FEB 2010 No longer newborns!!

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

Three months and counting, everyone! Our babies are gradually getting the hang of the world...and we are gradually getting the hang of them...

Well done IC... read your blog last night, Rosie is cute as a button! Your journey to womad sounds exhausting! I admire your resolve to go although my DH is adamant that our DD is not going to festivals until she's older - forgot to ask.... did they pierce your DD's ears in hospital? All my Spanish girlfriends who have girls had their ears pierced, it's typical there... just a thought.

Well, I wish bfing issues were a thing of the past! My DD has a mouth ulcer which is affecting her latch/feeding and she has given me a huge blood blister on my nipple - OUCH!!!

Welcome home Stoof!

Abs drawing in breath in sympathy. Thanks again IC for taking charge. BTW how are all the feeding issues/dummy wars?

10 weeks, 2days and a period already, so much for breastfeeding as a form a contraception. Been watching fat families, feeling less guilty about my muffin top now.

Welcome back stoof, just in time, too. Heard on the news Manchester airport is closed!! Can't wait to hear more about your flights with two dcs. How did it go? My dd1 is well travelled and will march onto a plane, sit down and put her seatbelt on... But we'll soon fly with two dcs and I'm dreading it even though it's a short flight.
Hope you are settling in well and enjoying the British weather

cc you are lucky, I'm on my third...

Period and muffin

fat families and muffins!!

Thanks Abs, sweet of you to say so! I guess it depends on the festival...WOMAD is very family friendly (especially the UK one) and as RDR will no doubt confirm, there are numerous other festivals that are great for kids (although babes in arms, admittedly, won't get so much out of them just yet...)...but then I guess you know all that, given your DH's job!
OUCH you poor thing with the blister...

Dummy wars update: Operation Remove Dummy continues - it's definitely better if I can get it from her after she's settled then she hopefully doesn't fully wake up at the top of a sleep cycle groping for it...at least, that's the theory. Sometimes it takes several attempts to get the dummy away from her without her waking up and whimpering to have it back again. I'm adopting the "Pantley Pull Off" method and we're not doing too badly. Overnight I can often resettle her after a feed without always needing the dummy as well. Trouble is if I fall asleep before I've removed the dummy, oops!

Mind you, the 5S technique (including the dummy) is proving amazingly effective at the moment and the dummy IS bloody useful in those situations. It's just magical to be able to get her from ballistic to sleep-dopey inside a couple of minutes. Mind you, I did it so well this evening I then had to fight to keep her awake to take a pre-bedtime feed...

Speaking of which, feeding here is going okay - don't need to lag on the Lansinoh any more. Still worry DD isn't really getting as much as she should, but she doesn't act hungry and won't take more if she doesn't feel like it, so not much I can do about that! Annoyingly, she seems to prefer to do bigger feeds at night, which means a lot of wake-ups still.

Well, I THOUGHT I'd had a period about nine weeks in, but nothing since. Me and DH are using contraception anyhow. Although we would like a second, we figure it would be prudent to let a few months lapse before we get started on that (can't leave it too long, though - I'm 40 this year...)

IC had to go back to your blog to check - there is no chance you are 40 this year!!

oh my word am going to ignore the talk of having another dc, particularly as dp has said twice in the last week that we should have a third. This is the man who had to be pushedtalked into the first and second. I was lucky though and didn't get my period back until dd was 10 months. Fingers crossed for the same this time. Hopefully he will have changed his mind by then.

Ds has been very 'highly strung' today. He had his 2nd injections on Friday and suspect that might be the cause.

IC there was a thread recently with links to the kellymom website, about feeding issues at about 4 months. Apparently at this stage they are so much more aware of their surroundings that feeding is not a priority in the daytime, and they make up for it at night. Lovely....

Talking of muffin tops. I am full of really good intentions about shifting mine, but am struggling as the bf seems to have made my appetite huge. Anyone else found this? I do really well until late afternoon then it all goes horribly horribly wrong. I have to get rid of it as I cannot face the shame of having to swap to a bigger sized uniform when I go back to work.

Welcome home stoof hope the jet lag gets sorted soon. Apparently your body clock should shift by an hour a day.

DH turned round the other day when my sister had hers and said 'oh, I want another baby now' . Told him he'd have to wait a bit, but I'm thinking probably when he returns from his next afghan trip next april...

What is it with all these broody men?

Not had a period yet (DD 16 weeks tomorrow ), can't say I'm missing them much, lol.

Lil' sis on the phone balling her eyes out about breastfeeding this morning. Thank goodness all that's behind us. Poor girl, bless her.

Feeding for me has got much worse again in the last two weeks due to DS2's reflux. It's incredibly frustrating and distressing (as DS2 screams and is clearly in a lot of pain) and I'm contemplating moving on to formula as I haven't got an hour each time to spend trying to breastfeed while DS1 amuses himself (and bottles are easier as you can get a baby in a more upright position, thus producing less reflux).

Last time round I expressed 20oz a day for the following month but, again, with a toddler around, I haven't got time to do it. With two DSs, it has to be a decision for the family, not just for DS2 . I have a hospital appointment for him with a peadiatrician next Monday and will limp along till then, in the hope that they will have some answers, but I know realistically that this is unlikely.

Periods - have had one and lots of pre-period pain. Also two very unwelcome migraines which I used to get monthly and thought I had got rid of after I had DS1 .

Chinook massive appetite here too, which is nothing new, but I am trying to be a little bit restrained as I actually gained weight when I stopped feeding last time round and am keen not to do it again. Certainly the weight isn't dropping off this time as it did last time, even though I am chasing a toddler (who is now potty trained - hooray!).

Abs - ouch! Poor you. How's the reflux?

Sorry to hear of blisters, reflux etc. Things fairly calm here for a change... (frantically looking for wood to touch)

My dh certainly isn't broody. He's only just discovered we have another daughter (he's totally besotted with dd1 and now warming to dd2 - he was really scared he might not feel the same for her). He also had to be forced (not literally ) to have one, never mind two... but I am hoping to have another . His fear is that if I get a third I will ask for a forth

PS. I have the appetite without the breastfeeding, so no excuse...

BabyGiraffes you are my new best friend!!
I like to maintain that since I got together with DH, my birthdays have been going backwards, but I suspect my ovaries wouldn't agree...

Yes, chinook, that sounds like DD to a T - too busy being nosy to concentrate on feeding. I've worked out that if I gently but firmly hold her head in position and limit her movement by strategic positioning in the crook of my arm I can get her to take at least a couple of let-downs...

Oh, AC, sympathy to your sis - I bawled my eyes out loads about BF when DD wouldn't latch on for the first few weeks.
Likewise bethylou, it's all a bit heart-wrenching to have to give up. I haven't had to, but came close a few times and felt really bereft at the thought of it. It is a kind of grieving process...

Famous last words on the Lansinoh front, though - looked this morning and my nipple was bleeding. That frequent overnight feeding taking its toll I suspect. Not TOO painful, though.

Just taught DH the 5S technique after he complained about feeling at a loss when DD is crying and overtired and he can't seem to do anything to calm her down. Gratifyingly, he soon had her droopy-eyed in his arms, which made him feel a bit more like Superdad again.

Sorry Abs, forgot to answer your question about earrings...

No, DD didn't get her ears pierced at the hospital, although you're right - most girl babies born to Hispanic families do get them done when only a few days old. We've been explaining that in England it's more common for girls to get their ears pierced when they're a bit older. Personally, I'm going to keep it as a useful bargaining chip for when she's old enough to want them done (!) - I had to earn my Mum's permission for getting my ears pierced by doing well in swimming class - think I'll keep a similar thing in mind for DD!

IC a word of warning about holding DCs heads during feeding to encourage them - I had to do this with DS1 as he often refused to feed (due to reflux). After a while he became resistant and gave up altogether at 4 months - screamed the place down for half an hour at a time and went nearly two days without very much fluid. It was very stressful but apparently is quite common for babies to develop an aversion if forced. Hope this wouldn't happen to you but just wanted to make you aware.

For me, this is our last DC, unless there are any 'happy accidents', so finishing breastfeeding will definitely be weird as it will be for the last time. It's so frustrating when the milk is there!

IC have you tried covering her with a muslin/ scarf when you're feeding her? DD is a real pain when we're out and about feeding 'cos she's so busy looking around at everyone, I've taken to covering her head up and she seems much better. I also bought a nursing necklace that she fiddles with during feeds.

Belated welcome home Stoof, how are you settling in?

IC Thanks for starting off the new thread. The title gave me a bit of a pang "no longer newborn" - I gues it's true though.

In one way I would like him to be tiny forever but in another I'm really looking forward to sseing the person he'll grow up to be.

No problems with the actual breastfeeding here (God, I wouldn't want to revisit the early days) - just the constant possetting. I keep him in a bib most of the time. Even with burping there's mouthfuls of cheese here and there all day pretty much. Massive erupyions are petty rare, but he seems to have a permamently damp neckline from the constant low-level geefing (our word for it).

We did baby massage at the post natal group yesterday. He wasn't that taken with it so we sat out and had a feed instead. I'm meeting up with a couple of the girls from there later in the week.

As for more babies, DH and I would love a second but are a little wary as I had so many probs with this pregnancy. I've had a referral for a scan to see how severely borcornuate my uterus is which will help us make the decision whether or not we'll try for more. We're pretty sure we won't do IVF again anyway so any other baby would have to be a naturally conceived one.

Hah, I like "geefing"!! "Spee-arge" is often used here.

Thanks for the warning bethylou. I don't force her to stay on the breast if she's resisting. It's more a gentle pressure to keep her in place when she's threatening to pop off. She can still get herself off the breast if she really wants to. Mostly I'm just feeding her when she's sleepy - either just after a snooze or just before - and offering her a feed as often as poss. It's little and often, but that's okay as long as she's getting enough down overall. Basically, I'm following the kellymom advice.

Might have a go at sticking a muslin over her, AC, although ordinarily she gets irritated by stuff on her face - worth a go, though!

Last night was a leetle better in terms of space between awakenings. Her sleeping pattern is in fact conforming to a classic reaction to the 12 week developmental spurt (which is the age she is, corrected for prematurity) so I suspect there isn't much I can do to improve matters except wait it out.

My LO is also very leaky... usually has a muslin cloth round her neck like a scarf. Very fetching.

My LO has taken to dribbling great bubbly streams of dribble all day. I'm hoping it's not teething, yet...

What is a classic reation to 12w growth spurt IC? DD is 12w and has started waking earlier in the night, and alo resisting going to sleep more than she already was. I think I need to watch those 5S videos. I swaddle, swing and shhhh away to no avail.

Welcome home stoof! Love to hear about it when your head is in this time zone... Hope you're having fun in France, GF.

Ouch and sympathy to those with painful nipples.

Another baby... I am broody!! I certainly didn't think I would be so soon. Need to wait until I knkow what I'm doind work-wise, though. Oh and until after the wedding too! BF seems to be doing the trick for now, but I do intend to have a coil fitted (anyone had one?). I don't want to use anything hormonal as it took nearly a year for my periods to come back after usung the pill for years.

Thanks for nappy replies! How many times a night do you change, or to put it another way what is the length of time a night nappy lasts? I'll get some fleece ,liners if it means not having to change her in the night.

night nappy goes on at 7pm and comes off at about 8am. excluding any poos obviously.

we go 12/13 hours at night as well

My DS is starting to get nosey during feeds too, not helped by DS1 wanting to show him the latest train/car/fireman toy etc..

As for the dribble/sicky stuff, I'm regularly wearing a bib-full down my back and sometimes a whole feed. It's when I hear it splash on the wood floor behind me over my shoulder that I know I'm in trouble! (sorry if tmi!) Goodness only knows what it would be like without the reflux medicine! He was only sick once one day last week and it made such a difference to my day! We never get to show off his nice tops as they are hidden beneath the biggest waterproof bibs I can find!!

Today I tested the generosity of the people of Solihull by developing a really horrid migraine whilst shopping there with only DS2 for company (15 miles from home, down the motorway). It came on very fast and I managed to get myself to Boots the chemist for help! Whilst buying migraleve was asked "Do you have a Boots card?", whilst trying not to collapse - think my look was as good as any response!!

I lost sensation in both arms and lower legs and couldn't speak properly. I haven't had one that bad in years and had to be rescued by DH. A lovely lady in their NHS clinic upstairs looked after me for nearly two hours. Thankfully, DS2 slept through most of it and I could feel my hands again by the time he needed feeding. I really hope this doesn't become a regular thing .

Bethylou, you poor thing. Glad you got through the migraine and people were helpful.

Whoever asked about coils, I've had a Mirena put in. I've had one before and it really suits me (not to look at though!) once I get past the initial six weeks of bleeding.

Anyone feeling like they've lost their identity? DD2 is great (as is DD1) but I often find myself going days on end without seeing anyone who knows me as somone other than a mum. I know it's a great job and the most important thing I can ever do, but I'm struggling with loneliness and boredom. All my friends are busy, my DH works long hours, my family are miles away and although my ILs are nearby, it's just not the same as seeing people who know me as me. Anyone else/ Or am I just being selfish and need to snap ut of it?

Watercress I totally agree. I don't even feel like I see DH much at the mo as we end up going to bed at different times and getting up at different times (due to DS's extended burping/middle-of-night-winding sessions). I feel like a mum, not a woman and I'm noyt sure its something to try and snap out of. I am trying to give myself some credit for the fact tha we are doing a hard job and that its okay to feel a bit fed up sometimes (and to remember, as always, that things will improve as the phases pass).

I also find myself working/moving at such speed to stay on top of the needs of both DSs that I often wonder if I'm going to burn out (and perhaps today's migraine gave me an answer!) Quite why the weight hasn't all gone yet I don't know (and why wasn't I born with an extra pair of arms and built in roller skates on my feet?!!)

Keeo your chin up and be kind to yourself. What would you say to others in the same position? I bet it wouldn't be 'snap out of it!'!!

Bethylou that's absolutely terrifying! So glad they did look after you until your husband could get there.

Watercress, I am with you all the way and you are not selfish. I spend days speaking only to a 2 year old and a baby, or the postman if I'm lucky. When dh comes home from work and wants time to himself to relax I could happily hit him over the head...
I can't even use the loo without an audience and I am 'at work' all day every day without a break.
Anyway, dd2 calls to be fed (see what I mean?)