*+* Feb 09 Mums March chat !*+* :)

[OneCheekyMonkey]

Whoohoo we are in March ! Gosh the newborn days are going quickly I can't believe bub will be 3 weeks this coming tuesday!

:hugs: To everyone who is still due and poking their heads in, looking forward to your little ones joining us Earth Side soon!

[happymess]

Little miss S is 1 month old today, (but it is a short month) I cant believe how fast that time has gone. I am actually feeling more confident that I am getting to know her and what she wants.

Thankyou for all the kind words the other day, I am feeling a little bit better, although when the Child and Youth Helth nurse was here yesterday and she did her questionaire, she thinks I should perhaps see someone and get some "help", I am not sure if this help means counselling or if it means help with the house and getting the girls ready for school, I suppose I will find out today when she rings. DH got very deffensive when he found out and started saying stupid stuff about the kids being taken away from us, which made me lose it, big time, but it is just rediculous, I have never heard of anyone having their kids taken away because their Mum hasnt done the washing.

Any way, I better go and do some folding or something. LOL. I hope everyone is having a happy day. It is raining here which is a lovely change.

[BoyCrazy]

hi girls
wow i cant believe its a month since i had my little man..time has gone way too fast!
took him to be weighed today, he was 3.3kgs at birth and at 4 weeks he now weighs 4.5kgs! am really happy!
hes finally started to sort out his night sleeps, dreamfeeds work wonders for him and he will sleep from 7 then dreamfeed at 10:30, sleep til 3:30 and wake for a feed, then sleep til about 5:30-6. before this he was waking every 2hrs for feeds, the extra sleep is amazing and im not so zombie like during the day :D

hope everyone is going well, xx

[OneCheekyMonkey]

what exactly is dreamfeed and how do i do it ? it sounds like they don;t wake up....


well my little one is not so little anymore, he is over 5 kilos now ! he was just over 4 at birth though... i am trying to savour the newborn days and enjoying every moment. I know when I have the next one I won't have the time to enjoy the newborn days as much so I am greedily savouring them now.

we had our first day out at the shops. i had a dr appt then we went to coles. it was a really bad time because i had to interrupt a feed to go to the drs, then he slept at the drs and woke in coles and started screaming :no:. i must have looked quite frantic because someone openned a checkout for me :yes:.

hope everyone else is ok :)

[BoyCrazy]

dreamfeeding is where you pick up bub while they are still asleep..usually around 10-11pm, and give them a feed in the hope that cause their little tummies are full they will sleep a bit longer! :yes:

[YMo7]

hi everyone.. 1st time i been on since i had bubs.... hoping everyone is well... has everyone had their bubs' yet?

how r u all going being new mums? :)

all going well here. take care,
suze.

[OneCheekyMonkey]

hmm thanks for the explanation bm, bub usually wakes and feeds at that time anyway but it does sound good.

hey suze, i love the name Star-Lily, how are you both going?

[Seacretsquirrel]

Hey Ladies, Well I think I now have an explanation for the sore nipples Riley has a tongue tie which is making attachment hard hence sore nipples have an appt with a doctor tomorrow to get it looked at and snipped which should make a difference imediately apparently. We are off back to darwin next wed which will be both great and sad - Mum will be devastated to see us go (but will be glad to have her house back too I am sure) - But I think she is saving to come visit in the june july holidays which will be great!
Anyhoo off to express some more (to give my nipples a break) so bye for now glad all is shaping up pretty well for us all!

[mummyJ]

Hi mummies!!!

I don't know whether I should sneak in here still or join the Marchies since my little girl decided to be 8 days late and born in March!!

Anyway...I had my lovely girl on Monday morning at 3.28am. 4 hour labour from waters breaking at 11.30pm. I had a water birth which was great. No stictches, just a small graze. She was 4.22kg, although she looks so petite that it surprised me! DS was at the labour. He loved it. Luckily even though I was strep b positive they let me go home at 5pm the same day, which was awesome as i just wanted my own shower and bed!!!
She feeds like an absolute pro...The midwives kept praising me for what a good job i was doing, but she is just freakishly awesome and efficient.
I am still on cloud 9...Just loving having my 2 gorgeous kids!!!
She has one 5 hour sleep in the night, which is great!

BIG :hugs: for you who are struggling. I know what it's like...I'm still in the honeymoon phase as she is only 2 days old...I'm sure I'll join you soon with all my newborn worries!!!

[A'sMummy]

Mummyj- I think you should stick with us :D And congrats on your beautiful lil girl!!

SS- hope you have some luck with the tongue-tie situation and your breasts get some well deserved relief!

Happymess- Happy 1 month bday to your lil one. Wow time flies hey!

My lil one seems a bit happier today. She was feeding every 2 hrs for the past 2 days but it seems to have died down now. But I do have a confession to make :( After she was constantly wanting to suck for 4 hours straight at 2am and my nipples were killing I popped her into bed and let her suck on a dummy :shame:. I felt like such a bad mum!! She kept going to sleep on my breast and in my arms but as soon as I put her down she would scream and want to go back on the breast. She was soooo over tired I think and giving her the dummy calmed her down and she put herself off to sleep. After 30 mins when she was asleep I pulled it out again. I always thought my children wouldn't have dummies... but I guess you never know till you get here hey!
Does anyone else use a dummy for settling?

[OneCheekyMonkey]

C&C I never thought I would use a dummy but now I think they are great! I pop one into bubs mouth when he is tired, pop him into his bassinett and he settles and sleeps within 5 mins.

Mummyj i think you should stay with us too ! You have shared our journey :) Congrats on having such a wonderful sounding birth!

SS I bet it will be nice to be home, I hope Rileys tongue tie gets sorted soon. I hear it is as easy as a quick snip and that the majority of bubs dont even make a cry.


We had a good day today, went to the shops which was far less dramatic. I gave him a long feed at 1230-130, then time just passed and it was 4 and I noticed he was frantically sucking his fist. Doh I felt so bad. I must remember to keep an eye on the time! Bub is between clothe sizes which is really annoying, the 0000 are too short for his body and the 000 are just too big. I am using his short 0000 as tshirts and tucking them into footless pants.

[happymess]

SS, I had never heard of a tongue tie before, I hope it is easy to sort out and you will get hime feeding properly in no time.

CC I used a dummy a couple of days ago and I felt the same, I thought I was being a bad mum shoving this horrible plastic thing in her mouth, but it did give my nipples a rest and we both felt better for it, but I havent needed it since.

oops miss S is wearing both 0000 and 000 as well, some of the 4 zeros are bigger than others and some of the 3 zeros are smaller, it is hard to know what is what.

[Purplebird]

Hello ladies, I can finally join you with a proper baby now here. Cameron was born on 1 March after a 4 hour labour, which I am very happy about! I had to have quite a few stitches as he came out posterior, but the good old Arnica has really helped with healing.

Cam is gorgeous and I'm still in my babymoon phase so I haven't encountered any issues as yet! I will though I'm sure of that. He is a wonderful feeder, but has day and night totally back to front - we're working on it. His big sister loves him, but also is struggling to cope with his arrival understandably.

Hugs to all of you and I will be back on the ball again soon I hope.

SS - I hope the snip is quick and painless and sorts out the tongue tie.

C&C - I always was anti dummies, but DD had one at 10 months old when I was dropping a breastfeed and I will definitely be gving little Cam a dummy if he needs one!

[Seacretsquirrel]

Well that was a rather quick and painless solution to the tongue tie problem!!!
We saw the Doctor he had a quick look agreed it was quite a bad tongue tie and asked if we wanted it done now - :rolleyes: - obviously YES!!!!!
PAul went in with him and I got geared up to give him a feed Paul said he clamped the little bit of skin under his tongue with these needle nose plier things and once it was thin and flat it was just a little snip and we were all done only a tiny drop of blood and then straight on the boob for a feed - he had both sides and it hurt heaps less (still a bit sore from the nipple damage but not nearly so bad) :smiliedance:

He can now open his mouth heaps wider, shouldn't have trouble with his speech, teeth or anything.
Happymess - a tongue tie is where the little flap of skin that conects your tongue to the bottom of your mouth is right at the front of the tongue rather than further back. It means bubs couldn't poke his tongue out and made his tongue heart shaped rather than pointy at the end.
PB - Yay for march 1 babies!!!! DD loves DS to bits too - sometimes a little too much but it is better than the alternative! Although we have hit the terrible twos aswell so that is proving a bit challenging!
C&C - As far as the dummy goes I am a firm believer in if it works go with it!!
DD had one from about 5 weeks till 6 months (about a week before her first two teeth came in) it was a godsend at times and I did try to only use it for sleep times and usually found she didn't need it for the feeds in the middle of the night and often not in the day either (just the witching hour and first night sleep).
MummyJ - Riley was born on March 1 but I am staying here too - me likes the company!:cool:

[OneCheekyMonkey]

Well I popped down to the open session at the child health nurse today .....

And in two weeks bub has gained ONE KILO !!!! :yelclap::laughing: he is now a very healthy 4.9 :) yay for my breastmilk !

I went and got some of the Brauers Colic and OMG it is great, much better than the gripe water I find.

[quitecontrary]

Hello!
We are home!
I'm not going to the March crew - I knew I'd be one of the last Feb -style mums to have their bub!
I also knew you'd have started a new thread it being March - we need a link from the Feb Mum's chat please - one of you will know how to do it!
Will be back here properly soon I know.
Hugs to all of you - aren't babies grand?

[Lateralus]

haha - 7th of March & I have still been posting in the February Mums thread... Was wondering why it was a bit quiet - thanks Giz for pointing that out to me :o

Like a few of you, we've been having similar battles with whether to use the dummy or not. We resorted to it out of sheer desperation a few nights ago and have had a bit if success with it... Sometimes it will help Zoe settle and other times she'll spit it out and keep on howling... Ah well - as long as it helps some of the time.. :rolleyes:

SS glad the procedure to fix the tongue tie wasn't too dramatic... Here's to your girls feeling good again soon!

Oops that's some great weight gain - you must be lactating some liquid gold!

[quitecontrary]

Hello again!
I was thinking about popping out and getting a dummy today for Toby. We used one on and off with G when she was tiny, always had one around and now she uses it to go to sleep. It is a life saver.
With T I know he'd love it.
Really, I think if you've found something that works for you - use it. My Mum is all for it as it means that someone else can offer comfort in that way.
We dug out Sounds for Silence in the middle of the night and it did its stuff. He's listening to it again now.
Had our home visit this morning - and it went well. I just have to remember to have little naps when possible.
PS new photos on our website! http://www.weakley.org.uk/photos/index.php?album=toby

[Purplebird]

Gorgeous pictures QC! Just beautiful.

THose of you struggling with sleep issues, don't worry about using dummies or whatever else may work to settle bubs :hugs:. As someone else said, once b'feeding is established it's fine. The first few weeks are a bit of a horror ride sometimes and whatever gets you through it is fine. You're doing a wonderful job and you can always ditch the dummy quite soon. Eloise still has a dummy for her sleeps and she is a very clever little cookie with very good speech, so she has certainly not suffered.

I'd forgotten just how 'bleurgh' a new born makes you feel. Yuck! feeling and looking rather drained, but still trying to soldier on for the sake of a very jealous toddler I have here, lol. We went to a 2 year old's birthday party this morning and I really need a sleep now.

[janiceg]

hey, ladies!

glad to hear i'm not the only one feeling guilty about the dummie situation. i felt awful giving it to her this morning but she's settling much easier and we're only using it when she's 'lost the plot'. was worried about nipple confusion but she's gained over a kilo in the past three weeks so the middy thinks it should be ok.

my bub is also tounge tied but oddly enough not having any feeding issues. midwife was very surprised she could feed but i'm lucky it's not an issue

went to my first mother's group thingy today and it was fantastic! good to meet other mums and get out in the sunshine for a bit.:yelclap:can't wait to go again!

[jade24]

Hello all :wave:
Finding it so difficult to get on here these days. With bub and kinder and school drop-offs and pick-ups I feel like I never get a chance to just sit!!

Cooper has finally settled down nicely and at 2 weeks old he started sleeping all night in his cradle :yelclap: He generally feeds and goes down somewhere between 7-9pm then wakes for a feed around 12-1 am then again around 4-5am. Hoping he'll drop at least one night feed soon because it's starting to wear me down, but I can't really complain. He's generally good during the day also, mostly feeding 4 hourly and sleeping in between, but then we had a bad day today where he's just feeding constantly and not sleeping AT ALL. Anyway he's finally settled so I've come on to finally show off some pics of my little man!!

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r37/Mama_Jade/Bubba%20Four/cooper9.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r37/Mama_Jade/Bubba%20Four/cooper7.jpg

[quitecontrary]

Jade they are gorgeous photos!! Glad to hear Cooper is in a good sleeping routine at night.
We have had a good day at home with Toby - he is a peach!
Hope all is going well with you all!

[mummyJ]

hello crew...
am still loving our new addition!!! she is just gorgeous...and I cant believe how in love I am all over again!!!
She is super good...we are loving it.
We use a dummy sometimes...i dont see the problem...
Here are some pics...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=81192&id=669871274&l=a7295

[Jender]

HI all

Hoping to join you - my little man arrived on 28 Feb and I have just arrived home after a c-section. I also have a 2 year old DD. I didn't join a pregnancy group but looking forward to chatting to you all as we go through the challenges of babies

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

welcome Jender!

hi everyone else- i too was still hanging out in the feb thread :o too much for my overtired brain to comprehend that a new month had started, oh well i'm here now.

i've had the same issues with giving Elianna a dummy, concerned mainly about nipple confusion but also about dependancy on the dummy and difficultly getting rid of them. but i've decided its gotta be easier to get rid of a dummy than it would be tostop thumb sucking so Elianna now has a dummy in the car (to stop that heart breaking cry where you can't do anything but get to the destination ASAP) and at other times only when it isn't possible for me to comfort her either with cuddles or feeding (i.e. when i'm in the shower or when we're doing the nasal aspirator thingy)- thus far thats been working for us.

Elianna is pretty good at nights. i think the key was when we worked out how to ID her tired signs and thus wrapped her and fed her before she got "over tired" cause when she was overtired we could spend upwards of 4 hours trying to comfort her and get her off to sleep. now she feeds around 9, 12,4 and 8 so i guess i shouldn't complain- although i would dearly love more than 4 hours sleep at a time (or 3 when you allow for feeding nappy changes and re-settling.

we've all got the flu at the moment which is causing some feeding problems for poor Ellie as she can't breathe very well and keeps giving up- so we're on hourly feeds for the moment to stop her getting dehydrated, but we've now got a humidifier set up so hopefully she'll start feeling a lot better.

anyway i should go to bed- Elli is just about asleep so i should be too,

wishing you all good nights

love Kath

[gizmoduckus]

Morning everyone!

I am glad to hear that some of you are getting a bit more sleep. I hope that it works out soon for everyone else that is struggling.

Well, everything here has been getting better. DS2 has had no more blood in his poo and he is hardly vomiting any more. He is also more content and has started smiling and cooing. Such a beautiful thing to see especially when before he was just always upset.

The pediatrician ran yesterday and said that his tests results were okay. His haemagloblin level was low but that could of just been because of the blood loss. We have to go back in a few weeks for repeat tests just to see if everything goes back to normal.


Hoping to join you - my little man arrived on 28 Feb and I have just arrived home after a c-section. I also have a 2 year old DD. I didn't join a pregnancy group but looking forward to chatting to you all as we go through the challenges of babies

:wave: Jender!

A big congratulations to you on the birth of your little man. I am so glad to see you in this thread.... :yelclap:

[OneCheekyMonkey]

Hey all ! Glad to see you join this thread finally Kate and GBAGM and Welcome Jender!

I was all iffy about a dummy too, but thankfully my LO seems to shift between a dummy, a bottle and the breast without a problem. Dummys save my sanity as my LO will NOT tolerate being wrapped. At all. He struggles and struggles and starts a weird bark if he cannot sleep with his arms above his head. I even tried wrapping with one arm in and yeah its the same thing. And he is not a howler or a crier. I can count the times he has actually cried!! Three!! birth, guthrie and whenever I try and wrap him. I do try every few days bc when he gets overtired he can be a pain to try and get to sleep. It is sanity saving to put him in his bassinett and pop in a dummy and have him eventually settle that way.

He does the 9pmIsh feed, 1amIsh feed, 4amIsh feed too. The 1am one is really quick, like about 10 mins so I am really hoping he drops that one soon....

Today I am having a baby welcome party ! It is my version of a baby shower, I figure it is just as exciting, if not more, once he is here and I get to see all my friends which I haven;'t had the energy to see. Plus people have asked me what do I need now he is here and are insistant when I say noooo dont worry. :p

Oh I have a thumbsucking/dummy story for everyone. I used to work as a nanny for a 2 yr old. Her parents had always refused to use a dummy for a variety of valid reasons. Anyway this kid liked to suck her thumb, and did it to the point where it stared growing deformed. It grew at an angle at the knuckle where it shoudl be straight and it was fully calloused and the nail didn;'t grow. It was really ugly! They had to take her to a specialist who fitted braces over her hands at night to try and stop her sucking it. She would scream and scream with the braces on and she eventually worked out how to remove them to get to her thumbs. And of course you cannot take a thumb away from a child. She eventually needed surgery on both.... but I don't know how it went much after she turned 4 because I didn't work with her anymore. ANyway after seeing all that drama and knowing it was quite extreme I decided that if my kid started sucking hands or thumbs he was getting a dummy. That kids bedtime was just so traumatic for everyone (even me). When the parents had their next kid the very first thing the mum bought when she found out she was UTD was a stack of dummies. Like every brand, shape, etc!! :laughing:

[Lateralus]

morning all - well, we had a MUCH more reasonable night last night... Miss Z fed at 11pm, 3:30 & 6:30... And settled reasonably well after each feed. We ended up leaving her in her own room last night so we could leave the CD player & light on (low)... We figured maybe she was freaking out with the quiet & darkness of our room. Anyhow - whether it was that or some other factor - she (& we) slept a lot better :)

Quick questions - how long does everyones little ones 'play' for... You know those quiet alert periods... We get up to about 15-20 minutes before she starts getting tired... IS this about on par with everyone else for around the 2 & 1/2 week mark?
:hugs:

[Jender]

Well first night home - DS celebrated by doing the most ginormous projectile vomit, I have never seen anything like it. (DD was not a puker) and it was all over me, the bed and everything else. Then he breastfed for a further 20 minutes and went to sleep.

Katejo - 15 minutes is fine. They spend most of the time looking around anyway.

oops - have a great babyshower/welcome home party

Hi Gizmoduckus - glad to see you here. Good to hear your little man is feeling better

Hi Gonnabeagreatmum - I am a dummy believer - worked very well with DD. DS not interested at this early stage

[Seacretsquirrel]

my bub is also tounge tied but oddly enough not having any feeding issues. midwife was very surprised she could feed but i'm lucky it's not an issue


Janiceg - Just keep an eye on her as she gets older as the tongue tie can lead to quite a lot of other problems including - speech problems, probs with solids (they develop funny ways of eating and speaking which can be hard to change later on, also probs with teeth not coming in straight and decay due to the child not being able to clear the saliva and food particles from their mouths. I don't want to scare you but I'd discuss it with you doctor next time you see them so see if it warents fixing (I think it depends on how bad a "tie" it is too.

bubs is sleeping pretty well has feeds around 7-30 then 12-30 ish and again around 4-30 so I am pretty happy and am getting some good blocks of sleep. The only drama we seem to be havving is that he prefers sleeping on his tummy (I get 4-5 hours (or longer) on the tummy compared to 2-3 on his back so I am having a dilema of sorts......
He is alternating between fingers and dummy (same drama for me easier to take away a dummy -we'll do it at around 6 months again if he takes it- but he can find his own fingers in the carseat/middle of the night) I guess he'll decide what he'll take in the long run we are doing a bit of both at the moment.
anyway better get back to packing as we are going home on Wed so I need to get organised.

[YMo7]

good afternoon ladies....

its funny, you know, we used to chat so much that it was hard to catch up even on one day... now we all have our little additions to our families, it is way easy to catch up! :)

well star-lily is doing great! she is breastfeeding really well... i feed her at approx. 7pm, 8.30pm and 10pm then she sleeps until between 3am and 4am (or once - 2 nights ago - she slept until 4:40am!) then i wake up in the mornings before her (for the other kids) and she feed on demand throughout the day (usually between 3 and 5 hourly)... so i am really happy with all that! the first night home from hospital she wouldn't settle unless she was in bed with us, so we bought one of those special beds that go in our bed so we dont roll on her and she loves it. wont sleep anywhere else at night. she likes her cot and bouncer during the day though and she LOVES cuddles! she has a dummy for re-settling but doesnt have i often. i am hapy with that. her belly button isnt healing properly so CHN is a bit concerned.. but all is good, she comes to check on her once a week for the next 3 weeks so make sure its all ok. the paed in hospy thought he heard a heart murmer too but GP couldnt find it. she has to be checked at 6 weeks again but im not worried - i have a heart murmer and it has never caused me any troubles.

now lets see if i can stick some pics on here to show her off! :)

will look into it and bbs!

GBAGM - we will have to meet upa again after we move house!

oh, and welcome jender...


take care, suze.

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

GBAGM - we will have to meet up again after we move house!


ABSOLUTELY!!!! we're looking forward to it

by the way- What are you doing moving house you crazy woman! you have got to win the award for supermum once you pull that off- organising 6 kids, plus a newborn baby and a husband, one word...nutso!!

[~isis~]

hi everyone.... i know its been ages i think i was pregnant last time i posted anything really. but my lil man arrived on the 24th at 1:08am, and weighed 3670, and didnt lose any weight. after being in labour for the whole day before. i couldnt belive my luck when i was allowed home the day after, even tho hes my first. hes a good boy, sleeps most of the time only had one bad night so far, and boy was it bad.. no sleep at all for me. but most nights he sleeps between 3 to 4 hrs, sometimes i have to wake him as its been more than 5 hrs, thats hard i hate wakig him, but i know i have to. even during the day hes only awake for maximum of 2 hrs at a time once or twice a day.
well i had a photographer come around today and take some photos cant wait to see how they turned out.

well enough about me. its good to se most people have good lil boys and girls. and that theres not to many problems....yet.
i wouldnt worrie to much about bubs having a murmer, most of the time its nothing to bad.
anyway better go, bubs waking now, yey i can feed and go to bed. lol. night all.

[janiceg]

oh, girls! i think i finally have my little angel back!:yelclap: she is sleeping 2-4 hours again (instead of the 5min-1hr she had been doing for the past week:hair:) the past few days she has been a treat!

thanks, ss..i'll talk to the middy on friday when she pops by again! hoping it's not a big deal in the future

not sure of how many of you wrap your bub...it's still pretty hot here so i wrap her in a muslin (she won't sleep without a wrap) but she always manages to wiggle out of it as she sleeps. the other night i woke up and she had it over her head and totally freaked me out.
yesterday, dh got the 'swaddle me' and it's like magic! she can't get out of it at all and looks so comfy and cute! so if any of you have a little escape artist like mine, they're on sale at toysrus for $20! dh is going back today to stock up!

hope everyone had a good night without too many dramas :hugs:

[happymess]

Hi all, for everyone who is worried about thumb versus dummy, I just wanted to let you know that my first born was a thumb sucker, and the sucked it till she was over 3 and she has no problems at all, she is very good at speaking, even talked long before other kids her age, she gave up sucking it on her own when she was ready and there is absolutley nothing wrong with the shape of her thumbs, I think the little girl that oops knows must be an exception.
My second daughter was a dummy sucker and she only needed it to go to sleep, but at every nap time we had a hell of a time finding her dummies, I used to have spares stashed everywhere, and we would still lose them all, eventually I had enough and said to her one night that if she couldnt find it she would have to go to bed without it, which she did and that was the end of that.
Daughter #3 sucked her middle 2 fingers, she is 3 now and she stopped sucking them ages ago, and again, no speach problems and no deformed fingers, Miss S hasnt taken to sucking anything as yet, (apart from me) But please dont worry, they suck for comfort, and and comforted baby is a happy baby. (I have a 3 week old kitten walking on the keyboard while I am typing making it very interesting LOL)

[quitecontrary]

Ahh, back again!
All is well in Baby Land here. Toby is a delight!
It's just everything else in my life that has gone to hell in a handbasket. My mil went to the cancer specialist on the day Toby was born to be given a "two months left to live" sentence, and now she is back in hospital with pneumonia. Dh is going to England on Wednesday night for a week. My dad had a mini stroke yesterday, and it seems he is okay, with a bit of memory loss though. He just spent a chunk of the day being seen to at the local medical centre. My dh and I had to laugh about the absurdness of it all last night - I'll up your mini stroke with a hospitalisation.
So, this morning has been spent with a lot of tears on my behalf, and "Mummy's sad" from Gen. Dh has booked his flights and we'll be going down to my parents to stay it seems, for at least part of the time that dh is away.

[Lateralus]

Oh QC, I was having a 'poor me' day today until I read your post - you poor thing! What a lot of bad news to contend with in such a short space of time :hugs::hugs: So sorry to hear about your MILs poor prognosis.. And I hope your Dad makes a full and speedy recovery... Thankfully it was 'only' a minor stroke & they can now hopefully start him on the appropriate meds to prevent any further problems! :fingerscrossed:

Not the best day here in our camp.. Went back to the Lactation nurse this morning and Miss Z has lost weight - that combined with her super irritability means I am more than likely not making enough milk for her :( So, I have had to start supplementing her with formula which I am not AT ALL happy about - but what can I do if she's losing weight and I am not making enough to fuel her little body. Have started taking fenugreek tablets which are supposed to stimulate milk production & am expressing every 3 hours to keep the supply stimulated... And trying the eat, drink and sleep enough. Fingers crossed my supply will kick in again soon. It's such a $hitty feeling not being able to even supply my baby with her most basic requirement. :(

[quitecontrary]

Kate - have a look in the b/f thread here - there should be a sticky for lactation choc chip cookies - they taste great and I'm sure they work!! I was on a roll with them when G was not putting on enough weight when she was about 6 months old.

[Lateralus]

thanks QC - will check it out :hugs:

[megaminz]

Not the best day here in our camp.. Went back to the Lactation nurse this morning and Miss Z has lost weight - that combined with her super irritability means I am more than likely not making enough milk for her :( So, I have had to start supplementing her with formula which I am not AT ALL happy about - but what can I do if she's losing weight and I am not making enough to fuel her little body. Have started taking fenugreek tablets which are supposed to stimulate milk production & am expressing every 3 hours to keep the supply stimulated... And trying the eat, drink and sleep enough. Fingers crossed my supply will kick in again soon. It's such a $hitty feeling not being able to even supply my baby with her most basic requirement. :(
Kate I feel like that about my supply. Milan is putting on weight but I just feel like he is grazing all the time and I have no milk build up...its quite frustrating and he never seems satisfied!!!

I have also started Fenugreek and might get myself a 6 pack of guiness!!! My middy also told me to get a script of Maxalon for a quick boost as well

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

Kate I feel like that about my supply. Milan is putting on weight but I just feel like he is grazing all the time and I have no milk build up...its quite frustrating and he never seems satisfied!!!

I have also started Fenugreek and might get myself a 6 pack of guiness!!! My middy also told me to get a script of Maxalon for a quick boost as well

MM thats how i feel too, i wonder if its just a matter of getting used to no longer being "over-full" i.e. has our supply just regulated to what they need, tell you what though i'd feel a heap better if i could see how much she was getting at each feed. Am thinking i'll go back to expressing each breast once a day til empty,- just to keep the supply up. (of course its also possible our bubs are hitting their first growth spurt and are grazing in order to build up our supply, in which case expressing will only aid in that)

[Lateralus]

My middy also told me to get a script of Maxalon for a quick boost as well

Alas I am allergic to Maxolon... Quite spectacular.. I look like something out of the Exorcist. Best to be avoided. Have sussed out the recipe for the lactation cookies that QC suggested... If Miss Z is a bit more settled tomorrow I might get baking!

Ot breaks my heart that Zoe has been so unsettled and now that it turns out she's lost weight, she was probably hungry all that time :crying: I feel like such a crap Mummy!

Has anyone else had to supplement with formula? According to the LC it will hopefully only be for a week or so until my supply build up again - but I am so terrified that she is going to start refusing the nipple & enjoy the bottles more.

[quitecontrary]

Oh Kate, there is no way little Z would refuse breast milk on tap. I can understand your feelings though, the first time G took a bottle I was like "well, thats it, my work is over here" but that was not the case at all of course.
Take care my darlings x

[megaminz]

(of course its also possible our bubs are hitting their first growth spurt and are grazing in order to build up our supply, in which case expressing will only aid in that)oh I wish it was his "first" growth spurt...he has already gotten too big for his basinette and has put on 1.4kg since leaving hospital!!! The middy said he has just been on one permanent growth spurt for the last 10days or so!!!

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

oh I wish it was his "first" growth spurt...he has already gotten too big for his basinette and has put on 1.4kg since leaving hospital!!! The middy said he has just been on one permanent growth spurt for the last 10days or so!!!

Wow MM thats some effort, you must have supermilk!!! i dread the day she grows out of her cradle and i have to put her in her own room (luckily its 1m x 40cm so that should take a while)

Kate, by all accounts QC is right, miss Z will always prefer the closeness and warmth of breastfeeding over the bottle. and don't beat yourself up, we're learning as we go here, we can't be expected to get everything right!!

[megaminz]

Wow MM thats some effort, you must have supermilk!!! i dread the day she grows out of her cradle and i have to put her in her own room (luckily its 1m x 40cm so that should take a while)

Kate, by all accounts QC is right, miss Z will always prefer the closeness and warmth of breastfeeding over the bottle. and don't beat yourself up, we're learning as we go here, we can't be expected to get everything right!!
I am quite exhausted by it all GBAGM cause he feeds every two hours and has done for nearly two weeks now!!! occasionally I will get a three hour gap out of him but it wouldn't happen every day.

Kate I agree, Milan drinks EBM from the bottle but occasionally he refuses that (much to my distress as it may be all I have) and just wants nipple

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

I am quite exhausted by it all GBAGM cause he feeds every two hours and has done for nearly two weeks now!!! occasionally I will get a three hour gap out of him but it wouldn't happen every day.


wow, every 2 hours! no wonder you're exhausted, and i was complaining about the 3 hourly routine (which is ocassionally 2 hourly when she's being fussy) - i'm going to try to remember that i have it pretty good now :o

[megaminz]

lol I think its hard any way you look at it!! 2-3hrs isnt good in anyones books!!

Last night he just wouldnt settle I think I was feeding him every 1.5hrs, managed to get him asleep on my chest and we were both propped up in bed like that when DH had to take him off and put him down, which of course set him off again, took ages to get him down again with dummy this time, dummy kept falling out as soon as he got drowsy but after about 8 replacement attempts he is finally asleep with it in.

[happymess]

:hugs:Kate- Welcome to the world of Mother Guilt. No matter what we do someone will make us feel that we are doing it wrong. All you can do is the best you can do. Giving her a bottle cos she is hungry is not being a bad mum. Dont beat yourself up, you are doing a great job.

I am trying to give Miss S more awake time during the day so that she will stop being awake for sooooo long between 6pm and 10pm. She has been saving all of her wake time up then being awake for 4 or 5 hours. So now, I am feeding her (which always makes her sleepy), then changing her nappy and then playing on her mat for 20 mins or so, and then she can sleep. I have only been doing it a couple of days and so far it is kinda working. Maybe she will start sleeping longer at night as well. :fingerscrossed:

Miss S is 5 weeks today, time sure is flying.

[A'sMummy]

Morning Ladies!
KJ- :hugs: You are doing a wonderful job! Don't worry, I am sure the supplementary formula wont do any harm to your breastfeeding, she will still love that beautiful "mummy" time being so close to you on the breast. I hope she will be more settled for you soon.

MM- I hope your lil man gives you and your breasts some well deserved rest soon! Here I was thinking that I was hard done by when my lil girl was feeding hourly for 1 night, and you've been doing it for 2 weeks. :sleeping:

QC- BIG hugs for you! You have had it tough with all that bad news! I hope things pick up for you soon :hugs:

I have the Maternal Health Nurse visiting today and I am very interested to see if Anya has put on any weight. The last week I felt my milk supply wasn't up to scratch, but since yesterday it seems to have magically come good again. We also had a very settled night... she slept for almost 3 hours between each feed :smiliedance: I have been using the dummy to settle her once she is wrapped and well fed but I still feel really bad for using it. I think I will try and minimize it to night time use only. I usually try to settle her without it first but most of the time she just cries and tries to escape from the wrap.

I am seeing a dermatologist on Thursday regarding her "stork marks" on her eyelids. She was born with quite red marks on her eye lids and they haven't seemed to fade as yet. Hopefully he can shed some light on if there is anything we can do to help them fade. She also has red marks on the back of her head but atleast those ones should be covered by hair once it grows.

[Purplebird]

Kate - as the others have said please don't stress about needing to top Zoe up - you are doing a wonderful job. The lactation cookies are lovely and i'm sure they'll help.

MM - DD fed every 2 hours, sometimes more, and I'm sorry to say it didn't let up for a long time. It's really hard and draining, but it does eventually get a bit easier. She used me as a dummy too, so wearing her in a sling saved my sanity as she would settle to sleep much quicker that way. Is that something that might help you?

QC - so sorry to hear about your MIL and your dad. I'm glad to hear you'll be staying with your parents whilst DH is away.

C&C - DD had very red stork marks over her eye lids. They are now completely gone and had faded by about 12 months. We did nothing to them.

Cameron is 9 days old today and getting more alert. I can't really find any pattern to his feeds yet, but then I'm not really a clock watcher otherwise I drive myself a bit mad. So far he seems very settled and content - if he doesn't sleep he just looks around for a while! He loves the sling so I'm using that a lot. I remember how awful it was trying to get Eloise to sleep (or put her down after she'd fallen asleep) and I just don't have time to do that now, so sling it is. I hope it carries on working!

[A'sMummy]

Just got back from my CHN appointment. Anya has put on almost 400 grams in just over a week which makes me feel much better.

PB- We are hoping Anya's stork marks will fade too, I was so sad about them when she was first born as I thought they might be there forever! It made me have a few tears but now we call it her pretty pink eye shadow :)

[Purplebird]

PB- We are hoping Anya's stork marks will fade too, I was so sad about them when she was first born as I thought they might be there forever! It made me have a few tears but now we call it her pretty pink eye shadow :)

Oh same here! I was so disappointed that my beautiful girl had these 'scratch' marks on her eyes. They will go I'm sure :) Well done on the weight gain.

[OneCheekyMonkey]

Kate - I had to comp feed Dane for a week with formula and I cried and worried that he would refuse the breast too, but luckily he was fine and I am sure Miss Z willl be too.

MM - wow! Milan is growing fast.


I am getting so forgetful I can't recall if I posted here saying that I packed up the 0000 and the 000 because D is now in TWO ZEROS !! I can't believe it. I got quite teary packing up the little clothes some which he hadn't worn !!! I may have already posted this in which case please forgive me.

I managed to breastfeed today in public without flashing the world, although I couldn't do it without quite a bit of adjustment and help from my mum. I look forward to the day when I can do it gracefully and discreetly!

[Lateralus]

A lot more settled here in our household... I am now feeling a lot better about sup feeding Zoe now that I see how much happier and more settled she is. I have been expressing like mad and my supply seems to be slowly building up too - so fingers crossed we're on the right track. She is refusing my nipple now unless I have the nipple shield on which is a bit of a worry - but I think we'll work on getting my supply back up first & then worry about getting her on the nipple. Maybe once my milk is flowing like the amazon river she'll be more inclined to latch on?! :fingerscrossed:

We went to our first parents group this morning which I really enjoyed... There were a few dads there too which was awesome for DH - Not many of his friends have kids and I think he's feeling a little isolated in that respect... Will be great for him to have a few blokes to talk baby stuff about with.

Hope everyone has a restful night :hugs:

[happymess]

CandC, my third daughter had stork marks on her eyelids as well, and they disappeared over time, at first they would reappear when she was tired, but now they are gone completly. Dont stress about it.

Does any one elses bubs have "milk pimples" Miss S has them quite bad and they get redder if she is hot or really upset. She has had them for nearly 2 weeks, I cant remember how long they take to disappear. I have the community midwife coming today so we will see how much weight she has put on.

[Lateralus]

happymess - Zoe has some little milk pimples across her cheeks - the MW said they should clear up by themseves - usually takes a few weeks though.

Another much more reasonable night here - Zoe slept from 8-11, 1-6 & 7-now.... She is a much happier chicky I must say. Now the next aim is get my milk supply up enough to do away with the horrid formula & then wean her off the nipple shields (she is preferring them to naked nipple at the moment - but I have decided to sort out the supply issue first - I think it's more important to get her off the formula).

It's lovely that she is now having awake periods where she is happy to just sit and kick back and look around. A few days ago - any time she was awake, she'd be screaming poor chicka. :sunshine:

[A'sMummy]

Hi Everyone! Hope you all had a settled night with your little ones.
KJ- I am so pleased to hear that MissZ seems more settled! I am sure it wont be long till your milk supply is up like the amazon and you will have her back on the breast :yes:

Happymess- thanks for letting me know about your darling daughters stork marks too. They do seem quite common. I am trying not to stress about them and telling myself they will fade. She is beautiful with or without them anyways :cloud9:

Anya has been very settled the last few days. Sleeping well, especially through out the day!
We "kinda" have a routine forming. Roughly she wakes between 8am-9am each morning, has a feed, gets dressed, stays awake for around 2 hours in total then has a top up feed and goes to sleep for about 3 hours. Then wakes around 2pm, feeds, plays, top up feeds (awake 2 hours in total again), sleeps for 3 hours, wakes around 7pm, feeds, bath, play, top up feed (awake around 1 hour) then sleeps till around 11pm. Feeds at 11pm then straight back to sleep, wakes around 2am, feeds, straight back to sleeps, wakes around 5am, feeds, straight back to sleep and then starts all over again :yelclap:
This is a very "rough" estimate and sways an hour each way but atleast I think we have some sort of pattern forming.
In total she is awake, alert and playing for around 4 hours of the day... is this normal for a almost 3 week old? Then she is also semi-awake for feeds through the night.

[A'sMummy]

PB- I have been meaning to tell you what a lovely name you have picked for your DS :D Not that I am biased or anything (it's my DH name).
I have always thought it is a lovely name though :yes:

[OneCheekyMonkey]

My bub has 'milk pimples' too. I was told that they usually clear up by 8 weeks ? I was also told that it is a good sign that your milk is of good quality.... no idea if it is true.

Kate - have you looked at kellymom.com ? it is a fantastic resource for bfeeding mums and problems. I am sure you have fantastic advice from you LCs but this site is really thorough and may have some different ideas on how to get Zoe back on the breast.

It is quite a bit cooler today, which is nice, I am looking forward to taking bubb for a walk !

[megaminz]

Hi All

Milan has milk pimples as well, the middies said they are usually worst from 6-8 weeks then just clear up

What do you all do when you "play" with bubs? I am suffering from lack of inspiration from the 2hrly feeding

he is currently just on the couch on a pillow talking to himself, I had him on the activity mat but he didnt want that today

[A'sMummy]

mm- I consider "play time" as tummy time, singing time, time where she is chilling out in her bouncer, time when she is alertly looking around while I am talking/holding her. Not sure if it all counts as "play time" though.
The midwife also suggested that to stimulate her to tell her what I am doing all the time. Like "mummys going to change your nappy now", "mummys gettings some clothes ready for you", "are you hungry? I am going to feed you now" etc etc.
I am pretty sure at this young age... just about anything and everything is stimulating for them :thumbsup:

Forgot to mention earlier, last night I passed a blood clot the size of a golf ball... anyone else had something similar? It scared the sh1t outta me but it didn't smell and I have no pain so I am thinking it's normal?! :confused:

[mummyJ]

hello lovely ones,
Had a good night last night...Am feeling great! ECHN came today and L has put on 400grams in a week which is great!! It's so nice to hear that someone other than bias old you thinks your little one is growing and developing wonderfully!
Our routine as such seems to look a little bit like this...
7am - wake up, feed, a little awake time, a little sleep time
10am - feed, a little awake time, a little sleep time
1pm - feed, wrap and go to bed (DS is also asleep then)...I often get a touch of shut eye here too.
4pm - feed, a fair bit of awake time
6pm - half feed, bath time, massage, dressed for bed
7pm - other side of the feed, and wrapped for bed
10.30pm - dreamfeed
3.30am - feed, bed
and then it starts again...
so am pretty stoked with that considering she is just over a week old...

As for 'playtime' we mainly just have her in her rocker, having cuddles, chilling out under her mobile and stuff...she has pretty good head control, so will probably start tummy time from now as well.

Am pretty stoked with her I must say...and the fact that DS is just in love with her and is so helpful just tops it off!!! loving it!!!

[quitecontrary]

Hello!
Just a quick one here, Dh is getting the last of his bits and bobs packed for his trip back to England and I should probably go and wake a sleeping baby so Toby is fed before I head off to the airport for our fond farewells.
My parents are coming here to stay while dh is away, which is a much easier solution for us than going there. I hadn't even thought about packing up etc til Mum had her brainwave and changed the plans. It also means my sis and her kids are closer for quality Genevieve cousin time.
I have stopped bursting into tears quite so frequently today - which is a bonus.
The early discharge midwives have kept me on the program for a bit longer under these special circumstances. It is nice to have a good chat with them, even though my lad is of course perfect!! He is of course a week old today - which makes him pretty tiny and new eh?
Anyway, I think I should go and see to him. Genevieve is sleeping too, Dh did his farewells with her when he put her to bed.

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

Forgot to mention earlier, last night I passed a blood clot the size of a golf ball... anyone else had something similar? It scared the sh1t outta me but it didn't smell and I have no pain so I am thinking it's normal?! :confused:

i remember passing one the size of my fist around 2 weeks after birth, i'm assuming it a good sign of healing

had an awful night last night, everytime i got Elianna to sleep, less than 5 mins later she'd choke on some phlegm- waking herself up,- and we'd have to start all over again, by which time she was so overtied it took a good 40 minutes to calm her and settle her off to sleep again. finally got to bed at 4am this morning, poor DH stayed awake with us (despite me telling him over and over to go to sleep) so had to go off to work on 3 hours sleep- which worries me as the roads he drives on are so bad. fingers crossed tonight is better

[Purplebird]

PB- I have been meaning to tell you what a lovely name you have picked for your DS :D Not that I am biased or anything (it's my DH name).
I have always thought it is a lovely name though :yes:

Awww thanks! We did struggle a lot with a boy's name, but i'm very pleased with it :)

GBAGM - get well soon Elianna, poor snuffly bubba.

QC - big :hugs: to you again you poor thing.

Kate - great to hear the comp feeding is working well for you.

My boy doesn't seem to have much of a pattern as yet - although night wake ups seem to be 1 and 4 am. He is only 10 days old though so maybe something will emerge soon. I seem to remember the first 2 weeks with dd being very quiet - then she changed into a boobie monster, lol!

Had a lovely day today swimming, then beach, then park all with Mr Cam snoozing in the sling. Poor dh is back at work tomorrow which i'm pretty sad about. At least mum is here to help with dd for another 2 weeks.

Anyone else sweating bucketloads at night? i had this with dd as well and i'd forgotten how uncomfortable it is. hopefully it might aid some weight loss though! :sunshine:

[mummyJ]

Anyone else sweating bucketloads at night? i had this with dd as well and i'd forgotten how uncomfortable it is. hopefully it might aid some weight loss though! :sunshine:

YES!!! so gross!!! i am sweating soooo much!!!

[A'sMummy]

Oh I am with you ladies on the sweating thing! It's terrible, I wake up saturated and it makes it sooo much worse when you have to wear a bra to bed. YUCK! I thought it was just me... so it's common then? :o

[YMo7]

dont wanna worry you ladies, but i was passing clots in hospy and they told me anything the size of a 50c peice or bigger they needed to see or if i was passing alot. they wanted to also keep an eye on me until they stoped so maybe worth a mention to a health prof.?

star-lily has milk pimples too.. had them since a few days old. nothing to worry about.

sweating - check... never been so hot and sweaty before when temps are even soaring!

[BoyCrazy]

Forgot to mention earlier, last night I passed a blood clot the size of a golf ball... anyone else had something similar? It scared the sh1t outta me but it didn't smell and I have no pain so I am thinking it's normal?! :confused:

candice, might be worth a call to the midwives anyways, just to double check. Like suze, i got told that anything bigger than 50cent piece should be checked out.

bubs has migrated back to 2hr feeds! argh its killing me! yesterday he had a big 5 hr sleep during the day, guess what that meant?? no long night time sleep!! he didnt want to sleep til about 9pm either..feel like such a zombie today.
i am hoping some retail therapy will help..:D

hope everyone is well and bubs are going great! i cant believe how fast time is going!

[janiceg]

:hugs: to all of you who had a rough night
seems charlotte is on a 4hour schedual at night and it's fantastic for me! hope it stays like this for a few weeks (until the next growth spurt)

candice, my middy told me the same thing...to call her if i passed anything larger than 50c. and (TMI ahead)shockingly i passed something about as big as my baby's head the day after birth at home! it was terrifying and just started screaming for my dh. disgustingly enough he fished it out of the toilet and rang the middy. as long as it's smooth and shiney it's nothing to worry about. and that was the only clot i ever passed. gross, eh?

[happymess]

I cant believe it, last night I feed Miss S at 10.30 and she slept until 4.30, I actually got to sleep for longer than 3 hours, Yaaayyy!!!

We dont really have a routine yet, I am trying to get the feed, play, sleep routine happening, but sometimes she falls asleep while feeding and I dont have the heart to wake her up. I alwys give her a dream feed at 10 or 10.30 so that I can go to sleep and not be woken up an hour later. She then feeds again at 2ish and then at 6ish and I am then awake enough in the morning to get the girls ready for school. (apart from last night when she had a long sleep)

I am glad to hear that things are going well with everyone, and *Hugs* to those who are still having issues. GBAGM Miss S is very snuffly as well, so I know what you are going through *Hugs*

[debplus3]

KateJo - I had supply issues with my first 2, especially #1. I had to top up on formula and the poor darling was so hungry that she took a full bottle with out stopping! I know the guilt, but really, you are being such a good mummy to give her what she needs and putting her first. Mother guilt...it sucks and doesn't go away!!
And there is nothing wrong with formula, my 2 ended up on formula only eventually, as the supply issues got too much for me and I was getting sick and knew that I couldn't go on like that.

QC - So sorry about all those horrible health concerns in your family. And so sorry you have to be without your Dh for a while. My extra hugs to you at this time.

Happymess - yep, miulk pimples here. They went away for a while but he has a stack of them again now.

C&C - I agree with the others. Just make a quick phone call or drop into your GP. I know with me they said that they like to know a good description so they can make a better judgement. On the bleeding issue (sorry, tmi), my post-birth bleeding stopped, but now I am getting blood stained mucous again..anyone else??

Well the honeymoon phase is definately over here!! Had Bradley weighed yesterday and he has grown in length but not in weight in the past 2 weeks, so in reality he has lost a little weight.
He us still having lots of pains and it is very much looking like a have another colicy baby...dammit!!!
So, I am on a mega bland diet to not upset his tummy. Expressing every time he won't feed and giving his BM in a bottle. When he is in pain he won't latch onto the breast, but he has to feed at least every 3 hours for a while to keep his weight up. Infacol before each feed seems to be helping.
I had a major meltdown last night and my 2 other kiddies copped it a bit, my tolerance was zero and I wasn't letting them get away with anything. Thankfully when I said sorry this morning they were very forgiving, bless their hearts!!

On the dummy thing, I was going to hole out with this bub, but he was so distressed when he had to go into the incubator in hospital that I gave him one. Worked a treat and has had one for settling ever since. Is especially great when he is screaing with tummy pain. He frantically sucks the dummy instead of screaming and swallowing more air.
I also was a thumb sucker....I was a VERY good talker as a kid (still am) have a good shaped thumb and very straight teeth!!

Hope you are all having an ok day. Lots of lovely rain here today!!

Deb xo

[happymess]

Someone said earlier that they were wearing bras to bed, and I know how uncomfortable that can be and how nice it is to have bra free time. What I do is I sleep on a bed wetting mat like this one bambinipronto.com.au I got mine from Lorraine Lea Linen, but it is the same kinda thing. It just goes on top of the sheet, draws away any milk leakage (just like a nappy draws the moisture away)and is easy to wash and is dry again for the next night. Plus you will probably need one when bubs is toilet traiing, so just get it a bit earlier.

[A'sMummy]

Happymess- oh that was me who said I wear a bra to bed... and man do I hate it! I am seriously looking at getting one of those waterproof mats, thanks for the link!! :thumbsup:

Also, thanks everyone for their advice re: passing the golf ball sized blood clot. I took your advice and called my GP. He seems to think that it is ok as it didn't smell, I have no
pain and haven't passed any since. Better to be safe that sorry though!! Thanks girls!

We went to the dermatologist today regarding Anya's stork marks and he seems to think they have faded a little bit... YAY!! Like alot of you said, he thinks they should be completely gone within a year which is great. I was out and about with Anya from 8.30am-4.30pm today which is a record! Still trying to get the hang of breastfeeding whilst out and about though, can't seem to get comfortable out of my rocker and without the breast feeding pillow. Hopefully with more practice I will get the hang of it :o

Anyway, better go cook dinner... I am starving!! Hope you all had a lovely day xoxo

[jade24]

Cooper went 8 hours between feeds!!!! On Tuesday night he fed at 7pm then went down [awake] at 8pm and he slept until 3am :smiliedance: Then he was up again at 6:30am. Kinda wishing that he had've fed at 10/11pm and had the big chunk after that, but hey, I'm definitely not complaining! He didn't do it last night, but hopefully he'll start to make it a regular thing.
My poor little guy is generally a pretty good sleeper during the day but I have to keep waking him up to pick the kids up from school/kinder and it's driving me crazy. How will he ever keep a routine? I feel like he's just going to give up sleeping, because what's the point? It's the worst feeling to get him to sleep and only 20 minutes later having to go in and unwrap him to put him in the car.

janice - omg how scary! I would have been freaking out if that had of happened to me. Glad everything was okay.

Oops - Coop is moving on to 00's also. It's sad how fast they grow, huh? I wish he'd stay "little" for a bit longer. I didn't even buy any 0000's this time, I've given up imagining having a baby little enough to wear them :laughing:

Oh, and YES YES YES on the sweating! I didn't realise it was a booby feeding thing. Now I don't feel like such a freak :D

[readytogo]

Is anyone else's bub still in 0000. Kayla was 47cm at birth and they were big then but fit fine now. Has me a little concerned as she is as old as the two bubs that are in 00's.

[gizmoduckus]

Is anyone else's bub still in 0000. Kayla was 47cm at birth and they were big then but fit fine now. Has me a little concerned as she is as old as the two bubs that are in 00's.

Don't be concerned! The other 2 are just big babies.

Usually it's 0000 for newborn and 000 for 3 months old. Of course that is just an average and some babies will be in them for a shorter than average time and others go longer than the average time.

[OneCheekyMonkey]

Is anyone else's bub still in 0000. Kayla was 47cm at birth and they were big then but fit fine now. Has me a little concerned as she is as old as the two bubs that are in 00's.

Dane was 54 at birth, and 57 at 3 weeks. It is a length issue, I am assuming he gets this off his dad who is 6'7-6'8. :laughing:

But yeah he is big and it makes me both happy and sad.

[Lateralus]

we're still in 0000s here :)

Does anyone else find that they get totally inconsistent information/ advice from different midwives? It can get confusing at times when one it telling you one thing & within a few days another one is telling you something totally different/ conflicting. :confused:

Zoe has had a long sleep from 10pm 'till 3am but is now awake and grizzling.. Trying to just let her grizzle a little bit in her bassinet to see if she will settle herself... It's so hard not to go in and give her a cuddle every time she wimpers..

Hope everyone has a great day.. Hoping I can head to bed again soon :fingerscrossed:

[janiceg]

we ditched the 0000's last week. she didn't even get to wear everything once and some of the 000's seem a bit snug already!:eek: the middy is coming this morning so we'll see how much she's gained this week!

jade24, it was scary...so happy dh was here and took control of the situation cuz i thought i was dying (after birth i lost 3L of blood)!

[gizmoduckus]

Hello everyone! Hope you are all well.

I wonder how butterflymamma is going. She is the only one of us left to go.

Well we had a shocking day here yesterday. DS2 just screamed all day and I just couldn't settle him. At least he was worn out by the end of the day and he slept well last night.

I find it really hard to settle him. I will get him off to sleep and then 10-20 mins later he is screaming again. Today I found that if I put him on his tummy he sleeps better. I don't have a problem with him doing it during the day when I can keep an eye on him but I don't think I could do it at night. Do you think having one of those Angelcare monitors will help? Does anyone have any experience with a tummy sleeper?

[jade24]

Not having a great day here. Cooper just does not want to sleep alone and he just keeps having little naps in my arms. Currently he is passed out on a pillow on my lap :rolleyes: Called DH about something and when I started to tell him what was going on he said "Yeah. Bye." And hung up!! I know he's at work and all, and I know he can't help me, but I sometimes just need to vent and have someone say it's all going to be fine. Stupid man.

readytogo -
Don't be concerned! The other 2 are just big babies.
Very true!! I doubt you have anything to worry about. Cooper was already 5cm longer than your bub at birth and I'm guessing he was a fair bit heavier, too!

katejo - Midwives / Health Nurses / Doctors all have different ways of doing things and different opinions etc. I filter all their advice and only take on board what I am comfortable with. Trust your instincts and you'll be fine. It can get frustrating though :hugs:

[jade24]

Gizmo - DD1 loved to sleep on her tummy. We used to wait until she was asleep maybe 30 - 60 minutes then we'd go in and "flip" her. Worked perfectly. Good luck!

[abybaby]

Hi everyone, i've been doing alot of reading but not much posting!!! Bub's is now 6 weeks old - eeek. Had our ped appt today and she has put on 1.2kg in 4 weeks! She has also grown 3 cm's. I could tell she was gaining weight by the little rolls on her thighs!! DD1 never had those - she was such a skinny baby.

Bub also has the stork marks, one between her eyebrows and two at the back of her head. The ped said they will fade but the ones on the back of her head will prob never disappear fully as they are very very dark. I'm not worried about them, her hair will cover those ones and the one on the front has started to fade already.

On the sleeping topic, bub slept for 8 hours last night!!! From 9:30pm until 5:30pm, it was good but it did freak me out a little. She generally does 6 but 8 was very unusualy.

Hope everyone else is well, i will continue to read and hopefully post more regularly!

[happymess]

I wonder how butterflymamma is going. She is the only one of us left to go.

She is still waiting, she left a post in the "due in" thread, hopefully she can join us here soon.



happymess - you could be my life saver! I hate sleeping with a bra on... that looks amazing! Now to find a cheapish one!

You are welcome, I got mine through "Lorraine Lea Linen" (they are on the internet) or perhaps try ebay.

Miss S slep from 9 till 2am last night, I only wish I could have known that she was going to do that, cos I sat up till 11ish hoping she would wake and have a feed, I should have gone to bed at 9 and then I could have had a decent sleep as well.:sleeping:

[OneCheekyMonkey]

Bub has been really unsettled today, wanting to be held, then fed for 5 mins, then a 10 min sleep. I have barely put him down for 7 hours and it is getting tiring. Right now he is somewhat happy in his rocker thing but I am waiting for him to start squealing. :dizzy:

NB I am sleeping on a waterproof cot mattress protector, it is quilted on the top. I am considering ctting the elastisied sides off, but i will see.

[Lateralus]

well - I think my milk supply is slowly starting to build up - I am taking SO many supplements to try and help... 3 fish oil caps twice a day, 3 evening primrose oil caps in the morning, 3 fenugreek caps 3 times a day and multis. Plus a homeopathic preparation called ricinus and have antibiotic cream for my cracked nipple that won't heal... I swear if you picked me up and shook me I'd rattle with all the pills I am swallowing! Oh - and I made some of the lactation cookies (thanks QC) - not sure if they are helping but damn they are yummy (hehe - with 2 cups of sugar, a cup of choc chip cookies and 250gms of butter you'd hope they taste good!!).

Mum is arriving from Sydney any moment now - she's just here for one night (DH will be away) and then she's heading up again at the end of the month with my Dad & lil sister for a longer visit.

Miss Zoe was a bit unsettled last night but I will take full responsibility for it - I had a lentil curry for dinner - not a good move I think - made her very windy poor chicky :(

[BoyCrazy]

hi everyone!

gosh i cant believe bubs is almost 6 weeks old! the time is certainely flying..

we have ditched 0000 sizes too..and some 000 are starting to get a bit snug on him, but 00 are WAY too big lol.

had a few unsettled nights with bub, not wanting to sleep by himself, unless on my lap or attached to the boob. Last night it took from 7pm -10pm just to get him to go to sleep, but when he did he slept til 3am, AND in his own bed, not mine! :smiliedance:

have a question..i have to go to a wedding this coming saturday arvo/night, what does someone breastfeeding wear to a wedding??? hmm shall be interesting! Bayli is staying at mums for the night, but we are taking jasper with us, i hope he does ok!

speaking of the little man..here he is today
click (http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/ii121/mel_bayli/jasper/?action=view&current=new010.jpg)

hope everyone is well, and bubbas are going great! take care x

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

have a question..i have to go to a wedding this coming saturday arvo/night, what does someone breastfeeding wear to a wedding??? hmm shall be interesting! Bayli is staying at mums for the night, but we are taking jasper with us, i hope he does ok!



i would like to know the answer to this too!! i'm going to one on the easter long weekend (the whole 3 days eek!!!) i was thinking a dress with a loose top that i can pull to one side (Not exactly elegant but have you seen the price of maternity formal wear?) that way i figure i can feed her if she gets restless during the service, speeches etc...I know its illegal to discriminate but is it rude to BF in a church or at the dinner table??

[megaminz]

eek GBAGM its a hard call there. Whilst we shouldnt worry about when and where we feed I think there is social norms that make it hard not to feel awkward if we try to feed where convenient. I personally would leave the table and just sit somewhere quiet where I could feed without feeling a million eyes on me!!!

We went to a bbq at a friends house last night and my wee man was a perfect baby. DId all the cute eyes and cooing necessary to make people quite jealous. My friends are in that starting to talk about babies phase (even though they are 5 years older than me!!) and Milan makes them very clucky. We took some EBM so I could have a wine without worrying about alcohol in my milk.

Then when we got home he slept for two lots of three hours straight WOOHOO I HAD SLEEP

here is my little man sleeping with his frog

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd35/Megaminz/milan%20mar%2009/006.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd35/Megaminz/milan%20mar%2009/007.jpg

[quitecontrary]

Hi - thought I'd better touch base with you all again.
We have had a tumultuous week - though not with the kids so that is a blessing. Dh went to England on Wednesday, and arrived early in the morning on Thursday to find out that his mother had lost consciousness during the night. My mother-in-law died on Friday morning at 3am, so at least he got to see her and talk to her. Such a sad, sad time. I felt so useless waiting here to hear the news as he had rung me when he arrived at Heathrow, and again from his parents home but I didn't hear from him for over 12 hours after that. I really wanted to be with him - but I know that it would never have been a possibility.
Luckily my parents have been staying with us - Genevieve really hasn't missed her Dad til today.
God bless the internet and skype.
Must away to my big girl I feel.
hugs to all of you x

[ardora]

Hi all!

I thought I should formally join you here in the other side as Gabriel was finally born on the 20 of February.

First of all, QC, big :hugs: for you as I cannot imagine what you and your family are going through... you have my phone number and you can call me if you think that I can help with something or you feel like talking.

I have been reading and it seems that most of us are doing pretty well. We are great, Gabriel is an awesome baby and I really am in love with him. My parents stayed with us for a month and we went everywhere with them, Gabriel has already been everywhere in Sydney!! from Palm Beach to the Blue Mountains to the Royal National Park and by car, bus, ferry and funicular... and he is so easygoing that we have had no problems at all.

He has taken on breastfeeding as a natural and we are doing very well there too. As for breastfeeding in public, I have no problems in flashing my bits (haha.. must be my European blood :) ) But, to answer to GBAG8M, I wouldn't breastfeed in a church as some people could interpret it as a lack of respect.. in the same way that I wouldn't eat in church either. On the contrary, I would breastfeed on the table during the wedding... perhaps ask the people seating with you if they mind, or make a little joke to see how they react... it is our right to do it and I don't care in a restaurant where I don't know anyone but I wouldn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable at someone's wedding....

And for wearing... that is a tough one... i honestly don't know what to wear most of the time. A strapless dress could be comfortable too? I have a couple of strapless tops that I borrowed from a friend and they are quite comfy for BF.

And Gabriel is still in 0000 and I think he is going to stay there for a while as some of them are still big... :)

Hope you had a great weekend.
:goodvibes:

[Seacretsquirrel]

Well ladies Rileys first plane flight is done and dusted and he slept peacefully for most of it.
We are all home safely finally! it is so good to be in our own surroundings - even if it has taken us 4 days to get clean and organised - it is amazing what happens when you close a house up for almost 3 months!!!:rolleyes:

Oh well it is all sorted now and we got a new couch too so that is lovely! - all we have to do is train Miss Z to stay away form it with sticky fingers and food and drink!

Master R is doing pretty well we have almost gotten rid of the oral thrush (does anyone know if I should be doing anything to my nipples the doc didn't say and I didn't think to ask - I thought the thrush was gone and was doing the extra 48 hour thing but it is back a bit so I was wondering about my nipples)
other than that we are getting a handle on the BF - it works great when he actually opens his mouth wide enough to get more than just nipple in there - sigh - but I guess my boobs are bigger than his head, so he'll have grow into them!:laughing:
Miss Z is still totally obsessed - I have to be constantly on the look out esp when R is sleeping as she keeps kissing & cuddling him and squeezing his hands which wakes him up which in turn drives me up the wall!!!!! :hair: I guess it is better than hitting him though.

BM and GBAGM - my SIL was BF at our wedding and wore a lovely black strapless dress - was simple and elegant and not maternity I don't think. I got a lovely dress to wear to a wedding it was stretchy fabric and had a crossover front which worked really well for me! as for BF in church and at the dinner table - I have done both! At the wedding I went to DD got restless (we sat right up the back incase this happened) and I just fed her discreetly with a muslin wrap draped over my shoulder so no-one was the wiser!!! - I got more dirty looks doing it outside earlier and I'd gone around the side out of the way of everyone. As for at the reception I'd scope out a chair in a quite spot out of the way (esp of all the serving staff I thought I'd done well and found a nice quiet corner but it ended up being near the door that the staff were bringing food through) - A sling might help with the discrete feeding too.
QC - Big hugs to you and your family at this hard time esp with the distance!

I can't remember who's bubs is tummy sleeping but Riley is a tummy sleeper too - I have given in to it as it is the only thing that saves my sanity (he goes 4-5 hours on his tummy or 1-2 on his back) he is still sleeping in our room ATM and he has a really strong neck (he often looks like a turtle popping his head up to look around!) - I did some reading online and there is quite a bit of stuff that says that as long as they are on a firm surface with no toys, bumpers etc in the cot/bassinette then it is ok and it seems that dispite the SIDS reccomendations there are more people who sleep their kids on their tummies than you'd think - also for some bubs with colic/reflux (I can't remember which) it is better on their tummies.
anyhoo off to make a cuppa will pop in more rugularly again now I am home and settled.

[mummyJ]

GBAGM - I would BF in church and at the reception no worries. I feed her all the time in church...
I generally tuck the corner of a muslin wrap into the strap on my bra of the side I'm feeding off so it covers everything (just when they are newborn, then later I dont even bother). I figure it makes people not so awkward...so I just do it that way...

[jade24]

MM - Oh my lord that has to be one of the cutest photos ever!! I can totally see why Milan makes your friends clucky.

QC - :hugs: So sorry to hear about your MIL. I can't imagine what you must be going through now.

We had a good weekend here. Lots of visiting people and getting out of the house which was nice. I am finding it tough to bath Coop, as he hates it and screams like he's in pain the entire time. DH even called out to see what was wrong with him because he was crying so much tonight. He starts the second I begin washing his face [even before he is undressed or in the bath] and he doesn't stop until he is completely dressed again. By the end I am a nervous wreck!

Hope everyone has had a good weekend :sunshine:

[cookie087]

Hey ladies... thought i better pop on and see how everyones doing considering I haven't really been on since Jordan was born.

Well my little boy is already 5 wks old and i cant believe how quick the time has passed. The poor thing has come down with pretty much everything possible. He has had colic, wouldnt feed, couldnt hold his own temp, sticky eye, nappy rash, and now he is full of the cold. His blocked nose is really annoying him as he can only breathe through his mouth which makes it hard for him to eat and sleep. Despite all the dramas he is a little angel and we wouldnt change it for the world.

We have had rellies out since feb and they are all such a blessing. We have had cooked meals and outings most days, and even come look after bub so i can have a couple of hours of much needed shut eye. Only my gran left here now so as much as i enjoyed it, its nice its kinda quietened down a bit.

Jordan had his first swim in a big swimming pool last weekend and absolutely loved it! I am so enjoy taking him to new places and having creating new memories and experiences, and my camera has certainly had a nice workout!

QC my heart and prayers go out to you and your family at this hard time and i wish you all the love and support in the world

[Seacretsquirrel]

Hey ladies thought I'd better pop some pics of our little man so here he is....
Riley (http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/picture.php?albumid=843&pictureid=3947)
DH, DD and DS (http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/picture.php?albumid=843&pictureid=3948),
He is awake and looking for a feed so I'd better oblige... will pop back later!:wave:

[Purplebird]

QC - :hugs: I'm so sorry about your MIL. I wish I could come round and have a cuppa with you and give you a hug.

GBAGM - I would also feed my baby anywhere (including in church). I think that if you use a muslin wrap over your shoulder you can be discreet and it also means you could wear any type of dress too.

SS - I think you need to treat your nipples for thrush too, but I can't remember how! I bet if you do a search on here you'll find the answer.

We are doing fairly well. Cameron has gained about 400 gm, so I'm pleased with that. We have been going out and about a lot - that's the good thing about having a toddler, it forces you to get out of the house and do stuff, which has made me feel much better.

Cameron is sleeping well at night - his wake ups are brief and he feeds and goes straight back to sleep :yelclap: So all in all I can't complain!

[jade24]

Took the kids to the shops today [omg why do I do it to myself?] to get Cooper some 00 clothes but they're HUGE!! He still just fits the 000's so I decided to just leave him in those for a bit longer. I really thought he was moving onto 00's, but I guess not!

Can't believe how quiet it is in here now that we all have our gorgeous bubba's.

[A'sMummy]

Hello ladies! Hope you all had a restful night. For the first time since Anya was born I got almost 8 hours sleep last night woohoo!! I had 2 lots of almost 3 hours and 1 lot of 2 hours. I feel great today :yelclap:
I also started an album of the photos we have taken since she was born, I only printed the "good" photos and have so far almost filled a 300 photograph album (and she's not even 4 weeks old :o). Also printed off some photos to send out with the Thank You's, so I am feeling "somewhat" organised now.
Anya is still in 0000 but is almost too big alot of them. I have moved her into the 000 wondersuits already because they were a lil tight. I agree, being inbetween sizes is really annoying because everything either looks way too big or too tight.
QC- Big hugs to you! Sorry to hear about your MIL. :hugs: Sending all my thoughts your way! You are doing so well under the circumstances, I admire you!
MM and SS- Love the photos of your spunky lil men, they are surely going to heart breakers when they're older :D

Anya is having some tummy time as we speak, she is so strong already, she amazes me everyday. She seems to be liking tummy time a little more now, she used to scream everytime. Oh, I spoke too soon, she is now crying just as I wrote that haha. Better go ladies, have a good day! xoxo

[debplus3]

QC - just wanted to say that I am so sorry for your loss, and being so far away from your DH must be horrible. So hard that this is all happening when you have a new born. :hugs:

[OneCheekyMonkey]

QC - I am so sorry for you families loss, my thoughts and wishes are with you all.


GBAGM I was given one of these http://www.kisskisshughug.com.au/ which I find really useful. I like being able to see bubby, especially if he is being fussy and I need to reattach him numerous times. My friend bought it because bub kept pulling the muslin wrap off my shoulder having a total fit that something was over his head. There is also a selection here http://www.nursingangel.com.au/c/165295/1/breastfeeding-covers.html . I would feed discreetly in the back of a church, esp if the alternative is a crying baby!

We are going well, I have started storing breastmilk so I can have a drink, or a night sleep. I am storing it in 60 and 120 ml pots. I really don't like expressing.

Jade I went to the shop to have a look at the 0s, bubs cloth nappy reall bulks him out and I think he will need an 0 for length shortly. He is growing at an absolutely amazing pace. The 00 are looking 'normal' to me now. :)

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

GBAGM I was given one of these http://www.kisskisshughug.com.au/ which I find really useful. I like being able to see bubby, especially if he is being fussy and I need to reattach him numerous times. My friend bought it because bub kept pulling the muslin wrap off my shoulder having a total fit that something was over his head. There is also a selection here http://www.nursingangel.com.au/c/165295/1/breastfeeding-covers.html . I would feed discreetly in the back of a church, esp if the alternative is a crying baby!

We are going well, I have started storing breastmilk so I can have a drink, or a night sleep. I am storing it in 60 and 120 ml pots. I really don't like expressing.



thanks for that oops, looks like something i could use :D ive been having the same problem with the Muslin wraps and She HATES having things on/over her face

Are you using a pump to express or hand expressing? the reason i ask is that in the beginning when i had an abudance of supply (i.e. before it settled) using the pump was great- i could get a good 100mls in 10-15mins. But now i get barely anything. I only express when she falls asleep before emptying one side, and i get heaps more by hand- AND it doesn't hurt. i think its because i get more by squeezing than i do by suction.

i now have 6 pots of 120 mls in the freezer for a rainy day :D

[OneCheekyMonkey]

I haven't tried hand expressing, I might give it a go.

:) I find the covers so useful, plus pretty. I feel 'safe' feeding anywhere now :)

[BoyCrazy]

hey ladies

QC- im so sorry to hear of your loss, am thinking of you in this difficult time :hugs:

GBAGM- i posted a thread about feeding in church in the breastfeeding section..not sure if you have seen it. lots of people have said they would feed their bubs in the church, or they have done in the past and noone was worried. Ill be feeding jasper in the church, am sure noone will mind, better than a screaming baby anyways!

went and got my little porker weighed today

stats at birth
weight: 3.33kgs
length: 51.5cm

stats at 6 weeks today
weight: 5.16kgs
length: 59cm!

cant believe how much he has grown! :D

[ardora]

Hello!

Well it seems that everyone is very busy these days... it has been a great day in Sydney today and we finally managed to get G's birth certificate so we can make his passport- I am taking him to Europe in a couple of weeks... am I brave or silly?

How is everyone's breastfeeding going? Mine is going OK I guess but I am still full of doubts given that the information is quite contradictory... like, you should feed baby until he empties the breast so you ensure adequate supply and avoid mastitis... one would think that adequate supply is what the baby needs, so then we should not keep on offering until they "overflow"... I was just giving him what he wanted and the nurse insisted that I should give him more... as a result poor G pukes a bit after eery feed and my breasts are quite hard and tender again.. I have taken an executive decision and I am back giving G what he wants (he was growing happily and putting on weight when the nurse told me to modify things)

G normally eats between 10 and 20 minutes and I only offer him one breast each feed... how does that compare to what your bubs eat?

Well... back to feeding :)

:goodvibes:

[Seacretsquirrel]

Hey ladies, Riley is sill going great guns now all I need to do is convince him that midnight is not time to be awake (3 hours awake including almost an hour (in 2 bits) of feeding.... Plus having to get up to miss Z about an hour after I finally got Master R settled! (2 hours of sleep is just not enough to be a functioning patient mummy). :sleeping::sleeping:

Ardora - One breast is often all miss Z would take in the beginning and my younger sister was the same too (unlike Riley who seems to need 4 sides at every feed) I think go with your instincts on this one if he is settled and content after one side then it is obviously working for him, esp if they are still gaining weight and producing pleanty of wet nappies.

Oops - I love the look of those feeding covers. They look great - Not much good up here though it is just too hot to use anything more than muslin esp when feeding. I did however buy a packet of suspender clips (the ones for stockings and suspenders) and stitched them onto a bit of ribbon making a clip similar to the ones that those websites were selling for $16-$20 for less than $4 for 2. not quite as flash as your covers but hopefully it will help me keep the muslin wrap up over my shoulder when feeding out and about.
anyway the Ironing is calling (yuck) so I better run - and I need to convince Miss Z that climbing on the bassinette is not a good idea.... and convince her to eat he breakfast otherwise it is 24hours with only a little tub of yoghurt and a couple of bites of toast.

[janiceg]

ardora, do what feels right for you and bubs!
some days charlotte will take both breasts but usually just the one and i feed her till she doesn't open her mouth for it any more or fusses at the breast.
she used to feed up to an hour but now it's about 15-20mins. they get faster as they get better at draining the milk, so it's a good sign!
my middy says breastfed babies will not overeat and will just take what they need so let her eat as long as she's willing. sometimes too much foremilk can make them vomit or have a tummy ache because its really sweet.
little miss has gained 1.5kg since birth so i must be doing something right:smiliedance:

anyone else's bub get really excited when they see the breast? charlotte smiles and pants...makes me laugh every time that she's so excited!

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

adora i'm with you on the conflicting advice, My nurse told me to fed on one side for 10 minutes then switch to the other for 10 then back to the first for as long as she wants (in response to me asking for tips to keep her awake during feeding) then another well meaning advice giver told me that that will mean she gets mainly foremilk, not hindmilk which means she won't feel full for long...so i don't know... i think i'm going to just trust my instincts and feed her how it feels right.

i have given in and am trying to get her into some sort of routine, most of the time during the day we are doing quite well and she is now feeding once evry 4 hours rather than every 30 mins-hour which means she has enough to last her through a proper 2-3 hours sleep, but come night time shes back to doing whatever she wants- after breaking my heart last night trying to stretch her out the 4 hours between feeds i gave in and broke routine, and what do you know she slept 4.5 hours straight (rather than 3) so i've decided to stop being selfish at night, feed her when She wants it and however much she wants- they aren't babies for long and i want to enjoy my time with her, not stress both myself and her out- even if its spent in the early hours of the morning!

so i got back on the cross trainer today- did 20 minutes and boy did my lungs fel it! i didn't know how unfit i had become :( never mind, i feel great now- really energised! so i'm going to try and do 20 minutes a day (thats what those ads recommend isn't it??)

wow enough about me and mine. how is everyone else going? it was silent in here yesterday, i kept refreshing the page to see if someone had posted (how sad am i???) but i idn't have anything intersting to post myself :( today i just decided to post anyway, intersting or not :D)

[YMo7]

im around today... although i haven't been much since DD was born.

just haven't had anything interesting to say. still don't. lol.

i breastfeed one side each time until she kinda drops off. between 10 and 20mins for Star-Lily. apparently its normal for them to have little periods of not sucking so long as they are still attached properly. somethng about when they are attached, the milk will squirt into their mouth anyway so they just having a break but bubs is still feeding if that makes sense. she feeds well still... 3.30am, 8am, midday, 3.30pm, 7.30pm, 10.30pm.

she has silent reflux so have to see GP tonight to find out if he is going to give her meds or not. her skin still peeling. still sleeps with us. wont say she is happy coz she cries alot from pain. she is in 000. and her lovely clothies are gorgeous! :)

wanna exercise... how long should i wait?

well she just finished her feed (started late - oops!) so i better go put her down, have shower and do some housework....

[debplus3]

YMO7 - I'm starting to think Bradley has silent reflux too. At first I thought it was only colic, which is bad enough. But in the last few weeks he has been doing everything that points to silent reflux. My nephew had it quite badly and my SIL said that it really looks the same to her. My poor boy, he wants to be content, but when those pains grab him he just screams and carries on. Also he won't feed when he has pains, but because of his lack of weight gain I have to really persist with feeding.

On the BF thing, I think one of the reasons they need to stay on one breast for a while is to get the hind milk. The first milk is quite watery and will quench their thirst, the hind milk is more fatty and it what helps them put the weight on. I think from memory it takes 5-7 minutes for hind milk to come in, depends how hard bubs sucks.

[Purplebird]

I'll post too even though I have nothing interesting to say, lol!

Ardora - I agree, do what works for you and G with the feeding. Cameron seems to feed from one side most of the time, but sometimes wants both. I prefer to keep him on one side longer as he gets less windy. Foremilk is a bit sugary and seems to make him fart more!

A friend recommended Infants Friend, which I didn't try for dd (I used Infacol) - we seemed to have a bit of success with it yesterday as he settled better and didn't wriggle with tummy pains. I've also found a dummy which he will take for a few minutes, so I'm pleased about that. It just helps to sooth him if needed.

We have no routine at all yet and I have promised myself not to even think about it. I got very down with dd by pressuring myself about things like that and I wish I'd learnt to go with the flow sooner. Having said that I can understand the benefits of a routine, so if it works for you thats wonderful :)

We have been shopping this morning - and were coo'ed over lots by strangers. people always stop me to ask about the babysling. We are off to the park soon to push dd on the swings - it's nice to have some sunshine in Melbourne :)

[debplus3]

Purplebird - I find that lots of people stop and talk about the baby when he is in the sling too!
I put myself under pressure with my first 2 babies about routines and I am also determined to not do that to myself this time aswell. If he happens to fall into some kind of routine eventually, that will be an extra bonus.

[Lateralus]

Hi All, have had a bit of a rough time in our camp this week - have been in hospital since sunday with severe mastitis (my 3rd bout in 4 weeks). Felt so crook with it - high fevers, vomiting and so much pain in my right breast. After a few days of IV antibiotics and fluids it seems to be settling down. They did an ultrasound of it which showed the whole breast was full of infection, but THANKFULLY no abscess (wasn't too keen on the idea of them sticking a needle in my boob to drain it...). As a result of being so crook with the mastitis, what was left of my milk supply decided to leave the building.. I am in awe of those of you who express 100 mls at a time - I am hard pressed to get 20 mls out of both breasts combined! I have started up on motilium to try and boost my milk supply - apparently it can take anywhere up to 4 weeks to work... Also taking hefty doses of vitamin C, evening primrose oil, fish oil & fenugreek. Expressing every 2 hours to try and stimulate the breasts into making more juice. Have a staph infection in my right nipple so it's too painful to feed Z on that one - and she's refusing to feed off the left on without the nipple shield. SO - as you can see, we've got a few hurdles to overcome here. Emotionally I have been left feeling pretty low with everything that's been going on - I feel as if all these problems with feeding, and the time consuming feeding regime we are on at the moment (feed off left breast, bottle feed expressed milk, bottle feed comp formula, express, wash and sterilise everything and then start all over again) is taking the joy out of it for me - I feel as if I have no time to actually enjoy being a Mum. Having to express so often also means it limits how much I can go out and means I have been a bit socially isolated. BUT - I am sure it will all get better. It has to right?! :confused: I am so blessed that I have such a wonderful husband - he has been so supportive and encouraging and helpful... God, the number of times Z has been screaming and I have been in tears and he's kept his cool and stayed calm and got us through it.

Anyhow - enough of my pity party. Will try and be a bit more chipper next time I am in here! :hugs:

[A'sMummy]

KJ- Oh you poor thing! I have been wondering where you got to. So sorry to hear that you have been in hospital :hugs: You are doing a really amazing job with all the hurdles you have had in your path. I would have probably given up on breastfeeding long ago and resorted to formula, but you are doing sooooo well and being a wonderful mum! Miss Z is lucky to have such an amazing mum!
I really hope your mastitis and infections clear up soon! :fingerscrossed:
I am sure that good luck is due your way and you will really start to find time you enjoy your gorgeous lil girl. Take care of yourself :yes: and don't worry about your "pity party", you are always welcome to get it off your chest!! I am more than happy to listen and send you all my happy and good luck thoughts!!

[ardora]

Hello!

Well, I am keeping on doing what feels right; feeding G what he wants and not pusing it and he is not vomiting after every feed as before :). So I will just trust him to tell me how much he wants. He is putting weight right on the average so I don't understand why the nurse told me to modify stuff...

Kate, big, big :hugs: for you... I am not having any problems and am still confused and insecure; I cannot imagine what you are going through. It is really admirable that you are still trying after all this pain and hurdles. You will soon be enjoying Zoe again :flowerz:

Routine. With G is easy because he is such a contented little baby that hardly cries. Most of the time I have to wake him up (every 3.5-4 hours) during the day. During the night I let him sleep and he normally does 5 to 6 hours straight.

Colic. Infacol worked for me. I am now giving him less times a day and he is doing fine so far... The Paed. told me that Infacol only interacts with the gas so if G does not have any gas, he will just get rid of it. I only had one day of colic and that was horrible, G cried for 10 hours straight... :hugs: to everyone with colic or reflux babies... it is really horrible to seeing them in pain...

Wish you all a good happy night!
:goodvibes:

[YMo7]

im the opposite to you both purplebird and deb, i had no routine for the first 3 but this one fell into routine herself. yay! lol.

deb - i hope your LO is ok. i have heard hugabub wraps are recommended for babies with silent reflux. so i have 2 in the mail to me and i am going to make 2 tonight. hope it helps.

[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
xx

[OneCheekyMonkey]

Oh Natski! I am so glad that Olivia is alright and it was something very treatable. Gosh how scary and emotional :hugs: It must feel so good to be home with dh and ds.

Kate it sounds like you are going through a really rough time with bfeeding. I hope the mastitis stops occurring, do they have any idea why it has been recurrent? It has to get better !!! :hugs:

No news here, I have finally decided on which carrier I like the best - the Ergo wins hands down so I am going to sell all my others on ebay (faaar too many others!).

I hope everyone else is going well :)

[Seacretsquirrel]

Hey firstly huge great big :hugs: to your Natski and KateJo what a rough few weeks you have had.. Make me think that my nasty itch rash and Ds having oral thrush is not such a big deal. On the thrush front we are treating both me and him for now (I am using tinea treatment on my nipples which is rather weird but apparently it is better to use that than the oral drops like others on here suggested when I did a search), I had a wee drama today had to go back to the Dr for this rash that is slowly taking over my body (was there on Monday and the DR is like this cream should have you right in a coulple of days - which is what the 1st Dr told me almost 2 weeks ago sigh) but he gave me some steroid based antibiotics to see if that helps but he said I couldn't BF which devastated me I cried all the way to the chemist (to get the script) and all the way home but rang the ABA and she gave me the number of a medicine line in Adelaide who said it is actually fine to use this stuff and still BF I just have to take it straight after a feed and try to hold him out for at least 3 hours so yippeeee for not having to FF and risk stuffing our newly established BF (what with the tongue tie,the thrush, and gutso child, BF has been much harder than I remember)
I too get heaps of attention when bubs is in the sling but it is more what the heck are you wearing kinda looks and then if they actually stop me they are surprised at bubs being in the sling. I was beginning to feel as if I had 2 heads for a while there.
anyhoo hope everyone else is doing ok I am off to bed before DS decides he is hungry (before our 3-4 hours) and I'd better take DD to the loo so we have another dry night :fingerscrossed:

[OneCheekyMonkey]

SS yay for the ABA! Bfeeding is hard enough without more problems. I must remember to call the ABA if i ever get told info like that.

I think your bfeeding clip system would work a treat but it was nice that my friend spoilt me with a bought one :) I think I will make myself one or two as spares since my DP seems so desperately concerned with me staying covered.



My bub is down to a 5 min feed at 3am, sooooo with much luck he will cut it out soon and sleep between 11ish and 5ish !! Amazing what excites me lately. :)

[Purplebird]

Big hugs to you and Zoe, Kate. You are wonderful for carrying on as long as you have, I'm not sure I would have done. PLease come and vent here whenever you need :hugs:

BIg hugs to you too Nat. What a terrible time you've had. I'm so glad all is well now :hugs:

[Purplebird]

im the opposite to you both purplebird and deb, i had no routine for the first 3 but this one fell into routine herself. yay! lol.

I'm jealous! :)

[Lateralus]

:smiliedance: woohoo - 50mls expressed in the one sitting overnight :smiliedance: (gotta celebrate the small victories).

QC I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your mother in law... It's good your DH made the decision to go over and see her and got the opportunity to speak to her before she passed. Thinking of you xo

Natski :hugs: oh hun - what a horrible thing for you all to go through. The one thing I was seeing as a positive about my hospitilisation was that it was ME who was sick and not Z. Thinking of you all and hoping Olivia makes a speedy recovery. Sunlight is great for killing those nasty golden staph bugs too - so lots of walks in the sun might be in order! :sunshine:

[debplus3]

KateJo - I am in absolute awe of what you have been through ans still persisting with the BF'ing. I was sick with my first two while I was BF'ing and eventually my supply dried up as I just couldn't get well. My sickness did not require hospitalisation and I eventually switched to full FF.
:yelclap: to you and your strength.
Please try to not give yourself a hard time about having to comp feed...remember it is all about giving Zoe what she needs.

Natski - you poor, poor darling!!! I am so sorry that your beautiful Olivia has been so sick. That is so cruel for all of you. I was distressed at Bradley speding one day in an incubator, I can't imagine how distressing it must have been. :hugs: to you!

I just have to say...I think women, and especially mums, are simply amazing. We give of our bodies, hearts, souls, love and sanity...and I think we are just all amazing.

I am woman!!!!:smiliedance:

[janiceg]

:hugs:to you girls having such a rough time! my heart really goes out to you. and i'm so amazed at the way you're all coping - don't know that i would be as strong!:hugs:


here's a muesli recipe i make for those that want a boost but don't want to eat cookies all day! i love it, hope you do, too!

breastfeeding muesli

1/2 cup honey
4-5 tbsp oil (sunflower or whatever you got)
3 cups oats (quick cooking)
1 cup almonds
1 cup cashews
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup coconut
1 cup flax meal
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
5-6 tbsp flax oil
2 tbsp brewers yeast

preheat oven to 180 fan forced .
heat honey and oil in pot over low heat (just to warm it so it's easier to mix).
mix oats, nuts, seeds, flax meal and coconut in a large bowl.
add honey and oil to oat mixture and mix well.
spread evenly on a baking tray and toast slightly! be careful not to let it burn!
return to large bowl add raisins, cranberries, flax oil and yeast.
store in airtight container in the fridge.

*you can add or change what nuts/seeds/fruit you like or have on hand (i also add 1 cup rice bubbles)*

[Seacretsquirrel]

Thanks oops the guy at the medicine line gave me a website (to back up what he was saying)
Lactmed (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT) (I hope I can post it here sorry if not) but you can pop in what ever medicines you take (want to take) and it tells you the risks and reccomendations for when you are BF. It looks pretty good and fairly simple to use. Just have to have the product name and correct spelling (and for scripts know the strength of the stuff you are taking)

We had a much better night last night 2 lots of 3 1/2 -4 hours and no 3 hours of wakefulness Yippee (I agree small things excite me too)
anyway housework is calling (darn it) so I better go.:(

[Jender]

Such a lot to catch up on - and people I haven't met before...

Natski - what an awful time for you all. So glad your bub is doing better and is home.

Katejo - same for you but I agree, much as I hate being sick, I prefer it to one of my kids!

Hi Opps, secretsquirel, janiceg, debplus3 and everyone else. And yay to the ABA - they are great for b/s advice and I am also in aw of you guys for continuing under such circumstances. I have only had grazed nipples to content with (and that was early days) and now cleared up.

My little man is doing pretty well - he will be 3 weeks tomorrow, eating up a storm, settling pretty well. Can usually get a couple of 3 hour stints of sleep at night with an efficient feed at night between 3 and 4 am. I have found he will settle with a rewrap or a dummy if he wakes before a feed time.

Has anyone moved to sleeping bags? I did for DD but can't remember exactly when I did it. They worked a treat with her - and she was in them until 18 months or so. I still wrap DS at the moment but would like to switch to the bags

[megaminz]

Kate I am so sorry to hear you have been in hospy, I agree with everyone else you are doing wonderfully to battle through and still bf after all this.

Natski its good to hear from you, I wondered where you had been cause we hadn't heard from you. I am sorry bubs has been so ill it would have been very stressful and scary I think. You are a strong lady!!!

[BoyCrazy]

Has anyone moved to sleeping bags? I did for DD but can't remember exactly when I did it. They worked a treat with her - and she was in them until 18 months or so. I still wrap DS at the moment but would like to switch to the bags


hey Jenny :wave:
congrats on the birth of your little man! I moved to sleeping bags when this bub was about 4 weeks old..its a bag that goes from 0000-00 sizes. I did this cause he hates being wrapped, and will kick blankets off. It works great, and lets me get a bit more sleep without him getting cold and waking up!

nat- omg you poor thing, poor liv, so glad everyone is well and back home, hope to catch up with you soon :hugs:

Jasper has got a cold, poor little guy can hardly breathe through his nose, he is still in good spirits tho, giving me heaps of smiles and chats..i looove the newborn smiles, so so so gorgeous. Have wedding to go to tomorrow arvy/night, went out and bought some clothes this morning, now ive realised, what do i dress bub in?? might have to go back to the shops!

hope everyone is well, off to get some fess for bub.

[OneCheekyMonkey]

jender - i have started putting bub in the light 0-6month grobag now that it is cooler in perth. I think they are great as bub hates being wrapped and kicks the blankets off.

[megaminz]

well ladies I have to say I am a changed woman today!! had an awesome visit to the CHN yesterday. They got me back on to wrapping but more importantly showed me the right way to settle him by wrapping him and the timing of putting him down when wrapped. He has gone down EVERY TIME since!!!

the key for us has been change bum, feed, cuddle or play etc..the MOMENT he shows signs of tiredness (furrowing brow, clenching fists, yawning etc..) to wrap him and hold him away from me so he can't smell boobs, then whilst he is still awake but very sleepy put him down and pat him to sleep or if he is sleepy enough let him self settle. It truely ahs worked. Apaprently if you are having trouble putting them down then dont wait for them to be asleep then put them down, but put them down whilst still awake but drowsy so they associate cot with sleeping. if they went to sleep in arms and wake up in cot its a fright for them apparently. And this is something I was very guilty of, getting him to go to sleep on boob, settling him on a pillow then trying to get him down. He wouldnt go down we would ahve to put him in cot on pillow!! and he would only last for around 45mins. he has slept for 2-3hrs every time since yesterday!!! WOOOOHOOOO:yelclap:

[Seacretsquirrel]

YIPPEE for selfsettling. Riley is still mainly falling asleep on the boob (but he is a few weeks younger than most of the other bubs) but he will often self settle if I put him on his side - am thinking I'll have to get one of those wedges to stop him rolling or maybe just let him go he might roll early then I don't have to wait too long before I stop feeling guilty about tummy sleeping.

Off to pain the doll bed DH just made and also DD's easel we got really bright pink, green and blue paint that match her kitchen so we are going a bit nuts with it.:wave:

[Lateralus]

:gloomy: we have DHs parents visiting at the moment and they are being royal pains in the ar$e.. being noisy, waking her up and not even offering to help settle her.. Not really helping with anything else. Expecting us to make food for them etc... Just what we need when I am supposed to be on bed rest with my mastitis.. DH & I have decided we are going to ask them to move their flight forwards and go home early.. I am sure it will start all sorts of $hit, but we have to do what is best for us at the moment... Trying to rest & getting Z back into some sort of routine after our stay in hospital... Is this harsh? :confused:

[A'sMummy]

MM- congrats on the self settling!! Good work!
My lil angel has decided to constantly fall asleep whilst feeding, then want more milk when I put her in her cot. She seems not to be latching as good anymore and also not to be sucking for as long and as strong. Hrmm not sure what I can do. She is feeding about every 2 hours again sometimes less.
I also have not got the hang of the sleep, feed, play, sleep thing, I ALWAYS have to top her up before I put her down otherwise she just cries. :( I need some tips!!

KJ- Oh no that's not harsh at all after all you have been through!! I would think they would understand. I can't beleive they are there and not helping out! You poor thing!! Right now do what is best for you and bubs, that's the most important thing. Grrr at inlaws, my are difficult too!

[Lateralus]

well they took it surprisingly well... Seems there are no hard feelings at all thank goodness. Luckily they understood where we were coming from when we said we just needed to get back into a routine & were finding it difficult with extra people around.

C&C have you tried using breast compression (http://www.kellymom.com/newman/15breast_compression.html) for when bub is falling asleep at the boob? - I am using it for when I am expressing & for when Z is on the boob to try and increase the flow for her as she gets frustrated by the slow flow.. Noticed it is recommended for sleepy babies too.

[Seacretsquirrel]

KJ - no i agree with C&C not harsh at all you need to get your rest and get mis Z back into routine otherwise it wil make life harder in the long run. as parents they should understand (not saying they will) and no be too offended.

C&C - I think you can probably put the 2hrly feeds down to the expected growth spurt (usually around the 6 week mark and I think your wee one is nearly there???) also with the warm weather she may be thirsty too. I'd try giving the first side burping and going back to the same side so she is getting the hind milk not just the (thirst quenching but not filling) foremilk, and then offering the 2nd sie if she is interested.
With the not latching on DD did this too - she got lazy and so did I a bit. and the not sucking as long and strong is often due to not being latched on as well as just being due to the milk coming in and regulating a bit and bubs getting more efficient at draining your boobs. I'd try going back to careful attachment like in the beginning and see if that helps with all the other issues. (thats my 2 cents anyway others may have other better suggestions for you) :ecomcity:

AFM Master R is doing a heck of a lot of sleeping today but I am going with it, hopefully he will still sleep tonight:fingerscrossed: his big sister is still loving him to death and doing my head in, in the process :hair: hopefully the novelty will wear off soon - she is a good helper too so I shouldn't complain to much.
Oh and painting done and dusted so just have to wait for it to dry and put it all in her room (oh darn just remembered we are doing her toy box too will have to empty that and do it tomorrow - and rileys drawers and toy box - what am I thinking???) oh well I guess we will get there eventually we are down to the final bits and bobs now I jsut need to clear out the spare room and sell our old couch the spare bed and the little chest freezer that was in the garage.
Sorry about the long post I really can rabbit on can't I.

[A'sMummy]

KJ- Glad to hear you have sorted it out with your IL's and I am so glad they took it well!
I read link on breast compression and I am definately going to give it a go... hopefully it will wake her up a lil!

SS- She is just on 4 weeks, but I guess every baby is different with their growth spurts. I was thinking it is possibly a growth spurt too.
I am also thinking she has gotten lazy with her attachment... possibly I am producing more milk now and she doesn't need to try so hard to get it anymore. But I am also thinking she is not getting the hind milk that fills her up for long periods and that's why she never seems satisfied. I think you're right in saying I should feed on the one side, burp, and do that side again. I was previously doing one side, burping and then offering the second side right away.
Thanks for the tips ladies! I will give them all a go!
Good on you SS for doing all that painting! Not sure where you find the time with a newborn and a 2yo to contend with! You're amazing. I can barely find time to read the paper each day... heh I feel like such a lazy slack a$$! It is very cute that she is loving Master R sooo much, I can imagine you have to keep a watchful eye though!
I did manage to cook 2 quiches today for DH's grandfathers bday tomorrow so I am semi pleased with my efforts.

[Seacretsquirrel]

I am not as great as all that DH is home at the moment and has been doing the lions share with DD and letting me get on with DS. I am going to be stuffed when he goes away after easter. :crying:
But thanks:D

[A'sMummy]

Ok well I just fed Anya and tried all your suggestions, used the compression technique and it definately seemed to wake her up alot of the time and start her sucking again. I also fed on the same breast again after the burp and nappy change. Once she fell off that for the second time I offered the other breast and she took it for awhile. I also have ditched the football hold which I have been using since day one and used the cradle hold (as suggested on the link the KJ posted). She is now asleep and I am hoping she lasts more than 2 hrs??!! :fingerscrossed: But if not... I will just keep trying this method for atleast 24hrs and see what happens. Can't do no harm.
Thanks for your tips ladies :hugs:

[Purplebird]

Kate - glad you managed to get rid of your in-laws. We had similar problems with DH's parents last time when dd was born - we had a few firm words afterwards, but it was such a strain at the time. I think you did the right thing for you and your little family. Hope you are feeling a bit better physically and mentally.

MM - great work on the self settling. Wrapping is so good when it works. It's good to have a reminder about being consistent and persevering too!

C&C - SS and Kate gave you some great tips already. I just want to add - please don't drive yourself mad worrying about self settling if it doesn't work yet. Some babies do it more easily than others. New babies love the comfort of the boob and it's really your choice as to whether you want them to self settle or not. I tried so hard with dd, but she was quite a difficult baby and she just wouldn't self settle consistently until she was nearer 6 months old. I fed her off to sleep all the time until then. Having said that, I am starting to use some of the tips from 'The No Cry Sleep Solution' book (I highly recommend it!) as I don't have all day to hold and settle Cameron, so I really need him to get into a good sleeping pattern so that I can spend time with dd. UNfortunately he is a rather hungry boy, so he tends to feed 2-2.5 hourly in the mornings!

SS - great work on all the painting! I'm also getting a bit worried about amusing dd when mum goes home to the UK on Tuesday :( Luckily DH is a teacher so we get the school holidays together. I'm still worried that my demanding and active toddler is going to get a bit neglected over the next few months :(

Well it's so sticky here in Melbourne tonight. NOt really sure what to dress or wrap bubs in as this stupid weather is so changeable and knowing Melbourne the temp could drop horribly overnight. Argh! I guess I'll just take lots of layers into the bedroom and adjust them at every wake up :rolleyes:

[Seacretsquirrel]

I know what you mean PB DD is a good helper (gets nappies and things for me even got a drink and a bite of biccie the other day when I was feeding) but I am still needing 2 hands to feed which makes reading or things like that hard to do. DD has been sitting up beside me on the couch "feeding" her baby which is very cute (she fiddles around at the top of her shirt like I 'do - undoing bra clips and then lifts her shirt and feeds her baby a total crack up:laughing:
I think I am just going to have to make some of the time that DS is asleep special Z and me time so that she doesn't feel too neglected - lucky for me she is pretty good at entertaining herself.
Is anyone elses toddler wanting to use the baby's dummy and nappies (dispite not having has a dummy since 6 months and no nappies during the day for almost 6 months and no night ones for a week!!) We are just reminding her the perks of being a big girl (cups of "tea", choccy frogs etc)any other suggestions???
Think I might have a look at the boobie slings that were on new inventors (2nd time round my boobs are much saggier (is that a word)

[A'sMummy]

ok well my last post was around 8pm... I said Anya was sleeping... well she woke up 30mins later! I finally settled her at 11pm and guess what.. she slept for 4 hours then woke for a feed, and slept for another 4 hours!! That is the first time ever she has done that during the night woohoo!! :smiliedance: I think I will persist with the cradle hold from now on, I kinda find it awkward but I am sure it will get easier. Also it seems to take longer to feed her but I am convinced she seems to be sucking better using that hold.
PB- I agree, I think this one is a "fall asleep at the boob" type baby. She just wont settle otherwise at the moment. Hopefully it will come with time like your DD. I will definately check out that book you mentioned though. I am *hoping* to get her to settle better in the next 2 months as I unfortunately will be back at work full time. So I will need a lil more sleep and wont have as much time on my hands :(

SS- My boobs are so saggy first time round! God only knows what they will be like with the 2nd!! :o I will be picking them up off the floor!!

[Lateralus]

:wave: Hi all, a quick question to those of you who are feeding without any dramas.. We are doing our best to get Zoe back on the boob without the nipple shield, but with the dramas of the last few weeks and the fact that I have had to use the shields and comp feed her from a bottle, I think we now have a bit of nipple confusion going on.

'Normally' will Bub suckle for a few minutes, pull off, have a bit of a cough/ wriggle/ squeak/ grumble and then reattach for a few minutes and repeat? She'll repeat this for about 10 minutes then eventually crack it and doesn't want a bar of it... It is so difficult to work out whether she is fussing on the boob because she has forgotten how to suck on it & is getting frustrated, or whether it's because she's draining it and fussing because it's 'empty'... I couldn't imagine she could empty it in less than 10 minutes - although because my supply is still pretty low, maybe she can because there isn't as much there to drain. :confused::confused: So confusing. Where do I get that instruction manual again?? :laughing:

On a positive note, she has changed so much in the last few days - her neck control has improved out of sight, we're getting the occasional grin and she has discovered her tongue and spends the majority of her waking hours sticking it out.. She's spending a lot more time looking around and seems to be focussing on thing a lot more than she was... Amazing how much they develop in such a short amount of time. :bee:

[Jender]

kj - my bub will sometimes bib off and on a bit - particularly when he has just woken up. You can drive yourself mad with questions but if bub is relatively settled, has plenty of wet nappies they will be getting what they need

[OneCheekyMonkey]

kj - could that possibly be because she is getting the let down milk and then fussing when the milk slows down and she has to work faster?

My bub just latches on and stays on until he wants to come off. Sometimes he is fine, sometimes he is fussy and I need to reattach him two or three times. He rarely stays on for longer than 10 mins now, he seems to get what he needs though as he has gained 2 kilos since birth. I think it must be quite easy for him to get a lot out of my breast quickly as I can pump 120 mls from 1 side in about 5-10 mins manually.

I hope that your supply picks up soon and Miss Z starts thriving on your milk. I really admire you for struggling so hard to give Miss Z your milk alone. :hugs::yes:


Not much new here, usual dramas with DPs family, am looking forward to my SIL lil bub due in 9 weeks. Her LO is stubornly posterior and it is causing her a lot of pain. She has tried spinning babies, physio appts, ECV but the LO always turns back posterior. I really feel for her, my pregnancy was uncomfortable like normal but it did not reduce me to tears whenever bub kicked.

[ardora]

Hi all,

Natksi, I am glad to know that Olivia is now doing well. I hope that you can both get some rest.

KateJo, I am brestfeeding with no problems and G sometimes behaves like you said... and in our case there are no rules at all (sorry :confused:) sometimes is because he has some wind, other times is like if he was lazy and forgetting how to suck, in those cases I stick a dummy until he gets the suction going again, other times is just because he had enough... He never feeds for less than 10 minutes and lately he is feeding for longer, average about 20 minutes. Another thing that my mum told me, and it sounded quite 'different' to me, was that when he stops sucking, just put your fingers on the nose so he cannot breath through the nose (for a second or two, of course) and that will make the baby start sucking again :eek:... Well, G is a sleeper so it come be really hard to feed him in the night, and the other day, out of desperation, I tried my mum's method and it worked realy well and G did not seem bothered at all... so that is some controversial technique if you want to try it.

Hugs to everyone, QC i keep on thinking of you, i hope you are doing well.

AFM, G is feeding quite a lot lately, probably some 1 month growing spurth- anyone had that? he is also developing really well and loves to have a good play after a feed :smiliedance: he is still allowing me to sleep some 6 hours straight over night. And I am most definitely in love with him.

Hope you have a great day! :goodvibes:

[ardora]

Quick note on in-laws... PB and KJ... I am with you!! they came to visit and that is what they did, "VISIT"!! sit down for 3 hours or so everyday, talk about nothing interesting and expect a coffee and a cuppa be made for them... I was going mental... I am sorry, I have a newborn and I am tired, I cannot be expected to sit down and entertain people!!! they are just clueless... at least they did not stay with us (advantages of living in a small unit)

[quitecontrary]

Quick hello here my dears! Dh was meant to be back in the early hours of this morning ie his plane should've been one of the first after curfew at Kingsford Smith (thank god for curfew, can you tell we live close to the flight path?? Not noise affected luckily). But after a delay at heathrow everything is delayed and apparently he's coming in via Melbourne eeek.
We went down the coast for a few days - an interesting experience with the two bubs but fun, and G had a ball with all her Sydney cousins.
I have stopped crying quite so much but its so hard to think that Dh can't phone his Mum for a chat anymore. The funeral was on Saturday, so he has hardly had any time to even think it over, he flew out on Saturday night.
The added element of distress for Al and his siblings was organising to move his Dad into care - very traumatic really. My fil will be going into a dementia care home on Thursday - its all so awful. I feel so useless but I know if I cry it all out now I wont be quite so sad when Al gets home later today.
Toby is supposed to be asleep after yet another feed -but I keep hearing his little voice.

I will get back in the swing of things before too long I'm sure. I am so lucky with my two little ones, such a changing time for them too but they have been great. Thank you for all your kind words and love.

[mummyJ]

hey everyone...

Wow - I really admire you girls who have gone through a rough patch with a newborn! You all seem incredibly strong...i think I would have broken down already. well done and lots of :hugs:

I went on the scales yesterday and got a bit depressed!!! I weigh 10kg more than I did after I gave birth the DS!!! So I'm going to join the local gym. Looking forward to it! Really need to shed the excess weight...I seem to put on weight on my thighs and bum for breastfeeding! Both pregnancies I didn't get any stretch marks on my tummy...but in the final week of pregnancy I get some small stretch marks on my upper thighs!!! ridiculous!!! Oh well i guess I shouldn't complain as I've always had an abundance of milk...

I want to get L weighed...She has grown sooo much!!! I cant believe how quickly she's growing up!!!

I took a friend from Canada up to the Hunter Valley for a day trip on Saturday. L was the most perfect baby all day. Slept in the car the whole time, fed perfectly at all the right times and she was such a star...everyone stopped and gushed over her! I bought some delish cheeses, but now that I've weighed myself I might need to just feed DH them!! Got a few bottles of our favorite wine..but they recommend it be cellared for 7 years!

Ok thats enough from me...x x

[jade24]

Having a lovely relaxing time atm. My SIL is here from Dubai and after playgroup this morning she stopped in and took Harley + Summer out with her! She is going to stop and get Kota from school, too, so all I have to do is sit here and do nothing -except when the little man wakes up for boob around 2pm! I've been feeling a little "forgotten" this time around. With MIL having chemo and my mum having a 6 year old starting school this year, I've kind of been left to fend for myself [totally understandable where MIL is concenred, obviously she's been too sick] so I've been struggling a bit. I'm a bit upset that my mum, who is usually sooo supportive and great, hasn't really been making ANY time for me. Kind of feeling abandoned by my mum and it's an awful feeling - am I being unreasonable? I had such a bad day on Thursday, DH took Friday off and it made a huge difference.Now with having a few calm hours today, I'm feeling much better!

Cooper will be 7 weeks on Wednesday :eek: He's doing pretty good. It's just whatever goes during the day, some sleeps in his cradle and some in my arms, but at night he's pretty brilliant. Still going down anywhere between 6-9pm and sleeping for 6 hours, then every four hours during the night and no fussing either, just straight back down into his cradle. Although on Friday night he fed at 8:30pm, went down at 9:15pm and slept until 5am! He went back down at 5:30 and slept til 8:30am!! Unfortunately he hasn't done it again, but hoping he starts going longer.

[gizmoduckus]

Hi there everyone! I hope you are all well.

jade24 - I hope you enjoyed your relaxing day today
mummyj - I have a bit of weight to lose myself. Have been trying to do a little bit of exercise here and there but my love of chocolate is what keeps letting me down
quitecontrary - I hope that your DH is home now :hugs:
katejo - I hope the b/fing is going better. I applaud you for your determination to get through so many hurdles
onecheekymonkey - you have confused me with your name change. :D

Well I have posted in awhile but I have been keeping up with your posts. We had a pretty tough week last week. We tried to take DS2 off of his reflux medication to see if he still needed it after putting him on presciption formula for his protein allergies. We found that he still needs it as he screamed for 3 days straight. I just about lost my mind during those 3 days but now that he is back on the medication he is so much better which means I am doing so much better. Sometimes parenting combined with sleep deprivation can bring you to the brink of insanity. :(

[Lateralus]

:wave:

jade24 hope you have had a relaxing day & that your batteries are feeling recharged!
giz sorry to hear you didn't have any luck getting the little one off his meds - but glad he's settled down again. It's dreadful when they scream for hours on end.. I cannot imagine days on end..

The LC suggested that I give Miss Z some nourishing flora (a pro-biotic) because I have been on so many antibiotics for the mastitis. Has anyone else come across this &/or ever given it to a baby?

Some good news here - Zoe has suddenly decided she doesn't mind a bit of boob and has had a few 10 minute feeds on the naked nipple :smiliedance: She likes the left boob, still not so keen on the right one - but this is a massive forwards step :D Hopefully we'll be up and running in the not too distant future :fingerscrossed:

[A'sMummy]

kj- :smiliedance: congrats on the success you're having with your 10 min feeds, that's fantastic to hear. Sounds like you will be back in action with both boobs in now time :yes:
GD- sorry to hear that your lil man still needs his meds and you had 3 days of agony. Glad to hear he is much more settled now.
Jade- no I dont think you're being unreasonable wanting your mum for support. I would feel a lil neglected too, there is nothing better than having your mum there to support and help out, or even just an ear to whinge too!
MJ- I wouldn't worry too much about the weight gain... 10kg is not much and I am sure it will work it's way off in no time. Remember, you've only just had a baby and you're beautiful :flowerz:
Ardora- I think my lil one is having a 1 month growth spurt too!

I bought some books online today, can't wait to get them in the mail! I think it was Purplebird who mentioned the "no cry sleep soloution book" so I ordered that, and also "secrets of the baby whisperer: how to calm, connect and communicate with your baby" and also "The New Contented Little Baby Book: The Secret to Calm and Confident Parenting"

[A'sMummy]

:sleeping: Very quiet in here today! Am I the only one so bored and dull that keeps refreshing the screen every 10 mins?? LOL
Just a quick question, I know your not supposed to because of SIDs risk but does anyone sleep there bubs on there tummy and what are your opinions on this topic? DD today fell asleep on her tummy whilst having tummy time. I didn't have the heart to wake her so I watched her like a hawke the entire time. She looked so peaceful and I am wondering if she would sleep better on her tummy during the night. I am considering getting the angelcare sound and motion monitor and giving it a go... but I am really not sure if I would stress out too much and god forbid something happened like she stopped breathing and the monitor didn't pick it up, I would never forgive myself! So... just wondering what others experiences are? Not sure if it makes things any better, but Anya has amazing head control and can quite easily lift and turn her head...

[cookie087]

Well its been a while since my last post, however i have been checking in whenever i get a chance. everyone I know has been sick and my littlie has got it too, so hes been really unsettled. It makes it really hard because he isnt sleeping or eating well, which means im not sleeping which in turn means i dont have my normal energy for him - poor little thing. Cant wait for him to be feeling better so we can get back to a little bit of a routine!

CC - I dont think its a problem sleeping them on there tummy, as long as they have enough neck control to turn there head to the side. If they arent quiet strong enough then i wouldnt be too keen on it. As for the angel care monitors, i have one with the double sensor mats and it works wonders. As soon as it senses 20seconds of no movement the alarm goes off, and i is really loud - u wont sleep through it. Even if someone picks bub out of the cot to settle him, it goes of. They are great and id recommend it to anyone! Keeps my mind at ease!!!

Kate - good to hear that your little one is well on there way back to taking boob!

Giz - glad to hear that he has settle back down, fingers crossed all goes well next time u try take him off his meds.

mummyJ - i agree with the weight thing, i still have 12kg to go before ill be satisfied with my weight, and alot of toning to do to get rid of this horrible jelly belly! I will be hitting the jym as soon as im feeling better!

[Seacretsquirrel]

C&C - Riley has been sleeping on his tummy from the word go - he too has great neck and head control he just sleeps better this way (4-5 hours as aposed to 1-2) He is currently in the bassinette beside our bed and I can hear him snuffling away (I forgot how noisy babies are) but we are getting an oricom Secure 200 monitor (digital one so hopefully it is not as staticy as the one we have for Miss Z - we need it for her still as she is at the other end of the house and we have 2 closed doors between us and 2 AC running).
To those looking to get rid of the jelly bit my GF (who is a personal trainer) swears by pilates to tone it up I have to go get me one!!! and I am thinking about a leg magic too - my mum has one and her legs are looking pretty good (she is very thin with heavier legs - but she walks heaps too)
Gotta get back to painting and entertaining DD so be back later when the kiddlies are in bed.

[mummyJ]

SS - I have an Oricom 200 - It's brilliant! NO static at all so you wont need to worry about that!!

Had a not as great day today...L has wind...We had cajun chicken last night, so it seems to have made her have bad wind. She's been so perfect, so cant complain much at all...even her bad days aren't that bad...But I guess when you get used to something...

I ordered an Ergo today!!! so excited!! Can't wait to recieve it!!!

[A'sMummy]

Thanks, I feel better about giving it a go. And I just bought a angelcare monitor off ebay for $65 delivered woohoo bargain! So now when that arrives I will be giving tummy sleeping a trial to see how comfortable I am with it and how comfortable Anya is with it :yes:
Cookie- hope your lil one is feeling better soon and you get some rest :sleeping:

[quitecontrary]

Hello again.
I have just managed to put two little ones to bed, I can't say that they're asleep but at least it is quiet at the moment.
Dh is home, though he is back at work this evening. Poor old G couldn't believe it when she woke up from her nap and he wasn't here again.
I'm lucky this semester that the only evening dh is out is Tuesdays. I hope I get into a better routine with Genevieve, poor old Toby just copes with it all. She was being so silly over dinner, I think I'm going to have to give her a really early dinner in future, and have it all set up whilst she is napping.
Toby is such an easy going baby, which is just as well. I just thank my lucky stars that this is the case. I can't believe he's only 3 weeks old, so much has happened since he arrived in the real world.

[Purplebird]

Kate - yay zoe! well done both of you.

giz - you poor thing - 3 days of screaming, yuck. it's good that the meds are working again.

c&c - both my kids are side sleepers - they settle better that way. i know it's not strictly the right thing, but i think you do whatever you feel comfortable with.

mummyj - i so sympathise. we've had a 'windy' day today due to me indulging in a vindaloo curry last night :o C has been really unsettled, poor thing.

cookie- get well soon to your lo

jade - i think it's normal to want your mum at a time like this :(

qc - so glad dh is home now. our little madam has developed a horrendous 'attitude' since being spoilt for 9 weeks by her grandparents. we have a bit of a job on our hands getting her back to 'normality'!

my mum has just gone home to the uk. i feel so sad about it, especially for the children. we won't see her again for nearly a year :( it hasn't helped that we had a terrible night's sleep last night and today has been a draining day of frequent feeds and short naps from baby C. Ah well, hopefully i'll feel refreshed tomorrow and a bit better.

[megaminz]

hello ladies

havent posted in a while, Milan is magic at night with only two wake ups between 8-7 but during the day he can be quite demanding. He will feed play all that but go to put him down he sleeps for 30mins max!!! Some days he is perfect and the wrapping works, other days it just doesnt

QC :hugs: for your family sorrows at the moment, I am glad your DH is home now even though he didn't get much time abroad to be with his family at this time.

Everyone esle sorry I have missed so many posts catching up will be a nightmare.

I have taken the plunge and this morning Milan is on his tummy in his basinette. He has wind hehas to pass I think and nothing I could do would calm him poor baby so i put him on his tum on a pillow on my lap, he almost instantly went to sleep. So have transferred him to basinette in front of me so I can watch him but he is sleeping soundly so maybe during the day will try it a bit more and see if thats the key. The DR said he was very strong through the neck and lifting his head but I will watch him anyway as I don't have a monitor

[quitecontrary]

Good morning!
MM you are right, dh didn't have much time to be with his family but he did so much with his sister to organise their mum's estate and their dad into care as he really can't be at home even with a full time carer - he has dementia and alzheimers and runs away from the house so he needs to be in a secure place.
Poor old Dh, he is so torn at the moment, but I know he wanted to come home to us, and there was no way we could've travelled with him or to him right now.
We are going back to England in June once Dh's teaching commitments are over for the semester.

On the topic of tummy sleeping - it was the done thing when I was a baby, and baby monitors were non existant. If it works don't beat yourselves up about it.
On the subject of when I was a baby, its my 41st birthday on the weekend, and dh and I are going out to dinner to a very swish restaurant on Friday night - Level 41 as you do!!! I can't wait, we are taking Toby but G will be in the good hands of her grandparents. Even told the restaurant that we are bringing the lad in the old pram - what fun!

[zephani]

Hi Ladies,

Can I join in this thread? My beautiful girl Katherine Isabella was born on February 16th. She weighed 4.22kg at birth and now at 5 weeks old she weighs 5.3kgs. She was 52cm at birth and now she is 60cm. She is formula fed and feeds roughly 4 hourly. THe longest sleep she has had in the night is 6 hours.

I'm looking forward to going back and reading this thread.

Zeph

[Lateralus]

Hi Zeph - welcome & congrats on your little girl Katherine! What a great weight for 5 weeks! My little one is also 5 weeks & has only just cracked the 4kg mark (although she was only 3.29kg art birth)...

All ok here - Miss Z still feeding off the left boobie for 10-15 minutes at each feed which is great! Still can't get attachment right on the right side - the nipple is still cracked and sore from weeks ago - so going to give it another weeks rest (ie just express & not feed from it) to try & heal that nipple up totally. Last thing we want is more damage & masitits...

Miss Z is sleeping less during the day but not sleeping anymore during the nights as a result. Had a bit of a restless night last night - awake at 12mn, 3am and 5:30... :sleeping: She's been really windy though - so I suspect it's a bit of that that's been waking her up - poor chicken.

Zoe not a fan of sleeping on her tummy - but one of the midwives at the hospital told me it can be great for windy babies - but that was off the record as they are not allowed to advocate it anymore. Z loves sleeping on her side though and I will leave her like that from time to time especially if she's having trouble settling.

Hey QC it's my birthday on the weekend too - the 29th - which day is yours on? Hope you have a great b'day dinner.. We're doing a lunch with friends and family on the sunday at a little local winery... First big social trip out since Zoe has been born (yes - we've been a little slow getting out and about). :party:

[quitecontrary]

Welcome Zeph! Most of us are in a bit of a baby haze at the moment, but we have been known to be very chatty in the not too distant past!!
Kate my birthday is Saturday, so we are almost birthday twins! Sounds like you have a lovely celebration planned for Sunday. There has been a lot going on for you three without worrying about Zoe's social debut!
Toby has been doing a bit of a call out this evening, and dh is in bed absolutely deaf to it - that jetlag is a strange thing.

[Seacretsquirrel]

QC - it has nothing to do with jetlag DH can sleep though most of Rileys grizzles and grumbles. But maybe that has something to do with being able to sleep dispite boat engines etc when he is on the boat.

Welcome Zeph, congrats on your little girl and hope you fine all of us as much support as I do.

Not too much to report here I had a haircut today so that was my excitement for the day although I am not sure if I am happy with it as yet - it is a bit short at the front and a bit boofy I don't think she thinned it enough but will see how it looks in the morning.
DD is asleep and DS is looking for a feed so I better go before I leak everywhere:wave:

[Jender]

HI all

Boy, this is a busy thread - hard to keep up with you all.

Welcome Zeph and congratulations

My DH sleeps through it all - and I know perfectly well that even if I wanted him to do anything at night I would lying there waiting for him to wake up and going quietly mad with the waiting!

Kate and Quite Contrary - have great birthdays, both of you. I remember having a few nice lunches and dinners with DD when she was very little. Nothing like the pram in a wanky restaurant.

Megaminz - glad things are going well for you. If I do well, I can get DS to sleep from 7.30/8pm to 6am or 7 with 2 wakes. It probably is pretty good in comparison

CandC - I had a monitor with DD and i loved it. Will be using it again when I move DS into his room - which I sometimes want to do ASAP as I had forgotton about the sheer amount of noise babies make at night...never sure if they need you or not

Hi to everyone else

[NewBeginnings]

:wave: girls.

Things have been hectic here. We are now almost fully unpacked and settled in.

B has even settled in well... going to be anywhere between 830 and 1030. Waking at 12ish if he goes to be earlier, otherwise only at 3:30-4am and then sleeping until 6:30ish and then again until 8:30ish.

Got him weighed on Tuesday... dead on 8 weeks and he's put on 2.5 kilos since birth :eek: I must have super milk I think.

He's already showing signs of trying to roll over, and trying to sit on his own :eek: he's incredibly strong and everyone is commenting on it! It's amazing!

DP and I have been getting along really well lately too... well until this afternoon when he pranged the car... our only mode of transport being a stupid @%$#@. So now we cannot get anywhere. No idea how we are getting to do groceries, or getting to the doctors to have B's needles done. Hell no idea how we are going to do anything... as it's going to cost thousands to fix the car! So needless to say I've been going off my nut ever since he got home about his stupidity! I told him before he left to drive normally and not be stupid... and yet he goes and does it anyway... showing off to his brother! Well it backfired. :devil6: and I'm not letting him live it down! Maybe now he will learn!

Gah sorry... I just can't sleep... I'm shaken up by it... we weren't in the car... but it scares me to think T was meant to be. :gloomy:

Anyway hope everyone else is ok! and all bubs are doing well. :hugs:

[Lateralus]

oh NB what a PITA about the car... More so because DP was being a idgit. Great that no one was hurt.. but a complete pain that your transport is out of action. I hope he intends to work his ar$e off to get it fixed?!:banghead:

[OneCheekyMonkey]

I went off at my partner tonight, am so sick of him not helping out at home and spending all day with mates fixing stuff or 4wding or other equally useless things. I think he understands now that before he does stuff with his mates he needs to do what needs to be done at home first. Then maybe see his mates. After spending time with baby and me.

I am pretty sure that if he doesn't understand any of our neighbours could explain it to him in detail, I was quite loud.

Dane is really unsettled during the day, which is driving me a little nuts, he is seemingly crying and fussing for no reason and wanting to feed every half an hour to an hour for less than 10 mins. At night he is great though which really helps. I need to remember to pack my sling with the pram because he really wants to be in arms rather than in the pram when we are out.

We had studio shots done today! We got a free sitting and some free prints with the pram purchase from baby expo, am excited and hope they look nice, will see them next week.

[zephani]

QC - it has nothing to do with jetlag DH can sleep though most of Rileys grizzles and grumbles. But maybe that has something to do with being able to sleep dispite boat engines etc when he is on the boat.

My DH is the same. He can sleep through Katherine screaming during the night time, but will pick her up as soon as she screams during the day.

[megaminz]

Megaminz - glad things are going well for you. If I do well, I can get DS to sleep from 7.30/8pm to 6am or 7 with 2 wakes. It probably is pretty good in comparison

wow if i can get another few hours out of him like that it would be great

B has even settled in well... going to be anywhere between 830 and 1030. Waking at 12ish if he goes to be earlier, otherwise only at 3:30-4am and then sleeping until 6:30ish and then again until 8:30ish.

Got him weighed on Tuesday... dead on 8 weeks and he's put on 2.5 kilos since birth :eek: I must have super milk I think.

sounds like our boys have similar sleep and weight patterns! Milan as of last fri had put on 2.1kg since leaving hospy

I went off at my partner tonight

Dane is really unsettled during the day, which is driving me a little nuts, he is seemingly crying and fussing for no reason and wanting to feed every half an hour to an hour for less than 10 mins. At night he is great though which really helps. I need to remember to pack my sling with the pram because he really wants to be in arms rather than in the pram when we are out.

OCM - nearly called you oops...
well my dh is the same, you should see the state of our kitchen. Milan is the same during the day, maybe 40% of the time I can get him to go down wrapped, but the rest of the time he is just wakin every 30-60mins and wanting food or attention. Yesterday was awful as he hadnt poo'd since the day before and he was uncomfortable all day then all of a sudden it all came out!!! But during the day I struggle to get much done cause he is demanding. We play, talk sing cuddle the works so I know he gets enough stimulation in wake time, its just getting him to realise he needs more sleep time too!!

but cause DH isnt helpful nothing is getting done cause I just dont get it down while my attention is demanded all the time during the day. I went to the physio the other day and was gone two hours, and dh had Milan and when I got back he gave him straight back to me and that was it. I think on his next days off he can have a whole day where he deals with him and I am just there for feeding

[quitecontrary]

Good Morning!
SS and co, yes, I know dh could sleep through anything - its a family trait for him and his mob!! Jet lag just meant he was in bed at 8!! After nearly falling asleep over his dinner!
Toby is fine - he just keeps on keeping on in a baby like fashion. G is the challenge of course.
I feel sorry for you darlings who are having dh/dp issues. Just get them sorted out now, otherwise it wont get better with time. My mum used the line with my dad that he needed to be able to do everything with the baby and the home in case something happened to her (they were living in rural isolation at the time) - it worked with a lot of training, Dad has always done his share of everything, and it didn't stop with his own kids, thats for sure.
MM just concentrate on your baby, the housework can go to hell in a handbasket. You need to be giving Milan 100% and thats what you're doing.
I think we are going to get ready to go out en famille soon - need to go to medicare etc and dh is going to do secret birthday business with the kids I think. Hmmm, the mall, how exciting (not). It does mean we have to drag G away from the tele, and get T out of the cot!

[floodprincess]

Morning Ladies

It's been a while since I stopped by and haven't yet had a chance to catch up on all that's been happening - will do so this evening after I've been to the nurse for a weigh in.

Madamoiselle Monique is now 5 weeks old and doing beautifully. Thankfully we've had no BF problems and managed to overcome the one-sidedness in the early days (thanks Nat - football hold works really well!!)

Her arm is slowly, slowly getting better. She's moving the shoulder and elbow freely now and very slowly beginning to move her fingers - just gotta keep working on the fingers and wrist.

Hope you are all overcoming your challenges and enjoying the time with your babies.....I'd forgotten how fun it can be to have a tiny tiny tot around the house - Tiffani thinks its the best which is great.

Well, take care of yourselves, and I'll catch up later.
:hugs:

[Purplebird]

great to hear from you FP - glad to hear Monique is getting some movement in her arm.

Kate - sounds like you are continuing to do brilliantly with Zoe. I hope you have a lovely birthday and celebration. I agree with QC - I'm sure socialising is the last thing you've felt like with all you've been through.

QC - have a wonderful birthday and a lovely meal. It's funny - I'd completely forgotten how portable the newborn is - DH and I have been out for dinner a few times whilst mum was here to babysit E. It was lovely. Jetlag really is the most awful thing isn't it? Your poor DH wouldn't have had much time to adjust either way.

MM and OCM - your little man sounds just like my daughter (and my little man too I think) with the frequent feeds and not so good sleeps in the early days. It was so draining. QC is right - you must just forget the house stuff. I have to say though, I am very blessed to have the most wonderful DH who cooks every night and is brilliant with Eloise. I'm very lucky. Give your DH and DP a kick up the backside from me.

NB - how annoying about the car. I hope DP is going to pay for the repairs. I hope you will be happy in your new home :D

Cameron is getting more unsettled as time goes on. He is good at night though which is a blessing. He has slept through from 10 pm to 5.30 on 2 occasions. We are cosleeping so I think that helps both of us at night. During the day though he often needs the sling to settle. I am not fighting it - I really need to be able to access the toddler, so if Cam wants to be carried and I can have my hands free then so be it. Cameron is also a spewy baby, lol, so the wash load mountain requires my attention - I have 4 clean loads to sort and 2 more drying. Eeeek! Best get to it.

Take care all x

[happymess]

Hi all, I havent been on for awhile, Miss S is now 7 weeks old and she is getting a bit grizzly and I cant work out why, I was wondering if she had a sore throat cos she crys after a burp or a yawn, so I rang our community midwife and explained everything to her and she thinks she might have heartburn. So I need to keep her upright for about half an hour after a feed and give her small feed often if that is what she wants. Last night we had our first "bad" night, she woke at 2 and wouldnt settle so I was up and down with her till about 4am when she finally went to sleep.

sorry no personals, hopefully I will catch up next time.

[abybaby]

Hi everyone, I have just managed to catch up on the last couple of weeks worth of posts!! I have to say that i am very lucky with bubs sleeping patterns but i keep "knocking on wood" everytime that i say it. At the moment she is sleeping anywhere between 6 - 9 hours at night and then sleeps most of the morning but is a bit unsettled from 3:30pm until bed time. That probably has something to do with big sister being home from school! I try to have her settled for the night around 10:00pm and then i find that she will sleep until around 5am. Two nights ago she did her personal best, asleep at 9:30pm and awake at 6:30am!! I was up to check on her about 3 times though.

This sounds weird, but i was starting to get a bit worried that she was sleeping too much!?!?

I sounds like everyone else is starting to fid their feet with bubs which is good to hear. I'll keep checking in when i get the opportunity.

[OneCheekyMonkey]

I am exhausted, but last night went really well.

Bub went down at 830, woke at 130 for a feed, and a feed at 4. Slept till 7.

Had the 6 week check today he has gained 2 kilos exactly !

The GP said that everything seems fine with him, which is awesome.


Don't know why I feel so off, muscles ache, am tired. But have been sleeping. Odd./


mm - Ah, men. God. I think he now realises that I need him to do more. He is just getting told. Basicaly I said if you want me to do things with your friends and go to bbqs and whatnots i need you to help me ELSE I AINT GOING. :yes:

Hugs to all. i have a whiny baby on the floor.

[Lateralus]

hi ladies...

FP glad to hear Monique's arm is improving... Do you have exercises you have to do with her?
OCM great to hear your DP seems to have seen the error of his ways... hope he's more helpful around the house from now on!
PB Zoe is getting more unsettled now too. She used to sleep for a few good long blocks during the day - but now only really settles down for a sleep around lunch time. She has been waking every 2- 2 and a half hours for feeds overnight too and hard to settle afterwards which is starting to wear us down a bit. She has been getting a lot of wind & having a few projectile vomits a day. Mentioned it to the MW yesterday & she didn't seem concerned - I think it's taking her tummy a bit of time to adjust to the boobie juice from the formula.. hopefully it will settle down soon. :fingerscrossed: We have her 6week paed visit next week so will mention the vomiting to him... Think she might just be a happy chucker though... :barf:

I think my milk is starting to come in :smiliedance: I expressed 90mls this morning which is 3 times what I usually get!! Oh man, I cannot wait 'till we don't have to muck around with bottles and formula & cr@p... Hopefully it won't be too far off now! :goodvibes:

[zephani]

I have 4 clean loads to sort and 2 more drying. Eeeek! Best get to it.

I know that feeling. All my washing is done but is in the basket waiting for me to fold it.

Katherine has her 6 week check up on Tuesday. So far she has gained just over a kilo since birth. I will also have my 6 week checkup after my c/s.

I think she might be going through her 6 week growth spurt as she has been grizzly the last couple of days.

But we are so proud of her being able to poo on her own the last few days. She was moved to formula a week after birth as she has a very poor suck reflex and I have very flat nipples. She was getting extremely constipated and would go for days and days without poo'ing. We took her to the Dr and was given some drops to help her poo. Then on Monday she poo'd four times in one day, so the Dr suggested dropping the drops and only giving them to her if she goes a day without doing a poo. Well today is day three without the drops and she has done two or three drops everyday :smiliedance: I'm so proud of her as I was starting to worry that she would need the drops forever and that her bowel muscles wouldn't develop properly.

She is starting to get into a rough routine overnight. She goes down about 8pm and wakes around 4 and 8 for a feed. She has had a couple of 5 hours sleeps and one 6 hour sleep.

[megaminz]

mm - Ah, men. God. I think he now realises that I need him to do more. He is just getting told. Basicaly I said if you want me to do things with your friends and go to bbqs and whatnots i need you to help me ELSE I AINT GOING. :yes:

Hugs to all. i have a whiny baby on the floor.
oh i dont think mine really gets it, he is useless, lovely but useless. He is brilliant with nappy changes showers and stuff with bubs but actual housework adn proper playtime is an issue!!!

I think my milk is starting to come in :smiliedance: I expressed 90mls this morning which is 3 times what I usually get!! Oh man, I cannot wait 'till we don't have to muck around with bottles and formula & cr@p... Hopefully it won't be too far off now! :goodvibes:
yyyyyyyyayyyyy for the milk!!! thats brilliant news Kate, good in you for hanging in there

I know that feeling. All my washing is done but is in the basket waiting for me to fold it.

I think she might be going through her 6 week growth spurt as she has been grizzly the last couple of days.

gawd you are doing well to have washing to be folded, all my laundry baskets are full of dirty laundry to be done. the only things i was are underwear, nappies and towels.Luckily bubs has enough clothes to last him a while.

ah the growth spurt stage is hard :hugs: it gets better, trust me, my one had a 2-6 week spurt so I know how hard it is, but he seems to be coming out the other end!!

[Seacretsquirrel]

Well it is amazing what interesting things Riley gets up to when my back is turned!!! :laughing:
Sisterly Love (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=84801&id=593421469&saved#/album.php?aid=84801&id=593421469) (Facebook album that is visable only to friends feel free to PM me if you want to be my friend)

I too have washing to be folded (at least I can get multiple loads washed and they'll dry up here (just need to remember to get them in before the arvo storm).
Oh well it'll get done eventually...
oops gotta go Riley is demanding a feed and and bum change :o

[megaminz]

****ING HELL
they are digging up the pavement or somethin outside my house, like literally OUTSIDE my house, at 7.30 at night! how long is this gonna go on for?
its so loud can barely hear the tv, miraculously milan has gone to sleep but i dont think it will last

[happymess]

I am worried that Miss S has silent reflux, a friend of mine told me a boutit cos her daughter had it, it is the same as a normal reflux baby, but instead of chucking, they swallow it all the time, so she constantly has that taste and icky feeling in the back of her throat, I am going to ring Child and Youth Health about it today.

MM- how rude are those road workers, I hope they have finished and moved on.

OCM- on the topic of men, my DH is very good with the older kids, and getting tea ready and washing and stuff like that, but he is not too sure about tiny babies, he prefers them when they can talk back to him. LOL.

PB, and Zephani- I have now got a "cleaner" a friend of mine is trying to save up to go to the PINK concert, so she ofered to come and clean my house for 2 hours a week, to earn some pocket money for the concert, I of course jumped at the offer, it is the perfect "win- win" situation.

[janiceg]

:smiliedance:
charlotte slept 6 hours straight last night! down at 8pm and up at 2am! unfortunately, i didn't reap the benifits as i did laundry and ironing until 10pm...
we went to child health yesterday and i hated it! we were just like cattle...weigh your baby get out, next! so glad i have a midwife at the birth centre (only went cuz the midwife wanted me to know it was there as a resource for me)
anyone else feel like this at ch?
anyway, dd is 4.85kg at 6 weeks! yay!

happymess, my dh is the same..just wants her to talk and just reaches for the dummy everytime she cries! i hate that..
but he does get up with me when i feed at night and changes her nappy + he works 2 jobs and goes to uni so i'm very lucky!

megaminz, how long did they end up working for?

anyone just hand express? how much do you get? i only get about 20-50ml (after she's had a go at them)! when should i be expressing for more quanity? never seem to have time
AND how much milk do they get at one feed? one of my books says 50-100ml...does that sound right?
getting my hair done in two weeks and want to be ready!!

[quitecontrary]

Hello!
Janice at our baby health centre you can drop in to weigh the baby and have a consult, or make a booking to see a nurse. I never felt like I was being herded through, but I went to Mothers Group there from when G was about 2 weeks old and they really made us feel like we belonged there.
This time with all my personal issues when I had the two week home visit from that Centre it was lovely. Now that I have a toddler I really can't be attending group there, but I know they are there for me if I need them, apart from for the 6 week check etc. I had the early discharge midwives visit for longer too with all the things going on when T was only a week old.
Kate sounds like you are getting there with the milk - good on you for persevering.
MM hope the pavement work didn't go on too late!
Ardora how are the travel plans going? Is your dh going with you? We have done a lot of long haul travelling with G - interesting! The last trip was so ambitious it was mad really, even if it had just been dh and me. We'll be taking both the babies to the UK in June, and I keep having to do my calmbreathing just thinking about the flights!
Toby is doing a call out for milk, will check in later I'm sure.

[A'sMummy]

Janice- I get around 50ml via expressing (machine pump) after a feed too. The only time I have got more was when I missed a feed while I was out and had given her ebm and I expressed just over 100ml.
When I feed bub expressed milk in the bottle while we are out and about I generally feed her 110ml per feed. Sometimes she takes it all, other times she leaves a lil bit, but I like to have a little bit more than too little IYKWIM.
The midwife also told me that the best time to express is after the morning feed and that's when you will get more.

[Lateralus]

Morning all... :wave: hope everyone had a settled night. We have been up and down for most of it... I think we are hitting that really unsettled period at 5-6 weeks that everyone talks about.

Janice Same as QC, we can make an appointment at the child health clinic, or just drop in. They also have a parents group on a Tuesday and I usually weigh Zoe then. I've never felt rushed or like we're on a production line.. It's a fairly small community centre and not too busy though, so maybe that makes a difference?! Lots of pharmacies have baby clinics too one morning a week - you can speak to their MW, get bub weighed etc... I go to one in town because they have an
LC which is great... And free too!

As for expressing, I don't think I am a good person to compare with - but I only get 15-30mls out after a feed.. The ONLY good thing about comping is that I can go out and know that DH can make her a bottle up if she is peckish before I get home.

Oh, and awesome that C slept for 6 hours!! :smiliedance:

Happymess found a good website on reflux here (http://www.reflux.org.au/index.php)
(hopefully this link is ok to post - sorry if not). Hope it helps?!

AFM - Poor Zoe has been projectile vomiting after every breast milk feed (either on the bood or EBM) and we're now thinking she is sensitive to something in my milk. She doesn't chuck after the formula though:crying: Just when we're starting to get things sorted out. Now starts the process of elimination to try and work out what she's sensitive to. Have cut out dairy for now.. Will give that a week or two to see if it makes a difference. Man, it's so discouraging to spend so long expressing just to see it all brought back up again :hair: I mean, I am all for a challenge, but this is all getting a bit ridiculous! Oh well, the main thing is she's putting on weight, so she is getting enough nutrition one way or another - just wish I knew for sure she was getting enough goodies and antibodies from the breast milk.

My parents and younger sister arrive today for the weekend. They are not staying with us, but will be great to have an extra few sets of hands. My Mum & sister can be not so helpful sometimes, but my Dad is great! Can't wait for him & my sister to meet Zoe (Mum met her a few weeks ago).

[floodprincess]

:wave: how is everyone doing?

:hugs: Kate - I know how distressing it must be to encounter hurdle after hurdle! I had similar problems trying to BF DD1....try not to stress too much because that can affect your supply as well. As the others have said, try to take heart in the fact that you are doing all you can to meet little Zoe's needs. I'm sure it will all work out for you shortly!

As for us, we are finally seeing Monique begin to open and close the fingers on her challenged hand which is progress :yelclap: While we don't have specific exercises to do on the wrist and fingers, as long as we make sure we extend the fingers on a regular basis and rotate the wrist (ie take fingers and wrist through their normal range of movements) we should be able to avoid using the splint or having too much further intervention.

I just wish I could get her to settle properly during the mornings and evenings...I know some bubs have one unsettled period a day, but this is getting ridiculous - she'll fight sleep all morning (usually from 0800 to about 1400) and then in the evenings from 1900 to 2100 - its soooo draining!! have tried all the 'settling' techniques I can; but we will get there.

Anyway, have to go, the water hammer in the pipes seems to have disturbed little miss, time to go and try to resettle, hopefully she'll get some :sleeping:

Take care ladies & enjoy the day!

[zephani]

Janice Same as QC, we can make an appointment at the child health clinic, or just drop in. They also have a parents group on a Tuesday and I usually weigh Zoe then. I've never felt rushed or like we're on a production line.. It's a fairly small community centre and not too busy though, so maybe that makes a difference?! Lots of pharmacies have baby clinics too one morning a week - you can speak to their MW, get bub weighed etc... I go to one in town because they have an
LC which is great... And free too!

Our Child Health clinic is like this too. We go to Mother's Group on Tuesday's. It is meant to go from 10am - 12pm but I never seem to leave there before 12:30pm.

We can make appointments for check-ups and there is a 'drop-in' time on Wednesdays and a breast feeding drop-in on Fridays.

[gizmoduckus]

I am worried that Miss S has silent reflux, a friend of mine told me a boutit cos her daughter had it, it is the same as a normal reflux baby, but instead of chucking, they swallow it all the time, so she constantly has that taste and icky feeling in the back of her throat, I am going to ring Child and Youth Health about it today.


:fingerscrossed: I really hope that she doesn't have reflux, it has to be the worst thing that I have had to deal with. The website that KateJo posted is a good one if you want to see the symptoms and what you can do to relieve it.



AFM - Poor Zoe has been projectile vomiting after every breast milk feed (either on the bood or EBM) and we're now thinking she is sensitive to something in my milk. She doesn't chuck after the formula though:crying: Just when we're starting to get things sorted out. Now starts the process of elimination to try and work out what she's sensitive to. Have cut out dairy for now.. Will give that a week or two to see if it makes a difference.

You poor thing! You have been trying so hard and you keep getting all these setbacks. I am in absolute awe of you and your determination.

I don't know if she would be sensitive to dairy though. Formula has milk proteins in it too so you would think that if she had an intolerance to it she would vomit after having that as well. I could be wrong though....


As for us, we are finally seeing Monique begin to open and close the fingers on her challenged hand which is progress

:yelclap: Good to hear!

As for me, I had a small breakdown the other day. It has been so draining dealing with DS2's medical problems and reflux. He hardly ever sleeps and cries most of the day. It is also hard because I have DS1 to look after as well. My DH has been a godsend though, he has taken a few days off of work so that I can get some extra sleep. It has helped me tremendously already.

[megaminz]

:hugs: Giz and Kate. Am sorry you are still struggling with bubs and their feeds

FP am glad Monique has improvement thats very encouraging

Well after those roadworks going from 7p,-7am my day yesterday didn't get much better. The lawnmower guy came...fine enough, except when he left he didnt shut the gate and my puppy got out. Swear to god it would have been 10-15mins before I realised, my big dog was still here but Tonka was well gone. luckiily he had been picked up by the dog control and he was safe at a pound but we spent an hour franticaly looking for him before we got hold of the council and they said they had him, then we had 40 mins to make a 60min journey to the ppound before it shut and then I forgot my wallet and dh had almost no money on his card and we had to scrape around to find the $90 to get him out of jail!!!

So poor Milan was in the pram for an hour looking for tonka, then in the car for nearly two picking him up, we got back I gave him a quick feed then took DH into work cause he was late and then got home fed and settled bubs again and threw back some food myself before i fainted!!!

now today they have started construction on a set of apartments directly across the road from us :no: it never ends

[OneCheekyMonkey]

Kate I am seriously in awe of you, you are just so determined :hugs:

MM that really sucks about Tonka getting out, I would have been ropable with the lawnmower guy

giz I am sorry you are having such a hard time too, i hope your bubs medical issues get sorted and settle


I don't have anything to complain about, Dane is 6.25kg and gaining about 300-500 a week. I am a bit concerned he is gaining too much, but I am not going to cut back his feed so I am just assuming this is what he needs.

It can be a PITA having a big baby though, people keep commenting that "for his age he doesn't have great head control/etc/etc". I know they are assuming he is 3-4 months but I feel like I have to constantly correct them and remind them that he is 6 weks no matter what his size. I went out a bought a whole heap of size 0s because he just has the longest body and the snappys won't last too much longer in the 00 with a cloth nappy on.

He is being so unsettled, please tell me I am not the only one who has a baby who fights sleep? He will be basically awake for hours with little 10 min naps. Making it impossible to do things. Plus when he is awake he is grizzly and wants something. Often it is to be held, other times I just have no clue. I offer everything, dummy, play time, check nappy, cuddle, sing, rock.... but he still whines.

Hmm, we need a pulling hear out emoticon !

[Seacretsquirrel]

My goodness I have had BH withdrawal for some reason I have had no BH for over 24 hours (facebook, hotmail etc all worked just not BH) was very annoying!
Glad things are on the improve for lots of us and great big :hugs: to those still having dramas.
AFM Riley is pretty good most of the time but has decided that he'll sleep through the dinnertime witching hour and have a witching evening instead (all he wants to do is be feed from about 7pm till about 10pm ish it is driving me nuts not to mention killing my boobs - on that note I am in love with my booby booster it is fantastic it means I can feed one handed!!!! well mostly one handed!)
speaking of feeds Riley is demanding dinner so bye for now.:wave:

[Lateralus]

He is being so unsettled, please tell me I am not the only one who has a baby who fights sleep?

I am with you OCM - Zoe has been so awake the last few days.. Only snoozing for maybe a total of 2 hours during the day in 20 minute grabs... Lovely that she wants cuddles and play time but doesn't leave a lot of time for other stuff I need to do (toilet, food etc). DH is away tonight (well - he gets home around 3am) so it's my first night with her by myself - :fingerscrossed: she settles a bit - my b'day tomorrow and want to feel half human! :laughing:

Big hugs to you Giz - hopefully your little one will settle down soon - it's so tiring for all when they won't settle. Glad to hear your DH is chipping in and managed to get a bit of time off work so you can get some rest! xo

[Purplebird]

You are so not the only ones Kate and OCM - I have a very unsettled baby who is on the boob a lot and won't sleep unless he's next to me. He's just like DD was. I am feeding him a lot - I don't mind comfort sucking as well as proper feeds - and also carrying him a lot (he will sleep up to two hours in the sling). It's fine, but poor DD is missing out big time. I'm having to give her lots of reassurance that mummy still loves her.

Giz - :hugs: you poor thing. i hope things are on the up.

happybirthday QC - i hope you're currently having a lovely meal.
happybirthday for tomorrow Kate - enjoy your lunch and have a great family weekend. Sorry to hear about your new b'feeding dramas. You are so amazing and I hope you find a way round it.

[A'sMummy]

Happy Birthday for tomorrow KJ and QC! Hope you both have a restful night and a wonderful day tomorrow!!

I am like a few of you others having a very unsettled period. Bub is on and off the boob every hour or less and will fall asleep in my arms but wake as soon as I put her down. I feel for all you ladies going through the same!
Also my right nipple is causing me absolute agony, in tears every time she is on it. So today I expressed only from that boob and gave it to her in the bottle. But now she seems really refluxy?? Crying during feeds, very unsettled, constantly swollowing after a feed and pulling strange faces. Kind like this one :eek: heh

Anyway, hopefully after a little rest I can get her back on the right nipple and things will get better again. If I hadn't heard what you have been going through KJ I would have given up breastfeeding by now... you are my inspiration :yes: So THANKS!! :hugs:

[janiceg]

thanks for the expressing advice girls. just squeezed out 120ml before she got to the boob. i could have gotten more but my hand was tired! :laughing: dh is on his way home from work and we're going to see if she'll take a bottle tonight! need to do a few test runs i think before i leave them alone together!

dd also fights sleep..i was worried about it but i guess i'm not the only one.
Purplebird, like you dd will only fall asleep, and stay asleep longer than 10mins, in the sling during the day.

OneCheekyMonkey, be proud of your big bub! it means you're doing a great job and you little one is healthy!! dd is 5kg and shocks most people with her age, too!
she also gets called a boy even though i try to dress her in girly clothes!

gizmoduckus, hope you got some sleep!

KateJo and qc, hope you have a good night and an awesome day tomorrow!:hugs:

Seacretsquirrel, did i miss something..what's a boobie booster?

hugs to the rest of the ladies!

[Lateralus]

I feel for all you ladies going through the same!
Also my right nipple is causing me absolute agony, in tears every time she is on it. So today I expressed only from that boob and gave it to her in the bottle.

oh C&C I SO feel for you... Don't do what I do and just push through the pain... that only got me damaged nipples, mastitis etc... See an LC if you can - or at least your MW - get them to check your attachment on that side. Maybe do what you have been and express from that side for a few days to give it a rest.. Check that she hasn't got any oral thrush - this can transfer to the nipple & cause loads of pain. I was told to wash the nipple with soap if there was any damage (despite what we're always told) as it will help prevent infection in the nipple. Always air dry the nipples & give them some time out in the sun each day if you can. Try to avoid creams (lanolin etc) on your nipples - this keeps them moist and creates a good medium for bacteria to grow in. Nurse on the unsore side first so she gets her frantic sucking out of the way on that side.... You probably know all this.. But I had to work some of it out the hard way.. So learn from my mistakes :hugs:

[zephani]

I don't have anything to complain about, Dane is 6.25kg and gaining about 300-500 a week. I am a bit concerned he is gaining too much, but I am not going to cut back his feed so I am just assuming this is what he needs.

I am so glad to hear that other people have big babies. Katherine will be six weeks old on Tuesday and when we weighed her last Friday she was 5.6kg. She seems to be gaining an average of 300g per week but I know I am not feeding her too much as she is only *just* drinking the amount of formula she should be drinking.

OCM is Dane long? Katherine is 60cm long. So she doesn't look big, she looks proportioned.

[Seacretsquirrel]

Morning all, had a pretty good night last night yippee for 3 hrs of totally unbroken sleep (twice) I am thinking about venturing out to the shops all by myself with the kids today (leave DH with the Moke) well see how keen I feel.
I am currently back to being itchy the rash that was easing off is back with avengence I am going to go see the psorisis (sp) clinic next week (once I make and appointmment) since the Drs here are incapable of finding a fix for me and keep giving me pill and creams that I am not supposed to use whilst BF (:hair::gloomy:) I have had to double check with the pharmasists everytime I get a script filled as the Drs are incompetent, hardly speak English and just plain don't listen to me :banghead: - sorry rant over can you tell I've spent too much time and $$$$ on doctors in the last 2 weeks trying to get an answer (esp as I am pretty sure it is guttate psorisis - as it is in our family both mum and nanna got it after having their kids) sigh....

Janiceg- a boobybooster is basically a little sling that you pop your boob in to lift it up a bit (rather than using a rolled up facewasher or towel) it was on that "New Inventors" show on the ABC and I thought I'd try one as I am having issues with having to hold my boob in Riley's mouth as my boobs are bigger than his head:laughing:. I must tell you it was the best $30 I've spent - I ordered it on Sunday morning the lady who makes them emailed me back on Sunday arvo with her bank details and I popped the $$$ in there that night she posted it on Monday and it arrived on thurs (more Darwin mail than anything) so a great product and brilliant customer service. check it out boobybooster dot com dot au:ecomcity:

[OneCheekyMonkey]

Zephani - Yes Dane is long, he was 60cm at 3 weeks I haven't measured him since but I am guessing he is even longer now. He does look proportioned but next to the other 6 week old bubs (and even 12 week old bubs) at the CHN he looks much older.

KJ - You should think about becoming a LC you will know all of the ins and outs of breastfeeding soon (only a little joke!).


I went to the bubhub dinner last night with TeenyT, Bron, Myztik, and a few others. It was a nice night, yummy food, lots of convo.

[ardora]

Hi all.

QC and KJ happy birthday!! I hope you have a beautiful birthday with your dear ones.

GD and KJ, hugs and lots of good luck for you. I really hope that things improve for you.

SS I have had psoriasis since I was little and I mostly have it under control nowadays; I did notice some psoriasis outburst in the beginning of the pregnancy and after giving birth- I guess the hormones going up and down caused it. I don't use any creams now, but something that has always helped me is marine water, go for a swim or get a bucket and soak the affected areas and air dry them, it is a good relief!

As for big babies, I am the opposite, G is quite little, he is 55.5 cm now (5 weeks) and 3.800 kg... the midwife told me that he might not be getting enough milk... BUT, he is happy, playful, alert, content.... he sleeps well and is very interactive... perhaps he is just thin?! DH and I have always been really skinny (got a bit more curvy after hitting the 35 years but we are both quite thin)... I went to the breasfeeding section of this forum and they have the WHO growth charts and G is doing well according to those so I think I am just going to ignore the midwives for now... is there anyone else with a little baby??

Re- sleeping. He still settles himself to sleep and sleeps most of the night... I bath him and feed him around 8:30, I wake him up at about 12:00, nappy change and feed and then he sleeps until 7:00 most days... sometimes is 6 and a couple of times has been 8.... I am not looking forward to the unsettled period.

Well... better go and get something done before the next feed.
:goodvibes::goodvibes::goodvibes:

[happymess]

I mean, I am all for a challenge, .

What a great attitude KJ


SS I have had psoriasis since I was little and I mostly have it under control nowadays; I did notice some psoriasis outburst in the beginning of the pregnancy and after giving birth- I guess the hormones going up and down caused it. I don't use any creams now, but something that has always helped me is marine water, go for a swim or get a bucket and soak the affected areas and air dry them, it is a good relief!


I too have psoriasis and it is definatly worse since having Miss S, if I wear a black top I look like a lamington.

:wave:Hi everyone, I hope you have had a good weekend.
Happy Birthday QC and KJ hope you both had a lovely day and got spoilt rotten.:flowerz:

I have been keeping Stephanie upright as much as possible to help the heartburn/ silent reflux?? and I have cut out coffee, coke, and choclate, and it seems to be working:fingerscrossed: It has only been a couple of days, but I will keep doing it and see how we go.
DH and I went out for tea last night with some friends, and it was lovely, we had Stephanie with us, but the other girls had a sleep over, it was great to get out with other adults again.

[Purplebird]

Re- sleeping. He still settles himself to sleep and sleeps most of the night... I bath him and feed him around 8:30, I wake him up at about 12:00, nappy change and feed and then he sleeps until 7:00 most days... sometimes is 6 and a couple of times has been 8.... I am not looking forward to the unsettled period.

Well... better go and get something done before the next feed.
:goodvibes::goodvibes::goodvibes:

wow - great sleeping! all i can say is that if he was even remotely hungry he would not settle like that and he would be crying! so, keep doing what you're doing hun.

[A'sMummy]

KJ- I think you are on to something with the oral thrush. From what I have read it sends shooting pains up your breast, baby is unsettled, cracks take longer to heal, all things that are happening to me.
I went to the pharmacy and they gave me some nilstat drops to rub in her mouth. Just wondering if anyone knows if this will treat my nipples too?? Should I rub it on my nipples aswell??:confused:

[Seacretsquirrel]

C&C Riley had oral thrush earlier on and the Dr gave me the nilstat drops but nothing for me and it kept looking like it was getting better but would flare back up again so I asked the chemist - thinking I'd get some daktarin oral gel for my nipples (thats what was suggested by the lovely ladies on BH) but the pharmasist reccommended the regular daktarin as the oral gel doesn't work to clear up the nipple thrush (or so she said) and that can lead to further probs. She said just pop it on after a feed and give your nipples a wipe before you feed (just in case ther is any residue) But you don't need much to cover your nipples and areola's (sp) and it soaks in very fast.

[A'sMummy]

Thanks for the tip SS, I will insist on some daktarin tomorrow! I assumed that is what the chemist would have given me in the first place but she told me it was only suitable for 6+months? Also the nilstat she gave me is cherry flavour, it is soooo sweet, I don't beleive it is suitable for a month old baby either with that much sugar in it!! :confused: Does anyone know if there is a non flavoured not so sugary one?
Well it seems the thrush has spread to my other nipple too as I have been getting some pain in that one. Constant sterlizing/expressing going on here at the moment... hopefully it will clear up soon. But I am *almost* ready to give in :(
I know so many of you have been through much worse and have got through it, so that's what is keeping me going. Thank god for bub hub.

[Samiie]

My litte guy has gotten the thrush on his tounge too and the HCN sugested the nilstate we have been using it as directed and it hasnt helped much, is there anything else that we may be able to use? its alos passed down through his body and came up on his little bottom the HCN said, cxan any of you ladies suggest a good cream for that too?
I know this may sound odd too but i was breast feeding for the first two weeks but stopped becoz bub just mucked around alot and then when i would take him off the boob of 40mins of mucking around he would still scream with hunger, i had ample amount of milk he just thoguth feed time was play time too. So i put him on the bottle, but now that he is more settled i was wondering can i start to breast feed agian I am still having bits of milk leak out my boobs but it was almost 4 weeks ago that i stopped feeding him like will y milk start to reporduce agian if i start getting him to suck agian like could i try to comp feed him untill my milk is anough for him again or is it to late.
:fingerscrossed: you can help
Sam

[Lateralus]

I went to the pharmacy and they gave me some nilstat drops to rub in her mouth. Just wondering if anyone knows if this will treat my nipples too?? Should I rub it on my nipples aswell??:confused:

I/ Zoe didn't actually have thrush but it was something that was mentioned as a possible cause of my nipple pain. The LC tole me that Canasten cream (the same you'd use if you had vaginal thrush) is OK to use on the nipples... You have to treat mum AND bub or you'll just keep re-'infecting' each other.

Have you tried speaking to your MW or ringing the ABA - they have a 24 hour hotline & might be able to give you some good tips on how to ride out the worst of it.. My heart goes out to you though C&C - I know how dreadful it can be!! :hugs:

OCM all jokes aside, I was thinking I COULD become an LC - I am a nurse already... So with a bit of extra training..... ;) At least I would be able to fully relate with the women I was helping - I can just about tick off most problems :laughing: But - I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now :smiliedance:

Have had a brilliant birthday - Apart from getting pooed and vomited on this morning :laughing: Lunch at a local winery with great friends and family. Got very, VERP spoilt on the pressie front too - lots of vouchers for
massages and facials etc...

Well, finished expressing - so off to bed now..

[Seacretsquirrel]

Samiie - the Regular canesten cream (the one you can buy over the counter for use on the outside bits not the internal one (although I am sure that would be ok too) actually states on the tube that it can be used on nappy rash so I am sure it would work a treat on bottom thrush. I actually used it on DD the other day as she was complaining of having a sore front bottom (I wormed her too just in case but it seemed to help).
Oh and the nilstat drops took quite a while to work for Riley but it did clear his up eventually (not sure if there are any other nonsugary options out their but like panadol and many other kids medicine they taste really sweet (and awful who cooses cherry as a flavour anyways).
With the BF Samiie if you are wanting to have another go at BF I'd try it- just be prepared that it might take a little while for your supply to build up - I'd check out the lactation boosting cookies etc but I am sure it is possible with a little determination Good luck if you do decide to give it another go.:thumbsup:
C&C and KJ - well done on persisting with BF through all your dramas it is so frustrating when it seems to be one thing after another (I know thats what I am feeling and I haven't had as many dramas as you two) :hugs: to you both and lots of :goodvibes: for successful continuation of BF. It does get better after the early stages bubs gets better at BF and it is really a very rewarding thing to do (or at least I found it to be rewarding with DD and if I look past the dramas with DS it is with him too)
anyhoo off to watch Bones and then to bed:sleeping:

[A'sMummy]

Dammit! just wrote a big long post and lost it :crying:
Samiie- I would definately give breastfeeding another shot if that's what you would like to do. No harm done, and it sounds promising that there is still milk in your breasts! Good luck!

I have found canestan cream and daktarin gold (once daily for athletes foot) in the cupboard. Amazing what I have stockpiled around :o
So popping that on and hopefully we will see some improvement. Also taking a probiotic.

KJ- Glad to hear you had a lovely day yesterday and got spoilt! And you can "trial" your LC skills on me anyday... I need it hehe

Hope everyone else is well :flowerz: Glad to hear some of you are getting some rest at night... some even a full night, good on you guys, you deserve it! I am in envy of how you get your little ones to sleep more than 3-4hrs at a time. I havent yet figured out the secret :rolleyes: But I am happy that we have a routine happening of bed between 8-9, feed between 12-1, feed between 4-5, feed and up for the day between 7.30-8.30. Hopefully DD will drop off a night time feed soon :fingerscrossed:

anyway, I will pop back later and see how you all are. Take care xoxo

[zephani]

But I am happy that we have a routine happening of bed between 8-9, feed between 12-1, feed between 4-5, feed and up for the day between 7.30-8.30. Hopefully DD will drop off a night time feed soon :fingerscrossed:

That is basically our routine. Katherine was twice missed the 12 - 1 feed. :fingerscrossed: She can keep this going!

[A'sMummy]

:hair:I just rang the company that makes Daktarin Gold and asked if it was ok to use on my nipple and they said it isnt and that it could do damage. ARGH! I have already put it on 2 times since yesterday :hissy:
I am going to the chemist as soon as Anya wakes up and will try to get a solution... am so over this. Hopefully I will come home with a magic solution :wizard:

[Seacretsquirrel]

hi there, was trying to remember if any of you guys have the "fake" ergo slings and whether they were any good (and what they are called) I can't justify the $$$ for an ergo ATM - although DH did just say we each get a treat when our extra $$$ comes through from the Navy (if it comes) so perhaps that will be mine???
Our routine seems to be similar to yours too C&C I am looking forward to him dropping the midnightish feed so I can get a good sleep but I can't see it happening anytime soon. Although I have managed a couple of 4 hour stretches at night but Riley seems to have his big long sleeps during the day - will have to work on that:rolleyes:
off to fold wahsing that has been sitting in the dorrway to the laundry for 3 days so :wave:

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

i have to say that you ladies are inspiring, if it weren't for the examples and suggestions from those of you overcomming major breastfeeding obstacles i'm sure i would've thrown in the towel long ago...its now been a full month since i had soreness related to breastfeedind and everyday gets a little easier.

my main problem now is keeping miss E awake long enough to have a full feed (otherwise she only makes it 2 hours between feeds), she starts off strong but after about 5 minutes just falls off the boob and i can't get her to latch on that side again, so we switch sides and the same thing happens, i've tried unwrapping, undressing, changing nappy, wet facewasher...to no availl, she's just crashed out, so much for a feed wake sleep cycle :no:

but i'm definitely not complaining after 8.5 hours unbroken sleep last night i know i have it very good (not that she does it every night yet (only 1-2 times each week)

[Purplebird]

didn't know there was a fake ergo Cat? i have the real deal and it is brilliant - don't forget you'll get quite a bit back on resale, so it might be worth investing in one.

big hugs to those of you with thrush and other problems - i hope everything settles soon.

my little man and i had a very bad night last night. he grumbled and squirmed and whimpered for what felt like hours on end. i am now convinced garlic does not agree with him. this is terrible - i love garlic and spicy foods! don't want to give them up! oh well, bland it is from now on.

sorry bout lack of capitals - feeding and typing one handed, lol.

[Purplebird]

i have to say that you ladies are inspiring, if it weren't for the examples and suggestions from those of you overcomming major breastfeeding obstacles i'm sure i would've thrown in the towel long ago...its now been a full month since i had soreness related to breastfeedind and everyday gets a little easier.

my main problem now is keeping miss E awake long enough to have a full feed (otherwise she only makes it 2 hours between feeds), she starts off strong but after about 5 minutes just falls off the boob and i can't get her to latch on that side again, so we switch sides and the same thing happens, i've tried unwrapping, undressing, changing nappy, wet facewasher...to no availl, she's just crashed out, so much for a feed wake sleep cycle :no:

but i'm definitely not complaining after 8.5 hours unbroken sleep last night i know i have it very good (not that she does it every night yet (only 1-2 times each week)

hun, you're doing a great job! its very, very normal for a baby to only go 2 hours between feeds. as an example, cameron sometimes goes 2 hours, sometimes 3 or 4, but sometimes he also wants top up feeds too, or cluster feeds all evening. maybe E is a very efficient feeder, getting what she needs in 5 minutes. you need your baby to feed often so your supply is built up. I agree with your midwife - shes a gorgeous, alert baby who is gaining weight so don't worry :)

i find the feed, play, sleep routine turns into more of a feed, play, feed, sleep thing here, i never could get the hang of it.

[Lateralus]

GBAGM I think I posted this link before on breast compression (http://www.kellymom.com/newman/15breast_compression.html)... I was using it to help when my milk supply was low, but apparently can be useful for babes who fall asleep readily at the breast!
Like PB said though, perhaps your little one is just super efficient at drinking what she needs in those 5 minutes :)

[zephani]

Zephani - Yes Dane is long, he was 60cm at 3 weeks I haven't measured him since but I am guessing he is even longer now. He does look proportioned but next to the other 6 week old bubs (and even 12 week old bubs) at the CHN he looks much older.

OCM - Katherine is the same. Yesterday we were in a baby store looking at strollers and the lady who was serving us thought Katherine was 3 or 4 months old. She said 'Oh there's no point selling you a stroller with a bassinet as she won't be in it for young seeing that she's 3 -4 months old'. When I told her that she was 6 weeks old she was mortified.

Speaking of strollers we ending up buying a Beema Q Jogger on eBay today. It was second hand but is in excellent condition. It came with the wind cover, rain cover and sunshade cover and bike pump and is in excellent condition. It only cost us $200 so thought it was a great buy!

[ardora]

Hello everyone!

We had a good day today, G was really peaceful and settled, even more than normal, BUT he has been posseting/vomiting a bit more than normal... he does not seem in pain or anything so I suppose it is OK... do any of you more experienced mums have any words of wisdom to offer? Also, he did not sleep between 11am and 4pm!! not crying, just happily playing along with himself (making noises and licking stuff ;) )

And about getting the little one to sleep, C&C thanks for your kind words BUT... I don't think that I can claim that to myself.. G is just a guy that likes his sleep, I don't think that I have done anything different from any one else here (except marrying DH who could happily sleep 20 hours a day and seems to have good genetic material :laughing:)

I hope that everyone with thrush gets better... it seems to be more common than I thought! GBG8M, I agree with the rest, it could be a very efficient feeder- I have a friend like that and the baby is now 6 mo and is looking great! Kate, you are just amazing, I do hope that everything works well with your breastfeeding! And Samiie, I agree with the rest, if there is milk, then you could try, and with lactation cookies etc you can bild your supply up.

AFM I am running around this week because I am leaving for Europe on Sunday... :eek:.. so I need to organise everything and give it a good think about what to pack and what ot leave and what to carry with me and so on... I am going alone so I am trying to keep things light (yeah right!)

Well, have a great night!! :goodvibes:

[quitecontrary]

Hello!
Firstly thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes! We had a great evening on Friday night, for swish-erama points the restaurant is up there with the best! Toby was the poster child for the 3 week old set, everyone there was suitably impressed with his calm sleeping nature. The meal itself was wonderful and the staff were very attentive - and they remembered it was my birthday!
Saturday night we went to a friends place for a wine tasting evening, G was suitably cute and charming and T slept through the whole thing again.
To make up for his calm nights out the bub has been having unsettled evenings. Maybe he just wants to be out amongst it again.

[A'sMummy]

QC- Glad to hear your bday dinner at the swish restaurant was lovely and Toby was the perfect child!
Ardora- Lucky you to be going to Europe!! Where abouts there are you headed? I hope G is well behaved on the flight across for you.
GBAGM- I have the same problem throughout the day. Anya has a five min feed and nods off to sleep and then is hungry again within an hour maybe two. But she has been feeding well over the night period so I guess I cant complain.

OH AND GREAT NEWS!!!! I am feeding on both breasts again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :smiliedance:
It seems that it definately was thrush in my nipples as since I started the daktarin treatment is has improved so much!
KJ- I can't thankyou enough for suggesting that it may have been thrush. The thought of thrush didnt even cross my mind and I would have kept treating it as a "sore" nipple with lanolin etc... thus making it worse! For sure I would have given in to breastfeeding by now, but instead... I am still going YAY YAY YAY!! THANK YOU THANK YOU!! :hugs::thumbsup:
Going to keep up the thrush treatment for the next week, as it is still a bit sore but definately on the up!!

Does anyone know if I need to throw oout the expressed milk I have frozen in the last week because it would contain thrush too?? :confused: I hate to see 500ml of breastmilk go down the drain but wholy cow I DO NOT want thrush again!

[NewBeginnings]

:wave: girls!

I just say your last post C&C.... and I *think* my problem which has arisen over the past couple of days is thrush as well :thumbsdown: I have a huge slice under the nipple which I can't heal until I get the thrush sorted though.:rolleyes: So feeding is becoming a dreaded routine and I sit there bawling my eyes out it hurts so much!

So..... which daktarin have you used? and that and the nilstat... do I need a prescription for them both? or can I just get it over the counter?? and how much does it cost? The pain is so intense and ouchies... with the split in the nipple adding to more pain! It's horrible!:dizzy:

[A'sMummy]

NB- Oh hun!! I feel your pain :hugs:
Both Nilstat and Daktarin can be bought without a script and just at the chemist. They are pretty cheap from memory... no more than $15 each I think. At first they wouldnt give me the Daktarin (which is the oral gel by the way) because they said its not suitable for babies under 6 months because of a choaking (sp?) risk but if you can just tell them that you are planning to rub it on your nipples and let bubs suck it off. I also just pop a very small amount on my finger and rub it in her mouth. Since I got the daktarin I have stopped using the nilstat as I think the daktarin works better. I also put the daktarin on my nipples after every second feed to let it soak it. I have seen an improvement from not being able to stand breastfeeding at all and was fully expressing to breastfeeding as pretty much normal in less than 48hrs.
Also I was told to make sure you change your breast pads regulary and sterilise dummines, bottles, expressing stuff after each use... well dummies once a day, until the infection improves.

[Seacretsquirrel]

NB - you don't need a script for either (I only had to get a script when I got it because Riley was under 2 weeks old) just make sure you get the regular Daktarin gel (not the oral drops - they do nothing apparently and not the "Gold" cause it is not good for BF - as C&C found out)
The Nilstat I'm not sure not too dear I don't think (most of these type of things are under $20) and the Daktarin was under $10 too ($8-95 I think)
Also take something for the pain if it gets too bad and try varying the hold you are using with each feed I found that helped a bit with the pain (it sort of moved the pressure point of bubs sucking to different areas of the nipple) I found once I started treating the thrush though it stopped hurting quite fast (although I was told to keep treating my nipples for 14 days after the symptoms go - I haven't but I may regret that:o)
Yippee for continued BF C&C you are a champ!
Happy birthday to those who have celebrated in the last few days (sorry I am late with the birthday wishes)
AFM we are just ploding along still getting the house in order - we have undertaken a Huge clean up chucking out lots of stuff (trying to sell our old couch and spare bed and am considering ditching the portacot in favour of a Kinderkot - we mainly only use it for camping and I was thinking the kinderkot would be more portable and there is no danger of damaging the camper trailer floor! anyone have any opinion???

[A'sMummy]

SS- Just had a look at the kinderkot online as I have never heard of them. They look fantastic! I was dreading carrying the HUGE portacot around with me when we go away, this looks like a much better option! Might have to get one :rolleyes:

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

SS i have a no-name version of the Kindercot (it was a gift so i can't tell you where it came from) and it is awesome, i took it to the park for my birthday a couple of weeks ago and Miss E slept in there fine, proteced from the sun and mozzies and other creepy crawleys. plus it was big enough that people could safely avoid running into and stepping on her! i also have a portcot and i think they both have their place, the portacot is good for staying at peoples place as a safeplace to put her to play and a place to change her etc, but the smaller pop-up cot would be perfect for camping and day-trips

[quitecontrary]

The kinderkot is the pop=up thing huh? We had a "up to 6 months or crawling" one for dd which we used when we were travelling (not a cot in China to be had I assure you!! Its the land of co-sleeping for the whole family for ever!!) We got a bigger one when she got bigger, and its been good too. Not so small in your suitcase but so much smaller than the portacot. We have used a portacot a bit, when we've taken the car and been in the one place for a few days. Our portacot is the "family" one, and lives at my parents as the cot there and has been put into service for all their grandies.
Ardora - you are much braver than I have been, but then again we have gone to see Dh's family so there is no way he wouldn't be with us!! Don't take too much - if your family in Spain are anything like my sister's there will be a whole new wardrobe waiting for your G! We had the same experience in England, Al's cousin came over with a whole lot of clothes for G to use when we were there the first time - which meant we didn't have to take too much at all, just what we needed elsewhere (which was enough). Being an infant meant she had no travel allowance apart from cabin stuff, at least now that we have to pay more for her we can take another suitcase. Actually, travelling with her under 6 months was the easiest, so "transportable". But I did have dh to do all the nappy changes etc etc. Are you going straight through or having a stopover?
For those of you having nipple issues - hope it all clears up soon.
Everything is okay here, Toby had a five hour sleep stretch over night which was good as he'd been doing the 2 hour feed thing all afternoon and evening. He's been asleep for a while now, might even get up to a 4hourly feed at this rate, though I think he'll turn it on later once Dh heads off to work.

[gizmoduckus]

AFM we are just ploding along still getting the house in order - we have undertaken a Huge clean up chucking out lots of stuff (trying to sell our old couch and spare bed and am considering ditching the portacot in favour of a Kinderkot - we mainly only use it for camping and I was thinking the kinderkot would be more portable and there is no danger of damaging the camper trailer floor! anyone have any opinion???

I think a kindercot is a great idea if you only use it for camping


SS- Just had a look at the kinderkot online as I have never heard of them. They look fantastic! I was dreading carrying the HUGE portacot around with me when we go away, this looks like a much better option! Might have to get one :rolleyes:

There is a phil and ted's portacot which is something in between a normal portacot and a kindercot. It folds out like a portacot but folds up into a tiny bag. We took ours overseas when DS1 was 10 months old and it fit in his suitcast along with his clothes.

[happymess]

Hi everyone, I love the look of that kindercot, great idea.

I just wanted to let you all know that Miss S slept from 9.30 pm until 5.30 this morning, I cant believe it. she also slept through the night before which I thought was just a once of, but now it has been twice, so fingers crossed she keeps doing it. She is still only 8 weeks old. My other babies didnt sleep through till they were on solids.

There is hope girls.

[OneCheekyMonkey]

Dane slept almost 7 hours, and probably would have slept more but I woke him to feed. I only woke because of a boobache.

My boobs were sooooo sore after he had a decent enough feed I still expressed 200 !!! My oh my I felt better afterward.

That kindercot looks great, I would be inclined to get one but my DP is quite happy to cart the portacot around :laughing:

I hope he keeps sleeping well, lifesaver !

[Lateralus]

fan-bloody-tastic.

anyone else copped any milk blisters on their nipples? :crying: Any suggestions as to how to treat them?

This might just be the straw that breaks my breast
feeding back! :(

[quitecontrary]

Oh Kate you poor darling - I hope you find something to help your milk blisters soon, sorry I don't have any clues. I think you should start doing the LC course asap. Honey, I think you've done remarkably well so far.
Good to hear that there has been some good sleeping going on. I used to always do a dreamfeed with G (who was a sleeper forever), just before I went to bed, kept my boobs at a normal level! Haven't had the necessity with T!

[gonnabeaGR8mum]

fan-bloody-tastic.

anyone else copped any milk blisters on their nipples? :crying: Any suggestions as to how to treat them?

This might just be the straw that breaks my breast
feeding back! :(

Kate i had these for the first few weeks, nothing like shooting pain everytime you feed to resent feeding your beloved child is there! i had to change positions each feed and sometimes halfway between feeds...eventually they just went away when she stopped sucking so vigorously and i re-learnt how to attach properly...you've done so well so far, i'm really impressed with your staying power

[zephani]

Katherine had her 6 week check-up today. She weighs 5.75kg, measured 62cm and has a head circumference of 40cm. She is in the 90th percentile for everything. The Dr was very happy with her :yes:

I also had my 6 week check-up. The Dr said my scar (I had a c/s) was healing way quicker than she was expecting and that I looked like I was doing well.

Next hurdle having her needles done in a fortnight...

[janiceg]

hey ladies,

zephani, yay for bubs!!! great work!

KateJo, holy! you've had a rough go of it! and you're still doing amazing! keep your head up! you're an inspiration to us all:hugs:

OneCheekyMonkey and happymess, you're some lucky ladies! you have some great sleepers! what's your secret?

we were discharged from the birth centre today and we had to say goodbye to our midwife. it was sad...:no: we don't have any family here and she was like my mom for the past 46 weeks or so...i cried when she left.

but little miss is doing fantastic! she's 60cm and weighs 4.9kg!

so, it's dh's bday on thursday and i don't feel like i've gotten him anything near what he deserves...he works two jobs, goes to uni, does most of the cooking, laundry and cleaning. gets up with me in the night 3-4 times to change the nappy and get me water or whatever i need. i'm really lucky and want to show him how much i appreciate him (even though i've been a bit "high maintanence" since dd has arrived!!!)
any romantic ideas you ladies can share with me?

[floodprincess]

:wave: Ladies!

Kate, I'm with the others - you really should look at doing an LC course! Your determination is enviable - I can honestly say that if it was me in your position, I would have given up!

Nice to hear that things are starting to get easier for everyone, despite a few challenges here and there, those I'm afraid to say will NEVER disappear, they just change - atm my 11yr old is VERY pre-pubescent....all those hormones poor DD1 doesn't know which way to turn.

Ahh well....Zeph, I hear you with the needles. I could handle any amount of crying from DD1 when she was the same age, but when she cried because of needles, it broke my heart and I ended up crying (DH had to take her for the rest - I couldn't STAND to be the 'bad' guy any longer)..

Well ladies, I'm off for our next feed, everyone looking after Monique seems to think she's hungry - so I better check.

Oh, and the pead gave her a glowing report this afternoon!! We are beginning to see spontaneous and deliberate movement from her wrist and fingers! :yelclap: for progress!!!

Talk to you all soon, be safe, take care and enjoy all the loving cuddles and smiles you can (everyone else but me in our house gets smiles:rolleyes:)

[NewBeginnings]

Thanks so much for your advice girls... I went and bought the daktarin today... just told the chemist it was for me :o instead of standing there fighting with them.

I started using it just before on me and I took your advice C&C and have rubbed a bit onto B's gums.... hopefully we should start to see some improvement... I can feel it already though.... I didn't actually realise my nipples were irritated... until I put it one them and they are like non existent :eek: makes me wonder how long I have actually had it! :dizzy: But :fingerscrossed: it starts to heal up and then we can heal up this huge slice underneath that B has left there!

So thank you so much girls! :D

[Purplebird]

Oh Kate, I hope you catch a break soon :hugs: I don't know anything about milk blisters, but I hope they clear up quickly. You're our breastfeeding champ - please keep going!!

NB - glad to hear you've got some relief already from the thrush.

My little man also did a great sleep last night - 10 - 6! I'm not sure if it's a one off (although he's managed a couple of other long sleeps on odd occasions), but lets hope not.

[natski]

OMG - I can't believe I've finally skimmed through this thread and it will already be April tomorrow. I'm having so much trouble keeping up with you girls, but I will attempt to do some personals for the month, but can't make any guarantees for the future :)

Congratulations to YMO7, SeacretSquirrel, MummyJ, Camandcandice, Purplebird, Quitecontrary and KateJo to you on the births of your beautiful babies. I'm sorry I haven't added this in the announcements thread. Also welcome to Jender & Zephani - sorry if I have missed anyone.

:hugs: To all of you having sleeping/settling/breastfeeding issues. Hopefully it will all work out for you all soon and become a breeze for you all.

QC - I am SO, SO, SO sorry to hear about the loss of your MIL. That is such sad news for you to have to go through that so soon after a new baby. Big hugs to you and your husband.

Kate - I'm sorry you're going through a hard time with B/F and being in hospital, you poor love. I hope little Zoe sorts herself out and you too are on the mend. I really don't know how I would cope if I got sick with the kids.

FP - Hope Monique's hand is on the mend. Poor little egg. Deb - hope your little man is also going ok with his colic. And hugs to all the other little bubbas who are having a few health issues. Happy Birthday hugs also to those who have recently celebrated!!!

Well, we are all happy and healthy now and setttling back in at home again. DS is a dream little boy now, after being quite unsettled with me being in hospital with Olivia. DH has gone back to work this week which is a bit blergh. I went out shopping with the 2 kids yesterday by myself which was successful. Olivia is doing really well with feeding and sleeping and is just a dreamy little girl. She will be 10 weeks this week which has just flown by way too quickly. She had her immunisations last week and is putting on weight nicely. Already 4.45kg and doing well.

Had some crappy news last night - I have been in contact with work to get some casual work in again (I work from home on a casual basis) and via email, I have been 'let go'!!! Nice, thanks...for nothing!!! They aren't outsourcing work anymore and keeping everything in-house. Just great news to top off a rough couple of weeks. The company I worked for merged with another back in Oct last year, and I'm quite disappointed in my old bosses as they haven't even bothered to contact me about any of it. I worked for them for 8.5 years and was one of the only designers to last more than 2 years, as the boss was quite difficult to work with...oh, I'm really p**sed, but on the other hand, it's hopefully going to be a fresh, new journey ahead. Just have to get some freelance jobs happening to get some extra cash in the door.

Haha...then I get my mobile phone bill which was over $350.00 for the month due to us having to use it constantly while in hospital....ah. Oh well, there are more things to worry about hey!

Anyway, hope you are all well and I'll try and catch up again soonish! xx

[floodprincess]

:hugs: Nat.....to be treated like that after so long and everything else you've been going through - but I love your optimism (?sp, sorry its late and just had to totally change all the cot sheets and bath Monique.....icky) I fully believe that when one door closes another opens!

Kate, NB & everyone else - I really hope you manage to overcome your challenges soon!

Nite all....with bubs all but asleep, I'm heading off myself. Talk to you all tomorrow