Babies Born March 2007

This thread is for parents who's baby was born in March 2007

Your moderators for this forum are as follows-
Christy - christy7@bellybelly.com.au ~ Senior Moderator
Lea13 - lea13@bellybelly.com.au
Sherie - sherie@bellybelly.com.au
Astrolady - astrolady@bellybelly.com.au ~ Administrator

There are many issues that you will encounter as a new parent. We have put together this list of useful articles and threads in order to assist you with some common questions or issues you may have, and to provide you with bit of extra support that we all need as new parents:

Feeding Support:

Breastfeeding General Chatter
Breastfeeding FAQ's
Is My Baby Hungry?
Bottlefeeding FAQ's and Useful Information
Is Feeding Your Baby Taking Too Much Time?
Bottlefeeding General Chatter
Feeding Your Baby
Lactose Intolerance
Starting Solids/Homemade Baby Food
Starting Solids - When Is My Baby Ready?
Starting Solids General Chatter

Please contact the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) or a Lactation Consultant if you are concerned that you may have breastfeeding and/or supply problems, and before the introduction of solids.

Sleeping Support:

Comforted Sleeping & Sleep Issues Forum
Comforting Tools to Aid Restful Sleep
Babies & Sleep
Controlled Crying/Comforting/Sleep Training
The Con of Controlled Crying
The Crying Game
15 Ways To Help Your Baby Sleep

Other Useful Information & Recommended Reading:

Baby Massage
Cuddle Me Mum
Infant-led Feeding & Weaning
Baby Wearing
Recommended Reading List

Got questions?

Post your questions in the forums mentioned above, or in the following forums where you're sure to receive many friendly responses!

General Baby & Toddler Forum
Breastfeeding, Bottlefeeding and Solids
Gentle Parenting Forum

Your previous thread can be found HERE

Please note - To receive thread notifications click the "thread tools" button at the top of this post and click "Subscribe to Thread" there is no need to post in order to get notifications.

Hello to all the other March mummies!!
Finally got a quiet moment from all the breatfeeding and changing pooey nappies so just wanted to pop my head in here to see if anyone else was here yet!

hope you are all doing well and enjoying your little bubbas!

hi Karina, can't wait to be joining you in here early next week when we get home from hossy. How is everything going?

Hi Sarah, i hope it all goes well for you tomorrow! How exciting to know youll have your little girl in your arms tomorrow. I hope you get some good rest tonight, know I wouldnt be able to sleep.

We are going well, and I am happy to be home but to be honest I probably should have stayed in the hospital a bit longer but I was getting cabin fever and had to get out. I like being there because I had all the midwives on call to help with everything, but I am getting mroe rest and there arent so many distractions at home which is nice.

Claire is feeding so much - i feel like i have a breast out for her every five seconds, but I dont know if I am doing it right so I guess I just have to wait to see when my milk comes. DH is home with me this week, but back at work next week. I dont know how I am going to cope next week, but DH mum might come down and give us some help for the forst few days. I think I will need it. She used to be a midwife , and is obvisouly a mum herself, so she knows heaps of stuff and can help me with feeding.

i think i am going to get some sleep though cos i just know she is going to wake up expecting a feed at some ridiculous hour!

Hey Sarah, looking forward to you being able to post in here very shortly! Hope the birth went well.

Hi Karina, I feel the same way about breastfeeding - Sebastian seems to want to feed all the time, which is fine since my milk came in and my breasts were sooo enormous LOL I couldn't believe it. I had to really work at waking him up the other day, though; it was very hot and I didn't want him to just sleep and get dehydrated.

I was glad to come home early too, but in the end I probably should have tried to rest a bit more. My mum was up in Perth and came over everyday but I think I still overdid it because last night I had to go to hospital with heavy bleeding. :redface: We ended up staying there for about three hours, they checked me out and of course it had settled down by then (only to start again when I got home, but there was no way I was going back again!!) The doctor said that it's possible I have an early infection, since my lower belly is a little tender - it could be just from the birth but she suggested antibiotics just in case. Normally I would be pretty unimpressed about taking a/b "just in case" but having a little person dependent on you kind of makes the alternative of going to hospital in a few days with a full-blown infection fairly unattractive!

So I'm feeling a little fragile today, and I've just been down to the chemist to get the drugs, $40 later (!) and I'm going to settle down in front of the TV for the night :)

Sasha, OMG my breasts are enormous too, and I am used to have only tiny breasts so its really wierd to see them massive. I need to go out and get new bras. I think my milk is just coming in now. I hope the bleeding is nothing too serious and not an infection. That would be terrible. You know, i bleed a lot more right when I am feeding, and not so much during other times of the day when I am not feeding. I hope you are going well.

I've been feeling very weepy and had a few good cries. DH asks why I am crying and all I can tell him is that I just dont know! hormonal thing really, thats all.

Sarah, yay that you will be joining us here soon!

Hi Girls

How are you all.

I posted in our March area wasnt sure if this had been created yet.,

Cant wait to talk about our babies and what we are all going through.

Talk about huge boobs I am with you there, they are massive, ihave to go and buy new bras because i am only fitting into my sports bra at the moment and that is not the most comfortable for b/feeding. I have been having breat warmers on my boobs and then cold packs afterwards and massaging the blocked ducts every feed. They arent so bad today but I certainly know when its feeding time they start get all hard and sore..

Hope everyone is well, need to go for a lye down soo tired at the moment. Although Kaiden has been sleeping well and feeding well being at home i find myself doing things, cleaning and washing etc etc, not really resting when i should be.

Luv Son
xx

Ugh, Sebastian is NOT sleeping well today. I'm so tired! Just logged onto the ABA website and have found instructions to their baby sling. My brother's g/f gave me her sling to use and I tried it just now and was really not doing it right! Now that I've found the right way, of course, Sebastian is fast asleep so I'm not about to wake him and try it out!! I think perhaps the antibiotics are making him a bit uncomfortable - I know they're giving me a bit of a tummyache so poor little guy must be feeling it too. I bought some yoghurt and yakult and have been taking that so hopefully that'll help him as well.

Sonia my breasts were so sore for a few days too, but now they seem to have settled down - still enormous by my standards!! but not quite as hard.

Have you girls been in touch with your community health nurse? Our local one is coming out to see us on Friday. It's kind of nice that we don't have to go in to see them yet - I like the idea of people coming to me :)

Well, I think I hear him stirring so better go see what's happening. Early night for me tonight, I think!

Hi ladies hope motherhood is treating you well.

Claire has been sleeping lots today - its bliss - but she'll probably be up all night wanting the booby. She is doing really well and I reckon she is massive compared to when she was born and its only been just over a week!

I still have a very sore tailbone, and its still quite sore to sit down, so if its not better by end of the week I think I will go see a physio and see what they say. Other than that my stiches seem to be healing nicely. Its such a yuk place to have stiches!

Sasha, we saw our community health nurse. She came to our house which is so handy. The baby health centre is only one street away so its not a big deal to get there for us, but it was definately nice to have her come here for the first time. She spent about an hour here going through our blue book and my hospital discharge report and a whole lot of other stuff, and she is also a lactation consultant which is quite handy.

i really should be sleeping while Claire is. Naughty me! I think I will at least have a lie down. Its so hard to sleep in the middle of the day though.

Hi Girls

Kaiden is being a very good boy, waking every three hours for a feed then back to sleep, he is a blessing thats for sure. Lets hope he stays this way. Very alert though when we do have some play time, his moving his head up and side to side.
I took him out yesterday shopping for the day, he slept in the pram the whole time, well except for feed time.
Im seeing my health nurse tomorrow, she comes out to me.. YAY.. although she is only at the next suburb. I dont want to drive really beacause Kaiden is way to small for the baby seat, he gets lost in there, I feel sorry for him

Sasha I hope Sebastian is better today, hope you had some sleep. Karina hope your tailbone is getting better.

Love to you all.

SOnia
xxx

Wow, Sonia, enjoy those regular sleep/feed cycles, what a good baby! Sebastian still not sleeping that well - seems to have quite bad tummyache, poor little guy. I'm looking forward to the end of the week when I finish my course of antibiotics, and hopefully that will settle him down. But he's feeding really well, so I guess that's a good thing.

Karina, hope you're feeling a bit less sore now. I think everything is starting to settle down OK in that area for me. I'm trying to remember to do my pelvic floor and tummy-strengthening exercises, and today I went for a walk with the pram (and baby, obviously!) I might try and do that more often.

Thank goodness for this cooler weather, makes it a lot easier to sleep at night. Sebastian slept for nearly 5 hours last night, woohoo! Not holding my breath that it will happen again, though!

Sonia, Thats great that Kaiden is being so kind to you. Claire wakes up so much overnight for a feed and hardly ever during the day. I think she is mixed up! How big is Kaiden? I think our carseat is huge too but its meant to be the type you can use from birth.

Sasha, i love walking with the pram! I need to get out of the house so its good. The only problem is the pram is huge and I always need help to put it up, lol. I am also trying to do pelvic floor exercises, but i think my pelvic floor has been completely destroyed. Wow at a 5 hour sleep, that must have been bliss!

Well I am having a break from being a food factory for Claire. She's been having lots and lots of really short feeds. I fed her yesterday, then she went with DH and spewed on his work shirt lol. DH mum is staying here at the moment, and I am feeling a bit overcrowded at the moment. I havent had any mummy daughter time since she was born and this annoys me! I should get mummy daughter time next week though, but I still feel like I havent had the cchance to really bond with Claire.

Am I a freak, or is anyone elses perineum numb?

Hope you are doing well and able to get some rest.

Have the health nurse coming today, should be knocking on the door anytime now..

I just fed Kaiden and put him down to sleep, in a nappy and singlet, its so hot today and dont want to turn the air con on cause it gets quite cold for the ltitle one, one of my questions for the nurse is about what to dress him in on hot nights etc and if air con is ok for him on during the day or night.

Also Kaiden is sneezing alot, it may be to do with all the flowers i have around the house from the hospital, i might have to throw them out soon cause they are really smelling the house out.

Karina: - that is so funny about the food factory, I call myself the milk outlet.. hahaha..

My perineum isnt hurting, my hemroid has gone done that god and my graze and stitch has gone thank god.

Hope everyone is well this afternoon..

Oh Kaidens belly button started bleeding today so I am a bit freaked out, thank god the nurse is coming. Hurry up nurse!!!

Will come back on later when she has left.

Sonia, hope your appointment with the nurse was good and they answered all your Q's. Claire also sneezes heaps. I dont know if its just that she is getting used to breathing or if our house is dusty...

Claire has been feeding almost hourly today. I wonder if she is going through a growth spurt or if I am just not producing enough to fill her up each feed?

I am going to go to the baby health centre tomorrow and use their scales to weigh Claire. She feels so heavy now and looks huge! I want to see if she has put on more weight.

Did your bubs lose much weight while you were in hospital?

take care

Hi Karina

Well nurse has left and Kaiden is one very healthy little munchkin. He is now 3.100kg and has put on 300grams since leaving hospital. When he was born he was 2.940, and only 2.795 when we were discharged so lost a little bit of weight.

I asked about the sneezing and she said that is common in babies they only have a small nose canel which causes them to sneeze, i still might get rid of the flowers though had them for a week and a bit and they are starting to dye off. So cute watching him sneeze though.

Oh i want this hot weather to go away, its soooo warm still.

Hi girls,
so funny that you both write about sneezing - Sebastian has been sneezing loads too and I was thinking that it was because I had a dusty house (which still might be the case, but nice to know your babies are doing the same!)

Very sleepless night last night. S had a long sleep earlier in the day and so woke up around 11:30 and wouldn't go back to sleep until about 1:30. Then woke up again at 4, fed for a while and M gets up at 5, so not much sleep after that! I went back to bed with him at about 7, and got another hour or so, and I think I'll have to catch some zzzz this afternoon.

Yay, only one more day of antibiotics after today. I can't wait, hopefully it will help his windy tummy plus I hate taking them. He just seems to have far more trouble settling that he did at the beginning, of course we only had a week to compare it with, but still. I'm looking forward to when he starts to smile! Those gummy gassy smiles you get make me think he's going have such a cute smile (not that I'm biased :D )

Has anyone else noticed that their sense of smell is heightened? I feel like I can smell so much more than I could - this is not necessarily a good thing LOL but it is weird.

Sonia, cool that Kaiden is gaining weight so much! Sebastian feels heavier to me too, but I'm not sure if he will have gained a lot of weight.

Karina sometimes Sebastian feeds almost hourly as well, then he goes for a really long nap and wakes up and has an enormous feed, I guess it's just how he feels at the time. We measured him and he has grown almost 2 cm (and outgrown the jumpsuit we put on him when he was first born!) so they do grow quickly.

Well, I might take him out for a walk to the library and see if that sends him off to sleep! Have a good day everyone :)

Sonia, thats great that the nurse says little Kaiden is very healthy. Always good to hear those sorts of things.

Bec, yay on finishing the antibiotics! I think I would forget to take them. My brain is a bit frazzled lately. LOL at the gassy gummy smiles, how funny are they! Im sure he'll have a gorgeous smile. I think Claire is getting bigger every day. She looks massive now compared to when I first held her in hospital. Hope the walk settles Sebastian down - Claire falls asleep in the pram pretty much straight away.

Argh, have had a messy messy day today! Claire did a massive explosive poo and it came out the side and bottom of her nappy and went all over my pants and the carpet! So i cleaned her up and changed her nappy and clothes... Then I gave her a feed and she needed a burp, so I burped her and she spewed all over me and her... so i had to clean her and change her, and change my clothes again too, lol. Gosh, i didnt know that much poo and spew could come out of such a small person!

Took a walk to the baby health centre yesterday and used their scales... Claire is now 3kg exactly! She was 2.66kg when we left hospital and definately feels heavier since then.

hope everyone is doing well and getting some sleep!

Hi girls, hope you're both having a leisurely Friday night. It's nearly 8 o' clock and both Sebastian and M are asleep!! :D I'm actually enjoying the me-time, although it's not going to be a late night for me either.

The Child Health Nurse came today, and stayed almost 2 hours! It was good though, she weighed Sebastian and he has put on weight, he's about 3.78 kg now (thought he was getting heavy!) and she's pleased with how he looks. She taught me a swaddling technique which stops him from getting his arms out and flailing them about - very handy. Also gave me loads of info and booked me into a mothers' group, and told me about the free vax clinic nearby; it's great to have all this support, isn't it? She told me I appeared to be doing very well - always nice to hear :)

Karina, yuck, I hate those poos which leak all over you! Is Claire a spewy baby or is it uncommon for her to throw up? The classic for me was when Sebastian was born and I was holding him while on the beanbag, and I felt kind of warm, well, when midwife took the towel off us, Sebastian had pooed merconium ALL over me, ugh! We ended up just laughing about it, it was so gross! But at least there wasn't any carpet - getting it out of the carpet is the worst!

A friend of mine sent me a card today and included a $50 Coles gift card - what a thoughtful gift! Couldn't have come at a better time since we have a lot of bills at the moment and it means we can afford a couple of extra luxuries for us all. My godmother came over yesterday as well, and brought a present for S and we had a lovely chat. So I'm feeling a bit spoilt right now!

Well, I'm going to have a cuppa and start on my library book before I head off to bed! Have a good weekend!

Hello, oh finally got both kids asleep at the same time and Dh is off the computer. Have soooo much housework to catch up on but I am so knackered! Can't believe Ariya is a week old today All day I've been going over last week - sometimes wish I was still living it up in the hossy though :-)

Ariya is doing really well, We were a little worried as she hadn't poooped since she was 3 days old, but today was the day and I have been up to my elbows in poo all day. My nipples are finally healing - Touch wood. I expressed last night and DH feed Ariya to try adn help them heal adn I have actually been able to feed today without wanting to scream. It was so cute watching DH give Ariya her bottles too :-)

that's funny that we all have sneezy babies - Ariya sneezes heaps too!

Congrats Sonia on the appointment, we go on Monday - fingers crossed Ariya has put on some weight too.

Karinba hearing you on the poo and spew and how hard is it to get the spew stains out of white clothing! Ariya is starting to go through her 1 week growth spurt too.

Anyone else misssing being pg - I am :-( Not that I don't love my beautiful bubba, just miss the kicks and squirms sometimes

Sarah, i am misssing being pregnant. I think i whinged a bit when I was, but secretly I loved it!!!! I love that I now have Claire though. Shes just so beautiful. I hope your nipples heal up. I feel like I finally have the hang of breastfeeding, but gosh I had sore nipples for the first few days! Thats sweet of your DH to feed Ariya her bottles.

Sasha that great your appointment went well and Sebastian is gaining weight. It is good to have the help of the child health nurse. We have also booked into a parents group - will be interested to see what its like and if they are snobby or not (lol, the closest one to me is in a rather rich snobby waterfront suburb, you know the type where all the houses are like $2 million). Claire isnt particularly spewy, but I think she might have been spewy yesterday because my breasts felt so full so maybe the milk was flowing too fast for her and she had too much and had to get rid of the excess.

Um, is anyone else having leaky breasts? I woke up last night with my top soaking and milk just pouring out. Is that normal? Also when I feed, the other breast leaks. Is that normal or am I a freak?

Hi Girls

Kaiden is doing well, still sleeping like an angel and feeding well. Although I am using a shield at the moment as he still isnt latching on so having to use the shield. Hopefully having a lactation consultant come out and help me get him to latch on. I have inverted/flat nipples so making it a bit hard for him without the shield. Health Nurse isnt worried if i use the shield full time as long as he is getting fed that is the main thing, expressing all the time and storing in freezer and also bottle feeding when I am out and about. I decided to do a bottle feed at 4am whcih i think i will do from now on, i dont have to think about getting my boobs out and fiddling with the shield etc.

I dont start my mothers group till May, hopefully there are a nice bunch of ladies, I live in a new estate so hopefully will meet some other nice mums in the area.

Karina: - my breasts are leaking big time, between the shower and me putting my bra on with the breat pads i leave a trail from the shower to the basin or the bed, i try to have my nickeres with the pads in them and the bras with the pads in them ready before i hop in the shower but sometime not so organised and i drip everywhere. Not so much dripping over night because i express before going to bed to get rid of some of the milk. I did find however missing the 4am feed this morning my boobs were so big and sore i couldnt wait for the 7am feed to get rid of the milk.

I have been vacuuming today and have the tv on loud to get Kaiden used to loud noises etc, with my 20 or so family over last week and the dog barking he didnt wake so maybe he is used to the noises from when i was pg..

Sarah: I miss being pg as well, i miss my tummy and the feeling of him kicking etc although i complained about not sleeping and being umcomfortable not being able to bend, do my nails etc now i complain again.. Ahhh never happy!! hehe Hope those nipples get better. I wish i could feed without the shield.. :pray: for me girls..

Does anyone still have their line on their belly, mine is still so dark!

Hey Sonia - we are using a shield too. i used them for 9mths with DS due to latching and sucking problems and was really hoping to avoid them but I was dreading every feed to the point where i was scared to put my nipple in her mouth because of the pain and was seriously considering switching to formula. i figure a happy mum who is using a shield is better than a mum who is getting depressed and anxious over every feed. Hoping to kick them in a few weeks as Ariya is not really impressed with the shields. what type do you use?

Karina - I am leaking a ton too, it usually settles down after 6wks or so and I hate using breastpads cause they stick to my sore nipples. I had some cloth ones with DS so I am going to try and find some of them.

So pleased I'm not the only freak missing being pg, I think I am dwelling on it a little bit too as DH is getting ready for his vastecotomy (which is going to be amusing :-)

Ariya had the best night last night feed at 12pm then at 5 and is just starting to stir now so i better run. Hope everyone has a good day today

Oh yeah I still have the line on my belly and the marks on my face - and my belly button is still sticking out even though my belly is flattening out pretty well - yuck anyone elses belly button still looking a bit off?

Sonia, yay that Kaiden is sleeping and feeding so well. Bummer that you have to use the nipple shield, but its good hat he is still getting enough milk and putting on weight.

Sarah, yay on a five hour sleep! Claire has her moments. Some nights are horrible and she wakes every hour, but others she sleeps great. Ariya is so cute! Does she always have her hands near her head? I find that Claire does and she always manages to get them out of the wraps I do.

Yep, I still have the line on my tummy, and it is still quite dark. I also have a really dark patch on my belly over my belly button area and it looks more freckly than I remember! Tummy is mostly flat - just a bit squishy and not firm like it was pre-pregnancy! Belly button looks a bit wierd - sort of stretched. Gosh my tummy looked strange the first time I looked at it after giving birth. It looked triangular and stuck out to a point! I am now weighing a couple of kg lighter than pre-pregnancy, but I dont want to lose any more weight.

I am really pleased I can wear my rings again. My fingers got too swollen around middle of january and I had to take my rings off then I couldnt get them back on till a few days ago.

um dumb question... but what actually is a nipple shield?

Also, when you are really full, do you wake up your babies to feed them, or express the extra and feed them that later on?

hey Karina - congrats on being lighter than pre pregnancy that's awesome. ive lost 12kg so far but have another 10 to go - need to start exercising soon. It took ages for my tummy to flatten out this time, I still looked 6mths pg when we left the hospital.

A nipple shield is a thin piece of plastic, in the shape of a dome (sort of like a niple) you put it over your nipple and the baby sucks on the sheild which has holes in it to let the milk out. it's helpful for flat nipples as babies can't attach well when nipples are flat or in my case can't get enough in their mouth to stop damaging the nipple that's there. You can also use them if you have damage to your nipple until it heals.

Claire is gorgeous too, so many march girls hey. Yeah she does sleep with her hands above her head and used to do it in the womb as well, it's so funny when you see their movements in real life and can remember how they felt when they were inside you, like when Ariya flexes her feet and I can remember her soing that right under my ribs :-)

As for the milk, when xander was little I used to wake him for his feeds as he wouldn't wake on his own and later I expressed to store for later, but remember the more you take out the more you make so if you can stand it leave it be or you'll end up with an over supply in the long run. I have been lucky - touch wood - that I haven't had any engorgement or over supply with Ariya although she took a bottle of EBM the other night of 100 ml and then a BF half and hour later so maybe she is just a little piggy!

Hi everyone, hope you've all had a good weekend!

Sarah, good to hear from you and that Ariya is going well. Does Xander like being a big brother?

I'm missing being pregnant too. I think also because the actual birth takes such a short time (not that I wanted to be in labour for any longer, mind you!!!) you know, one day you're pregnant and then you suddenly have a baby, and it's kind of all different then. My tummy is going down but still a little podgy! And the line is there still, and my belly button is kind of bigger that it used to be! I guess I'm disappointed that it's taking so long to go back to what it was, but then I have to remind myself it's only two weeks, right?! Have been out walking with the pram a bit and I'll start doing that more when it cools down. I don't know how much I weigh atm, will have to borrow my sister's scales when I go over next.

Is anyone else feeling the heat a lot? I seem to be so sweaty. Can't wait for summer to be over!

Well, I'm going to finish the washing up and then see if I can get some sleep before Sebastian wakes up - still has a bit of wind today, I ended up counting wrong how many tablets I still had left to take so I don't finish my a/biotics until tomorrow morning, and I'm hoping that will help the poor little guy's stomach.
Catch you all later!

Sasha, hoping Sebastian settles for you soon, I've heard it's not unusual to sweat al ot after giving birth. With DS my hair fell out in clumps, I guess all those hormones make your body go a little crazy.

OK, I better go to bed or I'll be a zombie in the morning. Enjoy your bubba girls - esp while they're sleeping couldn't you just watch them for hours :-)

Hi Girls

Sarah: YAY for someone else using a shield... I havent gone off the shield yet, tried again and he just isnt latching on so looks like a full time use for me, I would rather use it and give him the breastmilk then use formula, i am producing good milk and lots of it so thats more important than crying over spilt milk from the shield, which is my main problem having the milk spill on me when Kaiden pulls off.. I use the Avent Shield with three holes. Im thinking I should buy another one soon, Did you use the same one for 9 months??

Kaiden has been feeding well from a bottle when i use it, I express everyday usually in the morning and at night get 125ml if not a bit more from one boob in 10 minutes so have about 5 in the freezer and two in the fridge when i know im going out or have people coming over and i just use the bottle.

Kaiden slept for 8hrs lastnight, put him down at 9.30 and he didnt wake for a feed until 4am. So happy.. Then he woke again at 8am.

Karina: I do express when my boobs are feeling a bit sore otherwise i put my breast warmers in which help the soreness within 20 minutes. I brought them from the chemist, best thing i have purchased. $40 for the two.

Sounds like everyone is really loving motherhead and getting into the swing of things. I will send everyone a picture this afternoon, well the ones i have home emails for.

Bec: I am over the warm weather to, I am looking forward to the cooler weather to go walking. " can i just say i thought your name was sasha this whole time and now you have Bec at the bottom, got a bit confused with the names.. hehe.."

Love Sonia.
xx

LOL, sorry for the confusion - my cat's name is Sasha and I just used it as a name because there were so many other Becs on the site! I don't mind either name :)

Yay, Sebastian is FINALLY asleep, I am so exhausted. Gave him some tummy time this afternoon and he fell asleep almost straight away, so I just watched a show I taped yesterday while he was sleeping there... I know they're not supposed to sleep on their stomach but I was checking the whole time that he was breathing (!) and well, if it means he can get some sleep in and I can get some peace and quiet then it's all good! Poor little thing has bags under his eyes!! He started getting uncomfortable after about 20 mins so I switched him onto his back again, and he's still there sleeping while M plays on the PS2!

I can imagine the nipple shields are a hassle to use but you girls are legends for going the extra mile for the baby, I had a bit of nipple soreness but got this stuff called Lansinoh, and it is really good - S has a really strong latch so it's fairly painful when he starts off but much better than it was.

Off to make some dinner, no idea what we're going to have - hopefully something in the freezer will inspire me...!

Sarah, lol. I saw a picture of myself that was taken while I was in hospital and I still looked 6 months pregnant too, and my belly button was still sticking out! Well done on losing 12 kg so far. Claire had her hands near her face on our scans, and she is always during the same when sleeping now. I love just watching her facial expressions when she sleeps too. So funny!

Bec, yes i am feeling the heat so much. It is boiling for me right now, but DH doesnt think so, and I am always waking up in the middle of the night in a sweat. I'm not losing my hair though. Well not any more than what is normal for me. haha i also thought your name was Sasha until the other day.

Sonia, wow at the 8 hour sleep! Where can I order one of those?? Claire sleeps for 5 hours at most, which isnt too bad I suppose.thanks for the idea of the breast warmers. I hadnt even heard of that. Might check it out.

Claire has been unsettled nearly all day. Only slept a couple hours all day and the rest of the time has wanted the breast or been screaming. We've finally got her down to sleep and she has been there for about an hour. I went out grocery shopping (needed pads, nappies and bum wipes!!! but came home with so much more - shoudlnt go shopping when hungry) and left DH here with her, and she was so good while I was out. Hoping she will get a decent sleep tonight. DH has bought one of those settling CD's with stuff on it like heartbeats, gurgling and radio fuzz. She sems to settle with it.

Also, does anyone know what is the avaerage time one bleeds for after birth?
They told me in the hospital but I forgot. I'm just over it - Its like having an extra long AF, and I'd like it to stop so I can go swimming again!

hope you are well and not too sleep deprived.

Hi girls...only just found this thread today! Everyone sounds like they are doing great...Bec, I'm glad Sebastian is finally getting some rest - should you be getting some rest too?!

Am I strange? I'm not missing being pregnant - I love being able to move around, reach my feet and fit into my clothes again!

I am definitely going to have to look at getting a sling of some sort - Grace is a cuddles girl - loves being in our arms. Which is great, I have no problem giving her cuddles (no such thing as too many cuddles), but it does make it hard to get things done! Not so much a problem now that DH is still off work, but when he goes back to work at the end of next week it may prove challenging. Do any of you ladies have a sling?

We are so lucky that Grace is sleeping overnight - haven't done the 8 hours of continuous sleep though! She has been wide awake all day today, we played on the couch - I love it, I could sit there and play with her all day.

I know what you ladies mean about the boobs - oowwweee! We went to a wedding last night and Grace stayed with her Nanna and Pop and they fed her expressed milk, therefore I didn't feed Grace for a number of hours - I was ready to pop by the time we picked her up - it was horrid. She fed and I was still uncomfortable so then I expressed (I hate expressing, it's so horrid), it took 3 more feeds before I started to feel comfortable again. Then for the first time this morning I was leaking! I've been lucky with my nipples, my right one started to get sore after a day but it fixed itself up. I still get a pulling feeling for the first 10 seconds or so once Grace goes on but then it feels fine. The weirdest feeling i reckon is that tingling feeling when your breasts are re-filling after a feed - but it sort of feels normal now, how quickly we adjust.

DH has been super. He gets up through the night and changes Grace's nappy while I get ready for the feed. He is my rock, I'm so lucky.

I'm so glad we have a baby buddies group, it's so nice to be able to talk to people going through the same things, It's funny, but I feel like I know you ladies. Probably shared more personal information throughout the pregnany with all of you than what I did with my real life friends.

Karina I think from memory it can be up to 6 weeks, but it shouldn't be blood loss for that whole time.

Hope everyone has a good night and gets some sleep. Take care,

hello, having a grr today today. Ariya has been doing these little half feeds all day and my boobs are getting so sore from not being emptied properly, really should get up and express but can't be bothered. Also she pooped all over me today, right through her clothes, wrap and onto my shirt - eek! in fact, really shouldn't have gotten out of bed this morning - got to one appointment late this morning, lost my nipple shield so had to go and buy another pack, thought gymbaroo started at 10:30 instead on 10am so DS missed most of his session, then went to the post natal clinc at the hospital but they had given me the wrong day!

Anyway Ariya has put on 350g in a week -woohoo!o one good thing came out of it.

Sonia - I plan on using them for at least a month until her mouth is a little bigger, just look out for well meaning midwifes and lac consultants who try and make you feel bad for using a shield (I don't know why, i figure BF with a shield is better than not) I'm using the avent ones too. I got a couple of sets with DS, kept one in the nappy bag, one beside the bed and one in the longue room so i wasn't constantly running back and forth. With the spillage I always put a cloth nappy under Ariyas head and then you can use it to empty any excess milk and whip the shield off discretely (just don't do what I did today and subsequently loose the sheild :-)

Karina I think most of the bleeding should have slowed down by 2-3wks but you shouldn't go swimming for 6wks because your cervix is still open or something like that.

Bec - have to say I thought your name was Sasha too :-0 pleased sebastian has settled for you, we put Ariya down on her belly sometimes too - I've heard that if they are strong enough to move their head from side to side and you keep an eye on them it's not too bad.

rachel - My DH has been super too, I'm not looking forward to when he goes back to work. I have a couple of slings a hug a bub which I have only just started with but Ariya loves it, just very hot at the moment and a hatchling sling (from DS) which is mesh and one of those one shoulder slings - great for breast feeding and when carrying a toddler on your hip.

OMG Sarah what a day you have had you poor thing.
Good idea getting a few shields. I went to shops today but forgot to have a look. Will wait till i go back and will buy two more.
Im hoping though the lac consultant will help me through it, bugger getting midwife from the hospital, first thing she asked me when she rang me is if i was still using the shield, you would think that the most important thing is that i was breast feeding.. Ahhh

Rachel: Grace is just gorgeous.. Does she look like you or DH?? Kaiden is all Mark. I agree with you in thinking that we know each other so well, i certainly havent shared this much personal info to any of my friends, alot of them dont understand, I have a few that i can talk to but not like this.

I am waiting for him to wake up for his feed, he is on his belly with is hands under his cheeks and his legs like frog.. SOOO Cute. had to take a photo. Watching him like a hawk though him being on his belly.

Karina: - I am still bleeding, not a lot but its more after feeds and quite red, the midwife said this is normal and good that it is red, it means the uterus is contracting and pushing down, she said should last between 2 & 3 weeks, Im hoping it stops soon, i have had enough of wearing pads, pads in the nickers that feel so thick its umfortable to walk and i want to go back to weearing g-strings not nanna nickers.

What are you girls wearing to bed? Are you wearing maternity bras?.. I am wearing sports bras but not so comfy when wanting to pull out my boob to feed Kaiden.

Tomorrow is another day of feeding and staring at my boy all day. Everyone have a wonderful sleep and speak to you all tomorrow.

Love Sonia.

Rachel, Claire loves her cuddles too. We dont have a sling, but we have one of those Baby Bjorn ones, but she is too small for it! so I dont use it yet, but I probably will when she is a little bigger and I want to just go outside quickly or need to go for a short walk to get milk etc and cant be bothered getting the pram out. Lucky that your DH gets up through the night - mine just sleeps through all the crying .. or maybe he is just really good at ignoring her cries! cant blame him though since he has to go to work every day.

Sarah, blergh what a day! hope you can have a bit of a relax after all that. have to agree with you on using the cloth nappies as dribble/spew towels when feeding. Claire is such a dribbler after I've fed her.

Sonia, i'm wearing a sports bra to bed sometimes, I sometimes wear a maternity bra to bed though. The sports bra is annoying because it doesnt have the clips to open the cups like the maternity bra does. just got your email - Kaiden is so cute! wow at all his hair too lol!

omg, I keep seeing the ads on TV for the Saving Babies show. I always cry when I see the babies and hear the song :(

thanks for the advice on the bleeding. I am just so over needing to use pads!

Claire is sleeping, but she is so cute I could just watch her all day! I get so paranoid when she is asleep and hasnt moved or made a noise in a while. I have to go in and check she is ok. we put her to bed on her back , but we also put her on her tummy to play sometimes, and she is able to move her head to either side and tries to push herself up and roll over. so cute!

Morning

WE have a sling but Kaiden is way to small for it he gets lost in it, also got a baby bjorn but again to small for that too.

Got DH to bottle feed the 7am shift i was just so tired, so not feeling to bad now, should reallyhave a lye down but got so much washing to do. Kaiden is a spew baby and also pees through the side of his nappy, god knows what i am doing wrong with the nappies, but he seems to pee through one side its always the right side. So have to change his outfit and sheets.. Ahhh the joys.

Karina with you on being over wearing pads.. so annoying. I also get paranoid with Kaiden and go and put my hand on his stomach and also wiggle his hands a bit.

Yep Kaiden has lots of hair alright, didnt even get heartbearn during the pregnancy. So its a myth i think.

Sonia, lol about peeing through the nappies. We also have the same problem - so annoying when you have to change clothes and bedsheets on the middle of the night. When Claire was first born the newborn nappies were massive and we just couldnt pull them tight enough to get a good seal on the sides, but now she is a bit more chubby they seem to fit better. maybe in my case its just operator error - she wriggles so much so I might just not be putting them on right! We are using the Huggies nappies atm. We tried others (coles and Wollies brand but they seem so much bigger than the huggies... ) I had heartburn all the time when I was pregnant. Claire only has a little bit of hair.

Ohh I put some photos up on a photo sharing website. Its in my signature.

Wow Claire is so different today than to yesterday. She's been sleeping for about 3 hours now. I feel like I should be sleeping right now, but its so humid here that I just cant sleep. I want her to wake so I can empty my enormous right breast!!!

I cant stop eating. I feel like I am constantly in the fridge! I am hooked on turkey and cranberry sandwiches now, after eating them in hospital.

Karina: - OMG with the heat and not sleeping we have air con but i dont want to put it on all the time, not good for the little one i dont think. ALso agree with you on the eating, i have been eating so much, i need to put a lock ont he fridge and the pantry.

I am sweating like a pig.. eek its horrible.

Claire looks gorgeous.. so cosy all wrapped up.

We use the huggies newborn and i think his legs and bum are so skinny that they are too big still so its leaking on the sides.. I dont want to pull tabs to tight in case i just off circulation.

Sarah, you poor thing, I hope you had a better day today. Yay on Ariya's weight gain. Grace gained 330g in 1 week - we have a little greedy guts. The MCHN said average weight gain was 140g!!! She's now 160g bigger than when she was born. Definitely have to look at a sling. Grace was unsettled this morning and just wanted to be held. Makes it hard to do stuff, not so bad at the moment cause we're both off but DH goes back to work end of next week, will be interesting.

Sonia, thanks, I think she is gorgeous too (not that i'm bias or anything). She actually looks like my middle sister when she was born, can see aspects of me in her but she has bits of DH such as long arms and legs - she will be tall we think. I wear a maternity bra to bed, went and got 2 more bras last week so have plenty now (I can't wear one since she's been born and my boobs have doubled in size!). No heartburn, you lucky thing. The midwives at the hospital told me that there was some research done on it and it was found to be true! Doesn't explain you though.

Karina, my DH is on leave at the moment so makes it much easier, will be different when he goes back end of next week. Claire is just gorgeous.

Feeling a bit weary - once Grace finishes feeding I think I might have a lie down. Hope everyone has a good night.

Well, we have just been down to the Child Health Centre to weigh Sebastian (fatty!!) and also because I was a bit concerned about his breathing. He kind of grunts when he lies down, and it could be wind, but I was just a bit worried, you know? Typical first time mum, I suppose! Anyway the nurse said his pulse was just a little bit fast and has given me a referral to a local medical centre, which is good because I wanted to change doctors and have a nice one for Sebastian to see - we weren't that happy with our GP before. AND they bulk-bill, which is great, because none of the places closer to us do that, and I just sometimes don't have a spare $75 to shell out (and they won't let you pay later - serves me right living in a snobby suburb, I suppose!) We're going tomorrow morning.

I finally got a good night's sleep! S did wake up at 1:30, 3, and 4, but in between seemed to sleep really well, or at least, I slept really well, and if he didn't, I managed to ignore him LOL Then we had another nap from about 7am to about 8, and I'm surprised how much better I feel. Yesterday I was so weepy, and it was just because I was so exhausted.

Rachel, we need to get a sling too - we have a Nursing Mothers one but it's not very comfortable. Although I love cuddling the little one, it's sometimes a bit frustrating if you can't put them down for five minutes just to finish the washing up or even make a cup of tea!

I got rid of the bulky pads, finally! Now just wearing little pantyliners, such a relief. Felt like I was just leaking from everywhere, with breast pads and sanitary pads, ugh! I know the breast pads are here to stay for a while, but I can cope with them a bit better.

We use Huggies too but in a few weeks I would like to try and go for some fitted cloth nappies and see how they go. I got a sample of some biodegradable nappies but they are really not that good, so don't think I'll buy any.

Well, might go for a walk with the pram before it gets too hot! Hope you're all going well.

HELLO EVERYONE I THOUGHT ID JOIN IN I ONLY JUST FOUND OUT TODAY ABOUT IT > I THINK ITS GOOD HEARING WAT EVERYONE ELSE IS GOING THROUGH AT THE SAME TIME>>>>>

well my boobs were so huge and soooooooo sore it wasnt funny although i knew what to expect it was the THIRD DAY THAT THE MILK CAME IN I LEFT THE HOSP FEELING LIKE DOOLY PARTON AND THE NEXT DAY OUCHEEE SO PAINFUL BUT KNOW THAY HAVE SETTLED THEY TEND TO GET THAT FULL TINGILING PSIN FEELIN NOT LONG BEFORE I FEED HIM < ITS FUNNY IF I BEND OVER I CAN FEEL THEM FULL UP <<< ANYWAY tAYLEN IS FEEDING REALLY WELL INFACT TO WELL >
ANYONE ELSE UP ABOUT ~THREE TO FOUR TIMES A NITE HE SOME TIMES HAS TWO HRLY FEEDS ITS SO FRUSTRATING< ITS REALLY WEARING ME OUT AND IVE GOTTA GET UP AND GET THE KIDS READY FOR SCHOOL SO TIRING AND MY TWO YR OLD WONT LET ME HAVE A SLEEP DURING THE DAY< IM OFFICIALY BUGGERED >

I ALSO MISS BEING PREGNANT< ALTHOUGH I KNOW I WHINGED AT THE END AS I WAS SO SORE AND UNCOMFY BUT I KNOW THAT tAYLEN WAS MY LAST AS WE HAVE FOUR KIDS I REALLY THINK THAT ITS ENOUGH >>> SO I AM SO SAD THAT I WILL NOT EXPERIENCE BEING PREGNANT AGAIN OR BIRTH WHICH AS PAINFULL AS IT IS IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL >
ANYWAY I HAD A READ AND ITS GOOD TO SEE THAT IM GOING THROUGH THE SAME THINGS AS U GALS>
C U ALL LATER
SAVINA

Bec, i was going to try cloth nappies as well, but I am worried her explosive poos will spill out the sides, pmsl! blergh i hate the breast pads, they make me feel itchy and they just soak through in like 5 mins.

Savina, i hear yuo on the massive boobs. I barely fit in my bras now. Need to go get more. Some nights Claire is waking up 3 or 4 times, other nights it might only be twice.

Went into the hospital again to see a physio. I just wanted to get some tips for getting more comfy with my stupid sore tailbone. She gave me a few tips so I;ll give them a go. Saw my mum today as well and she is totally in love with Claire - she didnt want me to leave!