FEB 2010 No longer newborns!!

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

Sunangel I am glad I have inspired you! I can highly recommend peaches with vanilla, and apricots with cardomom if you are after some more combinations.

Laughed a lot at the GP comments. My surgery is fab in that they can always fit me in, but I've lost count of the number of times I'm been giving the "watchful waiting" line.

SOunds like a lot of people are having a hard time on this thread. At least we all have super-cute babies to make up for it!

mamaloco I was starting to wonders if yours was a phantom baby, very cute btw.

I'll have to write down all these food ideas for later. I was also planning to not bother with plain food. Just a quick question, I normally put a twist of salt in my cooking, but it does enough for 5 (adult) meals. Would this be OK, or should I just skip it all together? I just think that's there's probably not salt in bread etc.

Also can somebody link be which foods to avoid. Regarding avoiding things like strawberries, is this because they be allergic to it and cause a reaction or because having it might cause the allergy? Sorry, I've just not got round to doing the reading and it seems easier to ask you lovely ladies.

This last week has seen LO suddenly love being on her front, it's odd how they just change what they like isn't it?

mamaloco little buddha is the right description! goodness.... make sure you rub her tummy regularly, it's good luck and brings prosperity

BG maybe she's keeping it well-conditioned definitely looks it too!

Hi All,

Chinook Have you posted a pic of your son? Would love to see him. Sorry you are also having sleep problems at the moment.

IC Womad sounds great. So glad little Rosie enjoyed herself.

Fizi Sorry to hear about the mastitis. How are you feeling now?

Interesting (but unfortunate) that so many of you with older children have found that they regressed somewhat with the going to the loo business. Hope they all go back to normal asap.

Stoof Good luck with the job applications. I hope you find something a bit more inspiring than the one you are currently on.

BG Good luck with your interview. Lovely picture of Monika - she is as cute as a button and yes, she does have a lot of hair.

Bethylou Thinking of you and your DSs - so sorry that you are all going through health difficulties. And I'm cross on your behalf with the bloody receptionist.

Sunangel I LOVE the banana pic.

mamaloco I don't have a gmail log in so it seems I can't see the photo

What's my news? Not much. Sleep was very good last night. Two wakings only and we got up for the day at 7am. Night before he slept well but we didn't because they were drilling the road up until gone 2am (there may have been a gas leak but they didn't evacuate us so I don't know how serious). He went down at 7 tonight like a dream but I think I can hear him stirring on the monitor.

Went to baby clinic yesterday. He's 15 lb exactly. Slightly down on his centile. Am going to try a little tiny bit of baby rice from the middle of next week when we get back from visiting friends in Hereford. Then veg puree. Think I am going to go traditional weaning, just so scared of choking with the BLW. I know it is a leap of faith and most babies are totally fine with it but if I'm going to be a nervous wreck then no point.

Teeth still giving him gip (jip?) - he now knows what the Anbesol is and what it does and opens his mouth for me to rub it on his gums. So sweet.

Noticed he has started using a pincer grip sometimes when taking things from me - noticed this yesterday for the first time.

We went to the free singing/nursery rhyme session at the library today - just half an hour but it was really good. There were a few songs I didn't know - one about spaceships that was really good but I've forgotten it of course.

He's squeaking so got to go.

BG I'd have to give credit to DH for those. He's the creative force in culinary activities in our house!

watercress yum, I'm even salivating at the thought of those combos already. Can't wait to try them out tomorrow.

Some more food ideas DH thought up today and yesterday...

potatoes+spring onions+red peppers+white pepper+formula (we've been using formula instead of cow's milk as we figure it has more vitamins and fat)

fish+rice+vege (carrots, leeks, peppers) boiled together with jsut enough water to make congee

CC food advice that I'm following below: Best not to add any salt as their kidneys can't handle too much of it. Nor to give foods that contain refined sugar as they'll get too used to foods that are too sweet.

Take care with berries with the exception of blueberries. Berries can be introduced but watch out for allergic reactions. Kiwi too. Blueberries are OK.

No honey and egg white until 1 year old. Though I think so long as eggs are completely hard boiled should be OK provided introduced with care?

Wheat, oats, gluten - OK but introduce with care as potentially allergenic.

Nuts should be ground if introduced, and also introduced with care esp peanuts. peanut butter is good but check for salt.

Best to introduce potentially allergenic foods while still breastfeeding as research shows that may offer some protection against allergies and help with the digestion.

Oh and if there's salt, make sure baby doesn't have more than 1g a day (adults are recommended 7g a day and typically have more than that).

A bit about weetabix/oatibix as I went to get some the other day then read through the ingredients list and found out they had salt and refined sugar. So instead have got some organic muesli and picked out the raisins and nuts so DD can have the toasted wheat and oat flakes soaked in formula milk for breakfast. Have to say since DD reached 6 months I've started being lax about expressing!

sorry just remembered. If going down the not entirely pureed route, do not give foods that have choking risk:

raw apple, raw carrot, foods with skin without removing skin first (peas, grapes, cherries, blueberries, sausages etc) - I tend to slightly squish the pieces just in case

bear does it say Monika on the picture album? Oops, that's my name, not LO... . We have chosen somewhat Germanic names for our dcs though: dd1 is Marlene and dd2 Franziska.

As for foods to avoid for now, I am staying clear of strawberries and kiwi (dd1 had a bit of a reaction to kiwi). Also waiting until 12 months to introduce blue cheese, honey, most nuts...

sunangel you are lucky with your dh . Mine thinks onions are enough 'vegetables' to add to a pasta bake...

CC last one I promise... no raw cow's milk until 1 year old though cooked cow's milk and pasturised yogurt/cheese OK

bear he's definitely at the weight where he could theoretically sleep through. So it could be close!
DD's only just past 13lbs so am still keeping fingers crossed. Though am viewing the wakings as a blessing in disguise as since I'm going back to work in a couple of weeks, night feedings will be a way of ensuring she gets enough breastmilk if she needs more food.

BG I remind myself of that each time I get annoyed at him for something

thanks for all the info, feel free to keep the menu ideas coming. LO finally had some mashed carrot today, will post pic later, though by all accounts she enjoyed the flinging rather than the tasting. We prob won't bother trying something every day as we still not quite 5 months, just as and when.

sunangel how you feeling about work?

bear I love the spaceship song!!!
"5 little men in a flying saucer went round the earth one day. they looked left and right, but they didn't like the sight, so one man flew away. whoooch!
4....
3....
2...
1 little man in a flying saucer went round the earth one day. he looked up and down, and he found a little town, and he decided to stay. whoooch!"
of course you have to do the appropriaye gestures and babies love it too. booh! I miss baby rythm, no such things here. Me and DD1 have to sing to DD2. but I learn a lot with DD1 as I had no clue about english baby songs. actually I had to relearn the french ones too. DD1 is taking care of the german and romanian ones. I don't have a clue what she is singing apprt form yellow flowers in romanian and mutti fish in german I hsould do my homework

Eggs are fine from 6 months if they are cooked (not runny) and no allergies in familly. Don't introduced with anything else new so you know that they are not reacting to it. For the apple, I let mine bite into a whole one as they only shave little pieces with their teeth that way (no chocking) if you give them slices they can break and it is dangerous. I eat the skin first.
I must admit that 2 days ago, on the picnic day, everybody was laughing at DD2 (6 months on that day) ferociously trying to eat an apple as big as her head, and getting really upset if I took it away from her.

One of my friends has a LO a few weeks older than my DD and she has a net thing that she puts finger foods like apple in as it stops iig bits breaking off in his mouth and choking him (he has teeth). She got it on ebay and thinks it's the best thing ever invented!

Weaning going well here. I put my stuff through a sieve so it's quite lumpy and she seems fine with it. We're on three meals a day (fruit plus cereal for breakfast, and veg followed by fruit for lunch and dinner) and I'm using 15 cubes a day (normal ice cube size). Had a very sad moment last week when I came down one morning and found that DH had left the freezer open overnight and all my pureeshad defrosted, so I've been frantically pureeing since (I made him clean out the freezer as I'm a meanie).

I'm looking forward to DD2 being six months old so I can add meat, fish, dairy and eggs to the repertoire. Have to confess that with DD1 I didn't know about the six month rule and weaned her on yogurts and scrambled egg (blush).

Was lying in bed this morning thinking that I had had a really good day with DD1 yesterday and I hadn't shouted once. ThenI relaised she'd been with my in-laws for most of the day! Fingers crossed for today...

CC we didn't give DD any solids until she was a week over 5 months so no hurry I think. Am quite looking forward to going back to work and am feeling quite all right so far, possibly as DD will be with DH. Plus I figure I will still be able to interact with her when she wakes at 6-7am. Some mixed feelings about giving her formula during the day - but as work doesn't have anywhere to express and store milk properly it would be a big hassle to. Main concern would be lack of sleep and leaving "early" from work to be back in time to put her to bed and her night feed. Plus of course will be having a conversation with my boss about not travelling as will be BF-ing when I'm back as we left it open when we discussed it a few weeks back. Suspect I'll need to keep muttering "sleep is for wimps" to myself How have you found the sleep deprivation with work?

sunangel I can't tell personnally but one of my freinds went back after having her twins (at 6 weeks). And she said it is actually easier than staying at home. Because at least she can rest a bit at work, and sit down and take her time in the toilet, have a cup of tea.... She is tired but rested (if that makes sense?) Good luck

I concur with the 'work as a rest' thing. I am going back in November for my sanity and for toilet and email breaks (though I guess if they have any sense they will have blocked Mumsnet?!!) I work with kids and yet it is still easier than being at home all day! I also believe that husbands should do some of the night duties for the same reason. Just because DH goes to work doesn't mean that he needs to be less tired - he sits at a desk all day. The only time I sit down is to feed the boys! Luckily, my best friend works with him and as a mum of 3, agrees that our current role as SAHMs is much harder so poor DH hasn't got a leg to stand on!

Thanks for the empathy. Had a better couple of dayss o feeling better again. Sure there is a mood change factor that goes with the end of breast feeding (makes sense on a hormone change level I'm guessing?)

Fizi DS2 has started shrieking so much it hurts our ears.

I'm going with purees for weaning, but will add finger foods at 6 months due to the reflux. Supposed to produce less gagging, which DS2 is currently doing quite a lot. Have beaten my record on dirty bibs for DS2 today -13!! And each one often receives more than one dosing from DS2 before I change it!!

Off to try the combination of a glass of red wine with a bowl of ice-cream. Sounds odd, but definitely two of my favourites! Not sure it's great for the weight loss (but only a few pounds to go, despite DS1's minder saying yesterday, "Finished breast feeding? You'll have to start losing the weight now then" I've literally got about 7 lbs of 3 stone left to lose!!). By the way, the suggested food combo above is not for the weaning of 5 and 6 month olds so don't add it to your list CC!!

don't worry beth, its just an odd of plain veg/fruit for the next weeks. That is alot of bibs, I honestly don't know how you survive with everything you've got to content with

work: at my old place, it was def. alot easier, but I knew what I was doing and just went in and got on with it. It was a relief to only think about one thing. The new job is very different and tbh I find the weekends easier (when DH goes out for the day). Thats prob because you have to say daily what you plan to do and at the weekly meeting state what you have done. I'm sure once I settle in and have a working machine things will be different.

I pretty much do all the night stuff, as if she's crying then I'm awake anyway. The rent in so expensive over here, that we only have one bedroom (which is right next to the living room). But if she's not going back to sleep properly after 5:30, then DH takes her (as she doesn't cry at this bit). She still feeds quite a bit in the night, which honestly I'm happy with, as its less to express during the day. So, sleep deprived yes, but hopefully you'll go into autopilot.
At my old place, I expressed into a storage cupboard, but at least it wasn't a 10min walk away in a different building.

I'm going to try and turbo boost my milk supply this weekend, just to see if it results in more expressed milk in the week as LO loves her cup and really would rather have more in the day.

The going back to work diet has been good though. Even if I feel like I'm not walking loads, its prob loads more than when I was at home (everything was a car ride away). I'm now 2 kg away from pre-preg, plus I'm starting a capoeira class next week (to drop a run). I'm hope the lower impact will be good for me. Its at 9:30pm, which is perfect as LO is normally fast asleep.

DrCC what is a working machine? I want one.

The problem with BF... we get to do all the night feeds whether working (at a job!) during the day or not. I was discussing this with RL friends yesterday. I was saying how, at the weekend, I make ask DP to take DD when she wakes, and I have a couple more hours in bed until she needs a feed. Even though he gets up earlier than me every day for work, I think it's fair as I've been up several times with her in the night. They both have DPs on medication, and so their DPs are more tired than them, they say, so they don't ever get a lie-in. I think that I would make my more-tired-than-me DP do it anyway .

bethylou I am at your CM saying that to you. When is it EVER acceptable to tell someone else that it's time to lose weight?! I was utterly affronted when my mum told me that the only way to get rid of my 'tyres' was to exercise. Erm, I do know that, I'm just too blimmin knackered right now... How was the ice cream and wine? I reckon if it was red wine, and chocolate ice cream, it just might work... Mmm, ice cream. Will get some in for tonight.

DP's at college today so it feels like another weekday. I was going to take the kids (baby and dog) for a lovely long tyre-reducing walk, but it's a horrid, grey, drizzly day. Do I go for a walk anyway? I hate the rain.

beth I certainly did find that poos improved after weaning. Solid poos are much more manageable and leakless. DD had to be winded more once solids were introduced, though still much less than at 3 months, and had more possets again due to wind. I've found DD prefers to be fed pieces by hand (or be allowed to bite pieces off herself) rather than fed pureed food on a spoon....resulting in less bib usage! Amazing how little food gets dropped when she opens her mouth for it some things still needs the spoon though. On to ice-cream, have just tried the haagen dazs new flavour - mascarpone with passion fruit... yum! Asda's doing £2 a tub on all haagen dazs if anyone's interested....

Thanks all for the reassurance on going back to work. Feel much more positive about the lack of sleep and looking forward to being able to sit at my desk for an hour or more... Am also planning to do the night shift at home so that DH gets enough sleep and is able to spend time appropriately with DD during the day. The main thing I dread is DH falling asleep and not hearing DD when she cries! Not happened ever, but he is a deep sleeper.

argh, just spent about 2 hours trying to get DD to sleep. She was bouncing off the walls today, or would have if she was more mobile

fizi I have to admit I am one of those who would tell people (usually male friends/co-workers) that they look a little plump won't do it to a female though unless a close friend/sis

fizi we all want a working machine. BUT i'm expected to make stuff on this machine, then go away and measure what I made and report the results. Hence, if its not working, I don't have much to report, except that this week I once again made cables and played with spanners.

TMI alert: Any of you ladies had problems down there since LO's arrival. I think i did a bit too much yesterday (got a pilates DVD and did that for the first time) and I'm now all tender and weeping/bleeding a bit . Seems odd to have this problem nearly 5months after the fact, just a bit paranoid as its at the edge of the (third degree) tear scar.

CC ouch.

unrelated, but i'm looking forward to sometime in the future when sunday mornings don't start at 5.15.

Here's my confession of the day... I haven't ironed more than about two pieces since dd2 was born

CC hope you feel better - sounds like you need to give it a bit more time..
I'm still hugely impressed by what you have achieved in the past few months by the way. I have done all you've done (finished PhD, had baby, moved to new country, started a new job) but NOT at the same time!

stoof also wondered this morning if dh and I really used to have lie ins on a Sunday morning in the distant past... . I got up at 5 this morning because I thought dd2 was crying, then listened again and it was the seagulls making a right racket outside (I hate this time of year).

Oh no, I'm on a thread with high achievers! BG and CC, can't believe you have both done so much with your lives already.

CC, sounds like you have done too much. Rest it a bit and see if it improves, if it doesn't get it seen to asap. I had a third degree tear with DD1 and developed a fissure on top which had to be operated on a year later, probably because I pretended it wasn't happening and didn't get it seen to promptly. I'm sure you haven't done anything serious, but maybe just stretched it a bit too far.

We're very lucky on the mornings as DD1 is brainwashed into thinking that she can't get out of bed until her clock says 7, and DD2 this morning didn't wake up until 9am. And DH got up with DD1 so I had a massive lie-in. Bliss.

Hurrah for the lie-in watercress! I'm hoping to do that brainwashing trick with DD once she's old enough. I am really NOT a morning person, and 5am reallly is the middle of the night to me .

CC I have no real idea, but I'd have thought that even a 3rd degree should be healed by now? Maybe you should get it checked out?

sunangel thinking about it, I have myself told a male colleague that he ought to lay off the chocolate . I suppose i meant, it's never acceptable to tell a woman she should lose weight!

DP is in the doghouse. He wanted to go to a beach concert last night that I wasn't fussed about, so I stayed at home cooking a special Saturday evening dinner expecting him home 9ish. Instead I got a phone call at 9, informing me that the concert was still going on and that he'd be going to the pub afterwards and I'd better eat on my own . He says he'd forgotten that it was going to be a special Saturday dinner, but in any case I'd spent the whole blimmin day on my own and some company would have been nice! Thankfully my sister and BIL popped over for a drink and I could vent at them about it. He's not even that sorry though. So I'm cold-shouldering him a bit. Am I making too big a deal of it? I expect so .

Yes! www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/01/babies-dont-suffer-working-mothers After all the research claiming the opposite!!