Fabulous 40+ and Proud: Mum and Mums to be Part 2

[Kaz1967]

Ok we have talked to the end of the topic so here is a new one

I don't know why I said that (about fretting) actually, on reflection they wouldn't be offering vaccinations unless it was considered to be medically the best option.

mrsboogie she sleeps on her back when we are in bed together and I do try her on her back other times but sometimes needs must and you just have to get some time without baby in arms. My problem is largely I am technically on my own so there is no one to hand her to it is me or crying lying on her back sometimes you have to compromise.

they usually say about 6 weeks for smiles Kez is nearly 4 but all babies are different, and they do copy your facial expressions (try sticking your tongue at a baby a few times they soon stick it out back) so the more you smile at them the quicker you will see one back or that was always my theory at work anyway.

johnworf when I read bush I was thinking a totally different bush certainly not an out side in the garden sort

It's normal to fret about vaccines esp with one so small but if she was not thought well enough she would not be having them. She may well be a little niggley over the next few days as you know they all often are, do not be afraid to ask the staff if she has had some paracetamol if you think she needs it. Sometimes because staff change they can forget a baby has just had it's vaccinations.

Thanks kaz1967 yep, she's having her 6 in 1 (I think it's that many). All babies have them at 60 days and now katherine has reached her 60 day mark she's having them tomorrow.

I'm sure they'll give her calpol if she's a bit off colour but I'm hoping she'll be fine after them.

ROP examination #2 on Tuesday as well so hope she's up to it.

gosh 4 weeks already kaz? thats fab.

vaccinations at 60 days?

I have sooo much to learn. eeek.

Well, that's it...summer over...it's raining like a mad monsoon here! So sticky we're peeling clothes off and standing by the fan

mrsjupiter that's great news...no wonder you're thrilled.

johnworf hope the bush trim looks a treat Ah yes, vaccinations...Verity has hers on Tues...never fun. Although Iris sailed through hers as though nothing had happened - so fingers crossed that it's the same for katherine

Oh Lord - is that the time - I'm usually in bed for 9.30!

mrsboogie 4 weeks tomorrow to be exact can't believe it. she slept through till 4am today as well probably a one off but I woke at 2 for her usual feed went to the loo and she just carried on snoring

johnworf the first ones are DPT-hib (Diptheria/Tetanus/Pertussis [whooping cough] Haemophilus influenzae type b [part of protection against meningitis]) which is one vaccine PCV (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine - Pneumococcal infection [part of protection against meningitis]) which I think is separate but could be wrong might be incorporated now and polio (which is oral)

oooh you never know Kaz - maybe she'll feed so well she will be able to do without that night feed quite soon? it does happen! here's hopin' eh

Ahhhhh....kaz so jealous Verity was going for 5 hours at night...but the last week it's every 2 hour I'm on another planet at the moment. No chance for a catch up kip because of DD1 ! I'm so hoping she gets bafck into the whole night time swing of things again...or else it's going to be a very frazzled household!
Hope jabs well today JW and fingers crossed for the ROP tomorrow

It's too hot for cake

Unexpectedly big day today. When I got into the NICU this morning I found they had removed Eva's cpap. I felt really disappointed that I hadn't been there when they'd done it (missed it by half-an-hour) and contrary to what I'd said before, felt like complaining. The nurses were so excited though - they laughed when they saw my reaction (gasp and hands to face) and had obviously been waiting for me to come in. Also, I was so pleased to see Eva's face that all in all I decided to hold my tongue.

She's also off her IV as she's taking and tolerating 8 ml per hour of milk. It's all in her hands now which is exciting and scary.

Re domperidone - by OB doesn't prescribe it. Am seeing the breastfeeding consultant again on Wednesday and we'll see what she says. They should let me hold Eva tomorrow so hopefully it will help.

Actually, they would have let me hold her today (briefly) but my husband had the runs overnight and this morning and we didn't want to risk passing anything on. Supercautious I know, especially since we suspect it was due to an unusual Chinese soup mix he bought at the wet market (don't ask me what was in it but one bit looked like my loofah) rather than a bug, but just in case.

It's been quiet here today - hope you're all ok. I'm off to bed.

You guys are hot?! It's 32 degrees here with 70 per cent humidity. It's like living under a hair-dryer while someone cuts off your oxygen. Tomorrow we are expecting 95 per cent humidity.

OK, can't keep up the martyr act anymore. We have fantastic air-conditioning everywhere. Every time I step out of the hospital and walk the few steps to the taxi rank I ask myself why on earth the British ever wanted this place. Can you imagine it 100 plus years ago - malarial, no AC and no typhoon warnings.

mrsjupiter so glad that little Eva (didn't she have a hit with the locomotion?) is off her CPAP. Is she off it altogether ? She's coming on in leaps and bounds and puts my plodding katherine to shame!

Katherine has periods off/on her CPAP - current is 5 hours on and 7 hours off. The nurses tell me she has started to protest about wearing the CPAP mask toward the end of the 5 hours on. She's already showing her (fussy) personality.

She had her jabs this morning whilst I watched - distressed. 5 seconds of crying and she was back to sucking her scratch mitten/dummy. It was afterall, 5 minutes past feeding time and nurse and milk did a no show so K not best pleased. Anyhoo, she got her feed soon after the jabs and went straight off to sleep. Just rang for an update (her jabs were some 4 hours ago) and she's still taking her feeds, no temperature (as yet) and fast asleep. Well come on now, it's far too hot to do much else isn't it?!

Half attempted gardening today but again, sun beat me inside. Glad to say that my bush is looking much trimmer today (ding dong!) and all the neighbours have admired it

jeanjeaanie just to let you know, my washing is flapping today although DH put it on line and a couple of things have fallen off and landed in a rogue dog turd

mrsjupiter What great news! Good old Eva...she sounds like she'd be great mates with jw's Katherine....both as beligerent as each other..

Well, here in High Wycombe it's 28.6 degrees and 52% humidity......that's according to DPs weather station. Yes, it's geek time and we have a weather station
So - I deduce from that....that, it's sweatier than a sweaty thing in sweatyland although nowhere near as bad as Hong Kong

Ugh - JW a rougue turd...not want you on your fragrant washing....I mean, it's not like Lenor have bought out "odour of Dog" fragrance alongside fresh lemon and lilac scents !

My washing is stiff as a board. If I tried to dry off Iris with the towel she'd be scratched to pieces! Now tumbling with the balls in the drier to beat it back into life....Whoops the elecy bill

Glad Katherine's jabs went well....got Verity's tomorrow...ugh. Mind you - I think they're know as 'dead vaccines' or something like that....so they tend not to make them as rough as some, like the MMR. Although, have to say, been lucky with Iris on all of hers - she was OK with them all.

Off to stick face in fan

Face in fan all day.
Ankles ginormous.

That is all.

jean she is probably having a growth spurt don't panic give her a day or two and most probably she will be back to 5 hrs

Just up to pump dessicated boobs.

JW they told me that whether or not she stays off cpap will depend on her saturation and they've prepared me for the fact that her condition may go up and down. She was working really hard to breathe most of the time I was with her but by the time I left she was much calmer. I'm half expecting to go in tomorrow morning to find her back on cpap. Finding it quite scary. She's always wriggling, but I started getting worried that her movements today were a sign of distress rather than her regular dancing. The nurses assured me she was ok and that her work rate was normal, but it just seems too good to be true.

jeanjeannie, don't you love the inner nerd. We had an amazing electrical storm tonight and my husband was watching it's progress on the HK Observatory online lightning location map.

Have to be honest and say that while it's worse being outside here, generally it's much easier than a hot summer in the UK because buildings are built for the heat and there's relief everywhere in the form of ac. I've never been as hot in my life as I've been in an English summer - just wanted to peel my skin off when I was home in July a couple of years ago, and that's having lived in the desert and the tropics.

mrsJ your poor boobs hope all this pumping starts to reap rewards soon . I found expressing really difficult even when my Lo was close.
MrsB I am totally with you in this heat, I stayed in the office late today cos it has air con, the only attraction of work at the moment i'm afraid.

I'm feeling a bit odd today DS has gone way with his grandparents so the house seem very empty. This is the 1st time he has been away without us since he was born (nearly 5 yrs)so it is all a bit bizzare.

Haha mrsjupiter the phrase 'inner nurd' sums DP up beautifully Actually there was apparently a spectacular storm here last night...muggins here was so tired I slept through it all after going to bed at 9!

kaz i reckon you're right...a growth spurt. Trouble is she's 8 weeks...already in 3-6 months clothes and now reaches the end of her cot in the new double buggy ! Can't see her lasting till 4 months in it...her toes will dangle out the end!

Not so hot today Verity had her jabs this morning....apparently it should make her sleepy...pah, i doubt it!

well yay - its a bit cooler today...

in other madness...

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1039407/Freebirthing-Is-madness-ideal-way-bi rth.html

Ugh...freebirthing. I watched that woman give birth in her pool....true it went well and looked very serene but I was so angry at her Giving birth is still one of the most dangerous thing a woman will do. I think it's like vaccinations...people forget because they've never witnessed the danger. I'm all for home births...but so very often nature decides it will give us a hard time. All seems very selfish to me and quite arrogant.

well like one of the commenters said - if its so great how come there are such terrible mortality rates for women giving birth in countries where they have to do it alone?

and all the is bloody nonsense about childbirth not having to be painful - you are squeezing out a fully formed human being for god's sake - of course its going to be painful. and scary? I can't think of anything more scary than lying in bed in labour with no-one but my panic stricken OH for assistance. I was in labour for four days with my son - that wasn't the hospital's fault - it was just how it happened. What about all those emergency ceasarians that we hear about - are they done for the fun of it?

Well, didn't get my cuddle today. Eva is still off the cpap but they had to give her a little supplemental oxygen into the incubator as they felt she was working too hard. i was disappointed and a bit worried - are they pushing her too hard? They seem to be working to international standards though and I feel like I can trust them.

Re freebirthing - I don't think so. I want all the help I can get.

37 degrees and 95 percent humidity here today - it's a bit like being steamed.

JW fingers crossed for ROP check.

mrsjupiter Katherine has had her ROP appointment today but I missed it due to the opthamologist being late. Hung around for 3 hours while they put the drops in to dilate and anaesthetise which seemed to send her sats all over the place. It does this sometimes I'm told.

Anyway, he was late so I've just rung the unit to see how it went. Naturally she was distressed during the exam (more guilt for me) but she's settled back down to sleep in the unit that is so hot and no windows and no air con. She still has a mild stage 1 in her right eye so another appointment for 2 weeks. Crap. Was hoping that was the end of it but no, we have to endure it a third time at least.

She's still doing her 6 hours off CPAP (in ambient oxygen) and 5 hours on in around 28% oxygen. Your little one is prolly doing better than Katherine and she was born later and doesn't have all the damage from the ventilator.

We managed big cuddles today and now that Katherine has gone into the big room (4 cots) we had an hour where mummy tried out the Dutalier chair and now wants one! Kiddicare offer now finished so trying desperately to hunt one down that doesn't cost the earth. They really are fab and I'd use it even without a baby, however, Katherine seemed to enjoy having me rock her in it.

JW funnily enough the nurse talked to me today about ROP. I don't know if I misunderstood (the nurses' English is a million times better than my Cantonese but sometimes things aren't totally clear), but I think she suggested to me that ROP can get better on it's own as the baby gets older, so hopefully that will be Katherine.

Eva's been in 23% oxygen since 9 pm yesterday and if they think she's not working too hard they'll try her without it overnight. You may be right, her lungs may be in decent shape, but the Chinese way is not to say positive things - I think it's a superstition thing, so I don't have a good feel for good things are on a scale of one to ten. Your baby is stable or your baby is quite well is the best news we're given.

In other news, I've learned to say the name of the hospital in Cantonese. Wales is Wa-i-si would you believe.

jeanjeannie Kez is nearly out of newborne stuff that has feet in the bottom 2 weeks ago she was looking like a wafe in it and the tiny baby (not that she has much of it) stuff just fitted a dream So I know how you feel. I was going to get her weighed today but we had to go round town and was too knackered so have come home. Pretty sure she has put on weight and done a bit of growing too she is starting to chunk up in the arms and eats as if it is an Olympic sport.

Re the MMR part of the reason it makes them so grotty is each part activates at a different time, cannot remember the timing except measles is first and Mumps is last an amazing time later the first jabs they get if they are going to feel rough the poor things do so pretty quickly.

mrsjupiter sorry you did not get your cuddle the sad thing is had she come out for a Kangaroo cuddle her oxygen requirements would have probably have reduced they usually do when they are out having that sort of cuddle

mrsboogie I agree about pain in childbirth and having appropriate support of a professional, but what you said about fear is also true fear makes you tense and being tense is going to make the pain worse, you can see the difference in the pain relief required (less) and speed of most home deliveries (faster) of course these deliveries are normally cherry picked so it is the women who are likely to have fewer problems that have them so that may be part of it. But well informed in control women, with a confident birthing partner (a lot can be said for having a woman who has given birth herself and know what is going on) are more likely to experience a better time. There will always be times when things take a lot longer and there are complications but on the whole control and being relaxed reduce the pain you feel or the way you deal with it maybe.