***feb 09 mums feb chat***

[megaminz]

Hey ladies,
just cause I find my brain isn't up to any eloquence with our ladies left to go in the due thread chat I thought I would start a chat thread for those of us who just wanna babble about the babies or need help with anything, I am sure we are all experiencing different things.

Anyway, feel free to come on in and try the water...

[Lucy in the Sky]

Thought I'd join you on the other side! My little man was due yesterday, but surprised us all and came 3 weeks early!

How are you finding motherhood so far, Megaminz? Are you as tired as I am??

Its not like little X doesn't sleep, but between the frequent night feeds, the time spent settling and all the grizzle and grunts he makes when he is asleep, I am counting my hrs sleep in 1 and 2 hour lots.

I knew it was coming, but sleep deprivation never seems as bad as it feels when you have it.:sleeping:

[quitecontrary]

Helloooo! I don't really think that my bub will make an appearance in Feb - but you never know (lots of tightenings etc tonight) but I just wanted to see what was happening on the other side of this pg business!
MM - you know about these things, whack a link in our "due" thread so that those with Mummy Minds will find you.
Katya my sis moved her little dd out of their bedroom pretty quickly cause of the noise they make when asleep. I know my parents put me in the hall in the bassinette pretty quickly too because of that factor.
Good luck!! Looking forward to joining you here properly very soon - and hovering all the while anyway!!

[megaminz]

Katya, I am exhausted for most of the day and its all coming from his 10/11pmish feed when he just will not go down in the basinette. for the rest of the day he is an angel and goes straight down but this late night one he can fall dead asleep and the moment I put him down he screams blue murder!!! I have taken to falling asleep with him on a pillow next to me in bed then DH comes and collects him later and attempts another put down which tends to be more successful.

I haven't been too disturbed by grunting etc... in his sleep but I think I am so tired after previously mentioned feed/settle that I just nod off. My DH is such a corker snorer I just might be used to it too.

What I am struggling with is my nipples. He feeds brilliantly. My nipples aren't cracked or dry but they are so sore they just sting all day. I don't know what to do. I cry out in pain sometimes when he sucks, then other times its not so bad so I don't know whats going on. I have tried pre expressing a little to keep them softer for him but it doesn't appear to be fixing the issues.

The thing i am enjoying is the ability to nod off at a moments notice. I used to wake up and that would be it, now I just go to sleep anywhere!!!!

QC you still have a lot of Feb to go, don't give up hope!!!

[janiceg]

my boobs are so sore too! last night i was just bawling...but luckily i got the attachment down before my milk came in:yelclap: i have been expressing before feeds until all the lumps are outta my nipples and it seems to be going a bit better. the middy said it will settle down in a few days :fingerscrossed:
other than that bubby is doing really well and i have never been in love like this before..it's an amazing thing we have done ladies!

[megaminz]

I think maybe I have gotten lazy with attachment. Am sitting here expressing into a bottle so i can give the nipples a rest for a feed or two and hopefully that will right it.

[OneCheekyMonkey]

ugh yeah i hear ya all about the nipple thing ! apparently bubs attachment is 'perfect' but they are still sore and bruised feeling.

having mastitis doesn;t help either:no:

mm mine does taht at night, he seems to go down fine during the day, but at night he wants to snuggle against my skin and cries when he is put down in his bassinnet.

[megaminz]

oh so glad its not just me
I was wondering what I was doing wrong all of a sudden cause we were doing swimmingly then all of a sudden BAM it was painful and sore

[happymess]

Hi there new mums. My nipples are feeling exactly the same as all of you. I had some trouble in hosp with the attachment and they ended up all cracked and bleeding, but now the attachment is perfect and she latches on by herself, but they are still sore ALL DAY, especially when the milk "lets down". I have been using a palmers cocoa butter nipple cream which has been helping, and you dont have to wash it off before feeding. I also tried the Lansinoh cream which worked when I was fedding my other girls, but little miss turned her nose up when I tried to feed her, she doesnt mind the smell of the cocoa butter one. (I always put it on straight after a feed so it has time to soak in before a feed as well.)

[megaminz]

happymess how long did it take for your nips to heal?

Mine arent dry but on closer inspection they have the start of cracks in them...this is probably the source of the pain

[cookie087]

Hey ladies... joining u here on the otherside!

I must say ive been having the same prob as some of u with putting the little one down at night. I have been expressing for the nighttime feeds as it doesnt seem to wake him as much when he can take straight from a bottle. Last night i lay'd him in his bassinett and fed him the bottle in there, he fell straight asleep, and as i didnt have to put him down anywhere, he stayed asleep... might be worth a try for those having the same problem?!? it was a great night sleep and i feel so much more energized today!

[megaminz]

my middy was just around and she said that to solve the midnight fussing time is to feed the baby and keep him awake as much as I can from 6-10ish, so even if he just gets a tiny bit of feed or whatever do it just so he gets his cranking out of the way earlier on

[megaminz]

NB somehow I totally missed your post!!!! My middy gave me good advice about the cranky hour 10/11pm feed/settle. She said to keep them awake as you can from 6-10, even its to wake them for a 5min feed or whatever just keep them going and awake as much as you can in that time.

We did it last night and he went down a bit easier last night and when he did go down he slept for 5hours!!!

Silly question but how do you know if they have colic? what are colic symptoms?

[megaminz]

oh poor bubs...that sounds awful, Milan isn't the best at burping but I think he farts enough to let out the gas, but I will keep an eye on it though cause he really does contort before he passes wind...

[janiceg]

so sorry to hear about bubby, i have no experience with this but one of my books says you can try drinking chamomile tea an hour before breastfeeding to help a colic bub - worth a shot:hugs:

[jade24]

Oh thank god it's not just mine!! Cooper is exactly the same as a lot of your little ones. He'll go down okay during the day, but as soon as night time hits he will not sleep in his cradle at all!! He'll only sleep if I feed him laying down and we both go off together. Poor DH has been sleeping on the couch since bub was born :o
Now the little guy has a cold [at 2 weeks old] and he's having a terrible time of it, poor thing. Once he shakes the snuffles I have decided it'll be time to start teaching him to self settle in his cradle. I did it with my first three, so I know it can be done, it's just hard to commit to it when you're feeling sooo damn sleep deprived!! Much easier to get up, change his bum, then lie down and go straight back to sleep while he has his boob!! He is a bit vomit-y though, so I'm going to ask the MCHN about reflux tomorrow. Not really sure on the signs/symptoms, but a lot of the time he'll be settled in his cradle and then WHAM - he starts gagging/vomiting and then he's up again :rolleyes: So frustrating.

[janiceg]

midwife came and weighed bubs today and she is back to her birth weight at only five days old and my milks only been in for two!

:smiliedance:

[YMo7]

still cant 'officially' join you ladies on he other side, but i thought i would have a quick read to see how you are all going...

jade - if bubs does have reflux, just mildly, it can (not saying will) help if you elevate one end of he bed... like underneath the mattress, you can put a towel at the head end... HTH... there are lots of other things you can do, but i thought that might help a little for the time being until you see the MCHN or whoever...

sorry for intruding! :) glad to see you are all doing well with your new bubs and there isn't anything that we should be worried about too much at this stage!

take care!

[jade24]

Thanks Suze :) I just might try raising his head, as it'll help with his cold also ... hopefully we'll tackle two probs at once!

:fingerscrossed: he doesn't have reflux though, just something I don't need.

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

thanks mm for posting the link. i had tried to find the feb mums chat last night but had no luck.

Elianna is the same with night time. Sleeps and feeds like a trouper during the day but just fusses over the boob at night. I am terrified of crushing her in my sleep so i just sit in my rocker til she settles then pop her in the cradle. although last night i put her down awake but settled and she went off to sleep on her own, :fingerscrossed: a sign of things to come.


Oh and the attachement pain!!!!!! oh that hurts, i end up rocking and gritting my teeth which is just GREAT for the let down (not).

does anyone else find that when bub gets all slobbery from crying there is no way she'll attach?? i have ended up using nipple shields just so that she has something to latch onto. It seems to be working (doesn't help much with attachement pain though) and helped if i used it every second feed to avoid cracked/blistered nipples.

am in two minds about the lanisoh cream, not sure it actually does any good, but doesn't seem to bother Eli.


so glad to have you all to chat with.

[floodprincess]

:wave: thought I'd stop by and officially join this end of the chat thread!!

M'msle Monique June made her very unexpected arrival into this world yesterday afternoon at 1330hrs....

We're both reasonably ok, Monique seems to have torn a muscle or pinched a nerve in her right arm during deliver which is making life a little difficult to deal with atm, but we're coping which I guess is the main thing :) we're trying to sort out feeding atm because she can only comfortably attach to one side, so there's some challenges in teh days ahead but we've got a great team here...

Will chat more later, going to have to express before she wakes for a full feed (we feed from one side and express the other so I don't walk around like a lopsided moo - thankfully my milk hasn't come in yet, so we've got some time up our sleeve to sort out feeds..)

Will post pics later - hope all are doing well

[quitecontrary]

Hello darlings - just a quick one as I'm not meant to be here yet - but in regards to settling, we used a cd called "Sounds for Silence" with G and it worked like a dream. You can buy it at Target, it has a book about settling with it - and its amazing. There is a website too, which is rather hilarious to look at, but in our case it really worked. The second half of the cd is Mozart for when the bub gets older.

Won't be long and I will be here properly! Hugs to all of you, and your beautiful babies!!

[natski]

Hi girls, thought I'd finally join here, not sure how often I will get a chance to jump on, but will hopefully keep in touch a few times a week. DH is sitting next to me on the lounge and is annoying the hell out of me and asking me all about BH and trying to get me to go to something he's interested in...go and watch more TV hubby!

Anyhoo...just thought I'd mention that Olivia was being a bit unsettled at night too in the early days and she's seemed to calm down, so hopefully it won't last long for you girls. I also found that feeding her in bed (instead of going out to the lounge room) was much easier as she just fell asleep with me in arms. Hopefully it will sort itself out.

NB - with the colic - I don't want to suggest anything that your doctor might not recommend, but I have been told (and I used it for DS a couple of times) that 'Infant's Friend' is great for colic. Hope it eases up for you and your little man.

FP - have you tried a different feeding position with the side that u're having trouble with? i tried the 'football hold' with ds in the beginning cause i had trouble with him feeding on the left side. once we got the hang of things it sorted itself out. good luck hon!

Anyway, hope u are all having a good night and get some sleep!!

[happymess]

Hi everyone, I just want to give hugs to all of you who are having challenges with your little ones, I know what it is like, I have had two challenging babies, (they are not BAD babies, just challenging). I hope you dont hate me, but little miss Stephanie is a dream.
I thought I would share some things that helped with my previous challenges. If baby is farting rather than burping, try puting him/ her over your shoulder and patting upwards, start patting at his/ her bottom and then slowing move your hand upwards to encourage the bubble upwards, not downwards.
I agree with YMO7 about raising the mattress slightly, I have a blanket under the mattress so that she is not flat and burbs can work there way upwards.
To help with let down, have a glass of water just after attachment, it will relax you and help with let down, also let baby cry a bit before fedding, the crying sound will make your body automatically let down (dont let them cry too much though or they will get more bubbles in their tummies)
Also to help baby learn the difference between day and night keep both routines different. At day time I let bub sleep in the lounge in the day light with all the normal day time sounds around her. At night time I feed her quietly in her room I dont turn on any lights, just the passage one so I have enough light to change her, I dont talk to her too much and when she falls asleep on the boob, I put her straight in to her bed.

I dont pretend to be a baby expert, but I just wanted to share some things that have worked for me and hopefully they can help you as well.

Oh and MM I used the Lansinoh to heal my cracked nipples and it only took a couple of days to heal, then I used the cocoa butter nipple cream daily after that. But remember your nipples will only heal if the attachment is correct, if you are in doubt go back to the hosp and get one of the midwives to check for you, or your community midwife.

I hope I havent sounded like a dictator, I just want to share what has helped me.

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

oh MM thanks for the tip about keeping her awake from 6 to 10 and cluster feeding! two 4 hour stretches of sleep last night! i feel like new woman :D

we just had Eliana weighed and she is already 140grams over her birth weight- so she's obviously getting enough milk. i feel confident and in control for the first time in a week, maybe this mommy buisness isn't so hard after all (amazing what sleep can do for the psyche!)

how is everyone else going?

p.s. i spoke to Caitlin today- she and James are doing amazingly well, he's already put on 500grams, he'll be as big as Elianna in no time!

[megaminz]

hey ladies

GBAGM glad that the cluster 6-10 thing worked, makes a difference huh to get some sleep?

Happymess thanks for that will get some Palmers cocoa stuff soon I think, do you have to wash it off before feeding? Someone else also suggested anhydrous wool fat which is $5 a tub same size as lanisoh and just not fancy but same thing....

Yes I have found though that watching my attachment carefully is making it easier, I think I got a bit lazy with it for a bit, or just not as careful.

We had a feed with the middys at my womens clinic today and he always attaches perfectly in front of them doesnt he!?!

He has put on 560gm since leaving hospy WHAT A PORKER!!! to get back to his birth weight he only needed 260 so omg 300 more, so glad all this feeding is doing something otherwise that would have been disheartening

[megaminz]

oops post double up

[happymess]

MM you dont have to wash it off before feeding which is great, but I always put it on straight after a feed so that is mostly off by the time she feeds anyway.

[Purplebird]

Hi Ladies, just popping in to say hello. Sounds like you are all doing very well and I look forward to joining you soon :)

[gizmoduckus]

Hi all!

How is everyone going with the sleep deprivation?

After a rough couple of weeks we have had a really good day today. Last week Liam was diagnosed as having reflux so he has been prescribed some medication. I am hoping that today is a sign that it is working. From having a baby that barely sleep day or night and was always unsettled, he seems like a different baby today. Last night he slept from 12:30am - 6:00am and has gone down for his naps today without having to rock him for hours. I have just put him down in his bassinette and he has gone off to sleep on his own. :smiliedance:

Also, my MIL has taken DS1 out for the day so I have so much spare time I don't know what to do with myself. I have caught up on my housework, have actually been able to sit down and have lunch and watch a bit of TV. I better not get too used to it because I know it can all change in a second. :D

I hope you are all enjoying your little bundles. Have a great day!

[natski]

Giz - glad things are looking better for you and little Liam. Good luck with everything. I know how you mean about having time on your hands and not knowing what to do with yourself - and when I've got a million things on my list, I can never get them done and if I do have free time, you don't know where to start first! haha!

Happymess - thank you SO much for all that advice, that is so great.

We had an ok day today - I was a bit stressed out and had a few tears today, but nothing major. Olivia had a big screaming/crying episode this morning and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. She was fed, nappy changed and didn't seem to have wind. It was a real big cry (she hasn't cried like that before) so thought it might have been a tummy pain or colic, but i just had no clue. Anyway, she settled down in the end, but we were in a rush to get out the door to James orientation at daycare, which made me more stressed about it.

So we get to daycare and the owner who we were meeting wasn't there and nobody knew where she was, then we left James outside to play with the kids and we went inside to 'watch' and he got really, really upset after about 10 minutes and it was difficult for the carers to comfort him because there were so many other kids around (the carer to child ratio seems a bit too much), and he was sobbing at the end of it and it really upset me. Ah, it's stressing me out now because this was the reason why I pulled him out of another daycare last year, but I want him to have the interaction with other kids. I'm torn about wanting him to go, and worrying about how he will cope with it.

Anyway, sorry for my rant on my bad day (but really not so bad when you think about it)! You know how things seem worse than they actually are. On the upside, DH has been an absolute GEM today! yay!

Fingers crossed for good nights for all of us:fingerscrossed:

[BoyCrazy]

hey girls
just thought id pop in quickly and say hi :wave:

happymess- theyre some great tips! im going to try the patting upwards one on my little man later on! btw our bubbas share the same birthday :D

has anyone been experienceing bad headaches that panadol doesnt seem to cure? i just cant shake them and it feels like its in my neck as well..:(

hope everyone else is well xx

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

has anyone been experienceing bad headaches that panadol doesnt seem to cure? i just cant shake them and it feels like its in my neck as well..:(



yep, headaches here too, and i'm pretty sure its originating from tension in my neck (in my case its probably cause i'm not relaxing while breastfeeding- holding my shoulders tight so as not to affect her attachment etc)...that and insufficient sleep-

Panadol seems to be completely ineffective, so have moved back to neurofen (sp?) (i really missed being able to take it during pregnancy) and its working quite well, when i have a particularly bad one i take a neurofen plus, wrap a heat pack around my shoulders to ease the tension and head off for a nap (thankfully DH is at home at the moment so can watch Elly)

[happymess]

WOW, I was wondering if there were any other babies born on the 3rd, how exciting. Jasper is what Caitlyn would have been called if she were a boy.

Not sure about your headaches though sorry, mine are just tired haedaches and they seem to go after a coffee and a panadol. It could be cos of how we all seem to hold our head on the side and look down at our babies while they are feeding, perhaps a heatpack on your neck next time you feed. worth a try.

Natski- I hope you sort out the day care situation, Perhaps try a playgroup rather than day care so that he can play with other kids while you are there with him.

[NewBeginnings]

:wave: girls....

I'm actually feeling sort of half human again! B decided to sleep in 3-4 hour stints last night... I feel bl00dy amazing! :laughing: No idea what we did different as I've been too overtired to do or try anything... I'm passed out by 9 at the latest lol... but I got sleep last night! So yay! :smiliedance:

Natski - I have heard of the infants friend... and the doctor just said any colic stuff on the market is good... we've almost finished the Brauers stuff so I might try it until B hits the right age for the Infacol wind drops and then keep it as a back up! Anything to get this kid to bring up his wind!

happymess - your tips are wonderful! I am slowly trying to master the burp one! I feel like he's going to tip over my shoulder and I freak and take him off :o:laughing: I can definitely see how it would work though... so I'm slowly trying to muster the courage of knowing I won't drop him lol...

I'm with you on the tipping the cot/bassinette up too... I have a towel propping B's mattress up a bit and yellow pages under the legs as well... so it's definately way up! :p

Might have to try to day and night thing too... I've been putting him in his cot to get him more used to it! Probably where I am going wrong!

Anyway little Mr T has just beckoned me coming here here screaming at me "Brockie is awake" so mummy duties call!

[Purplebird]

yep, headaches here too, and i'm pretty sure its originating from tension in my neck (in my case its probably cause i'm not relaxing while breastfeeding- holding my shoulders tight so as not to affect her attachment etc)...that and insufficient sleep-)

I really suffered with my shoulders too when I breastfed DD. It was also tension and holding shoulders too tight. You need to get DH to give you some nice shoulder and neck massages, then when you can leave bub for an hour treat yourself to some proper massages :)

[happymess]

Does anyone else have a problem with hiccups, Stephanie gets them quite alot and they will keep her awake. The doctor said to feed her again to get rid of them, but it is usually just after a feed that she gets them.

[janiceg]

charlotte gets them too...seems like after almost every feed! i looked on the internet and it says it's normal after newborns eat but there's no 'cure'. all you can do is try to comfort them if they get upset by it. they don't bother charlotte at all so i'm lucky

[NewBeginnings]

Yup :yes::yes::yes: B gets them a heap too! For no reason.... and yeah usually putting him on the boob does settle them... even if it's just for a minute or two... but the fussing to get on there and milk going everywhere cause they are annoying him end up frustrating me! :o

I got told by a lovely old lady who was doting over him in the chemist the other day that hiccups in a baby mean they are content.... if only that were more than an old wives tale!

[happymess]

Well Stephanie is a very content little bub, so maybe there is an element of truth in that old wives tale.

[OneCheekyMonkey]

hey eveyrone !

i just stepped on the scales and :eek::hissy: have a LOT of weight to lose.

So tomorrow I am going to start walking, haven't before due to the c sect but figure I am fairly healed now.

Bub is just gorgeous, I just wish/hope/pray/would pay someone if he could switch his day and nights around. It is really tiring him having his awake times at 3am.

Anyone elses bub seem to feed a lot, and I mean up to 1-2 hrs at a time?

[janiceg]

oops, i have a lot of weight to lose too:no: i haven't weighed myself since i was 5 months and i don't think i will for a while! i started walking a few times but it's hard as i have to work around bubs schedual. hoping things will get a bit more routine in the next few weeks.

she also feeds for hours and sometimes only 20 minutes. it's hard to plan anything.
at 3 am i look like bobble head trying to stay awake when she's on a feeding marathon:yes:

[megaminz]

mornin ladies

I have had my worst night since MIlan was born last night. At 1am we did our normal feed, he would fall dead asleep and then the moment I tried to put him down he would scream. We wrapped him, we rocked him, we cuddled him, left him to cry, tried it all and nothing would work. FInally after feeding and feeding and rocking and me crying he finally went to sleep on a pillow on our bed at 4am...which was not ideal. Don't know what the problem is

I have lost 10kg so far so only have another 2 to go before I am at pre baby weight. I think most of mine was just fluid retention though cause once that went I was almost normal again

[megaminz]

well little fella has been down in the spare room in his cot as opposed to basinette...
he was sleeping well til his father had to go in and "sit" with him
he just can't leave him alone and I think thats half of what happened last night, he just touches him too much and unsettles him

[happymess]

about the weight loss thing, someone said to me once that being pregnant is like putting three bags of beans in a bean bag and then taking only one out when you give birth. LOL

MM does your hubby touch his cheeks when he is sleeping? babies have an inbuilt reflex that makes them turn their head when something touches their cheeks cos they think it is feed time. So if he wants to touch him, just make sure it is not his cheeks.

How is everyone going with keeping up with house work, Miss S is 3 weeks old today and I have 3 weeks worth of clothes that need folding hmmmmm. I try to make sure that the dishes are done, and the floor under the table, and I am have been washing all the clothes, but anything else just seems impossible.

[megaminz]

he probably does Happymess, have told him not to touch his cheeks but they are quite kissable so can see the temptation there!!!

he is heaps better in spare room though so hopefully have found solution, just hope its not a one off

Ah I am lucky my mum has been doing my dishes and sweeping my floor and stuff. Its been great. I have kept washing going, just a load a day but am kinda on top of that, just have some non essentials to catch up on. Have even managed to wash some pillows!

[quitecontrary]

MM you'll have to get your dh on to the baby massage thing for when Milan is really awake, use that touching for good!
Ahh, that cleaning lark! Have actually been doing some tidying today - the actual cleaner comes tomorrow, so this place will be sparkling without little heaps of cr@p around the place for when this baby actually arrives! Even got through a whole heap of laundry - you know the stuff that just hangs around 'cause you don't really need it back in the house?
Looking forward to joining you on a permanent basis here before too long!!

[Lateralus]

Hi Girls - thought it was time that I came and met you on 'the other side'. Zoe is 6 days old today! It's been a bit of an up and down week... The absolute elation of having such a divine little creature with us - I am struggling to remember how I felt fulfilled before she was with us! The down parts have included the usual sleep deprivation (yes - our little bub is also a bif of a night owl... I will try the suggestion of trying to keep her stimulated in the late evening...). I have been struggling to get sleep at any time - had a bit of a traumatic birth and everytime I close my eyes to try and sleep I keep reliving it and thinking about it and get pretty emotional... Have also managed to cop a nasty dose of mastitis and am feeling pretty crappy from that too - had to go to the doctors today to get antibiotics and if there is no improvement in 24 hours have to go back into hospital for IV antibiotics... :fingerscrossed: it starts to clear up... Am on STRICT bed rest so poor DH is having to do EVERYTHING... Am only allowed toilet privileges.. Oh well - if things seem a little better tomorrow will be able to get up and do a bit of gentle activity. Thank god we have wireless internet or else I would go bonkers sitting here (although in saying that - I would be quite happy to watch Zoe sleeps for hours on end!)

I have had those headaches that some of you mentioned too - I thought it was from my neck but now in hindsight it may be because of the mastitis. I also have copped the painful cracked bleeding nipples - although Zoe's attachment seems perfect?! I think the damage might have been done in the first 24 hours or so.. But thankfully my nippples seem to be looking a little better. I spoke to one of the councillors from the Australian Breast Feeding association and she said that nipples can heal themselves remarkably quickly.. With correct attachment they can start to heal in 6 hours! She suggested rubbing expressed milk on them after a feed and leaving them to air dry as much as able. I have also been using a little paw paw on them when they feel particularly dry - safe to leave on when Bub feeds too. I have had really engorged boobs the last few days and I cannot wait for my supply to sort itself out... Thankfully Zoe has a good appetite but I seem to be making enough to feed a small army and she can't seem to ever drain one breast. Oh well - as everyone keeps saying, it will settle down and et easier as the days progress!

Sorry for the sooky post - I have just had a read back over it and it's all pretty negative... Just needed a bit of a vent. Hope all are well :goodvibes:

[quitecontrary]

Kate honey, hope you're feeling a bit better very soon. Have you thought about expressing your other breast to relieve the pressure? Though I suppose if you've got sore nipples its not the easiest thing to contemplate. Have you thought about summonsing up the League of Grandparents from Sydney to help you and Dh, especially with you on bedrest? Oh, my thoughts are with you.

[Lateralus]

I tried the breast pump but it seemed to make my nipples worse (it was after I used it that they started bleeding!)... But have the midwife coming to do a home visit today so I might get her to check my technique. After lots of breast massage, ice packs, antibiotics, massive doses of vit c and a reasonable nights sleep (8 hours of broken sleep - not counting time spent feeding) - I am feeling pretty good this morning.

Will discuss with DH whether we get the 'legion of grandparents' up.. It depends how he is feeling on being the person doing everything around the house!

Hope everyone had settled nights! :hugs:

[OneCheekyMonkey]

I had a midwife come out yesterday, gosh she was nice. She said that bub should sort out his nights and days by about 6 weeks. I sighed with relief then realised that it was 4 weeks away ! Then I wanted to cry.

KJ I found the antibiotics from having mastitis gave bub a really icky tummy. I hope that zoe copes with the abs better than my little one.

godda go, will finish post later

[janiceg]

katejo, you poor thing! you're having a hard go!
:hugs:
hope the midwife can help you out

[megaminz]

anyone else struggling to be conversational these days??

Kate have you tried nipple shields? I know my friend had the same issue and she said they are a pain but nips healed faster on them. I also got these hydrogel pads from supermarket, and they really soothe and heal the nips too.

Oops one of my friends with a wee bub adn also another bubhubber with a 9 week old baby told me to aim to get through a week then two weeks at a time etc...like just wanna get to week three, then 5 or 6, then before we know it we will be out this hard patch and in our groove, its kinda worked with my sore nipples, gave me hope it wont last forever

[Seacretsquirrel]

Hey ladies!!!
Just thought I'd drop in and say HI!!!!:wave: I am still playing the waiting game but will be all over on Sat (being induced then if nothing happens before)
Thoughts on nipples and burping from last time.... Nipples I found doing the football hold on alternate feeds on the sore one or both;) helped as bubs mouth is in a different position than in the regular hold. Also get your boobs out in the sunshine and fresh air whenever possible - whenever you are at home go topless it helps your nipples air - I found that this was more of a problem than dry nipples esp if you are using disposable breast pads - and with the sunshine filtered through the window is perfect (you don't have to flash the girls outside:laughing:.

With the wind one of the best tricks I found with DD was burping between sides but if she was unsettled I would carry her sort of cradled in one arm but face down with her head in the crook of my elbow. This seemed to be comfy for her and would often make her burp or fluff.

Anyway hope you are all doing well I can't wait to join in here for real.

[Purplebird]

Anyway hope you are all doing well I can't wait to join in here for real.

Me too - although I predict I'll be the last to join. I'm not due until tomorrow and I'm not up for an induction unless things get desperate! Funny to think I'm still waiting and lots of you are in your little baby bubbles :goodvibes:

All I can say about the breastfeeding ladies is hang in there if you can manage it - it is so worthwhile when it clicks. There's no doubt you'll have worse nights' sleep and your nights will be broken for longer, but b'feeding is the best thing I ever did.

Kate - the sleep thing will click eventually - you'll be able to nap whilst Zoe does and then you'll feel heaps better :hugs:

[floodprincess]

Afternoon Ladies!!

:hugs: to those experiencing challenges - god knows its hard enough at this point in time to deal with everything surrounding being a mother, let alone having additional hassles.

Well, it's been an interesting week for us - we've managed to sort out our feeding issues (thanks Nat - the football hold works wonders!!) but we've still got a paralysed arm :crying: pead thinks it's Erb's Palsy and is talking to the specialist teams at Westmead to see if their intervention might be required.......thankfully Monique seems to have more movement in her arm than she did last week when it was first noted after birth, but she's still reluctant to move the arm unless she's in the middle of a whopping temper tantrum :rolleyes:

Other than that, I can't complain, she's sleeping like a dream and waking for great feeds every 4 - 5 hours!! :hugs: to those whose babies are a little back to front - I remember DD1 being exactly the same and as MM said - focus on one day/week at a time and time will pass and before long, your routines will sort out...

Well, I'm looking forward to seeing the last of the birth announcements and chatting to everyone once they're feeling up to it.

Take care ladies!!

[Purplebird]

Oh FP - I hope little Monique is OK :hugs:

[Lateralus]

FP hope they are able to work out what the problem is with little Monique's arm and that it is something easily treatable!

A very unsettled night for us.. Poor Zoe got herself so worked up at one stage and screamed for almost 3 hours straight.. Nothing we seemed to do settled her... Poor chook.

Has anyone found that Bub is refusing one breast. She was going along fine on both boobs and all of a sudden she is now refusing the right hand one. She just won't open her mouth wide enough to attach.. At first I thought maybe it was the mastitis - but now I have that in the other boob too (joy) and she is happy as larry attaching to that one. We were reading up on breast refusal at about 3am (as you do) and one suggestion was that Bub could have pain or stiffiness in one side from their position in utero or injury during the birth (common with vac extractions).. Has anyone come across this at all &/or taken their little one to a paediatric physio or osteopath? I am wondering if that might help but would be interested to hear if anyone as had any success with it.

Hope everyone is having a settled day... My resolution today is to not cry every time she cries... Damn these hormones... :crying::sleeping:

[BoyCrazy]

FP- hope everything is sorted out with little monique's arm, hope you're coping allright too :hugs:

Kate- :hugs: to you too! sounds like you arent having much fun..i hate hormones!

my little man has started waking every 3hrs for feeds..argh i feel so scatterbrained and sleep deprived atm! taking him to get weighed this arvy, will be interesting to see how much the little porker has gained lol.

hes finally asleep now, so im off to have a shower as its 11am and im still in my pjs :o

[quitecontrary]

Kate - have you tried the "football" hold on the breast that Z rejects? Apparently that can work a treat for moving bubs from the good breast to the rejected one. Hope you all get some good rest today. Does your baby health clinic do an "early bird" group? We had it at our clinic from 2 weeks, and it was a life saver.

[gizmoduckus]

Hi there everyone!

I hope you are all well.

I am feeling very overwhelmed today. Along with the sleep deprivation it just seems that we are dealing with one health problem after another.

He was finally getting better after he started taking his reflux medication and after seeing a baby chiropractor that I thought we might be in the clear when on Friday he started getting blood in his poo. He also hasn't had a bowel movement at all today even though he is struggling to push one out.

Went to see the doctor today and she wasn't happy with what she saw that she tried to get him in to see his pediatrician straight away. Unfortunately he is working in the Riverland the next few days and can't see him until Monday morning. I have to now just keep an eye on him and if he becomes ill at all over the weekend then I have to take him straight to the hospital.

My poor baby has been to more doctor appointments in 4 weeks than DS1 has been in 2 and a half years.

I just feel like crying at the moment because the lack of sleep seems to be making it seem so much worse. Usually I am pretty calm in situations like this but I am really not coping too well. I just want him to be all better....

Sorry for the rambling but just needed to get it out.

[Lateralus]

:hugs: gizmo - hope your little man is OK over the weekend & no need for a dash to the hospital. :hugs:

Feeling a little more optimistic in our camp - I rang the lactation consultant at the hospital & am now expressing the boob that Bub is refusing... She's probably not so keen on it because it is so full and engorged.. So the plan is to express for 24 hours.. Give that boob a bit of a rest and then try her on it late tomorrow. Managed to pump off almost 90mls and feeling so much better! Fingers crossed it will all settle down. :fingerscrossed:

[quitecontrary]

gizmo I do hope your little one is on the mend right now, sounds like you've had a bit of a rough trot.
Kate I am glad you spoke to the lactation consultant at the hospital - sounds like you will be feeling a bit better with the expressing.
baylismum (who will have to change her name!) I hope Jasper has a good weigh-in, and he realises that 4th hourly feeds are much more humane and family friendly!

[janiceg]

:hugs:to all of you!
this is definately not the easiest time but everyday will get better (or so they tell me!)

my midwife was here today...my little bub is doing fine. she's gained 710g and 500g of that was just in the past week! she sure loves her boobie juice! i'm feeling lucky as she seems to be fussy in the afternoon and is pretty content the rest of the time.

again, lots of love to the rest of you and i hope we all have a good night tonight! i'm off to sleep already!

[debplus3]

Hi there girls...I have missed you guys!!

I am right there with you all on unsettled nights, sore boobs, headaches and sleep depravation.

Bradley is also a little superstar during the day and he will pretty much feed and sleep anywhere. But night time is a different story. I also remember my OB saying with one of my previous bubs that babies often feed really well first thing in the morning, and then 12 hours later it will hit their bowels and that will often cause them a lot of carry on and discomfort. My DD was a colicy baby (couldn't be official colic as apparently they need to be continually crying for 3+ hours for that!!) and she was often at her worst from 5pm-10pm.

And my other son is having kinder issues. he had only just started kinder (when I was in hospital) and then he got sick and had to miss quite a few sessions. He went back on Tuesday and had a complete meltdown when DH tried to leave him, which is not Kaleb at all. I took him yesterday and he was just as distressed. so hard to see him like that. Kinder teachers are being lovely and just encouraged me to hang around and see how he goes. They also said he has had a lot going on in his little world over the past few weeks and it just may all be to much for him at the moment. Even DH came home with tears in his eyes over seeing our boy that upset!!

Bradley is already 200 grams over his birth weight at just over 2 weeks old, so he is obviously getting enough milk. He is another one who prefers my left boob over the right, especaially at night time. He also only tends to feed from one side at a time, which leaves me constantly lop-sided!!

DH had his wisdom tooth pulled out yesterday (yes, he went ahead with that appointment!!), so he is flaked out on the bed and useless for the day I would assume.

Another bad bush-fire day here today. I can smell the smoke from inside the house already. And we're not even in the danger areas.

Hope you all had a better sleep last night.

[Lateralus]

:smiliedance: feeding Zoe from the left boob and supplementing with EBM from the right side & she was SO much more settled overnight!! She only woke at 1am, 4am & 8am for feeds which I think is the best she's done so far - AND she settled relatively quickly after each feed :smiliedance:

Debplus3 Home your little kinder boy is settling in a bit better - must be such an unsettled time for him... I don't have any experience with this, but hopefully it will just take him a little bot of time to get used to kindy and that he'll be loving it in no time. Stay safe with those fires too... :hugs:

Janice glad to hear Charlotte's weight is up-up & away... It's so reassuring when those numbers start creeping up isn't it?!

Back to the GP today to get my mastitis checked out... It looks a tiny bit better but feels loads better and the fevers have settled down - so hopefully he won't follow through with his threats of IV antibiotics in hospital... Think that would be just too much of an emotion blow at the moment!! So :fingerscrossed: it won't be necessary!

Anyhow - off for a nice shower while Zoe is snoozing (before 10am!!! Things ARE looking up!). :sunshine:

[happymess]

Hi everyone, I am feeling incredibly flat today, I am not sure if it is cos I am tired, or hormonal or maybe it is hormone withdrawls. I hate to say this out loud, but I am not enjoying this baby time, I keep thinking I made a mistake having number 4 cos I cant get them all organised. We were late to school again this morning, the girls had to walk in during assembly, with the principal standing up the front telling them to hurry up. I had also forgotten their recess and had to go home and get some and then go back to school and put it in their bags.
Stephanie is restless and cranky between about 6 and 10, while I am trying to get tea orgnaised and reading readers, and getting the other girls ready for bed. She seems to just want to be awake and have a lot of feeds. It is very frustrating.
Dont get me wrong, I love my gorgeous baby, and luckily she is very content and easy to look after, but I am just very drained, and I have no support network here, except for DH and my Aunty Cathy who loves to have the girls for a sleep over, or for an afternoon, but that doesnt help me with getting everyone organised or getting my housework, cooking, shopping, etc done. I also dont want the girls to think they are missing out on playing with the baby, or that I am too busy for them anymore, so I try to limit their visits. My Mum who lives in the same town as us has only visited us once and that was the day we came home from hospital. I think her neglect is adding to my woes.

Sorry for the whinge.

Kate, I am glad to here that Zoe settled down a bit, hope the mastitis gets better soon, I had that with my second and it wasnt much fun at all.

Gizmo, hope your little one stats to feel a bit better and that you dont have to take him to the hospital over the weekend.

Deb, hope your little boy settles into kindy, it is a lot for little ones when they have a new sibling, without starting kindy as well. Everything he once knew has now changed. Perhaps reassure him that the changes are for the better.

FP hope everything is ok with moniques arm.

[quitecontrary]

Oh Darlings, I hope you are all having a better evening of it today.
Just caught up on today's posts - sounds like our babies are doing what they are meant to do, which is good for them, just not so good for their families sometimes.
Happymess I think you are doing an amazing job with all your children. One thing one of my friends mums used to do when we were growing up was make all the lunches ie sandwiches for school on the weekend and freeze them - it struck me as strange at the time but I can understand now why this happened!! You will get into the swing of things soon. Why don't you send (ie call!) a special invitation to your mum to get her to come over? Sounds like you need to see her even if she isn't going to lend a hand.
We are still waiting! This child has one day left to actually arrive in Feb! Who knows what will happen overnight!
hugs to all of you x

[Lateralus]

is everyone else crying at least on a daily (sometimes more realistically an hourly) basis? I guess this is normal?! :crying:

[A'sMummy]

Hi Ladies, thought I would join you in this thread now that bubs is born.
We are both doing really well, she seems to settle well after feeding and majority of the time sleeps for 3 hours between feeds. Have been managing around 6 hours sleep per a night between feeds.
Dh has been home all week and has been helping out around the house which is great! Will be sad to see him back off to work on Monday.
Breastfeeding is going well... bubs has gained 10grams since birth in the first week. I have one sore nipple (right) and she doesn't seem to attach as well on that nipple, but not sure why?? I have been using the football hold since day 1 as I couldn't get comfy any other way.

FP- I hope Moniques arm improves for you! It must be scary, but if she is moving it, it seems very hopeful it will sort itself out :hugs:

Happymess- You are amazing having 4 children to look after! I would not be able to cope as well as you that's for sure! Remember to take all the help you can get and don't worry about the little things like housework, enjoy your bubs :hugs:

Deb- I hope your lil man is better at kindy next week. I can only imagine how heart breaking it is to see him upset :no:

Gizmo- I hope your bubs is feeling better soon! :hugs:Poor lil thing going to the Drs so often, that in itself must be exhausting for you all!

KateJo- Oh you poor thing! BIG huge HUGS your way! I am sure things will get more settled soon and you can get some well deserved rest!! As the others suggested, I am just taking things one day at a time.

Not sure if its any help, but my midwife suggested this little breastfeeding routine which has helped soooo much. When Anya wakes, I feed on one side, then change her bum once she finishing on that side, then after the bum change pop her on the other breast and let her go until she stops again. Also while she is feeding I massage out any lumps in my breasts. Straight after feeding I put a frozen facewasher on my boob. I also massage the lumps out whilst in the shower and religiously use nipple cream atleast once daily. It seems to have really helped the swelling and soreness in my breasts.

[plumptobump]

Hi Feb mummies! Thought I would pop in and say hi! You all are having your fair share of dramas, so HUGE :hugs: to all of you!

As for us, we are doing well. Cade is 3 1/2 weeks now, and is such a content easy-going boy, exactly like his brother was. I had supply issues first time around, so am super vigilant this time to keep up with the demand. Most days are fine, and he wakes for feeds every 3-4 hours for the most part. Somedays he will want the boob non-stop, and those days are really draining and emotional for me. I get heaps more milk from the left bb than the right, and I dont really know why as I stimulate them both the same...its very interesting. He was back at birth weight at 10 days old, but we dont get him weighed again until the 5th, so not sure where he is at the moment. I am having incision dramas from the c/s, just as I did after Carter, so that has really put a damper on things. I have some oozing where its opened up a bit, so am pretty much couch-ridden for most of every day. Its horrible. :( Went to the mall today for errands and shopping and have been in pain ever since, so I fear I overdid it...just as things were starting to look better. sigh. This is what I wanted to avoid with trying for the vbac, argh! :hissy:

Anyway, we are very lucky that Cade sleeps through 6-7 hours at night, and has done since the beginning. Very surprising considering he was so active in utero at night. I think the key was that I only put him in a sleep wedge thing at night, so he knows the difference...I count my blessings as I dont think I would be coping with multiple mid-night feeds. I applaud you girls. :yelclap: He also has no wind issues, and like I said, is very content and happy most of the time...smiles A LOT, especially at my hairline and the blinds. :laughing:

Anyway, thats us. I do hope you girls know that this season will pass and things will get easier...just hang on! :hugs:

[OneCheekyMonkey]

I hope everyone else is doing well, it is the weekend so hopefully everyone's partner or family are around to give them a hand.

I am managing much much better than I thought I would. I am coping on very little sleep, and really enjoying the time bub and I have together. I constantly chatter to him and sing silly songs. :p I am not emotional though, I thought I would be a crying hormonal wreck, maybe that is to come ?

We had our first huge day out today and it is not over. Over 35 degrees and we went to an outside wedding. I used my Baby Bjorn since it looked cooler but found it quite uncomfortable. I think I will stick to using my Ergo or ring sling. I am thinking of using the Baby Bjorn in the water with him... or ebay it. Tonight (after bub wakes and feeds) is my MIL 50th party. I don;t feel like going, but should at least pop by.... you know how it is!

Bub has been seen every 2nd day by my chiro as he was a forceps via csect delivery and seemed to not want to turn his head to the right. Thankfully now he is turning his head both ways and feeding without a drama.

We are settling into a sort of routine which involves both of us sleeping till about midday. I really take my hat off to everyone who has a toddler/school age kids and has to fit baby into their current routine. It is nice letting baby dictate my routine, and anything I need to do I just plan on doing between 1-5pm. I feel quite lucky, but figure that I had best enjoy this now as when I have number two I will be exponentially busier.

Here is a laugh for everyone. I arrived at the chiro yesterday and decided to use the pram. Pulled it out of my boot and could not work out how to undo it. I even tried gently kicking it to see if it would magically undo itself and spring open :laughing::yes:. No such luck ! In the end I rang my partner who drove down to the chiro to show me how to unlatch it. Silly thing is that before I left I made sure I knew how to fold it. Ah well, these things only happen once(per pram I guess!!!!). We did go for a lovely walk after seeing the chiro though and both the chiro and her secretary had a good laugh with me.

What else have we done.... oh I got my father to take some pics of bub - it is really nice having professional photographers in the immediate family (two of them hehe). Here are my fav
http://s103.photobucket.com/albums/m133/insipidapple/?action=view&current=IMG_4512Large.jpg my 20 month brother and bub

http://s103.photobucket.com/albums/m133/insipidapple/?action=view&current=IMG_4545Large.jpg bubby

http://s103.photobucket.com/albums/m133/insipidapple/?action=view&current=IMG_4438Large.jpg me holding bubby, but i am cut out ;)

I really have a HUGE complex over my weight now bub is here. I am trying not to focus on it but I feel like a big lump! Nothing fits! Nothing looks nice ! I put on SO MUCH during pregnancy because of my thyroid failing.... no thyroid = no metabolism. :crying: I have about 15 kilos to lose :crying:

Oh! I am also pleased that feeding NO LONGER HURTS ! WHOOOHOOO !!!! I realised yesterday that feeding had been painless for a day or two ! I don;t even recall when it last hurt. YAYAYAYAY!

Woah. THat was long!

[quitecontrary]

Oops I take my hat off to you taking bub to an outside wedding in Feb in Perth!! I've only been to one wedding in Perth and that was outdoors in November - and it was sooooo hot. Sounds like you have every baby carrier available - don't jettison anything just yet, its early days! Please don't worry too much about your weight - its early days too. I remember our early childhood nurse saying she didn't want to hear a word about losing weight - which was good advice - you need your strength, and you can deal with the weight loss a little later down the track. Especially seeings you had a c/s - your body needs to recover.
PtoB sorry to hear you're having scar issues after your c/s. I hope you are able to get the rest you need to recover.
To all you other new (or new again!) mums - take care of yourselves, and I hope your little ones are settling into life in the big wide world!

[OneCheekyMonkey]

qc - Yeah my step mother passed on the baby bjorn, i bought an ergo, and I was given a ring sling! It is nice to be able to try out the different styles. True, I probably shouldnt get rid of any yet - but I did find that the BB hurt my back (actually very similar to how it felt the day I had bubby). As for weight, yeah I should try not to stress, but I guess I just feel icky. Note to self- be kinder and more gentle. I guess the csect has knocked me around too.... I am hoping that some of the extra weight is still fluid since my feet are at least a size bigger still.

Today was our first day in MCNs, so far I really like them. I find the poo seems to 'stick' to the nappy rather than to his bottom which is really nice. They do bulk his pants out though so I am curious as to whether his winter pants will fit.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend, and if you are in perth, coping with the humidity.

[Lateralus]

morning all - we have had a slightly better night here.. Bub woke 3 times for feeds and fed for a fairly long time at each feed (an hour - an hour & 1/2... I presume this is a longish time??) but it was a lot less traumatic since I decided to use nipple shields! OMG - If I wasn't married already, I would declare my undying love for the inventor of the nipple shield. I am no longer filled with dread at the thought of attaching Zoe to the boob - she attaches with more ease, is less frantic and seems to be more satisfied after each feed. We've even been able to try out a few new feeding positions that were impossible to try with the level of attachment pain I was getting before! Less tears and more smiles all around. Hopefully if I use them for a few days it will give the girls a chance to heal.. Off to see a lactation consultant tomorrow so we can make sure attachment is good and hopefully we'll be on the right track again. Oops you fill me with optimism when you said you have reached the stage when feeing doesn't hurt any more.. I can't wait to get to that stage :yelclap:

Hope everyone is doing well - Am going to jump in for a shower before DH heads to work... My first day alone with Bubs...

[OneCheekyMonkey]

KJ - I declared undying love for the makers of Lansinoh and nipple shields too. I used to cry every time bub attached. I feel so lucky that it doesn't hurt anymore.

My bub attaches for up to 1.5 hours, well not literally attach but it can take that long for a feed. After he feeds for say 8 mins, then falls asleep, then I put him down so he cools and wakes, then reattaches, then burping.... easy 1.5. I am feeding about 3x at night too, 9pm ish, 1am ish, 5am ish.

Anyone else expressing so that their DH can do a night feed? I find if I express around 11am I can get a good 110 ml which I can put in the fridge so if I am extra tired daniel can feed bub. :)

[janiceg]

:hugs:to those having feeding problems
it does get better! i have no problems for the past week or so.. i did find the Lansinoh cream prolonged the healing..so i just would rub on some milk at the end of each feeding and let it dry and they were fine after two days.

the problem i am having is sleep! since friday she has a hard time sleeping more than 1-2 hours and i'm exhausted! the midwife said she would be 'not herself' for a few days during week two but this is nuts! she's feeding heaps, lots of dirty nappies but just not sleeping well
any ideas would be welcome

[quitecontrary]

Janice its been a while since I had a teeny tiny, but I'll have one again before the week is out. My suggestion is - turn the radio/ cd up LOUD (louder than her crying), wrap her up and put her down - and walk away. We used Sounds for Silence religiously and it worked (or brainwashed as my family would say!) it is white noise basically.
I hope things improve in the sleeping stakes for you very soon!

[gizmoduckus]

Hi All!

I thought I would update you all on my little one. We went to see the pediatrian this morning and he said that because of DS2's history that he was a bit worried about the blood in the poo. He rang up a gastroenterologist and discussed his case with him. The specialist recommended a blood test and a poo test to check if he had any bugs or infections. He has also put him on Neocate in case he has an allergy. We have to go back to him next week to see how he is progressing.

The hardest thing is that he is so unsettled and usually in pain that he barely sleeps. Last night he only fell asleep at 1:30am and then woke at 5:30am. He hardly ever sleeps in the day unless we are holding him or he is in his bouncer or we are walking him around in his pram so we basically never sleep either. I feel like a walking zombie all the time.

His reflux has seemed to have gotten better since we have put him on medication and have taken him to see a chiro. If anything, it has stopped all his vomiting so at least one of his problems has stopped.

I JUST MORE THAN A COUPLE OF HOURS SLEEP A NIGHT!!!! :sleeping:

[Lateralus]

We used Sounds for Silence religiously and it worked (or brainwashed as my family would say!) it is white noise basically.


We're getting to that desperate stage... Have just downloaded a copy of Sounds for Silence... After poor litle Zoe screaming all night we're willing to give anything a go!

Went and saw the Lactation nurse yesterday and am feeling a little happier after seeing here. She said it's OK to use the nipple shields for a while (I was feeling so guilty for some reason) - so I am to use them for the next week to give my nipples a chance to heal and then will go back and see her next Monday to work on our attachment technique. Mastitis cleared up a bit, but now rearing it's ugly head again... Am on a 2nd course of antibiotics. It seems all I do is feed, express and massage my boobs... Hopefully once my nipples have healed it will take that avenue of infection away and I will stop getting this horrible mastitis. :fingerscrossed:

Hope everyone is doing OK today :hugs:

[happymess]

Kate, are your bras a bit tight?, I had mastitis once and it was caused by my bras being to tight, I also used to wear them to bed, which made the issue even worse, If your bras are tight it blocks the milk ducts which causes mastitis. and try not to wear them to bed and give your boobs some bra free time, I now sleep on a really good bed wetting mat which soaks up the milk during the night and gives my boobs bra free time.

[megaminz]

Giz I am glad the vomitting is better but I hope his poo issue is sorted out soon

I had a dreadful night with my little fella, he wanted to feed about everty 1.5 hours, and my boobs were on fire by the end of it.

What colour is your babies poo?? Milans is dark brown and I thought its meant to be yellow mustard coloured?

[janiceg]

What colour is your babies poo?? Milans is dark brown and I thought its meant to be yellow mustard coloured?

yellow explosions here..with little curds in it
i never thought i'd inspect someone's poo so much in my life:laughing:

[happymess]

Ours are yellowy greeny with little curds in it, (where do the lumps come from?????)

Get used to it Janice, from now on you will always be talking about poo, and spew, and runny noses, and then they start toilet training and you are still talking about poo, and wee, and runny noses. LOL

[A'sMummy]

oh my gosh I am going to go insane. Like some of you other ladies, my once angel has turned into a screaming nightmare :crying:
All she wants to do it feed, be awake and be held... I think she has run my boobs completely dry 3 times in the past 24hrs. Argh I dont know how to settle her :confused:
I feel for you all in the same boat!!
She has also started spewing a bit too :(

[Seacretsquirrel]

Hello Ladies Finally I am on the otherside!!!!!
We finally arrived home today after spending 48 hours in hospital so bubs Riley could be monitored (I was Group B strep positive) all is fine he showed no symptoms so that is great!.

Riley's arrival story....
I was finally taken into hospital at 4-30 on Sat the 29th of Feb but as I had to have antibiotics for the GBS I had to have a canula but nothing is ever that easy and it took 3 staff 5 attempts and almost 5 hours to get one in my arm... (so I am all bruised!) finally they broke my waters at about midnight and got the synto drip going. I managed to get through only using the gas again but this time they gave me something to stop the nausea so I didn't feel as ill as I did with Zahlia. and five hours and 4 mins after it all began Riley Christopher Douglas Heth ering ton made his appearance!
No stiches (just 2 small grazes and I must admit it amazing how much less uncomfortable it is down there with no stiches).
BF is once again a sharp learning curve and Riley is chewing the hell out of my nipples and they are rather grazed and cracked DH is off for nipple shields to help me get through the next little while hopfully they will help not hinder I did't use them last time but Zahlia didn't munch like Riley does.
anyhoo Rileybis up so I better be off will catch up later.:wave:

[A'sMummy]

SS- I have been thinking about you and wondering when you would join us on this end! Congratualtions on little Riley, I seen some pics on facebook and he is just gorgeous!! Hope the nipples get better soon, I used nipple shields for one day and it really seemed to help and give them time to heal a bit.

My nipples are also copping a beating with this hourly feed business Anya has happening in the past 24hrs. I "think" I have FINALLY settled her to sleep.. let's hope it lasts:fingerscrossed:
I can't beleive she has only really slept 4 hours in the past 15 hours... Argh!

[debplus3]

I was just catching up on all your posts and I can't help but be amazed at how quickly we have gone from being big ol' preggers women to dealing with new born babies - all in a matter of weeks!!

I am there with the unsettled baby thing. Bradley was a sleeping, feeding angel for the first 2 weeks and now he is unsettled, not feeding as well and has definate wind pains. And he seems to be so much worse at night. He is actually fast asleep now and I know I should wake him so that he sleeps for longer later, but I just want to enjoy some peace while I can.

I am trying to watch what I eat so that my milk is not upsetting his tummy, but it doesn't seem to be making much of a difference.

Thankfully my split nipples have healed up. I just used breast milk after each feed on my nipples and then let them air dry for a while. worked a treat. Although, my nipples are already "weathered" from feeding two previous babies!

Waiting for big storms to hit Melbourne over the next few hours, hoping the storms will pass quickly and not make the fires worse.

[Lateralus]

Janice its been a while since I had a teeny tiny, but I'll have one again before the week is out. My suggestion is - turn the radio/ cd up LOUD (louder than her crying), wrap her up and put her down - and walk away. We used Sounds for Silence religiously and it worked (or brainwashed as my family would say!) it is white noise basically.
I hope things improve in the sleeping stakes for you very soon!

We just bought the SFS CD and so far so good (granted it's the first day we've used it... So don't know if she is having a more settled day anyway...).

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

hi mummies!!!

i've been reading daily but haven't really felt the need to post- Gosh this mummy thing is hard sometimes hey? Yesterday Elianna woke up all snuffly and we had to use the nasal aspirator to clear her nose as she couldn't breathe properly while feeding (let me tell you its very painful when she holds on to the nipple with her jaws so that she can get a breathe through her mouth wihtout it falling out..OUCH!!)- i couldn't believe the amount of snot and mucus that we sucked out- and she still sounded snuffly. then in the early hours of this morning she kept having moments when she couldn't breathe so we had to do it again and now she has a horrible sounding chesty-mucousy cough on top of her blocked nose- its scary when she's sick and i don't know whether i'm being overly paranoid or whether i should be taking her to the doctor.

On the plus side she seems quite settled (which is why i haven't taken her to the docs yet) and is only waking every 3-4 hours for a feed throughout the night- which i can certainly cope with (the one morning she slept 6.5 hours i woke all confused and stressed as she hadn't fed in so long so i'm happy with the current state of affairs for now!)

I hope everyone else is coping okay- Kate how did the CD go??

talk soon
Kath

[Lateralus]

we're having intermittent success with the CD... Zoe certainly doesn't seem to be working herself up into the frenzied yelling sessions that she had... But it's only the 2nd day we've been using it, so she might be having a more settled day anyway? I think it will take a week or two to tell if it's really doing the trick...

GBAGM - sorry to hear wee Elianna has been unwell - hope that snuffly nose clears up soon! :hugs:

[Lateralus]

ok.. please tell me someone elses bub is awake ALL night... she was awake from 9pm until 4am.. the only time she was not crying was when she was on the boob.. she would fall asleep on the boob but the slightest move to put her down and she would be awake and yelling again.... Anyone else? :sleeping:

[janiceg]

we had a good night last night for the first time in a week! she has been feeding hourly and i was losing it! but last night she slept for 2-3 hours each time...fantastic!
but
this morning she was back to her old ways and feeding hourly. i tried everything and she just lost it...screaming her bloody head off and when i put her on the boob she just holds it in her mouth and lays there.
so
i gave her a dummie.
it was like magic and she's so happy now. but i cried most of the morning as i didn't ever want to give her a dummy. feel like i really let her down.
i called the midwife as i worried about nipple confusion but as she's gained 1.105kg in three weeks! we think she should be alright:fingerscrossed:

[happymess]

Miss S does that between 6 and 10pm which is easier to manage than 9pm until 4am, the midwife told me she was cluster feeding and to just let her keep doing it and hopefully she would sleep longer at night, but that doesnt help you right now does it, sorry. Does she have a long day time sleep, if so maybe wake her up so she has that longer sleep at night which is soo hard cos when they are sleeping you just want to leave them in peace. I which I had some better advice Kate, **Hugs** try and sleep when she is even if it is during the day.

[Lateralus]

so
i gave her a dummie.
it was like magic and she's so happy now. but i cried most of the morning as i didn't ever want to give her a dummy. feel like i really let her down.


Oh Janice - I hear you. We resorted to a dummy a couple of nights ago and I couldn't stop crying... It looked so big on her little face & the same as you - I felt like I had let her down... But like Charlotte, Zoe just gets on the boob and lies there with it in her mouth.. As much as I would like to be able to provide her with that comfort 24/7, my sanity won't allow it. We are trying just to use the dummy overnight... I don't know why I feel so bad about using it... But I do :(

[gizmoduckus]

Girls, don't worry about using a dummy. If it is helping you then it's a good thing.

Is there a reason why you think it's a bad thing? People usually don't like using it because they think it is going to be more of a pain later on but I haven't heard anyone thinking that its bad. From what I have heard, nipple confusion only usually happens if you haven't established breastfeeding yet but it sounds like you all have.

BTW, there is now a march chat thread.

[Lateralus]

I don't know why I feel like it's a bad thing... Maybe it makes me feel like I have failed because I can't comfort her without it?! But we got to breaking point a few nights ago and were willing to try anything at that stage!

[natski]

Hi girls,

First of all - congrats to all the girls who have recently had bubs, hope you are all doing well. I haven't had the chance to get through all the posts in this thread and in the announcements thread so will hopefully catch up in the next week or so.

Well, we are finally back on track after a rough couple of weeks....I have spent the last 3.5 weeks at the Children's Hospital with Olivia and we've only just got back today. It's been a pretty crappy time, but we got through it all and thankful that she is okay and it was something very treatable.

She basically had a bone infection (Osteomyletis) on her elbow caused by the lovely Golden Staph. She ended up having surgery (and subsequently going back into theatre again last week because the IV line broke) and we had to stay so long so she could have IV antibiotics for 3 weeks, as she was too young to have oral antibotics.

Very emotional and hard time for us, especially her being so young, but she is doing great and I have managed to get through it all without too many tears and breakdowns. I basically stayed with her 24-7 and had DH and DS come down to visit us each day (lucky we are only 10 minutes down the road). James has had it tough, being passed around all over the place, wanting mummy, but he got through it all and is now daddy's best friend!!! I tell you though, it's an extremely levelling experience when you walk around the hospital and see how sick some of these kids are and realise that what you're going through is nothing compared to some other kids and families. It makes you appreciate and thankful of your blessings.

I'm amazed at how strong I became, but sometimes it was very hard, especially seeing James get upset when he said goodbye each night. It was rather distressing when you heard the other children crying out in pain and fear.

Ah...anyway...I'm getting myself upset. I haven't cried alot, I think I was trying to be the strong one. But again, you look at the big picture and see it as a small setback compared to others.

So, on the lighter side of things, I hope you are all well and hopefully will be catching up again more often and will probably be spending the next week or so catching up!

Nat
xxx

[Samiie]

Hello
I only just found this thread have been looking for one like this for a while i had my first DS on 19th Feb and sorry to brag but he is amazing he feeds every every 3 half hours to 4 hours all the time. To help those ladies with the 10-11 feed, the first night i brought Cooper home he was unsettled and he didnt really know the difference between day and night so we started to wrap him in his cloth after the 10-11 o'clock feed and he soon got into the rutine that when he got wrapped that was bed time and settled great on his own and when he wakes up around 6-7 he gets unwrapped and he knows that its day time and he is a very content little man. I understand about the nipple problem i had that when i was breatfeeding but he just mucked around after most feeds and still acted like he was hungry and i got the baby blues becoz i felt like i wasnt being a good mother and just got myself down with it so his father said nope put him on the bottle he didnt want to see me upset and Coop has gained so much weight since he has been bottle feeding he is now 4570 and he was 3385 so he has gianed over 1000g since birth and he is only just over 5 weeks so im a very happy mummy.

[quitecontrary]

Samiie we are all basically over in the parents group thing now Feb 09 Mums March Chat something like that is the name - not sure how to link from here but I think (moderators where are you?) that this thread needs to be closed as we all have our bubs now.
So, find us in the parent chat area - we'd love to see you there!