FEB 2010 Valentines, pancakes and BABIES!!

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

Here it is, then - the post natal thread for the Feb 2010 gang - let the poo/bf/nappy rash/sleeplessness/crying

OMG whatdoIdonow!! conversations commence...

Argh, confused about the dummy vs thumb debate. Wasn't an issue with dd1 - she totally refused a dummy and was never interested in her thumb. Dd2 is very sucky but I got rid of all dummies because dd1 went really silly about wanting them and drove me insane with tantrums. Now dd2 furiously sucks on her fist but hasn't quite unclenched her hand enough to find the thumb. (This is after a feed and pretending to be sick if offered more, so it's not hunger)
Reading all your comments I wonder whether to get some dummies before she finds her thumb... Obviously I'd prefer her not to use either but if it comforts her? And you can't put thumbs in the recycling bag

Dummy v thumb, we give DD a dummy if she wants it, which has only really been when we were visiting people , but she does suck her entire fist sometimes, oh well... IC I like your idea of trying to get them to accept a comforter, DD has about a dozen of those little blankets with a teddy head on so maybe I'll use those. I'm going to knit her a teddybear to have for bed as well.

Went to buggyfit this morning, and I'm already sore! But I thought it was about time to start properly exercising again, instead of just wandering into town for cake then wandering home again . Does anyone know if they make such a thing as a sports bra that you can breastfeed in?

Hope the travel problems don't last too long for those of you suffering
xx

Hmmm, how early can teething start? We have had a lot of fist chewing, drooling and a sore bottom... he's 10 weeks today.

Another fan of the replaceable Muslin comforter here, might try the under the head trick too.

Thanks Bethylou for the Lansinoh before expressing tip, much comfier!

AngelaCarleen obviously it depends on the support you need but I reckon the Bravado bras like this would be good and will be what I'll wear when I get my backside in gear. They are very comfy and have a racer back.

www.bravadodesigns.com/page.asp?ID=646&area=UK

Had a couple of reasonable nights then was up between 3 and 6 with a grizzly DS, still, got 4 hours before he woke so still feeling fairly sane compared to a few weeks ago!

Flights seem to be starting up a bit again tomorrow. Fingers crossed for everyone waiting.

xx

Feeling quietly optimistic that my mum's rebooked flight on Friday will actually take off.... very happy to have her here and the girls love it, but still feel desperately worried about my dad all on his own. My parents have been married nearly 50 years and were never apart this long...And he can't cook more than potatos and eggs, so has been surviving on that and tins .

As for dummy vs thumb - i bought some more dummies today and dd2 delighted early evening (her unsettled time between around4 and 6 - anyone else has that?). Dd1 furious I won't give her one to play with... Can't win.

Angela I went to Bravissimo today and got fitted with more nursing bras (this is the only time I'll ever be able to go into their shops as I'm not normally big enough!) and a sports bra. I didn't see one there for feeding in but they had some very structural pieces of kit which gave me hope of exercising without giving myself the black eyes I was worried about! I have read somewhere that you should try not to feed for an hour after exercising due to the creation of lactic acid during exercise. I don't know where I read it or how much of an issue it is.

On a different note, my best mate's LO has got chicken pox and we were with them the afternoon before he came down with it. Very much hoping to avoid it at the mo as still feel DS2 is a bit small for that. Will keep you informed!

DS2's got his first imms tomorrow and have to take DS1 along for the ride so could be an interesting afternoon! DS1 has his 2 year health visitor check in the morning so we're getting our money's worth out of the NHS tomorrow. Does mean a rather boring day as won't have time to go anywhere nice. Let's hope it's still sunny so I can throw DS1 out in the garden to play (athough prefereably not head first off the decking onto the bricks below this time - at least until after the health visitor has been!!)

p.s. Sunnybump Our DS2 was born with teeth just below the surface and one of them does seem to be about to come through. Babies can be born with teeth so could be any time and sounds like you have all the signs, well your LO at least.

I have realised that I have been on here for AGES!

DS1's nursery has been on holiday for almost 3 weeks, so I barely get a chance to do anything while he's around!

DS2 is doing well. He weighed in at 9lbs 3oz last week which is slightly above the centile line he was on at birth and perfectly proportioned for his length. Sleeping is mostly ok. We are co sleeping and I just wave my boob at him when he wakes and he seems to sort himself out. The only prob is when I am too tired to remember to swap sides and I get very engorged. I had a fever with it last night, but managed to get it resolved I think...

My ankle is getting much better. I am waslking without limping now, but I still can't walk too far because my knee gets sore. I think I am not walking quite normally yet and my knee is getting twisted or something. The swelling is gone down tremendously, but my bad ankle is still bigger than my good one. I think I can feel the metal plate which gives me the heebie jeebies a bit, but I'm sure I will get used to it.

I hope everyone is doing ok. There's just way too much on here to read it all!!

Hey mawbroon welcome back. Going to ask you for more advice as the BF one was fab. How (and when) do you get DS out of bed for co-sleeping? Hope your ankle improves soon!

Abs - the Advent was lent by a friend who passed hers to me after she didn't need it anymore (though she also didn't get on with it apparently) so I didn't have that problem. Could you sell it on ebay?

fizi - try Baby on Board by Howard Chilton too. I've read that one, and like it. Another one is Attachment Parenting by William Sears - I haven't read that one though. TBH Baby Wisdom is enough already Happily down the path of carrying DD and getting her to nap in sling.... though I do have the occasional moments of doubt whether we'll be in trouble 6-12 months down the line. She doesn't cry much at all and there's no late afternoon fussiness either, and she now sleeps well at night (now that the reflux seems to have lessened) though still wakes for feeding. As we're co-sleeping I find I don't get too tired waking up to feed her, the other day I woke up in the morning to find I had fed her in my sleep as she was on side and my boob was out, and it seems we both fell asleep after. But I don't remember doing it. Oh and Baby Whisperer, Tracy Hogg is good for the tiredness/hunger/wind/etc cues.

A quick question experienced mums... I was quite ill yesterday, vomiting all day, with a temperature and headache. Much better today although weak, but LO seems to want to feed every couple of hours and my boobs don't seem to be getting very full. Does illness affect milk production?

fizi - your milk supply can take a bit of a dip, but just keep feeding on demand and it should all work out fine. Your antibodies will hopefully stop the baby getting ill too.

sunangel - dunno re the co-sleeping. I fought it with ds1 and we've still got a little visitor coming through during the night. I often wonder how he would have been had we just gone with co sleeping from the start.

With ds2, he has been in the bed from day one and sleeps in the sling during the day. I just can't see how it would work for us any other way in terms of getting things done and keeping ds2 safe from ds1 who is constantly trying to pick up ds2 or cuddle him roughly or shove toys in his face. I feed ds2 in my sleep too. I have no idea how often he feeds at night tbh. I don't change his nappy overnight either, but he tends to complain aboug it around 6am.

Ds2 is a whole different kettle of fish from ds1. He is much more content and much easier to deal with. He is 7 weeks now and we have had no crying from him that hasn't been swiftly resolved by either a feed, sleep or clean nappy. I'm wondering if ds1 might have been the same had we co slept and slung him from the beginning.

Poor you, fizi, hope you get back to 100% ASAP.

Hey, mawbroon, great to hear from you! Very envious at your "wave a boob at him" take on breast-feeding, co-sleeping. It's taken me and DD 12 weeks to finally get something like a decent latch (happened at two feeds today - god, I hope I don't jinx it by mentioning it now....) and she hasn't been much cop at feeding lying down either... maybe one day

Wish I could take credit for the comforter/muslin idea, but I must 'fess up - a combination of the sainted Elizabeth Pantley (If you haven't got The No Cry Sleep Solution yet, I highly recommend it...) and good old MN (the Sleep forum)

Meanwhile, muslins or no, the dummy is still necessary at certain times - and hey - here's another drawback to the bloody things. DD has got oral thrush, which is apparently a common problem with babies using pacifiers. Probably our fault for not being strict enough about sterilising it (it's in the microwave after every single use now!!) Anyway, I'm taking her to the doc's tomorrow to hopefully get something to clear it up and meanwhile I'm rinsing her mouth out with water after every feed to get rid of the milk residue, which the candida apparently likes to feed on. I think the thrush made it uncomfortable for DD to feed, so she wasn't feeding for long, meaning she was hungry every hour and a half instead of every three hours...including overnight, groo...
Last night was better, though - I got the SNS back out of the drawer to top her up at the breast (she's not great with bottles any more unless she's really famished) and that seemed to help - certainly, last night we were back to the former waking-to-feed routine, which was a relief.

I felt really fed up yesterday, what with having to teach DD to latch on (still!!) and going back to supplements and regressive overnight wakenings. Then - tada! A better night last night and some decent latching and much better feeding today. And she obediently went down for sleep at 1930, leaving me with a bit of time to DO stuff, yay.

And I've got my pre-preggers jeans on, life is sweet!!

On the subject of books, cheers for the tip sunangel - I've also ordered the Baby Wisdom one, looking forward to reading that! The Sears book is good, but probably not totally necessary if you're already doing the babywearing/co-sleeping/breastfeeding/no-leaving-to-cry thing already (or some of the above) - but it does offer a lot of justification for those choices, which can be very reassuring if you've got a chorus of GF fans shouting in your ear...

IC Just wanted to say that i'm glad there's signs of improvement and that i hope it continues.

Also back to pre-preggers jeans , but those tops may need to be gifted on.

babygiraffes do you want the bad news? The 4-6pm fusiness doesn't go away. Dd is 4 and we still have to endure what we call 'crazy o'clock' at that time every day. Just one of the many things the parenting books failed to mention.....

fiziwizzle I am fairly sure that being ill in itself doesn't affect milk production, but maybe you got a bit dehydrated? This would probably affect supply a bit. Maybe making sure you drink plenty would help. Or it could just be a growth spurt?

I seem to be taking the opposite approach to all of you, and positively encouraging the thumb sucking. He can't quite manage it yet but I can't wait until he does, to give my poor nipples a break. I come from a family of thumb suckers so I guess it is the norm for me, whereas dummies are unfamiliar.

Having a testing week this week. Ds only having short day time naps still and dd is understandably getting fed up with the lack of attention, and is playing up a bit. Getting the cot down from the loft this weekend, so hopefully ds will learn to have lovely long naps in it soon. Plus I can't wait to show him our fab Baby Einstein mobile!

I agree... and it seems to get worse. The baby is a doddle at the moment in comparison to my 2 3/4 year old who is seriously challenging right now. Argh...

Today (and for one day only I suspect) both my DS have been lovely. DS1 impressed the health visitor at his two year check by a) naming red, blue and green correctly in conversation (which he doesn't actually know consistently!) and then saying "wee wee!" in time (the only time all day long!!) DS2 managed to choke and also vomit profusely on her (which kind of proves my reflux point, in case I felt I needed to do so!)

DS2 has had first imms today and is very grizzly this evening - think I prefer it to be the imms than the alternative (chicken pox). Time will tell, but either way, we are bracing ourselves for the night ahead.

Welcome back Mawbroon - have been wondering how you are faring. Get well soon Fizi.

Hi mawbroon! Thanks for advice all. I think my milk production stepped up yesterday evening, when DP took LO to the supermarket with him to give me a break. I had a nice, relaxing bath and READ A BOOK (a baby book, but still...). Fed her at 8 and 11, and she slept til 5 this morning . But I haven't been able to get back to sleep since .

chinoook I'm with you on the thumb sucking, I'd prefer DD to suck her thumb than a dummy but she can't seem to find it yet. Mind you, she is refusing the dummy at the moment too. Only mummy's boob will do really.

Apart from being tired, I'm feeling a lot better and nervously looking forward to our first mother and baby yoga class today. Can I make some friends...? [hopeful emoticon]

Oh and another question... When do you transfer from moses basket to cot?

Oh IC, good luck with your LO's oral thrush. DD had it when she was born, and the doc gave us medicine for it at her 4-day paed check but I think she was too young to take it and kept throwing it back up. Then the MW at her 10-day check told us it wasn't that bad and not to bother with the medicine,but you could see she still had it a bit. She sometimes seemed to gag and stick her tongue out. I took her back to the docs at about 5 weeks and the doc said it really isn't that bad and not to medicate. Anyway I think it has cleared up on its own, you can't see it so much any more but it's left her with a funny habit of sticking her tongue out all the time. It does look peculiar.

oh, 5 minutes before i have to head for bed? just a quick catch up!

welcome back mawbroon good to hear things are going well!

erm, what else? well looks like mums re-arranged flight for this sunday should be ok? dunno who's going to be more relieved, us or her? bless her, she really was ready to go home when they cancelled last week! My brother however is now stuck in Japan for another 2 weeks? tho he's got some mates going out on tour this week, so don't think he's that bothered - tho his work are trying to sort him out a flight home!

DS moved into travel cot with sleeping bag at 5 weeks?

DD (now 3.5) chose her own comforter at about 5 months - we were in mothercare and she reached out of her pushchair and grabbed a cuddly elephant - still inseparable at bedtime? have never seen another one the same, so incredibly careful not to lose him! he's not allowed out of the house generally!!

DS is sucking his fist very vigorously to settle at the moment and occasionally finds his thumb? i'd prefer him to suck his thumb if necessary than use a dummy? the dummy has been the bane of our lives with DD and only now really getting to the point where we're going to be able to get rid of it (after the 38 hour flights home!!!) Tho she only uses it at bedtime? she left hospital already having one based on advice from a midwife - bad advice i reckon now with hindsight - she was 'sucky' cos she was hungry and the latch was bad? the other advice I got was from the dental nurse who came to our 'new mums' group - she said to use a dummy (but NOT a cherry shape one) rather than thumb cos it did less damage to teeth/palate etc

the damage to teeth/palate etc is something we're prepared to live with this time - if DS is happy with thumb? tho my dads partner who's a professional brass musician and teacher also says that thumb-sucking can really alter the shape of the palate and cause problems for 'blowing' instruments? DS will just have to play guitar or piano instead!

right? my to do list is getting longer - massive panic just now as have realised we've only got 2 weekends left before we head home, and there's shed loads to sort still?.. should probably stop faffing about and posting incredibly long messages on MN, but it does make me feel like i've got friends and people to talk to (aww)

Hi All,

My little boy is 9 weeks now and 9lb 5oz - cant believe he is more than double his birthweight.

We co-sleep, it just seems natural to do so, although I wish he were a little quieter, he snuffles and sometimes cries out in his sleep.

We don't use a dummy - he sucks his thumb now and again.

I really need to get a sling - what do you recommend? I had a premaxx baby bag but after all the fuss about bag slings being dangerous I've not used it.

Do any of you feel like you have to almost apologise for having got the hang of breastfeeding to your friends who gave up trying early? Maybe it is just me. I make excuses like "well we were in hospital for two weeks so I got really good training" to try and make them feel better about not doing it.

I bought a new nursing bra online - la mere by Elle Mcpherson. Am totally disappointed - sending it back. The lace is REALLY hard and rough and uncomfortable.

IC Have to warn you that Baby Wisdom is quite thick, but good to read while LO is sleeping in sling Let me know what you think once you've finished.

bearcrumble I have the Moby Wrap which I took sometime to get the hang of, but brilliant once I did. DH has the Babasling. Moby has more back support and you can wear it all day / the longer naps / outings, while Baba is easier to put on/take off but does tire your back out - good for short naps, ppl with strong backs. I don't apologise for BF but I do feel I can't talk about it too much! Many of them have LOs who are already sleeping through and are extolling the convenience of bottlefeeding, in contrast I feel if I extol benefits of BF-ing it'll make them feel bad so I join in with how great they have it....

The convenience of bottle feeding(!) Having done both, I'm hoping our breastfeeding will keep going from strength to strength as next month we're off to a festival (staying in a hotel) and also back to the UK for a wedding and the last thing I want to be bothered with is sterilising bottles and making up formula in unfamiliar places - if I can just whip out a boob, that makes life easier IMO!

Mind you, on the occasions when DD's drunk me dry and I resort to a bottle of formula before bed, she usually sleeps longer - I think it takes longer to digest than breast milk.

Thanks for all your good wishes re our little Candida problem! Well, the doctor decided DD doesn't have thrush (I still think she did have it, but the mouth rinsing and strict dummy hygiene have seen it off without the need for meds - certainly her mouth was looking better this morning and she's feeding okay again). Good news, anyway!

Slings - I've got a Kari-me, which is basically the same sort of thing as a Moby Wrap, just a different make. It's dead good in so many ways, but yes - can be a hassle to put on and tie if you're not used to it. Something like a Close Carrier or a Mai Tai are options you might think about - more structured than the wraps, more ergonomic than the ring slings... Go and look on the backpacks and slings forum here on MN, you'll probably find a load of advice on the subject. And there are some good links to websites with good safety tips on sling use, too.

Turns out my DH was a thumb-sucker until he hit his 20s and realised it didn't look too good when taking a girlfriend to bed with him(!) so he weaned himself off it. I used to mouth at my pillow as my comforter - I think I just grew out of doing that in the end, can't remember exactly when.

I'm quite happy to tackle a fat book, sunangel! I've got a little system for propping up a book while rocking DD in her pram for daytime naps, I find I'm getting through a lot more reading these days as a result!

I just got Dr Karp's "Happiest Baby On The Block" DVD for a friend with a newborn - fantastic watching those "5 S's" calming techniques in action - they definitely work, too. DD is now getting a little too old for them (first 12 weeks is the time when they are most effective...sometimes longer) but they still work on her to some extent.

We also a karime as well as a ring sling. I only use the ring sling for jobs around the house as after about 30mins, it starts to strain the back. But as it is much quickier than the karime to put on, it has its uses (plus it was only a tenner). I personally don't like the carriers as i want her huddled to me, otherwise i don't see the point, but as she gets older.... BTW DH loves the karime, and if he had his way i'd never hold her at the weekends. He even does the ironing (and changed bedding) with her in it, which is one way of getting him to do jobs around the house.

Went for my first rub today. Was supposed to only be a mile, but i took a wrong turn and it ended up being 2, oops. My legs are feeling it now. Have learnt two things (1) make sure i go for a wee before hand (had to turn back after a few mins, more PF exercises for me) and (2) will needs a sports bra (my breasts have never been big enough to worry before). MIL has LO for the afternoon (with EBM) so off for a nice relaxing bath to say sorry to my thighs. Hopefully by the time she feeds again, the effects of exercise will no longer affect milk.

Were still two weeks away from jabs. My only concern is we will move between the 3 and the 4month jabs, so have to find out how to sort out having jabs in america and if we have to pay etc. I've not really to got to grips with healthcare yet, and don't know if healthcare (which work is providing for the 3 of us) starts as soon as we move or not. So if anyones got any experience......or knows where i need to look.... [hopeful face]

Just got back from the hairdressers, took DD with me and she slept in her carseat (I know that they aren't ideal but I didn't have anywhere else) for the entire 3 hour appointment .

Mentioned to hv today that I wanted to try baby-led-weaning and she looked at me like and changed the subject. Oh well...

She's started sleeping longer on a night so I get 4-5 hours of actual sleep in between! So pleased, bless her.