All New, Sparkly Fab and 40 + : Mums, Mums to Be or TTC. Come say Hi !

[jeanjeannie]

Hello all - well, this is our third message board..so it's a popular topic.

If you're a fab forty something then please come and say Hi!

The thread lives in pregnancy as that's where it started....but it's certainly no longer confined to just being about pregnancy. It's for anyone whose a gorgeous 40 something. So get a cuppa, bring some biscuits - or cake - and have a chat x

ipanemagirl if I don't see you before, good luck with the impending birth. Hoping to hear of what flavour you've had and that it all went well.

OOOh @ The Archers. Not listened for ages but intended to get back into it. Hardly watch any tv these days so perfect chance. My older children think I'm really weird to even listen to Radio 4 ...I think it's something that you either love or hate (like Marmite).

Not sure about the past 3 or so months going quick. It feels like a lifetime ago she was born. In fact it feels like it happened to someone other than myself. Now she's home is the real part for me and I feel the flushings of a newborn baby running through me (although technically she's not newborn but due tomorrow). It's fab and all without the stitches and the sore boobs - been there done that one

good luck ipanemagirl - I'm sure you won't have to have that again - I only had it because of the gestational diabetes and them swearing blind that he was so big he would be coming out with a schoolbag on his shoulder! mind you hey were right about the excess fluid - gallons of it there was.

we are enjoying him but feeling quite stressed out by visitors and phone calls all hours. Especially my mother who seems to be in some kind of one-sided competition with OH's family over who is most interested in this baby. She had me haunted at the hospital demanding to speak to me on the phone and speaking to the staff when I was in labour.

Also I didn't realise that midwives take it upon themselves to turn up every day at your house to see how things are going. After going to bed at 3am we got up again for the 7am feed because I had to tidy the house and didn't know when a midwife would be turning up. Could have done with going back to bed but no chance as she turned up at 11.30. Had a rather odd manner - asked me what colour I thought baby was - I said ehm well a reddish colour and she went - no he's yellow - he's jaundiced and said we would have to watch his activity levels and feeding - which has left me worried. She's coming back tomorrow morning and if he is still yellow or more yellow (I don't think he is really) she will tell us to take him to hospital for a bilurubin test). Instead of telling me things she asks questions like what do you think about expressing? how do you feel about using a steriliser? which are meant to lead me into expressing my opinions I guess - rather than just being told hers - odd though.

Has anyone got any experience of this jaundice business and/or how long I can expect to have to put up with these daily visitations? Baby is causing no grief whatsoever - its every other bloody sod!!

mrsboogie if LO is going a big yellowy, pop him in front of the window in the sun. Does exactly the same thing as the phototherapy lamps in hospital. Also lots of fluids down him to flush billirubin out. MW's sometimes have a 'jaundice chart'. Like a Dulux chart but only in various shades of yellow Don't worry, you'll be fine. And yes, they do turn up every day at first...first week I recall then it slackens off to a couple of visits a week. This was my experience with all of mine. Btw, don't try and be a supermum and keep show house standards just for MW/visitors. You'll run yourself ragged. They should all understand what your priorities are right now and if they don't, tell them either to get the duster out for you or not grace your welcome mat for sometime

Sorry to hear about your family, friends etc hounding you. I've banished everyone to appointment only and so far, they've stayed away until we're ready for them. Hard? Yep. But saves both yours and your DP's sanity. Kind but firm words often work for me. However, at 4am this morning over a baby feed, DH informed me I'm sometimes aggressive in my manner. No idea but hey, it keeps them all at bay

ta jw will do window popping

fluids? as in boiled water?

aggressive hey?

\note to self - be more aggressive ...

Hi Mrs B, I think you are under midwife care for the 1st 10 days although since I was in the hosp with Ben for 10 days last time we only had one mw visit (before the HV took over), just as well since she was the twit that didn't know a arse from a head so she wasn't too welcome . OH and agree with JW about the house tidying, in fact if it is too tidy they will start to worry you have PND and are concentrating on cleaning not your gorgeous little boy. Hopefully keeping him by the window will do the trick, is there any sun in York?
WI jumble sale/cake sale went OK, I got to take the money at the door so could sit down for the duration. I seem to have acquired lots of baby blankets I don't really need , but they were only £1 for the lot so who cares. Also picked up a 2nd hand steraliser for £2, hopefully the b.feeding will go OK but if not then I am sort of ready.

mrsboogie milk is fine but if you can get LO to take some cooled boiled water, then great.

Glad to see you'll send them all away with a flea in their ears

(I want to be alone avatar)

hedgepig glad all went well and I'm sure your Victoria sponges went down a storm. As for the blankets, given that they were so cheap, you couldn't even make them for that sort of money so they're always handy to have with sicky/pooey babies around Disappointed as I've tried several times to join the WI but there isn't one near to me. Nearest being a 10 mile drive away. I keep checking back to see if someone has opened one up locally but alas, nope

Did I mention that during my chat with my HV on Friday she told me that weaning had changed in the intervening 17 years since Jesus was a boy and I last tried my hand at it. Now it's anywhere between 4 and 6 months, whereas before it was from 3 months onwards. Anyway, they don't correct Katherine's age for this one it's actual (like her immunisations) so it seems really weird that in a few weeks I might be feeding her baby rice. She's still so wee but honestly, since we got home, she's guzzling bottle after bottle. No wonder she put 8oz's on in 4 days.

8oz in 4 days wow, what are you putting in those bottles?

Evening all.....fresh back from Henley and braying like a posh mule..."Whah, snort, Wot? Wot? Come on dogs!" That's the sort of thing they say. Yes, lashings of Aramintas and Jontys cantering around rings while over in the poultry tent you could pick up a lovely cockrel for a £5....seriously, a £5.....what's the point in going to tesco...?

mrsboogie I concur with all that's been said about jaundice. Verity had it - turned quite yellow. Just gave her loads of milk and stuck her in the window! Not sure how you're feeding....but I think if it's bottle then you can give him water, otherwise it's just boobs all the way

And yes, don't worry about the cleaning - otherwise you'd never stop! Just smile and act casual around the HV - some of them are really quite nuts! You can strike lucky but many of them seem really quite unhinged to me!

johnworf yep weaning is now at 6 months! I don't know if you've ever ventured to the weaning thread...it's scary! Baby Led Weaning is all the rage - which is fine (finger foods) but you feel like a social pariah if you as much as mention purees Personally I'm a bit of both kinda girl. 8oz in 2 days...

Gosh - Katherine's official birthday - she could be like the queen and have two

How are you getting on with the nappies? Verity is such a fat bum that she fills out the old cloth ones a treat and already in Nature babies medium wraps!

hedgepig Pleased the cake sale went well. And £2 for a steriliser - fab. We picked one up from freecycle and have only used it for EBM bottles....which she doen't know how to use

ipanemagirl hang on there until you've got your bits all sorted....best get a move on

jeanjeannie yep, it's the girl's official birthday today so we're going to have 2. Any excuse for a candle cake in this house

Wraps are doing well. I've tried all the different varieties out now; wraps, tots bots, fluffles, sandy's, little lambs etc. The bum genius 3 are great for DH as he can almost work out how to use them. Also they're non leakers, also good. The tots bots are pretty much fine but not over night. Ditto the Little lambs. The Fluffles are just ridiculous...she looks like a weeble when she wears them they're so bloody bulky. Absorbant though and look nice. I'm loving both Nature Babies and Motherease Rikki's. Both good at keeping it all in. Still trying out the Stuffables so jury is out as yet. However, the Fuzzi Bunz were an absolute waste of time. Leaked everywhere...wee AND poo

Finger foods for weaning a young baby seem strange. I'll stick with my old fashioned parenting skills from yesteryear and go with purees and baby rice. My 3 are still walking around to tell the tale so why fix something that isn't broken. Interests me how fads come and go over the years. The powers that be seem to issue random 'what is right for baby' edicts from time to time and as soon as that one works, they feel the need to change it. Lord only knows why.

Anyway, I've delayed it far too long ....burning question is drum roll

'Did you get yourself a nice bit of cock at the Henley Show?'

Hello all!
Am panicking to get everything done.... the bump is looking at me in a funny way... I can't keep telling it not to arrive yet.... It is my due date after all!

When I've done my today list I'm going to come back and catch up here.

mrsboogie that sounds too much harrassment!

I'm going to try to be even more strict this time. I was last time (really offended a few girlfriends who just wanted to arrive en masse a few days after the birth) I believe in a proper confinement particularly until feeding or whatever kind is happily established! But I don't know how you can be strict with mws? You must live in a well funded area, I can't imagine getting a daily visit where we live in London!
But in the old days women used to get visited daily for weeks didn't they?

Take care all , my list awaits while I still have the energy... why did I read the paper for an hour this morning?

ipanemagirl DON'T PANIC! (in Mr Jones the butcher's voice). Surely you can't have that much left to do? Afterall, you've had around 9 months notice Maybe you're entering panic mode as it's impending and very real now. Just make sure your list is essentials only and not the 'nice to haves'. As I said to mrsboogie don't try and be a Supermum.

Well done to you for adopting the 'keep them at bay' attitude. I wouldn't worry about upsetting people as I do it on a daily basis. Thick skinned am I. Put you and your LO above all of their feelings. They'll get over it (and understand) if they're real friends.

Good luck for today just in case LO decides to arrive on time. None of mine ever did obviously including Katherine, one never to be beaten, took it to the extreme

I'm feeling amazingly chipper today as I've retired DH from night feeding. We had a chat last night and he feels very much under pressure to get things done 'right' i.e. my way which is of course the right way. So, in his aiming to not cock it up he makes mistakes. I understand all of this naturally so I've taken the night shifts on along with the day. Anyway, feel much better knowing that Katherine won't be going back into her cot during the night wearing an all in one nappy with a stuffable over the top Bless DH for trying (oh, he's very trying!).

Am I right in thinking that nearly all the babies that started on this thread are either born or nearly cooked?

hello all

well, midwife's been and jaundice pronounced not an issue and we won't be visited 'til Tuesday now - fab a lie in tomorrow! Bubs is lying in his Amby hammock in the window as per jws suggestion. He's a bit more yellow today but very lively and even verier hungry so no worries there. Breastfeeding not progressing much due to a)traumatic first day for both, b)one midwife on ward for ten or twelve new mums and babies on first/second day - no help with breastfeeding (some very pointed comments about this in my notes)c) he's bottle feeding a lot and not got the patience to suck for very long d) he's got very obvious teeth in his gums - bitey! and e) my milk has not yet appeared. I'm not stressed about it though - if it works it works if it doesn't it doesn't.

We have a long list of people coming to visit all afternoon - they did make appointments so it's ok but I did have to assertively tell my sister not to come round first thing this morning before I had got into the shower or the midwife had even been.

Tomorrow is a visitor -free day!

Well that's enough about us (another piccy posted)

Ipanemagirl - how much do you have to do? you are making me wonder what all I didn't do Time to relax now Mrs!!

oh and jw happy non-birthday to Katherine!

mrsboogie all I can say is awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww what a cutie he is.

Glad that today is running a bit smoother and you're having a chill session - albeit with visitors.

I'll pass on your non-birthday wishes to the Princess.

Don't worry about the breastfeeding. You don't win any prizes for working yourself into a lather over things that don't happen. As long as LO is thriving and you are happy, do what suits you both

We're off out this afternoon to visit John's sister et al. No one has yet seen Katherine at all (apart from our children). See? Told you I was a biatch...haha. Anyway, today's the official due date so they can view her but I will shout at dirty hands going anywhere near her

There may be trouble ahead........

johnworf you have no idea how having 9 months to get ready isn't enough time for SNAILS like me!!!
Have managed a little today... but still haven't sorted that guest room, I'm off for another burst now!
But have got a lot of laundry done!

guest room? have you gone mad woman? put your feet up for gawd's sake!!

Guest room?

You're ONE crazy laydee. You're about to drop and you're worried about making up the guests bed? WHY???

Evening ladies i have tried to catch up with most of the gos. congratulations mrsboogie it must be lovely to be hollding your new born baby and hopefully you will soon forget the traumatic way that he came into the world.

hedgepig I am with you at 37wks not long for us now. I am having a homebirth and everything is ready the midwife brought roun the bag of bits which is quite exciting.

Anyway glad everyone is ok will now try to keep up with thread.

Hullo gorgeousnesses,
Just a quickie (as the actress said to the bishop - hey hey)

mrsboogie CONGRATULATIONS and wonderful pic. Hurrah. What a horror story on the birth - crikey! Am chuffed to bits for you. As the others say - fret not about anything - bottles, mess etc. As long as he's feeding and ok don't worry. I remember being mortified as when my midwife came we had empty wine glasses (and bottle) in the kitchen and I thought 'OMG they're going to think I'm drinking with a newborn' etc.

JW happy birthday date to Princess K. On weaning DS was practically biting off my fingers by 4 months so I gave him baby rice and just did what felt right. One midwife told me that the 6 months is a World Heath Organisation guideline that has to take into account 3rd world countries where there is less food and therefore preferable for the baby to still have milk but that by 4 months a child is able to digest solids. I also did traditonal methods - purees etc and he eats like a trojan now.

Well I must away - din-dins in oven ready to get out. Love to all.
x

pwcbird many thanks for your experience on wearning. So I'm not going barmy and the wheel really has not been re-invented.

Like you, I started on baby rice then moved on to purees. In the mists of time when I last did it, I used to buy the boxes of baby rice powder (Milupa. not sure if they're still going). Also bought the dried boxes of food which were good as you could just mix up the amount you needed without throwing half a tin (I kid you not... Heinz boil in the pan) of the Heinz chocolate puds, in the bin. Ah the good old days. I'm surprised that Heinz didn't have more of their healthy meals in a tin/jar such as double cream horn in a tin, fish n chips in a jar...etc...etc. Although by my youngest son I did actually make my own but only because we were too poor to afford the 'healthy' tins.

I'm just chuckling at you panicing about the wine bottle. As long as it didn't look like the flat in Men Behaving Badly, I'm sure that your MW forgave you

Evening all...fresh in from a day out playing in the sunshine And Iris was so caked in mud we had to hose her down!

JW COCK?! Unfortunately no cock for me - well, not at the show anyway

ipanenagirl good for you - I LOVE the idea of a proper confinement. I fully expect you to be reclining on a chaise lounge, nursing the baby while everyone around you does the chores!

Any rumblings yet from the bump?

mrsboogie he's a fine looking chap - always on the look out for marriage material for my girls Enjoy your visitor-free day tomorrow.

johnworf how did the visit go today? Did you go upsetting people? Get all rottweiler-like?!

Oh you're having a homebirth rosebury how very exciting. So anytime soon - wow - once all the stuff is there then I suppose it's just the hot water and towels !

Gorgeousness right back at yer pwcbird Hope dinner was yum yums!

is anyone else having problems logging in? thank god this thread was in the history or I would never have found it

kaz1967 how the devil are you? Yes, I've had problems getting onto the site a few times this last week - seems to time-out and go dead on me.

How's it all going at your end? Thank goodness you found us - you've been missed. Was going to Facebook you if you didn't make an appearance soon! How's gorgeous Kezzy doing? x

Off to bed - I've eaten way too many choccy mini rolls and feel quite queasy

oh jw I remember all those baby foods - you've just brought it all back. Boil in the tin mulches - never did them any harm tho' did it?

If his first three days are anything to go by my little fella will soon be onto weaning stage - twice today and once yesterday he stayed awake after his feed for about an hour kicking his legs then demanded a full second one. Not sure whether this is orthodox practice but there's no saying no to him.

Introduced one of my cats to baby today - most hilarious - cat was fascinated - padding round him cautiously and sniffing him from head to toe and pawing at him, all agog trying to figure out what he is.

good night all! dh wants the baby to come tonight so he doesn't have to go to work tomorrow!

I have to get more sleep than this....

ipanemagirl haha @ your DH and not wanting to go to work. I'm sure that by 2 weeks of sleepless nights and feeding/changing baby, he'll be knocking the door down to get back there

Glad it's not just me cracking up mrsboogie re the old fashioned tins and jars. Wouldn't worry about LO stuffing his face...I do believe that demand feeding is still ok and that Dr Spock isn't back in fashion.....YET!

kaz1967 and jeanjeannie I haven't had any problems (as yet) logging in but will take note next time PC starts playing up. I know the system on mumsnet is sometimes slow, especially at peak times.

jeanjeannie I mentioned the cock as you were on about £5.00 for a cockeral and it had 'cheap joke' written all over it . Glad that Iris had fun in the mud..mmmm moon pies

Family visit went well yesterday and I wasn't too off putting. No one wanted/dared to hold Katherine as they thought she would break or they would drop her Said they'd like to cuddle her when she's bigger...so I've set that challenge at age 9.

Yay!