Jan 2010 babies and mummies here.....can't think of funny thread title!

[crumpette]

... sorry couldn't think of a title that didn't mention how to get orange poo out of a white vest, or how to get jiggy post partum!!!

Oh CTOFN Can I join in too, please? I'm feeling so tired? Boo hoo hoo.

flyingma - i hope you feel better soon

crumpette - can you have a day at home today until you feel better? The Dr gave me some pills that didn't agree with me and trying to coordinate that and Jack just wasn't happening. TMI? Sorry everyone!

wmdo - could you try expressing and giving her medication in that milk or does she need to have it in a lot of milk? It sounds like you're a having a tough time with it at the moment, sorry I can't offer any words of wisdom.

londonlottie - i'm so jealous of the girls sleeping through, you're doing Gina Ford aren't you? I'm willing to try anything right now. I'm a random filer too, I have various drawers with various bits of paper etc so when I was trying to sort out my finances it was a nightmare. I've also managed to lose the paper part of my drivers licence etc so i'm making a conscious effort with Jacks stuff like his birth certificate.

ctofn - how is Percy doing? I don't know how you're coping with having a puppy and baby and the rest of the brood.

Can I join the boo hoo hoo club too? I'm just really not enjoying things at the moment. We seem to have got into the habit of Jack sleeping on me in the day and so he's resisting night time more than ever and I just dread night time so much. It can take a good 2-3 hours to get him bathed and asleep and i just hate it. I've put Jack in his pushchair to have his nap this morning and he briefly drifted off but is wide awake now and has been crying on and off for about 45 minutes. I'm at the end of my tether and although I love him to bits I just feel like I can't do it anymore and part of me just doesn't want to. I know that it's of my own doing that he's like this so I just need to kick myself up the ass and power through it but he is so clingy right now that if anyone else has him that he knows he just screams as though his world has collapsed because I'm not there. Anyway, i'll sort myself out and deal with it.

I hope everyone enjoys today and the sunshine before it disappears for a while and we get rain, happy days.

New - wasn't coping brilliantly tbh at the weekend with baby and Percy and 2 other DCs.. and then DH was out all day Sunday, went away on business Monday and Tuesday... and I had my period and so I started the boo hoo club! anyway, hormones calming down and feel much more in control now, albeit very hectic.

As for Jack and sleeping, you may need a couple of days when you can bear it to basically battle it out. Not having him sleep on you in the day and getting into a good routine at night. Lots of naps in the day, certainly make for a better night's sleep, although Olivia nowhere near goes through the night, but I do have her in a routine and she is zonked by 7.30pm, giving me the evening. Baby Whisperer and Gina Ford both basically say get into a routine and start how you mean to go on. Not too many differences apart from controlled crying I think. BW doesn't advocate it, whereas Gina Ford does.

It will get better, you just need to be reasonably firm and have more than an ounce of patience (not that I am Earth Mother at all)!

New It is tough, but it does get better. Can't really offer more advise than that. Hope you manage to get the rest you need. Baby days don't last forever... they just seem to! Sleep deprivation makes everything ten times worse. You will get through.

Got Naomi weighed yesterday. 11lb 4. She has very nearly doubled her birth weight.

I think we must all be getting run down. With me it's not so much stress, it's my body falling apart. Have broken out in patches of eczema, my hair is falling out in bucket loads, my nails are breaking, had stomach aches and muscle pains in my shoulders.

Forget the diet, I'm going to make a cake!

Are you sharing the cake sock could do with a slice or two.

new sorry your feeling so down I still have days like that and altough I love Jacob to bits it all just gets a bit too much. How did it go at your hospital appointment?

crumpette hope you feel abit better today.

lottie- I can imagine the twins lying there thinking 'country and western singer?? yeah right mum'

I would use twins as an excuse for quite some time I think. It is a bit scary though, I can't say 'oh I've just had a baby..' when justifying my general scattiness.

I feel a bit less grim today but I'm not v well! I don't seem to be re-filling in the breastmilk department, so J has been screaming lots (I think that's called uncontrolled crying) I keep trying to feed him but there's hardly anything there, I had a shower (major effort) and managed to go blurry visioned and then pass out in it so I'm really not on top form. so that's a boo hoo hoo from me too!

new sorry to hear you're having a tough time, I think it happens to everyone at some point so don't think it's your fault. I have never been very good at creating a routine but have found LOs tend to get into a routine pretty quickly of their own accord- if it happens to be a bad routine then it needs rejigging and after a few days he will be doing it himself. I don't think I am making any sense today but I know what I mean maybe try and stop him from sleeping on you in the day- do you have a bouncy chair or playmat or something he can sit in and watch you from, so he knows you're there but is awake? Naps are good though but not very very long ones.

Oh big hugs all round . We are all brave souls and we all need encouragement as we endeavour to raise our little sproglets in the best possible way.

New it sounds like you are doing a great job - I did it all on my own with my eldest DD (14 on Friday) so I take my hat off to you. It can make for a very special bond between you two as he gets older: it'll all pay off. Forget about being perfect ey? Perfect is boring

Crumpette poor love; sorry you are feeling so rough. And Sockmonkey. Please ladies, I know I sound like a broken record (you can hit me on the head if you like) but do not underestimate the power of low iron levels. Did you get it checked out post partum? When I think about all the blood I lost.... and the breastfeeding doesn't help as the LO takes all the iron it needs leaving you with, well, not very much at all. I really did not suspect a thing. I should have though as I've had a small crack on the corner of my mouth which just hasn't healed and apparently that is a sure sign of anaemia.

God, I sound like the voice of doom but I just want to be helpful.

LL Thanks for asking about my DH. Basically he got the sack three weeks ago for NO GOOD REASON so legal battle commences as his delightful boss has got rid of 11 people in 18 months. For us it' a matt of principal. Legally everything is on my DH's side. The positive thing is that he won't have to work for a Dhead who undermines him constantly and he's had a job offer from a recruitment agency for a management position which he cannot take up as legally has to stay until 6th June working for above-mentioned Dhead.

I'm sorry LL things are stresful for you two although, of course, it's not the same thing, ey? Oh and good luck for your girlie day out. ENJOY now you've done all the hard work putting it together. I left my LO for three and a half hours the other day to go to the hairdresers: it was weird but nice. I couldn't stop cuddling her when I got back!

Re time out from LOs. Yes, it is pure bliss. A trip to the supermarket, hairdressers etc. But a Spa? Lottie, I would almost die for that right now - my idea of pure heaven. But being a control freak, I just couldn't leave Olivia and Percy with DH for too long just yet .

However, I do have a night out tomorrow! Going to watch DS (11) sing in Carmen, the opera at the Royal Albert Hall. He is part of 1500 school kids making up the choral section .

Read 20 posts and it's all gone. Although did someone mention cake?

Oh and spa.....london id kill for that.
DH gave me a spa voucher for the poshest spa in Edinburgh.
It is valid for a year though and I know I will keep putting it off.
Floating around there all day in my swim costume on my own. Stupid thought to have as it's one thing we all need, a bit of pamering. I know where you are coming from >shudder at the thought.

Well I went to the docs today thinking I had low iron and now im worried I have diabetes.

He found keytones in my urine - asked if I was on a low carb diet

I replied 'ha ha haaaaa carbs are my friend' - turns out he has no sense of humour.

He then asked if I was dieting at all. Again, I sniggered then pulled myself together and said 'NO'.

'Hmmmm' he said.
I don't know about anyone else but when a doc says, 'hmmmmm', it makes me nervous!

He then said he would also check my blood for kidney function, thyroid function then he said a couple of other things I didn't take in.

Came home and googled 'keytones in urine' and it said it's one of two things

Low/no carb diets or starvation - No chance it's that!

Or Diabetes . Im 9 stone 9. Not perfect for my 5'2 but not obese by any stretch. It doesn't run in my family so Im shocked if it is.

So, can join the boo hoo club just incase im diabetic or do I have to wait on an actual diagnosis?

Sorry to hear of everyones stresses. It can be so overwhelming when you have a small baby as they take up so much of your head space and time that any extra stress is just too much to cope with.

crumpette hope your better, I hate having the runs.

ali your right, I will have to make the effort to express and start adding gradually, just cant be arsed.
I went back to dairy a few weeks ago and she is getting worse and worse by the day. I wasn't sure because her reflux was getting worse 2 days before I started back on dairy but now it's horrendous so who knows.

Just bad refluxy feeds and terrrible painful wind.

Big hugs to all -feeling low, lack of sleep, clingy lil ones, diet lows,rainy days, trips to the shops, period pains, feeling drained etc!!!!!!
Im so enjoying being a mummy again i love when Isaiah looks at me and just smiles it melts my heart!i have just completed a slideshow on my mac with all the photos i have taken so far with me iphone love it!!!! and just seeing the change in him from brth already has made me ermmm cry! sob-sob!!!! get a grip im saying but i know it passing so fast! 14 weeks today!
he is maturing and now doesnt cry as soon as his placed in the buggy or carseat so going out is more a pleasure now! and as soon as something brushes his mouth he wants it in there! and to see him place his whole fist in his mouth is a party trick i think!
also happy booked our dec hols and cant wait!
not looking forwards to returning to work, not for now but before i know it, the time will be here!

Thanks for the comments on lil ones hair loss - Ali & WMDO - going to have to watch it and see!
WMDO - hope things with you improve soon!

Olivia is 4 months old today . Baby rice now at the ready!!

lottie - what does GF recommend sleep and feed wise for LO's? Jack still feeds every 2 hours and he's 17 weeks so even if i could space his feeds out a bit more that might help. By the way people are excusing my behaviour for just having had a baby so I think it's worse when other peope thnk it. Yes i was in work yesterday and said to a manager 'it will be possible if you have someone who is an excel at whizz'

crumpette - is your DP helping you out or is that a silly question? Could J also be having a growth spurt hence the crying?

ctofn - wow about DS, very impressive and you definitely should be proud. How is Percy doing?

wmdo - i reckon you can join the boo hoo club although my club is definitely the boo hoo hoo cake club . I do love how you're like me and as soon as you go to the drs and they mention something you're self diagnosing from the internet although fingers crossed it's not diabetes. How is Olivia doing with her feeds?

ali - how is Jacob doing, has he had anymore seizures? Jacks appt went well after me giving them a stern professional mummy talk. We're going back in 3 months to review things but if his episodes get worse or closer together they will admit us for observation. Something i did find interesting yesterday is that they wouldn't let Jack have his 16 week jabs because of his episodes and it was to do with the whooping cough part of the vaccine, has Jacob had all of his jabs and does his seizure tie in with any of the times he had his jabs?

Thank you everyone for your kind words Jack is uber grumpy today because he's poorly sick with an eye infection, cough and cold and we are on day 6 of no poo so when that comes it will be a joy! He did weigh 16lbs 15oz yesterday so he's a chunky monkey but i do wonder what he will weigh after his explosion.

What has everyone got planned for the bank holiday?

new that's a very silly question! He hasn't even changed a single nappy- not once! He was having a go at me about where his shoes/keys/cards are and yelling at me to sort out the washing machine etc and do the washing up and clear up his mess when I was literally curled up on the sofa unable to stand! SOOO unhelpful it's untrue.

wmdo keytones? Hmm are you sure you haven't been cutting down too much? It doesn't have to be a zero carb diet, but a lower carb diet than usual, or just much lower intake of calories than normal can have the same effect even if you do eat carbs. It's so unlikely to be diabetes, but I'm keeping everything crossed for you hoping it is not.

well today I feel a little bit better,

sp sorry ketones

right wmdo I also recall that ketones can be present if you are losing weight irrespective of your diet. The fact that you are losing weight means your intake is lower than whatever you are using, so your body is using fat deposits. Nothing to do with carbs, really.. so hopefully you are not diabetic.. so go and eat some cake!

new Jacob has been okay he has had a few odd movements but I'm not sure if it's because I am looking for something. He hasn't had his 16 week injections as he is a bit behind due to being poorly. I'm not even sure he is going to have them as he was so poorly after his 2nd set.
Hope Jacks cold gets better it's horrible when they are snuffly

London Jacob has fell into that routine himself although he still wakes for a feed in the night but I'm not desperate to drop that one as he doesn't really take much in the day and is bobbing along the bottom of the centiles.

With weaning I'm not sure when I'm going to start but maybe in the next week or so when Jacob is 5 months. I have some babyrice in the cupboard ready. You can buy it in the supermarket here.

ctofn did you brave the babyrice today. How is Percy

crumpette Glad you are starting to feel better.

wmdo I had ketones in my urine when I was in hospital after having Jacob and they said it was because I wasn't drinking enough and had missed breakfast. Hopefully it's nothing too serious.

LL I have a simple theory: you can have two horrid days and/or nights but NEVER three! Let me know if this simpleton theory works for you tomorrow.

BTW LL ou probably didn't even notice but I think my post re: your DH's stress was a tad clumsy when I wrote something along the lines of 'but it's not the same, ey?' after having given you the low-down on my DH' stressy situation. Those words were meant to be reassuring, ie 'am sure this will not happen to yours. Oh what the heck I'm being a gibbering paranoid wreck. Boo hoo boo hoo.

Re: weaning. You can buy baby rice from now on. I think I started around 4 mths for my eldest DD and 5 mths for DS but am aiming to start at 6 mths this time round. I used Annabel Karmel books for the other DC. Is she still in, guys? I am a little out-of-date here maybe? Actually one thing I did which was interesting a couple of months ago was a organic cookery lesson for baby food. We were told that when you weaned babies onto fruit purées you should always blend one third banana into the mixture and with veggies it should be one third carrot; can't remember the reason for that . Quinoa was getting a major thumbs up so you could, say, make a mixture of carrot, quinoa with a little leek. She was really into finger foods (blw) too but I'm a bit anxious about choking and I think I won't enjoy it as much if I'm sat on the edge of my chair chewing my nails.

Weaning is messy but I remember such happy memories of the pleasure the baby was getting by trying new foods.

Oh, potatoes shouldn't be included in their diet for a few months: too hard to digest, or something? Sweet potatoes are great though (with a little cinnamon and butter).

OK, I'll stop there.

We have 3 month HV home visits here crumpette, I've just had a letter through for DD. Hope you and J recover quickly.

Big hugs to everyone, I really think ~4 months is the toughest phase of the first year. And very growth spurty! DD not 12 weeks yet, so still got it to come here!

Been enjoying Real Nappy week here, have got DD lots of new fluff with the special offers on!! It's my b-day over the bank hol weekend, meeting in a town in the middle of us with 5 friends for afternoon tea, - scones with jam and cream, cakes and finger sarnies, can't wait!! Will have to take DD, hope she sleeps bahaves! Will be bad news at fat club next week for me.

I liked this book on weaning lottie, the meals are proper family ones which DH and I ate as well rather than separate meals for 'the kids', obviously once past the first pure puree stage. Really healthy ideas too plus advice if need to be extra cautious to avoid allergies. Though I had to give DS loads more BFs than she suggested on her weaning plan .

I feel your pain New, DS fed every 2 hrs for ages. I managed to get him to go longer in the end by encouraging him to have both sides, perhaps with a short break between sides. However then you get a longer gap, but you're spending alot more time feeding at each feed- so not sure if one way better than the other. I'd only been feeding DS off one boob at the start as advised in baby whisperer, but it turned out he needed both, or more per feed! DD however often only takes one side per feed during the day, refuses the other and goes 3 sometimes 4 hrs , then clusters lots of feeds from ~4 pm till bed at 7/8pm. Both mine the same with the big gaps between poos, then the orange volcano!!!
Have lovely bank hols everyone

My HV keeps making appts to see us then cancelling cos I "have 3 children so should know what I'm doing"

Sorry for those of you not feeling well. I have a dicky tummy plus a cold today. Boys have colds too, so have kept them all off school. Just a matter of time before DH and Naomi catch it too.

Will need to do a toilet roll run today... we are on the last one, no way it will last till DH comes home. Its times like this I really miss being able to just pop to the shop, rather than mounting a 4 person expedition.