June mummies 2 - the gangs all here!!

[katzguk]

one crisp new thread!

Kat have a great hol.
Well today is much better due in no small part to the fact that my fabulous cleaner has been . We were on our way to the donkeys by 09.30 although I did have to come back within 30 seconds to get my watch. It was very hot at the donkeys (31 degrees) but I managed to put dd's in the double buggy with the shade a babe over dd2. dd1 and I fed the donkeys and then stopped for a banana and water break and for dd2 to have a bf. She was crying for a bit when not moving in the buggy which was a bit stressful but went to sleep after her feed and a roll over the uneven ground. Then we were all tired and hot so went back in the car and I remembered to get my contact lens fluid and some bread at the shops on the way home. Both dd's were asleep so were left in the car with air con on. Isn't that shocking. I would NEVER do that in the UK even though I was parked right outside both the shops. See there are good things about being out here. V little traffic on the roads and very low crime. Child loving people too. Wouldn't have to think twice before taking dd's to nearly any restaurant. Arrived back to a spotless house. DD1 carried to her bed to continue sleeping and dd2 woke for a feed while I watched the last episode of Desperate Housewives recorded from last night. Have ignored nappies as we were out and about although dd didn't want one on which is a good thing I think.
I think Gina is just too strict for me. My babies are quite easy I think and I am lucky not to have to go back to work. dd1 does have a routine though but it is one she developed although we do stick to it. She is in bed by 7.30pm every night and that is fab. I do know what you mean about wanting a routine so that you know where you are though. I agree completely with that and so I am waiting for dd2 to sort one out . What a difference a day makes!! Are you ready for another crisis post tomorrow lol. Take care all. I am off to get my husbands lunch.

Do you think the hormones are still racing around? I was so low yesterday and feel so high again today!! Quite odd.

Afternoon jumies hugsssssss

katz have alovely holiday

Coops you sound like your doing realy well good luck for today.

Mandy congratulations on your wedding anniversary.

last two nites have been very hard william been waking 4 to 5 times im not sure if my breast milk is enough for him anymore, i was speaking to my friend she said it might be because im older (39)
and when i had my other boys i was 20 years younger could be true, im still perservering though might just bottle feed william during the nite.

Just had our six weeks post natal card through the door, cant belive its nearly 6 weeks.

Catch u later will try and have a nap whilst william is asleep thats all i seem to do grrrrrr never mind xxxxxxx

hey there y'all

just checking in quickly.......

have just done the last 2 nights on my own as Dh in Dubai. First night went ok, last night dd did the most spectacular tantrum - absolutely full on for over an hour. Had both kids screaming full pelt. (at this point an escape on the first plane to ANYWHERE seemed very attractive). thankfully dh back today so will offload bath routine to him. My dd still v v hard work, despite all my efforts. I guess that I can't give what she had before.....

I bought the gina book, did one day and felt a complete failure and totally stressed out. i've come to the conclusion that there is no way to make the baby do a routine it just happens with a gentle hand. I started reading a book on sleep but have taken it back to the library, these books all seem v prescriptive and end up making me feel like a failure.......having said that I would like a bedtime and sleep!!

hey there y'all

just checking in quickly.......

have just done the last 2 nights on my own as Dh in Dubai. First night went ok, last night dd did the most spectacular tantrum - absolutely full on for over an hour. Had both kids screaming full pelt. (at this point an escape on the first plane to ANYWHERE seemed very attractive). thankfully dh back today so will offload bath routine to him. My dd still v v hard work, despite all my efforts. I guess that I can't give what she had before.....

I bought the gina book, did one day and felt a complete failure and totally stressed out. i've come to the conclusion that there is no way to make the baby do a routine it just happens with a gentle hand. I started reading a book on sleep but have taken it back to the library, these books all seem v prescriptive and end up making me feel like a failure.......having said that I would like a bedtime and sleep!!

Hello Everyone!

Katz - Have a nice holiday!

Mandy - Happy Anniversary!

Lucy had her jabs yesterday and didn't react the way I exected her to at all. She started of sobbing which slowly increased in length and pitch until it was a banshee wail!! After I'd shushed herr a bit she then started smiling at me! Oh, how I wanted to buy her an icecream! She grizzled all afternoon, then woke up every hour or so for a cry last night and she's not been too happy today either. Hope she's not like this next time - it breaks my heart.

We're off to a wedding tomorrow, so shall be leaving in the next hour or so. She's got a mildly flouncy, lacy little number that was gifted to her by a friend in Spain, not the kind of thing I would choose, but it will please DP's Grandma no end, so must be done!

re Gina Ford; I have her book (lent to me by a friend as I was originally anti-Ford) and I find it useful. I don't follow it religiously, I just read it through, take some advice from it, decide what I want, then implement that. For instance, going to bed at 7/7.30 is impractical for us, as we are so busy and can't guarantee we'll be home, but when I decided to get Lucy to sleep longer at night the methods suggested in the book really helped.

Trib - I was told that bf babies can go for over a week without a poo by my health visitor. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.

In my area there is a baby massage group and baby swim classes, which is an ace way to spend time with baby and meet people. Maybe you coud enquire at your local community and sports centres for similar things?

EastYorksMum - I put Lucy on mixed feedng about 2 weeks ago as she grazed in the morning and evening and tbh drove me a bit potty. I also express and bottlefeed her the breastmilk 95% of the time so I can monitor how much she takes at each feed. It's timeconsuming and hard work but I feel less stressed.

Anyone else using dummies? I was so anti, but her cry goes right through me and I think that if it keeps both of us calm, then it can only be a good thing!

Did you see Big Brother last night? Wold you have taken the money? I think I would have... Eugene is just such a nice guy, even if he is a little geeky!

Right, must go, catch up soon! x

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Lynny, yes, you do make sense. I think when people asked you if Jess is 'like' Leona, this may be what they are trying to ask without wanting to sound mean. Of course she is like Leona in that she is your beautiful daughter and you love her very much - maybe that is a more positive answer Really glad you didn't take her back from her dad's, even if she were like every other 15 year old I'm sure he'd still be struggling with her. Tough is what I say!

No time to do a proper update right now but we went to Cambridge today to meet up with a friend of mine who was over from Sweden and babysitting his 2 year old niece. Arranged to meet in a shopping centre (in case of bad weather) but after a small feed when we arrived, Toby decided it was time for a monster poo. To avoid him throwing up any more as well, I was carrying him into Mothercare for a change, whilst phoning Martin to say where we were. Just as Martin's voicemail kicked in I realised we had a major containment breach and the poo was escaping all over my hand ... so all Martin got on his voicemail was me saying "Oh god. OH MY GOD!" and then hanging up.

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scraggy-im with you on the dummy front.we also were not going to use one,but like you said,if he soothes them and stops mum and dad going mad then it has to be a good thing.

trib-how funny with the poo!
i changed ds in public for the first time today.we were in sainsburys and as usual decided to scream to let me know he's done a wee.seemed really strange using one of those pull-down changers.

does anyone else find their baby doesnt like the sun? funny question i know but i feel like ive given birth to a vampire.
if we go out and there's a glimpse of sunshine he makes such a fuss.we went to the park today and i used a sunshade AND a canopy on the buggy,so he was completely cocooned in.i could see loads of people starring,wondering why on such a lovely day my baby was all covered up-it was quite embarassing!!

Yes, bubba, my ds definitely doesn't like the sun. Of course I keep him out of the direct light, he has a little hat for whenever he's not in the pram with the parasol shading him. But he definitely objects to the general brighter light of being outside.

Re: nappy change, does your ds really act up for every wet nappy?! Good lord. No way I would have changed my ds for anything less than the major Vesuvius of poo we were greeted with upon our arrival.

honestly trib,as soon as he wees thats it-he goes mad.i must do about 12 nappy changes a day.i had a friend over for lunch yesterday and she couldnt believe it either.

glad i havent got a vampire for a son.it must be quite normal then for babies not to like the sun...maybe.

Hi all,
Regarding the dummy. WEll, mixed feelings here. With DD I was fairly anti dummy, though did use it some. As a result she is the Queen thumb sucker at 2 1/2. She had a cllous on her thumb from where the the bottom teeth rub it when she sucks. So, if you hold back the dummy, it has bad possibilities too. DD will comtinue to be a thumb sucker for at least a few more years (I hasten to admit) because she is not old enough for me to reason with her about giving it up. So, with DS, I'm a bit more keen on the dummy. Oh I hope it doesn't all go pear shaped.

Hello all
Lynny - I do exactly as you do with the nappies, drypail with a drop of tea tree in the bottom of the bucket and then wash every two days. How are you getting on with them? IMO soaking is a waste of time and makes the transfer to the washing machine a right palaver. Poo stains come out amazingly with a bit of sunshine, and really does a stain matter on something to catch poo??
Scraggy - Enjoy the wedding. Hope Lucy is OK post jabs
Trib - Lol at Toby's poo.
I used to HATE the first public nappy changes. I got all nervous as dd1 was guaranteed to wee or poo of both every time her nappy was off. DD2 seems alot more restrained or maybe I am more efficient and quicker??
Bubb - I think best to cover babies up from the sun. Mine hate it too. Babies under 6 mths shouldn't be in direct sun at all apparently so carry on... you know what is best for your baby.
I am not anto dummies as they def have a time and a place and if they comfort the baby then why not. Having said that neither of my two have had them.....
Soirry have to run. Crying baby.....

Lynny - Totally natural feelings about the photos etc. Just remember you have two BEAUTIFUL daughters and you are so strong and able to enjoy them both despite all the extra work involved.

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Good Luck Lynny
I am using disposables overnight at the mo and know what you mean about the smell. I think it is the chemical reaction to the wee that is so bad. You get used to it if you use them all the time but I really notice it if I am using disposables at all like on hols etc. xx

We're anti-dummy in this house too although have offered it to both children when they were in the 'I MUST SUCK ALL EVENING WAAAAAAH' stage - neither liked it and I was secretly very pleased.
As for the sun business we've got a really fab black net UV screen thing that goes over the whole buggy, they come from NZ originally. It's great - no messing with changing the angle of a parasol etc that I did all the time with dd. I really recommend them. The added bonus is that it stops people peering in at the babies if you're not in the mood for all and sundry passing comment - which some days I definitley am not
I went out last night - first time for ages - to a mate's 40th soiree. It was great - ds slept the whole time, I managed 3 glasses of champagne, felt like a member of the human race.

Morning all, just a quick catch up..

SFX, I didn?t know that about PCOS - that you should stick to barrier contraceptives if you want to conceive again. It does make sense though. I was on the pill for years and only realised I had PCOS when I tried to conceive. I?m glad I know that now before I went back on the pill.

Trib, no takeaways . Poor you!!! I don?t know where DH and I would be if it wasn?t for our local ?Stretford Balti? and Pizza Magic.

Mandy, happy anniversary!!

Ooh Welshie, 3 glasses of champagne, how lovely. That would get me drunk as a skunk if I had that now .

Katz, enjoy your holiday, I?m very envious of all those people going away.

I?m afraid to say that I quite like Gina. I don?t follow it minute by minute, after all, what baby reads the book so knows he/she should be awake/asleep/eating at certain times, but it has been a real help to me. I have no idea if DS would have routined without it, but I find it great to know approx what DS should be doing at each stage of the day. It means I can go out for most of the day without feeling too stressed. I think the secret is not to follow it too literally. I adapt to suit and if DS takes an extra feed, or sleeps before he should, its not the end of the world and I?m not a failure. However, it does mean that I?m only waking up once in the night and about 3-4 times a week, he is down by 7pm, wakes up at 10:30 for a feed and then the night feed, so I get the full 12 hours with only 2 feeds. Right, better go, he's waking himself up after his 45 min morning sleep

Sounds like you have the Gina thing sorted Jonah. That is def the way to use the book and sounds like you have a Gina baby. I was a bit of an all or nothing with her routines and wasn't able to take bits out etc. Plus at the moment I like dd2 awake in the evenings as it is the time dh and I get with her without dd1 bothering her.
Welshie, our shade a babe sounds very similar to your UV net. It provides total coverage and total peace of mind. We used to use it in the evenings too to keep dd1 asleep in the buggy (ie no distractions/lights for her) when we went out. DH used to wheel her up and down until she went to sleep and then she would stay asleep. In hindsight we must have looked really odd but it meant nice peaceful meals out so I don't care.
We went out for a Cyprus kebab last night actually which was lovely. We sat outside and dd1 could run about (with the other children who were there) and dd2 was v good. She needed one feed but I was able to be discreet and then she went to sleep in the car seat. It was great to get out.
Lua - I have found your address on an old email and so will send the book off for you on Monday now.
Who won the sweepstake?? Both dd's asleep so I am off for a lie down after the washing up. Ironing this afternoon yawn or I might engineer an outing.

La la la, am happy bright and breezy today. My fantastic ten week old baby girl has now completed a whole week of going to bed at 8pm and not waking up AT ALL until 7am, give or take 20 minutes either way. This is officially now her routine! Am now bringing the bedtime forward by ten mins each day until she manages 7-7.

The best knock on effect at all is that I am no longer getting stressed with DD1, as I actually have the energy to play with her! Feeling very "mumly" today and am starting to properly love being mum of two.

Oh, and is anyone else shocked by how OLD all our babies are getting....ALREADY!

Oooh Nogger! you lucky mare! My 10 week old (yesterday) stil wakes up at least once in the night, and for two days now has decided that 5.30am is play time, arrrrh! am very of you (and Uwila too!)

Lynny - know exactly what you mean about the pics - I've been bawling my eyes out at the videos of ds as a baby...mum hadn't seen them so I put them on, had thought dd was the image of ds as a babe, but am gobsmacked at just how much - even down to the same expressions and smile, and ds thinks it's great to see himself as a baby too, so much so that they haven't been off the telly in 48 hours - that's toddlers for you eh!

Charley - not pg (did a test ) but was a distinct possiblity! Very pleased as only want 2 kids!

Uh oh dulcet tones of a waking dd wafting downstairs so I have to go...but quickly agree with Jonah about Gina and dummies are the greatest invention in this house!

God I am SO we are a million miles from sleeping through.
He's still wants 2 feeds a night, I'm convinced it's because he knows I'm around to do it. Once he goes into his own room then it'll change pretty smartish I reckon and anyway I figure the longest I'll have to do it for is another 2 months as I'll have to start introducing formula then as I get ready to go back to work (if that's when I do go back) But I am tentatively happy today as I think ds is working himself into a nice little daytime routine without me having to do anything. 30 mins kip earlier on and now he's settled down for a long lunchtime sleep. It's the 2nd day he's done that so I'm hopeful.....
Can't get over how good it was to go out last night - it's really put a spring in my step

Hello all!
It looks like my blissful ML is disappearing slowly, everyweeek I have more stuff that needs attending . Thank goodness DS is very patient and goes with me on my errands and meetings!
We still have no routine. I thought I was doing well with one 5 hour period of sleep at night, but apparently you lot are far more accomplished on the sleep front. I guess I am paying for my smugness when my DD slept overnight regularly at 3 months!
We are dummy users in this house. tobe honest don't know could we survive without one. DS is not keen on it, but he takes after some insistence. I know, I sound crazy crazy! How do you guys drive with a baby without a dummy? do share the secret!
I've been worried in the past about weaning them from it, but with dd was pretty easy aroun 9 months sheas off.
EYM - I think your age is unlikely to affect milk production. There are a few of us in here with similar age to you, which I think are fully bf . William is probably just experiencing a rowth spurt and demand will go up to meet his needs soon. Try not to worry!