April 2010 - our little bundles are here!

[lineky]

Thought I'd start a Post-Natal thread as there are so many of us now sorry about the uninspired name.
Well I am slowly realising the sleepless nights thing is no myth - VERY tired!

Another night of George waking every 2 hours. This time he only wanted to feed for 10 mins or so & was straight back to sleep. Yesterday I fed him more regularly than normal thinking that maybe he wasn't getting calories in the daytime & was trying to catch up at night but it made no difference! I'm hoping that it is just him adjusting to being back home after a week away - fingers crossed he reverts to normal soon.

Zeeky hope tonight is better. EIlidh woke up twice through the night for 3 nights in a row last week, I put it down to a growth spurt (I put most things down to a growth spurt!)

Was at work today for a "keep in touch" day. Either get paid for it or can take a holiday at end of mat leave. Eilidh's 2 ghrans looked after her. I left 3 x 7 oz bottles but she only drank 2 between 11am and 5.30pm . I thought she would have drunk the lot??? Anyone else still giving expressed milk? If so, how much at a time?

bettymum thanks for the reassurance. How are you getting on now - are you still sore?

Haverina did it feel weird being without Eilidh? The first time I went somewhere on my own after having ds1 I kept thinking I'd forgotten something. It was like I'd gone back in time except a part of me was missing! Now I relish the opportunity to use escalators and stairs in shops instead of hunting for the lift cos of the buggy!

Ouch helen that sounds miserable for all of you. I don't know what to suggest, let's all repeat the Mumsnet mantra "It's just a phase, it will pass..." Do you have health visitors in Australia or do you have to go to the doctors? It might be worth seeing someone if it continues.
Alexander slept till 6 am today, hurray, sadly I was woken up in the night by cats fighting outside - awful screeching and wailing - and then the smoke alarm going off intermittently at about 3am. Can't believe it didn't wake the DCs as it is LOUD. Good job DH and I would be there to get them out of the house if it was a real fire!
harverina I am much better now, thank you. The BF clinic at the hospital in Reading is great. The midwife literally took one look at us and told me the latch was all wrong, basically Alexander was compressing the nipple when he fed as it was pointing straight in his mouth, instead of up and towards the soft palette. So a miniscule change of angle and it's all fine. Feel really silly that I didn't try and get help sooner, instead of suffering, but I thought I've done this once, I should know what I'm doing.
Zeeky I know what you mean about feeling weird, the first time I went out without DD, for a meal with some other new mums when the babies were all about three months, it felt like I had a limb missing. It was really odd.
Right well I've rambled on, better get going nnow.

dream feeding is when you get them out of their cot when they are fast asleep and feed them whilst they are still sleeping and then just put them back down again still asleep therefore hopefully stopping them from waking for a feed later on.
we tried it with kacie a couple of time when she had her last bottle at 7 and went straight to sleep after. tried dream feeding her at 11, she didnt wake but she wouldnt have more than 4oz and took ages drinking just that much so we gave up.
she now goes to bed at 8 and wakes around 3/4 for a feed then straight back to sleep until 6/7. sometimes she sleeps right through. othertimes ill hear her wake earlier but she will just drop off to sleep again. Kacie doesnt cry when she wakes either, you hear her sucking her thumb and lifting her legs up in her sleeping bag and banging them down on the mattress again [hmmm] she sometimes does this whilst still asleep too. then she will start moaning quietly if you have left it to see if she will settle herself.

have starting giving her solids she wasnt that impressed with baby rice but as soon as i gave her a little taste of banana in a nubby nibbler she wouldnt stop sucking it or let go of it to give it me back
so have given her pureed fruit and veg since. she seems to like sweet potato best at the moment.

helen i know you are probably breast feeding but Kacie has reflux and she is on a milk called sma staydown, it has done wonders for her, she is like a different baby. maybe a bottle of this before bed might help you get a bit of sleep.

have just googled nuby nibbler... is it good? Is it messy and hard to clean as it seems the food goes in a net?

ha ha, yes VERY hard to clean. its such a shame as it worked really really well, she loved it, but i have only been able to use it the once as i really cannot get the net clean and i have tried pretty much everything.

maybe if i had used something other than banana in it at first it wouldnt have been as bad.

It's an interesting idea, the nuby nibbler. I have ordered one to try. You can get replacement nets but I'm not sure if it'll be worth it.

I was at HV today who weighed DS. He is 17 weeks today and weighs 20lbs 1oz

Not bad for exclusively breastfeeding

Thats great mistymoo! Eilidh is quite a slender baby, she was 14lb 7oz when she was weighed at 19 weeks.

bettymum, thats great that things are better with feeding, it must be a huge relief for you.

zeeky it did feel quite weird being without Eilidh all day. I missed her alot but also enjoyed being at work which I didn't expect - would still rather not go back though! I have left her with her dad before but never with anyone else so I kept calling - I had to stop myself from phoning too much, although I did phone almost every hour! When I was driving in the car I forgot she was not there and started to sing to her! By the end of the day I was absolutely desperate to see her and couldnt stop kissing and cuddling her.

The nuby nibbler does look interesting, I might order one. I cant wait to start Eilidh on solids. I am going to do baby led weaning I think. Anyone else doing this? Any tips?

harverina, don't know much about BLW - need to research it.

DD1 used to dreamfeed at 11pm, but Billie never complied, or needed to.

Billie is 18 weeks and just under 16lb - still exclusively BF. Wow at mistymoo!

Right in middle of growth spurt, so feeding frequently, and sleeping less - only 12 hours now as opposed to 14 (ducks from various objects being thrown in my direction)

DD1 now finally sleeping too - consultant prescribed nose spray for apnoea and so far seems to be working. Bliss - she is a bit less grumpy too.

I have decided to take AL and PL after mat leave, so go back on 1st Nov. Trying to arrange a few keeping in touch days for mandatory training. I wish I didn't have to go back - really enjoying Billie, and I know she will be my last, so savouring every moment.

Camping again next week with friends - really looking forward to it.

Hi everyone,

helen, glad last night was a bit better and hope your not up too much tonight. I'm up just now as Eilidh is wakening during the night every night just now. Feeding during the day has still not been great. Very fast feeds and on Saturday she kept refusing the breast and crying. Phoned a helpline and was told that it may be because she has been having the odd bottle - basically that she has become wise to the fact that she gets the milk faster. It makes sense because as soon as she saw a bottle she got really excited so she was clearly hungry . I have to admit I started to panic as she was not eating enough - the most she fed all afternoon was 2 minutes. Yesterday was much better though and feeds were longer, have no idea why. I suspect her gums are causing ehr bother teething too. Think that we are going to try a doidy cup instead of using a bottle, although I am working today (yes and I am up at 3am expressing !!) so she will be getting bottles for most of the day. Doing another keep in touch day but this time my DH is on holiday so he will have Eilidh.

stinkypinky, Eilidh has always been a fab sleeper util recently but 14 hours? I'm very jealous !

helen think I will get the nuby nibbler and use it for teething, thats a great idea.

Hope you are all well. Have expressed 2oz while typing this so hopefully I'll be back in bed shortly!

Night!

Helenwombat, I remember watching The Baby Whisperer, and she encouraged the parents of a baby with reflux to always try n keep him at an upwards angle, I think to help alleviate any unwanted pressure...like placing a cushion under the changing mat, placing baby in a bouncer after feeding, using a sloped bath seat in the bath, and this one parent even used a special mattress that was like a wedge so baby wasn't lying flat at all. Just a thought, I'm lucky enough not to have a reflux baby, but love love love Tracy Hogg's ideas, so just thought I'd share. Maybe you've tried n it hasn't worked for you, or I just haven't a clue really, but any idea is a possible help I hope!!! xx

Hi all. Hope you all enjoyed the bank holiday weekend. We had DS1's 3rd birthday party on Saturday - 20 kids and 20 adults! It was a pirate party & I got dh to dress up as Jack Sparrow which was hilarious but terrified half the kids!! Was absolutely shattered afterwards though after all the baking & prep.

Also George has carried on the waking every couple of hours all night - it's been 11 nights now :( I think it must be the 4 month sleep regression thing as he turned 4 months yesterday. He's also not feeding for as long & bobs on & off the boob a lot as gets distracted. Not sure if he is just getting more efficient or if he's not getting enough milk which causes him to wake more at night??? He seems pretty content between feeds in the daytime & once fed at night settles straight back to sleep. Where has the sleeping through gone?

zeeky we have been exacttly the same since Eilidh turned 4 months old - very short feeds, constantly pulling off. Its got slightly better this week, but not always - some feeds are as short as 3-4 minutes. She is still waking up during the night most nights but only once, and sometimes she sleeps most of the night...

On monday I was at work and Eilidh drank 22oz of expressed milk between 11am and 6.30pm. She then took two long-ish feeds from me before going to bed and she slept all night...so I think that when she is not sleeping through she is not geting enough during the day?

Think I will take her to be weighed this week to check that things are ok.

Eilidh also seems content in between feeds, is really alert and has dirty and wet nappies.

Oops sorry for the long post, I just got excited reading Zeeky's post to find that someone else is the same as us!

Zeeky i had my dd's 3rd birthday Sunday too...we had aprincess party, complete with red carpet at the door, a castle shaped sign over the front door, heart shaped sandwiches (verrrry tedious, but a huge hit!!), and a fairy princess castle cake baked by moi!!! I feel like I've been preparing for weeks, and was absolutely shattered by end of the day...ooh, I also managed to lose the parcels for pass the parcel!!! All good fun though...makes me realise just how much louder my house will get though!!

Yesterday I took 38 4oz bottles of my donated milk to the hospital, and received my Every Drop Counts badge with pride!! :) I had a blood test, but when she popped the needle in, no blood came out, cuz the vein had been missed I presume. I had to swap arms, and I've never felt so queasy on a blood test in my life!! I felt so sorry for the nurse, but it was fine xx

Harverina hope your mind gets put at ease. Jude still wakes during the night, and he's on 3 meals a day now....demolishes his breakfast lil piggy!! I'll pop a few recent pics up if anyone wants a peek. Can't believe how time goes....it sounds stupid, but getting my dd ready to start nursery makes me realise it will be Jude before I know it!!! :( lol x

fab pics princess

my little boy started school today
will put some pics up in a minute.

Kacie has taken to sleeping through every other night, and me and dh take alternate nights to get up with her. guess who's nights she sleeps through on?! bloody typical daddy's girl already

Hi all. Glad to hear you're all doing so well. We moved H to her own room last weekend but it's been very up and down. I'm not sure if she's waking more due to own room or cos she's ready for solids. I was hoping to hold off until 6 months but that seems a long 3.5 weeks away

Loving all the pics. such beautiful babies on this thread (and grown up DS nicnac ). I've added a couple to my profile too.

oh look at all that hair neeko i am so jealous

Morning ladies, lovely pics, I love the one of all your bottles princess :). Neeko, your DDs are gorgeous, Hannah's hair is amazing! nicnac yours are lovely too, what a smart big boy.
I will see if I can put a couple of pics up, I took some photos of Alexander the other day in one of DD's old t-shirts, I have photos of her in the same top at the same age and we have been playing the "which baby is which" game.