling me to resist the temptation to squeeze the big ones!

Blossom2 - I have no idea what you could do with all that EBM it seems such a waste to throw it away though.
Josey - any results from the swab yet?
Moschops - I passed my test last december I just need to get some confidence to get behind the wheel again. I found out I was pregnant the day after I passed and then a few months later I was too large to fit behind the wheel comfortably I havent reverse parked since the day of my test so I need a little practise.

[blossom2]

We are moving back to the UK. thinking about the dilemma gave me a headache last night and i could not sleep. It does feel a terrible waste. Dh suggested we give it to DD1 in her morning cereal!!

DD2 basically sleeps on my during her day naps - either in the sling or whilst breastfeeding. not good for DD1 and sometimes we all cuddle up and watch a video. Although finding the time to spend with DD1 is really REALLY hard. hopefully things will get better once DD2 is a little older and we're back in the UK. Feel like our lives are in limbo.

[blossom2]

Oh Azure, i'm sorry that you're having a tough time . How old is your littlelin now??

Hang on in there ....

[kate100]

Had my post-natal check today. The doctor who I know well asked me how it all went and I burst in to tears. I thought that I had coped with all that had happened at Ben's birth OK, but if that was my reaction I guess I haven't.I haven't talked about it before, but basically it the 'care' I received was non-existent. I was told I couldn't come in as they were too busy, there was no midwife present when he was born or at any of my internal examinations, which is negligent, I was made to feel like a freak for requesting a natural third stage, thrown out of my labour room 45 minutes after he was born, left for 5 hours in agony with no pain relief for my afterpains and then bullied by a midwife who told me I couldn't go home and if I did I was being irresponsible even though the paediatricain had said Ben was fine. She even spoke to my DH as I I wasn't there, like I was being a naughty child. My GP was lovely and gave me lots of tissues and told me that I should make a complaint to the hospital, which I had planned on, but everytime I've tried I've got upset. If it had been my first baby I don't think there would have been another one, it was that bad. Anyway, DS2 is in perfect health and the GP says that he is one of the biggest babies ofr his age that he has seen, I'm a very proud mommy today.

Azure I hope that things settle down soon, DS1 was a very clingy baby who cried a lot and I remember how it felt. Sometimes I ued to put him in a room on his own where he was safe and leave him for 5 minutes and get him when I felt better, it didn't seem to do him any harm, but did a lot for me.

Moschops, passed my test after DS1 was born, I had to stop when I was pregnant as I was too big and then went back to it. Definitely do it, it means you can go out in the rain!! Dazie, get back in that car!!!! The longer you leave it the harder it will be. I still don't reverse park now, just drive around until I can find a space to drive in to

[Miaou]

Kate, how awful for you! Glad the GP was supportive.

If you start a thread on here asking how to complain about your care, you should get lots of advice on how to go about it from other mners who have done so. FWIW I would suggest writing a letter rather than phoning, and cc-ing it to various people - not that I've needed to do it myself.

Sending you a [hug] - keep talking, it will help.

[josey]

Still no results on the swab tests knowing the NHS it will take 3 weeks to realise they have lost them!! thankfully her eyes are almost clear today certainly no crusting so the solution maybe has helped as they seemed to get really bad after first started using as if something was being drawn out.

Kate100 i feel for you - i was asked by one of my midwives after dd was born how long turthfully it took me to get over what happened with DS and if im honest not 100% until DD was born and i had a very different experience almost 6 years later - im glad that you had a supportive GP getting the complaint letter in will help im sure, apparently there is nurses at my surgery that help you with getting over traumatic births there maybe someone you could see at yours but then im sure your GP would have said
cant think of what you can do with the EBM blossom its a pity you couldnt dontate it for poor babies with no mums sorry that sounds a bit weird

[kate100]

Thanks for the support, it was just so horrible and so different to the experience I had the first time when I wrote a letter to my midwife saying thank you. I can't believe how different it was.

Josey, I don't think that your idea is weird. I was also going to suggest that blossom2 see if there was a special care unit she could donate her EBM to.

Good news here. Last night DS2 selpt from about 9:30 until......... 7 this morning!!!!!!! What a superstar, I doubt we'll get a repeat performance tonight, but it was lovely to wake at 6 this morning look at the clock and realise her hadn't woken yet, roll over and go back to sleep. Very lucky mommy here