Dec 08 Ladies welcome to the new Bean, next stop, Summer.

[Veggiemummy]

Sorry very boring had to think quickly, not my best feature

Is he back yet Kiwi???

Hi everyone - Kiwi - hope all your pressies are lovely, you deserve it! WG that is rubbish about the insomnia - I get it late in pg not so much early. Have you tried a bachs rescue remedy and ipod on hand with something soporific (sorry fairly rubbish suggestion)

Veg - loving DS2's "dag" - fab! (even if a different meaning in the Aussie vernacular if my adolesence spent on H&A and Neighbours serves....)

Beans - that is really tough about Pru and the feeding. I remember Spot and others going through it and it does seem that time is what helps most (but your GP may have some shortterm help). I really hope today goes OK.

Right. MUST DO SOME WORK!

Yes, was going to say both of mine fed every 2 hours.

A new Bean! Congratulations!

I want one! New baby smell, all their little screwed up limbs and wrinkly faces

Nope, wait a minute, Dd still dopesn't sleep. Best wait a bit

Hope you are all well

Never know, I may manage to stick around this time.

Oh look there's a pig flying past the window

Hi Indith!!! How is everything with you?

Hi guys - thanks so much for the messages re reflux. I'm not really sure it's what it is - might just be really bad wind, that's she's crap at getting out of her system. Who knows. As long as 2 hourly feeding is normal, then am ok. Mum is here now and has said she doesn't think it's reflux - more just how very very milky I am. Pru takes on loads and her tummy's not big enough for it, so she sicks it back out again. I'm literally spraying her with milk if she pulls off the boob early! It's disgusting - and I did it with Whizz as well.

Kiwi - I've finished your Brownies. And my GOD they were good. Thank you so much. and thanks to all who sent me cards as well - v kind of you. You're such a lovely bunch of people.

Hi Iindith - lovely to see you. Pru does smell divine. Well, she does now - it took a few days as she was still a bit vernixy and cheesy - hee hee!

Beans: if it's a letdown issue (too fast too soon) you can try one-sided feeding, i.e. feeding from one boob for a couple of feeds in a row and then switching. I found it helpful when Ds2 was feeding loads in the evenings. Is she quite noisy/clicky when she feeds? That's another sign. It tends to settle down as they get used to the fast flow. You can also try expressing a bit first so she doesn't get the fastest flow.

Just marking my spot back later.

of girls being too milky when feeding. Never had that problem alas! Have you tried camomilla drops, Beans? They are homepathic drops that are safe to use from birth and will often bring up trapped wind a treat?

He's back he's back!! DD SO excited to see him (me too of course!) - she gave him loads of cuddles but doesn't like being left alone with him - totally to be expected I guess but hope she's ok with me off to be pampered overnight on weds! Anyone know how long it might last??

Pressies were v nice thanks, necklace, a belt, an Official World Cup mug and DD got some Duplo and a sweet bracelet. Am sitting in car at the mo with a dozing DD - giving DH a chance for a bit of kip as it was an overnight flight and he is Totally rubbish at sleeping on planes.

Beans friends had that prob and one sided feeding really helped, plus again time as every day they get that bit bigger/better latch...

Hooray Kiwi!!! Sounds like you have had quite a reunion. I wouldn't worry too much about your night away - we had a long overdue night out yesterday and left DCs with my mum (v rare in our house) convinced that DD was going to party all night. Got DD up this morning to be told "Grandma is very good, better than mummy and daddy"

Hello Indith

Effie and Kiwi - never heard of that one sided feeding before - I'll definitely give that a go - thank you!

DD1 has horrible flu and went to bed at 5.30, having had a 3 hour lunchtime sleep. no squeaks at all. Unheard of as she usually goes down at 7 and stays awake singing til about 8-8.30! POor little mite. DD2 also has a nose full of snot, so neither on great form. Luckily Mum here and helping me no end. She's brought all sorts of frozen food and is keeping me company - it's rather wonderful. Pru has hardly slept at all today, so am hoping I might get more than 3 hours tonight....

Kiwi - your reunion sounds heavenly. How lovely to get presents. It's almost worth them going away so you can miss them. did you shave your legs for his return?! My poor DH is a virtual monk these days - although I gave in and gave him some hand relief last week - v generous of me, I thought! Hee hee! not having any sex until I'm back on the pill. After going through birth again, I think 2 children are enough. Hee hee! Bet your arse I start wanting another one in a year or so, when I've forgotten how exhausting the early days are!!! But we can't afford it, unfortunately, I suspect!

Right, must go as Mum is here. Will definitely do one sided feeding tonight and see how we get on. Pru has terrible acne at moment - not looking that beautiful! Did anyone see Men In Black? Do you remember the little alien that lived inside an old man's head? That's what she looks like!

I'm just putting up a family portrait on my page as well.

Big love
xxxx

Aw Beans you look fab and so happy in that pic, it's really lovely. Sorry to hear about the fly though, that's terrible. i hope they both pick up soon. And really glad your mum is helping out, that must be a relief (not of the sort your DH got, of course ).

You know the weird thing about your question to Kiwi is that I was thinking the same thing, not directed at Kiwi as such, but if DP had been away that long, how much leg stubble would be acceptable? Actually, if he'd been away that long he'd fight through a jungle of yeti to get some .

Invis, hope you had a good night out. It's funny how you think they'll be a nightmare and they're fine. My friend put T to bed last night while we went to the gig and he loved it. Waved us bye bye and basically told us to go away, he was doing just fine thanks!

Actually quite glad he's turned into quite an independent toddler as his nursery keyworker is changing again but apparently he's quite happy with all the women there. I went to pick him up today only to be told "the babies are outside in the garden but T didn't want to be there so he's painting inside with the preschoolers".

Hi Indith. Please stay! We will confuse you even more but in a nice way.

Turnip, get back to work! (I love saying that, though I should take my own advice, am a total freelance disgrace).

Effie I put my question about inhalers on a health thread and was told to bribe with chocolate buttons, but I don't think T has the hang of bribery yet!

Oh, Poison, if you're lurking sorry I failed to acknowledge that sweet comment of your DS about the text. Please tell him he can come and stay any time .

Hi all
Kiwi I'm so pleased your dh is back safe and sound. You deserve a very big medal for managing so well as a single mum. And well done on the running
spot Lucy has had an inhaler for years. She takes it fine now but 'twas not always so! We had to do it against her will, with much head shaking and screaming from her. Our technique was to sit on the floor with Lu sitting on the floor in front of us but facing the same way, ie her back to my front. I used my legs to wrap round her body to immobilise her and then used 1 hand to hold her head, kind of cradled in my armpit/boob area (!) and the other arm to hold the spacer mask against her mouth and nose! Sounds like I was torturing her, and that's probably what the neighbours thought, but to be honest the more they scream, the more of the stuff they inhale, so it's quite effective! When I worked on the children's ward it would often take 2 of us - one to hold the child still and the other to chase their head with the inhaler! I hope he gets used to it soon - Lucy soon came round to realising this was not going to go away! Now she has 2 puffs morning and night of her brown one and is completely happy with it, so it obviously hasn't scarred her for life. Have you decorated the spacer? I remember ours being covered in peppa pig stickers at one point!
Beans Phoebe fed 2 hourly, day and night, for months! And she was a very sicky baby. we had Gaviscon but I'm not convinced it was that helpful. One thing which really helped was sleeping her on her tummy, but obviously that is against the cot death guidelines so no-one can really recommend it to you, but for us it was fab. On her back she would sleep for literally a few minutes, then puke, the wake, then cry...but when she slept on her tummy she actually settled between feeds. You all look so happy in that photo .
WG so sorry you're suffering with insomnia Hope it soon passes.
effie how's the head?
Hello indith! Don't feel you have to keep up - just give us a wave when you can and let us know how you are. Sorry to hear your nights are still broken. Is it gradually getting better?
Well I've had a mixed few days. Lu had a fab birthday and party and everyone seemed to have a great time. Phoebe was boogying to the party music (she has learnt to dance by copying upsy daisy on that band stand thing) and was so cute! Then yesterday dh and I had a bit of a fall out in the morning which soured my mood for the whole day. One of those things which is really trivial but is enough to make me think we're poles apart on some issues and wonder why we ever got married! Anyway we both ignored the contentious issue from the morning and it hasn't been mentioned since, but we had a good chat about storage solutions last night! I think we're going to get Lu a kind of bunk bed but not very high, so she can store some of her stuff underneath it. We ended up chatting about the house, possibilities of extending/ moving etc and where we are financially (basically unable to extend or move!), how he's not very happy in his job and would like to work fewer days and pursue something else for a couple of days per week (doesn't know what)...so quite a good chat in the end! spot that article was really interesting. I think I'd like to swap dh for the author!
I finally plucked up the courage to see the GP last week about my leakage ishoos and she referred me to a physio, who phoned on Friday and gave me an appointmnet today! Quick service! So I went this morning and had a lady's fingers up my fanjo while I tried to squeeze! She said my muscles are quite weak so I have to do lots of exercises and go back at the end of the month and see if I've improved. if not the machines come out...

hello all - what's going on, the thread was 13th on the list! usually we're in the top three or four...
well I'm not helping much, just wanting to ask for opinions from the well-educated and erudite ladies of the thread for comments on my letter to our joiner from hell (see long boring letter in this thread here

I keep wanting to come on during the day but have to nap while dd does! It's like the whole thing you're meant to do with a newborn, only it's actually possible now that she kips for a couple of hours rather than 20 minutes in a moving buggy...

quickly - hurrah that MrKiwi is back

beans that is a gorgeous photo, you look so happy and glad your mum is being a star. hope the flu sorts itself out soon, poor snotty babies.

oh and I can't remember who was asking how much tv our LOs watch... but P watches about 10 mins per day. She watches the same 10 minute snippet (of upsy daisy hiding behind a tree in ITNG) before bed most nights. She won't even look at the screen if anything eles is on - much as I've tried!
And did I mention she has gone totally bath phobic? SHe screams if I even mention the bath and when I put her in, she stands (refuses to sit!) with her back to me, screaming and shaking until I lift her out. I remember Lu going through it too and I ended up sitting in empty baths with her playing to get her used to the room again, then gradually putting a bit of water in, then a bit more, until we had a proper bath together after several weeks, then eventually she would go in on her own. Looks like I'll have to do the same thing with P!
veggie are you enjoying the Tour?

jj I've been on your thread - although I'm obviously not erudite as I had to ask DH what erudite means

Hello ladies a quicky as I'm tired and need some sleep. This town is a bit boring we walked around and around today but found nothing exciting except a tower, called Martini Tower.

Kiwi hooray for DH's return and shaved legs. She'll be fine with him bit of fun distraction or tickling will sort her out.

Spot, T in with the preschool girls, sly old dog.

Hope the one boob helps Beans. I used to have to bash DS2 on the back upright over my shoulders to get him to burp, but if i didnt he would spew biggens. Also took him to an cranial osteo that helped too. Her stomach is way smaller than a ping pong ball at the moment so if there is no room she as to get rid of some. It's annoying for you though, it's smelly, requires frequent changes and that booby milk is wasted. Luckily its such good stuff so what she gets sorts her out big style.

Spot i know a hold technique but it's hard to describe, the doing it in his sleep sounds good.

hi Indith.

Right must go have me tea that DH made with the hotel rooms tea making facilities.

WG hope you sleep a little better tonight.

Turnip please do some work tomorrow young lady!

just remember I was going to at the 'pulling her flaps' scenario!!!! Very very funny indeed!
Going to stop posting now before I do a pubes
Where is Pubes?

hi trace, sorry for xpost. You may joke but I had to say to DH "What's that word that means someone who's really good with words?"
TV - dd also tries to get more than I like, I often put ITNG on while I wash up the tea stuff before bath time. She knows to go over to the set and point at it, fortunately she's not yet worked out which button switches it on.

jj you wouldn't think I'd done a degree in languages and linguistics would you?!
P also points at the tv and says "aaah" (her word for pretty much everything) so i say " do you want upsy daisy on the television?" and she nods her head so enthusiastically it nearly falls off

here's hoping about tonight...

just quickly re: tv viewing. if i am in charge when madam wakes up (anything from 6-7.15am), i'm afraid i stick the telly on. i just don't have the energy to do anything else. it is on and she plays and half watches until about 8.30/9ish. adn generally that is it until she has her bottle in the eve post bath when she will watch whatever we are watching between 7 and half 7. if the weather is rubbish, though, we'll be inside and i'll put it on (generally cbeebies) as an accompaniment. i know it isn't recommended, but i am being honest. she has just started asking for gigglebiz (also sings the theme tune), which is handy as dh has just written some sketches for it. also, dh has helped to write (a self-acknowledged) awful show called zoofactor on cbbc. it was on this afternoon and we were on the other side of the room. dh also does the odd voiceover for it and she heard his voice, looked round and went "dada?" bless!

Got back last night - went from my Mum's to London for cricket then back to Oxfordshire in the evening. Bit tiring really. Been at the house all day, painting and stuff. Well, I have been painting, DP was putting slate tiles down in the kitchen. I am the world's slowest, crappest painter. Think we've still got a good six weeks of work to do on it before we can move in...seems neverending!

Yeah, Rubes, where are you? And Summer, what's happening with the house? I think those two are just feeling too crummy to post. I don't blame them. Am now officially in third trimester and feeling quite grumpy meself. I have started oozing colostrum on the one side, which doesn't make me feel great, somehow. I do feel further on than I am supposed to be, which worries me slightly as my cs date is currently booked for 39+2, which I worry is a bit late.

WG, did you find anything on early pregnancy insomnia? I don't think pregnancy helps but I'm not a great sleeper at the best of times, and that up in the middle of the night thing is very sapping for the morale. Horrid.

Our washing machine has broken and it's flooded the kitchen, and now sounds like it's got a bag of spanners in the drum. DP has mended it twice in the last 12 months so we've been living on borrowed time for a while...It's such a pain though. It is just hassle we don't need at the mo.

Telly - am not at all pious about it but not all that much here. DD likes Big Barn Farm or whatever it's called. I tend to put the box on when she is in the highchair for breakfast as I have worked out that she eats more that way, but not every morning, so perhaps 3-4 mornings a week for one hour or so? Occasionally it goes on in the afternoon but not often. Unless she is in her highchair she gets bored with it quite quickly and drifts off to play with toys.

Hooray for Mr Kiwi back home, and smashing to see you, Indith. Oh, and Kiwi, when I went on hols for a week last year, with my Mum and without DP, DD burst into tears the first time she saw him. It only took about a day for her to get back to normal.

Beans, can offer zippo advice about the bf but hope some of these tips help. Don't be fretting about exercise, lovely. She's only a coupla weeks old, give yourself a break! DD is getting more demanding, and I was thinking of you today when I was wondering what it's like to have a toddler and a newborn.

Trace, DD can be a bit iffy about baths sometimes. And she loathes the shower, but that's another story. Well done for going to the quack about the leakage issues - that's very brave. My pelvic floor seems to have gone a bit weedy in the last week or so, it feels like there's something pressing down all the time (well, I guess there sort of is). Is this normal? I can't remember...I think I had it last time but am not sure.

Going back a bit, DaisyD, I was so pleased to hear things are on the improve. Good for you, and good for him. Have a lovely hol.

Remind me who's up for Fri?

Right, I must go to bed or I will start whinging piteously about no end of matters. Going to finish my book in bed. Still enjoying American Wife, Invis - perhaps my powers of discrimination are evaporating as I've not noticed a tail off yet, and I am usually the Fussiest Fusspot in Fusspotshire!

Hmm, definitely off to bed now as DP has Philadelphia on and it's a film that really depresses me.

Lovely pictures Beans

I had issues with ast letdown with dd, one of the support websites had some great pictures of feeding positions but I can't blinking well find them . Kellymom has some good information. Feeding while lying down can help as the baby can easily dribble milk out of the side of their mouth. Be careful though as you don't want to end up house bound because the only way you can feed is in bed! Also feeding while reclined so gravity is working against the milk. Maybe have a look at biological nursing?

Kiwi how long have you been on your own? Must be good to have him back

Dd likes TV rather more than I would like her to! I think it is the big brother influence. She marches up to it exclaiming "Beebies!" and pointing and trying to turn it on.

LadyT are you not supposed to be just putting your feet up or something? You always seem to be so busy! Don't worry about leaking colostrum, it is perfectly ok for it to happen quite early on, doesn't mean the baby will be early.

I never seemt oget time to shave legs, dh just has to suffer the stubble . I've just bought an epilator so need to build up to it properly! Only managed a few inches

Oh Beans, that family photo is just gorgeous. What a very attractive bunch you are. I can add my voice to the chorus of "my babies also fed every two hours in the early weeks". Tis normal, really it is. I also had a very fast flow with DD2, it was as if my breasts remembered feeding a 14 month old (which is how old DD1 was when I stopped) and decided they shld produce enough milk for a toddler rather than a new born. It made DD2 v windy so I just took her off every 5 mins and burped her before letting her have more.

On the subject of breasts, I leaked colustrum from about 20 weeks with DD2 so you have my sympathies LadyT. It must be extra annoying when you don't intend to use it. At least I could comfort myself with the thought that there was a point to it all. On another subject it's exciting that you are now only weeks away from your move. Is the cottage starting to look good?

Trace, how do you feel abt your DH possibly reducing his working hours? Is it something you understand and support?

Oh, and going wayyyyyy back, Spot, I chortled and chortled about your DP comparing his longest pube to your hair. On a more serious note it's nice to hear T is so settled at nursery now, esp after settling him in was such a slog.

Lovely to see Indith. Sorry to hear sleep is still in short
supply.

Are any of you clackerettes expecting August babies? If so I pity your future of party planning. DD1 is 4 on August 17 and so very excited about her party. But not one of her little friends is in town that week. In fact to catch even 50% of them I am having to delay her party by nearly 3 weeks until school returns in Sept. She is quite miffed and I fear each year it will be worse as she gets more aware of dates.

In other news DD2 is teething, 4 eye teeth all at once. She woke 4 times last night. Our worse night since Mrs Sleep worked her magic over a ymla