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!!!

Ali - not quite sure what to say really - just so so sorry for you, your family and Jacob that you are going through all of this .

Oh Ali - hope little Jacob gets better soon. Are the doctors telling you anything? Do they know what is going on? How to get a handle on it all? How has he been today?

Lottie - snap. Lovely two hour nap in his cot, woke once and settled himself! Heaven isnt it?
Re. the weaning, think everyone is different. The trick is to do it slowly enough to prevent engorgement/ mastitis. I thought it would take a month to wean DS1 from breast to bottle, but only took a fortnight. Think it could have been done faster only I clung on a few days longer.

I am replacing the 11am feed, will give it a few days, then replace another feed and so on. The morning feed is the last one I dropped. Just make sure you are ready to stop, the older the bubs are, the faster the milk supply dries up. Can be quite traumatic I think if you aren't fully ready. Apparently a tight fitting bra also helps with reabsorption of milk.

But having seen how settled Nico was after the feed, I am definitely ready. My boobs have done their job and my big boy is far happier with the bottle. No excuse to avoid running any longer.

Doctors don't say much I just fnd myself repeating things over and over to different doctors. They said reflux can cause milk to go back into the lungs causing infections but the chest x-ray showed no infection just cloudy which they said could be a sign of asthma or a virus.

Jacob has slept since we got home but I had so much to do I'm bridesmaid for my sister on sat.

Hope you get on okay with weaning from breastfeeding.

2am teething pain started again - solid screaming until 4.... every 10 minutes thereafter, just as I laid down or snuggled up. Gave up at 6.15. Now I'm showered and getting ready for school stuff, of course she's sleeping. Arrrrrgggh. Why oh why oh why does this have to happen when everyone away???

Come on... send me hugs and daytime sleep vibes puuuurrllllllllllllease.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzsleepzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

london more

to all who need them!

Ali - how is little Jacob doing?

CTFN - sending lots of sleep vibes your way

Lottie - I have been trying a little trick with Nico the last few nights, when he wakes, I roll him onto the side and prop a rolled blanket behind him. It is definitely helping him to sleep. Re. the little ones waking lots, I have read that 4-6 months can be the worse sleepwise for some babies. They are having huge leaps in development and that all knocks on to their sleep. Please dont feel down, like all else I absolutely promise you that this phase will pass. I think once they start sleeping through and then regress it is much harder. My little tyke has never slept through, so the fact that he still isnt doing it is just a tad annoying.
Get them onto the bottle if they prefer it and what are you doing re. weaning onto solids?
Re. the house. My advice? Don't make any major decisions until you are feeling a little better. What does your DH think about it all?

Right, my little man has just woken, off to get his bottle and BR ready for his mid morning feed. Lets see if I manage to get more in his mouth today!

Oh ladies, ladies, my goodness things are so busy and charged with emotions. I haven't been on this thread since Friday but before I give you an update I just want to throw a though caring thoughts around.

LL I am so sorry you are battling with your gorgeous twins feeding and sleeping. Sleep deprivation is a terrible thing and makes it very hard to think logically. If you are anything like me you will be wanting to find an explanation/solution. Maybe weaning is the best solution? Maybe they are just HUNGRY? Have you tried good ol' (boring) baby rice? Don't forget that there are phases which pass. I recall Angélique being more more grumpy and waking up more a month ago (growth spurt?) and now she is so calm and easy (don't jinx it Jardins!)

Crumpette I have been through the mill in the past with my eldest daughter's father who was one hell of a case and disappeared (leaving me with debts, a jointly acquired house which I still can't sell 13 years later and, of course, my beautiful wonderful DD) Looking back at the past few years during which I met my DH I find myself believing in ..... some kind of fate .... (don't laugh ladies, please ). Yes, I know one makes one's own life, bla, bla BUT sometimes one finds oneself in a specific place at a specific time and one has to grab the opportunities offered. All I am trying to say here Crumpette is that this redundancy might be a way out for you. This man seems to make you unhappy and now, without the financial security, well why would you stay? I KNOW it's not that clear cut and I hope I don't come across as patronising.

Alibobins I just don't know what to say. One day this will all seem like a fuzzy bad dream but your reality right now is seeing your little guy unwell and it is so wearying for a mother to see that. I am so with you on this.

WMDO Welcome back: I missed you! Thank you for your kind words re: my bleeding bum!

OK me now. I was totally depressed following my appointment with the specialist from Hell with no bedside manner. I was literally imagining this would be my last year on planet earth and I don't even have the comfort of believing, like my DH, in reincarnation! Luckily my family is riddled with doctors, so I did the sensible thing and called my sister (haematologist) her husband (oncologist) and a cardiologist too. They are reached the same simple conclusion: there is absolutely no need for me to have a colonscopy RIGHT NOW, go and see you GP to talk this through, and never return to that gastroenterologist ever again!

Needless to say these reassuring conversations made me feel better as did friends who came out of the woodwork and spoke about their fissures and hemorrhoids which never resulted in urgent colonscopies. My sister was shocked by the fact that this specialist was intending to perform a colonscopy without sedation. Finally everybody agreed that she must have been badly burnt by the two patients diagnosed with cancer and consequently paranoid. However she had no right to freak me out like that.

I saw my GP on Tuesday who made everything much calmer and easier to bear. We decided on the next course of action together. I am to do another blood test early August once my iron treatment will be finished and then we shall meet up to talk about things. If the treatment for the fissure results in no more blood loss (I can't tell you how much better my bum feels now I've got the cream and so far I've had no more bleeding ) then perhaps I won't have to do a colonscopy. If however there is still blood lloss then I shall have one done (I imagine with sedation this time as I will no longer be EBF) with another doctor. My GP even called the specialist to let her know that I wwasn't actually anemic but with low iron levels whic apparanently is reassuring. The jmajor difference between the two doctors is that my GP took into account my situation ie breastfeeding my LO and told me the colonscopy was not urgent but was considered a standard procedure for all anal blood loss.

Sorry such a long post.

Thank you all so much for being so nice to me. I felt so awful and panicky before. But now I feel much better.

Must fly because my Mum is coming to visit!

ps sorry for typos!

I forgot to say that by pure coincidence I bumped into the specialist from Hell in a shop yesterday and guess what? She started talking about my appointment for a colonoscopy IN THE SHOP . She said she might have been too harsh and understood I wanted to postpone but WHEN SHOULD WE DO IT? It makes it mildly embarrassing to buy organic ground coffee after a conversation like that!!!!

Jardins! What a craazy specialist! RUN!! Ruuun! OK I'm kidding but so glad you have spoken to oncologist relatives, that's pretty handy. I have honestly heard fissures can bleed so much, and also in the circumstances I think it can definitely wait until you finish breastfeeding. I think the specialist from hell is probably a bit shaken by what happened to other patients but that doesn't mean it's appropriate to overcompensate with you.
Thanks for your comments by the way, I believe in some kind of fate too, or something. I don't know.

Londonlottie, so sorry to hear the girls are keeping you sleep deprived. It sounds like Eve might be hungry? Babies do get more milk faster for less effort with bottles compared to breastfeeding on the whole which may explain Juliet. I too have heard of the 4-6 month monster phase. I have no useful advice though, sorry
Re your house, I was speaking to an estate agent recently and they were saying that many people are waiting for the market to pick up again before selling, which they anticipate to be the end of the year. Of course, I have also heard people saying the opposite of this, but it may be worth holding out for a bit until you're sure you definitely want to sell. Will DH be in Zurich forever for work? I think having a property, especially one you love and one you could feasibly live in in London is a great investment and although it's a real hassle renting it out, it will always be in high demand so is guaranteed income. I think you should wait until you have a clearer puicture of what you want and until the girls are allowing you to sleep some more?

ali big hugs to you, cloudiness on x rays is an indicator of asthma or infection that's true but they can normally tell if there's any bacterial infection or full on pneumonia as it looks a bit different/they can see fluid. What were his sats like? If you have any concerns at all, if he's breathing very rapidly for example, or becomes drowsy or very agitated, seeing as they don't know what's causing it for sure, do take him back. Not at all fun for you x

mistletoe how did it go with the baby rice?

well as for me, I am totally confused about DP- he has now got himself signed off work which means he's stomping around at home/in the pub being a useless blob and it's really making me very irritated. I've been in touch with work and they have said I can go back whenever I like.. but my salary is less than half what DP's was and also I just do not feel comfortable leaving little DS with him. Have been toying with the idea of waiting to see what pans out redundancy-wise and then when our lease ends here just buggering off and leaving the country!

mk Jacob is coughing loads now so hopefully this is a step forward and things are beginning to improve. My life is endless hospital appointments Gp appointments and school runs its quite exhusting at times.
I have found myself wanting to go out less and less and seem to be making excuses when people ask me to go anywhere I can feel myself slipping down a slippery slope.

On a brighter note I treated Jacob to a new pushchair an icandy cherry in berry blue I wanted him to face me. All I need to do now is sell my pliko pramette.

Jardins glad you have had the reasurance off your family.

crumpette the hospital was confident it wasn't pneumonia as he had no temp and no crakle sounds in his lungs. His sats were 95 96 and although he had some recession they were happy he wasn't distressed.

Don't go back to work if it's not what you want this may be your way out.

Great pram choice alibobins, I love the icandy buggies they're really practical and look nice and love the way the seats can face either way, and the cherry one is really lightweight too which is brilliant

be kind to yourself, ali, it's easier said than done but make sure you do things for you as well- even if it's meeting up with new and having cake and vino in nottingham (ok ok I'm a cake/wine addict, ignore me) but when it starts to all get on top of you and you recognise that, punch back by doing something uplifting every now and then

oh ali those sats are very reassuring, that's good

Yes I kind of think if he really has lost his job (I'm in denial atm, I'm very good at denial) then it's sort of the catalyst for change that I've probably been waiting for

Oh Ali I really feel for you. My DS was sick on and off for 3 months last year, which coincided with the beginning of my pregnancy (after a miscarriage) and my DH's 3 month absence as he started the job he has just been fired from. Anyway he had pneumonia, ear infections, etc. and it just seemed to be one thing after another. It was awful and I was so tense and anxious all the time. One year on he is fine. As I said in my post this morning - you will get through this as he gets bigger and stronger. Have faith and vent as much as you like.

Ali I totally understand your not wanting to go out. It really does sound exhausting - physically and mentally with Jacob's illnesses plus school runs, dinners to prepare etc. I know just how much it takes out of your day and Olivia isn't sick like Jacob. I find when I do have something to do which involves going out, I just get really stressed about everything that needs doing indoors and having to prepare dinners in advance etc. .

On a bright note and I really hope this doesn't offend Ali being in the same post, I just had Olivia's follow up paedeatric appointment for her reflux and the consultant was very happy with her improvement on the milk and not needing the medication. He said that 80% of cases do improve just with the milk, like for Olivia. I told him that I'd started weaning and he advised that I start to introduce dairy at around 8 or 9 months, but just one product at a time, leave it a few days and chart any reaction. If OK, try something else, chart the reaction etc. If any symptoms resume, I am to call his secretary for an appointment so we can manage a dairy free diet but other than that - she is signed off! He said to continue the Nutramigen until she is 1 year old and if she is OK with dairy at that point, to just move to full fat cows milk.

Anyhow, still exhausted and hoping and praying I get a better night's sleep. He also advised me to dose her up with Calprofen, which I will be doing at 11pm tonight!!

Jardin - so glad you got reassurance from your family! You sound a lot better.

Crumpette - the baby rice is going fine. I had thought that he hadnt swallowed much today, but he has just produced some lovely smells from his bottom, so he obviously has ingested it. Ahhh, I will miss the inoffensive bmilk poos....the solids ones are vile!

Ali - to you. I second what CTFN said, I have nothing on my plate in comparison to you but find myself stressing when I have a day out planned. I come back to just so much to do. Tbh, I find myself pottering round the house most days. Am not very sociable.

CTFN - what great news for Olivia! You must be over the moon!

Right, gotta run. Need to prep for boys bathtime. Fingers crossed Nico is more settled tonight although am not holding my breathe! Actually slept when he did today for the first time in ages, am shattered at the moment!

Thanks for all the kind words ctofn that is fantastic news

Apart from all this illness Jacob is a dream baby he will just smile at anyone who looks at him play with his hands for hours and nods off on his own when he is tired.
The only thing that troubles him is his cough and sometimes the reflux.

Dh is cooking us a meal with a nice bottle of wine its our anniversary today

Happy anniversary ali.

Mine is on Tuesday so we are going out (yes out out) for a meal tomorrow night.

I spend my life in jeans now so I went out and bought (wait for it) a playsuit!!

Now, it's a pair of shorts all in one strapless playsuit.....

have you lost that stone then WMDO I hear you ask....

No .

I picked it up with a cardigan of course, and thought it was a long top.
To my horror this garment expected my legs to poke out the bottom. I wrote it off immedietely - Phew I hear you cry.

BUT, just for fun I tried it on and it looked ok to me. I thought maybe my thyroid problem was playing tricks with my mind so I went to hand it back to 18 yr old shop assistant.

"ooh I have that playsuit" she said. "Its gorgeous and so flattering".

"is it, i asked, because i had a baby 5.5 months ago and have done no excercise or lost much weight so in theory this is all wrong for me isn't it?"

blank stare

Then she politily laughed

I thought, fck it, I will go home and put tights and high heels on and threaten DH to tell me the truth.

He liked it, proper genuine liked, not the usual, what do you want to hear voice.

Could someone virtually slap me please,

Ive been googling again and I think I have MS.

I keep getting pin and needles in my left hand and pinky finger and a little pain in my eyeball.

I googled pins and needles thinking it was carpel tunnel syndrome but no, it's MS.
Apparently it's different nerves and CT wouldn't cause pinky finger to have numbness and tingling, but MS would!!

The pains in my eye (hopefully) are to do with tiredness, right? I have a cold too.
why oh why did I google. Im like jardins was the other day, kissing my family goodbye and totally freaking out. Although jardins had a mad doctor - I am my own mad doctor! I think the thyroid is making me all anxious and weird. Virtuel slaps my way please.

london I dropped just the 6pm feed but I don't feed her again until the morning. Although I express, wow, this has had a terrible effect on my supply. She seems really frustrated at the breast and still very hungry after.

Your supposed to drop 11pm (if you have one) then 11am, then 2.30pm, then evening then morning according to Gina Ford so I have totally mucked up supply from the off. Wasn't planning to drop feeding until next month but looks like it's going to happen soon.

virtual

Oh and Olivia has been up all night last 2 nights. Last night was hell and there's no reason other than her cold. Nightmare.

Had been sleeping all night too so your not alone!

Happy anniversaries Ali and wmdo. Jacob sounds lovely ali, he'll have fun facing you in his new buggy . So sorry for what you're going through.
Playsuit sounds v sexy wmdo!
DD's sleep patterns also changed from the very night I posted on here- jinxed! Maybe heat has been making her thirsty. Also she's just managed to roll over, and I think she might be waking up with the urge to practise, but can't do it with her night nappy on, only when nappy free! She does the straining noise too ll when trying to roll.
Going to power through the distracted baby BF here, no choice anyway with bottle refusnik DD! I don't feed at set times anyway so just top her up here and there, usually in car before collecting DS from nursery at lunch time, as know when we get to our afternoon activity she'll be having none of it! Think as well as being distracted she is just alot better at taking the feed mega fast now. I did keep trying to pop her back on but she refused, but could still last several hours before being hungry again and v happy/sleeping well in between, so is getting a good feed in much less time I think. She too has started having a mega long bedtime feed though.

Hope a better nights sleep for all tonight, what i wouldn't give for just one night off...... zzzzzzzzz And for DD to drink some EBM when I go out on sisters hen do on saturday